Time Turner is just a watchmaker, until he comes across a Madman with a box.
Part One of the Lynchpin Quintet.
Time Turner is a watchmaker in Ponyville, but he's always dreamed of adventure.
His prayers are answered in the form of a strange being known as The Doctor. But what could his appearance and that the strange machines that he followed here, mean?
Time is the very thing that makes up our universe. Never shifting. Marching forward, ever onward. Forever steady.
Turner knew this because he dealt in time. Every watch he made was adorned on the wall, showing time as it happened. Another step forward. Another tick. Another minute, hour, day, month, year passing by. Turner realized that all time was limited. He knew his time was being wasted, ever since he moved he moved here from Trottingham. But he knew one solid truth.
Once a moment was lost, there was no way to regain it, such is the nature of time. Time was rigid. Time was linear. Time was immovable
"It's cool!" Scootaloo said, panicked herself. "We just have to wait for Applejack to get back with the money and-"
"I'm right here!" came a muffled southern drawl. Applejack ran up with a sack of bits in her mouth. She dropped it on the ground and seemed out or breath. "It's about a hundred bits. Don't ask me where I got it. Let's just say snails owed me a favor. You girls think it'll be enough?"
Sweetie Belle held up the broken watch. "We can only hope..."
"Let's go talk to him," Scootaloo said. "If it costs too much we can always turn on the tears."
They walked into Time Turner's watch shop.
Turner was sitting at his worktable, quietly tinkering away at his latest creation. Looking at every piece with meticulous care, he crafted another clock to add to the thousands on the wall.
Every clock on the wall was in sync, meaning every second there would be a choir of ticks. Every clock showed the correct time. Every clock was perfectly wound.
Besides the ticking. Everything was silent.
Sweetie Belle was rather nervous to talk to him, but stepped up anyway. "Uh," Sweetie started. "Are you the watchmaker?"
Time Turner looked at the fillies, looked around at the thousands of watches and clocks around him, then he looked back to Sweetie Belle. "No." he said frankly.
The joke seemed to diffuse the tension in the room. Scootaloo couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah," Sweetie said, calming down. "Kind of a stupid question."
"No worries," Turner said kindly. "Yes, I am the watchmaker, the name is Time Turner. What do the three of you need?"
Sweetie Belle put the broken watch on the table. "It's my sister's watch. We kinda broke it..."
Turner peered at the Time Piece. "So you did." He took it from Sweetie Belle. "Not too badly though. Bit of jiggery-pokery should get it ticking again."
"You can fix it?" Apple Bloom said excitedly.
"Dear girl," Turner said to Apple Bloom. "I may not be anything special, but the one thing I know how to do is mend a watch."
"We brought money!" said a muffled Scootaloo, waving the sack of bits back and forth.
"No charge." Turner smiled. "Wouldn't be worth it anyway. This shouldn't take me a moment.'
Scootaloo slung the money over her back. "Whew. Thank you!"
"Not a problem." Turner said, already absorbed in his work.
The three girls convened. "Now we can focus on gettin' our cutie marks!" Apple Bloom squeaked.
"Don't rush to that, trust me." Turner called from the worktable.
Scootaloo turned. "That's easy for you to say, you already have yours!"
"Yeah," Time Turner looked at the hourglass on his flank. "But remember, once you get it, you can't change it, and sometimes I wish I could."
"You don't like being a watchmaker?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"It's not that." Turner sighed. "I like my work, but it is a bit dull isn't it? Just for once I'd like to see the world. Do a bit of traveling."
"So take a vacation!" said Scootaloo.
"Cant," Turner said. "Too many deadlines. Too many responsibilities. Too much work, not enough-"
Time Turner was interrupted by several sounds all happening in quick sequence. First came a massive crash from the back storeroom, then a low grinding noise coming from the attic.
"What was that?" Sweetie asked over the grinding.
"I think that my plumbing may be on the blink," Turner said thoughtfully. "I'll go see what fell over in the storeroom..."
"You keep working. I'll check it out." Sweetie Belle walked over to the storeroom door.
She opened it to find an odd sight. The silhouette of what appeared to be a five foot tall novelty salt shaker with a plunger and an egg whisk glued to the front of it. The filly was going to laugh at the strange figure.....,
But then the figure began to talk.
"LIFE FORMS DETECTED! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINA-" Sweetie Belle quickly shut the door and put her back to it.
"Time Turner?" Sweetie asked nervously. "When was the last time you went back in the storeroom?"
"This morning." Turner seemed not to have noticed the monster in his storeroom. "Why?"
There was a loud thud and Sweetie Belle was thrown away from the opening door. The monster slid through., "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"What?!" said Turner.
"What is that thing?!" said Apple Bloom.
"Get behind me, now." Turner put his body between himself and the three fillies.
They hadn't noticed the grinding had stopped.
There was a series of thuds as somepony, something raced down the attic stairs.
Sweetie Belle recognized this shape as "human," from a story that Twilight had told her. Tall, bipedal, he wore a brown suit with pinstripes on it that didn't seem to match his white... Sweetie went with hooves. His mane was spiked up at the front. "Stop it right there Dalek! No one is getting Exterminated while I have some questions!"
"You are the Doctor" The creature the man had identified as "Dalek" responded. "You shall come with me!"
"Not. Yet," said the man identified as The Doctor. "First your going to answer three questions for me. If I like the answers maybe I'll come with you."
"I do not obey your orders!" screamed the Dalek.
"You do if you want me alive." said the Doctor. "Three questions, that's all. Or all you'll be taking back is dead bodies."
The Dalek paused. "I obey...for now."
"Brilliant!" The Doctor burst out in a grin. "Number one. What are you doing in this universe?"
"We search for a place in this world that shall bring about the rebirth of the Daleks." the Dalek responded.
"Alright," the Doctor thought carefully about the next question. "Number two. If I come with you, what happens to them?" The Doctor tilted his head toward Time Turner and the three fillies.
"They are inconsequential. They shall be exterminated. " the Dalek said coldly.
"Wrong answer!" the Doctor yelled. "As of right now these people are under my protection." He looked over at the ponies cowering in the corner. "These... horses.... are under- Alright, I'm going to have some questions for the four of you later..."
"Proceed with your final question!!" the Dalek demanded.
"Very well," the Doctor said slyly. "Why do you want me alive?"
The Dalek remained silent.
"Oho." The Doctor seemed like he could barely keep from laughing. "He's here too, isn't he? He made it out? Oh, brilliant!" The Doctor paced around the room. "Well rest assured, I want to speak to him as much he wants to speak to me, but..." he pulled out a small metal stick from his pocket. "I'll do it on my own terms, thanks." He pointed his stick to the ceiling, there was a loud whirring noise, and suddenly the Dalek was trapped underneath bits of the ceiling. "Run!"
The Doctor ran up the attic stairs. Turner and the fillies followed.
"I'm confused!" said Scootaloo. "But at least we got away from it! No way is that thing getting up the-"
"ELEVATE!" screamed the Dalek from down the stairs.
"Never mind," Scootaloo said miserably.
"What's that!" they all looked at what Apple Bloom was pointing to.
The structure was about seven feet tall, four feet wide. It was royal blue with writing across the top of it.
POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX
"Alright." said the Doctor. "All of you, in the box, now."
"Are you crazy!" Sweetie Belle screamed. "There's no way we all fit in there."
"I could explain to you why you're wrong," The Doctor shut the attic door and waved the metal stick over the lock. "But I'll just say that it's either the box, or the Dalek."
"I'm for the box." said Turner.
"Second!" said the three fillies.
They all piled into the box and were stunned at what they found inside.
Time Turners jaw dropped at the sight of the enormous room.
"Okay," The Doctor ran to the big octagonal console in the middle of the room and began to pull switches. "I'm sure you've got a thousand questions for me. Trust me I have more for you and mine are far more important. So here's the what you get. You each get one question that consists of one sentence, in return you get a one sentence honest answer." He flipped one more switch and the grinding noise started up again.
