{Drained of magic as I was, I had a difficult time regaining my consciousness. Fortunately for me, my friends had encountered this problem before and that made them somewhat prepared for it. They were knowledgeable and resourceful, and especially fortuitous on that evening. The entire group moved themselves to the new crater caused by the Starlight Dust comet. They borrowed a little bit of its essence, then Zecora and Mage Meadowbrook both worked together to concoct a potion which would help restore some of my magic once consumed. When that was done, my friends aided me in drinking it. At the same time Flurry Heart bathed me in a warm rainbow light that saturated me with magic and restored my vitality. Both my parents also tried to heal me with their restoration magic. All of this combined effort restored much of my color in my coat, mane, tail and eyes. Even my cutie mark faded back in a little bit.
{When I regained consciousness, my parents were the first to hug me because they wanted to and they were close by.}
“Welcome back, Son,” Silver Shine said warmly.
“It is good to see your color returning to you,” Author expressed in relief. “How do you feel?”
“A bit tired,” Feather Wind reported, then smiled at them lovingly, “but also very grateful that I have such wonderful friends and family to aid me in my time of need.”
“Of course, Son,” Author said warmly and matter-of-factly.
“I will always be there to aid you, even if I can't be in your physical presence,” Silver Shine assured her son lovingly. She closed her eyes and gently guided her horn to touch her son's. A radiant silver light shone from her horn which then got copied into her son's. Feather Wind felt even stronger after that.
“Hey there, Buddy! Welcome back to the land of the living!” Rainbow Dash said happily while she flapped above them. “You missed an epic battle. It was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo . . .” she had to get an intake of breath before she could resume “. . . ooooooooooooo awesome!”
“Which we'll be happy to tell you all about later so you can record it,” broached Celestia's warm but also authoritative voice. “For now, we were all hoping you can shed some light on the fate of Fluttershy and Card Shark.”
The mention of Fluttershy made Feather Wind's expression remorseful.
“Oh no!” Twilight cried out in fear when she saw Feather Wind's expression. “Did they . . . pass away?” she asked very fearfully and tentatively.
Feather Wind shook his head. “No. Neither of them died, at least last I saw of them.”
“Oh good!” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief which was shared by many witnesses.
“Instead, Card Shark betrayed us by whacking me on the back of my head, stole the Red Crystal, somehow corrupted it, then used it to not only steal my magic but also my talents. I know this because he used my special talents with the now Black Crystal a moment later. He also stole my cloak.” -note-
“What?!” Twilight gasped. “But why would he do this? I thought he was on our side.”
“That's what we also thought of Garble,” Spike put in, then added with a thumb to his chest, “although I always maintained my suspicion of him.” When he added that last part, he sounded like he was bragging proudly.
“The influences of the Dark Star may have had a deleterious effect on the mind and soul of our dear friend, Card Shark,” Somnambula theorized, willing at first to give her old companion the benefit of the doubt.
“Wait, wait, wait! Hold on!” Rainbow Dash called out with several shakes of her head with each word “wait” she said, as well as wiping her forward hooves back and forth across the air. Both of these actions stopped when she went on to her next sentence after “Hold on.” At that point she said, “That still doesn't explain to us what happened to Fluttershy. You said she was not dead and I'm willing to believe you on that point, in fact I want to believe you,” Rainbow Dash said as she gestured to her chest with a hoof, “but if she's still alive out there,” she waved her hoof outwardly, “then where exactly is she?” -note-
“Why don't we all give him a moment from our questions so he can properly explain himself?” Twilight suggested. “In fact, we should also all back off a step and give him some space.”
Every creature around Feather Wind did exactly that. His mother offered him a hoof to help him rise to his own hooves, for which he thanked her, then looked at the crowd around him as he addressed them.
“Card Shark is not the pony that we thought. He's been playing us for a very long time. I even suspect he was concocting an evil scheme long before he met us, for he shared a long history with the Doctor.” Feather Wind looked at the Doctor a little accusingly.
In response, the Doctor asked quizzically, “Whatever do you mean?”
“He's played us like a fiddle from the very beginning,” Feather Wind announced. “He's even out maneuvered you, Doctor, all this time.”
“COME ON!” Rainbow Dash cried out in frustration and worry. “WHERE IS FLUTTERSHY?!”
“He has her,” Feather Wind said to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash gasped and made a horsey noise in the process. Her face also drew back sharply as her eyes grew tiny and her mouth hung open in a crooked way, then she asked in fear, “Then . . . you mean he ponynapped her?”
“In a manner of speaking, but it is far worse than that.” Feather Wind regarded the Doctor sharply to assess if what he was about to say next might sound familiar to the Doctor. “Card Shark is a master manipulator of the mind. His ability to psychoanalyze and then manipulate others even on a subconscious level is legendary. He does this because he enjoys controlling others.” Feather Wind narrowed his eyes at the Doctor. “Is any of this sounding familiar, Doc?”
“Come to think of it,” Applejack brought up as she regarded the Doctor, “inviting Card Shark was specifically your idea. Most of the rest of us volunteered each other because we're dear friends, but you hoof-picked Card Shark yourself. Care to tell us why?”
“I've been wondering that for years now!” Trixie cried out in annoyance. “My father is so annoying, frustrating and . . . INFURIATING! Why did you invite him, Doctor? Were you actually trying to annoy his Great and Powerful daughter?”
“Not at all, my Great and Powerful friend,” the Doctor told her in a friendly manner. “That was just a coincidence. It was Starlight who suggested to invite you who, in turn, was invited by many of her friends, but I hand-picked your father personally for an entirely different reason.”
“We're listening!” Trixie said in annoyance.
