//------------------------------// // Chapter Five - We're All Stories In The End // Story: A Mad Pony in a Box // by EchoWing //------------------------------// There were quite a few villages in Equestria that were small enough to not merit registering on a map. One such settlement was some hours distant from Ponyville on hoof, its population a regular customer of the Apple family whenever they needed pies for a celebration. And they regularly made excuses to have a celebration. “Mm-hm!” One pony paused as he devoured his pie to call out, “Andouille! This pie's even tastier than my momma’s swamp water casserole!” As the rest of the ponies cheered in agreement, one elder mare gave a hurt frown, to which the stallion responded, “Aw, now, momma, don’t be like that.” As the last of the pies was claimed, Applejack gave a proud smile. The road out here wasn’t easy, but the trip was one that members of the family had taken before her, her father and older brother included, and they’d taught her plenty of tricks to make the trip easier. The thick fireproof boots she wore were just one of the precautions she’d taken, and they’d served her well. The way home would be relatively easy, assuming that chimera was still out of the picture, though she’d be lying if she was looking forward to the trip. Just audible over the sounds of celebration was a groaning, wheezing sound. She turned towards its source as a large blue box slowly faded into view. “What in tarnation…?” She approached just as the doors swung open and a familiar stallion emerged. “Quiver!” “Hey Applejack! Looks like you had a successful trip.” He tilted his head back inside and asked, “Fancy a shortcut home?” The farmpony was more than a little flabbergasted at what she saw, but as much as she wanted to question it, another part of her opted against looking a free ride in the mouth. “Well, Ah’ve been paid, so yeah, won’t say no. Might be a little trouble gettin’ the cart inside, though.” Quiver grinned. “You’d be surprised.” He moved out of the way as Applejack hitched herself back up to her wagon, then watched as she made her way inside of the craft, an awestruck look on her face as she took it all in. “Well?” The farmpony’s gaze slowly went over the console room, and soon found itself on the forms of the Doctor and Clara. As the latter gave a nervous wave, Applejack turned to Quiver. “This ain’t magic.” “Nope. Sufficiently advanced technology.” The doors closed and as Time Turner began to get the vessel back underway, Quiver continued, “I’ll try my best to sum it all up.” - Lemon Hearts had a giddy smile on her face as she looked out over the landscape from the chariot carrying her to Ponyville. A ride like this definitely made up for missing the train to Ponyville earlier in the day, though alas, when you work as an event planner, sometimes things go sideways. “So any idea why we stopped to pick up that big box?” “Not a clue,” Twinkleshine answered her as they closed in on their destination. “I hope Twilight will fill us in once we land.” The pink-maned unicorn turned regretful as she added, “Shame we couldn’t catch the earlier train. Moondancer looked like somepony had torn up a book when we told her.” She then grinned and added, “Of course, you not being there when they geek out is probably for the best. Remember…?” “Yes, Twinkleshine, I remember what happened with the glassware.” A groan escaped the yellow mare’s muzzle at the embarrassing memory, and it was a relief when the chariot landed near Golden Oak Library. As the pair disembarked, Twilight Sparkle emerged. “Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, you made it!” She gave the pair a brief hug, then turned to the guardsponies pulling the chariot. “Well done, sirs. I’ll take it from here.” The stallions stood up a little straighter as the cargo was unloaded, then lifted off and went back on their way. “Yeah, we were just wondering about this.” Lemon Hearts inspected the blue box, then turned to Twilight as Spike and most of the alicorn’s fellow bearers emerged. “What’s up with it? And where are Minuette and Moondancer and Lyra?” “It’s a long story. Hopefully…” Twilight paused as a groaning, wheezing noise sounded nearby and a light wind rustled her mane. Slowly, a second blue box materialized a short distance away, and once it finished coming into existence, the doors opened to reveal the one pony she didn’t expect. “Applejack?” “Figured Ah should unload first, given mah cargo.” The farmpony pulled out her cart and set it to one side, and the rest of the box’s crew and passengers emerged. “Don’t know exactly what’s goin’ on, though.” “That’s mostly because Quiver didn’t want to repeat himself.” Moondancer took a second to share a quick hug with Twilight, then turned to the two new arrivals. “Hi girls. You missed out on a doozy.” The pair laid eyes on the Doctor and Clara, and Lemon Hearts audibly gulped. “I’ll bet.” She then turned to another of her old school chums and asked, “Lyra, are they…?” “Humans?” Lyra beamed. “She is, but he isn’t.” “Hello, I’m Clara Oswald.” The young woman seemed to enjoy the shocked looks on the two unicorn’s faces. “You two must be Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine. This is the Doctor.” “And that’s my TARDIS!” The Time Lord rushed to his machine and did his best to hug it. “Brilliant!” He then turned to Twilight and asked, “How did it get here?” “I asked Rainbow Dash to find it, then sent a message back to Canterlot for it to be picked up and brought here along with my friends.” The princess smiled and shrugged. “I figured it would save you a little time.” The Doctor made a small bow. “Thank you. Everything alright?” “Reports came back a while ago from Canterlot and the Crystal Empire,” Sour Sweet reported. “Everyone’s okay.” “Excellent.” He then produced a key and moved to unlock his machine. “I’ll be just a second, need to check on something. Don’t wander off too far. Clara, I’m going to need your help with this.” “Coming.” She rolled her eyes and turned to Lyra. “Can’t get anything done without me, him. Anyway, you good?” “I think so, yeah.” As Clara joined the Doctor inside his TARDIS, the minty green unicorn turned to her stallion friend. “Quiver, there’s something I need to talk with you about.” “Does it involve you and your relationship with Bon-Bon?” He smiled. “Lyra, the sooner you get things