//------------------------------//
// Mr. Tock and the Bubbles 
// Story: Sepia Tock: Adventures of the Ponyville Clockmaker 
// by CanvasWolfDoll 
//------------------------------//

“Well this is… odd…” Sepia said, observing the field of snow around the frozen pond. He stood at the edge, which was perfectly rounded. The field seemed to expand the closer he and Colgate got. “Let’s see. There’s snow, bare trees, and plenty of cloud coverage… It is certainly winter here.”
“Yes, I can see that.” Colgate remarked, “Thank you for vocalizing the obvious.” She prodded the snow as sepia back up inspecting the skies. Judging the coverage to be real enough, she walked to the lake, and tested that to, “You know, I might as well take this opportunity to do some midsummer ice skating.” She turned around and, to her shock, saw that the localized winter had spread over the entire town, and Sepia was oddly missing. “Sepia?” She called out.
She heard no reply.
“Sepia? Where’d you go? I can’t-” She interrupted herself with a gasp as Sepia materialized, galloping towards her.
“Colgate, what’s wrong?” he said.
“Turn around.” Colgate instructed.
Sepia turned completely around and saw the sudden shift in town season. “Wait there for a second.” He instructed Colgate, and galloped to where he entered, vanishing abruptly. After about half a minute, his disembodied head appeared, “Colgate, mind coming out?”
Colgate ran to where the head was, and was met with a sudden shift in terrain and temperature, “What is it?”
“I’m not sure.” Sepia answered “Mind standing here for a minute?” He began galloping around the parameter, vanishing around an unseen turn. “Can you hear me?” He shouted over to Colgate.
“Yes!” She called back.
“I can hear you too!” Colgate suddenly appeared at the other side of the pond. “How about now?”
“Yes, I can hear you!” Colgate responded.
“I didn’t hear a response. Can you hear me?” Sepia tried again, and waited to hear a reply. He galloped around the pond, and towards where Colgate should be, soon finding himself back in summer. He faced his assistant. “You could hear me in there, right?”
“Yes.” Colgate answered, “So, what did you find?”
“It seems to be a bubble.” Colgate answered, “Some sort of winter bubble.”
“What should we do?” Colgate asked anxiously.
Sepia shrugged, “I don’t know, not my department.” He walked off towards his shop, “If it’s an actual issue, I’m sure Twilight and friends will fix it. For now, I think I’ll just turn in early. Good night, Colgate.”
Colgate continued to stare at the winter bubble, “Good night, Sepia.”

Sepia was awoken by a rapid pounding on his front door. He stifled a yawn as he checked a clock. It was a little past midnight. He grumbled as went to answer the door, eyes screwed shut. “What is it?”
“They’re time bubbles.” The late night caller said, “They’re all over town. We need you, Doctor.”
Sepia slammed the door shut. “It’s too late for this.” He began to walk back upstairs, when another, less intense knocking started. Sepia sighed, and answered the door again, “Colgate?”
“Hey, Sepia… I’ve lost track, what time is it?” Colgate said, trying to look at the clocks in the darken storefront.
“It’s 1:07.” Sepia said, pausing briefly considering the previous guest, “Night after we found the snow bubble.”
“Oh good, I’m back in my home time.” Colgate said, “Bubbles are popping up everywhere, and they aren’t all winter.”
“Okay…” Sepia said, motioning Colgate to enter, “How bad is it?”
“Can’t say for sure. The bubbles are placed erratically in time. Ponies are getting lost, appearing in places twice, it’s all very weird.” Colgate followed Sepia into the kitchen, “On the way over, I passed through things that already happened. I saw the reintroduction of Luna twice.”
Sepia sat down at the kitchen table, “Okay, time bubbles are popping up everywhere.” He rubbed his tired eyes, “So, what do we do about it?”
Colgate shrugged, “I think it might be best to try and get everyone gathered in a non-bubbled area.”
“Where would that be?”
Colgate paused for a moment, “I don’t know. I’m suspecting the Everfree forest, but…”
Sepia rubbed his forehead, “Anyone already on trying to repair this?”
“Twilight and company have already gone off to try and solve it.” Colgate answered, moving to make coffee.
“How long ago was that?” Sepia said, chasing the final signs of tiredness from his mind.
Colgate gave the clockmaker a look, “Time is breaking at the seams. As far as I know, they could’ve been gone for five minutes; they might be three years away.”
“Right, right…” Sepia apologized, “Sorry, stupid question.”
“Lyra, BonBon, and Carrot are off trying to round up everyone from our time and gather them in a space spot.” Colgate said.
“How proactive.” Sepia said, “I’m guessing they sent you to retrieve Doctor Whoof.”
“Maybe…”
“Right.” Sepia lapped up some of the coffee Colgate poured for him, “Well, so far it seems my workshop is untouched. Why don’t we gather everyone here until either it’s compromised or the issue is resolved.”
