//------------------------------//
// Season 2 outline and the end. 
// Story: The Self-Indulgent Side Story Where the Author's Self-Insert Talks To Pinkie Pie and Maybe Other Characters 
// by Spark Plug 
//------------------------------//

The group of eight golfers in eclectic outfits disembarked from the boat back into Spocco Square. Most of them scattered in different directions, but two in East Asian-inspired silk outfits hung together. One had turquoise hair mostly hidden under a bucket hat while the other had a leather ball cap.

"I can't believe you got that chip in," the bucket hat said to the cap.

“Hey,” the ball cap said to the bucket hat, “I saw that backspin on that last hole.

The bucket hat gestured back toward the registration desk. "One more round?"

"Maybe. How t—"

The one in the bucket hat was bowled over by another person, this one in overalls covered in paint splotches and colorful patches, a lollipop stuck to the side of her frizzy pink hair. "Ronyo!" she shrieked.

Ronyo reached up and patted her. "Hi, Pinkie," he groaned.

The other player sighed. "Don't stay up too late," she said. "We've got work in the morning." She walked off.

"Where're you headed?" Ronyo called.

She glanced back. "Bowling, maybe the bookstore." She smirked. "I promise not to spend all our money."

Ronyo smiled back. "I expect nothing less."

Pinkie looked back and forth between them. "Who's that?" she asked as she got off of Ronyo.

Ronyo climbed to his feet. "In real life, my spouse. Here?" He shrugged. "Player One?"

Pinkie cocked her head. "You're not Player One?"

"Not here," he said. "The game's on her Switch." He cracked his knuckles. "Want to hit the coffee shop by the tennis courts?"





Pinkie took a long drag off of her very large, very decorated latte. "So why are we here and not your office?"

Ronyo pulled his laptop out of hammerspace and set it on the table. "Because I get annoyed every time this game says 'hey, check out the shops and dining options' and then doesn't have a mode that lets you do that." He gestured around them. "So I'm doing that."

Pinkie nodded. "Okie dokie," she said, and sat up straighter. "So let's get to it!"

Ronyo nodded and cracked open his laptop...





So, last we left off... The Mane 6 and their friends had just defeated Robotnik and restored freedom to Mobius. Rainbow Dash got her wings, and Sonic and Twilight professed their mutual like for each other.

We cut to a few months later. Applejack has finished up the harvest and is taking a well-deserved break when a familiar vworp-vworp sound fills the orchard. The eleventh doctor—as Time Turner, of course—pops his head out and begs Applejack to come with him. There's some people in a world somewhere and they really need help from a real farmer. Applejack rolls her eyes but hops in the TARDIS anyway. And we're off to adventure!

...to Earth. Specifically, a barren, dusty earth. We zoom in on a massive spaceship parked at a cliff, tents and ad-hoc shelters near the gangplank. And a population of humans looking much skinnier than they had been. And one little yellow-and-black robot on caterpillar treats rolls through the campsite trying his level best to cheer people up.

WALL-E?

Eeyup! We have found the passengers of the Axiom starliner attempting to recolonize the earth. And their first crops are failing. The Doctor sees this and brings in the best farmer he knows: Applejack.

And for a while she doesn't have the faintest clue what to do. This problem is too big for her to even get her mind around. She tries to fall back on what she's learned in Ponyville, but this soil is all dry and not really working.

So she digs deep, tries to listen to the earth, find out what it needs. It wants things to grow, it wants to provide, but it needs one last push.

And so Applejack pushes. And begs the earth to give back. And gives herself up to do it.

Patch of dust in the shape of three apples?

The seeds around her push to the surface, and Applejack is nowhere to be found.

Okay, who picks her up?

You know, that's a good question. Back in Equestria, Twilight feels the shift and realizes there might not be anyone to get her back...





Twilight hopped up onto the Cutie Map. “This is where the Harmony Magic is most resonant,” she muttered. “If I add this to a normal teleportation spell and use an invocation it should work.”

Spike took a few steps back. “Just be careful,” he said.

Twilight looked at him and did her best to smile. “I promise.”

