Chapter 56
I’ve never seen Othello run so fast, even as a pony. He sprinted to me as fast as he could, leaving his things at the door. I was laughing as he closed the last few feet and leaped into my arms. I gathered him up in my arms and squeezed him, roaring with laughter. I was so happy to see him again, and he was so happy to see me. We were finally going back to where we belong. He sobbed into my chest and I smiled.
“We’re going home, Othello.” I said. He nodded and pulled away from me.
“It feels like a dream.” He mumbled, wiping a tear from his eye. I smiled even wider.
“You know it isn’t. Do you need to go get anything?” I asked, but he shook his head. “Anyone you want to say goodbye to?”
“No. Everyone that’s ever loved me knew me as Winston. Let’s go.” He said. I nodded, stepping aside so he could push the doors open. I waited a moment before going in to look at the sky. Plump clouds floated by, with the vapor trails of airplanes crossing the sky. It would probably be the last time I see it. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, smelling rich hickory smoke from a barbecue a few houses down. The smell overwhelmed me for a moment, making me slump against the tardis. That whiff made me seriously consider what I was doing. I was leaving Earth behind and leaving to another dimension. A completely separate dimension where hickory smoke probably didn’t exist and Jamal King didn’t have a single cent to his name. I could leave it all behind. I could live out the rest of my natural life and die, programming the Tardis to go back to the Doctor and telling Othello to go it alone. But… If I didn’t have another heart attack, odds were that I could probably see myself again. My first time around, in my original body. That would be so weird. What would I tell myself? Hey Edwin, don’t go buy that ring, she’s going get cold feet and die. Hey Edwin, don’t go to comic con. Hey Edwin, don’t move to Florida. Hey Edwin, let’s go have lunch, I need to tell you something. Hey Edwin, have a few million dollars. Funny enough, I did have a guy offer me a million bucks once, but he was drunk. And white. I was still arguing with myself when Othello found Finder.
“Holy shit!” I heard him shout at the top of his lungs. I smiled and ducked into the Taridis. Othello was looking at Finder from the opposite end of the Tardis. Finder was squinting at him, most likely wondering why I would stop for this guy. Othello gulped.
“It’s good to finally see one.” He whispered. I jogged up to the Console and read a few monitors.
“You’re about to see a whole lot more. But, uh…”
“What? What’s the problem this time?” Finder demanded. Othello backed away as if he was afraid of the pony.
“I’m hungry.”
Much to Finder’s annoyance, we decided to stop a second time at a backwater system with some of the best crab Rangoon in the Galactic Supercluster. After I convinced Finder that no crabs died in the making of the little fried delights, he agreed to have one. Big mistake.
“Jesus, Finder. It’s not like they’re gonna run out.” Othello admonished. Finder didn’t even hesitate, shamelessly levitating three more into his mouth. He closed his mouth and chewed them with a blissful smile on his face. Othello and I were actually hiding some of them in our pockets so we could actually eat them without Finder stealing them. Due to the insanely large amount of money I had on me thanks to the Tardis reserves, we could afford to buy the actual restaurant several times over in cash. I was in a gambling mood. I leaned over the table while Finder scarfed up some more Rangoon.
“What’s the over-under on how many more plates he can eat?” I whispered. Othello screwed up his face in thought.
“Six?”
“How about five?”
“I’ll take the over.”
“Damn. How much?” I asked, running through how many bits I could actually get for Othello on short notice.
“Three million?”
“You’re going to be the end of me, old man.” I joked. Othello grinned, pushing his round glasses down his nose.
“You’re good for the cash.” Othello assured me with a chuckle.
“Can you wait till we’re back in Equestria?” I ventured. Othello grimaced.
“I dunno…” He threatened.
“Come on, I have no idea where to get bits in this dimension. Gimme a break.” I pleaded. Othello mulled it over a little bit.
“Deal.” Othello grinned, sticking out his hand. I shook it, feeling sick. I suddenly watched Finder with intensity, not caring that I had mushy Rangoon in my pockets. Othello smiled a bright smile, turning to Finder. Finder paused and looked at him, his mouth wide open and levitating a Rangoon in front of his maw.
“Next ten plates are on me, Finder.” He said warmly. Finder smiled.
“Raarlra?” He asked, his eyes watering with joyous anticipation.
“Really.” Othello promised. He turned around to one of the waitresses, a bright green humanoid. “Three more plates, please?” He asked, and the waitress nodded. Finder finished eating what was in his mouth and looked at Othello like he just said that Santa was a lie.
“But I thought you said ten!” He pointed out indignantly. Othello put his hands up.
“Easy, Tiger. Don’t want you to explode, do we?” He reasoned. Finder looked confused.
“What’s a Tiger?” Finder asked innocently. Othello and I glanced at each other.