“I invited Card Shark because he was the perfect pony for a job I had in mind,” the Doctor explained. “His mind is almost as brilliant as my own, although also a bit devious. Devious can be an advantage, though, if you know how to apply it properly. I use it all the time to get the drop on my enemies and, for this mission, I spared no effort. I did everything in my power, and then some, to help this mission become a success because I know what's at stake here. I would never allow something as menacing as this Dark Star to erase all of your existences. Where, then, would I find my lovely companions to accompany me on my glorious adventures? You ponies are so adorable! I love you, and I have also vowed to protect you. When I vow to protect something, a great deal of my enemies consider that to be a big deal and for good reason. In Card Shark's case, he's all part of a brilliant scheme I have in mind.”
“Then tell me, Doctor, was Fluttershy being brainwashed and ponynapped part of your brilliant scheme?” Feather Wind confronted.
“Um, well . . .” the Doctor got an uncomfortable, shifty-eyed expression. “. . . these things have a tendency to work out for me in the end, I wager. Not all of my plans go off without a hitch. You, of all ponies, should know this. You've accompanied me yourself for several years. About four years now, counting this timeline. You have seen what happens in my adventures. Life is too complicated to plan out every single detail, but I am confident I can handle it in the end.”
“Right. Because you always win in the end?” Feather Wind drove a verbal dagger forward into the Doctor's hearts.
This comment made the Doctor remorseful. “No. Of course not. Not even my brilliant schemes or knowledge can best my enemies all the time, but you all should know what that's like. I try my best, but sometimes things are so complicated you fail anyway despite your best efforts. I've had my fair share of failings too. Given how long and how vagarious I have lived, I've accumulated quite a large bag of failures but,” he paused for a second as he waved his hoof through the air, “I have an even larger track record of successes. It is rare when I succeed on my brilliant plans entirely on my own, and today I have all of you to help me. That is why I invited you all here. We must all work together to make sure my brilliant plan succeeds.”
“You keep saying that Card Shark is a linchpin of your brilliant scheme,” Feather Wind reminded. “Care to share with the rest of us exactly how this is so?”
The Doctor looked down in depression. “No. Unfortunately, in this case, I can't.” While keeping the aim of his head down, he gazed upward at Feather Wind above his head. “The Dark Star can read your feelings like Vision here. It is, in its own way, a dark empath.” He lifted his head up again while maintaining a fixed stare at Feather Wind. “Moreover, it can reflect your fears and desires right back at you, sometimes in quasi-physical form. If I told all of you what my plan is for Card Shark, then I also risk tipping that information to the enemy. For the sake of the success of this mission, I must remain silent about certain details. Please, you have to trust me! Have I ever let you down?”
“Well . . .” Derpy thought on that but was interrupted by the Doctor himself.
“Okay, okay, okay. Stupid question,” the Doctor chided himself, “but you know I am brilliant. You have seen it for yourself many times, and I have also helped all of you in one way or another.” He gestured to every creature around him as he also swept his gaze across them. “I have been in all kinds of times and places. In those adventures, I have faced many adversaries, like this one, who tried to do something awful to either you or your ancestors and I have stopped it!” He stomped a hoof. “Or I will stop it. As Luna had attested to quite a while ago, I will also have adventures as my future self and, no matter what face I wear . . . I promise you I will always protect you. As long as I live, the Doctor will be by your side and I will save you all. That's what I always do, even if I never get noticed or credited for it.”
“You admitted yourself that Card Shark is almost as brilliant as you are, and that he has a devious mind,” Feather Wind reminded. “I can see from your face now that he has already made some unexpected and unwelcome moves. Admit it, he has surprised you, Doctor, and he did it in a bad way. I do not distrust your intentions, Doctor, I distrust his. Now think about it!” Feather Wind stomped both of his forward hooves on the ground briefly. “Is there any creature you have encountered in your past that has done this on a consistent basis? Any at all?”
“What do you mean?” the Doctor asked in confusion. “I admit I do have a history with Card Shark, but it is not that long. He has been a companion of mine on only a few of my earlier adventures.”
“Really?” Derpy asked in surprise. “Because I have never seen him on the TARDIS before. In fact, I have never met him before this adventure at all.”
“Of course you wouldn't,” the Doctor said matter-of-factly to his assistant. “I had my adventures with him while I dropped you off in Ponyville. Do not forget, I have a time machine, my lovely assistant. I could be gone for years and you wouldn't notice but, in this case, I wasn't gone nearly that long. I just needed his assistance with a few brilliant schemes of mine.”
“What kind of schemes?” Celestia asked suspiciously with perhaps a little bit of recognition.
“Well,” the Doctor looked embarrassed. “If you must know, I needed his help to break into certain . . . um . . . secure places that I would not be welcome in and steal dangerous alien artifacts that were not where they belonged. In the wrong hands, those artifacts could have caused a great deal of damage, especially to the users who'd blindly play with it as if it were a toy. I've encountered enough civilizations to know what tends to happen eventually when alien artifacts are used in a civilization that is behind the technological level of the artifacts.
“While I am pretty good at breaking into places where I don't belong and bluffing my opponents to looking the other way, Card Shark was even better at it and I did not leave that mission to chance. Moreover, my brilliant plan worked! Card Shark did try to betray me a little bit towards the end there but I was on to his schemes enough to circumvent it.” The Doctor laughed a little. “He thought he could switch the artifacts with a fake and he left my TARDIS thinking he actually got them for real. Meanwhile I was tossing and catching the real ones with a snicker on my face. Oh! Those were good times.”
The Doctor let out a deep calming breath, then resumed. “I admit, Card Shark can be a little tricky, but he's also an asset when you know how to handle him properly like I do. Trust me, I can handle him.”
“Then what are we going to do about Fluttershy?” Rarity asked in concern.
“What else?” the Doctor reflected back at her. “We're going to save her, of course.”
“I believe you have had a much longer history with him than you think, Doctor,” Feather Wind put in. “It may be true you received the actual alien artifacts in that particular mission but it was probably his plan to let you think you won. His real agenda was to get you to be cocky and lower your guard so he could exploit your weaknesses in more critical missions like this one. He has been playing you from the beginning, Doctor, and he will always have an upper hoof over you as long as you fail to admit to yourself his true name.”
