"Doctor who?" Elusive asked.
"Oh no, just, the Doctor." He smiled. "Now, first things first. How did you get on the TARDIS? At the moment, we are traveling in the middle of space and time- wait, did you just speak? Talking equines! Fantastic! That's not something you see everyday! And you also have both unicrorns and pegasi in your company along with regular equines! Absolutely fantastic!"
Bubble Berry replied, "Why of course we talk, silly! We are ponies after all!"
The Doctor exclaimed. "I have never seen talking ponies before! It's fascinating! And you," He pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and scanned Duskshine. "you are some form of unicorn-pegasus hybrid. A unisus? No, pegacorn! No! A pegaunisiscorn!"
The Alicorn stood still as he was scanned and spoke. "That would be an alicorn. And what do mean you've never seen a talking pony? You are one!"
"Ha! I'm not a-" He examined himself for the first time since his regeneration. "Well! What do you know! Hooves! I have hooves! And a tail!" He spun around a few times to see his tail. "Ha! A mane! Brilliant! And these ears, I've had better. And... what's this?" He pushed his lower jaw out a little to see it. "Herbivore teeth. That's weird. Now, where were we? Ah yes! How did you get here?"
Bubble Berry answered as the Doctor began scanning again. "We just walked in. Just a push and, here we are!"
The Doctor groaned, "I told Donna to lock the door before she left! I told her!" Then, he paused, as a sad expression washed over his face. "...I'm sorry... I am so sorry..."
Duskshine spoke up. "I have so many questions... I guess I'll start with what is a TARDIS, and why are you apologizing?"
The Doctor replied. "TARDIS stands for 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space'. It's a time machine."
Bubble Berry's eyes grew wide and shimmered. "A TIME TRAVELER!"
Duskshine interjected. "But that's impossible! What are you?!? It takes immense amount of magic to break the walls of time and space!"
The Doctor smiled. "It's not impossible, just very unlikely!" Then he frowned. "I am a Timelord of the planet Gallifrey in the constellation Kasterborous. The last of the Timelords, in fact..." He paused.
"Does that mean... you're all alone?" Berry asked. The Doctor remained silent.
"So, you can travel across time and between dimensions?" Duskshine asked, breaking the silence.
The Doctor solemnly replied. "Just across time. The secrets of traveling dimensions died with my people. We were never meant to cross dimensions. Only a few times such as this has there been a power flux in the time vortex sending the TARDIS off course into a different dimension. Once we leave a parallel dimension, there's no going back... I am so sorry... I never did catch your names by the way."
Duskshine smiled. "We were not meant to be in that dimension anyway! I used a magic spell that didn't go so well. My name is Twilight Sparkle."
The Doctor looked at his Sonic Screwdriver. "Hmm. How long ago did you use the spell? And, according to these readings, your name is not Twilight Sparkle."
Duskshine replied. "I don't know, about... thirty minutes ago, why? And what do mean I am not Twilight Sparkle?"
"OF COURSE!" The Doctor yelled. "Why didn't I see this before?!? Your spell mixed with the power of the time vortex, which sent both you and the TARDIS here! It makes so much sense! As for your names, from these readings," he pointed his Sonic Screwdriver from one pony to the next, saying, "you are Duskshine, Bubble Berry, Elusive, Rainbow Blitz, Butterscotch, and Applejack."
Duskshine looked worried. "How can that be? Did we do more than just traveling to another dimension? Did it change who we are?"
"I don't know." The Doctor replied. "I'm sure it will be fine. WELL... I'm sure it will work out in due time."
Berry gasped. "I just had an idea! Doctor, you can travel across all time and all worlds, right?
He replied. "As long as it's not time locked, yes."
Berry walked over and whispered something in the Timelord's ear.
"Well, I don't see why not!" The Doctor shouted. He leaped to the controls of the TARDIS, pushing levers and pressing buttons until the machine made a strange sound and everything began shaking. When it stopped, the Doctor motioned at the door and smiled. Berry grabbed Rainbow Blitz and and said, "Come on Dashie!"
