Chapter 3: The Paradox
Outside St. Markus Church, London, England, Earth, Autumn, 1987 A.D.
The Doctor pushed Rose out of the way just in time. The Reaper flew over them and prepared to dive down again.
"Get in the church!" the Doctor ordered as he helped Rose up. The others ran for the church only to see several more Reapers materialize in front of them.
"Oh my God! What are they?! WHAT ARE THEY?!" screamed one of the bride's friends.
The Doctor pointed towards the church and yelled, "Inside!"
The groom ran out of the church and tried to reach his bride but the Doctor told him to remain inside. The groom's father tried to run but one of the Reapers swooped down and devoured him. The bride screamed as a Reaper flew towards her but, at the last second, the Reaper turned and devoured the Minister.
"Get inside!" the Doctor ordered as everyone ran for the church. Once everybody was inside, the Doctor closed and locked the doors. The Reapers fell silent as they proceeded to begin flying around the church. There was no way out. The Doctor, Rose, and the others were trapped.
Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 996 C.E.
Everypony was shaken up from what had just happened. The only ones who had made it inside the barn were the Doctor, Twilight, Derpy, Spike, Applejack the elder, Applejack the younger, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Johnny, Emily, Big Mac, the infant Apple Bloom, and a pegasus mare named Sarah. All of the others, including Trixie and Granny Smith, had fallen victim to the Reapers.
"Mother," Johnny cried as he leaned up against Emily.
"First the fire and now this," Emily sighed as she held her husband close. Applejack the elder was sitting in a corner of the barn by herself. She listened as the Reapers occasionally screamed, as if yelling at them to come out. The Doctor was talking with Twilight and Derpy while the others were making sure that the barn was secure enough to prevent the Reapers from breaking in.
"So...what are Reapers exactly?" asked Twilight.
"Creatures from another dimension. The sterilization of time," the Doctor replied.
"What does that mean?" Derpy asked.
"Paradoxes are odd things. When they occur, numerous things can happen. Back in my universe, when the Time Lords were still alive, they would help heal the time stream if a paradox were to occur. But, with them gone, the effects of paradoxes became...varied and long-lasting. That's where the Reapers come in. They're creatures linked to time itself. A paradox can be described as a wound in time and Reapers are like the antibodies of time. They come to sterilize the wound."
"Let me guess, by eating everything in sight," Twilight sighed.
"Yes."
"Doctor...are Trixie and Granny Smith...dead?" Derpy croaked.
"Not necessarily. If we find a way to defeat the Reapers, then they should return."
"But how are we to defeat them?"
"Nothing in the universe can destroy them...but there is one way."
"And that is?" Twilight asked.
"Heh...you know. Reapers are kind of like the polar opposites of Weeping Angels."
"Huh?"
"You see, paradoxes are poisonous to Weeping Angels, due to their primary food source being stable, linear, potential time energy. Paradoxes are what give Reapers power. If we somehow found a way to mend the wound, by getting rid of the paradox, then the Reapers would die."
"Paradoxes are poisonous to Weeping Angels and are power to Reapers. Interesting."
"But how are we to mend the paradox? What is the paradox anyway?" Derpy asked.
"Ah think we all know what it is," Applejack sighed as she looked over at her parents. The Doctor turned to Applejack and sat down next to her. "Ah didn't mean for all of this to happen."
"I know you meant well, Applejack. It was only human for you do that," the Doctor said.
"Human? What's that supposed to mean?"
The Doctor chuckled and smiled as he looked at Applejack.
"You know, you ponies seem to resemble humans more and more. Similar morals, similar beliefs, a similar stand on what's right and wrong, and even similar amounts of stubborn holiness. Brilliant you are. Both of you."
"What are you talking about, Doctor?"
"Sorry...just reliving old memories. I had a friend who did the exact same thing that you just did, Applejack."
"Was it Rose?" Twilight asked. "I remember you telling me that story about her and her father back when we visited the Castle of Equestria."
"You have a good memory, Twilight Sparkle. Almost as good as mine!"
"I know."
Twilight gave a forced smile which caused Derpy to giggle.
"So you've encountered the Reapers before?" Applejack asked.
"Yes. The last encounter wasn't fun. I was devoured," the Doctor replied.
"How did it all end? How were the Reapers defeated?"
"You see, Rose saved her father from dying. This allowed the Reapers to enter our universe. Her father was originally run over by a car (it's a human contraption and I'll explain more about it later) and that same car kept popping up out of nowhere. Pete, Rose's father, ran out and let himself get hit by the car. Thus the timeline was restored."
"So...are you saying that...in order for the Reapers to go away...my parents have to burn to death?"
"Sadly...yes."
Applejack lowered her head. She shook it before lifting it up again.
"Ah remember how everything originally played out. The fire was out of control and ah was horrified. Ah wanted to run in and save them but Big Mac held me down to keep me safe. Nopony ran in to save them. Somepony should have tried to save them. That's what made it all the worse when ah found out what had happened to them. Ah guess...that's another reason why ah saved them. Just so that somepony could be there to try and save them. So that my past self didn't feel that her parents, my parents, our parents died without any original chance of surviving in the first place."
