Adventures in the TARDIS

by Scroll

Part 2 Tick Tock Time Turner

One thing that is immediately apparent to the TARDIS crew is, as soon as they open the front door of the ship, they hear the sounds of ticking and clicking. As a result, some of the crew, like Feather Wind, glances behind him at the Doctor to see if this result is expected. The Doctor, in turn, doesn't seem to pay his crew any attention but at least this means he doesn't look alarmed. Even from back there, he should be hearing this too.

Outside of the TARDIS, the environment is heavily shaded but not totally dark. For those who step outside, it takes the crew a moment for their eyes to adjust. As their eyes wander (for those who can) and take in their surroundings, one thing they notice that is alarming is the silhouette of some other unidentified pony almost immediately ahead of them. Upon noticing that, Derpy screams, startled. Doing so provokes this mysterious stranger to also shout in startled fear, but now the crew can tell, based on this pony's voice, that they are dealing with a rather familiar-sounding stallion.

Stern Wing instinctively leaps into action by charging ahead of the group and then spreading her wings to defend those behind her. As for Feather, he creates a light off the tip of his horn to help illuminate the situation. However, given his short stature and the fact he's now behind Stern Wing who stepped forward and spread her wings, the stranger is still concealed in shadow until Feather steps around Stern a bit in order to spread his horn light upon this new stranger.

Upon doing so, the crew is taken aback to see the Doctor before them who is shielding his eyes from the sudden brightness in the room.

“Doctor!” Derpy exclaims in surprise.

“Derpy?” the Doctor asks ahead of them. “Confound it, girl. You didn't have to scream! You almost gave me a heart attack.”

Derpy blinks her walleyes at the Doctor and tilts her head as she says, “But I thought you decided you wouldn't leave the TARDIS right now.”

“Actually,” speaks up Feather Wind as he glances over his shoulder and into the TARDIS, “the Doctor is still in the TARDIS.”

“Then you must be . . .” Derpy begins but then gasps in astonishment before declaring. “Oh my Celestia! We're in the future!”

“Ah . . . what?” the familiar-looking stallion ahead of them blinks in confusion.

“Is a future version of me out here too?” Derpy asks in a tone of awe as she moves forward and gingerly rubs both of her forehooves on this stallion's cheeks. “Speak, Oh Future One of the Doctor.”

This stallion narrows his eyes at Derpy as he asks her, “Have you gone mad?” He slaps her hooves away fairly gently. “Derpy, it's me! Time Turner. You know me. We've even grown up in this town together.” Then he applies a hoof to his bottom lip in a thoughtful pose. “Although it is true we didn't know each other that well back then.”

“Huh?” Derpy tilts her head in confusion as she sits down.

“Don't you remember? We agreed that the TARDIS can park itself here, in my place of work and residence, to avoid being conspicuous outside,” Time Turner reminds then narrows his eyes. He also puts his hoof from his bottom lip back to the ground. “Just how long has it been for you since we last made that agreement?”

“Oh! Um,” Derpy looks to her side and thinks back. The answer she is looking for quickly returns to her the moment she checks. This makes her blush in embarrassment, close her eyes, and rub the back of her neck with a hoof. “Oh. Now I remember. Oops. My bad.” She opens her eyes again and lowers her hoof from behind her head. “But in my defense, it has been a while for me and I've been through a lot since that time.”

“Could somepony please fill the rest of us in on this situation?” Doctor Kelly kindly, but also a bit insistently, requests.

“Oh! Sure,” Derpy agrees as she stands back up again. Time Turner offers a hoof to help her rise again which she accepts then gives him a grateful nod before turning back to face the rest of her friends. “I'm just being a silly goof again. Time Turner here is a true resident pony of Ponyville who happens to resemble, sound like, and even behave like the Doctor. They even have the same cutie mark. One important difference here, though, is he is not a Time Lord but a true earth pony.”

“Looks, sounds, and acts like the Doctor but he isn't?” Doctor Kelly reiterates questioningly then narrows her eyes in doubt. “I find this hard to believe.” She widens her eyes back to normal again. “But then again, I've already seen some pretty strange things in the short time I've joined this crew. Maybe weird just comes with the territory of the Doctor's journey in the TARDIS.”