out in the open, the better.” “And after everything we’ve been through, I’d say go and get it sorted out right now, before something else goes crazy.” Moondancer managed a nervous shrug as she admitted, “That seems to be how things go these days.” Lyra nodded. “Right, thanks! I’ll be back as soon as I can!” She then rushed off as the rest of the gathered ponies smirked amongst themselves. “Well, it’s about time.” Rarity grinned and asked, “How soon do you think I should start working on outfits for their nuptials?” “You kidding? I’m already planning their reception!” Pinkie beamed as she leaned in close to Lemon Hearts and added, “Wouldn’t say no to some help on the finer details when the time comes, either.” The yellow unicorn grinned at that, then turned to Moondancer. “Guess you’ve all got quite the story for us, huh?” “Yeah, but let’s wait until everyone’s all here and ready before we tell it.” The bookish unicorn managed a rueful grin as she noted, “The way things have gone today, something’s definitely going to come up and interrupt.” “Girls! Everypony!” As if on cue, Fluttershy chose that moment to join the group with something small, blue and delicate clinging to her mane. “Oh, hello everypony, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting anything, but the breezies are ready to head home, and…” “Hey, no sweat!” Rainbow Dash flashed a confident grin and declared, “I’ll get Thunderlane, Flitter and Cloud Chaser…” “Wait!” The tiny creature nestled in Fluttershy’s mane, a breezy by the look of him, waved and shouted, “There may not be enough of us to safely make the journey home, no matter how light you make the breeze! We need more breezies!” Moondancer’s eyes went wide as she turned to Twilight. “Metamorphic spell?” The princess nodded. “Just what I was thinking, but with all our plans…” “Hello!” Minuette gestured to Time Turner’s TARDIS and explained, “Time machine?” “I imagine Seabreeze would prefer to handle his trip home in the traditional manner, but I can certainly have my TARDIS ready at his destination.” The Time Pony grinned. “You could be back before you even leave. I just need a little help in piloting her, and I think Sparkler will be more than able to help there.” He turned to his cousin and asked, “That is, assuming you wanted to help get the breezies home directly.” Minuette grinned and looked to Twilight, who smiled. “I guess we have a plan then.” - Bon-Bon let out a contented sigh as she tucked away the last of her cleaning supplies. She’d had a busier day than she’d have liked, but she wasn’t about to complain when money came in. Work as a confectioner was difficult enough when you lived in the same town as Pinkie Pie, even if Sugar Cube Corner tended to focus on baked goods rather than candy. Thankfully, those closest to her helped her to carry the load…though she did wish that she could share more with them. The door to her residence swung open, and she turned to find her housemate standing at the threshold. “Lyra! I thought you were…” She then noticed the unicorn mare was panting and out of breath, and ushered her inside to sit down and relax. “Sweet Maker, what happened? You look like you just ran a marathon!” “Had to…get here…couldn’t…wait…” After a few more pants to catch her breath. “Bonnie, a lot of stuff’s happened today, all of it amazing, some of it crazy, and I’ve had a lot to think about, and there’s something I need to say before I lose my chance.” She gave a weary smile. “I love you, Bonnie. You’re amazing and wonderful and I am so very glad and very lucky to have you as a part of my life, and I am so very sorry if I just made things awkward, but damn, I should have said something sooner.” She saw the dumbstruck expression on her friends’ face and suddenly turned worried. “Oh no, I…” Lyra stopped as her bestie took her into a tight embrace. “You haven’t made things awkward, Lyra. And it’s okay that you didn’t say anything sooner.” Bon-Bon pulled back and smiled. “I love you too.” The unicorn sighed in relief. “So why didn’t you say something sooner?” “Well, let’s just say that what I’m about to talk about is going to make things really awkward.” Bon-Bon moved from her sofa to a nearby chair, then removed the cushion before pulling back some fabric to reveal a large metal case. “I’ve been keeping secrets from you. From everypony, really.” She brought the case forward and asked, “Lyra, have you ever wondered how I was able to just buy my home and my shop?” “Well, no, but I thought you’d inherited one or the other. I mean, didn’t you have family here in town that moved to Fillydelphia?” “Yes, but none of them were confectioners.” She opened the case to reveal an assortment of disguises, equipment and paperwork. “Before I came to live here in Ponyville permanently, I had a different job, and a different name. I worked for a secret government organization, one tasked with dealing with dangerous creatures and monsters before they could hurt anypony. Working as a confectioner was part of my cover, at least until it became my real job.” She gave a nervous smile. “You remember when Cerberus came to town?” Lyra nodded. “That couple of weeks you went off to a convention and I looked after Twist.” “I wasn’t at a convention. There were reports of a bugbear rampaging near the Whitetail Woods, and I was sent to capture it and lock it away in Tartarus.” She closed the case and continued, “It turns out it had escaped from Tartarus somehow. Afterwards, the organization was shut down, every trace of it destroyed under Princess Celestia’s orders. She wanted complete deniability.” She shrugged and admitted, “I still had the shop as part of my cover, and it went from being a front to my real job. Crazy paperwork shuffling, don’t ask me how it all works.” “Wow. I’m sorry.” Bon-Bon shrugged. “Don’t be. I didn’t get on too well with my coworkers. Lots of bad jokes on their part on account of…well, my being a lesbian. Plus, now I get to spend more time with you and Twist.” She smiled. “All in all, I’d say I made it out okay.” Lyra laughed. “Yeah, you did.” She raised an eyebrow. “Different name, though?” “My real name is Sweetie Drops.” The unicorn smirked. “I like Bon-Bon better.” “Me too.” Bon-Bon then laughed as though a weight were off her chest. “So, you ran here and forgot about that thing you were doing with your old school friends just to tell me