“We can’t fit the whole town in the store.” Colgate answered.
“The library might work.” Sepia suggested
“It’s in the middle of a bubble.” Colgate replied, “One of Pinkie’s parties.”
“Everfree forest then?”
“Everfree forest.” Colgate confirmed.
Sepia stretched as he stood back up, “Right. Tell you what, why don’t you go on ahead, and I’ll catch up after I finish sleeping.”
Colgate gave Sepia a look.
“You’re not Fluttershy, that’s not going to work.”
Colgate kept staring.
Sepia was beginning to feel uncomfortable. “I was joking, let’s go… bubble… traveling…”
Colgate nod victoriously. “Come on then.”
Sepia sighed, “Let me just get my saddlebags. There’s a thermos in that cabinet if you want to bring some hot drinks.”
~ - ~
Stepping out into the chronologically challenged town was very disconcerting for the Clockmaker. While above, the moon glowed in its calming manner, the skies holding it a comforting dark blue, here and there it was disrupted by a rounded orb of daylight, which contrasted sharply, though its light seemed to be restrained to its personal bubble, none radiating outward to the surrounding area; size inconsistent between the bubbles. In one direction, the telltale smoke clouds of a sleeping dragon where impending; while in another direction, a crowd was forming for one of Rarity’s fashion shows. “So… time bubbles…” Sepia glanced around the bubbles, “I wonder how far back they go.”
“Sepia.” Colgate said, “It doesn’t matter. What matters is, they’re disrupting our lives.”
“Well, yes, certainly.” Sepia replied, “However, one must always look for the silver lining.”
“Sepia.” Colgate said, “Don’t mess with time. Promise me.”
“We don’t even know if these really take us back in time, or if they’re just delusions.” Sepia responded, “It shouldn’t hurt to try...”
“Sepia.” Colgate once again said, her voice edged with absolute no-nonsense, “Leave Doctor Whoof alone.”
“Fine…” Sepia rolled his eyes.
“Look at me,” Colgate said, “and promise.”
Sepia looked into Colgate’s eye, which lacked any sort of humor, “Colgate, you know me better than that.” Sepia gave her a reassuring smile. While it wasn’t nearly as warm and comforting as Soarin’s, Colgate nevertheless accepted it. “So, a circuit of the town, then meet up in the Everfree Forest?”
“That shouldn’t be necessary. The girls’ are on it.” Colgate said.
Sepia took this into consideration, “I think, perhaps, it might be a good idea to double check their work.”
Colgate gave Sepia a knowing look, “You really want to play in the bubbles, don’t you?”
“You got to on the way here.” Sepia defended himself, “Plus, I want to see if I can find a way to mess with Hoity Toity’s mane…”
“No messing with time.” Colgate reminded her boss.
Sepia nodded, “Okay, I’ll leave him be.” He trotted off to the fashion show, “I’ll meet up with you at the Everfree forest!”
“Race you there!” Colgate replied, going a separate direction.
Sepia smiled to himself and entered the crowd, and waited for the show to begin.
~ - ~
It was a fun experience, Sepia decided, moving through the crowds, re-experiencing past events, laughing witnessing the major event from a new direction and perspective. He also noticed the occasional pony doing the same as he, and carefully approached the duplicates to best ascertain who belong there chronologically, and who was sitting through a second showing. Each fellow bubble burster he found, he reiterated the plan, diplomatically used his position in town myth, and began the careful pilgrimage. What was beginning to worry him was when someponies appeared in greater numbers than two, but he decided to file the oddity under “Mystery for another day”.
The second collapse of Rarity’s reputation was more amusing the second time, as this time he knew of the ending. His plans to remain undetected was jeopardized when he suddenly found himself roped into assisting in the Winter Wrap-up a second time, but he managed to get through it without raising suspicion. The song was enjoyable as the first time.
Sepia made sure to make a special trip to Luna’s reintroduction. He watched Celestia announced how all was well now, and he considered taking a moment to reach out to the Moon Princess. No, got to keep continuity in check. So he merely stood back, and then quietly snuck out of that particular bubble, and straight into the marketplace of the past.
Merchants were announcing their wares as he trotted through. There wasn’t a crowd to blend into, but still, if he didn’t draw attention to himself, it should be fine. Except for a minor hiccup in the plan.
“You sir, care t' buy some apples?” Apple Bloom asked hopefully.
“No thanks.” Sepia replied, trying his best to exit the encounter.
“Why not?” Apple Bloom asked, suddenly springing from a cart of carrots.
“I have plenty at home.” Sepia lied, backing away. Truth be told, he was out of apples, and had kept meaning to replenish his supply, but he didn’t want to cause a paradox.
