If someone were to ask Clara Oswald how her life had progressed, she would say that, up to a certain point, it hadn’t been anything special. In a sense, she’d been standing still, just minding her own way and not looking for anything greater. And then, in one second, it had all changed. Her life had effectively become different than that of anyone else’s, and she’d been running ever since from one adventure to the next.
“Clara?! Clara, can you hear me?!”
The voice served as an all-too-familiar reminder of how her life had changed as she groggily opened her eyes. “Uuhhh… Doctor, what…?”
“Ah, there you are! Welcome back!”
Her vision snapped back into focus as she looked upon the being before her in what dim light was available. “What?!”
Standing over her was, for all intents and purposes, some sort of equine. Not a realistic one by any stretch of the imagination, but the general proportions and anatomy immediately suggested a horse, albeit too small to be a proper horse. Grey of coat and dark brown of mane, his green eyes and familiar clothes combined with his voice effectively confirmed his identity. The bowtie he wore probably didn’t hurt either. “I know! You should see what you look like!”
“What.” Clara followed the Doctor’s outstretched hoof towards the reflective surface of his console’s monitor. Staring back at her was another equine, this one a light purple but with her obvious brown eyes and hair and wearing a deep blue dress and brownish-red belt. “Doctor, I’m a horse.” She turned back to him and continued, “You’re a horse. We are horses.”
The Time Lord laughed. “Clara, we aren’t horses! We’re ponies!”
She blinked. “Not really seeing much of a difference!”
“Well, it is a small one.” At her glare, he frowned and rolled his eyes. “Fine, not making that joke again.”
“Alright, fine, so we’re ponies, but… how?!” She unsteadily attempted to rear up on her hind legs and grab her friend by his shoulders for emphasis, only to lose her balance and find herself forced back to all fours. “How did this happen? Is this some kind of crazy regeneration thing?”
“No, no, definitely not a crazy regeneration thing, trust me.” The Doctor turned away and examined the console room, its lights dim and dark. “And definitely not something that happens when you visit the Eye of Orion. That said, I’ve seen something like this before. Not the pony thing, but the rest of it is definitely familiar. Give me a minute, I’ll check on it.”
The Doctor then trotted off, heading down one of the staircases leading below the main console. “Brilliant.” Clara uneasily moved about on her hooves, but barely had a minute to get used to being a quadruped before a knock sounded from outside of the TARDIS doors. “Doctor?”
“Get that for me, will you?!”
An uncomfortable look crossed her face as Clara slowly made her way towards the door, further knocking sounding from it. The question crossed her mind about how she’d open it, given she was currently without hands, but that suddenly seemed like a small concern. There was no way of knowing who was on the other side of the door, and she wasn’t sure how she’d react when she found out.
-
“You’re knocking on it?”
Quiver turned back to Lyra and shrugged. “Well, in my defense, it does look like a door.” He rapped against the blue doors three more times and then stepped back. “And if it has a door, then that means someone can enter it.”
“And you think that thing was occupied when it hit the ground?” The unicorn’s eyes went wide with terror as she realized, “Who’d be crazy enough…?!” At the stallion’s arched eyebrow, she relented, “Okay, maybe Pinkie or the Crusaders, but still…!”
The two paused as the door creaked open, and an unfamiliar mare’s head poked out. She put on a nervous grin as she laid her eye on them. “Hello…ponies.”
“Hi.” Inwardly grateful that Quiver wasn’t giving her a smirk, Lyra tilted her head curiously. “Are you alright, miss?”
“Fine, fine, perfectly fine.” She let out a nervous chuckle. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Quiver quirked an eyebrow and deadpanned, “Well, you just fell out of the sky and made a very harsh landing in a big blue box. That’s a little suspicious right there.” He tried to look past her curiously. “You got a safety harness in there or something?”
“Yes, because I’m fine, not hurt at all!”
The two shared a brief glance as they considered the newcomer before Quiver turned back. “All the same, it might be a good idea to get you looked at by a doctor.”
“Clara!” The newcomer turned blank as the other door swung open, a stallion making himself seen from inside of the box. “I’ve figured it out, or at least I think I’ve got it figured out! Like I said, this has happened to me before, at least, partially! We’ve entered another universe!”
“Doctor…”
“Now the ‘being turned into ponies’ thing is new, as I said earlier, but I think that might be some reaction the chameleon arch had with this world’s thaumic field, it’s unusually strong. Either that or some inverse reaction with the chameleon circuit, but that’s doubtful.”
The mare in the box pointedly cleared her throat. “Doctor…”
“Anyway, that should reverse once we leave, and we’ll be able to do that once the TARDIS recharges. Like I said, that’s happened before, so I’m prepared for it, but the recharge will take about twenty-four hours or so. As long as we avoid running into any trouble with the natives, we should be fine. Now what’s got you…” The stallion then noticed what his companion was so concerned over. “Ah. Natives. Hello!”