Feather Wind took a few menacing steps closer to the Doctor. “Say his name, Doctor. Say it once and for all. Say it with realization. I know you are brilliant. I know you are not stupid but, in this case, I think even you are uncomfortable to admit the truth to yourself because it has dire and very personal implications, but you must learn to move past this if you are to save the day for real. Say his name!”
“What are you babbling about?” the Doctor asked with rising anxiety. “Card Shark has been with me for only a few missions. I may have learned a lot about him during that time, but that doesn't mean we have some ancient history together.”
“Except you do!” Feather Wind insisted. “He has been there, rising against you many, many times before.” Feather Wind continued to draw closer. “I've read your diaries and other manifests in the secret library in the TARDIS. It informed me of some of your past adventures you never told me to my face, but I know them anyway and, because of that, I know who he really is. Yes, you have had only a few missions with Card Shark, this much is true, but that is only the most recent persona he has adopted ever since he changed as well. He also goes by another far more ancient name. Say his name, Doctor!”
“Well why don't you just say it since you seem to have everything all figured out!” the Doctor cried out in frustration.
“Because, if I say it, you'll accuse me of ignorance but, if you say it, you'll realize the truth. Card Shark is not what he pretends to be. There is another side to him, one you had a long and mostly hostile history with. Say his name!”
The Doctor looked bewildered but he did as requested, then his eyes grew small with horror.
“There it is. You finally have it,” Feather Wind observed. “Now say his name.”
The Doctor fell backwards on his butt in horror and put both of his forward hooves on his cheeks as he shook his head in denial. “No. No, it's not true. That's impossible!”
“Search your feelings, Doctor. You'll know it to be true,” Feather Wind pressed.
“But it can't be!” the Doctor insisted in continued denial as he covered his eyes with his forward hooves. “I am the last! The last of my kind. He couldn't possibly be here.”
“Who couldn't possibly be here?” Feather Wind slyly asked.
“Him! It's . . . just not possible! Not in the pony universe! This universe is way to innocent and adorable to have room for a villain like that. There is just no way it would permit it.”
“But you got here,” Feather Wind countered. “Why deny his existence, given the evidence?”
“It can't be! It just can't!” The Doctor buried his entire face in his hooves and continuously shook his head in denial and fear. “There's no way he can possibly be here too.”
“You have to move past this hurdle to save the day, Doctor. Your continued denial constantly gives him an advantage until you do because, as long as you continue to deny him, you'll always underestimate him. Say his name!”
The Doctor rocked back and forth in discomfort, and Feather Wind noticed something very notable while he did that. He kept tapping his eyes four times in rapid succession, and he did it repeatedly.
“There. There is your proof,” Feather Wind pointed out.
“What are you talking about now?” the Doctor asked in irritation as he lowered his hooves and looked at Feather Wind.
“Four taps . . . in rapid succession. Four drum beats over and over again. It used to be in his head too, but now it seems he's passed it into yours like a mental infection. Four drum beats, over and over again ceaselessly. Never stopping, the maddening drum beats.”
The Doctor looked at his hooves, not even realizing he had done that a moment ago.
“I've seen you do that since the first day I met you, Doctor,” Feather Wind added. “This means he's been inside your head before I even met you. That was years ago. His plan right now may have been years in the making and he played you for a fool this whole time. He will continue to do so until you choose to put a stop to it. Say his name!”
“No, no, no! I can't!” the Doctor closed his eyes, resumed rocking and kept tapping his eyes four times over and over again. “I just can't. If I accept his existence, he may actually be here. That's too terrible to accept.”
“Well that's facetious logic,” Princess Cadence objected.
The Doctor shook his head. “You don't understand! None of you do! If he is really here, we may all be in much greater trouble than any of us thought, including me.”
“But you have beaten him before!” Feather Wind reminded as he leaned his head forward. “Many times, in fact, but you didn't do it before by denying his existence. You can only plan around an opponent you are aware of, and it's time you woke up and realize the truth. SAY . . . HIS . . . NAME!” Feather Wind intensely demanded.
The Doctor shivered. Derpy moved to comfort him, putting a hoof around him. He continued to shiver until he finally expelled a long breath and quietly spoke a forbidden name too softly for any creature to hear other than Vision.
“What was that?” Feather Wind lifted a hoof behind his left ear and aimed it at the Doctor. “Could you repeat that? We couldn't hear you.”
“I heard him,” Vision reported. “He really did say it, finally.”
“Well of course you have,” Feather Wind said to her while lowering his hoof again. “You have senses beyond the rest of us, but I want him to repeat it loudly and more confidently.” Feather Wind looked back at the Doctor again. “Now, what was it you said?”
“The Master,” the Doctor painfully admitted, his voice quivering as he did so, then pressed his hooves hard into his face. “Great Whickering Stallions, if it really is him . . . I have a long way to go to catch up before I can save the day this time.”
“Indeed.” Feather Wind lifted his head straight. “In fact, it may be too late for you already, but at least you've taken the first step to recovery. Honesty is an element in harmony.”
“I'll tip my hat to that,” Applejack agreed then did precisely what she said she would do.
“Okay, somepony needs to fill me in,” Rainbow Dash requested. “Who, or what, is The Master?” she asked with a sarcastic sneer and a roll in her eyes. “Geeze, and they say I have a huge ego.”
The Doctor sighed with dread as he placed his forward hooves on his knees. “The Master is a very old foe of mine, and a very dangerous one at that. That is because he, too, is a Time Lord, and he's one of the bad ones.” The Doctor rolled forward to stand on his hooves. “Actually, that doesn't even cover it. He's not just bad, he's one of the worst of my kind. I have tried over and over again to thwart his constant evil schemes, and he keeps on going right back at it. I thought I had rid myself of him in the Great Time War.” He waved a hoof. “That's a very long story so I won't get into details at the moment, but suffice it to say my people and another one of my ancient enemies had a great war that stretched to all corners of the universe and all of time. It was bloody, and terrible . . . and positively one of the worst years of my entire life. We did manage to defeat these enemies, at least for a while, but most of my people got lost in the process. I never was able to return to my old home again. I thought the Master was lost in this conflict as well, but it turns out he cowardly managed to slip away and hide his identity, even to himself, until it was later unlocked.
