After the whirring sound cleared from Applejack's ears, she shook her head to fully clear it and then opened her eyes. She was still inside the TARDIS. That was good. Looking toward the doors, the Doctor and Derpy were already waiting for her. "Well come on then," said the Doctor. "If I've managed to land us in the right spot, then we should be in Appleloosa. I wonder if my hat is still here." He then turned the lock on the door and stepped outside. Derpy followed him immediately.
The Doctor popped his head back in for a second. "Oh and, I'm sure you'll be wanting your hat back too." Hearing this, Applejack ran out the TARDIS doors as soon as she reached them.
She stepped out into the stallions bathroom in the local pub. She could tell it was a stallion's bathroom because of the smell. Before anypony could notice the odd group, they slipped out the doors and tried to blend in with the rest of the ponies in the place.
Doing an about face, the Doctor handed Applejack an odd key. It looked like a normal one, except it had a small electronic chip on one side. "That," began the stallion, "is a perception filter. It makes it hard for anypony to notice you. As long as you don't attract attention to yourself and you stick to the shadows, you'll be fine. That key is also a TARDIS key. It's only on loan to you temporarily in case you need to get inside in emergencies."
"Thanks Doc," said Applejack, extremely grateful for what could end of being a life-saving gift.
"Now to get our hats back," said the Doctor. With that, he grabbed Derpy and Applejack by their hooves and began to pull them through the crowd of ponies in the bar. Before they exited through the swinging double doors, the Doctor once again warned Applejack. "Remember, that perception filter will only work if you stay unnoticed. Don't draw attention to yourself unless absolutely necessary." With that, he brought them through the double doors and onto the platform that served as the bar's deck.
"Hey Doctor! I think I found the hat shop!" said Derpy excitedly, pointing to a building that looked like it had a bowler hat for a roof. Now it was Derpy's turn to pull. She began to drag Applejack and the Doctor through the middle of the street.
"Derpy, stop!" said the Doctor through gritted teeth. "Remember Applejack's perception filter. We have to stay inconspicuous."
"Oh right. Sorry Doctor." The mare then let go of Applejack's and the Doctor's hooves.
Applejack had nothing to say at the moment. She was still shocked at their teleportation. Other than through magic, she had no idea something like it was possible. The distance surprised her even more.
When they finally arrived at the hat store, the Doctor rushed to the display window with the look of a child's in his eyes. He grabbed his big blue top hat and rejoined the mares. "You'd better get yours too Applejack. We can't stay here long. Even though you know your cousin here and some of the townspeople, they may still sell you out."
"And what the hay is that supposed to mean? These ponies are like family to me. They wouldn't sell me out for te-te-te-ten thousand bits?" She finally noticed the wanted poster in the hat shop that was next to the counter. The sign clearly read, "Wanted DEAD or ALIVE! Apple 'The Hurricane' Jack wanted for murder in the first degree. A reward of 10,000 bits will be presented to the person that brings in this terrible criminal." A picture in black and white of the orange work horse was the center piece to the flyer.
Quickly, the Doctor pulled Applejack into a corner away from the window and the cashier. "Well, that's not good," said the time traveler. "We've gotta get you out of here. That's insane though. We only teleported you here. We didn't travel through time, did we?" Rubbing his head with his hoof, he realized his mistake. He had pounded an extra button with his mallet during the teleport. That must have triggered the extra temporal shift! "Okay then, maybe I did hit an extra button. I'm sorry, but when I see button I just have to press it," he said, noticing the mares' expressions. "Hurry and find your hat, Applejack. Then, we have to go."
She simply nodded her head, afraid to even make a noise. She then began to browse the few isles that were in the small shop. After searching for a few minutes, she found her exact hat. Some one at the jail must have brought it back here to sell it! It even had the smell of apples still in it! She handed it to the Doctor who took it and his own hat up to the counter to pay for it.
"So, have you heard?" said the cashier in a gruff voice. "They say this Hurricane character broke outa jail and she's comin' this way."
"Well, I'll keep my eye out for her," said the Doctor, using his psychic paper in the form of a credit card. He picked up the hats off the counter, putting his on and putting Applejack's in a bag. "Thanks."
Derpy took hold of Applejack as she saw the Doctor leaving the store. They followed him out and they regrouped in a nearby alley. "Okay Applejack. Here's your hat," said the Doctor, tossing it through the air. Applejack caught it on her head. She straightened it, then nodded to the Doctor, a smile on her face.
"Now, we need to find out how to clear your name. We could go back in time to the shooting. The only problem is that if you get seen by your past self, it could destroy the fabric of space and time. Unless, you remember seeing your past self. Do you?"
Applejack had to think for a moment, but she finally came up with an answer. "Eeynope."
"Well that settles that," continued the Doctor. "I guess we'll just have to find evidence some other way. However, there's still another problem. Derpy and I are stuck in your dimension. While we need to get back to ours, we can't risk meeting ourselves in this one. It won't hurt the multiverse, but we can't risk the other me slowing us down by trying to talk to us. Think Applejack. Were there any cameras in the bar? Any sort of recording device?"
"Not that Ah know of. Ah just watched a few people get murdered and ran."
"Okay, here's what we'll do," replied the Doctor. "Derpy, go to the bar." He handed her one of his patented 'Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey' teleporters. "I need you to search for recording devices. Search in the corners of the ceiling as well as around the bar itself. If you find anything, let me know immediately. Meanwhile, Applejack and I will try to work on the TARDIS to get it ready to fly back to our dimmension."