With that, she closed her eyes and began gathering the magic together. Purple energy began to swirl at her hooves, and the entire castle began to dim as the map started to glow. Her horn, wings, and hooves gathered purple wisps of energy of their own.

“From all of us together  
Together we are friends  
Marks of destiny made one  
Brings us magic without end  
Our friend has soared to heights above  
And I must bring her back  
Before she’s lost to worlds beyond  
Bring me to Applejack!”

There was a bright flash that immediately caved in on itself, swallowing Twilight into the space between spaces.





Twilight teleports herself to the astral plane, finds Applejack, and welcomes her to the princess club. But then...





"Don't get me wrong, Sugarcube," Applejack said. "I'm happy you're here. It's just..."

"It's okay," Twilight said with a smile. "I know where we are!"

"It's not that," Applejack said, her new wings twitching in agitation. "How do we get back?"

Twilight's smile fell.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" a cultured voice said.

The two mares turned to see a tall human with long well-groomed hair and an impeccably tailored suit. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am–"

"Loki?" Twilight blurted.

Loke stopped mid-bow. "Yes," he said hesitantly, "Loki of Asgard, at your service. And I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage?"

Twilight blushed slightly. "Sorry," she sputtered, "you just look–I mean the actor that plays you in another world looks remarkably like you."

Loki smiled. "I may have had a hand in that." He motioned at his face. "Vanity is a vice of mine."

Twilight just nodded before a nudge from Applejack brought her back. "Oh, right! I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Applejack." She blinked. "Of Equestria," she added.

Loki nodded. "It is truly a pleasure to meet you both," he said. "Now, am I correct in assuming that you would like to get home from here?"

"Yes," Twilight said with a nervous grin. "I managed to get myself here easily enough, but–"

"What's it going to cost?" Applejack interjected.

Loki feigned offense. "I beg your pardon?"

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "You remind me of someone, and he don't do nothing without getting something. So what's it going to cost?"

Loki smiled, though this was decidedly more predatory. "Very well then, Applejack of Equestria, soon-to-be crowned Princess of Honesty if I'm not mistaken." He allowed himself to revel in their shocked expressions for a moment. "In return for escorting the two of you back to the mortal realm from which you came, I ask only two favors.

"First, one of my patrons has also found himself in that world. He believes it to be uninhabited; I would like you to disavow him of that notion."

"Done," Applejack said before Twilight could ask her inevitable questions. "And the second?"

Loki leaned forward. "Tell Discord I haven't forgotten about our little wager."

"Done," Twilight said before Applejack could ask her inevitable questions.





Oooooo, what's the wager?

I honestly have no idea. It just sounded cool.

Aw.

Yeah. But before I forget:



So they both return to earth. Applejack gets back to farming, now with more power at her disposal. Twilight and the Doctor go looking for any other life forms. They scan with the TARDIS, find a blip on another continent, land, and don't see anything...

Until they hear a very distinctive screech behind them and get buzzed by something flying incredibly fast. It pulls up into the air in front of them, lazily turns itself around, and comes in for a landing.

It's a black dragon with a salamander-like head and a very intricate leather saddle. Its rider unhooks itself from the contraption, hops off, and pulls off his helmet. It's Hiccup and Toothless!

Hiccup mentions that he and Toothless had found a portal that led to another portal that led here. They agree to meet Twilight at the lighthouse later, mostly so we can get this scene here...





"Oh, here's your problem," Tails said, tugging a cable on Toothless' harness. "It's the tension."

"The tension?" Hiccup said, raising an eyebrow.

"The tension."

"What's wrong with the tension?"

"It's a little low."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Tails shook his head. "Not here it isn't."

"But I know tension," Hiccup said, gesturing with his hands. "It shows up when Astrid asks a question and I don't know the answer. It shows up when my dad starts talking about 'chiefing.' It definitely shows up when I haven't fed Toothless."

Toothless whined in response.

"Quit whining," Hiccup whined back. "You just had a basketful an hour ago."

Tails smirked. "This is good tension."

"What's good tension?"

