Chapter 21
"Girls!!!" Doctor screamed, awakening from the nightmare.
He looked around, breathing heavily. He was sitting on the bed located in some rather dark room, lightened only by atmospheric glow of candles. The bedroom was visibly higher than the rest of the room, on a platform that contained a bed, a large bookshelf and a dresser.
Doctor got up. His body still hurt a bit but it was without doubt a better sensation than that torture from before. Good. Now he will have the strength to fulfil his quest.
Only two questions remained: Where was he and how long was he out ? Time was running out, Daybreaker and Sombra could capture the Crusaders at any time. Not to mention Twilight and her friends. Twilight was sent to the distant past in the alternative timeline. As for the rest, Doctor was not sure.
In any case, he must find Sunset Shimmer. She, as a dimensional traveller, might understand the nature of his problem.
Doctor raised from the bed, swallowing the guilt he felt from some time. He screwed up big time, he lost both the Guardians of Harmony and the Crusaders. He sworn to protect them to Luna, who died, instructing him to do one simple thing. And now, by being here, he could also put this world in danger, because for some reason, Sombra and Daybreaker were after him as well.
But right now, what mattered was to move forward. To do this, he needed help. And the best help he could get in this reality was Sunset Shimmer.
He came downstairs and saw a living room with two sofas, TV and a door, probably leading to the bathroom. He turned around and noticed a light under another, half-closed door. He sniffed the air. Something good was cooking out there. Kitchen, probably.
He slowly opened the door.
A room he just entered was indeed a small, cosy kitchen. In the middle stood a young woman, cutting carrots with one hand and mixing something with a spoon with the other one.
Doctor immediately recognized the fiery red and yellow hair, now tied up in a big bun on the top of the girls head.
He coughed slightly, to indicate his presence.
"Miss Shimmer..."
Sunset Shimmer raised her gaze from the carrots and a smile beamed on her face.
"Oh, you woke up ! How are you feeling ?"
Doctor smiled back
"Actually, rather fine, I can't complain."
Sunset nodded, satisfied.
"That's great. Me and my friends were really worried about you. But now you have to tell me everything !"
"I will answer every question, Miss Shimmer. Time is of the essence and I have some..."
Sunset interrupted him with her finger raised.
"I guess we will both have some listening to do, but first " she blew up some wisp of hair that escaped from her hairbun " no Miss Shimmer please! It makes me feel really old... Doctor. Just call me Sunset, ok ? I will finish cooking our food and then we can talk."
"Can I help you cook to speed things up...Sunset ?" asked the Time Lord.
Sunset swung her arm and winked to the Doctor
"Welcome to my flavour heaven !"
********************
"So, Doctor, who are you and why were you looking for me ?" Sunset sipped the hot chocolate.
She and Doctor were resting after dinner, which contained various japanese dishes, Sunset's speciality. Now the pair were wrapped in blankets on the sofas, staring through the windows and observing the park outside.
Doctor cleared his throat
"As you already know, my name is the Doctor. I am a time traveller from planet Gallifrey. Some time ago, I came to Equestria and lived among the ponies for two years of my timeline. Everything was fine, I even accepted that I will be a pony for the rest of my life. But the events that occurred recently, I had to escape from there and seek help here."
Sunset's light blue eyes widened and she slowly nodded.
"All right, that is fine for the moment. Now you can ask me a question, if you want."
Doctor shifted in place
"How long was I out ?"
"Day and a half. Me and girls were looking after you. You...you were muttering something in your sleep. Did...did someone died out there ? Why where you in such a rush ?"
"Because your home dimension ceased to exist " sighed Doctor
Sunset moved closer, visibly shocked.
"What ??!!!! Tell me everything right now!"
So the Doctor explained how Twilight, her friends and Cutie Mark Crusaders were trapped in nightmares in a parallel timestreams created by Princess Celestia's evil self, Daybreaker and how King Sombra used the lifeforce of the Elements to restore his body. He told Sunset how Cutie Mark Crusaders, protected by some unknown force, freed themselves from the illusion and how he received a call for help.
Sunset listened carefully, her lips bit so hardly that they turned into a pale line on her face. She seemingly forced herself not to cry when Doctor continued, telling her about him and the Crusaders meeting, Luna's death and Daybreaker's threats.
Tears finally flew down when Doctor finished his tale, painting in front of her Twilight, sent to the past, confrontation with Daybreaker, dramatic run away from the void and Doctor's crashlanding into this dimension, with the loss of his companions.