that?” “Hey, I didn’t forget it! It’s not my fault Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts couldn’t catch an earlier train!” Lyra then explained, “I’m just taking a detour. I’ll meet up with everyone else at the spa after I’m done here. I just had to get that taken care of, before I did something stupid or something got in the way.” Bon-Bon gently laughed and nuzzled her roomie. “Lyra, seriously? You’re not stupid. Eccentric, yeah, but definitely not stupid. Besides, something tells me everypony already knew we were a couple. Now it’s just official.” She gave a nervous grin and asked, “But let’s wait a while before we double-date with anypony, okay? At least until I can find a regular sitter for Twist.” “That works.” Lyra got back to her hooves and made her way to the door. “Anyway, I’ll see you when I get back. Something tells me Rarity’s going to try and give Moondancer a makeover.” “Well isn’t she the lucky one.” Bon-Bon watched Lyra go, glad that things were in the open at last. She expected all sorts of questions from her marefriend at some point, considering how much she played around with conspiracy theories, but for the time being, harmony was restored. “For the record, I think I can get by without a thitter.” So much for that. She turned to find a bespectacled filly standing at the top of a nearby staircase, her front hooves crossed over the railing. With some annoyance, she asked, “How much of that did you hear, Twist?” “Enough.” The filly scampered down the steps and declared, “Perthonally, I think it wath about time you two thaid thomething to each other. Of courthe, now the quethtion ith, which one of you ith going to propothe firtht?” Bon-Bon smirked despite her niece’s teasing. “Twist.” “And that’th ignoring who’the going to wear what at the wedding. Will both of you be in white, or in black, or will you flip for it, or…” “Peppermint Twistaloo.” Bon-Bon rose from the sofa and approached her niece, then drew her into a hug. “We’ve got plenty of time to worry about all of that. I’m just glad you’re fine with it.” “How could I not be? Lyra’th a great honorary auntie.” Twist worked her way deeper into the hug and noted, “Now it’ll jutht be official.” - Lyra returned to Golden Oak Library in time to see Spike emerge. The Doctor’s TARDIS was still parked nearby, though the one Time Turner owned appeared to have vanished. “I haven’t missed anything, have I?” “Nah, just everypony else going off to help the breezies get home. Time Turner and Minuette said something about catching up with them at their destination.” The young dragon glanced towards where the second time machine had been parked as the remaining blue box’s doors opened. “He said something about them being back before they left, but…” “Odds are that Time Turner’s still getting used to her.” The Doctor emerged with a sympathetic smile, Clara following in his wake. “Sometimes it takes a little bit for the girls to readjust, especially if it’s been a little while.” The familiar groaning and wheezing sound heralded the return of Time Turner’s machine as it materialized before them, and the doors swung open to allow its passengers to depart. The various ponies looked a little exhausted, but otherwise no worse for wear for their trip. “I must admit, this is a rather convenient means of travel.” Rarity gave the Doctor an impressed look as she admitted, “I almost envy it. Had I something like this, it would make business trips marvelously simple. No needing to work around train schedules, for one thing.” “Well no abusing the old girl, Rarity.” Time Turner and Minuette were the last to exit as the stallion looked to the Time Lord. “Something tells me I won’t be able to pilot her much longer.” “Worried that I’ll be stopping you from using this for yourself?” The Doctor grinned. “Don’t worry. I think that I can trust you with it. Just make sure you keep her from falling into the wrong hooves, eh?” The Time Pony nodded as his cousin piped up. “Well now that’s settled, let’s go inside already! Turner and I can’t be the only ones with questions about what went down back in the caves!” “I think Twinkleshine and I have questions about all of this.” She gestured towards the twin timeships and elaborated, “All this time travel stuff, not the breezies. That I think we have down.” “Well, we can spare a bit of time to elaborate.” The assembled group filed back into the library, the Doctor and Clara stooping down to enter and having to do their best to get comfortable. Spike, thankfully, had laid out fresh food and drink, and as everyone found a place to park themselves, the Doctor began, “To start with, as previously said, neither Clara nor I are from around here. We come from an alternate reality, or whatever you want to call it. Clara was born on Earth, just not this Earth, and I come from another planet entirely.” The Doctor gave as condensed a version of the pertinent information available as he could from there, with others chipping in where possible. The gathered group made a good audience, though there were the odd interruptions at points, particularly the revelation of Time Turner and Minuette’s ancestry. Finally, discussion reached the subject of what had been found in the Caves, as well as what the Rani’s research had uncovered. “Ah can’t believe it.” Applejack scowled as she considered what she’d been told. “The way this Rani lady was talkin’, it’s like everythin’ we’ve been raised to believe is wrong. Like the Maker don’t exist.” “And she’s wrong.” Moondancer gave Quiver a surprised look. “That’s not what you said in the caves, Quiver.” “No, I said that I had no firm reason to believe that she was lying to us, and that she was speaking from a biased perspective. Neither statement says the Maker is nonexistent.” Quiver turned to Applejack and amended, “AJ, the way she spoke, the Rani considered religion of all sorts to be at best a fairy tale, cooked up by inferior beings to explain how the world around them works. She’s the sort of scientist who thinks that if she can gather enough data, she can accurately predict the outcome of any experiment.” “And she’d be wrong.” Twilight smiled as she admitted, “For all we know about the world around us, there’s so much that we don’t understand, and will likely never understand. But one thing we can understand is that the universe is inherently unpredictable.” “Still, the