The Doctor turned to the four ponies. "And.... go."
There was an awkward silence for a moment as the Doctor stared at Time Turner and the three fillies.
"Well?" said the Doctor. "I'm sure your confused, so come on, one question each."
"Who are you?" Sweetie Belle finally said.
"I'm the Doctor, hello!" the stranger said cheerfully. "And please, don't say 'Doctor who.'"
"What are you?" asked Apple Bloom.
"A Time Lord," said the Doctor. "That's not fair, alright. I'm a being from outside your universe who's come here via..." The Doctor trailed off. "Actually I'm not entirely sure how I got here, hang on." He went back and flicked switches on the console.
"What's with the box?" Scootaloo seemed amazed at the room around her. "It's..."
"Bigger on the inside?" The Doctor finished for her. "Yup! Bit of dimensional trickery. It's called a TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It's my ship."
"Ship?" Scootaloo responded. "Where does it go?"
"Anywhere." the Doctor smiled. "That's the last time I answer a second question."
Only Time Turner was left.
"Well?" asked the Doctor.
"What is a Dalek?" Turner asked.
The goofy expression on the mans face melted away to show sadness beyond his apparent years. He began to look much older. "A Dalek Is hate, rage and fear all wrapped up in a mechanical shell. They were bred by a madman to end a war that couldn't end and then they were upgraded and improved so the could fight a war to end time. A Dalek is evil. Their creator pulped out whatever humanity was left in them until all that was left was hate, and if they're here, then a Dalek could easily be the end of your reality."
The large room fell silent. The three fillies were terrified. Time Turner had his eyes locked with the Doctor.
"How can you know all of this?" asked Time Turner.
"Because I was there." The Doctor said frankly.
Time Turner didn't doubt him for a moment.
"Right!" energy seemed to return to the Doctor as he sprung back to the console. "My turn to ask the questions now. Keep in mind that the answers can, and probably will have an effect on not only this, but in fact all universes. So please answer carefully. Firstly..." The Doctor Turned back to the four ponies. "You're all talking horses, what's up with that, then?"
There was a short pause.
"We are not horses!" Sweetie Belle said indignantly. "We're ponies!"
The Doctor nodded. "My mistake." He still looked thoroughly confused."Alright. What' are your names?"
"Time Turner." Turner said.
"Sweetie Belle!"
"Scootaloo!"
"Apple Bloom!"
"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!! YAY!!" The three fillies screamed in unison.
The Doctor blinked and looked to Time Turner. "Should I ask or..."
"I wouldn't, no," said Time Turner.
"Okay! Next question." The Doctor said quickly. "What was a Dalek doing in your back room."
"I was hoping you could tell me," said Turner. "It showed up just moments before you did! I'm still not sure how it got there!"
"The only answer is that you have something a Dalek might want," the Doctor continued, thinking hard. "Something that he would risk breaking apart reality to get. What is it?"
"I run a watch shop!" Turner said indignantly. "There's nothing there worth ending a universe over. And who's 'he?'"
"Rarity's watch!" Sweetie Belle said in horror, "I completely forgot!"
"Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo said. "Apparently the universe is being invaded by giant salt-shakers from another dimension. Bigger problems now."
"Right!" Sweetie Belle straightened up."Gotta focus."
"Not your shop," the Doctor explained. "Your world. Can you think of anything?"
"What would a Dalek want to to do?" Turner asked.
"Besides kill everything that isn't a Dalek?" the Doctor said. "Expand their numbers. There are very few Daleks left at the moment and they'd very much like to fix that."
"So what your sayin' is," Apple Bloom started. "This guys lookin' for somethin' that could turn one Dalek, into a hundred?"
The Doctor nodded. "That sort of thing."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders turned to each other and smiled. "The Mirror Pond!!"
"Yes!" Turner's eyes lit up. This was all very exciting.
"What's a 'Mirror Pond'?" asked the Doctor.
"It's a magic pool that you can use to make copies of yourself," said Sweetie Belle.
The Doctor shook his head. "He wouldn't come all the way here to chase a legend."
"Legend nothing!" Scootaloo said happily. "We saw it happen! Pinkie Pie cloned herself a bunch of times a couple of months ago."
"Where is it?" the Doctor straightened up.
"Somewhere in the Everfree forest," said Apple Bloom. "We never saw it ourselves, but we sure got a taste of what it could do."
"I was there." Turner chimed in. "With Pinkie all it was was annoying. With a Dalek..."
"Right." the Doctor flipped a heavy switch and the TARDIS began to grind. "We'll need to collect a little more information on how this thing works before we go messing about with it. Let's ask a few of the locals, shall we? Allons-Y!
He was frail. It was a miracle he lasted this long. Pieces of his body had been torn off to help the cause.
But he didn't care. Soon he would be victorious. Soon his creations would take their rightful place as masters of reality.
Two Daleks returned to the clearing. "We have located the spacial anomaly" said one
"And?" he said in a weak, gurgling voice.
"Nothing" said the other.
"What?!" he said shocked.
"We entered the pool as you instructed. Yet our ranks remain unchanged" said the first. "You have failed!"
"No! Wait!" he said desperately, now reminded that he wasn't now, nor was he ever in control of his creations. "There must be another part of it. Some piece of the formula I'm missing. I beg of you, please don't throw away this chance to restore yourselves!"
The Daleks considered for a moment. "You have twenty-four hours. If you do not get the pool to function by then you shall be destroyed."
Just then a third Dalek entered the clearing. "Emergency! Emergency! The Doctor has been located! Emergency!"
He wheeled to face his creation. "He's here? Where has he gone?"
"The Doctor departed in his TARDIS with four local life forms. He escaped!"
He let out a weak and wheezing laugh. "I would suggest, my friends, that one of you search for the missing element we need for this 'Mirror Pool', the other two search for the Doctor. When you find him, bring him to me."
It took quite a while to explain to Applejack what had been going on.
It took even longer for AJ to believe them.
"So let me see if I got this right," Applejack began. "This fella's from another dimension and he's come here to chase aliens that look like salt-shakers that'll destroy Equestria if they had half a shot?"
"That's..." the Doctor started. "That's about it, yeah."
"And how did my sister and her friends get involved in this nonsense?" Applejack asked angrily.
"The same way I usually do," the Doctor answered. "Wrong place at the wrong time."
Applejack nodded. "I can buy that."
"It wasn't our fault sis!" Apple Bloom protested. "Really! We just showed up to get Rarity's-"
She was soon muffled by Sweetie belle's hoof over her mouth. "We just wanted to check in on our good friend Time Tuner!"
"That's Turner" Time Turner rolled his eyes.
"Whatever." said Sweetie Belle.
"Never mind all that," said Turner. "Applejack, we need to know everything we can about the Mirror Pond."
"The Mirror Pond," Applejack looked confused. "Why?"
"We think the Daleks want to use it!" Scootaloo chimed in.
Applejack took a moment to consider all of this. "Assumin' you're not just spoutin' a bunch of hooey," AJ began cautiously. "You better come with me. We need to go talk to Twilight."
"I'm coming too," Time Turner said. "I may not be all that useful, but I want to help in any way I can."
The Doctor gave Turner a soft smile.
"We're coming too!" Apple Bloom shouted.
"Oh no you're not!" Applejack protested. "You three are staying right here. Big Mac you look after them."
There was a collective "Awwww" from the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Doctor, Turner, you come with me." Applejack said. "It's time for you to go meet the rest of us."
The Dalek had managed to slip through most of Ponyville unnoticed. Hiding in back alleys. Keeping his distance. Making his way to the great crystal tree.
That's where his interrogation subjects said the figure of authority lived. It took three of his friends dead for the fourth to finally talk. The loyalty on these life forms was vexing.
