//------------------------------//
// Interlude: The Knocking 
// Story: Life Among the Distant Stars 
// by Tarkana262 
//------------------------------//

"Okay!" The Doctor clapped his hooves together and faced the six mares assembled around the TARDIS' control pillar. "We have achieved safe passage into the Time Vortex, the crossroads of time and space. Where to?"

"Well, I've always wanted to see what ancient Equestria was like," Twilight answered. "Maybe we could see some of the great pony scholars. Ooh, we could even meet Star Swirl the Bearded!"

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "C'mon, Twilight, don't be such an egghead all the time. Everyone knows the future is where it's at! And not just fifty or sixty years, I mean really in the future! Like robots and lasers and spaceships in the future!"

"No thanks," said Applejack. "Ah've read too many of them robot-revolution books to want t'go that far."

Rarity raised her brow in surprise. "Applejack, I didn't know you read science fiction."

The orange earth pony coughed. "Well, eh, Ah don't read 'em that often. Only two or three." Her eyes shifted. "A month."

"Of course, dear," Rarity said with a knowing smile. "What about you, Fluttershy? When would you like to go?"

"Oh, I'm fine wherever we go," she replied, "But…personally, I kind of want to see if everypony is okay after…" she gulped. "…what we saw before."

An uncomfortable silence fell on the room. Nopony wanted to address what they had seen in their first journey into the future.

"ANYWAY," The Doctor yelled, "Survey says that opinion are across the board, so I'll just set the TARDIS on random and we'll see where – "

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

The ponies turned towards the TARDIS door. "Who could that be?" Applejack asked.
"No one…" the Doctor answered. "Literally, no one. We're in the Time Vortex – there's nothing out there but artron energy!"

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

The mares could all tell this impossibility was making the Doctor very agitated. But they did not know the true cause of the colt's fear. They did not know the prophecy that had hung over his head ever since he had received it months ago.

He will knock four times, and then you will die.

He very much did not want to face it. He did not want the mares to see him die, even if he would just regenerate. He knew he could turn around, press one button, and send them all away to a private beach on Barcelona, leaving it far behind.

But he also knew, in the end, he could not run from it forever.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

He walked towards the door, the knocks seeming to intensify with every step. Eyes closed, his hoof reached the handle and threw the door open – 

"Well, it's about time, Mr. Slowypants!"

The Doctor's eyes shot open. "Pinkie Pie?!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie said brightly, trotting into the room and closing the door behind her. "Didn't I tell you guys that I was gonna run back to Sugarcube Corner to get more sprinkles?"

She dropped her overflowing saddlebags on the floor, several confectionary items falling out. "Well, it started that way, but then I remembered that more sprinkles means more cupcakes, and then I had this weird feeling that just saying the word 'cupcakes' would make a lot of people feel really weird, so I decided to make normal cakes instead. And I even remembered my rubber chicken!"

The Doctor stared at her with a very flabbergasted gaze. "But…but…Time Vortex!"

"Oh, you mean the red and blue swirly-tunnely-thingy? I use that all the time to get places. It's so much more fun than just walking everywhere! But sometimes, there are these ginormous words in there, too, and they whoosh on by like Rainbow Dash when she had coffee that one time. They're like, really weird names. I mean, seriously, who's ever heard of a pony named David Tennant?"

The colt's mouth hung open. "What…what…what?!"

Pinkie squinted at him. "Hmm…you don't look so good, Doccy. Maybe you should go lie down or something. That always helps me when I eat too much fudge."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Y-yes, I'll go do that…"

"Okay. Have fun!" The party pony waved as the colt trotted down the hallway. She was about to bounce off into the kitchen when she noticed the other five mares staring at her similarly to how the Doctor has moments ago.

"Geez, don't tell me you all had too much fudge, too!"