Twilight Sparkle looked up from the book, a tear dripping onto the aged pages filled with the sadness from long ago. The event may have been in the past, or the future depending on your perspective, but the pain was very much in the present. How many had come before her that had come and left? How many more friends and companions did he have to say goodbye to time and time again?
This was the first, his granddaughter, his own family was forced out to find a better way of life. Admittedly the Doctor’s lifestyle wasn’t ideal for her. Constantly running, chasing, and fighting off the monsters that constantly tried to bite off her tail. But saying goodbye was always the worst part. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked outside the window at the changing scenery. The pegasi were beginning to transition from the season of autumn to winter. The snow was lightly beginning to drift down. Before she knew it Hearth’s Warming would be right around the corner as happens with all major holidays. Putting on some winter wear Twilight went out into the lightly frosted world around her. She really needed some time to just clear her head. For months she'd been reading and spending time with her friends. A group of foals ran past her, school being out for the day.
She wished that the Doctor was here, he'd be a nice addition to the party. But he never stayed in one place for very long and that was a fact. Her wings still needed a bit of training and exercise before she could fly properly, but she could certainly handle short trips. She trotted to the edge of Ponyville before taking to the sky. The air was slightly chilly but the cold wasn’t something that bothered her too much. Specs of frost danced around her in the air like ballerinas in an intricate dance, each one different yet in sync. The Everfree Forest didn't look as scary from up above as she remembered it was in most of her experiences inside of it. Images of Nightmare Moon, Zecora, and the Tree of Harmony appeared in her mind as memories of her own adventures came to fruition. She had her own memories and wondered what her own future had in store for her.
She clumsily landed down on the front steps of the castle, looking up at the grand view before her. The Castle of the Two Sisters was far from its glory days yet it still held true to form. Grand spires, tapestries, and long carpeted halls that were worn more underneath the rather large holes in the ceiling from when Celestia battled Luna the day she transformed into the terror of the night. But there was more to this place, plenty of history behind it. The castle used to be open to subjects all the time yet an audience with the Princesses themselves were as rare as they were now. Looking up to the ceiling she recalled the days when the place was whole.
"Nonsense, the Princesses have yet to be born yet. It's quite alright to come out." said the Doctor beaming one of his famous toothy grins.
The Twilight from days past stepped out of the light blue Police Barn that stood at the end of the courtyard. She was wearing a galaxy themed dress that she kept in the TARDIS wardrobe that she thought fit the occasion. It was the 25th annual Hearth's Warming Ball in the Castle of the Two Sisters, currently known as the Galaxian Castle in this time period, and the Doctor had finally managed to land the TARDIS in the proper time and place without any hiccups. It was questionable which was fully functional, the TARDIS or the Doctor himself. If the time ship was broken then it suited his needs rather well, he enjoyed the spontaneity of landing in a new and exciting location yet having the high probability of trouble being just around the corner.
Twilight was rather surprised when he told her that he had a few invitations to the ball courtesy of Galaxia herself. It shouldn't have been surprising considering she and King Cosmos were some of the many names he dropped during random conversations. She wondered if half the ponies and creatures he mentioned were actually real or if he'd been bluffing again to impress her. The Doctor looked completely out of place though, with a short grey jacket and long winding scarf that wrapped around his neck several times. Walking towards the ponies guarding the gate he smiled and showed his pass before they let him through. They did have a strange glance at him but some ponies at these types of events could be rather eccentric. A purple mare in a frilled forest green dress with gold accents held the guest list, approaching the two of them before they entered.
"May I see your passes please?" she asked politely while straightening her glasses.
"I'm the Doctor, and this is my plus one."
The Doctor gave her the passes and she looked them over. She looked up from the to check the guest list, seeming a little confused.
"It says here that you have a plus two, a miss Redwood Oak and mister Highlands?"
"Ah, they couldn't come today so I brought a Miss Twilight Sparkle along with me instead."
"Very well, right this way."
The mare began to lead the two of them forward, soon stopping and turning around behind them. Upon entering the ballroom everything felt a bit cold as expected, but something just seemed... off. The chatter of the mares and stallions around the room could faintly be heard, but their mouths didn't seem to be moving at all.
"Doctor... is this all part of the plan?" asked Twilight while starting to shiver.
"No, time seems to have stopped around us. But we're looking through a glass wall. We can hear and see the things on the other side but the reflection isn't quite perfect."
The Doctor tightened his scarf before observing one of the frozen stallions in fancy dress, waving a hoof in front of his face. It wasn't completely clear at first but something in his eyes appeared to have noticed the gesture. The stallion's eyelids began to close at an incredibly slow rate as if he were about to blink.
"Not frozen, slowed. We're functioning on a different stream of time that seems to be limited to this ballroom."
"A different speed of time, limited to us in this ballroom, on this exact day? What're the odds?"
"Accidentally, quite slim. But intentionally..."
"Good job Doctor, it appears you've gotten a bit slower over time. But you've still got a harder challenge ahead of you." said a deep voice at the top of the ballroom's stairwell to the upper floors.
An older stallion dressed in the regalia of an old Galaxian priest of the time stood over them. White robes coated in blue and yellow flames, stars dotting them, and the headdress. He had the figure of a regal alicorn yet lacked the wings.