“This isn't the first time he's invented a cover identity for himself either. Last time he called himself Harold Saxon, and now it seems he has adopted the identity of the sly pony Card Shark.” The Doctor sighed in depression as he looked down. “I really, really did not want to believe he could be drawn into the pony universe as well. This place is just so colorful and innocent compared to where I came from. I guess I just wanted to believe a villain like him would be unable to follow me here.”
“Wait a second. Are you telling me that my father . . . is an ancient evil alien?!” Trixie exclaimed in intense shock. She drew her head very far back and her eyes grew very small in horrified astonishment.
Cue another dramatic reveal music, Star Breeze mentally thought with a small, secretive grin in amusement.
“I always knew you were a little strange,” Starlight teased her friend, “but that's what I love about you.”
“It might actually be worth scanning her to find out if she has two hearts,” Feather Wind advised.
“I'll do it,” Vision volunteered. She trotted closer to Trixie then her eyes made a high pitched wavy noise. Meanwhile Vision kept still until she was done, then she reported, “No, she has only one heart, but I am detecting unusual energy from it. It's possible she has regeneration powers as well or might simply live longer with the one life she currently has.”
“What does that mean?” Trixie asked fearfully as if she just discovered she was infected with some kind of disease.
“It means you do have alien D.N.A. in you. Time Lord, in this specific case, or technically Time Lady in your case,” Vision reported.
“What?!” Trixie screeched. “You mean I have icky-yuck D.N. whatever in me? Ew! Gross. How do we get it out?”
Vision looked at Trixie's general direction dryly. “You can't. It's been a part of you ever since you were born.”
Trixie tapped her forehead just below her horn with a hoof then looked nearly entirely straight up. “Thanks a lot, Dad! Yet another thing you've cursed my life with! You're really laying it on thick with your precious daughter here!”
“Don't worry, Trixie,” Thorax said in a friendly tone. “Regardless of the circumstances of your birth, I'll still be your friend.”
“Actually, your presence here might be quite fortuitous,” Feather Wind mentioned. “Contrary to what I've read about the Master, he actually seems to care for you a great deal. Far more than I originally expected.”
“No he doesn't!” Trixie denied in irritation, looking back at Feather Wind. “My father has been the bane of my existence my whole life! He cheated on my mother many times!” She looked corner-wise up as she said a lot more calmly, “Although, technically, they were never married so . . . I guess he was actually cheating on other husbands sometimes,” Trixie looked back at Feather Wind with irritation again, “but that's no excuse! He has always been a bad role model for me my entire life, and I hate him for it!”
“The Master is a master of manipulative psychology, so why hasn't he tried that hard to corrupt you?” Feather Wind pointed out. “He didn't hold back against Fluttershy. She took off with him willingly . . . sort of. My point is, he could have tried just as hard against you but he chose not to. Also, when I confronted him about that just before he took off, I seem to have struck a very sensitive nerve in him. He may be a master liar but, for once, I could tell he was not holding back. As unlikely as it sounds, he actually does care for you a great deal and he even claims he is doing all this for your sake. What that agenda is is ultimately not likely to be good but, for once, his intentions are pure at least when it comes to you.”
Trixie looked down, then looked back up at Feather Wind with her eyes only while her face remained directed down. “That doesn't sound likely, but it is a nice thought,” she said in a bittersweet tone.
“But I'm the one that invited you, not him,” Starlight reminded her friend. “That means this is a fact he wasn't counting on. Perhaps that does mean this is an opportunity we can exploit.”
“What do you think we should do, Doc?” Derpy asked as she applied a hoof to his back.
“I don't know. I just don't know.” The Doctor's eyes grew a little smaller as he shook his head, looking a little frantic. “If Feather Wind is right and he has been in my head for years, anything I say or do right now may simply be another part of his brilliant plan. For once . . . you cannot count on me.” He looked around him at every creature with pleading eyes. “Please, you've got to help me! I need you all now more than ever! He may have gotten enough time to twist me into a knot, but he couldn't have done it to all of you as well. Anything you say or do might be an element he did not count on.”
“Aiding your efforts was the entire reason we have agreed to join you in your quest, Doctor,” Luna said. “Of course we will help you.”
“If this Master took Fluttershy . . . he must be working for The Dark Star,” Starlight figured as she rubbed the bottom of her chin with her right hoof and had a slight squint to her eyes with a thoughtful pose. “Without her, we cannot complete the chain in the Elements of Harmony, the greatest weapon we brought with us. The Master knew this, so he ponynapped one of the Elements to keep us from completing our greatest trump card, but why? What does he gain by aiding The Dark Star?” Starlight regarded the Doctor. “What was his agenda before? What did he always try to accomplish with his previous evil schemes?”
“Please, do not ask me that question or anything about him,” the Doctor objected as he raised a hoof. “I cannot be certain if he has or hasn't modified my memories of him. If he's managed to get inside my head, then there is no telling what he has altered. I think I can sort it out on my own in time but, for now, I suggest you ask Feather Wind here.”
The Doctor regarded the small pony. “He studied my earlier adventures, and I doubt the Master went out of his way to alter every single book that Feather Wind encountered in the hidden library. There is no reason to suspect that the Master ever found that library in the first place. The only reason Feather Wind did was because he was guided by Vision, and she was guided by the empathic impressions of the TARDIS. Vision, however, can't read because she is blind. Not even the implants I gave her could change that, so only Feather Wind here knows the truth.” The Doctor looked at Feather Wind. “Go on, my friend. Tell us all that you know about him.”