"This."

"Were you listening?"

"Of course I was listening."

"What do cables and harnesses have to do with disappointed fathers?"

Tails blinked. "Are you okay?"

Hiccup blanched. "I'm... fine? Why?"

"Because we went from talking about engineering and mechanics to discussing psychological issues."

"You're discussing psychological issues?" Twilight Sparkle said, trotting up to the group.

"We're not discussing psychological issues!" Hiccup said, his arm motions becoming a little more frantic.

"It's okay," Twilight said with a smile. "I've read dozens of books on the subject."

"Hiccup has daddy issues," Tails said, not particularly subtly.

"Oh," Twilight said, a little disappointed. "I'm afraid I don't know much about those."

"Can we get back to the harness?" Hiccup groaned.

"That's it!" Twilight said.

"What's it?" Hiccup said, completely resigned.

"You can always harness the power of friendship! Talking with your friends and knowing how much they care can help individuals cope with absent parental figures."

"He means Toothless' harness," Tails said, figuring the teasing had gone on long enough.

"Oh," Twilight said. "What's wrong with the harness?"

"The tension." He crouched down and tugged on the loose cable.

"Oh," Twilight said. "Yes, you definitely need to increase the tension."

"Really?" Hiccup said, his hands balled up into fists. "I think the tension's at a pretty good level right now."

Astrid strode up to the group. "Ready to go, Hiccup?"

"Not yet, apparently!" Hiccup yelled.

Astrid cocked her head. "What's taking so long?" she said to Twilight.

"Tension," Twilight supplied.

Astrid got more confused. "What does Hiccup avoiding responsibilities back home have to do with this?"

"It's a loose cable," Tails said.

Astrid and Hiccup blinked.

"Oh," Hiccup said.





I'm sure at some point we'd visit Berk, though I'm not sure who would visit as a human and who'd be a dragon.

You'd be a changewing, right? 'Cause of the whole shapeshifter thing?

I... yeah, yeah I would.

I thought about doing a fix-it on How To Train Your Dragon 2 but honestly that feels more like a distraction than anything.

Back at Canterlot High, something happens. Probably we find out who planted the portal sucking device in the first place, and it's Sci-Twi's old teacher that has a fanatical obsession with Midnight Sparkle, probably, and the thing goes haywire, probably.

You're 'probably'-ing a lot here.

This is the part of the outline that is really ill-defined. I know there's a few things that I wanted to happen, but how they happen (and even if it works for them to happen at all) was still way up in the air.

Anyway, I think you can guess what happens here.

Sci-Twi and Sunset figure out what's going on and save the day and end up ascending?

Exactly. And meeting them in the astral plane is none other than Ms. Gentleheart.

Ooookaaaay, what's her deal?

I wanted to plant so many more clues than this, but it goes like this: she knows about magic, she swore by the Lion's Mane, she's wicked good with a longbow, and she has a long life with a corresponding list of regrets.

She talks to Sci-Twi and Sunset, tells them how proud she is of them, and says she was sent to their world to help guide the birth of real magic there. It's always been there, just under the surface, and the influx from Equestria was enough to wake it up.

Sunset starts to apologize, says it's all her fault. Sci-Twi says even so, it's an amazing gift.

Gentleheart says it's both, and that's why the two of them are going to pave the way. Basically, they would be this world's first Princesses, though being the first, they get to decide what all that means. She makes a crack about how royalty, if done right, is surprisingly effective.

Which leads to the revelation of Ms. Gentleheart as Queen Susan, The Gentle, formerly of Narnia.

...but I thought she hated Narnia?

They only said she was "no longer a Friend of Narnia." I'm... trying to take the narrative at face value, of her rushing to "the silliest part of her life" and trying to stay there. Never mind that most of the things listed are all very feminine, but fixing that would have required Lewis to actually have women in his writing club.

Anyway, I was working out a backstory of Susan realizing she had lost the bigger picture...





Susan closed the door behind her and pulled off her shoes. "Alice, I'm back," she called to her roommate.

Alice walked into the sitting room. "Welcome back," she said with a smile. "How was the gala?"