“I'd drink to that if I had something to drink,” Stern Wing agrees.

“Wow! The Doctor sure has a lot of neat and new companions traveling with him,” Time Turner notes in surprise. “And who might you all be?” He then blinks in stronger surprise when he regards Vision. “And he even brought a foal with him?”

“I foresee I am going to get that response a lot,” Vision predicts.

“And a blind foal at that?!” Time Turner realizes with even greater surprise.

“I can explain,” Derpy promises as she turns to face Time Turner. “But it's going to take me some time. It's been quite a while for me since I last came here to Ponyville.”

“Speaking of time, where are we?” Stern Wing asks as she looks up and notices a dizzying array of whirling wooden gears above crisscross wooden beams that serve as the only true barrier against the deadly hazards even further above. The architecture above them seems to narrow from the four walls to a single tip somewhere beyond sight.

“You haven't guessed? We're inside the Ponyville Clock Tower where I live and work,” Time Turner answers. “It's also where I tinker with a few inventions.”

“So this is Ponyville,” Feather Wind says with a nod then grows thoughtful. “Huh. I think I now realize what the Doctor meant when he said he might join us outside, in a way, despite remaining in the TARDIS himself.”

“He is?” Time Turner asks with a blink of surprise and a small shade of concern in his eyes. “Is he alright?”

“Actually, no. He's not,” Doctor Kelly answers. “Physically we're mostly fine thanks to my fastidious treatment, but mentally? Well . . . let's just say that is precisely why the Doctor delivered us here next. He seemed to believe we might be safe and relaxed here.” Her ears flick above her head along with a flinch of annoyance on her face. “But apparently he doesn't intend for us to actually sleep here with all that racket above us.”

“Oh, one gets used to it,” Time Turner says with a glance above him before looking back and flashing Doctor Kelly a grin. “In time,” he adds mischievously.

After a few seconds of awkward silence from the group, Derpy is the only one to crack up with a giggle due to Time Turner's recent comment.

Stern Wing lifts a hoof in front of her lips, clears her throat to signal for attention, then returns her hoof to the ground as she introduces, “Well, anyway, to address the important question you posed for us a moment ago, I am Stern Wing and this is my dear foalhood friend, Feather Wind.”

“It's an unexpected pleasure to meet you both,” Time Turner greets happily.

“And this little one is named Vision,” Stern Wing continues as she uses her right wing to gesture back at the young white filly. “She, Feather, and I both hail from the same world and time period.” She focuses her eyes back on Turner from Vision. “Which is Equestria but about one hundred years ago.”

“Oh!” Time Turner blinks in surprise. “That would be very close to the founding of this town.”

Feather Wind nods as he says, “In fact, I first met the one you all call 'Granny Smith' when she was still just a yearling. I've had a few more encounters with both her and her family later on. I've even known the Orchards, later calling themselves The Apples, after they already moved into this area.” He nods emphatically. “They already had their early harvests of Zap Apple as well.”

“Well, if you're talking about one hundred years ago, the family, as a whole, have a whole host of family names across that time,” Time Turner informs them. “Some of them still call themselves the Orchards. There are also the Apples and the Oranges.

“Believe me, their family is pretty big and they are spread out all over the place across Equestria and maybe even beyond, yet they still gather from far and wide for various family reunions if they can manage it. That's not just an old family tradition, but quite likely a promise they made to themselves quite a while ago.” He lifts a hoof as he lectures, “Information like that can be found out on Founders Day which celebrates the founding of Ponyville.” He looks corner-wise up as he squints a bit. “I think there is even a museum to that effect?” He then looks down and rubs the bottom of his chin. “Or am I thinking of the Apple Family historian, Goldie Delicious?”

“Well, be that as it may, my name is Doctor Kelly Saddler,” Doctor Kelly introduces. “I'm the most recent recruit among this bunch. In fact, I've only participated in exactly one other mission since leaving my home world. Also, unlike the rest of you, I don't hail from Equestria or even this world entirely. Instead, I come from what I can safely assume is a far-distant future relative to this timeline. I live on and within an artificial moon that can simulate anything and anyone.”

“How fascinating! I'd love to hear more about you, your kind, and your home world,” Time Turner says with excited delight.