There was a bit of a dull look in Feather Wind's eyes as he said, “His agenda is so cliché for a villain, you could stick it in a foals puppet show and it would still be believable but, if you also showed his methods in that same show, then you'd give the unfortunate little fillies and colts nightmares for weeks, maybe even months or years following that show.”
“Which would pile up my work, I'd wager,” Luna said under her breath.
“But his basic agenda is very simple,” Feather Wind went on. “He wants to control everything. That is what his name implies and that is what he does. If he manages to get that control, he will not rule kindly. On the other hoof, he can be subtle about his agendas. He does not necessarily want to be the power in front of the throne, he's more willing to be the puppet master in the shadows with the true power but some other pony gets the credit and the blame. He's capable of long-ranged plans and long cons. Like the Doctor, he can live a substantially long time so he can afford to be patient with his plans if it means increasing the odds of success. Even more disturbing, he used to have something like the TARDIS as well. Back then, that meant he could mess with time and space to accomplish his goals, and that means rewriting history in a bad way so that he accomplishes what he wants through a time ripple effect. The Master was especially infamous for this during the Doctor's third incarnation. I don't know if he still has access to such resources. I doubt it because, if he did, I think he would win far more easily and we'd probably not be having this discussion since he'd already won. If he ever does get access to such a machine now or later, though, he'd know how to use it well.”
“And since he is also a Time Lord, that means he can also regenerate,” Celestia added. “Who knows how many times he has already done that since crossing over from your universe, Doctor.” She regarded the Doctor. “Unless he didn't cross over and he was always native to this universe. We can't rule out that possibility yet either.”
“What do you mean by regenerate?” Trixie asked Celestia fearfully, fearing this condition was contagious.
“It means the Time Lord race can recover from fatal wounds,” Vision informed. “However, there is a price for this benefit. In exchange for healing them from fatal wounds, they undergo a permanent change that alters their physiology and their psychology. They basically become a brand new pony, or perhaps even appear to be another race entirely, but they always remain a Time Lord or Lady regardless of their outward appearance. For instance, they always have two hearts, regardless of their outward form.”
“Really?” Trixie all of a sudden sounded intrigued. “Well, that actually sounds interesting.” Trixie suddenly had a scheming look as her eyes grew a bit narrow and shifty with calculating mischief. “I already knew that I was most impressive, but it appears that even Trixie has underestimated herself! So what you're saying is I might basically be immortal. How cool is that!”
“If true, it can be more of a curse than you realize,” the Doctor warned Trixie.
“How so?” Trixie asked the Doctor in sudden concern.
“If you really want to know, you can ask Princess Celestia or Princess Luna,” the Doctor informed somewhat dismissively with a depressed tone.
“Perhaps later,” Celestia offered to Trixie. “Although, in your case, it may not really matter. You are a time clone of the original Trixie. Anything I inform you will be forgotten which makes anything I tell you a moot point. The real consequence of immortality must be experienced with a great deal of time, and it is unlikely you will exist long enough to suffer that.”
“Oh. Yeah. That,” Trixie said in an empty voice and listless expression in her eyes.
Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration as she pulled her face down with two hooves. “Come on, every creature! Every minute we waste here is a minute this Master, or whatever egocentric thing he calls himself, could be terrorizing Fluttershy! We have to save her and, if you are all going to just keep on standing here and talking all the time, then I'm going to go save her!”
Rainbow Dash was about to fly off then and there with a concerned, frustrated, impatient and determined look but she was seized by a purple aura around her tail which ended up dragging her back down.
“We need a plan of action, Rainbow!” Twilight called up to her flying friend. “Besides, we are more likely to succeed if we stick together.”
“But Fluttershy is counting on us out there, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash cried back in so much concern she was nearly hysterical. “She must be so scared, and she is my friend! I would not be the element that I am if I just abandoned her to her fate.”
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called up to her friend more firmly. “None of us are even considering to abandon her, but her best odds of being rescued come if we come up with a plan. You just heard here that she is being held captive by an alien being with very advanced and sinister intelligence. I guarantee you that he has a plan, and you'd be falling right into his trap if you let your emotions get the best of you. We need to stick together on this . . . for Fluttershy's sake. Besides, if you take off from the protection of this Crystal Heart barrier then the Black Blizzard storm raging on outside would take you out in no time, not to mention everything else waiting for you out there. You've seen that for yourself not too long ago.”
Rainbow Dash flew a bit lower as she relented a little. “So what are we going to do?” she asked anxiously. “A plan would be helpful, but time is not on our side here. Every second we spend here debating this is a moment he could be hurting Fluttershy. I'd never forgive myself if she comes to harm, or any of you for that matter. If any of you were captured out there like this, I would still feel just as concerned.”
Applejack sighed as she pulled her hat to her chest while she looked down with so much worry she almost had tears in her eyes. She said, “I sure wish Discord were still here to help us rescue her. You seen what he did to that lava back there. One snap of his claws, and this would all be over in a jiffy.”
“As I told you earlier, Discord is locked in a stalemate with his other self,” Spike reminded. “Likely that was another part of the Master's plan to get rid of his greatest threat. Now nothing stands in his way between him and The Dark Star.”
“I don't suppose there is any way for us to rescue him?” Rarity wondered aloud. “If we did, he could solve this problem in the manner as Applejack suggested.”
“Be very careful what you wish for from a chaotic genie,” Stern Wing cautioned. “He is very likely to grant your wishes in the worst way possible.”
“Not in Fluttershy's case,” Twilight insisted confidently to Stern Wing. “He cares very much for her because she was the one who initially reformed him with her kindness, and she also was the one that continuously gave him the benefit of the doubt when all the rest of us suspected him of foul treachery.”
“Like those foul vine things that tried to attack Ponyville that one time?” Rainbow Dash brought up. “Need I remind you, Twilight, that he actually was kind of responsible for that one, and he probably could have cleared it up with a simple snap?”