“Hello yourself.” Quiver gave the two another curious look. “Got anypony else in there with you? Maybe some clowns?”
Lyra grimaced and shuddered. “I hope they don’t. I don’t like clowns.”
“No, just the two of us.” The Doctor gave the two a curious look of his own and asked, “What are the two of you doing here?”
“Well we saw this big box of yours fall out of the sky and skid into the ground, and we came to see if anypony was hurt.” Lyra looked them over and noted, “I’m glad you’re not, but…” She turned to Quiver and asked, “Did you hear everything I just heard?”
“What, you mean about how these two are from another universe, they probably came here by accident, they were likely turned into ponies because of our planet’s thaumic field interacting with tech on their ship, and how said ship is out of juice but it’ll recharge within a day so they can head home and get back to normal?”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought I just heard.” Lyra turned back to Clara and saw the flabbergasted expression on her face. “What’s wrong?”
She pointed between the two of them with one hoof and asked, “You two picked all of that up?”
Quiver shrugged. “We pay attention.”
The Doctor grinned. “Oh, this…this is beautiful. Intelligent, benevolent natives. And they’re ponies! You’re ponies! I’m sorry, you get around as much as I do, you tend to see the bad more than the good, and this…” He took Quiver by surprise with a hug, then followed up by giving one to a more receptive Lyra. “This is wonderful!”
A sigh came from the second newcomer. “Yeah, well, you’re not wrong. Even if you’re weirding out the wonderful.”
“I’m okay with the hug!” Lyra replied with a smile.
Quiver smirked. “I don’t mind them either, but I’d at least like to have a name first.”
“Oh, details.” The stallion newcomer stepped back and composed himself. “Anyway, going to be here a while, might as well return the friendliness. I’m the Doctor, this is my friend, Clara.”
A slightly less nervous wave this time. “Clara Oswald, hello.”
“And yes, we’re from a different universe. And the way the two of you look, that doesn’t surprise you.”
The two native ponies smiled as Quiver explained, “You live in this neck of the woods long enough, and nothing surprises you.” He gave a small nod. “Anyway, welcome to Equestria. I’m Quiver Quill, and this is my friend, Lyra Heartstrings.”
The unicorn beamed. “Nice to be properly introduced!”
Clara smiled a little easier as she and the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS. As her friend turned about to close and lock the ship’s doors behind them, she asked, “So, Equestria. Is that what you call your planet?”
“No, just our nation. The planet’s called Earth.” A thought occurred to Quiver as he realized, “Come to think of it, if the two of you are from another universe, then that means you’re…”
“Aliens, yes.” The Doctor turned back to them and grinned. “Been a while since I’ve said this, but please, take me to your leader.”
Lyra giggled as Quiver did his best to hold back a chuckle. “What do you think, Quiver? Which leader should we take them to?”
“Well, the highest authority should probably take priority. And the less time I spend in Town Hall, the better.” He gestured with a hoof. “Come on, you two. Follow us.”
“To where?” Despite her unease with four hooves, Clara managed to keep up well enough as she followed the pair along the path. “I mean, if you’re not taking us to Town Hall, then we aren’t dealing with your government, right?”
“There’s local government and then there’s federal government.” Quiver laughed. “After all, why settle for meeting a mayor when you can meet a princess instead?”
“Pony princesses,” the Doctor mused excitedly. “This day’s just getting better and better! Don’t be surprised if we ask questions, however. That’s a bad habit of mine, asking questions.”
Quiver smirked. “Last I checked, not being afraid to ask questions is a sign of wisdom.”
“Well, I’ve got one. If it’s alright to ask, what’s with the brands?”
Lyra came to a sudden stop. “Brands? We don’t…!” She then looked to her flank and realized, “Oh, do you mean these on our flanks?” At Clara’s nod, she explained, “That’s not a brand, that’s a cutie mark! They appear on their own once a pony realizes their special talents.”
“Usually around the age of six, but sometimes younger than that. And on very rare occasions, sometimes you’ll see two ponies with identical marks.” Quiver gestured to his friend and explained, “Lyra happens to be one of those rare cases.”
“I have a relative with the exact same cutie mark as me,” the unicorn admitted sheepishly. “Maker only knows how it happened.” She raised a hoof towards the Doctor. “And it looks like you two might not need to worry about finding them yourselves.”
Clara looked to the Doctor’s flank and saw a mark there. “Huh. Hourglass.” She then eyed her own flank, concealed underneath her dress, and wondered, “You don’t suppose?”
“Easy way to find out, assuming you don’t mind.”
Clara shrugged, and an aura of magic enveloped Lyra’s horn as a similar aura of golden-orange light shimmered around the end of the visitor’s skirt. Quiver politely looked away, while the Doctor’s attention was fixed upon her horn as Lyra pulled back the skirt to reveal the other mare’s mark. “Well?”
“It’s a leaf!”