Never gamble with an Italian. He mouthed silently. I cursed my bad decision making and watched the next three plates of steaming Rangoon fly down on lithe green arms into Finder’s mouth. I watched with dread as plate after plate disappeared, only to be replaced by even more. To be honest, I was less worried about losing the bet than having Finder literally explode inside of the restaurant. This pony literally garnered a crowd of about twenty people, encouraging him to finish the next plate. My head was buried inside of two steins of something potent when Finder started his seventh plate. Othello was grinning like mad and the crowd around him was going crazy. Finder’s stomach made a funny noise and he squinted, his cheeks bloating. I sat up and watched finder with a newfound energy. Othello was looking grim.
“Hey Finder, you alright?” I asked. He shook his head and heaved a little bit, keeping his mouth closed. He wavered for a moment, his eyes unfocused. Suddenly he leaped off of his stool and sprinted to the bathroom. I couldn’t stop the smile on my face. I jumped up, still tipsy, cackling. I banged on the table and enjoyed my victory. Othello just sat stony-faced, waiting for me to finish. The crowd thinned out and the revelry subsided to a dull happiness. Finder stayed in the bathroom for a long time, and Othello and I ordered a few plates for ourselves. We ended up talking about everything.
“Do you remember your first super Nintendo?” I asked Othello. He chuckled.
“Edwin, I was 48 when Super Nintendo came out.”
“The question stands.” I insisted. He smiled.
“Fine. I actually own a huge share of Nintendo, so they sent me one gratis when they released in Japan. There was a kid a few years back in the child ward that had cancer, pretty far along. He was a referral from St. Jude’s, they couldn’t treat him so they sent him back to a hospital near home,” Othello choked up, tears forming in his eyes. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. I softened up a little bit. “To die.” He finished, barely understandable. “I wasn’t his doctor in the hospital, but everyone knew his story. All he wanted for Christmas was a Super Nintendo. He wasn’t going to live that long. Not even close. His parents barely had enough money to keep their house afloat, let alone buy him a game. I knew that I had the power to make the rest of this kid’s life happy. So I came into work one day dressed as Santa, super Nintendo fresh in the box. The-“ Othello sobbed once, interrupting his story. “The look on his face, Edwin. It was like he was the luckiest kid alive. I set it up for him and handed him a Super Mario cartridge. I swear to god, Edwin, I never did anything more selfless in my entire life. Any of them. I- I saw him the next day, acted all surprised. I visited him every day with a new cartridge. PilotWings, SimCity, anything I could find. I blew hundreds on this kid. He… He died a few weeks after he got it. His parents said that he wanted me at his funeral. I really wanted to go, to pay my respects. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t bear to go see him in that casket. I didn’t need to remember him dead. I just-“ He never finished his story because Finder came out of the bathroom. He looked terrible, sunken eyes perched above a sniffling nose. A loud cheer rose up from the bar and all the patrons rushed up to him, holding him above their shoulders. I smiled, feeling the bitter dregs of the story mix with Finder’s newfound fame. I watched them parade the lilac pony around the restaurant, showering him with praise and condolences. I grunted and stood, brushing the dirt from my worn khakis. Othello watched me get up.
“Come on, he’ll never know we’re gone.” I said.
“I- I can’t do it, Edwin.” He whispered, shaking his head as I handed him the package. I closed his hands around it and nodded.
“Yes you can. You need to do this.” I emphasized. Othello shook his head.
“I don’t know if I can.” He said, his voice warbling.
“Please, Othello, for him. If not for anything else, do it for him.” I pleaded. Othello gulped, trying to calm himself.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.” He affirmed, turning to walk out the Tardis door. I followed him to the doorway and watched him step out onto the cool grass. He took a few more shaky steps out into the open, finally coming to what we were here for. A simple marker, made of white stone, marked his destination. He took a knee and placed the package at the base of the marker. Othello placed a hand on top of the marker, his shoulders shaking. I couldn’t hear him crying, but I knew he was. I turned back, leaving Othello to himself while I checked the Console. My eyes widened. I ran down the ramp and saw Othello screaming up at the sky, consumed by sorrow. He couldn’t see the helicopters coming in over the tree line. I sprinted out of the door and up to Othello, getting a hold of him and pulling him back to the Tardis. He was struggling, trying to claw his way back to the marker.
“Come on, Othello, time to go.” I said through my teeth, trying to keep Othello from getting away.
“No! No! You can’t make me!” He screamed, trying his damndest not to leave the marker. I looked over to the trees, seeing the slightest hint of helicopter coming over. I pulled on Othello harder, triying to make him get the hint. He didn’t, still struggling as much as he could to get away from me. The helicopters were now clearing the trees and making a straight line for us. I put all my weight in heaving Othello to the Tardis. I couldn’t. Pretty soon, these three helicopters were hovering right over us. The wind gusted around us as I waited for something to happen. One of the helicopters banked to the side a little bit, sliding open a door. I looked up at it. I couldn’t see who appeared at the door, but he held up a megaphone and told me.
“Did you think that you could just get away with it, Edwin?!” The Doctor shouted. I grimaced as soon as I recognized the voice. I pulled on Othello even harder, but he still struggled. The Doctor continued.
“Did you honestly think that nobody would do anything?! You are so lucky that I found you first! So many would do so much to get their hands on a Tardis. Imagine defending it by yourself! You don’t even know how to camouflage it properly! You can’t just go everywhere all willy nilly!