Sunset dried her eyes and when she spoke, her voice was a bit shaking but still strong
"Doctor...this... this is terrible ! I don't know what to say ! I wish I was there to help you. But what to do now. What happened after...destruction of my reality !..." she muffled her sobbing.
Doctor waited a moment then spoke gently
"Sunset, you don't have to be strong, if that means denying your feelings. Your original home is gone...for now. This is a pretty big deal. I understand what you feel. And if I may ask ?"
Sunset blew her nose in a tissue and calmed herself, then looked at the Doctor
"Yes ?"
Doctor looked for the right words
"Why did you trusted me ? I am more than grateful for your care and hospitability but...you are not even a little bit suspicious about me ? Or the fact that I told you that I am not from this world ?"
"Doctor, in Equestria we had weirdness and magic on daily basis and I faced some weird things myself. I still can't believe that you are a time traveller from another planet, but... I would not be really surprised if it turned out to be true" Sunset smiled weakly
"Point taken. But still...why did you trust me enough to take me to your house ? You didn't really knew me at all ."
Sunset swirled a strand of her hair around her finger.
"Well, I had this weird feeling that we met before. It was my intuition, nothing more. Still, it just seemed like a right thing to do. I am still learning and I want to be nice to people."
Doctor smiled
"And that is why, Sunset Shimmer, you are the perfect person to help me. You have a good heart, courage and a strong will. If you agree to help me, you will need them. But I don't want to force you ! You can stay here, I will try to figure it on my own."
Sunset looked Doctor in the eyes, her glare deadly serious
"Doctor, if there is any way to restore Equestria, I will do anything to discover it. If that what you are saying is true, many bad things went wrong and I can't just stand by and watch. I want to save these poor fillies and most importantly, I want to save Twilight. She did so much for me, forgave me for what I have done to her. I wouldn't be able to rest if she died and I wasn't there to save her. I am ready to kick the evil back to Tartarus !!! Doctor, I will help you save Equestria."
"Actually, all the realities might be in danger." Doctor muttered
Sunset rolled her eyes
"All right, once again, thank you for agreeing to help. Here is what we have to do. Point one or A : We have to find the TARDIS. That's my time machine. With her, we will have bigger area to act and maybe we will find the solution easier. Point two or B: We have to figure out what Sombra and Daybreaker are after, why they destroyed the realm of Equestria and why they are chasing Twilight, her friends and Cutie Mark Crusaders. Point three...or C: If we discover the thing they are after, we have to get a hold of it before them. And most importantly, we need to save our friends." Doctor explained his plan.
Sunset put her hand to her chin.
"But how exactly we are going to do all of that ?"
Doctor raised an eyebrow
"Usually I make this up during the journey"
Sunset laughed, letting out the tension in her heart
"Well, that explains a lot"
Suddenly a doorbell was heard.
"Sunset, it's me" said the voice behind the door
It was Rarity.
"It's open, come in" Sunset shouted.
Rarity walked into the room backwards, holding a stack of boxes.
She put the boxes on a floor and started undressing herself from the coat, still turned from Sunset and Doctor.
"Sorry that I am coming on such a late hour without telling " said young designer, struggling with her coat " but Pinkie just made this cakes for our patient and she insisted for me to bring it here since my house is not that far away. Besides, I planned to check on him. Coming back to our morning discussion..."
Sunset clutched her head in embarrassment
"Rarity..." she said slowly.
"I must assure you that he looks incredibly cute with this coat and spiky brown hair it is just a perfect..."
Rarity finally turned around and froze, acknowledging Doctor's presence
"M-match ?" she whispered, her eyes wide and shocked.
Doctor waved cheerfully towards her
"Good evening Rarity. How are you ?" he said politely.
Sunset watched as her friend's face turns from usual pale white to a crimson red, from her chin to the roots of her purple hair.
"A-a-a-ha-I-I fo-foor-fo-forgot so-so-someth-ing i-import-t-ant thaat I must a-at-thend at h-home. S-see you to-tomorrow" Rarity said, visibly embarrassed.
Rarity quickly dressed herself back again and left in a hurry, closing the door.
Sunset giggled and shook her head, smiling
"Doctor, that was Rarity. She is not usually like this. It is rather the other way around, others are fricking out when they see her."
Doctor nodded
"I see. Well, she is similar to equestrian Rarity and I like her very much."