“Brilliant!” Lyra gently moved the dress back down and smoothed it out as the Doctor exclaimed, “That was absolutely brilliant!”
“What, that? That’s nothing. Any unicorn can manipulate objects with magic using their horn.” She smiled. “They just have to learn how.” The group went on its way as Lyra continued, “And thankfully for unicorns like me, there’s schools for that all over Equestria. I did pretty good, but there were plenty more who were better students than me.”
-
Moondancer could feel the train rolling beneath her seat as she looked out the window and watched the world roll by. It wouldn’t be long before she reached her destination, a prospect that filled her with anxious unease.
“Okay, something’s going on in that head of yours.” Her attention sprung back to the pony opposite her as the unicorn mare gave her a prodding look. “Come on, Moonie. Spill.”
She sighed. “Sorry Minuette. I’m just a little anxious.” She glanced back out the window and explained, “This is the first time that I can remember that I’ve left Canterlot for, well, anything. You and the rest of our friends all either moved to Ponyville or visit so often you’re practically residents. I mean, it’ll be nice to see Twilight and Lyra, but…”
“But you’re worried about meeting all the other friends we’ve made there through them?”
A nod. “And it’s even worse considering Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine had to catch a later train.”
Minuette responded by giving her friend a playful shove. “Hey, don’t get so down, Moonie! Ponyville’s a great place, and you’ve already met Pinkie! Pretty soon, you and Twilight will be boring all of us with that research project she asked you to head up months ago.”
“Hey! Twilight asked me to personally take charge of the examination of everything in Star Swirl the Bearded’s athenaeum! That’s not boring and you know it! It’s a treasure trove of magical knowledge, and that’s ignoring the obvious historical value! We might end up rewriting the history books once everything’s said and done!” She rolled her eyes and admitted, “Of course for Twilight that’s business as usual these days.” At her friend’s giggle, she noted, “Yeah, laugh it up, but at least I get to help this time.”
Minuette’s enthusiasm faded as she asked, “Moonie? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Moondancer sighed, then pulled off her glasses and absently cleaned them with part of her baggy sweater. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little jealous is all. Maybe still a little resentful. Twilight goes off, finds the Elements of Harmony, saves Equestria and becomes a big hero, and brushes me off for months afterwards.”
“Yeah, and she felt horrible about it once she realized it.” Minuette crossed over to her friend’s bench and gave her a hug. “You know how she gets sometimes, when she’s wrapped up in things. Calling it tunnel vision is being polite. The important thing is that she recognized that she messed up and did what she could to make up for it. And like you said, she’s got you onboard researching stuff that ponies have only dreamed of. And I’m sure she’ll love to hear all about everything you’ve found so far.”
A smirk. “Everything I’ve found since that last letter I sent her, anyway.” The train slowed to a halt beneath their hooves, and the two mares retrieved their luggage and made their way out of the carriage. “I’m just glad she’s paying such close attention to it.”
“And I’ll bet she’ll mug you for more info as soon as we step off the train.”
Moondancer sighed and shook her head as the two made their way off the train. They’d barely gotten onto the platform before Minuette perked up and squealed gleefully. “Pinkie!”
“Minuette!” A familiar pink mare charged forward and gave the blue unicorn a warm embrace as another pony and a dragon approached. “It’s so great to see you again!” Pinkie Pie ended the hug and then embraced Moondancer and exclaimed, “You too, Moondancer! Welcome to Ponyville!”
The bookish unicorn smiled. “Thanks Pinkie.” The embrace ended, and she gently initiated one with the dragon in their midst. “Hi Spike. Twilight hasn’t been working you too hard, right?”
“Nah, I’m good.” Their hug ended, and introductions were made to the last of the group. “Moondancer, meet Rarity. Rarity, Moondancer.”
The elegant unicorn gave a polite smile and bow. “Delighted, darling. And I must say that you have a rather… interesting fashion sense.” The fashionista recovered herself at Moondancer’s unimpressed expression and continued, “Anyway, Twilight offers her apologies for not being here personally, but she wanted to make certain that everything was perfect at the library for the two of you to discuss some details regarding your research.”
“Yeah, the new Number Three Assistant’s actually pretty good at baking.” Spike smirked. “Not as good as Number One, of course, but she’ll get there. Anyway, the two of you are gonna love what Twilight’s got planned. It’ll…” He noticed something out of the corner of his eye and asked, “Minuette? You okay?”
The blue unicorn had suddenly gone stiff and her eyes wide as she looked into the distance. She recovered with a smile and said, “Oh, sorry! I just got distracted for a second is all. You get that, right?”
Pinkie nodded. “Happens to me all the time.”
“Good.” The normally chipper and upbeat mare suddenly turned serious and apologetic. “Moonie, I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta leave you with Spike and the girls for a while. I Pinkie Promise though, I will catch up with you later at the library.” She shrugged off her light luggage with her magic as she went through the familiar motions. “Pinkie, can you…?”