"Whoa. Hold yer horses there Doctor. I'm not good with that fancy shmancy tech ya got in that machine. How can I help you?"
"Yeah," said Derpy. "And why am I searching the bar?"
"It's rather simple actually. Applejack can't get noticed near the crime scene. Even with her perception filter, she will get seen immediately because the police are searching for her specifically. Remember how the filters work? Your invisible as long as no one is specifically trying to find you."
"Ohhhh," said Applejack and Derpy at the same time.
"Well then, off we go." As soon as he finished his sentence, the Doctor began to walk back toward the pub that the group had originated from. He and Applejack stepped inside and made their way to the bathrooms, trying their best not to be noticed. They slipped inside the TARDIS and disappeared from sight.
Inside, the Doctor moved up to the big console in the middle and then pulled out his sonic screw driver out of his 'pocket'. He began to push a few buttons on the console and used the sonic screw driver on parts of it. It made an odd noise as he swept the metallic item across the surface of the console, its green light shining from its end.
"So uh, Doctor? What do ya need me for?"
"Well that's simple Applejack. I need your brute force." This answer surprised her.
"But what could ya need somethin' like that for in this high-tech place?"
"I need you to do something very dangerous that even a Time Lord should never do. I need you to open the heart of the TARDIS. The time vortex." Just the words 'time vortex' sent chills down Applejack's spine, though she couldn't explain them. "The last time I absorbed the energy from it, it killed me and I regenerated."
"But if it killed you, then how the hay are you standin' here?"
"Like I said, I regenerated. It's a life process for Time Lords where we completely change our face and our personality. We change our entire cellular make up and essentially, we die. However, since we change our cells, our body stays alive. Really the only difference is the change in personality."
"So why'd you go absorbin' that time vortex if it's so dangerous?"
A look of sadness found its way into the Doctor's eyes. "I did it to protect one of my previous companions. She absorbed it first and it would've killed her had I not stepped in." He shook his head a little to dispel the thought. "Any who, I've developed a suit that will protect you from its radiation and its influence. All ya gotta do is kick the console hard enough to force the emergency override of the seal. Shouldn't be too hard for you." Stepping away from the console, the Doctor walked through a door way to the side of the room. He soon returned with a plastic-like suit.
Applejack took the suit and slipped it on, making sure to vacuum seal the ends so that none of the radiation would hit her. "OK Applejack. Are you ready?"
"Ready as Ah'll ever be."
"Okay then. Give 'er a kick!" With that, Applejack bucked the console as hard as she could. She felt it come loose a bit. Again. Again. Again. She bucked once more with all she had and the console opened up. Inside she saw it. The time vortex. It was beautiful. The way it shifted and bent was hypnotic. She began to move toward it without any self control. As she put her hoof out to try and touch the swirling mass, she was tackled to the floor. Getting a hold of her conscious, she looked to see her attacker. The Doctor was on top of her, holding her down with a serious look in her eyes. Getting off, he stood up on his hind legs and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, pointing it at the time vortex. A few explosions could be seen within the great spinning expanse, and eventually the console shut itself.
"Whew," sighed the Doctor. "Well that was interesting. Good job though. You did excellent. Good. For you. Yeah." His speech came in short, quick breaths.
"Uh, Doctor? Are you feelin' OK? Ya seem a bit, wobbly." The Doctor finally looked at himself. He could see he was shaking and he noticed sweat running down his face. He then felt a terrible sensation in his body that was too familiar. One that he hoped he would never feel again, yet he knew it would inevitably come back. It always did.
Looking down at his hooves, he noticed the familiar yellow glow of a regeneration cycle. He looked up at Applejack with a sad look in his eyes.
"Doctor? What's happenin' to you?"
"I'm regenerating," he said with deep sadness in his voice. "I must have absorbed too much radiation off of the time vortex." He suddenly convulsed in pain, falling to the ground then picking himself back up. "I'm about to change into a new man. I won't be the same. Maybe I'll be more stern or maybe I'll be crazy. I just hope I'll still have leg- AAaggghhh!"
His sentence was cut short as the golden glow intensified, engulfing his whole body with its brilliant light. Applejack could feel the energy in waves bouncing off of her suit. She was deeply scared for her new friend, and she hoped nothing bad would happen to him.
When all the energy finally cleared, he fell to the ground. He still looked the same. Same mane style, same cutie mark. He still wasn't ginger, that was for sure. Nothing about him had changed whatsoever. He slowly pulled himself up off the ground, groaning.
"Oh jeez, my head," he said as he rubbed it with his hoof. "Wait a minute," he said to himself. Even his voice still sounded the same. "I'm still me. I know I am. Ha ha! I guess I didn't fully regenerate! Yes! This is magnificent!" He began to run around the console with extreme joy.
Applejack slipped off her suit while he was running around. "Oh, you wonderful body you!" he yelled, patting himself on the back. "OK! I'm OK! Oh thank god I didn't fully regenerate."
Applejack just stared at him like he was crazy.
"Alrighty then. Back to business. The TARDIS is re-calibrated so it can travel between this dimension and my original one. Or at least, my original pony dimension." Applejack titled her head in confusion on that last sentence. "So now, all that's left to do is help you out. Derpy should be back here relatively soon."
Then came a knock on the TARDIS doors.