"Ah, the Celestial Toymaker. Been a while since I last saw you. Come to enjoy the festivities with us? "
"No. This time, we'll be playing another game."
"Oh as per usual, I love a good game but you're never a good sport. Why not just catch up for once, rest your hooves, would you like a Jelly Filly?"
The Doctor held out a paper bag filled with the sugary pony-shaped sweets. The Toymaker let out a sigh in annoyance before climbing down the stairs.
"Uh, Doctor. A little explanation, please? And why is it getting c-colder?"
"Ah, a new companion it seems. This is sure to spice things up. Somewhere in this ballroom is the key, if you will, to let the two of you out and back into your regular time. The room will continue to drop in temperature until you freeze and so on and so forth. Don't worry, you'll be safe. But you'll finally end up as playthings in my toy room for the rest of eternity. I already have the beds in the dollhouse waiting for you. And remember, may the Thousand Lights guide you. Tah tah!"
With a booming laugh, the Celestial Toymaker vanished, leaving the Doctor and Twilight alone in the room of slowly moving ponies going on with the festivities beneath the mountainous chandelier of many mana crystals. Twilight was completely frazzled and confused, looking up at the Doctor for any explanation of what was happening and who the Toymaker was.
"Ah, yes. He's a sort of uh... it's hard to explain. Oh! Think of Discord but more of a chess master, but a jack of all trades in the matters of games and toys. We first met a long while back when I was younger, or older as you might think if you saw me."
The Doctor smiled again as if he'd explained just about everything. That didn't exactly matter at the moment as there was a puzzle at hoof that needed to be solved. It seemed like the Doctor was playing along for now, but he always seemed to have an ace up his sleeve.
"So uh, this game. We're supposed to find some magical key to open this 'bubble of slow time' before we freeze to death."
Twilight shivered at both the thought and the lowering temperature around her.
"We won't die of hypothermia, the Toymaker would rather turn us into his living playthings for all of eternity. But otherwise, spot on."
"I always feel so much better after we've spoken." Twilight snarked in an annoyed tone.
"Why thank you Twilight. Now, he said to remember the thousand lights rather than a thousand lights. That means that there's a specific thing that he's referring to."
Twilight put a hoof up to her muzzle, rummaging through her mind for anything in or about this room that could relate to the phrase "a thousand lights". Looking up she had an idea, seeing the mural of the night sky above her. The stars were frenzied and in no sensible order like a normal night sky, but they all centered around the chandelier which was composed of a large number of crystals. Both were named the Thousand Lights of Dawn.
"What about that?" she said while pointing above her.
The Doctor looked up at the ceiling, then back at Twilight, then back and forth again before he smiled widely again.
"Exactly, Twilight, exactly. Only one question. Is my scarf long enough? "
Twilight looked at him puzzled as the Doctor started to throw his scarf up into the air harder and harder, trying to grab the chandelier with it. Twilight rolled her eyes before igniting her horn, trying to move any of the crystals in the chandelier. Only one piece at the very center was able to budge with ease. Luckily none of the other multi-colored crystals seemed to have been moved out of place, but she would worry about that later. Bringing the purple gem down she teasingly waggled it in his face. The Doctor made a pouty face at her.
"Not all of us have magic."
"Isn't that why you have me?"
The two of them laughed as the Toymaker appeared. He was also rather annoyed, seeing as his puzzle was solved so quickly. He angrily trotted down the stairs, approaching the Doctor.
"Oh very good Doctor, bravo. But don't think that's the only thing I have in store for you. For the next-"
"Please, it's Hearth’s Warming, why don't you enjoy the festivities? You probably want your little gadget back."
The Doctor quickly pulled out his sonic screwdriver, the silver rod with a round red piece on the end making a whirring noise that turned the purple gem into a more aquamarine color.
"Here, catch." the Doctor said, tossing the gem at the Toymaker.
"N-!"
With a flash, the party was restored to its natural order. Time was flowing perfectly around them again, but the Toymaker was nowhere to be seen.
"Alright, what did you do this time?"
"Simple, I shrank the range of the crystal to about eh, a few feet. He's probably angrily whizzing around us at the moment if he hasn't popped off to his home dimension. Well, the dimension he normally skulks off to when he decides to be a sore loser."
"So everything's fine, for now at least?"
One of the crystals from the chandelier landed on the carpeted stone next to them with a little clink. The Doctor whistled and hastily kicked it underneath a nearby table, acting like it was never there.
"Yes, now. What were we doing?"
"Going to the Hearth’s Warming Ball in its heyday, possibly meeting the Queen Galaxia herself?"
"Ah, yes. Did I ever mention I once met her a few years ago during the Triwing conference?"
"I'm sure you have."
The Twilight Sparkle of the present chuckled as she remembered the old traveling days. Twilight briefly laughed at the thought of the younger Doctor, wondering how he could be so strange and silly at the same time. He mysteriously reminded her of Pinkie Pie, maybe the two knew each other. He was much different back then than he was now, but he still had the same charm as before. She looked out upon the glistening white snow, so calm and peaceful. The Doctor was out there somewhere, in need of her help. She still hoped that he'd soon spend Hearth’s Warming with her again.
"Happy Hearth's Warming Doctor... wherever and whenever you are."