“Sure.” Even the normally unflappable party pony seemed surprised at the change in her demeanor and accepted her saddlebags with little fuss.
As Minuette rushed off, Rarity leaned in and asked, “Pinkie, darling, has your Pinkie Sense been going off today?”
“No, but there’s a lotta territory the Pinkie Sense doesn’t cover. I mean, it didn’t tell me when Nightmare Moon or Discord or anything else happened.” She rubbed her chin and remarked, “You’d think one of them would merit a doozy…” She shrugged. “Well, whatever it is, Minuette’ll be okay. And she did Pinkie Promise.” She then took on a deep, menacing tone and declared, “And nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise.”
Moondancer anxiously leaned in towards Spike and asked, “Is this normal?”
“Normal for Pinkie?” Spike made a so-so motion with one claw. “Kinda, though that was a little scary.”
Pinkie pouted. “Sorry.” She then turned a little more bubbly as she continued on. “Anyway, to the library! With any luck, we’ll hear all about whatever’s going on and be able to laugh about it later!”
Pinkie led the group on its way as Rarity gave Moondancer a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, darling, I doubt things will get much stranger from here.”
-
“Oh, this is beautiful!”
“That it is.” Quiver chuckled at the Doctor’s summation of the sight before him. “Welcome to Ponyville.”
The quartet entered the settlement proper as ponies milled about all around them, going about their business and heading in one direction or another. The sights and sounds that Quiver and Lyra were used to, long normal for them, caused the Doctor and Clara to gaze about in every direction. The former of the two visitors especially looked like a foal in a candy store, which caused their hosts to wonder what would happen if he saw Sugarcube Corner.
Putting on his best tour guide voice, Quiver remarked, “Ponyville was founded a little over two centuries ago after a plot of land was donated by the crown to a family of traveling seed merchants. They set up a farm, domesticated a rare form of fruit known as the zap apple, and the town grew up beside them. The farm’s still in operation today, owned and run by the same family.”
“Old frontier spirit.” The Doctor beamed. “I’ve seen settlements like this at their beginnings. It was always hard at first, but with effort and a little help when needed, they always found a way.”
“That little help didn’t come from a big blue box, did it?”
The bowtie-clad stallion grinned, then turned his attention back to their hosts as the group paused. “So, have the two of you lived here your whole lives?”
Lyra shook her head. “I was born and raised in Canterlot, Equestria’s capital. I moved here from there last summer.” She pointed towards a mountain on the horizon with one hoof. “You can see it from here pretty easy. Over there in the northeast.” She gestured to her friend and teased, “Quiver came a little further though, and hasn’t been here nearly as long.”
“I’m native to Indianapoloosa myself. Ended up moving here thanks to my job and making some friends here in town. And we aren’t the only ones. There’s ponies living here who came from as far as Trottingham.”
Clara turned to him in surprise. “Sorry, did you just say ‘Trottingham’?” At Quiver’s nod, she pointed towards the mountain to the northeast and added, “And that’s ‘Canterlot’?”
“Yeah. What’s wrong with those names?”
“Oh, nothing, they just sound unique is all.” The Londoner kept to herself how familiar they sounded as well.
“Quiver Quill!” Heads turned towards a middle-aged silver-coated stallion with a small, neatly-trimmed mustache as he approached. “I apologize if I’m interrupting something, this is just my first chance to speak with you since everything happened with Spoiled Milk. I’m Sterling Silver, Silver Spoon’s father?”
Recognition crossed Quiver’s face at the name. “Oh, yes! Mr. Rich mentioned you at the party! Don’t worry, Lyra and I were just showing these two around town. They’re visiting from the Griffish Isles.”
The stallion nodded, then turned to the two visitors and asked, “Wanted to visit somewhere that didn’t have fish on every restaurant’s menu, eh?”
The Doctor chuckled and admitted, “Well, I’ve always thought travel broadened the mind, and the palate. That being said, it’s been a while since I’ve been a strict vegetarian.”
“Well, enjoy your visit. And if you’re in the mood for a souvenir, feel free to drop by Second Chance Silver.” He turned back to Quiver and added, “Speaking of, if there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”
“Well, assuming Twilight doesn’t get them first, I wouldn’t mind if you set aside any rare books for me.”
“Easily done.” He then gave a curt nod and a smile and offered, “Miss Heartstrings,” before he continued on his way.
“Okay, two questions…”
“The Griffish Isles are Equestria’s easternmost territory, annexed about a hundred and fifty years ago after they declared independence from the Griffin Kingdom. Very high griffon population as the name implies, though there’s still a reasonable number of ponies living there. I’ve got some distant relatives on my mom’s side out there in fact.” Quiver raised an eyebrow towards Clara and asked. “That take care of one of them?”
“Wha-? Yes, actually, the second one.” She chuckled. “Damn you’re good. First one was actually about what was up with that stallion.”