"Where are we going?" The cyan colt squirmed.
"To greet an old friend!" Berry exclaimed as they opened the door of the TARDIS. When they did, they found they were in a hospital room with a human with purple hair lying in the hospital bed.
The human looked at the two ponies that had just left the blue box with an expression of confusion, then a smile spread across her face. "PINKIE PIE! RAINBOW DASH!"
"Is that you, Rika?" Bubble Berry asked.
"Yes! It's me! Rika Furude! I was in Ponyville just a few months ago, remember?" Rika answered.
"It is you!" Berry smiled as he and Rainbow Blitz walked over and hugged their friend.
"You look and sound really different." Rika commented. "Almost as if you became males in the time I was gone. And what is that blue box?"
"Yeah, those are long stories." Berry started.
Blitz interrupted. "It was Twilight's fault. But that's not important. How have you been? Did you ever find that 'happiness' you were looking for?"
Rika looked at her lap. "Not yet. I have already died three more times... I fear my power to be reborn is running out... But seeing you two has given me hope. This time is different! I know it! I WILL defeat fate! But, how is Twilight Sparkle? I was in her body, so I know of nothing after Nightmare Moon impaled my shoulder."
Berry smiled. "I hope it goes well. And yes, she- or he- is okay. You caused quite a ruckus back in Ponyville when you killed Nightmare Moon, you kno-"
There was gasp. Berry and Blitz turned to see Duskshine with a distraught expression on his face standing in the TARDIS doorway with the Doctor.
The Doctor spoke. "I think we need to go..."
"What's wrong?" Rika asked, confused.
Berry answered. "Dunno."
Rika's face drowned with sadness. "...Will I see you again?"
Berry looked down. "...Dunno."
He and Rainbow Blitz began walking towards the TARDIS.
"Pinkie, Rainbow," Rika breathed.
"Yeah?" They turned and replied in unison.
"I never got to thank you for believing in me so... thank you." Rika said.
The colts nodded and walked into the TARDIS and shut the doors. Silence filled the room.
"Now," the Doctor broke the silence, "let's put you all back in your world, shall we?"
As he started pulling levers and pressing buttons, Duskshine exploded. "HOW COULD YOU?!? You said nothing happened that day! You said you found her dead!"
"Twilight..." Rainbow Blitz started.
"NO!" Duskshine yelled. "Not only was Luna killed, but it was done with someone in MY body! How did she even get in my body anyway?!?"
Berry tried to console her. "I don't know, but Rika had to kill her! Nightmare Moon took over Luna again and she was going to try to retake Equestria! You have to believe me!"
"How can I?" Duskshine seethed.
Rainbow Blitz placed a hoof on his shoulder. "We were both there. We saw it."
"But you LIED to our faces!" Duskshine fumed.
The Doctor interjected. "Don't be so hard on them, Duskshine. They were only trying to protect those they cared about."
The TARDIS shook violently. When it stopped, Duskshine calmed down and sighed. "I guess I can't say anything more. What choice do I have but to believe you? Now, Doctor, you never did explain how you became a pony."
He replied. "Regeneration. A little trick Timelords use to cheat death. Usually I'm a humanoid after regenerating, but I guess this is new. Hmm. Nine hundred years old and still finding surprises. Now," he flipped a lever, and something cracked. "What?!? Nonono!" He paused to look at the machinery. "Well. That's not good..."
"What happened?" Duskshine asked.
The Doctor replied, "It seems when I brought us back to this dimension, it took A LOT of power. We are now stuck one thousand years in your land's- Equestria, was it called?- past, at least for the time being while the TARDIS rests."
Duskshine's eyes widened. "That's when Discord invaded for the first time and Celestia and Luna began ruling!"
The Doctor's eyes lit up. "Fantastic! Sounds fun. Well, what are you waiting for? Allons-Y!" He said as he grabbed his trench coat and ran out of the TARDIS. Duskshine and his friends just stood still with confusion on their faces. The Doctor peeked his head back into the TARDIS and said, "It's french. For 'Let's go'."
They all said "OOHHHH!" and followed the Timelord.