It made its was cautiously, taking care not to be noticed.
All of a sudden, it's vision went pink.
"Malfunction! Malfuction!" the Dalek cried. "I cannot see!"
"Oops!" came a bright voice from on top of the Dalek. "Sorry about that! I didn't realize you could talk! I thought you were a weird looking bench!"
The pinkness left the Daleks vision, and a pony sat in front of him.
"Name's Pinkie Pie!" the pony said happily. "What's yours, strange walking ottoman?"
The Doctor told Twilight, Applejack and four other ponies about the dilemma. Twilight listened intently, her eyes closed, nodding every so often.
"Doctor," she began when the Doctor had finished. "You think these creatures in great numbers will be a threat to Equestria?"
"I think they're a threat to us now," the Doctor answered. Call it vanity, but I think the only reason they're hiding now is because of me."
"No offense," said Rainbow Dash. "But why would these super killing machines be afraid of you?"
"Because," the Doctor said calmly. "I'm one of the only people in history who has ever managed to beat a Dalek. I've done it several times now. I was there when they were created, and I've been a figure through millennia of Dalek history."
Time Turner knew this couldn't be right. He looked to young. Though to be fair, he couldn't possibly know what "young" looked like for him. But millennia? Was he suggesting that he had gone back-
Turner dismissed the thought immediately. That was impossible. Time only moved forward. Nopony could swim up that stream.
Yet something about this man's presence made him believe it.
"Oookay," said Rainbow Dash, obviously believing it too.
"Umm..." came the quiet voice of Fluttershy. "I don't want to interrupt, Mister Doctor sir, but why shouldn't we handle this. I'm sure the Elements of harmony could-"
The Doctor shook his head. "Sorry," he continued. "They don't come from your universe, they work on different rules."
"Oh this is just a catastrophe!" Rarity cried.
"I agree, the situation is very grave." Twilight said.
"Not that!" Rarity protested. "You go through all the trouble picking out that fabulous suit, brown really is you color, and then you have to ruin it with those shoes!"
"Really?" Applejack said dryly. "We're doin' this now?"
"You may continue in your investigation, Doctor," Twilight said. "We'll provide any help you need."
"Actually," Time Turner spoke up. "We were hoping that you would have some more information on the Mirror Pond. You five are closer to Pinkie Pie than I am, did she tell you anything?"
"Surprisingly little," Twilight said regretfully. "After the incident we didn't want to talk much about it. I'm sorry, but the only pony who can give you more information is Pinkie Pie." Twilight looked around the room. "Where is she anyway?"
"...after all I went through I finally get to tell somepony! This is exciting! Are you excited, because I'm excited, I've never been so excited! Except for the time when I met Twilight and went *gasp* but really who can top-"
"Cease talking!" The Dalek screamed. It had had enough of this.
Pinkie stopped, took a deep breath, and held it in.
"You will tell me how to activate the Mirror Pond!" the Dalek screamed.
"Mphmphphmpmh mphmh mhphphphphm." Pinkie Pie said.
"Speak!" screamed the Dalek.
"But I thought you said-" Pinkie started.
"SPEAK!" the Dalek demanded.
"Okay, jeez make up your mind," Pinkie said. "To get the mirror pool to work, you've got to say the right words. Otherwise you'll just get all wet."
"Explain!" the Dalek shouted.
"Just repeat after me," she said. "I solemnly swear..."
The Dalek was apprehensive of this "I solemnly swear."
"Not to be scared..."
"Not to be scared..."
"At the prospect of being doubly fair!"
The Dalek repeated the last line. "What is the significance of these words! Explain! Explain!"
"All you gotta do is say that in front of the pond, and it'll make a whole new you!" Pinkie Pie heard the ringing of the town hall bell. "Oops! I'm late! Sorry mister Dorlek! Byeeee!" Pinkie pie hopped away.
"Halt!" the Dalek screamed in protest. "You will cease moving! Obey! Obey!"
But Pinkie Pie had already left.
The Dalek made his way back to the forest. It had something to report to Davros.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders had managed to sneak past Big Mac, and made it into the basement. They had their minds set on the TARDIS.
"There it is," said Apple Bloom, staring lovingly at the big blue box.
"Let's go in!" Scootaloo said.
"I don't know guys..." Sweetie Belle said nervously. "I don't think it's a good idea to be messing around with Alien Spaceships."
"Were not gonna try to fly it Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo retorted. "We're just gonna look around inside."
Sweetie Belle wavered. "Alright... But let's be as quick as possible."
The walked to the TARDIS, and the doors opened for them.
The Crusaders paused. "Okaaaaaay." Scootaloo said after a moment.
The three walked in and began exploring. Finding all sorts of things around. A closet full of an assortment of different clothes, including a jacket that would've made Rarity weep. A green orb that seemed to be screaming. A mystery novel entitled "The Unicorn and the Wasp." A blue denim jacket hung up on the wall with care.
And a small silver pocketwatch.
"Hey guys!" Sweetie Belle called for the other two, holding the watch in her hand. "Check this out!"
They examined it carefully for quite a while before Apple Bloom asked a very good question. "Why would a 'Time Lord' need a watch?"
The doors of the TARDIS slammed shut.
"What's goin' on?!" Apple Bloom screamed.
The TARDIS began to wheeze and grind.
"We're taking off!" Scootaloo began to panic.
"Well where are we going?!" Sweetie Belle asked in a frenzy as the TARDIS violently lurched forward and back.
The TARDIS engine came to a slow halt, Scootaloo rushed for the door.
"Don't open the door!" Apple Bloom scolded. "We have no idea where we are!"
"So how else do you expect to find out?" Scootaloo shot back.
"You have no idea what could be waiting out there for us!" Apple Bloom was starting to lose it. "We could be on a planet where there's no air! Or one filled with evil mutants or-"
"A grotto in the Everfree forest," Sweetie Belle interrupted
The other two paused. "How could you possibly-"
"It says so on the little screen." Sweetie Belle answered, pointing at a monitor on the console. "See?"
The other two looked. The monitor was in fact displaying a map of Ponyville and its surrounding areas. A little to the left of the town, in the area the girls recognized as the Everfree forest, was a blinking icon shaped like the TARDIS.
"Well," Scootaloo began. "That's a little anticlimactic. All of time and space we end up not a full mile from home?"
"Well," Sweetie Belle said. "At least now we know it's safe to go outside! Come on."
The three slowly exited the ship to find themselves in a small atone grotto, in the middle of which was a still clear pool of water.
Apple Bloom examined their surroundings. "You sure we're in the forest, Sweetie Belle? I've been through the forest a bunch of times and I've never seen this place before."
"That's what the TARDIS says," Sweetie Belle said frankly. "My question is why did it bring us here? Why did it open for us? How did it get flying?"
"All good questions," Scootaloo said thoughtfully. "Something really off is going on here..."
"Whatever it is, I wanna get back home," Apple Bloom said. "Let's see if we can get that thing flyin' again."
"Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said. "We could easily walk home."
"And what'll happen to the TARDIS?" Apple Bloom pointed at the box. "If the Doctor finds out we touched that thing-"
A harsh but muffled voice came from the mouth of the cave. "Confirmed. The one identified as Pinkie Pie has sworn that this is the way to activate the pool."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at one another. "That was-" Sweetie Belle started.
"Get back in!" whispered Sweetie Belle in a frenzy.
"Excellent," said another weaker voice. "I only pray that this works."
The girls piled into the TARDIS and peered out the door. They saw an old frail man in a strange wheelchair and three Daleks descend into the cave. "Mirror Pool located. Commence activation!"
The three Daleks circled around the clear water. "That's the Mirror Pond?" Scootaloo whispered.
"Shh!" Sweetie Belle scorned. "You don't want them to hear us!"
"I solemnly swear not to be scared" the Daleks began. "At the prospect of being doubly fair."
