"Are you sure this is right?" Trixie asked nervously.
"Relax, we're expected." Starlight said finding the arched wooden door already unlocked.
The building was quickly identifiable as a laboratory and was full of equipment that was so bizarre it'd make Twilight blush. Starlignt stood on her tippy hooves and trotted through the building in search of what she was looking for.
Trixie could tell something was not right here, the technology was like nothing she had ever seen before, nothing suitable for her show. Starlight refused to tell her exactly why they were here but it seemed important to her somehow.
A strange noise could be heard from the other side of the wall, likely another room. At first Trixie suspected it of just being more equipment but it sounded as if it was getting closer.
"Hey Starlight, I know that you're lost in your own fantasy right now, but something is coming." She whispered.
"Huh?" Starlight said turning around and speaking loudly without any regard for the danger.
"INTRUDERS DETECTED." Said a robotic voice as the machine entered from the hall.
"What is that?" Trixie cried ducking behind Starlight as her friend created a protective shield around both of them.
"You know you have to really teach me that one." Trixie said before clutching her head in her hooves.
The robot slowly approached them, inching forward. "INTRUDERS"
"K9!" Came an angered feminine roar.
Starlight and Trixie's gazes shot up to the door they had entered in from the street. A grey mare in a mail delivery uniform stood with hooves outstretched and a very cross expression on her face.
"MISS DERPY." The robot dog reversed away from them and approached the mare.
"Derpy? That robot is yours?" Starlight said in surprise before trotting up to her friend.
"It belongs to the Doctor, but we've become great friends. I told him to have the door open for you since I had a last minute special mail delivery to attend to, guess he figured it was an opportunity to scare you." Derpy petted K9 on his metallic head.
"Starlight, what are we doing in the mailmare's home?" Trixie raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, this isn't my home. Derpy smiled sheepishly. "This is the Doctor's laboratory, he studies and creates all sorts of things here, mostly from his home."
"Again, why are we here?" Trixie glared at the robot dog.
"Because." Starlight replied. Doctor Whooves is a master of time travel, and I want to know how to protect it."
"Protect it?" Trixie asked feeling very confused. "This doesn't happen to have anything to do with that whole spat you had with Twilight, does it?"
"That's right." Derpy smiled at Trixie. "Starlight here, she was looking for a way to stop what she did from ever being done again, by anypony."
"You know that is virtually impossible right?" You cannot control every pony and every creature that exists, especially not throughout all of Equestrias past and future." Trixie wanted Starlight to do whatever she needed to forgive herself but this was going too far.
"I tried explaining that." Came the voice of a stallion from the doorway.
"Doctor!" Derpy rushed over and wrapped her hooves around the large stallion and kissed his snout.
"Derpy, I have missed you so much." The Doctor said kissing her back just as passionately.
Starlight felt her cheeks blush red at the public display of affection. It was sweet to see but it was made even more embarassing when Trixie rolled out her tongue and made an over exaggerated gagging sound, one that did not go unnoticed by The Doctor.
The Doctor cleared his throat with his own hint of embarassment. "As I was saying, I was talking to Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia, both believe that the magic is almost impossible to keep secret forever. So, it has been decided that some machines are required to detect such abnormalities before they occur, or rather before the changes can ripple through our present time..
All three mares stared at The Doctor with exhaustive expressions. "Is he always like this?" Trixie asked.
"Yep." Derpy replied
"Well anyway." The Doctor pulled down a diagram paper from the ceiling. "To ensure time stability, we need defences and ponies able to use them."
Starlight smiled brightly. "That's where the teamwork comes in, with my magic and Doctor Whoove's technology and knowledge on time, we should be able to at the very least protect the last thousand years."
"Thousand years?" Trixie asked confused about the specific number.
"Well things get a bit sketchy if we go back to before Celestia, and even then we need to be very careful about changing the past." Starlight said.
"And the future." Doctor Whooves added. "The future is the past and the present of all future pony generations, we have no right to dsrupt that timeline."
"But aren't you known for disrupting timelines?" Derpy asked having been on many time travelling adventures thus far.
"Yes well, I am a Time Lord, so it is kind of in our nature." The Doctor replied hesitantly.
"Right..." Trixie said noting the hypocrisy. "So, you want to recruit ponies to time travel to stop ponies from time travelling.
"Trixie, it's to stop evil ponies from destroying Equestria, Twilight herself said my actions erased all life from Equestria, it isn't like it was a what if, everything was gone, it is only because she went back and stopped me that everything began to exist again."
"Well technically, both timelines exist kind of simultaneously and the way we travel through them is more like a vortex with diverging path-" Derpy shoved a hoof onto The Doctor's mouth to shut him up.