way she was talkin’…” The farmpony took her hat off and quietly acknowledged. “Ah ain’t ashamed to admit that Ah’m a mare a’ faith. Don’t know if Ah’ll be fortunate enough to get there, but if’n Ah find my way to the Eternal Fields, well, Ah can only hope my mom and dad are waitin’ for me. Them bein’ there’s the only real comfort Ah had after loosin’ em.” She turned to the Doctor and added, “Y’all can disagree with me all ya want, but what kinda world can we live in where there ain’t some higher power tellin’ us right from wrong?” “You can’t.” The Time Lord’s tone was solemn and firm as he explained, “In a completely materialistic universe, it’s survival of the fittest. Might makes right. Justice is little more than a clever lie we fool ourselves with, and there’s no point in being moral and looking after anyone beyond ourselves. Living like animals.” He smiled and added, “So it’s a good thing that we don’t live in a world like that.” Clara looked at her friend in surprise. “Never pegged you as a man of faith, Doctor.” The Time Lord flashed an enigmatic grin. “Clara, in our reality, it was believed for the longest time that the human race gained dominance on its Earth through violence, killing all its rivals. But more recent discoveries show that early humans valued cooperation and looking after one another, as much as if not more than violence. There are burial sites that are confirmed to be one hundred thousand years old on the Earth we know, with some claimed to be three times as old. And many of the same things that we associate with the behavior of sapient life, like agriculture and tool use and art, emerged around the same time. The Great Leap Forward, as some call it. Something had to inspire it, in all of us. Humans, Time Lords, ponies, whatever.” Quiver smiled. “He’s right, Applejack.” The mare shrugged. “Of course. Ah just know folks might take it that way if’n word a’ this discovery got out. Still, frightnin’ thought that someone came along a long time ago and remade our world. Why do it?” “We’ll probably never know, but I doubt they were anything like the Rani thought they were.” Surprised looks went Quiver’s way as he explained, “The way she talked, they set all of that up as some experiment, with us in a petri dish. I’m not going to pretend to guess at their motives, but the fact that we’re still here and able to debate it suggests that they at least value life enough to give it a chance to flourish.” He looked to the Doctor. “And given that sapient life has developed on Earth in corners of the multiverse beyond this one, I’d say they had nothing to do with that part of the equation.” “Seems a logical theory to me.” The Time Lord then turned to Twilight. “Now of course, the question remains of what’s going to be done about all of this.” “Well, I definitely have to tell Princess Celestia, and she’ll need to inform the rulers of other nations, particularly Aquastria and the Griffon Kingdom. After that, we’re going to need to thoroughly examine that device.” “And doing that’s going to involve the cooperation of Abyssinia, given the Caves are along our border with them.” Sour turned to Time Turner and added, “And something tells me that your group will want to take possession of the Rani’s TARDIS as soon as possible.” The Time Pony nodded. “Can’t risk someone getting access to a working time travel device, at any rate.” “This might help.” The Doctor pulled a cube from his coat. “Fuel cell. I nicked a few from the Rani’s TARDIS to speed up recharging my own. What was going to take a day should only be a half-hour or so now.” He replaced it in his jacket and added, “Most of the rest were spent though, probably to fuel those time dams and holoprojectors. But no fuel means it can’t be piloted, and something tells me the spells Star Swirl developed can’t be used by any random unicorn.” “No, they can’t.” The Time Pony smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Doctor.” “There’s still one thing about all of this that bugs me, though.” Heads turned to Spike as he asked, “The Rani was trying to turn herself and that Master guy back to their original forms, but how did doing that cause Twilight to revert and everything else?” The Doctor shrugged. “If I had enough time to analyze what they kludged together and properly research your world’s thaumic field, I might be able to answer that question. As it is right now, I can only say that the Rani was working out of her field, and the Master was never quite as smart as he thought he was. What happened to Twilight and Princess Luna and the Crystal Empire, not to mention me, was collateral damage on their part.” “Which brings up something else for the to-do list.” Quiver turned to Twilight and explained, “The Rani’s on her last breaths, but we should assume the Master’s still out there to cause trouble. Bare minimum, he needs to get locked up before he has a chance to do more damage.” “I’ll make sure to mention him in the report.” The princess then turned to the Doctor. “I suppose now you’ll be on your way.” “Afraid that I must, or Clara and I might be stuck here.” He stood up and smiled. “That said, I’m pleased to have met you, all of you. And who knows, maybe one day, I’ll come back. Has happened from time to time.” “And hopefully there won’t be nearly as much trouble the next time ‘round.” Clara stood to join him and beamed. “Take care of yourselves, eh?” The two then made their way out of the library, with Clara in the lead. She snapped her fingers, and the doors to their TARDIS opened. Before either of them could enter, however, Quiver emerged from the library. “Doctor, can you spare a second?” The Time Lord ushered his friend on, then turned back to Quiver. “One more thing, eh?” “Something like that. Back in the caves, I subdued the Master, despite not being in my natural body and barely knowing how to walk in it, let alone fight.” He raised an eyebrow. “You had something to do with that.” The Doctor smirked. “I don’t like sending people into danger if I don’t think they can look after themselves, and I always try to look after my friends.” “Despite my arguing that they should be killed? How did you know you could trust me not to do the job myself?” The smirk faded as the Doctor considered his answer. “Quiver, do you know how old I am? I’m old enough that I’ve forgotten how old I am. I just say that I’m twelve hundred