“Well, that would take time,” Doctor Kelly says with a grin. “In the meantime, may I have your permission to scan you with a device that could provide me with a whole bunch of medical data about you? I wish to have a comparison between you and the Doctor.”

“Scan me with a device?” Time Turner emphasizes with a deeply intrigued look. “Is it some kind of advanced tech you have in the future?”

“To put it bluntly and aptly, yes,” Doctor Kelly answers.

“Then please do!” Time Turner excitedly invites. “That way I'd get a chance to see it for myself. If you haven't guessed from some of the clutter around here,” he gestures across the floor to various components and devices that are indeed scattered across the floor. “I fancy myself an inventor by hobby. Devices which help to prove that science is the real magic!”

Doctor Kelly lifts an eyebrow as she gazes at Time Turner in approval then says, “If what you say is true, then by all means . . . continue your work. It is likely ponies like you are the cause of the more advanced future I grew up in.” She nods at him. “I also have a healthy respect for science as well.”

“Then I am most delighted to make your acquaintance!” Time Turner says to Doctor Kelly in delight.

“Likewise,” Doctor Kelly loosely acknowledges as she glances away from him at what, at first, appears to be empty air until a spherical device drops the hologram it is hiding behind and switches the device on its nose to a scanning contraption. From there, it hovers around Time Turner while projecting green laser lines up, down, right, and left of him. While it does that, Time Turner regards it with foal-like delight.

“Amazing! Incredible! I simply must take it apart and examine how it works!” Time Turner says in delight.

“You'll do no such thing,” Doctor Kelly objects. “But I can show you design schematics for it if that will suffice.”

“Absolutely!” Time Turner gladly invites.

“Though I must warn you, this might be too technical for a pony of your time,” Doctor Kelly warns.

“I shall not be swayed!” Time Turner insists. “You're likely right and I shall not well understand such advanced marvels, but to merely behold it in all of its technical glory might be akin to a euphoric, almost religious experience for me.”

“So be it,” Doctor Kelly says in a neutral tone of acceptance. “And . . . done.”

Finished with its scan, the droid reverts the device on its nose back to a holographic projection node and then vanishes from sight again.

“Later,” Doctor Kelly promises as Time Turner passes her a sad, puppy-dog-like expression. “For now, we actually came here to relax.”

“And I have wanted to show them around Ponyville for quite some time,” Derpy adds. “Care to join us? It would be nice to show them around town with another fellow resident.”

Time Turner thinks that over for a brief moment before he boldly declares while puffing out his chest, “Very well. I shall gladly escort you all to whatever else you wish to see that is legal for me to show you. While we do that, perhaps you can fill me in on some of the details of your adventures since you last departed.”

“It's a deal, Doctor!” Derpy expresses very brightly but then looks startled, then embarrassed, as she realizes something. “Oh! I mean . . . Time Turner.”

“You all can call me the Doctor if you wish,” Time Turner invites. “But it might be less confusing if you reserve that terminology for your Time Lord friend whenever I am around.” He then straightens. “Well then . . . shall we depart?” he offers as he gives a gesture to the stairs leading to the lower level of this Clock Tower and his personal home. “Time awaits no pony who lacks a time machine.”

“Sure!” Derpy accepts so brightly that she briefly closed her eyes. “Let's go.” She then trots on towards the stairs but then pauses as she looks back at Vision. “Oh! Um,” she trots back to Vision and drapes a gray wing over the filly. “Stick close to me. There are many odds and ends in here which you can stumble on, not to mention the stairs up ahead.”

“Oh goodie,” Vision says dryly. “I also look forward to getting a good listen of Ponyville.”

“I'll describe it to you too,” Derpy decides when she realizes Vision has a point about the young filly's inability to get a visual look at the town.

“I'd, ah . . . like a few moments with Stern first,” Feather Wind requests. “We'll catch up in a few moments. I promise.”

“Oh! Um . . . sure,” Derpy accepts with a bit of surprise in her eyes. “We'll just be downstairs.”

“It's safer and quieter down there anyway,” Time Turner mentions. “That's my actual living quarters.”

“Then let's proceed immediately,” Doctor Kelly says with minor eagerness. “So much the better to get away from all this noise up here.”