“Oh that.” Lyra grinned and explained, “Quiver got to play hero a little bit ago. Saved some fillies from some timberwolves, including his daughter.”
“Magically animated constructs composed of deadwood shaped like canines,” Quiver explained. “Hence, timberwolves. Don’t be too impressed with me, I just held out long enough for help to arrive.”
Clara laughed. “Well that still doesn’t sound like anything to sneeze at. Then again, I’m still adjusting to all this.”
The Doctor smiled. “Breath it in, Clara, it’s brilliant.” He then turned to their hosts and asked, “So, it’s not just ponies in your world then.”
“Aw heck no. There’s tons of sapient races in our world. Ponyville is just mostly ponies.” Quiver waved a hoof as he elaborated, “There’s also a couple donkeys living here in town, a mule, a couple dozen cattle, some sheep, Spike the dragon, and if you want to stretch things, Zecora. She’s a zebra, lives out in the Everfree Forest.”
“Plus there’s hippogriffs and buffalo and minotaurs and Diamond Dogs and sea serpents, and those are just races that are part of the wider Equestrian population. Probably some pony-zebra and donkey-zebra hybrids too.” Lyra beamed. “Plenty more where they came from.”
Quiver nodded. “And that’s assuming Discord isn’t the only draconequus in existence.”
“But how’d that happen on its own?” Clara turned to the Doctor. “I mean, I’m not saying multiple sapient races couldn’t develop on the same world, but…”
“Well, isolated populations in specific areas, possibly separated by the terrain or large bodies of water, only spreading out once they reach a certain level of development. That’s the mundane solution anyway.” He gestured to the various ponies around them and remarked, “I’m surprised by the amount of variation between ponies themselves. I’m seeing three different kinds. Are you all one species, or just three closely-related ones?”
“One species, five tribes capable of interbreeding.” Quiver shrugged and explained, “I’ve got a couple unicorns on my dad’s side of the family tree, and on my mom’s side are pegasi and thestrals.”
“And I’ve got an aunt who’s an earth pony like Quiver back in Canterlot.”
“I’d be lying if I said that we always got along with one another, but for the most part, we live in harmony among ourselves and with other races.” Quiver beckoned them onwards. “If we didn’t, then the windigoes might come back. Now there’s a tale to tell.”
-
Minuette wasn’t the sort of pony to get alarmed. She could fake it easy enough, and there’d been plenty of times when she’d found it necessary to do exactly that. Under normal circumstances, however, she was her usual bubbly, upbeat self, enough that her friends had joked that if Pinkie Pie ever had to relinquish the Element of Laughter, that the blue unicorn would be first in line to carry it. Which would’ve been ironic, given the disparity between their day jobs, but she digressed.
If any of her close friends were to see her right now, charging down a well-trod path with her horn glowing from a locater spell, they’d see anything but the usual bubbly blue unicorn dentist. Her eyes were wide with alarm as she followed her spell to its end and grew even more alarmed as she realized there were hoofprints heading along the same path as she. No telling how many ponies, but she fervently hoped…
She skidded to a halt as her spell indicated that she’d found what she was looking for, and relief spread across her face as she recognized who was waiting for her. “Timey!”
“Minnie!” Time Turner beamed. “Sensed it with your magic?” At the unicorn’s nod, he held up a small device and admitted, “Lucky thing I had this, or we’d have wasted more time. Not to mention I was closer.”
“No kidding.” She approached the object of her search and looked upon it in awe. “So, is this what I think it is? Is it real?”
The earth pony smiled as he turned his gaze upon the big blue box before him. “I’d say so. I’m registering artron energy the likes of which I haven’t seen in ages. Saying that this is soaked in the stuff is an understatement.” He grinned and admitted, “And process of elimination leaves us with only so many explanations for how one of these can end up here, locked into this shape.”
“Then…he’s here?”
“There’s a very good chance.” He tucked away the device in his necktie and gestured back towards town. “And I think we both know where he’s probably going to go.”
“To the most interesting thing in town. And what’s more interesting than a princess?”
Time Turner grinned as he and Minuette dashed off back to Ponyville. “Allons-y!”
-
Twilight Sparkle smiled as she examined her surroundings. The inside of Golden Oak Library was spotless, and food and drink had been set out in preparation for her guests. All she was missing were said guests.
“Princess Twilight?” She turned to find her bodyguard standing beside her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “You’ve got that look on your face again. That ‘oh no, things aren’t perfect’ face.”
“I do not!” At Sour Sweet’s continued smirking, she relented. “Alright, you’ve got me. I understand that Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine won’t be in until later today, but still, I’ve got so much to share with my old friends from Canterlot. And I’d rather not repeat myself.”
The freckled unicorn’s smirk finally turned to a reassuring smile. “I get that. But something tells me that the ponies that will be able to make it to this are going to be the ones who appreciate what you have to share the most. And the rest of them will still be here later today, and they’ll be able to see that last surprise that you have planned.”