“Are you sure?” Apple Bloom, now behind him, pressed.
“Yes I'm pretty sure I...” Sepia had never been so frightened by such a small filly, if only due to her odd mastery of silent teleportation.
“You're pretty sure, but you're not absolutely positively completely super-duper sure, are you?” Apple Bloom tried.
“Y...ah...” Sepia stumbled, and decided upon a diplomatic route, “If I buy some apples, will you please leave me alone?”
“Aaal-right!” Apple Bloom was finally satisfied.
Sepia quickly threw some bit to Applejack, took an apple in his mouth, and fled as quickly as his hooves would take him.
“You forgot your change!” Applejack called after him.
No more of this, time to get to the others. Sepia thought, the market now in a few bubbles back. He decided to just keep the gallop, and just hoped it wouldn’t cause issues to abandon caution.
Finally, he jumped from the finally bubble into the night darkened Everfree Forest. “What took you?” Colgate greeted him with a triumphant smile, then took a suspicious glance at the apple.
Sepia gobbled it up, spitting out bit s of the core, “Unavoidable purchase.” He explained, “Won’t happen again.” He said with a nervous smile.
Colgate smirked to herself and turned to the tightly grouped ponies, “Alright, everypony, Doctor Whoof is here. I want you to give him your absolute and complete attention.”
“I am not-” 
Colgate kneed him, “Time and place, Sepia, time and place.” She whispered through clench teeth.
“Fine” he gritted back, then took a commanding pose, “Hello everypony, I’m who you call Doctor Whoof. Now, if this were any other day, I would be doing my darnest to correct that, but in light of recent…” He paused, look at the bubbles, “whatever this is, I’ll take the false role, if only to provide comfort in terrifying times.”
The crowd blinked at Sepia.
Sepia blinked back, “Anyways, as I see it, it’s like this: time is repeating erratically, everyone’s scared, and the ponies we usually let handle this haven’t shown yet. Scary stuff.” Sepia began to pace, “As such, here are some simple rules: stay out of the bubbles as much as possible. We’re not sure to their nature or impact on history. Second, if you cannot avoid travel by bubble, do not go alone. When in the bubble, travel through large groups, and, for Celestia’s sake, don’t talk to yourself. It may sound like a fun experiment, comparing notes about yourself, seeing how’ve you changed, reminiscing, but (trust me on this) you’ll just end up hating yourself.” He paused his pacing, “Now, if you find anything out about what is happening, please don’t keep quiet. Share the information. Next order of business, we should plot the bubbles, and find out what’s what. Also, Princess Celestia. We probably should contact Princess Celestia.” He turned to Colgate, lowering his volume, “Mind handling that? Derpy should be able to make the trip.” Upon Colgate’s acknowledgement, he went back to commanding the civilians, “Now, I’ll need some good, strong fliers  (Scootaloo, put your hoof down) to fly to the surrounding towns and see how wide spread this is.”
The air suddenly took on an odd texture, and the colors around Sepia seemed to lose hue. The ponies around him were no longer moving. Well, this isn’t good. He thought.
“Having fun, Doctor?” a voice whispered in his ear.
Sepia turned his head to face the challenger. There was empty air.
“Oh, watch the Doctor, desperately trying to sort this all out.” The voice said in his other ear.
“Who are you?” Sepia asked angrily.
The voice laughed, “Well, if you’re Doctor Whoof, I guess you could call me… Master Ragnarok.” It took a sinister edge with the name.
“You do realize Doctor is a higher degree than Master, right?”
“Oh, but it sounds so much more threatening, doesn’t it?” The voice whispered from a point behind Sepia’s head.
“Why don’t you show yourself, you coward?” Sepia yelled, growing tired of the game.
A polite cough volunteered itself from the crowd.
“Uh… excuse that.” Sepia said, “Just had an odd episode.
The crowd seemed to accept this.
“Anyways, flyers to surrounding area, and see how high the bubbles go, and if they dome. Unicorns, try to see if you can do anything through magic. Earth ponies.” Sepia paused at earth ponies, “I’m not going to lie, I’m not entirely certain what to have you do, so just sit tight. Once we’re done with the initial investigation, I suggest we try our best to go back to our normal lives.” He sighed, “Out of curiosity, anyone here know of a Master Ragnarok?”
The crowd shook their heads.
“I guessed as much.” Sepia muttered, “Alright then, we’ve got our jobs. We’ll stay here until the break of day our time. Any objections?”
There were no objections.
“Good then, let’s get to it.”
The crowd look expectantly at their hero.
Sepia gave them an uncomfortable smile.
Colgate whispered a suggestion in his ear.
“You’re joking.” He whispered back.
Colgate shook her head.
Sepia Tock sighed. He took a dramatic stance, balancing on his back legs.
“Allon-sy!"