Susan smiled her usual smile. "It was wonderful," she said, privately thinking it was anything but. The fundraiser was for a political party, the food was dry, and her date was the worst sort of man. But the gathering was high society, and if she was going to live in this world she would have to endure it. So she carried on.

"How was dinner with James?" Susan said, deflecting the conversation away from her.

"It was..." Alice trailed off, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. She took a shaky breath and continued. "James intends to marry me."

Susan smiled, a genuine smile this time. "That's great, Alice!" she said.

Alice glanced away. "Yes, it is," she said, not quite convinced.

Susan's face fell. This was getting uncomfortable. "Did he propose?"

"No," Alice said, still not meeting Susan's gaze. "He... He is going to ask my father soon." She held her arms in front of her, shrinking back into the corner she was standing in.

And that was enough for Susan. "That's wonderful news, Alice," she said quickly, moving towards her room. "I'm very happy for you." Without waiting for a response she ducked into her room and shut the door.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. Part of her felt guilty for leaving her roommate when something was so obviously wrong, but she was done. She'd held her mask in place all evening among the "best" of society, and she had nothing left for Alice. Right now she didn't want to feel anything. Not the ache in her feet from those infernal shoes, not the soreness in her wrist from where the "gentleman" had gripped a little too tightly, and definitely not the prodding of her conscience for leaving Alice--

Something outside the building roared.

Susan blinked. For a brief moment she forgot that it was all a pretend fantasy for her less-sophisticated siblings. She ran to the window, fully expecting to see a lion.

A large truck sputtered past her building, the vibrations from the engine reverberating through the building.

She sighed at her stupidity. Was she honestly expecting to see... Him? Of course it was a truck. Narnia wasn't real.

Of course, neither was the life she was leading, if she was honest. An endless chain of parties and galas and events, and to what end? Hopefully finding a husband with the means to provide for her and not trap her like James was threatening to do to Alice...

Susan bit her lip. She tried to rationalize it, but there was nothing for it. She had to go back in there and at least try to comfort Alice. Hopefully she would forgive Susan for the cracks in her mask, or for leaving the room in the first place.

She pulled off her earrings and took a deep breath.





It was a few days later when Alice came back to the apartment favoring her left arm.

"Are you okay?" Susan asked, concerned.

Alice nodded slowly, not taking her hand off her arm.

Susan wasn't convinced. "Let me see," she said, gently placing a hand over hers.

Alice let her hand be moved. Susan pulled up her sleeve. Her arm wasn't bruised, but there was a bit of red.

"He's got a good grip, does he," Susan said.

Alice smiled weakly. "He's a spirited man," she said with false cheer. "He was in a hurry, and I was slowing him down..."

Susan narrowed her eyes. "Do you often slow him down?"

Alice looked away.

Susan nodded and walked briskly back to her room. Alice looked after her to see her pulling on a pair of nylons. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Do you love him?" Susan said, still preparing to go out.

"I... pardon?"

"From what you've told me, he sounds like a brute, a menace, and frightfully boring. Not counting the many, many comments his colleagues have made concerning his 'spiritedness.'" Susan fixed Alice with a stare. "Do you honestly want to marry him?"

"Susan, I..." She shook her head. "Of course I do!"

Susan moved and knelt before her. "Alice," she said quietly, "if you, in your heart of hearts, want to spend the rest of your life with this man, I will not stand in your way. But, if you do not, I will ensure he never comes near you again."

"How?" Alice breathed, and Susan could hear the wild hope behind it.

Susan smiled. "One would be amazed at the things men will say within earshot of a 'stupid bird,'" she said cryptically.





"Mister Stanley," Susan said with a curtsy and a smile, "it's good to see you."

Mr. Stanley bowed back. "An honor to see you again as well, Miss Pevensie. How is the telephone business?"

"Positively electric," she answered with only the barest hint of irony.

He allowed himself a chuckle, then stepped closer. "As I've not had the opportunity to speak to you," he said quietly, "my condolences for your loss."

Susan blinked. "Thank you, Roger."