Sunset winked to the Doctor
"Well, she was certainly happy to meet you, Doctor"
Doctor twisted his head
"What ?"
Sunset rolled her eyes and sighed
"Oh, boys... well, Doctor, why won't we eat some of that delicious cake and we will talk some more ?"
***********************
"I still can't believe that Twilight became Princess Celestia...and Daybreaker. She might kill all of her friends" Sunset shuffled another slice of pie into her mouth
"Well, Twilight was stuck in an eternity loop, a passage of fixed events. All along she knew the possible consequences of her actions. Guilt harvested throughout the centuries can get anyone or anypony mad" Doctor gestured with his spoon.
"How do you know that ?" asked Sunset.
The pair of blue eyes flashed in the darkness. Light of the street lamp outside only covered a half of Doctor's face. One half bright, one consumed by the shadows. And both blue eyes staring at Sunset from the light and darkness were the eyes of someone very old, very wise and very tired. There was something dangerous lingering in them, some warning of the point with no return.
Doctor slowly ate his slice of pie.
"Let's just say I learned it...the long way around"
Sunset shivered slightly
Doctor snapped his fingers and the room lightened up.
Sunset looked at him, amazed
"How did you do that ?"
Doctor smiled, the intimidating look vanishing from his face
"This is just a simple sonic calibration of the electronic circuits with the synchronization of electromagnetic transference system. You can control the level of light in the house by command. It is one of my gifts for taking care of me."
Sunset whistled
"Doctor, you shouldn't haaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Sunset said, inefficiently trying to muffle her yawn at the end.
"Sunset, you need to rest. There are many things ahead of us" Doctor suggested gently.
Sunset approved, feeling her eyes closing on her own. She didn't realize how late it was.
She was slowly drifting to sleep and she couldn't help it.
"And you Doctor ? Don't you want to rest too ?" she yawned again.
Doctor's gaze was very distant. He shook his head
"Time Lords don't need as much sleep as humans do. I need to think now and clear my mind."
Sunset nodded, the world slowly disappearing around her.
She was probably crazy, staying at night with such a strange person. But this feeling of safety...Doctor reminded her of her study with Celestia, before everything fell apart.
It should be a safe night...probably.
"Doctor, earlier you said something about understanding my pain from the loss of Equestria..."
Even in her nearly subconscious state she noticed a small tear flowing down the Doctor's cheek as he turned to face her.
"My home planet, Gallifrey, burnt and was blown up as the conclusion of one of the biggest wars in the entire history of the multiverse. I am the last one of my kind and I have to carry the burden of protecting the time from the forces of evil. You just lost your original home too and from now on, there is no moving back. As a kind of cosmic orphans, we should stick together."
The last thing Sunset remembered was Doctor's gaze, full of understanding, kindness and compassion.
****************
Sunset yawned melodically and stretched out.
She was in her bed. Doctor probably carried her here when she fell asleep.
She jumped out of bed and dressed quickly.
After a half of an hour she was decent enough to go downstairs.
Doctor was nowhere to be found. On the kitchen table she spotted a note
"Dear Sunset, I went to jog a little bit. During the run, I met this world's version of Pinkie Pie. She is faster than I would ever imagine. She invited me to go to Canterlot High for one day and also said that I will be very welcome as a guest on a Gala this evening. I accepted this invitation, since I was planning to search that area anyway. I went back to let you know where and to made you some breakfast. I didn't know what you like so I made everything that I was able to make with the supplies I was given. I will be waiting outside the school building". D.
Sunset looked up and noticed a towers of food in front of her.
She gulped. He really shouldn't do this, for the sake of her stomach.
**********************
After consuming one sixth of the Doctor culinary outburst, Sunset took the bus to Canterlot High.
She walked near the statue of the Wondercolt, when somebody stopped her
"Hi Sunset !" Rainbow Dash turned Sunset, so she was now facing her " I am taking back everything I said earlier about the Doctor. That guy is amazing !!!"
Sunset raised an eyebrow
"To what do we owe this sudden change of heart ?"
Rainbow scratched her head.
"Well, he came early to the stadium and he wanted to ask me a few questions. I didn't want to talk with him, so I started to run around the stadium.
Not only he caught up with me but did a three circles by the time I only did one. I didn't expect it from a geek-ish guy like him. I had to stop, because I just had to show him my respect. I even invited him to be a part of my soccer team but he was too busy scanning everything with this weird wand of his".