years to make things easier on other people. But you live long enough, and you get an idea of how people act and how they think, and the sort of person they are. And you didn’t strike me as the sort to do more damage than you needed to do.” “Despite my upbringing?” “Because of it. Despite being raised by a stallion who demeaned you, despite God knows what other sorts of abuse and pain went your way, here you are, treated as a friend by royalty and national heroes. And that’s ignoring the fact that you had the courage to stand up to the Rani and tell her that she was wrong. You’ve seen the worst, and you choose to try and make it better.” Quiver gave a nervous smile. “Well, don’t credit faith for that. I have a complicated relationship with the Maker, for all sorts of reasons. Kinda envy Applejack’s faith, to be honest.” “And there’s hardly anything wrong with that. Regardless, you could have been anything, but here you are.” “A hero?” The Doctor laughed. “If you are, then I’m not the one to say so. But in all of my travels, I’ve met all sorts of individuals. Explorers, generals, scientists, scholars, dictators, not one of them was someone that you could call boring. Even met a few heroes in my time. But the thing about heroes is that there’s plenty of them in the world. You don’t need to be a hero to be something brilliant, Quiver. You’re already something brilliant.” The Time Lord grinned an ancient smile and a twinkle formed in his ageless eyes. “You’re a storyteller. And the world’s always going to need a storyteller.” He gestured to his TARDIS and noted, “Anyway, I’d offer you a place onboard, but I think I already know the answer.” The stallion nodded. “It’s tempting, but I’m good where I am.” He tilted his head back towards the library and said, “This is my home. They’re my family. And there’s plenty for me to do here.” The Time Lord smiled. “Good on you, mate.” He then entered his TARDIS, and the doors closed behind him. Quiver expected the next sound he heard to be that groaning, wheezing sound it made as it vanished, but instead, he heard a different one. “Envy mah faith, eh?” He turned to find Applejack giving him a raised eyebrow. “That got somethin’ to do with that brother of yours?” The stallion smiled. “Autism affects the mind, not the soul. I like to think he ended up somewhere nice, but at the same time, it doesn’t change what happened to him in life, or the fact that he died, or all the pain we went through because of it.” “No, no it don’t.” Applejack laid a hoof on his shoulder. “An’ me sayin’ the Maker has a reason fer everythin’ that happens ain’t much of a comfort. Don’t make it less true though, least as far as Ah know.” As the TARDIS dematerialized, Quiver reflected, “I can only hope that you’re right.” - “Sorry.” The Doctor turned to Clara as the TARDIS doors closed, and she elaborated. “You lost a friend today, or at least someone you knew.” Despite his young face, the Time Lord looked every bit his age as he approached the console. “The Rani lost herself a long time ago, Clara, and that’s assuming who we saw today was the Rani. Honestly, I don’t know which would be worse.” He did his best to smile. “Still, helped save this world, that’s a good thing.” “Always. So, where were we going again, before we came here and got turned into ponies?” “The Eye of Orion!” The Doctor went about the console, set coordinates and prepared for departure. There was no guarantee they’d reach the place, of course, but wherever they went, however, the Doctor was looking forward to it. - A contented sigh escaped Lyra’s lips as her massage finished. “I needed this. I’m glad Rarity set this all up.” “I’ve got a sneaking suspicion she set all this up for a reason.” Twilight’s own bit of grooming was just now being finished up by a member of the spa staff as she continued, “And not just because she thought we’d all enjoy it.” The pair of unicorns were gathered in the Ponyville Spa with their friends from Canterlot, each of them being groomed and cleaned up. The alicorn among them in particular was glad for it, given the excitement that she’d had that day, and she suspected it was much the same for Lyra and Moondancer. Much to their surprise, however, they’d found themselves with an addition. “I need to be careful, or this is going to turn into a habit.” Quiver’s coat had been brushed and cleaned, but not much more maintenance was needed given it hadn’t been long since his previous visit. “Still, I do feel better after getting cleaned up. I’m starting to see why you and the girls come here so often, Twilight.” “Well, something tells me Rarity would be coming here on a regular basis even if we weren’t going off on crazy adventures.” She grinned. “And something also tells me she’ll be dragging us here again before too long, given what’s coming on the horizon.” “Oh, that’s right!” Lemon Hearts grinned at Twilight, clearly relishing the chance to dish out some playful teasing rather than receive it. “Gonna spend some time with your special somepony soon?” “And looking forward to it.” Twilight stood proud, clearly pleased with herself as she gave the stallion among them a conspiratorial grin. “Even better since I’ll be sharing it with another couple.” Quiver responded in turn. “So what was that about your suspicions?” The princess turned nervous. “Well, I might have mentioned a few things to Rarity about how Moondancer looked, and the way Spike talked about how she reacted to seeing Moondancer in pony…” She groaned. “Moondancer’s not going to forgive me for this.” “Well, we all know how hard it is to stop Rarity when she gets going.” Lyra grinned. “Goes for a lot of us, really. We all know how many times I’ve gone off.” “Yeah, but now you can rub our faces in it.” The group laughed at Twinkleshine’s remark. “So how does it feel, finding out that you’re right?” The minty green mare shrugged. “Feels good, mostly.” She glanced at Minuette and added, “Learned a lot more in the bargain, but I’m not complaining.” The Time Pony grinned as another voice called out for their attention. “Excuse me darlings, but we’re ready!” Heads turned to Rarity as she gently urged someone behind a privacy curtain. “Come along dear.” The curtain parted, and Moondancer emerged. Compared to most of Rarity’s efforts, this was decidedly sedate, with most of the work having been done by the spa staff to clean up her