Twilight smiled and nodded. “You’re right. Today might not be going exactly according to plan, but things will still work out.” She took a deep breath and added, “I just hope that Lyra doesn’t go into a full-on joy coma from what I’m going to show her.”
Sour Sweet shrugged. “She’s a big mare, she can handle it.” A knock sounded at the door, and Sour smiled. “And here we go.”
Twilight smiled and opened the door with her magic as she approached to welcome her friends inside. At the sight of the familiar bespectacled unicorn, she beamed. “Hi Moondancer!” The other unicorn laughed and accepted a warm hug from her old classmate as Twilight continued, “It’s so great to see you and Min…” She paused and realized they were missing a unicorn. “Where’s Minuette?”
Spike shrugged as he closed the door behind him, everyone else having entered. “She had to rush off as soon as she got off the train. Don’t know what happened.”
“She Pinkie Promised to catch up with us though.” Pinkie Pie beamed reassuringly.
A nervous expression overtook the princess before Sour Sweet prodded her back into reality. “That’s fine! Hopefully, she’ll get here when Lyra does!” She cleared her throat and gestured to the mare beside her. “Anyway, a quick introduction. Moondancer, this is Sour Sweet, my new assistant.”
“Been here all of one week and heard a lot about you while we were prepping this.” Sour gave the guest scholar a polite nod. “Nice to finally meet you, ma’am.”
“Thanks.” Moondancer did her best to hide her embarrassment at the formality as she was led into the library proper. “Anyway, I am glad to see you again, Twilight. If nothing else, I get to thank you again for asking me to head up the examinations and research into Star Swirl’s athenaeum.” She turned excited as she admitted, “I can’t wait to go over my findings with you! We’ve discovered so much!”
“And I can’t wait to hear them, but first, I’ve got something that I need to show you.” Twilight waved a hoof to ease her. “Don’t worry, it’s totally relevant to why you’re here.” She found a fairly empty corner of the library and took her place in it. “You’re aware of the reconstruction efforts at the Castle of the Two Sisters, correct?”
Moondancer nodded. “Something else that the papers have been talking about with you back in Canterlot.”
“Well, we’ve also been checking over the collection of books in the castle’s library. It’s amazing how well-preserved they all are, even with the protection spells placed upon them centuries ago! So many books, and so many of them out of print or otherwise lost to time!” Twilight smiled gleefully as she admitted, “And one of them was a book on metamorphic spells!”
Moondancer’s eyes lit up. “You’re kidding! Do the spells work?”
“I’ve been checking them over and cross-examining them with my own copies of Star Swirl’s notes, and I’m certain that they do. Especially after the tests I’ve performed.” At Spike’s alarmed expression, she amended, “Don’t worry, Spike. I did them while you were out.”
The dragon exhaled in relief. “That’s good news. But why are you…?” He turned alarmed again as he realized, “Oh no, you’re not gonna demonstrate, are you?”
“Relax, Spike. I’m going to perform the spell on myself.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Spike turned squeamish as he suggested, “Maybe you could move that to another room in the library? Preferably one with a door between it and this one? Besides, someone’s gotta be there to greet Minuette and Lyra once they get here, right?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Alright Spike, we’ll take this out of the main room.” She gestured for the gathered mares to follow her. “Come on girls.”
The bespectacled unicorn followed her friend into another room in the library with a confused look on her face, and found herself the last of the five to enter. As the door closed behind her, she finally looked to Twilight and asked, “What was all that about?”
Rarity finally broke down into very unladylike giggles, but swiftly restrained herself. “Forgive me, but I think I know why Spike doesn’t wish to be present.”
“So do I, but that’s why I’ve been practicing.” Twilight smiled as she turned about to face her two friends. “Now I could use a little room for this, so step back.”
Moondancer did as she was told but found herself wondering exactly what it was that she was getting herself into, and what else could come up today.
-
“Alright, just to be clear on this. Equestria has four princesses, but no queens. Two of them, Celestia and Luna, rule the nation jointly from Canterlot, while a third serves as governess of your northernmost territory, the Crystal Empire.”
Quiver nodded at Clara’s summation. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”
“But she prefers Cadance.” Lyra grinned. “I was one of her bridesmaids at her wedding.”
As the group approached their destination, Clara finished, “And the fourth one, Princess Twilight Sparkle, lives here? At a library?”
“For the time being, anyway. Twilight doesn’t have any official role or powers within the government yet beyond her crown, so for right now, she’s still living here, where’s she’s happiest.” Quiver knocked on the door with one hoof. “And nopony really minds too much.”
“There’s certainly something to be said for humble royalty.” The Doctor turned wistful as he noted, “I don’t see that nearly as often as I’d like. Granted, most of the royals I do meet are nice enough, but still, this will be my first time meeting one who lives in and runs a library.”