Sunset sighed
"Yep, of course he did"
Rainbow waved her hand
"But my point is that he is pretty cool. He also helped me with my maths homework when he didn't find what he was looking for. "
Sunset rushed to the front door
"Come on Rainbow, we are going to be late for class !"
******************
"I AM USELESS!!!! PLEASE, THIS IS HUMILIATING!!!! JUST STOP!!!!"
Rainbow, Applejack and Sunset watched with wide eyes as their physics teacher was sobbing on the Doctor's feet.
Doctor inefficiently tried to free himself
"Please miss, I haven't actually done that much..."
Applejack coughed and pointed at the blackboard
"Sugarcube, ah don't think this here equation is nothin'"
Doctor turned around to face the blackboard
"Oh, this... I only thought that learning about surface area in present time is a bit shallow. Applying a factor of potential temporal density, which is created by dividing all parts of the closed system by the quantity of voluntarily actions, you can achieve a factor of Sapient Possibility. Proceeding, we can divide actual physical area by SP factor and rising to the power of the number of the time. Then we can achieve the density of closed area in time and space. And this density comes from all potential actions closed in time and space, with all the possible implications. I learnt it in my kindergarten"
Rainbow Dash just stared blankly at the blackboard, filled from top to bottom with numbers and symbols.
"Somebody please pinch me" she whispered in astonishment.
A moment later, she screamed and looked at Applejack
"I said pinch, not kick"
Applejack's face was covered by the book she was reading but Rainbow still saw a corner of her lips rising up in a mischievous smile.
Rainbow muttered something and turned to Sunset.
"Let's excuse us out, it's almost break anyway"
They grabbed the Doctor and pulled him out of the class. Sobbing teacher didn't even acknowledge it.
***********************
"Ah got to say, that Doctor fella is not bad as I thought" said Applejack, taking a slice of the apple pie.
The whole group was eating lunch along with Cutie Mark Crusaders. The only one missing was the Doctor.
"Heck yeah, he helped me with my injuries when I fell from the scooter during recess. " exclaimed Scootaloo, showing bandage on her hand.
"And helped me during my music lesson. He gave me the sheets with beautiful melodies, I never sang anything like it." cheered Sweetie Belle.
"He helped me build a construction for mah project. It was really complicated and ah'm glad that ah had some assistance " added Applebloom.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow
"Wait a minute, what he was even doing on your classes ?. He was supposed to study with us."
Applebloom thought for a minute
"He came through the window"
Applejack spilt her apple cider in the air
"WHAT??? Yer classrooms are on third floor !"
"Exactly. He came through the window with this blue glowin' wand of his. He came to our teacher and showed her some weird piece of paper. He said that he is on inspection and he has to scan the room but in return for interruptin' , he offered to assist the students and helped them. And our professor agreed without hesitation."
"Well, that would explain why he was in the toilet. I was wondering what was taking so long " said Rarity
Applejack leaned closer to her
"You were wonderin' ?"
Rarity nearly exploded
"Applejack !!! I would never...I...I...what are you implying ???!!!"
Applejack patted her shoulder
"It is okay Rare, we all see that he caught yer eye"
Doctor opened the cafeteria's door and walked to their table.
Rarity smiled and whispered into Applejack's ear
"Now say one word darling, and I will sneak into your farm and snap all your Stetson hatswith cruise hats adorned with gems and feathers. Understood ?"
Applejack chuckled nervously
"C-clear as fresh cider Rarity,"
Anger disappeared from Rarity's eyes
"I am so sorry dear, I don't want to threaten anyone but I have plans for the Gala and I don't want you or any of the girls to spoil them. "
Applejack nodded and winked to Rarity
"Don't worry, Ah won't let you down."
Doctor reached their table and sit down. He looked at his screwdriver and sighed
"Blast it, still no readings. But I am sure that she is suppose to be here."
Doctor looked at Sunset.
"Do you think that I could get some more time here ?"
Sunset smiled
"Well, after all you did today for us and the Crusaders, you are more than welcome to come to our Pre-Games Gala."
"Absolutely" Applejack nodded
Pinkie jumped into the air
"Yuuuuuppiiii!!!! Another party guest makes party better!!!! It means even more cupcakes!!!" She started waving the flag with the symbol of hourglass
"Yay" whispered Fluttershy
Rainbow rolled her eyes and smiled
"Heck, I guess you can tag alo-"
"YEEEEEEEEESSSSS!!!!!!!" came the scream from the other side of the table.