“As you wish, Milady,” Time Turner accepts. “Follow me.”

The others proceed down the stairs and out of sight of those remaining behind.

“What's sup?” Stern Wing checks with her friend after the others leave.

Before he answers, Feather Wind trots up to the face of a giant clock except he's viewing it from the inside. As such, it appears backwards. The majority of the light spilling in here is coming from the other side of the clock in addition to the light of Feather's own horn and that which is spilling out the still-open TARDIS.

When Feather is next to the base of the inside of the giant face of the clock, he sits down and appears to marvel at it for a moment.

“Something is on your mind. I can tell,” Stern Wing announces as she trots up then settles next to him. “Lay it on me.”

“We're in the future, Stern,” Feather finally announces.

“Yeah,” Stern accepts with a shrug. “That was true with several of the prior worlds we visited too.”

“But this time we're in Equestria,” Feather points out as he still gazes at the inside face of the clock. “And Ponyville in particular. It is a town that doesn't exist in our time yet, but it soon will.”

“Your point?” Stern Wing prompts.

Feather Wind looks down with a sigh. He closes his eyes and then says, “Vision said that her prophecies of the future are guaranteed to happen if no pony does anything to prevent it. She also said she doesn't only foresee disasters but she doesn't need to say anything about the good or neutral futures. There is no harm in saying nothing and just letting them happen on their own accord.” He opens his eyes. “It's only the bad futures she gives forewarning about.”

“True,” Stern agrees after a short moment of silence passes between them.

Feather looks to his right at Stern Wing sitting beside him as he says, “However, in our case, I don't think we should rest on our laurels here. If we encounter a possible miserable fate then of course we'll work to prevent it. If, on the other hoof, we encounter a good future, as we are likely to encounter out there, then I want us to make a pledge right now. I want us to promise that we won't blindly accept it or take it for granted. If we see a bright future out there then I want to make sure that we have the gumption to ensure that this future comes to pass, at least for our own part in its history.”

“Of course,” Stern Wing accepts with a neutral blink. “That had always been my plan. I'm perfectly aware that the top of a building can't be built without its critical foundation, and I've always lived by that motto anyway. No matter what I encounter out here in time and space, I'll always be me. If I see a future I actually do want to come to pass then I shall not be lazy about it and do the work necessary to bring its fruition.” She grins slightly. “I figured that goes without saying.”

“I just think it's important that we're very clear on this point,” Feather Wind explains. “We're not part of this timeline. We're just visiting it, and I dare not do or avoid anything that might jeopardize Derpy's existence or any of her friends. She means too much to me to dare to take that risk.”

“We're responsible only for our own lives regardless,” Stern Wing reminds. “Right now we're using our freedom to visit one possible future of Equestria, but that ultimately changes nothing, I think. When we get back to our time, I'm still going to live my life to be the best that I can be. Visiting here isn't going to change that for me. I advise you to stop overanalyzing our situation and just enjoy this experience.” She takes in a deep breath and then expels it before adding, “After our last adventure, I certainly do think we could use the vacation.”

“And I think it could be a much more fulfilling one compared to Doctor Kelly's world,” Feather says as he looks back at the inside of the giant clock's face. “I mean no offense to her when I say that, and I already cherish her as a friend.”

“Well . . . she left her home world too,” Stern Wing notes aloud. “Maybe that says something about her own opinion of her world.”

“She grew up in that world,” Feather points out. “She has every reason to feel like that kind of reality is normal for her. It's everywhere else that she has to get accustomed to.”

“Right, and now she's out here doing just that with us,” Stern counters. “Again, I think you shouldn't overthink it. Just enjoy this moment with your friends. Live this moment as if it is our present because, in this time, it is precisely that.”

“'When in Fillydelphia, do as the Fillydelphians do,'” Feather quotes.

“Precisely!” Stern accepts.

Feather Wind smiles at Stern Wing very fondly as he says, “Stern Wing . . . I need to tell you that I love you so much.”

“Alright. Get in here,” Stern Wing orders as she uses her giant left wing to pull Feather Wind in close for a shared hug. The size disproportion between them made it kind of feel, to her, like she's hugging a tiny toy.