The reflections of the Daleks on the pool began to rise up. Three more Daleks took place around the pool.
The man in the chair let out a wheezing laugh. "The vindication of Davros. From three to three thousand. From three thousand to three million. I am so close now, Doctor! So close to the power you spoke of when we first met. I will press my thumb upon the glass now! I will restore the splendor of the Daleks!" The man called Davros began to cackle insanely.
"I am so sad he couldn't be with us," Davros said. "But he will be with us soon. Now that we have his TARDIS."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders swallowed hard as Davros looked at the box and grinned.
Turner, Applejack and the Doctor were walking back to the farm. Time Turner had been asking questions since they had left the crystal tree. "This 'Davros' is their leader?"
"I wouldn't say that," said the Doctor, all too eager to answer. "Davros created them certainly, but he programmed them to not recognize anything as superior to a Dalek. In the end they decided he didn't count. They very nearly killed him. Probably would have done if it weren't for his own genius."
"So wait," Applejack was confused now. "Why does he want to be helpin' them now? And why are the botherin' to keep him around?"
"Well they keep him around because Davros can do the one thing most Daleks can't do," the Doctor answered. "Imagine. Whenever the Daleks needed a new solution Davros always had an answer. As for why he still helps them.... Vanity I suppose. It's the curse of every genius throughout time, the thirst to prove themselves. Put themselves 'up above the gods' as he put it. Brilliant people with hard lives always have that urge."
"You're brilliant," Turner said.
"Thank you," the Doctor said smugly.
"And you've had a hard life." Turner said, ignoring him. "Have you ever-"
"Once," the Doctor said quickly. "A few months ago. I came very close to wandering down that path. I thought I could use time to my own will, shape it to fit my image of right. Thank heaven I came to my senses."
Tapper was out of questions now, he wasn't sure he wanted to know more.
"Now, I have a question for you..." The Doctor stopped and turned to Tim Turner. "What makes you so important?"
Time Turner was puzzled by this question. "I'm not," he answered honestly.
"Oh, yes you are," the Doctor said, staring intently at the beige pony. "That Dalek came straight from the void, into your storeroom. The TARDIS could have landed anywhere but it landed in your attic. Why?"
"Coincidence?" Turner guessed.
"No," the Doctor said. "Because there's something else. Ever since I met you there has been a buzz in the back of my brain. Something almost familiar. Like we've met before but I can't place you, and that doesn't make sense. Because if I had met a talking pony before now I would have remembered. There is a feeling all through me that says that you are something to keep an eye on. So why? What brought me to you? What's making me want to keep you around?"
Time Turner was a little nervous now. "Trust me, Doctor. I'm one of the least remarkable ponies you'll ever meet. If there is a buzzing in the back of you head, I would assume it was the pollen."
The Doctor and Time Turner stared at each other for a moment in silence.
"I know this is gonna sound weird, since you're different species and all," Applejack mused. "But the two of you sorta... look alike."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow, looked at turner, and frowned. "I don't see it."
"Neither do I," said Turner.
A pink pony came up the road in front of them. "Hi, Applejack!!"
"There she is!" Applejack seemed to relax a little. "That filly had me worried sick."
"We'd better get to Twilight's!" the pink pony said. "Apparently we have to meet with some guy about... something. I'm a little fuzzy on the details."
"The meetin's over Pinkie Pie!" Applejack said. "This is the guy she wanted you to talk to!"
"I'm the Doctor, hello!" the Doctor said cheerfully. "You're the one who used the Mirror Pond a few months ago?"
"Yeparooney!" Pinkie said. "You know, it's weird, you're the second one to ask me about that today."
The Doctor's eyes widened. "What?!"
"YOU'RE THE SECOND ONE TO ASK ME ABOUT THAT TODAY!" Pinkie shouted.
"Who was the other one?" Turner said quickly. "Pinkie this is very important!"
"The other one was Mister Dorlek!" Pinkie Pie said. "Nice guy, but he had a tendency to shout a lot."
The Doctor froze. The Daleks knew. The Daleks knew where it was and how to make it work. Time Turner thought it couldn't get much worse than this.
Once again, Time Turner couldn't have been more wrong.
"AJ!" came a deep voice from up the road. Big Mac was galloping toward the group as fast as he could.
"Big Mac!" Applejack said! "What is it?!
"The girls are gone," Big Mac panted. "They're just gone! So is the blue box."
"Where could they have gone to?!" Applejack was beginning to panic.
"They couldn't have flown the TARDIS," the Doctor said, confused.
"There's somethin' else," Big Mac was slowly catching his breath. "There's somethin' in the barn."
After rushing back to the farm, Applejack, Turner and the Doctor, opened the door to the barn to find an unwelcome guest.
"I should've known." the Doctor sighed.
"The Doctor will come with me," said the Dalek. "Or the children will be Exterminated."
The Doctor, Applejack, and Time Turner were ushered into the cave of the Mirror Pond, a Dalek on each side of them.
The Doctor was terrified by what he saw there.
Hundreds of Daleks, thousands. And their numbers were only growing. Every minute at least ten more would rise from the pool. It almost seemed hopeless now.
In the middle of the crowd sat Davros, a smug satisfaction plastered all over his twisted face. "Ah, Doctor. So good of you to join us. I hope you don't plan on spoiling this reunion, I believe your friends will find it most unpleasant."
"They stay alive Davros, I mean it," the Doctor said, his voice quaking with anger.
"For now," Davros sneered, "If they behave. They may stay in your TARDIS for the time being."
Two Daleks pushed Applejack and Time Turner toward the TARDIS. They both stepped in as the Doctor relaxed a little. They were safe in there, for the time being.
"Now," Davros wheeled his chair to face the Doctor. "Let us speak as we once did at the beginning. Not as captor and prisoner, but as men of science."
Time Turner watched as Applejack rushed to hug her weeping sister.
"It's alright, Sugarcube," Applejack said. "It's gonna be okay."
"We didn't mean to sis!" Apple Bloom sobbed. "It just brought us here. We didn't now it would-"
"Shh, I said it was alright," Applejack said quietly.
"Where's the Doctor?" Sweetie Belle was shaking. "Is he alright?"
"He's having a little chat with Davros," Time Turner said. "As for right now, Davros just seems to want to gloat. And I think that means we're safe."
Scootaloo let out a sharp sniff. She was the tough one of the three, and she was as scared as the rest of them.
"Hey," Turner bent down to meet Scootaloo at eye level. "Don't worry. I promise I'm not going to let anything hurt you three. As long as I'm around, nothing hurts you girls."
"Why would you care?" Scootaloo was still shaking.
"Well," Turner thought about what to say. "I still have to mend your watch! It'd hurt my reputation if something happened to clients of mine."
This made Scootaloo and the others laugh, which made Turner feel better, and won him a soft smile from Applejack.
"Speaking of," Turner caught a glimpse of the silver pocketwatch on the console. "This is a new one, eh? Where did you find it?"
"Just among the Doctor's stuff," Apple Bloom said. "We were kind of rummaging..."
"Apple Bloom!" Applejack scorned.
"Oh, don't be too hard on them," Turner said, examining the watch. "Who doesn't like a good rummage every now and again?"
"It's a piece of junk anyway," Scootaloo said. "We couldn't even get it open."
"Well, I need something to pass the time," Turner said. "I may be useless here, but the one thing I know how to do is mend a-" The watch opened immediately.
A thousand images raced through Turner's mind. Two teachers. Metal men. Stout warriors with dome-like heads. Proud warriors who dwelled on the red planet. Lives that ended too soon. A war that didn't end soon enough. Faces, all of them he could once called him. A man he could once call brother he now called madman.
And then the names. Names that should have meant nothing to Time Turner, but somehow meant everything.
And in a blink it was all gone. Time Turner was breathing heavily as the images left his mind. Everything he saw in those brief seconds was fading away.