mane and coat and work out her loose ends. Gone was the scrunchie that kept her bangs out of the eyes, and her bangs had been parted and styled so that most of it was on her right-hoof side, with her tail styled to have a slight curl. The baggy sweater was also gone, replaced by a sweater vest of similar colors that more closely fit her frame, while her thick-rimmed glasses were replaced with a pair with smaller, more rounded frames. The differences were subtle, but she practically looked like a whole new mare. Her annoyed expression, however, was instantly recognizable. “Alright, let’s get the jokes over with.” “What’s to joke about?” Minuette approached with a beaming smile. “You look amazing!” “It helps that she already was.” Rarity allowed herself some self-preening as she added, “All she needed was a little help to bring it to the surface. And I suspect it shan’t take too much to maintain something like this, should she choose.” One side of her face curled up in a grin as Moondancer remarked, “Let me decide on that, huh?” She then turned to Twilight and asked, “So was this the whole point of us coming here, Twilight? Giving me a makeover and exchanging notes on what I’ve discovered from Star Swirl’s research?” “Actually, there was one other thing that I wanted all of you here for, back at the library.” Twilight smiled. “Hopefully, everything’s ready by now.” Twilight led her Canterlot friends back out of the spa, and as Quiver moved to follow them out, Rarity stepped towards him. “Quiver, if I could have a moment?” He turned to her as she continued, “You recall what happened earlier, when we became aware of this crisis?” “And the Doctor chewed you out over how you were more concerned about that crazy overcoat than you were Twilight?” The fashionista cringed. “Yes, that.” She steeled herself and prodded, “Was he justified?” Quiver frowned. “Yes, he was.” He sat and elaborated, “Rarity, you are a brilliant artist, and when you’re at your best, you show how you earned your status as the bearer of the Element of Generosity. But there are times where you act selfishly, and focus more on yourself and your needs than those of others. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t, but there are times where you need to consider the important priorities. I mean, I’ve heard about what happened with that dragon, and how many times have you manipulated someone into giving you something you wanted? From an outside perspective, it doesn’t reflect well on you.” The mare frowned. “No, it doesn’t.” He smiled and leaned in. “Just means you need to work on it. You pulled through for Sweetie Belle, didn’t you? You can do it in other places, too.” He stood back up and made his way out. “Just need a little self-reflection, and a bit of hard work.” He passed out of earshot, and Rarity wondered aloud, “Though am I up to the task?” - The door leading into Twilight’s basement lab creaked open, and Moondancer was the first to follow the alicorn inside. “So what was so important that you couldn’t tell us about…?” The bookish mare gasped as she caught sight of the ornate mirror within, and had to restrain herself from jumping down the stairs. “Is that what I think it is?!” Twilight giggled. “It might be.” She finished her descent and approached the mirror as she explained, “A little bit after my coronation, I learned of an artifact called the Crystal Mirror that allowed for travel between this world and another one, like how the Doctor and Clara came to visit our world. I later learned that it had been created by Star Swirl the Bearded, and that he’d created a number of others. This is one of those other mirrors.” She gestured to it and explained, “We’ve come to call it the Bridge Mirror.” While the others marveled at it, Lyra turned to Twilight and asked, “But why show this to us?” “Well, everything that’s happened today kinda spoiled most of the impact, but there was one other pony who used this mirror. And they wanted to get back in touch.” Twilight gestured for them to follow, then stepped through the mirror. Moondancer was the first to step through, with the others following one after another. They emerged in a large empty space, the light within giving it the air of a place of worship with the odd bit of furniture scattered about. And standing near Twilight were two creatures very similar to the Doctor and Clara, albeit with decidedly more colorful skin tones and hair colors. One, with a head of crimson and yellow hair, smiled. “Hey girls. You may not recognize me, or even remember me, but…” Minuette quickly proved her wrong. “Sunset Shimmer, you old so-and-so!” The greeting was nothing but friendly, however, and the mare dashed to her even as the former unicorn knelt down to greet her. “I can’t believe you remember us! We were just a bunch of little fillies back then, and you were Princess Celestia’s famous prodigy!” “That’s one way to put it.” As the other mares approached, all of them amazed, Sunset admitted, “I also remember how rude I was to you all, and a lot of other ponies back then. You didn’t deserve any of that, and I wanted a chance to apologize properly.” She glanced at Lyra and grinned. “And I figured give one of you a treat in the bargain.” Lyra managed an embarrassed grin. “Well, I’m not complaining.” She then approached and added, “Still, what happened then? No big deal. We were a gaggle of annoying school-fillies and all.” “And I was a rude older student who didn’t see the sense in giving anyone their proper respect, so I was still in the wrong.” She turned back to the other teenage girl and noted, “Still, I went on to do a lot worse.” “And had far worse done to you in return.” The human version of Rarity managed a polite wave. “Suffice it to say, Sunset’s had some interesting times.” “Who hasn’t?” Moondancer offered a hoof. “Still, I think we can forgive.” Sunset smiled and accepted a hug from the bookish unicorn, then started giving the others hugs as Twilight turned to Rarity. “You brought everything?” “Of course, darling.” Rarity gestured towards the waiting privacy screen, a small bag placed to one side. Twilight nodded, then turned back and continued, “Sunset? Girls? Can you give me and Rarity a minute?” “Sure Twilight, we’ve got plenty to catch up on.” As Twilight followed Rarity behind the screen, Sunset turned her attention to the five unicorns. “So, I guess you