“That is not Discord's way,” Celestia informed with a low wave of a hoof. “He may not seem like it at first, but Discord is also trying to be a mentor and a friend in his own way. If he can solve your problems too easily then none of you learn a lesson if he does your job for you. While your faith in him has been shaky at times, he demonstrated a lot of trust in you by allowing you to solve your own problems.”
“Well Discord is not here anyway, so this discussion is a moot point,” Starlight said in moderate frustration. “To rescue him, we'd have to take care of The Dark Star first, the very thing that created his shadowy copy which is keeping him at bay, and we can't take out The Dark Star without Fluttershy so . . .” she sighed, then went on, “. . . at least our next objective is clear. We need to rescue Fluttershy, and to do that we have to rescue her from the clutches of what basically amounts to an ancient evil genius.” Starlight squinted her eyes dryly. “It's honestly kind of annoying how often these kinds of things happen to us.”
“That's what I've been trying to tell you all along!” Rainbow Dash complained to everyone.
“Every creature, calm yourself,” Somnambula called out calmly. “We must all work together to calm our emotions. Every negative feeling we have only empowers our opponent.”
“We don't have time for another of your meditation sessions!” Rainbow Dash continued to complain.
“Do you have the time to breathe?” Somnambula asked Rainbow Dash. “That is all that I'm asking for. Breathe slowly. Let the anger flow from your body.” She did as she advised to demonstrate how to do it and to demonstrate its effectiveness.
Following her advice, most of the gathered creatures actually did as she suggested and, a moment later, the group's tension lowered noticeably.
“Okay. I'll admit, I do feel better,” Rainbow Dash admitted then crossed her forward legs across her chest. “We still need a plan to rescue Fluttershy, so hop to it every pony.”
“Hello! I'm not a pony,” Ember reminded Rainbow Dash.
“Fine!” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Every creature, then. Are you happy now?”
“Much!” Ember said with smug satisfaction.
The group was silent for a moment, then Twilight looked at Sombra as he trotted over to the giant Starlight Dust comet that was beside them this whole time they were discussing. Intrigued, Twilight asked him, “What are you thinking about, Sombra?”
“I was thinking about this comet here,” he answered back to her as he reached out to touch it. “This crystal calls to me. It hums with great magical power, and it even feels a little familiar.” He continued to stroke it thoughtfully. “Yes. This feels very familiar.”
“That's the Starlight Dust comet,” Twilight informed as her interest continued to grow. She was hoping that Sombra was starting to come up with a plan. “One of many. These things rained upon this planet for centuries, I've been told. Maybe for many millennia. Its original source is said to come from a dying magical-based star in this timeline known as the Twilight Star, so named for being the brightest star visible in the sky at twilight. It is also said that it is a sentient star and that it is sending these comets in the hopes of enchanting another world with the last of its dying essence. I'm curious,” Twilight turned to face him fully before she resumed speaking, “in what way is this energy familiar to you? Where have you encountered it before?”
Sombra lowered his hoof and his head as he closed his eyes and thought back, then eventually answered, “The Crystal Empire.”
“I'm so glad one of us finally said it!” Princess Cadence exclaimed in relief. “That thought has been nagging me for quite awhile as well, but I was not certain enough to say anything aloud.”
“So you felt it too?” Shining Armor asked his wife. She responded only by rubbing herself against his body and lightly touching her horn to his lovingly.
“You don't suppose that . . . this is the very same crystal that will be used to forge the Empire far into the future, do you?” Rarity asked with rising fascination. She also looked at her magical gem bracelet she wore on her right forward leg. “This thing has also been humming ever since we drew near it. I'm sure if I armed my horn to detect for gems, it would be ringing like crazy next to this thing. Why, this giant comet looks simply divine!”
“Based on what Twilight just told me, it's actually possible,” Sombra informed. He spun about to regard the group that was originally behind him. “Consider where we are. This is the frozen north, and a giant Starlight Dust comet is summoned here when a bunch of us unicorns combined our magic to call upon this thing. I think it heard us and answered our call. This crystal is a gift from the dying Twilight Star. I think it was delivered to us in the hopes that we might use it to save the world from destruction. Also, the reason this particular piece is so big is because it didn't burn up in the atmosphere. We summoned it through a magic portal and that gave it a short cut to the surface of our planet.”
“But darling, how can we use it?” Rarity inquired. “It's just so big! We couldn't possibly fit that entire thing into Vision's dimensional saddlebags.”
“Actually, we can,” the Doctor countered, then added, “but we'd have to put it in there one tiny piece at a time.”
“Yes, exactly. That would take us years, darling,” Rarity said.
“Actually, I have another idea,” Sombra said as he looked over his left shoulder back at the giant comet. “This comet hums with magic. Whatever we need it to be, it has the energy to accomplish.” He turned around to face the comet again fully. “It just so happens I am an expert with crystal magic. I am a crystal sage, after all. I have studied phenomenon like this all my life, but I have encountered a crystal this large and this pure with magic only once before. It was used to establish the foundation for the Crystal Empire. Moreover, we brought the Crystal Heart along with us.” He glanced back at Flurry Heart. “This just may be the key to help save our world. I do not think it is a coincidence that it showed up in our hour of need and helped us to defeat Fang once and for all, but this is not a corpse.” He looked back at the comet. “I mean, the crystal isn't. It is a living, breathing crystal and it absolutely teems with magical power. Considering our current resources, I think it would be very foolish for us to trot away and ignore this remarkable gift we have on our hooves right now.”
“Then what exactly are you suggesting we do with it?” Twilight asked curiously as she drew closer.
“I am suggesting you all stand back and let me concentrate,” Sombra said over his shoulder which suddenly halted Twilight's approach. He then regarded the crystal carefully and touched it. “I must commune with the crystal. Please give me a moment.”
Sombra closed his eyes and concentrated for a while. After a while his horn started to glow red then glowed brighter and brighter. The mane of his head and tail started to float up as if underwater, then he lifted off of the ground a bit. As this process continued, a humming noise grew louder and louder. It caused a lot of witnesses to wince in pain. The Doctor and Vision could have countered that noise with their sonic screwdriver, but neither did in fear that it would interrupt Sombra's potentially important work so they just continued to endure it.