She lowered her head again and wept. Her coat was still covered in soot and her mane was still messy. Rainbow Dash flew down and threw a towel at her.
"You might want to clean yourself off," chuckled the cyan pegasus.
"Well the soot acts as a somewhat useful disguise to prevent her family from recognizing her," said Derpy. "The last thing we need right now is more confusion amongst ourselves."
Applejack took the towel and pushed it aside. The Reapers screamed again. The Doctor looked through a crack in the wall, expecting to see a ghostly grain silo burning in the distance but...he saw nothing of the sort.
"That's strange," he said to himself as he backed up from the wall.
"What are we to do now?" Applejack the younger asked her parents.
"Ah don't know, sugarcube. Don't worry. We'll think of something!" Johnny replied. Emily knelt down and hugged her daughter.
"Listen to me, Applejack. Whatever happens, never forget that your father and I love you, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom with all our hearts. Never forget that!" she said.
"Ah won't, Momma," said Applejack the younger as she hugged her mother back. Applejack the younger turned towards her future self, her parents' savior, and began approaching her. The Doctor's heart skipped a beat. Normally a past and future self interacting with each other wouldn't be that catastrophic, but when there was a paradox going on and an army of Reapers was present that tends to make things more dangerous. Applejack the elder was sitting with her head drooped. Applejack the younger reached out one of her hooves. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Applejack! Don't touch her!" the Doctor yelled.
St. Markus Church, London, England, Earth, Autumn, 1987 A.D.
Rose sat silently as the the golden outline of the TARDIS slowly materialized in the center of the church. The Doctor was going to fix everything. She knew it. He was going to send the Reapers away, all of the people who died would return, and her father would remain alive. And, now, her father knew who she was. The Doctor sat next to Rose in silence.
Rose leaned in to the Doctor and asked, "When time gets sorted out-"
"Everybody here forgets what happened," the Doctor interrupted. "And don't worry. The thing you changed will stay changed."
"You mean I'll still be alive?" Pete Tyler asked. "Though, I'm meant to be dead. That's why I haven't done anything with my life. Why it didn't mean anything."
"It doesn't work like that."
"Rubbish. I was so useless I couldn't even die properly! Now it's my fault all of this has happened."
"This is my fault!" Rose argued.
"No, love. I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault."
Suddenly, Jackie approached them with baby Rose in her arms. She asked, "Her dad? How are you her dad?! How old were you?! Twelve?! Oh, that's disgusting!"
The Doctor rolled his eyes as he stood up and walked a few feet away.
"Jacks, listen. This is Rose," Pete said as he stood up.
"Rose?! How sick is that?! You give my daughter a second-hand name! How many are there?! Did you call them all Rose?!"
"Oh, for God's sake, look! It's the same Rose!"
Pete took the infant Rose and began handing it to the older Rose.
"Rose!" cried the Doctor as he ran for her.
Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 996 C.E.
Applejack the elder looked up as her younger self placed a hoof on her shoulder. A flash of golden light exploded from where the two Applejacks were situated. A Reaper materialized in the middle of the barn.
St. Markus Church, London, England, Earth, Autumn, 1987 A.D.
Rose held her infant self tightly in her arms. A flash of golden light exploded from where the two Roses were situated. A Reaper materialized in the middle of the church.
Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 996 C.E.
"Everypony get behind me!" the Doctor screamed as the Reaper stared down at them angrily.
"Applejack! What's happened to Applejack?!" Emily cried. The Doctor looked to where the two Applejacks were and nearly fainted from shock. Standing before him was a young, blonde girl in her late teens holding an infant wrapped comfortably in her arms. The girl looked around the barn with a mix of shock and surprise.
"Where am I?!" asked Rose Tyler. She looked at the chestnut, suited stallion before her. "Who are you?! What are you?! A horse?!"
The Doctor slowly approached Rose as the Reaper screamed from overhead. He said, "Rose...it's me. I'm the Doctor."
St. Markus Church, London, England, Earth, Autumn, 1987 A.D.
"Everybody get behind me!" the Doctor ordered as the Reaper stared down at them all hungrily.
"Where's Rose? What's happened to Rose?!" Pete asked. The Doctor looked and was surprised by what he saw. Standing before him was a pair of orange, female ponies with blonde manes. One was wearing a hat and was covered in soot.
"What happened?! Where are we?!" asked the 13-year-old Applejack. Jackie fainted at the sight of the pony before her speaking. The 19-year-old Applejack looked at the Doctor standing before her. She had never seen a human being before and didn't know what to think.
"Who are you?! What are you?!" Applejack the elder asked in shock. The Doctor awkwardly approached Applejack as the Reaper screamed from overhead.
"I'm the Doctor and I could ask you the same question," he replied.