all heard about my disappearance?” A round of nods before Twinkleshine asked, “What happened?” “Short version? Celestia and I had a falling out.” Lights flashed behind the screen as Sunset recounted, “Most of it was her fault, but a part of it was mine, and I ended up using the Crystal Mirror to travel to another world to spite her. Aside from a brief stint back home that involved grand theft, I’ve been on the other side ever since, causing trouble and being a petty jerk until Twilight came along and straightened me out.” She shrugged and added, “It hurt, but I probably had it coming.” “So that’s how Twilight knew about the mirror portals.” Moondancer turned to her friends and explained, “After she and I mended fences, she asked me to research as much as I could from Star Swirl’s athenaeum, particularly involving them. She figured it was right up my alley.” She shrugged. “Guess I did more good with that than I did with my little adventure today.” She caught herself, then gave Sunset an apologetic look. “Sorry, I…” “It’s alright, Twilight gave me the rundown about everything that happened to you today.” Sunset gave her a reassuring smile. “And I’d say you did plenty.” “Really? Quiver was the one who mouthed off to the Rani and punched the Master, and the Doctor was the one who stopped their scheme. All I did was shoot a beam of magic at a hologram.” “And stand by Quiver’s side when he did that mouthing off.” The former unicorn raised an eyebrow and explained, “I’ve met Quiver. As mouthy as he can get, he’s usually better off when he has someone with him to back him up. He may not have gone as far as he did if you hadn’t been there with him.” “Maybe, but still, I was terrified, and he…” “Was probably just as terrified, if not worse. I know I’d be if I was in that position, and I’d be shocked if the Doctor wasn’t a little scared too.” She smiled as she added, “I am a little jealous, though. You got to meet a bonafide extraterrestrial, not just someone from another corner of the multiverse.” Moondancer smirked. “Slightly less special now that I know I went to school with somepony who was descended from other members of his race.” Minuette gave her a nervous grin. “Well, you might’ve thought I was crazy if I said something.” Twinkleshine giggled and admitted, “There were days where we thought that already, Minnie.” That led to a chorus of giggles before Twilight’s voice called out, “That’s better.” She then emerged from behind the privacy screen, still transformed into a human but wearing something decidedly less fancy than the dress and platform boots and making her look like a young schoolgirl. “Thanks for holding onto these for me, Rarity.” “Hardly a problem, darling. And if you ever want some suggestions for updating your look, I’m happy to oblige.” She glanced over her own attire and noted, “As much as I like them, these oversized boots that we’ve been wearing are getting a bit out of season.” That elicited further laughs, though the strongest ones were from Twilight and Sunset. “Maybe the next time she comes through the portal, Rarity.” “Yeah, speaking of, why stay so long?” Lemon Hearts gave Sunset a curious look. “Does the portal have some sort of time limit?” “It’s only open for about sixty hours every two and a half years,” Sunset explained. “We think it was part of a safety feature Star Swirl put into it.” “That makes the most sense.” Moondancer turned to Twilight and added, “Speaking of, do you know anything about what inspired Star Swirl to create the mirror portals in the first place?” Twilight shrugged. “I figured it was a combination of natural curiosity, briefly interacting with alternate versions of Celestia and Luna when they made contact through a similar artifact, and wanting to create something that would save him time with spell casting.” “Well I think there was another factor.” Moondancer pulled a book from her saddlebags and explained, “I found some records in his journals about a portal that he didn’t create, one that he found sometime before Equestria was founded.” The two former royal pupils briefly shared a stunned glance before Twilight asked, “Where was it?” “Somewhere in the cave system near where Ponyville is now.” She passed the book to Twilight and explained, “According to the account, he passed through the portal and found himself on an island somewhere in a vast sea, transformed into an unfamiliar bipedal form. He collected some samples of nearby rocks, and came back almost immediately.” “What are the chances that it led him to a different human world?” Sunset asked. “Pretty slim.” Twilight glanced through the copied notes. “Still, assuming that’s the case, then this might explain how Star Swirl knew to incorporate a metamorphic spell into the mirror portal in the first place. He likely assumed that whatever caused him to be transformed was for a reason.” “But exactly what, darling?” Rarity approached. “Forgive me, I know magic apparently has a will of its own, but enough foreknowledge to permit this?” Twilight shook her head. “We may never know, unfortunately.” She passed the book to Sunset, then stepped back. “Alright everyone, here’s hoping.” Magic glowed from her fingertips as her hair lengthened, ears shifted and wings emerged from her back, and in a flash of light, she transformed back into her native form and dropped back onto all fours. “Thankfully, that’s one thing that won’t remain a mystery. Still, after everything that happened today, I just hope we don’t run into more anytime soon.” “Yeah.” Lyra bowed her head. “No kidding.” Sunset raised an eyebrow, then turned to her human friend. “Rarity, can you step out for a second?” “Of course, dear, just let me collect Twilight’s dress.” She gathered up Twilight’s discarded outfit and made her way back to Canterlot High. Moondancer seemed to be of similar mind to Sunset. “Hey Minuette? Can you take Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine back outside? I think Lyra needs to talk with Twilight and Sunset about something important, and it might be better if you three aren’t here. Don’t worry, we’ll let you in on the details later.” The three mares looked among themselves, but went without further word. “Thanks.” Lyra looked up at Twilight and explained, “There’s something else that happened today, something that I want to talk about, but I’m not sure who I can do it with, or where. This