A red aura then engulfed Sombra's entire body but, shortly later, it shifted colors to many other colors in the spectrum. It kept shifting over and over again and, as the process continued, the colors shifted faster and faster. This was a great deal of magic he was channeling, far more than he should be capable of in his body. It was obvious he was tapping into the magic of the crystal.
Then a remarkable transformation happened. The giant comet grew inward then morphed its shape. It expanded into a long oval shape about two stories tall. Crystal grew beneath it at four points which shaped themselves into what looked like inwardly bent horses legs that rested against the ground, then four bars grew horizontally underneath those legs, two under each pair of legs. At the end of those bars a giant crystal wheel grew then, to the side of the oval shape, a giant pair of crystal wings emerged then spread themselves directly up. A tail grew at the back near where Sombra touched that appeared to be made of shimmering, prismatic rainbow then, finally, at the forward end of this crystal, a horse's head emerged and lifted its head forward. A horn grew from its forehead.
After this transformation was complete, the rainbow aura colors around Sombra faded away and he settled back to the ground. He breathed heavily, but he looked very happy.
The rest of the crowd behind him was left gasping in awe, some with huge eyes and jaw dropped. This was particularly true of Pinkie Pie. Her elastic, pink bubble gum-like body enabled her jaw to drop comically all the way to the ground and her eyes expanded like a pair of inflated balloons which extended out of her skull and had huge irises painted on them, each about half the size of a normal adult pony's head.
Twilight was the first to approach beside Sombra but her gaze was dead-locked on the giant crystal carriage she saw before her about the size of a miniature castle. Her mouth hung open but only to a believable degree. Her eye pupils were also very large but not beyond the extent of the shape of her eyes. Eventually she was also the first one to regain her voice.
“This is . . . amazing Sombra!” she said in a gasp of awe, then her eyes narrowed a bit. “Also a bit familiar. This energy feels exactly the same as my crystal tree house castle.”
“Which is grown directly from the Tree of Harmony,” Star Swirl said as he approached. “That castle is connected to the Tree of Harmony, and this giant carriage I see before me might be a distant relative to the seeds we planted a long time ago which eventually grew into the Tree of Harmony.”
“All of us are connected to this crystal,” Sombra informed and he sounded a little winded as he spoke. “Its magic is what saturated the earth and, from the earth, life did grow which we consumed and it became part of us and our ancestors. All of us have the spark of magic that came from crystals like this, the original source of magic, so of course it's going to feel familiar to us. It is the Crystal Empire, and the Crystal Heart, and the Crystal Tree House, and the Tree of Harmony. It is all these things, and it is also us. The crystal responds to the will of our hearts, which I used to shape this.” He waved a hoof before him. “Behold.”
The prismatic rainbow tail of the giant crystal carriage lowered to the ground so that it could be used as a platform to trot up it. After that happened, he looked over his shoulder at Flurry Heart.
“Your Majesty . . . it is especially important that you join me. I have something else to show you all inside the carriage. Something I think you are all going to enjoy, and it might be of vital importance.”
“Yes, uh . . . of course,” Flurry Heart acknowledged as she fought to thaw her stunned mind. As she trotted forward to enter into the carriage, every other creature around her gathered to do the same.
“Wow! I wish I could see it!” Star Breeze said in amazement.
We all gathered inside the giant Crystal Carriage, myself included. It turned out the entrance was at the top of it and we had to trot down another trotway that was inside of it. It had a very roomy, oval interior that felt quite spacious. Sombra guided us to the center of it then lowered his horn to the ground while it glowed red for a moment. After he did so, a spike grew down from the ceiling and up from the floor but they hadn't quite touched each other. There were many creatures there who had seen something like this before, myself included.
“Your Majesty, toss the Crystal Heart between the two spires. That will help to empower this vehicle and act as its heart,” Sombra requested.
“Sure thing,” Flurry Heart accepted. Her horn glowed yellow. In response, the spinning Crystal Heart over her shot ahead of her to float between the two crystal spires. The Crystal Heart steadied itself between the two spires as if caught in an inverse gravity field. It bounced back and forth a little bit before steadying itself in the dead center then just kept on spinning.
“It looks just like the spires in the Crystal Empire,” Spike commented with a brief point to it.
“That is intentional,” Sombra informed as he trotted towards the spires then eventually around it. “I created these spires to serve the same purpose that it does in the Crystal Empire and, just like in the Crystal Empire, you will notice this is the centerpiece of this entire contraption. That placement is also intentional so that the energy could flow evenly to every space of the carriage and back towards it.” Having made his way around the spires, he stood to the side of it and faced the crowd. “You will also note that you are all standing on a crystal floor.” He tapped it beneath him with a hoof for emphasis. “This is also intentional. This allows the carriage to serve the same purpose as it does in the Crystal Empire, except this thing is smaller and it can travel.”
“A moving crystal castle?” Rarity gasped in giddy excitement as she put both hooves on her cheeks. “There . . . are . . . no . . . words to describe how simply divine this is! A moving castle made of crystal! Oh, somepony pinch me! I must be dreaming!”
“The Starlight Dust comets are the final gift of a dying star that wishes us all well,” Twilight said, a bit teary-eyed. She looked up in the general direction of the star. “It's giving everything it has to help us protect this world. We need to be grateful for that.”
“Exactly!” Sombra was quick to agree. “That gratitude, in turn, will help this place accomplish exactly that. Every creature,” he looked across the entire assembled crowd, “think . . . and most importantly, feel . . .” he placed a hoof on his chest “. . . the gratitude you feel towards a distant magical star that gave us everything it could. Think about how it enchanted our world to be filled with life, wonder and hope. Think about all your friends and family that grew up protected by this wonderful light.”