"Uh," Apple Bloom started. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I..." Turner blinked a few times. "Yeah. Why?"
"The watch opened," Scootaloo said. "You're eyes bulged for a couple of seconds, and now you're breathing like you've just won a marathon."
"Just..." The last vestiges of the strange experience seemed to linger in Turner's mind. "I just seem to have a bit of a headache, that's all."
There was a short silence that was soon broken by Applejack. "I just wish we could see what was goin' on out there."
Somehow, Time turner knew exactly which switch to flip to turn on the view screen.
The buzzing in the Doctor's brain seemed to intensify, but he couldn't worry about that now.
"So," the Doctor began to pace back an forth in front of Davros. "What I can't understand is how you lot managed to get here. How did you survive that nonsense with the Reality Bomb?"
"Oh, Doctor," Davros sneered. "Do you really think I would develop the technology of the emergency temporal shift and not use it myself? Did you honestly think that the Daleks developed only one Void Ship."
"I get it," the Doctor smiled. "That's very clever. You popped yourself back in time, found an old Dalek void ship and went into hiding there."
"Imagine my surprised," Davros wheezed. "Finding millions of my Daleks floating aimlessly in the blackness."
"Well," the Doctor frowned. "That's my fault I'm afraid. They were ruining the scenery and I had to put'em somewhere..."
"Only three were still alive," Davros continued.
"I can guess the rest," the Doctor said. "You showed up here and used the wobbly magical nature of this world to bring your mates over. You stayed in hiding for a few months, finding ways to bring one Dalek at a time through the void into Equestria. During that time you heard an old legend about a puddle that can make copies."
"Very astute, Doctor!" Davros smiled. "I can see that your intelligence hasn't left you.
"One more question, though," the Doctor stopped walking. "Why did the last Dalek turn up in Time Turner's shop? What does he have to do with all of his."
"Nothing," Davros said frankly.
"Oh, come now, Davros," the Doctor scorned. "I'm all but dead, there are no secrets between us."
"The Dalek was pulled to the idiot watchmaker's shop!" Davros shrieked. "He is of no consequence!"
"You never learned that Davros!" the Doctor shouted. "No one is of no consequence! The Daleks could have learned that if you hadn't pulped all the humanity out of them!"
"I made them stronger!" Davros screamed back.
"You made them weak!" The Doctor was growing more aggravated by the second. "Anyone with an ounce of compassion is ten times stronger than any Dalek! You asked me, a long time ago, why do the Daleks fail. That's the reason. Well, that and one other."
"And what was that?!" Davros shot back.
"They cross me" said the Doctor through gritted teeth.
Davros let out a throaty laugh. "Fascinating," Davros sneered. "You claim that the emotions you feel are what give you an advantage over my Daleks. You also claim that all individuals are of equal importance. Let us test these hypotheses!"
Davros wheeled over to the TARDIS. "There are five of your companions in this ship." Davros smiled. "Choose one of them to die. Show me the least important. Do this or the Daleks break down the door and kill them all."
The ponies inside the TARDIS heard the whole conversation. Time Turner knew what he had to do. However, Applejack was already getting up to do it.
'You're not going out there," Turner said.
"Yes I am," Applejack said frankly. "The Doctor's never gonna choose one of us, and I'm not lettin' a Dalek near my sister. End of story."
"You don't get it," Turner walked over and struck her on the back of the head, knocking her out. "You're not going out there."
Turner marched over to the door. "Turner," there were tears dwelling in Scootaloo's eyes. "Don't..."
"Whatever you hear," Turner said firmly. "Whatever you see on that screen. You do not leave the TARDIS."
Time Turner stepped out the door.
"He doesn't have to choose Davros," Time Turner said. "I can't think of anypony less important than me."
"Turner!" the Doctor called out. "What are you doing!"
"You were just wrong about me, Doctor," Time Turner closed his eyes. "I'm just an ordinary watchmaker, nothing important about me, I'm sorry to disappoint you."
Time Turner was oddly comforted by the scenario. He thought about time. Marching ever forward. Another moment lost. And, as he knew it would, it brought him to the end. His time was up.
"EXTERMINATE!" screamed a nearby Dalek.
A high ring.
A sharp pain.
Then nothing.
Turner found himself suddenly awake and aware in a black void of nothingness.
He was a little disappointed. He was far from religious, but he expected something. Something to do to pass the eons.
Was this blackness all there was? Was this what it was like to be dead?
"Oh, I shouldn't think that," came a deep eccentric voice.
Time Turner turned in the direction of the voice. It belonged to a man with curly hair, a toothy grin, and wild eyes. He wore a reddish coat over a brown informal suit. Around his neck was a multicolored scarf that almost lowered all the way to his feet.
"I wouldn't know, you see, I've never been dead," the stranger said. "Of course neither have you. Perhaps technically you are now, but you shan't stay that way long..."
"Who are you?" Time Turner asked. "What are we doing here."
The stranger let out a wide smile. "Oh I thought you'd know the answer to that...."
Suddenly the stranger looked familiar. "You're-"
"I'm the Doctor," said the stranger. "As to what we are doing here... Well for now we're simply waiting for the others."
"How can you be here?" Turner asked. "Where is here?"
"I believe this might be your mind," said the Fourth.
Turner looked around at the general emptiness. "Thanks."
"You could say this place is a crossroads," said the Fourth slyly. "You have several paths laid out in front of you. Each one as dangerous as the last. You must choose not only which path you shall travel down, but what method you shall use to traverse it."
"Oy," came a northern accent from next to them.(though Turner wasn't sure north of where.) "Doesn't he like to be cryptic?"
Turner and the Fourth turned to see a tall gruff looking man. Short cut black hair. Large ears. He was wearing a leather jacket.
The ruffian. The Veteran. The Ninth.
"What he's trying to say," said the Ninth, "is that this place is a mental dream state created by your head to cope with what's about to happen to you."
"I was wondering if you'd turn up," said the Fourth. "I was hoping you wouldn't be to busy."
"You're one to talk," the Ninth muttered.
"Wait," Turner said. "What exactly is happening to me? I'm dead aren't I? The Dalek-"
"The Dalek woke you up, old chap," came a refined voice from behind them.
Up walked a man with curly white hair, and a large nose. He wore a red velvet suit over a puffy shirt. Over all of this, he wore an opera cape.
The fighter. The Gentleman. The Third.
"In a way you've been asleep all your life," the Third gave Turner a warm smile.
"How..." Turner said. "How can I remember all of you? I've only met Ten. How can I-"
"You're The Doctor," smiled the Fourth. "Or, at least you will be soon."
"There are an infinite of parallel universes," said the Third. "And there is bound to be some overlap between them. Some things are exactly the same even though everything's different. Places get copied. People. You are Ten. This universe's ten, at the very least."
"And when you meet someone parallel to you," said the Ninth. "All sorts of things can rub off on you. It can change who you are, how you act. Even transfer abilities. Like for instance-"
"Time Lord Regeneration," came a bright voice from behind them.
He was younger than the rest. Medium length blonde hair. A general spring in his step. He wore a cream colored suit with two question marks on the shirt collar.
The cricketer. The Youngblood. The Fifth.
"Of course this can't happen on it's own," said the Fifth. "It's all random what could set it off. Like seeing a friend, going through high stress times, or even something as simple as-"
"Opening a watch..." Things were becoming clearer to Turner now.
"That watch used to contain everything that I," the Fifth paused for a moment. "Well, we, used to be."
"Exactly," the Fourth smiled. "That influence combined with your magic-"
"Oh, please," the Third said, rolling his eyes.
"Well that's what it is, old boy," came a funny voice. "No use denying it here. I'm afraid we're out of our element in this world. that's why we need our friend here."
He was a stout old man. Bowl-cut black hair. He wore a black suit and a black bow tie. In his hand he carried a green and white recorder.