Roger smiled sadly. "If there is any way I can be of assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me."

Susan's socialite smile returned, "Actually, Mr. Stanley, are you familiar with Mister Cooper?"

"James Cooper?" Roger's face darkened. "I am familiar, yes."

"He intends to marry Mister Wigham's daughter."

Roger scanned the room. "Miss Pevensie," he said, all business, "I believe it is high time I introduced you to Mister Wigham." He led her to another corner of the ballroom. "I believe he will find our conversation most illuminating."





That whole chapter would have ended with her coming to the lighthouse, finding Aslan, and the two of them having a nice long conversation.

Isn't that a little sacrilegious?

You already know I'm working out some religious trauma here.

Anyway, back with the Mane 6, we come to Rarity, who...

...yeah, I got nothing.

What?

Yeah. I thought the pony that would give me the most trouble with a Crowning Moment of Awesome would have been you, Pinkie; but once the pieces fit together it worked so well. The formula I work from is an intersection between (a) the pony's special talent, (b) the pony's Element of Harmony, and (c) something that pushes their innate magic beyond its limit.

Twilight had magic, friendship, and was correcting an imbalance in Equestria's deep magic. You had parties, laughter, and jumped into an in-flight time machine. Rainbow had flight, loyalty, and broke through the barrier between worlds to rescue a friend. Applejack had growth, honesty, and brought a dying planet back from the brink. Fluttershy... is last.

So what's at the intersection of gem finding or dress making and generosity that would push Rarity beyond her limits? I know it would involve giving of herself, but I hadn't figured out what that scenario would be.

So, can we just assume it happens?

It's not very satisfying.

It's really not. Reason number fifteen I'm giving up on the series.

Right...

I'm sorry, Pinkie.

Well, what if she was in space? Like in Star Trek or something! And there's a thing about to happen that's going to kill a bunch of people and Rarity helps get everyone out at the last minute but at the cost of her own life?

...Isn't that Sunset's moment from Star Trek: Phoenix?

You gotta admit, it fits.

It's as contrived as anything else, so yeah, it fits.



Which brings us to Fluttershy. Second half of the season, she's kept looking over her shoulder or off to the side and shaking her head, sometimes saying "not yet." And she's started looking a little more scared as time has gone on, especially after Rarity ascends.

She knows she's next?

And not just because of the pattern. At one point she and I have a conversation, I mention she was my favorite the first time I saw y'all's show and how amazing she is when she's scared but "does the thing" anyway.

And finally she talks to Discord. And asks him about Celestia and Luna before they were alicorns. How much did it change them? Did it hurt?

And Discord reminisces fondly before saying that they didn't change, not all that much. It just made them more "them," made them better versions of themselves. And even though they had to turn him to stone that one time, he honestly had it coming and wouldn't have expected anything else from them.

And with that, Fluttershy turns to an empty corner and just says, "I'm ready."

And she's gone.

Cutie mark on the floor?

Nope, just gone. And Discord just has the sense of some incredibly powerful being that stepped in, he tastes the chaos that's coming, and he just starts cackling, howling with laugher, and mutters, "Well, this is going to be fun..."

We cut to Gallifrey. A Dalek is advancing on a Gallifreyan. Fluttershy steps in between the two, calmly.

And the Dalek doesn't fire.

And a Gallifreyan soldier storms in.

And Fluttershy steps in between him and the Dalek.

And the Gallifreyan shoots her. We see the Dalek shoot the soldier, and it and the first Gallifreyan run off, gently disturbing a pattern of butterflies in the floor.

That feels contrived.

It's absolutely contrived. Fluttershy gets to the astral plane and meets Bad Wolf. We find out she's been seeing Bad Wolf for months now, just out the corner of her eye, waiting for her to be ready.

And now she is. And she's joined by the other five of you.



And the six of you are on the surface of Gallifrey, in the desert outside the shack where the Doctors are debating. And with you are the dragon riders, Sci-Twi and Sunset in their fully ascended forms, Super Sonic, Super Shadow, Super Silver, and a bunch of other people you've met in your travels.