He gestured to the Crystal Heart beside him. “The Starlight Dust comets helped to give us all evolved sentience and, along with that, comes evolved emotions. Buried within that emotion is the spark of our magic and, when it is combined into one source, it will demonstrate more power than any other force on this world. The Comets breathed life and magic into us. Now it's time to share it back to help protect this world from a force that intends to destroy ALL THAT WE HOLD DEAR!” He shouted the end of that sentence, startling some of his audience because that sudden volume had no warning, then he resumed only after he calmed down a bit. “That force which seeks to destroy our world once corrupted me, and that corruption once tore down one of the most radiant and life-giving creations ponykind have ever forged. Now here I stand, the last echo of the true Sombra, and I beg you to help me undo all of that damage. I could not do this alone before. I never did. To even try led to the mistakes I made before, but this symbol right here,” again he gestured to the Crystal Heart beside him, “is the symbol of our united passions, and it will project whatever we choose to pour into it. Be it dark energy or light. Be it kindness or cruelty. Be it hope or despair. What do we choose to experience?
“Every creature, close your eyes.” He waited for them to do so before he went on, though that was kind of a moot point for Vision. “Whatever emotions you may be feeling right now, imagine it as a cloud radiating around your body. Picture it in your mind then . . . I want you to imagine it pouring down your body and sinking into the floor, then push it towards the Crystal Heart.”
Again he waited for them to do so. He saw a familiar glow expand across the floor around each creature that stood within the carriage then, all at once, the energy was pushed together towards the spires which then poured it into the Crystal Heart. That energy caused it to spin faster then explode with brilliant white energy. As it washed over each creature present, they all gained a temporary crystal coat or scales which would remain longer if they stayed in close proximity to the Crystal Heart.
“Ooo! Shiny!” Thorax said with delight as he beheld himself. “Of course . . . I could have just morphed this appearance on at any time.”
“Oh-ho-ho! This is wonderful!” Rarity cheered. “I do ever so much love a good crystaling.”
“And that's exactly what this is,” Princess Cadence noted. She regarded Sombra proudly. “You spoke the truth, sir. You really were . . . excuse me. You really are an experienced Crystaler.”
“Also the first,” Sombra added. “I pray to all the divine stars in the heavens that I am not the last.”
Princess Cadence took a step forward as she said, “We already have, and will continue to maintain the noble tradition that you have started.”
“Wait a second. I have a question,” Ember broached as she kept examining herself and her transparent and refracted scales. “Does this mean that I've become edible?”
“You always were to some creatures,” Feather Wind told her bluntly, “but you are not any more so because of the crystaling. Why would you even bring that up anyway? You're not interested in eating yourself, are you?”
“Did you really ask the Dragon Lord that question?” Star Breeze asked with suspicion. Instead of answering, her father went on with his story unabated.
“Eh, I suppose you're right,” Ember said with a shrug. “Seeing all this crystal about is making me hungry, though.”
“The magic of the crystal lives to serve,” Sombra said then stomped a hoof. In front of Ember a pedestal grew and, on top of that pedestal, a crystal bowl grew with various colored crystal gems within it.
“Ooo, nice! A dragon could get used to this!” Ember cheered then grabbed two claw full of gems and stuffed it into her mouth.
A table then grew out of the floor. As necessary, various creatures backed off from it to not impede its growth. Upon that table a bunch of foods grew. It was the favorite foods of every creature that donated energy to the Crystal Heart. It shared some of that energy right back at them to create a heroic feast. Cheers of delight arose at the sight of this, then they paused for a moment as they felt a slight jerk of motion.
“Where are we going?” several creatures asked simultaneously.
Don't ask me which ones said that. It happened too fast for me to keep track of that. Instead, it was the answer to that question that was more important.
“To The Dark Star,” Sombra answered as he looked towards the literal head of the carriage. “That's what was in your heart when you sent energy at the Crystal Heart, is it not? Well then, the Carriage is fulfilling your wish.”
“It don't need to be pulled by anything?” Applejack checked.
Sombra shook his head as he continued to look towards the head of the carriage. “No. The magic within the Carriage will deliver us to our destination for us.”
“Well dang then!” Soarin, one of the Wonderbolts, cheered. “I wish we had access to this Crystal Carriage a long time ago! Sure would have saved us a lot of hoof and wing ache.”
“Quit your complaining,” Spitfire ordered with a playful grin. “We have access to it now, so quit your worries.”
“And this place fits within the barrier of the Crystal Heart!” Starlight added happily. “We should be much more comfortable and safe now.”
“There's still plenty of magic to spare in this Carriage,” Sombra reported as he looked back at the crowd. “If you need bedrooms or beds, pray to the light of the Crystal Heart and your wishes will be manifested. Mind you, it still must fit within the physical confines of this Carriage but, beyond that, anything you want can be fulfilled.”
“Thank you, Sombra!” Twilight said to him so gratefully she was nearly in tears. “This was your idea to use the Starlight Dust comet, and you were right that it was a gift to aid us all in our journey. You were also the one who helped create it in its current form.”
“I sincerely hope that this has helped to make up for my mistakes,” Sombra said hopefully. “What's more, we have a new defense and weapon not only against the Master but also The Dark Star itself. As soon as we rescue Fluttershy, this Carriage will help infuse the power of your Elements of Harmony with all of our combined feelings and emotions, along with any energy that already empowers the Crystal Heart.”
“This is great!” Derpy cheered while flapping in mid air. “Now I feel like we really have a chance of winning this thing! We are all going to save the world! Not really the first time for me, but it's still a great feeling. Plus, this is the first time I did it with all of you!” She giggled happily. “This kind of makes me feel like I'm an Element of Harmony now along with all the rest of you. I always wanted to say that.”
“In fact, we all are an element of harmony,” Ramadon elaborated. “Each of us all contain within ourselves the power to choose positive or negative feelings. When we all use that energy together, we achieve results far greater than the sum of our parts.”
“And we're all connected,” Feather Wind added. “Eat up, then rest up if any of you need to. Soon we will all face the final battle of our journey together.”