The replacement. The Flautist. The Second.
"Magic, my foot," the Third shouted at the Second. "And did you have to bring that infernal tooting thing-"
"I can't think without music!" the Second shouted indignantly. "And this is a situation that requires much thought wouldn't you say?!"
"They're at it again," said the Ninth to the Fourth.
"I said they were necessary," the Fourth responded. "I never said they'd be pleasant company..."
"I find it comforting," the Fifth smiled. "Two and Three bickering is the sort of thing you can set your watch to..."
"Wait!" Turner shouted, and the bickering calmed down. "You said I would have to make choices. What choices?"
"In a way," came an academic voice. "You're getting a chance that none of us got. A chance to choose who you'll be."
He was another stout man, the same body type as the second. This one however wore a white suit and carried an umbrella which handle formed a red question mark.
The other. The Strategist. The Seventh.
"What sort of Doctor do you wish to be?" the Seventh smiled.
"Oh I loved that umbrella," the Ninth smiled. "Whatever happened to it?"
"I'm afraid I lost it," came a kind voice. "Sorry"
He was tall. Longish brown hair. A brown suit. And a generally kind demeanor.
The amnesiac. The Unseen. The Eighth.
"I still don't understand," Time Turner said. "I'm going to become one of you?"
"If you like!" the Ninth said brightly.
"What you can do is pick and choose aspects from each of us and compile them to make a new you," the Eighth said calmly. "You can pick out the best of us. Nine's optimism. Three's fighting province. Four's general likable nature. Or-"
"Or Six's devilish good looks," came a smug voice from behind them.
He was wearing clothes that were nearly impossible to describe. A patchy read jacket. Yellow striped pants. A polka-dotted bowtie. He had curly blond hair and a self assured grin on his face.
The snob. The Madman. The Sixth.
"Just don't ask for this one's taste in clothes," said the Ninth.
"I happen to like this jacket!" the Sixth shot back.
This sparked a wave of bickering throughout The Doctors. It didn't look like Time Turner was going to get a word in edgewise.
"Now, now," came an old wise voice from the back of the crowd. "We have limited time left. Let's not waste it arguing amongst ourselves."
He was older than the rest of them. Longish white hair. He wore a black suit and his face seemed to be plastered in a permanent frown.
The original. The Teacher. The First.
"This place only exists in your mind, Time Turner," the First explained. "So do all of us. Your brain can only last for so long without oxygen. You have to make your choices soon, or else it will be too late."
The others seemed to calm down out of respect for the First.
Time Turner looked out over the Nine Doctors. He felt a little spoiled for choice. "This is impossible..."
"You can always set it to random!" the Fourth said gleefully. "I always found that to be more fun!"
"That's not what I mean," Time Turner smiled. "You all have so much good inside of each of you. So much to offer the world. You've all done so much good. All the pain you've seen, and you never resort to self pity. All the lives you've saved and you never ask to be thanked. You ask me to choose from the best of you, and that's so hard because there is simply so much to choose from. I think it's fair to say that each one of you changed somepony's life. And it is an honor to be able to have that chance.
"Thank you all. Thank you for everything." Time Turner closed his eyes and made his choices. 'If it's possible, though. Could I keep this face? I've grown rather fond of it..."
The Ninth laughed. "He really is this universe's Ten, isn't he?"
"Done," said the Fourth. "The process has begun. Now all you have to do is stand up."
Time Turner heard the commotion as he rose.
"Regeneration energy detected!" screamed a nearby Dalek. "Emergency! Emergency!"
Time Turner opened his eyes to see time. Ever shifting, back and forth, no direction. There is no such thing as a lost moment.
The Doctor looked on in amazement as the process took hold of Time Turner. Turner surrendered himself to the change, everything inside his mind and body shifting on a molecular level.
The orange energy exploded out from Time Turner, filling the room.
When the process was done, this new entity, no longer Time Turner, had one thought on his mind.
"Sweet Celestia! You went through that eleven times? Mate, how could you stand the tingling?! Oh..." He felt the rhythm in his chest.
"Doctor," said the new Doctor. "I understand your very confused, but right now so are the Daleks. So-"
"Right!" The tenth broke for the TARDIS.
There were several calls of "Exterminate!" as the Doctor ran past. Energy weapons fired off in all directions. All of them missing, some of them hitting other Daleks.
And then something peculiar happened.
The new Doctor watched as an energy weapon sailed by, narrowly missing the tenth, and hit a nearby Dalek. With the Dalek's destruction, several of its compatriots turned into energy and sailed into the pool. The new Doctor knew what had happened immediately.
"Oh," he said, bursting into the first of what would be many excited grins. "Oh, fantastic!"
The Tenth made it to the TARDIS. He and the new Doctor, the one that used to be Time Turner, shut and locked the door
.
"Alright!" said the Horse Doctor as he entered the TARDIS control room. "We have a lot to do, and less time to do it in. Oh, what is this? Cravings? Have we ever had cravings before? Hold on... What am I craving? What am I craving? Ah!" He dived under the console and pulled out a small white paper bag filled with baby shaped jelly candies. "There we are! I thought these were here somewhere!"
"Wait a minute," the Tenth Doctor demanded. "Before you start taking my Jelly Babies, I for one what to know what the hell just happened back there!"
"Second!" called the Cutie Mark Crusaders
"Your Jelly Babies?!" the new Doctor said indignantly. "What's yours is mine, Doctor. Ohhhh.... Your going to be wanting the TARDIS aren't you.... Well that puts a bit of a damper on things doesn't it? Oh well! We'll sort it out later! Wait a minute, mirror!"
"Ugh..." Applejack was beginning to come to. "What happened?"
"We don't know!" Sweetie Belle said desperately.
"First Turner got shot by a Dalek, and then he went all glowey..." Scootaloo's eyes began to cross.
"Good," the new Doctor smiled, checking his reflection in a monitor. "Same face. Just like they promised. Better enjoy it while I can, I'm not sure if I'll be able to pick and choose again."
"Who are they?!" The Tenth insisted. "How did you just regenerate?!"
"Regene-what now?!" Apple Bloom asked.
"They is you," the new Doctor explained. "Well, us. Well- You know what, Doctor? Just look at my face and think."
There was a moment of silence as the two Doctors stared into each other's eyes. Eventually, the Tenth Doctor's jaw dropped.
"No..." said the Tenth.
"Yes," smiled the new Doctor.
"Then you-"
"Yep."
"So I-"
"Yes you were."
"Then we-"
"Since the beginning!"
"Brilliant!"
"Fantastic!"
"Doctor!" the Tenth Doctor held out his hand.
"Doctor!" It started as a hoofshake and then turned into a brotherly hug.
"Will somepony please explain to me what's goin' on?!" Applejack insisted.
The two Doctors paused for a moment to consider how to explain this to the four. "Ah..." The Tenth thought for a moment. "Well, you see... I am he....and he is...me."
"We are all together koo koo kachoo?" Sweetie Belle looked like she was going to pass out.
"No, Sweetie Belle," the New Doctor kneeled next to the three fillies. "I am the Doctor. This universe's Doctor. It just took me a little jolt to realize that. What I just did out there.... Well it's a Time Lord way of cheating death. It sort of shifts around who I am a bit."
"But..." Apple Bloom seemed nervous. "Are you still Turner? I know you look like him but..."
"Everything that was Time Turner is me now," the New Doctor said gently. "And I will still keep every promise I made to you."
The new Doctor brought the three in for a hug. The three hugged him back.
"Um, Doctor?" the Tenth prodded. "Not to break up the moment, but..."
"Right!" The New Doctor snapped up and helped the Tenth pilot the TARDIS. "We have three things left to do. Can anypony tell me what they are?"
"Beat the Daleks!" said Scootaloo.
"Defeat Davros!" said Apple Bloom.