“Well, most of Equestria’s royalty tend towards modesty.” Quiver grimaced as he recalled some stories he’d heard from his marefriend and amended, “Of course, there are exceptions. Prince Blueblood, for example…” The door opened, and he smiled at the dragon on the other side. “Hey Spike.”
“Quiver, Lyra, hi!” The young drake’s eyes immediately reached the surprised pair with them. “Oh, you brought company. Who’re these two?”
“A couple tourists who want to meet Twilight,” Lyra explained. “May we bring them in?”
“Sure.” Spike beckoned them inside. “Just be warned, Moondancer’s already here, and Minuette’ll be by once she’s done with whatever it is she had to check on.”
Quiver winced. “Aw nuts. I’m sorry. I was hoping…” He noticed a building glow coming from the edges of a closed door and wondered aloud, “What in the Maker’s name is…?”
The glow turned into a brilliant flash, followed by a pair of familiar exclamations.
“Sweet Celestia!”
“Wowie-zowie!”
“Oh my word, Twilight!”
Quiver turned alarmed. “Spike, where’s Sour?”
“In there with Twilight, but you don’t want to go in, trust me!”
“Spike?! That my cousin I’m hearing?!” The door opened as Sour emerged. “Hey Quiver. What did Lyra need you…?” Her eyes narrowed as they locked onto the Doctor and Clara. “Who are they and what are they doing here?”
“It’s alright, miss, we’re simply visiting.” The Doctor looked to the door with concern and asked, “Is the princess alright?”
“Yes, she’s fine, but…”
“Well she’s gonna want to hear about this!” Despite Sour’s attempts to stop her, Lyra rushed past the freckled unicorn and into the other room. “Twi, you…”
Quiver followed to find Lyra staring up in slack-jawed astonishment. Standing before them was a slender, feminine form, easily as tall as a pony standing up on its hind legs and proportioned like a primate, with lavender skin and long dark hair with two stripes of color. She wore a nice-looking strapless dress and heelless arched boots that left her standing with the heel of her foot off the ground, more like a pony than not. The stallion smiled as he recognized her. Even ignoring the coloring, the combination of smile, ears and wings certainly helped. “Lyra, I do believe…”
“Human.” Lyra finally managed to summon the will to speak as she realized aloud, “Twilight tried to make a human!” She stepped forward, then frowned. “And she did a lousy job of it!” She turned back to Quiver and explained, “It’s mostly right, but seriously, they don’t have ears like we do! The shape of their skulls and the placement of their ear canals would prevent something like that! And they don’t have wings either! And the skin tone’s all wrong – they’re all shades of tan and brown!”
The pseudo-human smirked and crossed her arms. “Well in my defense, this spell could only do so much.”
“Well I’m sorry Twilight, but…” Lyra paused, then turned back to her transformed schoolmate. “Twilight?”
The princess giggled and waved. “Surprise.”
Lyra blinked, her mind processing this new information. “You found a spell, that let you turn into an approximation of a human.” At Twilight’s nod, she reasoned, “Okay, but if a spell like that exists, then that means somepony had to craft it from a base model, which means they had to work off of something, which means…” A manic grin spread across her face as she turned to the stallion in the room and excitedly jumped from one hoof to another. “Quiver, humans are real! They’re real! I was right!”
He grinned right back. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Yes!” Lyra hopped in place gleefully while Pinkie blew a party horn plucked from her mane, then turned back to Twilight and asked, “How did you even find this spell?! This is amazing!”
“I promise, I’ll tell you everything later.” She grinned and turned to their fellow alum. “But Moondancer helped. A lot.” At the bespectacled unicorn’s smile and slight blush, she turned to Sour. “Now what’s going on?”
“You’ve got visitors. Quiver and Lyra say they’re tourists.”
“That’s mostly because we are tourists.” There was a slightly annoyed tone to the Doctor’s voice as he prompted, “Now may we please come in?”
“Oh, excuse me, it’s better if we come out.” Twilight gestured for her friends to exit into the main room of the library, where she saw Spike still covering his face. “Spike, relax, the spells worked perfectly. I’m not naked.”
The dragon peeked through his fingers, then lowered them in relief. “That’s good news.” He tilted his head to one side thoughtfully and remarked, “Huh. Wondered what would happen with that outfit. But how long are you stuck like that?”
“As long as I choose to be. Stand back, everypony.” Everyone else gave Twilight room as she raised her arms, the familiar glow of her magic forming at her hands before she was enveloped in a bright flash of light. When it subsided, in place of the oddly-colored teenage girl was a lavender alicorn, who soon found herself falling forward onto her four hooves. “That’s better.” She folded her wings at her sides and gave the two newcomers a polite smile. “Now then, I’m guessing the two of you are our visitors?” At their nods, she gave a polite bow to introduce herself. “Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, proprietor of the Golden Oak Library.”