"...Timey wimey stuff." The Doctor quickly finished after Derpy pulled her hoof away and rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, Trixie, you can help too. Your knowledge of stage magic is bound to be useful."" Starlight said.
"How so?" Trixie asked sceptically.
Derpy decided to answer the question. "During the changeling attack on Ponyville, your tricks were quite effective even when Twilight failed, its situations like that ponies could end up facing."
"I see." Trixie grimaced. "I'll offer any knowledge I can."
"We best be going now, lots to do." Starlight said giving a small bow of her head.
"Starlight, you are way over your head with this." Trixie said as tney moved into Ponyville's outskirts.
"What do you mean?" Starlight asked with a blank expression on her face.
"I mean, this is not your responsibility. I'm not saying not to help but don't you have friendship lessons or something?" Trixie said worried for Starlight's sanity.
"Friendship will always be my priority Trixie, but this is important to me. Besides it isn't like there are a huge list of ponies experienced in time travel." Starlight said making a reasonable argument.
"Alright." Trixie said deciding not to say anything more for now.
The pair of them walked up to Fluttershy's cabin as Trixie was first to knock on the door.
"You know I don't think I have ever had a problem with Fluttershy, she provides me with rabbits all the time." Trixie said with a grin on her face. "Actually the spiders are pretty cool during nightmare night too."
"Hello?" Fluttersby said as her door creaked open.
"Fluttershy, its Trixie and I, may we come in?" Starlight asked.
"Oh Starlight, Trixie, please come in." Fluttershy said flapping her wings excitably.
Trixie likely had been to Fluttershy's cabin before but perhaps not inside. It was generally often like this, but tne flying table and chairs was definitely not normal.
"Ah, look who it is, more friends, splendid." Discord said before sipping more of his tea.
"Oh, it's Discord." Trixie said trying to hide her disappointent.
"Oh I hope you don't mind." Fluttershy said apologetically. "He has been around for such a long time and he is experienced in so many whacky tbings, who better to help protect friendship from time attackers."
"Time attackers?" Starlight giggled.
"Yes, ones such as yourself, or is that the past you? I forget what time I am in myself sometimes." Discord said.
Discord might have been only joking around but the pain stung deep within Starlight all the same. Her past self would always still be out there in the fabric of time, hurting countless ponies and enjoying every moment of it.
"I seem to remember a certain draconequus selling Equestria out to Tirek." Trixie shot back in Starlight's defence.
"At least I didn't get beaten by an Ursa Major." Discord giggled to himself.
"Discord, that's enough, I invited my friends over and you are going to treat them nicely!" Fluttershy failed to raise her voice loud enough to be scary but Discord knew better then to upset the pony he cared more deeply for than anything in the world.
Discord lowered his head ever so slightly. "I propose a truce and I offer my apology to both of you."
Starlight could not help but give out a small laugh. She could not help but find Discord's pressured humility to be adorable.
"Yes, well I am sure Discord has plenty to offer, I mean ponies were practically theorising for years that Discord was Starswirl himself." Starlight said using her magic to float her and Trixie up to the table.
"Hey, I happened to like that theory." Discord replied. "I mean whose to say I wasn't and those hack writers didn't just change their minds later, they do that you know."
Anyway, I have plenty of animals already interested in support of protecting time, but even Celestia's agents are often held up fighting bugbears, devoting Canterlot resources to a threat that doesn't exist yet seems like a waste." Fluttershy could not help but express her difference of opinion.
"Thanks Fluttersby but it is just a precautionary method." Starlight assured her. "It isn't like anyone else knows time magic."
"It isn't like time magic is any good anyway." Discord replied. "Who needs it when you can change all of reality with just a snap of chaos."
"Discord, no offence." Starlight said looking up at Discord's eyes guiltily. "But I don't think even chaos existed in the future I created."
"No chaos?" Discord's jaw hung open. "Anything you need, Starlight, just call."
"So which animals are going to be useful?" Trixie asked not wanting to waste more time listening to Discord.
"Well cockatrices are capable of turning ponies to stone, that stops them from time travelling." Fluttersby said.
"Stone?" Discord genuinely gulped.
"Until tbey can be redeemed, of course." Fluttershy added with an apologetic smile and rubbed Discord's head with her hoof.
Spiders make powerful nets." Added Starlight. And the Everfree forest is a great training ground for any applicants."
"I am told that eagles are quite good for time travelling with too." Discord joked. "But that one might go over everyponies noses."
"Still the best creature of all to stop time travel." Fluttershy moved over to her window and opened the curtain to reveal the animal on the other side as her mouth opened in joy. "The humble scroll eating billy goat."