"Save Equestria!" Sweetie Belle said proudly.
"Very good!" the New Doctor smiled. "And the better news is, it's easier than we first thought..."
"How do you figure that?" Applejack asked.
"So glad you asked!" The New and the Tenth began to activate the TARDIS. "When Ten was breaking for the TARDIS something odd happened. One of the Daleks got caught in the crossfire and blew up. When it did, a lot of the Daleks around it got sucked into the pool. Now I think that what happened was that we hit one of the original three Daleks that all the mirror pond's copies were made out of. When the original died..."
"I get it!" Scootaloo brightened up. "So all we have to do is find the original Daleks, then all of the copies will go back to the Mirror Pond!"
The New Doctor nodded. "We're not hunting hundreds of Daleks, we're hunting two." He began to rumage through the Tenth Doctor's belongings.
"Yeah," the Tenth frowned. "But how do we tell the originals out from all the others..."
The New Doctor came out wearing a pair of cardboard glasses. One lens red. The other blue. "Come now, Doctor. I thought I'd know the answer to that one!"
"Of course! Void Stuff!" The Tenth smiled.
"Void Stuff!" The New Doctor beamed back.
"What 'stuff'?" Apple Bloom asked.
"The void is the space between universes," the Tenth explained. "Only thing that exists there is background radiation. A kind of residue that sticks to anything that passes through it. The three Daleks that Davros brought over are STEEPED in void stuff! however, all the Daleks that were made here..."
"Won't be!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
"That's correct!" the two Doctors said simultaneously.
"Now it's time for the bad news..." the new Doctor said worriedly. "Davros is on the move. He and The Daleks are moving for Ponyville."
The monitor displayed thousands of blips, each one of them Daleks, heading straight for town.
Applejack's heart began to beat rapidly. Her family. Her friends. Everypony she knew was in danger.
And now Turner, who she had once considered a friend, was something completely new. This new 'Doctor', what was he?
"Right!" The new Doctor smiled. "Okay then. Where did you put them?" He ran into the bowels of the TARDIS and began to rummage around.
"Put what?" asked the Tenth.
"Where are they? Where are they? Ah!" The new Doctor pulled out a small box with two circular objects inside of it. "Only two left. We can't afford to make any mistakes. Applejack!"
"Yes?" Applejack said when he called her name.
The new Doctor tossed one of the objects to Applejack, and put the cardboard glasses on her face. To her surprise, there was a green haze surrounding the Tenth. "You see all that around Sneakers, over there?"
"Sneakers?" the Tenth Doctor asked.
"That is Void Stuff," the new Doctor explained. "Down there, there's one Dalek that's covered with it. Keep these glasses on and you'll be able to see it. Once you do catch a glimpse of him, attach that to his casing."
"What is it?" Applejack asked, examining the object in her hand.
"That's a Sontaran timed mine," said the new Doctor. "One of those will blow a Dalek wide open."
Applejack took off the glasses and looked into what were once Time Turner's eyes. After a long debate with herself, she decided that it would probably be best to trust him. At least for now. "You got it."
"Fantastic," the new Doctor smiled. He walked over to the Tenth. "We only had one pair, so that means you and I are going to have to do a bit of guesswork. If we figured out the flaw in the plan, we can assume Davros did too."
"So we can assume that he's keeping one of the originals close to him," the Tenth reasoned.
"And we can figure out the rest when we get there!" the new Doctor said brightly. "Hold on a minute." He slammed a button on the TARDIS console, and the ship came to a halt. "Applejack, this is your stop. You three stay in the TARDIS."
"Like hoof we will!" Scootaloo protested. "This is our town, too!"
"No argument!" the new Doctor said firmly.
The doors to the TARDIS opened in the middle of Ponyville's main road. The citizens were fleeing past, their screams sometime cut short by Dalek fire.
Applejack ran out the door. Behind her she could swear she heard three small voices yell "Geronimo!"
Davros made his way to the Crystal Tree, backed by around a hundred Daleks. All the while contemplating.
This universe was nothing. It wouldn't take him long. He had bigger plans. He had infinity on his mind.
Trillions of parallel universes. Trillions of worlds to conquer. Soon existence would belong to his Daleks.
Soon they would become a Lynchpin of the Multiverse.
And then Davros stopped dead in his tracks. A blue box hand materialized in front of him.
The Doctor and a pony stepped out. "Hello!" said the pony. "Do you have a minute?"
Applejack searched around for a moment before she remembered to put the glasses on.
Ponyville was a big town, and right now that town was swarming with Daleks. How was she supposed to find the one that the Doctor sent her after?
There was a smokey green gust in the corner of her eye. She turned around to see the a Dalek, practically caked in what the Doctors had called Void Stuff.
She made her way to it. Trying to be as quiet as possible. Trying not to alert the Dalek to her presence until she was directly behind it.
When she was about to place the mine, she stepped on a branch.
The Dalek whipped around and smacked Applejack broadside with it's manipulation arm, laying her prone, and forcing her to drop the mine. "Exterminate! Exterminate!"
Applejack was about to die. She felt it. She probably would have, if it weren't for three filly shaped shadows that soared over her and made for the Dalek. One in a bow thought to pick up the mine.
Scootaloo grabbed its manipulation arm. Sweetie Belle grabbed its weapon. There was a struggle as the three fillies attempted to hold it in place. It fired of a few blasts into the walls before Apple Bloom managed to mount it, and place the bomb on its head.
"Hit the deck!!" she yelled as she pressed the Button and dived out of the way.
The rest of the Crusaders did the same and a second later the Dalek exploded. Around them half of the Daleks that had been invading dissipated and flew back in the direction of the Mirror Pond.
The four ponies took a moment to breathe. Then the fillies excitedly checked their flanks.
"Nothin'?" Apple Bloom deflated a little.
"I suppose it's for the best," Scootaloo thought aloud. "I mean, how often is this gonna come up?"
The Two Doctors stared Davros down for a moment before the Dalek creator broke the silence. "That was quite the impressive trick you pulled back there, 'Time Lord'," he sneered. "I didn't realize that a regeneration cycle could go so awry as to put you in that ridiculous form. Who are you, truly?"
"I'm the Doctor," the new Doctor grinned.
"Nonsense," Davros scoffed. "I have seen every incarnation of the man beside you. Be it through documentation or in person. Trust me I would have remembered you."
"Oh, come now Davros!" the Tenth smiled. "Your more open minded then that! What happened to you thinking 'beyond your own scientific understanding, eh? Or perhaps the prospect of staring down two Doctors has got you a bit afraid..."
"Afraid?" Davros shrieked. "The full force of Gallifrey couldn't withstand the force of my Daleks! Thousands of Time Lords fell before them, and at best, he is just another Time Lord!"
"Oh, Davros," the new Doctor smirked. "I am so much more than 'just another Time Lord. I am the one who saw you make these wretched things around you. I'm the one who saw the birth of the most feared cyborgs in the galaxy, twice. I have been to the beginning and end of time. I have seen moments in between that could make you cry at the beauty, or the horror. I watched my world fall. I watched as a man I could have once called friend lost his mind. I have held all of time inside myself, and my face is engraved across the stars. I am the pony. The Watchmaker. The New. I am the Doctor, and there's nothing 'just another' about me."
Davros was momentarily cowed by the oratory. "We shall see about that..." Davros grumbled. He pointed a shaky hand at the new Doctor. "EXTERMINATE!!"
The new Doctor hurled the last mine at a Dalek next to Davros. "Get down!"
When the Dalek exploded, all of its copies flew into the Mirror Pond. Leaving Davros and the Doctors alone.
"That was quite good!" said the Tenth as he dusted himself off. "How did you know that was the original?"
"Honestly, I didn't." the new Doctor admitted. "I just realized we were dead if I did nothing so I guessed. Oh dear..."
They looked at Davros. The bomb had taken out half of his chair. His life support was going offline.