Everyone one looked at Rarity whocovering her mouth with her hand.
Rarity cleared her throat and repeated
"I mean, it would be lovely if you could attend, darling".
Doctor grinned
"That's nice, thank you. It is perfect for me. Excuse me for a moment. ".
He started shaking his screwdriver and exit the room.
Rainbow hit the table with the fist.
"He may be cool, but he is still weird and disturbing. We need to know who are we dealing with".
Fluttershy coughed gently and spoke to Sunset
"It seems that there is some kind of a bond between you and him. Did he tell you something last night ? Please, tell us... I mean, if it is not a problem."
Applejack nodded
"Yeah, who exactly is he and what is he doin' here ?"
"What is he planning ?" Rainbow Dash added
"Why his coat is bigger on the inside, just like my hair ?" Pinkie cheered.
"Why did he looked so sad while he was looking at me ?" Sweetie Belle bit her lip.
"And who is that "she" he was talking about ?" Rarity raised an eyebrow.
Then she quietly added
"Sunset, please. We are your friends, you should tell us."
Sunset remained silent for a moment and then shook her head.
"I am very sorry, but I can't answer those question. Well, I know the answers but I just can't. Believe me, I don't feel good about it."
Rainbow let out a frustrated sigh
"You mean you don't trust us ?!!!"
Sunset raised her head and the group saw the tears slowly filling her eyes.
"I mean that this knowledge can put you all at risk and I wouldn't be able to bear losing any of you !!! Doctor needs my help in a mission of great importance and he travelled here to get my help. He only needs me so the less you all are involved, the better." she hesitated and then resumed " Look, after this night I will tell you everything. But for now, before the Doctor finds what he is looking for, you need to stay out of this."
Other girls looked at each other and smiled
"I am still worried about this mess but I think we can promise that we will stay out of this for now. We trust you Sunset" said Fluttershy
Everyone nodded in approval.
Sunset smiled, relieved
"Thanks girls"
Applejack hugged Sunset tightly
"Be safe sugarcube ! We can't lose you either."
Sunset giggled
"I am not sure if safety is possible in my life for a long time, but I will try, I am sure I will."
******************************
"Whoa, Ah never knew about this harvestin' method. Ah must test in mah own orchard" Applejack stared at the Doctor, impressed.
The whole group was just heading to Rarity's boutique, to change into their Gala outfits and find one for the Doctor.
Doctor nodded
"I was the one who helped invented it. It provides a good chemical composition to the juices and therefore, more tasty final product."
Applejack whistled
"Ah got to say Doctor, you are a heck of a wise guy"
Doctor waved his hand
"Don't mentio-"
Rainbow Dash grabbed Doctor's arm.
"He is not only wise.Doctor, care for the race to the boutique ? Is not so far away but is still nice distance"
Doctor shrugged his arms
"Sure, why not ? Maybe I will spot something interesting during it"
The Time Lord and rainbow haired athlete dashed forwards with incredible speed.
"Rotten apple, I need to see Rainbow's face when she loses"Applejack giggled and started running too.
Pinkie bounced along, licking a giant, 8-scoups tall ice-cream she bought near the school's exit.
Rarity, who was talking to Sunset and Fluttershy, screamed in horror.
"Don't you dare run now !!! You will be all sweaty and you will ruin my clothes !!! Come back here !"
She started to run herself but since she was wearing high heels, it was rather comical than effective.
Fluttershy squealed and followed her, not eager to be left behind.
Sunset let out a honest, loud laughing fit, that made her tension ease a little. She smiled as she watched her friends fading in the distance, with the echo bringing Rarity's whining and Pinkie's laughter.
"Maybe it won't be as bad after all. As long as we have each other, we can fight any foe" she said as she started running to catch up with her friends.
Behind her, the tall, slim and muscular man emerged from the darkness. He watched a running girl from the distance with the wide, toothy grin.
"You can't be more mistaken, Aghelaya. This is only a beginning. Soon you the power of Eternity will be mine and then, the death will be most merciful fate for you and your friends."
He clenched his hand on a walking stick, carved from obsidian, with a ruby on the top.
He looked at the moon, and let out a deep, evil laughter
"I am ready, Doctor. Oh, I am ready"
He turned away and before he faded in the shadows, echo brought his last words
"Ready as I'll ever be !"