More than a little nervous, Clara nonetheless opted to return the bow and smiled politely. “Clara Oswald, ma’am. And this is…”
She was interrupted as the library door opened with a shot, a blue unicorn and a tan earth pony stallion rushing inside only to halt and stare in shock at the bowtie-clad stallion before them.
Twilight’s reaction of shock was understandable. “Minuette?! Time Turner?! What are you –?!”
“Sorry Twilight, but we need a minute to confirm something.” The blue-eyed stallion approached the Doctor, then raised a cylindrical device before him. The Doctor’s eyes lit with recognition at the device before him as it let out a high-pitched whirring sound, and again as he saw the stallion before him don what looked like a pair of 3-D glasses. “Oooh… Great Whickering Stallions…”
The Doctor grinned. “Well, someone knows who I am.”
“Of course I do.” Time Turner took off his glasses and beamed. “I’ve heard stories about you for my entire life.”
“Then it’s him?! It’s…?!” Minuette found her colleague’s 3D glasses on her muzzle for a brief second before she turned giddy. “Oh sweet Celestia, it’s him! You’re you!”
“Seriously, could we stop with the drama?” Sour turned to her cousin and asked, “Quiver, who is this guy?”
“He called himself the Doctor. Didn’t elaborate beyond that.”
The freckled unicorn gave the newcomer a stern look. “That’s not good enough. Doctor what? Doctor who?”
The Doctor smiled. “Just ‘the Doctor’. The one and only.”
Sour’s expression didn’t falter. “That doesn’t answer my question. Now I trust my cousin to avoid danger, but there’s a lot about you that’s got me anxious.” She turned to Time Turner and asked, “And part of that involves you. What’s with the 3D glasses?”
The stallion grinned and passed them over to her. “Have a look.”
Sour donned the glasses, then turned to the two tourists. To her credit, she only took pause for a moment before she briefly put the glasses on her cousin’s muzzle. “Quiver, please tell me I’m not seeing things.”
Quiver’s eyes widened as he looked through the lenses. Without the glasses, the Doctor and Clara looked like any random pony you’d see on the street. Wearing them, however, caused them and only them to look very different. Instead of a youngish-looking stallion and mare, he instead saw two ape-like creatures, one male and one female, both looking somewhat older than Twilight did when she was transformed and lacking wings or equine ears. But strange bits appeared to be floating around them as Clara asked, “Alright, I’m missing something. Why are they looking at us through those glasses?”
“They’re seeing what we really look like, Clara. And probably a good bit besides.”
“Wait, can I…?” Lyra’s question was interrupted as Quiver plucked the glasses off his face and onto hers. She turned to their guests and exclaimed, “Now that’s what humans look like!”
As more glasses found themselves on other ponies’ muzzles courtesy of Minuette and Pinkie Pie, the Doctor noted, “Only two-thirds right, Lyra. Yes, this is what we really look like. Yes, Clara is human. But no, I’m not.” He turned to Sour and added, “And I know a soldier when I see one, so do us all a favor and stand at rest. I’m no threat to you or your world. I’m just stuck visiting for a while, and I’d like to learn a little while I’m here, maybe teach something in exchange. You have a problem with that?”
Her stance barely shifted, but Sour Sweet nonetheless remained at the ready. “No. Quiver wouldn’t have brought you here if he thought you were a threat, and you’d be a damn fool to try something stupid here anyway. But if you want to teach, Doctor, then please, get started.”
“Happily.” He looked about at the gathered ponies, most looking surprised and curious rather than anxious, and offered, “Anyone for tea? Jammie Dodgers? I’ve got a lot to talk about and something like that wouldn’t hurt.”
Twilight gave a diplomatic nod. “I had some snacks ready to go anyway. And I have a feeling you aren’t the only one who has a lot to talk about.” She turned to Time Turner and Minuette and noted, “And I’m not just talking about the two of you.” She then turned to Lyra and offered an apologetic smile. “But I hope it’s okay if I go last.”
The minty green unicorn nodded. “Yeah, I think I can agree with that.” As everyone gathered food for themselves, she stuck close to Quiver and whispered, “I get the feeling we’re just stepping into something big here.”
“We are.” The stallion kept his replies in a low tone as he added, “If it helps, you’re going to enjoy what Twilight’s got to offer. I’d tell you why, but I’ve been Pinkie Promised into secrecy.”
“Better believe it!” Pinkie interjected as she darted past them with a plateful of snacks balanced atop her mane.
Once everyone had their first serving and a quick round of introductions was made, they seated themselves around the main reading table as Time Turner smiled. “Well, I’m going to warn everyone right now, at least two of the stories we’re going to hear today are interconnected to one another, so don’t be surprised if one pony starts and another pony continues where they leave off. But seeing as I’ve raised the most recent question, I think I’d best be the one to start.” He looked about at his audience and asked, “By any chance, have any of you ever heard of the Order of Gallopfrey?”