Summon the Avengers moment?

Absolutely. Hell, let's throw the Avengers in there for good measure. Inside, we finally get to what the Doctors are discussing:





“That’s quite enough!” one Doctor—the first Doctor—yelled into the din. He looked older than the rest, with grey hair and a cane.

“Now, as I see it,” the first Doctor continued, “there are, at most, five of us qualified to make this decision.” He pointed to one of the younger Doctors, this one with a mop of curly hair. “You there, number eight?” Eight nodded. “What do you know of this ‘Time War’?”

Eight glanced around furtively. “Nothing,” he said. He sighed and continued. “There have been rumors, some tremors in the time stream, but nothing... nothing solid.”

One nodded curtly. “Then you, like us, cannot make this decision. Which leaves you four. Number nine?”

The most simply dressed Doctor, with a close-cut haircut and a leather jacket, looked up, his hand still hovering over the button.

“For the benefit of those of us who were too busy talking to listen,” One said, glaring at a few of the Doctors, “can you elaborate for us: why?”

Nine’s eyes narrowed, drawing his face into a menacing glower. “Do you know how many worlds have been destroyed so far? How many times a world was wiped of all life for the sake of ridding the universe of just a few more Daleks? How often a planet is deemed an ‘acceptable loss’?” He turned to Eight, and his glare softened. “I regenerated twelve hours ago. When Arcadia fell, you took a laser headed for a child.”

Eight gave a wan smile. “Sounds like Daleks.”

Nine’s glare returned. “A Gallefreyan laser. Fired by a soldier trained to see monsters around any corner and civilian casualties as a necessary evil.”

“So it’s vengeance you’re after?” one of the other Doctors said.

“Wouldn’t that be enough?” Nine yelled. “Wouldn’t it be enough to have the two parties in the war suffer it for eternity? But that’s not why.” He turned to One. “Why, you asked? Because as we speak, the high council of the Time Lords are voting to enact the Final Sanction. Rip apart the time vortex, destroy all life in this universe—“ He pointed at Sonic, Tails, and Clara back at the TARDISes. “And probably several others!”

"And there's no other options?" One prodded.

"Show them to me!" Nine bellowed, his voice cracking. "Show me that I don't have to do this!"

One turned to the Doctor Sonic and Tails had come with. "Number ten? Are there any other options?"

Ten took a shuddering breath. "The high council chambers are too well-guarded. Already in its own de-synchronized time bubble, shielded ten times over for a TARDIS. And they wouldn't use one device for the Final Sanction; it would be the entire council of living, breathing Time Lords in harmonic resonance with the chambers themselves..." He looked at One. "Anything that could destroy the chambers and stop the process would inevitably destroy Gallifrey itself."

"What about evacuation?" one Doctor—with curly hair and a comically long scarf—said.

"Yes!" Ten pointed at him. "Except with all twelve of us completely loading our TARDISes with passengers, that leaves all of us sitting ducks for any Dalek with a thirst for extermination. Any fewer, and we don't have room. Or time to load enough people."

"But if all of us," the eleventh Doctor chimed in, "all of us could evacuate everyone?"

"No," Ten said. "Not everyone, not even then. And did you miss the part about 'sitting ducks'?"

"Then we ask for help."

Nearly all the Doctors protested at this, but Eleven raised his hand and they fell silent.

"Gentlemen," he began, "I understand why we shouldn't. The danger is too great to dare involve anyone else. But if I have been taught one thing in my time as the Doctor, then it was this: if help is needed, we need only ask."

"And how do you propose we get them here?" Ten said.

Eleven shrugged. "I assume that whatever benevolent force allowed all of us to get here—crossing our own time streams into the middle of a time-locked war—would be capable of summoning a few more?"

"What's the point, though?" Nine said, his voice weak. "What good would it to?"

"I'll tell you," The tall, older Doctor with the eyebrows—number twelve—said. He made eye contact with Ten. "We can't save everyone, but we can save someone."

Ten's jaw dropped. "That face."