seems like the safest place, and the three of you the safest ponies. You remember Cadance’s wedding?” The alicorn suddenly turned grim. “Yes. I remember.” Twilight raised a hoof to her friend’s shoulder. “Lyra, what you did wasn’t your fault. Chrysalis brainwashed you, just like she did to my brother.” “It’s not just that, Twilight, it’s…” Lyra turned nervous as she explained, “After the changelings were driven off, but before the second attempt at the wedding, Minuette, Twinkleshine and I were found in the caves beneath Canterlot by ponies that said they were with the Equestrian government. They separated us, talked with me about what happened and I told them.” She bit her lip and added, “I was close to freaking out, Twilight! I’d been brainwashed and used by some oversized bug, and the best I could’ve hoped for if she’d won was getting turned into changeling chow, or worse!” “Well counseling after a traumatic…” “It wasn’t counseling!” Lyra’s sudden shout caused all three to step back as she explained, “They took my statement and then the pony used this device on me and warped my memories! I didn’t remember any of this until earlier today, when the Doctor went into my head!” She took a few labored breaths, then finally said, “They probably did it to Minuette and Twinkleshine too.” Moondancer got as close as she dared to her friend and explained, “I was there when whatever conditioning she was under broke. Quiver too, but he doesn’t know the details.” “But why tell me and Sunset about this?” “Because I’m a whole other world away, and untouchable.” Sunset turned to Twilight and added, “And you’re royalty, so you might be safe for similar reasons.” “I hope.” Lyra took a deep sigh. “Maybe I’m spending too much time with Quiver talking about conspiracy theories and myths and legends, but I’m paranoid about who I can talk to about this, and the three of you seemed like the safest choices. Who did this to me? Why?” Twilight frowned. “I don’t know. But whoever did this and whatever their reasons, they were wrong to do it.” She took her friend into as comforting a hug as possible and assured her, “And I’ll do everything in my power to make this right. I promise.” Lyra returned the favor. “Thanks, Twilight.” As the embrace ended, the minty green unicorn turned to Sunset and smiled. “So, living as a human for years. Miss being a pony?” “More than you’d think, but this has advantages.” Sunset then reached over and started scratching the unicorn between the ears. “Ooh…” The smile went a little loopier as Lyra’s right back hoof started tapping against the ground, like a dog getting scratched in just the right place. “Oooh…thank you…” Sunset grinned. “Just don’t tell Bon-Bon about this, huh?” As Lyra looked at her in surprise, the former unicorn crossed her arms. “Your counterparts aren’t much different, but in the human world, it’s just a nickname.” “And everyone calls her ‘Sweetie Drops’?” At Sunset’s nod, the unicorn shook her head. “The more things change, I guess.” Despite her spirits being slightly buoyed by Sunset’s ear scratching, Lyra’s paranoia made her wonder exactly how much Bon-Bon hadn’t told her, and how much she knew herself. There were just a few too many mysteries right now, and the sooner they were solved, the better. - The Master grunted in pain as he found his way back into the Rani’s TARDIS. The blows that the stallion had landed earlier still stung, and it would be a long time before they healed. He had more immediate problems, however, which he was all too aware of. As he went, however, he caught sight of his associate as she took her last breaths. “Farewell, my dear Rani. Let’s hope it’s some time before I join you.” He staggered towards a nearby cabinet and opened it to find a waiting supply of chemicals. He took hold of a vial, loaded it into an air injection system, then injected the chemical solution into himself. A deep breath, and he felt some of his pain abate. Cloning, as those who knew enough would tell you, was difficult. Even if you were to create a viable clone, said clone still faced all sorts of medical dangers, not limited to the rapid aging they would experience. Ironically, the thaumic field that had transformed the Rani into a pony and prevented her from regenerating had helped to extend the life of the cloned Master that she had created. Still, he needed a regular dosage of chemicals to keep him alive, and that need would grow now that he had regained his proper form. A sudden sound, not unlike something being ripped, caught his attention, and he staggered back out of the Rani’s TARDIS to see a portal ripple into existence and two ponies emerge. The first was an earth pony stallion, unremarkable in appearance with a coat of brown fur and clad in dress shirt, black blazer and tie. The second was a unicorn mare, taller and leaner in figure than the other with blue fur and a deep blue mane tied into a whip-like ponytail and dressed in light body armor decidedly more advanced than what the members of the Royal Guard would wear. His expression was neutral as he examined his surroundings, while hers was blank and hollow. The stallion’s gaze went to the orrery, and he approached it. “Impressive.” “I’m glad that you think so.” The Master approached his guests, but kept his distance. “It had long broken down, but I was able to repair it, once I had enough time and materials. I assume you wish to do something with it, to ensure Equestria’s continued existence and perhaps gain dominance over its neighbors.” He smiled. “I have exhaustive research material available, and am more than willing to offer my services. All I ask in return…” The mare’s horn glowed, and from her armor emerged a small crossbow. Without even turning in his direction, she fired a bolt into the Master’s mouth, which promptly exploded once it encountered flesh. “Your services are in no way required.” The stallion’s voice was flat as he continued to regard the device before him, with no reaction whatsoever to the death of the Time Lord clone. “Your corpse, and that of your associate, shall be reduced to ash and dust. Whatever research you’ve gathered shall be collected, examined, and then locked away. This installation shall be hidden away and forgotten. Harmony shall be maintained.” The Master and the Rani were done with this facility, but there was still work for the agents of SMILE to do.