Davros was dying.
"So," the Tenth called over to the mad scientist. "This is how Davros, creator of the Daleks, dies. Honestly this isn't what I expected."
Davros let out a hacking laugh. "That is where you are mistaken, Doctor," he said. "You see, even though I die...
"Davros lives on."
Before their eyes Davros dissipated into magical energy and soared into the Everfree Forest.
A Mirror Pond duplicate. Davros was long gone. He had fled back to his home universe.
It took the town a few days to recover from the attack.
All things considered, it turned out pretty well. Very little property damage, and the body count was low.
The new Doctor felt that was little comfort. Ponies had still died. What was once his home had still been attacked. Davros had escaped. He wouldn't bother this universe anymore, but....
What would he do now? He couldn't just go back to watchmaking after all of this had happened. Where would he go? Did he belong anywhere?
Then Apple Bloom came to him with the answer:
"Turner? The Doctor wants to talk to you. He's down by the mirror pond."
He found the Tenth standing in between two identical blue boxes. A grin ten miles wide on his face. "Doctor," said the Tenth.
"Doctor," the new Doctor smiled.
"This," the Tenth knocked on the door of the box on his right. "This is for you. A little parting gift. Just as a way of saying thanks."
"You went and duplicated the TARDIS," the new Doctor frowned. "What'd you do that for? Do you have any idea how complex a machine that is? You can't just have the Mirror Pool belch out another one! Powering that thing is a collapsing star! How did you think this was going to go?"
"I'm not sure," the Tenth smiled. "But it went. Magic's a word I used to think was complete tosh, but after I've been here, there's very little I'll doubt I think."
The Tenth handed the new Doctor a key. "In all seriousness," the new Doctor smiled as he took the TARDIS key. "Thank you."
"Not a problem," the Tenth said. "You mind a little advice? First of all, this..." he handed the new Doctor a metal device one end of which had a blue light on it. "This is your life."
"My very own sonic screwdriver," the new Doctor chuckled. "My word. It's like you came with a whole Doctor Starter's Kit."
"Second, don't travel alone for long," the Tenth continued. "I learned early that I shouldn't spend too much time on my own. And since you're me..."
"Understood," the new Doctor nodded.
"Last but not least," the Tenth smiled. "Wherever you end up, whoever you meet along the way, get yourself into trouble." He shot the new Doctor a sly wink.
"Will do," the new Doctor laughed. "How do you know which one is which?" he asked, pointing to the two time machines.
"I made a few adjustments to yours," the Tenth explained. "For one, it's set for this universes timestream. I also changed the console around a bit so it'll be easier to work with hooves..."
"That I appreciate," the new Doctor smiled.
"Well," the Tenth moved to his TARDIS. "I can't stand around chatting all day, Doctor. Must be off. All my love to Applejack and the Crusaders, eh?"
"Doctor," the new Doctor was suddenly sad but what he was about to ask. "Where are you off to?"
"Oh, the usual," the Tenth shrugged. "Bit of faffing around. Was actually thinking of paying Liz I a visit. I've heard..."
"You can't keep running forever, Ten," the new Doctor said frankly.
The Tenth gave him a long sad look. "I know," he said quietly. "I know that I just..... Just one more stop. Just one more and then...."
The air had grown thick with tension. The new Doctor finally broke the silence. "Good luck, Doctor." He extended his hoof.
The Tenth shook it. "Good luck."
As the Tenth Doctor got in his TARDIS, the new could swear he saw a tear fall from his eye.
He was alone now. It was just him and his TARDIS. He could set off anytime he wanted to. Anytime he felt the urge he could walk into that box and go anywhere.
He couldn't do that yet though. There was something he needed.
Traveling clothes.
It took him forever to decide. He finally picked out a red waistcoat, a black dress shirt, and a blue ascot that appeared to be pinstriped. If you looked closely enough however you could tell that it the pattern was actually made of small question marks.
"There!" Rarity smiled. "Oh, you look simply fabulous. The red brings out your eyes just beautifully! Oh, and I truly love the ascot! It just screams a question! No.. it screams the question! It just shouts... Oh, what am I looking for?"
"Doctor who?" the Doctor admired himself in the mirror. Some vanity he had picked up from the Sixth.
"Precisely!" Rarity smiled. "Speaking of, where is that man... We never got the chance to truly thank him."
"That's just how he is," the Doctor smiled. "Not the kind to stick around."
"I suppose that's how you are now..." Rarity sighed. "Traveling clothes you said? You'll be leaving Ponyville tonight then?"
"Under the cover of darkness," the Doctor prepared to leave. "Oh, and before I forget..." He handed Rarity a gold pocket watch. "Here. Some unfinished business of Time Turner's."
Rarity winked. "Keep it. It goes with the rest of the outfit."
The Doctor smiled and made his way to the door.
"Doctor?" Rarity called from the boutique.
"Mm?"
"Thank you," Rarity smiled. "And come back soon."
The Doctor sat in front of his TARDIS for a good long while, pondering the Tenth's second piece of advice.
Don't travel alone.
Who could he take, though? There was nopony he would feel right asking. He knew how unsafe things could get. Anything could happen. He wasn't sure that anypony would be able to handle the danger. Well, at least anypony who lived here.
No. For now, at least, he'd have to go it alone.
He opened the door to his TARDIS.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS REPORTING FOR DUTY, SIR!!!"
The noise nearly knocked him on his back. "What? What?!"
"We're comin' with you!" Apple Bloom insisted.
"We can't seem to find our cutie marks here, so we're gonna take a look through time and space!" Scootaloo said proudly.
"And besides, without us you'd get lonely!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
The Doctor stared at the three fillies in front of his TARDIS console. Moved by the gesture. "Trust me, girls," he said. "I'm sure I would appreciate the company, but I can't let the three of you come unchaperoned. I don't think I count as-"
"Your darn right you don't," came a thick drawl from the back of the TARDIS. Applejack walked forward from the back rooms. "And you'd better be right about this bein' a time machine. I got my responsibilities on the farm to think about. So I'd better not be gone for more'n a month. That's how long I told Granny Smith and their parents we'd be gone."
The Doctor was utterly stunned. "W-Why?"
"'Cause I saw that man's face,' Applejack explained. "He never hung around nowhere. Never asked to be thanked by nopony. All he ever wants to do is see what's out there. Find somethin' outside what he's used to. I know from experience that's hard to do alone. And if somehow you're him, I ain't lettin' nopony I can call a friend get those same sad eyes that he had."
"I..." The Doctor looked around at the four ponies who surrounded him. Each of them wearing a warm smile.
His friends.
His comrades.
His companions.
"Well, you're in the drivers seat! Where are we headin'..." Applejack shoved her stetson on the Time Lord's head. "Doctor?"
The Doctor let out a massive smile and then began to move around the console as if he were on rockets. "Well, you're the passengers! It's all up to you! Anywhere at anytime you want. Though, if I could suggest there's a period in Minos's future I'm quite curious about."
"Works for us!" Sweetie Belle squeaked excitedly!
"Fantastic!" the Doctor set coordinates and moved toward pulling the last switch. "This calls for something though. Can't just start a new adventure with a flick of a lever. Something's needed. How would Ten put it... Oh I got it..."
He flipped the switch and the TARDIS began to grind and wheeze as it took off.
I certainly had a lot of fun. Both Doctor Who and MLP are shows that saved me from a really awful place in my life so this was my little send up to both shows, I hope you enjoyed it!
I have one question for you guys....
Would anypony like to see more of this Doctor's adventures?
I have an idea for a five story long plotline, if Anypony wants to see more Doctor Whooves from me.
I'd also like to turn this into an Audioplay if I could (like Doctor Whooves and the assistant) so If anypony is interested in that please tell me.
In the meantime however, thanks for reading. I hope you think I'm good enough to write more!