"Exactly," Twelve said. He turned to the rest. "There was a time, we went with a friend to Pompeii. On Volcano Day, in fact. A fixed point, that we cannot change no matter how much we want. No matter how much we want to save everyone. And we told her as much. And she said, 'Just someone. Not the whole town, just save someone.'"

Ten smiled sadly. "Oh, Donna."

There was a knock at the door to the barn.

The Doctors all looked at each other before Nine abandoned the button and ran over to the door. Sonic, Tails and Clara weren't at a good angle to see out the door, but they heard a slightly nasally voice answer, "You asked for an army?"

Nine turned back to the other Doctors, a genuine smile on his face. "Well?"





And there we have it. The army of friendship covering the twelve doctors as they get as many people that want to leave Gallifrey out as they can. We get a few moments of different characters having their own moments, making sure the Doctors are protected.

But for the Mane 6, they go straight to the High Council chambers. I don't know exactly how it works, but together, the six of you in Harmony, keep the timeline from unraveling.

The Doctors get out, the army goes home, and we cut to Twelve at the lighthouse wondering out loud whether he really will go back and hit the button.

The Caretaker hears this and walks up to him. And describes, in vivid detail, exactly what would happen should the High Council plans succeed.

The Doctor asks him, not a little sarcastically, how he could possibly know that.

And the Caretaker looks the Doctor straight in the eye and tells him to guess.

And the Doctor realizes... that the Caretaker is from another timeline. One where he didn't press the button. And the thought chills him to his core, enough to drive him back to his TARDIS and go back to the war...





Twelve stumbled out of his TARDIS, the golden regeneration energy dancing in the veins of his hands.

"It's me," he said to the empty room as he walked up to The Moment and its big red button. "It was always going to be me."

He rested his hands on the sides of the box and stared down at the button. "It has been fun," he muttered, "being The Doctor."

A pair of smaller, less calloused hands, came to rest on top of his. 

"And why should it stop now?"

The Doctor's head shot up, and he stared straight into the face of–

"Bad Wolf?"

She smirked. "Doctor," she said, her tongue poking out of her mouth, "when they say 'by any other name,' I was hoping for something a little..." She blinked and licked her lips. "Sweeter."

The Doctor didn't budge. "I'm dying, Rose."

She smiled. "Are you."

He winced. "Don't be daft." He looked down at his faintly glowing hands. "I don't have enough regeneration energy. Just enough to–augh!" He held his side and groaned in pain. "Just enough to stop my hearts. Maybe heal my spleen if I'm lucky." He glared at Rose. "This is your fault, you know."

"Mine?" Rose said, her cheeky grin never faltering.

"Yes, yours!" Twelve yelled, thrusting his finger in her face and pacing the room. "You and Cassanova's fixation and that stupid Dalek and 'oh I like this face so much why don't I make a copy of it?'"

"Oh, be nice to Ten," Rose chided, still smiling.

Twelve smiled sadly. "It's good to see you, Rose," he said softly. "Even if it isn't actually you." He stared at the button, deliberately not looking at her. "So, we're agreed? We've evacuated all the noncombatants, all the soldiers that lost faith..." He rested a hand on the button. "Put what's left of the war in a time lock. Nothing gets in or out. The Daleks can't build a Reality Bomb; the Time Lords can't initiate the Final Sanction."

"This is your decision?"

The Doctor gripped the button. "Let them burn in their own stupidity," he hissed before pressing the button down and collapsing to the ground.

The ground shook. Explosions echoed over the sands. A golden light filled the shack.

The Doctor closed his eyes and smiled faintly. "I saw this," he said. "In the untempered schism. I saw what I did and I ran. And I've been running from it for over a thousand years."

He felt Rose–the Bad Wolf!–take his hand. "What will you do now?"

He chuckled. "Barcelona, right? Never got to take you there." He took a labored breath. "Or I could curate a museum somewhere."

"He lived a long life."

Twelve opened his eyes to see Rose staring at him, still smiling, but sadder this time.

"I called him Tentwo sometimes, you know. Never to his face, of course. But he was brilliant. Not nearly as brilliant as you, but brilliant enough to still be... you. You enough."