“I needed it more than you!” I screamed back, still holding on to Othello. By now we were rolling around in the grass. The Doctor laughed.
“Oh, that’s rich! Did you ever stop to think that you don’t belong in Equestria?! It’s not your home anymore! Look at yourself!” He argued at me.
“Shut up! We’ll find a way!” I snapped back, but the Doctor laughed.
“You don’t have any idea! What happens when you go back to Equestria? Huh? What are you going to do then?” The Doctor asked. He blew all of my arguments out of the water. I couldn’t respond to it at all. The Doctor laughed. “Exactly! You don’t know what you’ll do! You aren’t even ponies!”
“Shut up, Doctor! You don’t have any idea what it’s like! It was the best thing that ever happened to us! You’d do the exact same thing if you were in our shoes!” I screamed back. The Doctor snarled and pointed at me.
“You have stolen a Temporal displacement device capable of traveling more than one thousand years in any direction, an explicitly illegal act as decreed by Section nine, Article twelve of the Shadow Proclamation! I have no choice but to commandeer your craft and kill you both!” The Doctor enunciated. I looked up at him in shock, letting go of Othello and standing up straight
“Imagine the irony! The Mighty Doctor, Hero of the Time War, Savior of the Universe, stooping so low as to observe primitive mortal law! I remember a Doctor that would do anything to protect innocent beings, even if it meant breaking the rules! Look at you now! Trying to kill perfectly innocent people!” I shouted. The Doctor laughed.
“Edwin… You are so very far from innocent.” He said so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. The Doctor probably didn’t understand what he said, only thinking of it in the context of grand theft tempus. He didn’t know of the countless nights I spent tossing, dreaming convoluted dreams of torturing Angelics to death. He didn’t know how I would wake up in the middle of the night screaming, shaking with adrenaline. He didn’t know that I had dreams about ponies. Spitfire, her skin bulging around a frame that wasn’t hers. Twilight, shaking and blinded inside of a machine. Anger surged through me, making me shake. I had the strong urge to hit something.
So that’s what I did.
I stepped through the flaming rubble, over broken headstones and moaning, armored humans. Thick black smoke erupted from a destroyed helicopter, blotting out the sun and giving everything a yellowish tint. The suit flipped over to a thermal overlay, showing me a glowing Doctor scrabbling on the ground. I leaped up into the air, watching the ground shrink below me, then come back up suddenly with the Doctor right under me. My feet crunched down on either side of him. I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up to me. He had changed out of his Lei and his trunks, donning body armor and combat boots. I held him up above me.
“Look at what you’re trying to stop. Once you’ve felt the power, there’s no going back. When I have my hands on that console, time stands still. It goes forward, backward, side to side, all around. It’s intoxicating unlike anything else in existence. You know that. I know that. But that’s not what I want.” I tried to explain. The Doctor grimaced and grunted at me, trying to struggle out of my mechanical grasp.
“Then give it back!” He shouted.
“This isn’t theft. I’m just borrowing. This isn’t about me wanting the Tardis. You can have it back. I just want you to understand why I need it. Equestria is my home. There’s trouble there, and I need to fix it. One day, curiosity will get the better of you and you’ll go there. You’ll understand then. Not a second before. Don’t hate me, just wait until you understand.” I finished. I dropped him and walked away, navigating through the rubble and the wreckage. The Tardis stood amidst the conflagration like a diamond in a pile of coal. I walked towards it, grabbing Othello by the collar of his shirt on the way. I looked back at the marker where Othello sat studiously the whole time I was beating the living shit out of everything.
Michael Dean Williams
1986-1991
Daddy loves you
I understood why Equestria was so important to him. I turned away from the gravestone and started the walk the Tardis.
“Edwin?” He asked softly as I dragged him.
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I reciprocated. I pushed open the Tardis doors and heaved Othello up on his own feet. I walked up to the console and sighed. There was so much to do. What I wouldn’t give to have this all be over, curling up with Luna in my old body, smelling the sweet peach trees in the backyard. We would sit and watch the sunset. I would paint beautiful pictures. We would… We would…
“Edwin? Edwin, wake up.” Something said. I blinked, my vision blurry. I looked up at the console, watching the pillar slow down and stop. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and turned from the console. Othello was standing there with Finder.
“Are you ready, Edwin?” Finder asked.
“Ready for what?” I probed. Finder and Othello looked at each other. Othello gulped and started to explain.
“Edwin, when you left, the Numbereds had no real defense against the Angelics. All they had was Evangeline. Marcus tried to fight, and so did Gespard, and I’m surprised that the two of them are still alive. They’re strong, but not strong enough.” He finished. I shrugged, lifting my hands up and slapping them back down. Finder pouted, but Othello continued.
“It’s not like it was, Edwin. It’s-“ Othello started, but shook his head. He walked down to the Tardis doors and placed a palm flat on one. “Just see for yourself.” He said, pulling the door open. My jaw dropped.
“Oh my God.”