"Rose," the Doctor breathed.

"And then, at the end, I... grew. I remembered. I became what I've always been."

"My Rose," the Doctor said, lifting his hands to cradle her face. She leaned into his touch...

Then she took both hands, grabbed him by the shirt, and lifted him off the ground.

"I am Rose. I am the Bad Wolf. And I am the Moment."

Her eyes and hands glowed dangerously as the Doctor weakly tried to break her grip.

"And I will not let you escape your consequence that easily, Doctor."

The Doctor glared defiantly at her. "What would you have me do?"

Rose smiled. It was not a kind smile. "Remember, all those years ago when you activated me?" She turned, putting the Doctor between herself and the TARDIS. "When you said you had no intention of surviving this?"

The Doctor's eyes widened.

Rose smirked. "That's your consequence: you live."

Golden energy flowed into the Doctor where Rose gripped him, mixing with the regeneration energy already just under the surface. With a final blast she threw him straight back, through the doors of the TARDIS and onto the floor of the control room.

She glanced up at the TARDIS' light. "Take care of him, Old Girl," she said with a smile and snapped her fingers.

The TARDIS doors swung shut and, with its trademark groan, the TARDIS phased out of existence in a swirl of gold.





Now, to be fair, I wrote that sketch before they retconned The Doctor to have unlimited regenerations, and I wanted a clever explanation for Thirteen being a woman. Shrug.

And from there...





Ronyo closed his laptop. "That's pretty much it."

Pinkie nodded. She drained the last of her latte and tossed the cup behind her. Ronyo watched it fall far short of the garbage can, but it bounced higher than an empty paper cup had any right to and landed in the can.

She leaned forward, her hands resting on the table, folded. "So what happens next?"

Ronyo leaned back. He glanced off to the side, trying a few different trains of thought. Eventually he sighed and looked back at Pinkie with a smile.

"And they all lived happily ever after."

Pinkie smiled. "Good," she said, before her smile fell a bit. "But I was asking about us."

Ronyo smirked. "I think I know how to bring you over." He leaned forward. "How do you feel about being an elemental?"

Pinkie cocked her head and returned the smirk. "Depends on what the element is."

"Laughter. What else would it be?"

Pinkie nodded. "And the others?"

"The others aren't fourth-wall aware like you are," Ronyo said. "But I think you'll recognize them."

He looked down at the table. "I know I said it before, but y'all have inspired me so much. And more than ever..." He made a fist and let it fall onto the table.

"Love," he said with a hitch in his voice. "Care for others. Treating people—of all shapes and kinds—like people. It's not all we need, but everything follows from it."

He looked back up at Pinkie. "Help me tell that story?"

Pinkie smiled. "Finish this one first."

Ronyo looked confused. "I thought I—"

"Say it again," she said with a sad smile. "Say it, save the file, and post it." She swallowed and blinked back a couple of tears. "Then I'll see you on the other side."

"You will," Ronyo promised. "I've already got half the scene written."

"You better," Pinkie said.

Ronyo nodded. "See you on the other side."





The two princesses of Equestria retired. Temporarily.

A rotation was set up between the nine princesses of Equestria and the Crystal Empire. The days of a thousand year reign of a single monarch were over. Nopony ruled alone. Nopony ruled forever.

Sonic and Twilight kept their fierce friendship. They ended up avoiding a romantic entanglement, too important to their respective worlds to be significant in the others'. But they met frequently, trading stories and books for many years.

Twilight of Canterlot High looked at an eternity of shepherding magic in her world and promptly panicked. Sunset was there to calm her, and promised to be there for the eternity after. When others asked what they were to each other, they simply said "friends" and decided not to decide anything else. At least not yet.

The Doctor had many other adventures, but those are chronicled elsewhere.

Susan Pevensie attended the battle of Gallifrey, joined by her three siblings. They kicked an appropriate amount of ass and retreated to Aslan's country right after, reunited again.

There were many other adventures, as a world of infinite adventures has no end. But for these, one thing is known for sure:

They all lived happily ever after.