Chapter 4: The Curse of Colgate
Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 930 C.E.
Twilight awoke with a loud yawn. She was happy that Annie had allowed her and Pinkie Pie to spend the night in the farmhouse and the couch had proved to be surprisingly comfortable. The morning sunlight was pouring in through the nearby window and it covered the room in a warm, loving glow. Twilight turned over to see that Pinkie Pie was still asleep in her little bed of sheets, pillows, and quilts on the floor. She quietly got up and made her way over to the nearby coffee table. Twilight had written a letter to the Doctor the previous night after coming in from watching the meteors. She picked the piece of paper up and silently read it.
Doctor,
Pinkie Pie and I have been mysteriously sent back in time. We are at Sweet Apple Acres and the date in which I am writing this letter is October 5, 930 C.E. If you get this letter, Pinkie and I would appreciate it if you could use the TARDIS to give us a lift back to our time. I pray to Celestia that we'll see each other again soon.
Sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle
It was a simple enough letter. After rereading it a couple more times to check over for any grammatical errors, she sealed it into an envelope and placed it neatly on the center of the table. "Now I've just got to talk to Annie about this," Twilight said under her breath.
Just then, Annie burst into the room. She was bouncing up and down like a child who had just heard that they were going to the toy store. "The zap apples are coming! The harvest is beginning!" she cheered happily as she bounded outside.
"Wait! Annie! I need to ask a favor!" Twilight called but the farmmare was too excited to pay any attention.
"Come on, Twilight!" cheered Pinkie Pie as she unexpectedly grabbed onto Twilight's hooves. "We don't want to miss the beginning of the harvest!"
Twilight yelped as Pinkie tugged her with all her might through the front door. The two mares were instantly hit with a powerful gust of wind upon stepping outside. The blue morning sky was quickly filled with thick, dark storm clouds. Annie, Map Maker, Golden String, and the other members of Annie's family were already outside and preparing to start the harvest. Lightning and raindrops fell to the ground around the zap apple trees and made the ground shake something fierce. Through the dark clouds, Twilight caught a few glimpses of small rays of white light. A few minutes of this passed before the clouds hastily dispersed, leaving a massive rainbow standing high above the orchard. Bursts of electricity coursed throughout the trees and Twilight's and Pinkie's eyes grew as the gray apples magically transformed into the rainbow striped, ripe zap apples. "Yeehaw!" cried an ecstatic Annie as she jumped high into the air. "Them zap apples are ready to be picked!"
Annie, her family, and Map Maker grabbed a series of barrels and marched into the orchard to begin harvesting the apples. "Ooh! That was so exciting!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced up and down.
"Yes, but I think now's the time for us to be getting home," said Twilight as she presented the envelope to Pinkie Pie.
"What's that?"
"A letter to the Doctor."
"Oh! So...how are you going to get it to him?"
"I've got an idea." Twilight turned towards Annie and waved her hoof in the air. "Hey, Annie! Can I ask you something?"
"Sure thing!" replied Annie as she made her way over to where Twilight and Pinkie were standing. "Whatcha need?"
"I need you to do a small favor for me."
"Sure. What's the-" Annie fell silent and proceeded to freeze in place. "What in tarnation?"
Twilight noticed that Annie was focused on something behind her. She and Pinkie turned around to see a patch of air a few feet away from them rippling like a pond in a thunderstorm. The electrical sparks and rainbow beams of the zap apples were moving about the rippling spot of air. "Twilight, is that what I think it is?!" asked Pinkie Pie.
"Yeah...it is," Twilight gulped.
"What are y'all going on about? What is that?!" asked Annie. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and something fell out of the rift, which proceeded to quickly disappear. When the light faded away, Twilight and Pinkie gasped. Standing before them was a stone pegasus with its wings extended, its teeth gnashing, and its pupiless eyes glaring angrily at them. "And what the hay is that?"
Pinkie Pie and Twilight widened their eyes as they took a few steps back. They then simultaneously replied to Annie by saying, "Don't blink!"
Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
Donna kicked the snow off her shoes as she entered the library with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity close behind her. She quickly looked for any sign of the Doctor or the mysterious Colgate but the only inhabitants of the library were Derpy and Spike. "Oh! Rarity! Rainbow Dash! Applejack! Fluttershy!" gasped Derpy. "I see you've met Donna."
"Yeah, we've met her. Hey Derpy. Nice to see you're well and good," said Rainbow Dash quickly as she flew over to Derpy, gave her a wing bump, and began zipping around the library like a bee.
"What's going on?"
"Has the Doctor and a mare named Colgate come by here?" asked Applejack.
"No. It's just been Spike and I since Twilight left," Derpy replied.
"Twilight's gone? Where's she gone off to?" Rarity asked.
"A walk, but she's been gone for some time," Spike replied.
"Oh my, that's not good. We could really use her help right about now," said Fluttershy.
"What's wrong?" Derpy asked.
"There's a Weeping Angel in Ponyville!" said Rainbow Dash. Derpy and Spike gasped simultaneously.
"Uh...what's a Weeping Angel?" Donna asked.
"What?! The Doctor never told you about them?!" asked Rarity.
"No. Never heard of them."
"Basically, they're statues that move when you're not looking at them," said Applejack.
"Yeah! And they can send you back in time if they touch you!" stated Rainbow Dash.
"They sound like a friendly bunch," Donna said sarcastically.
"So where's the Doctor?" Derpy asked.
"We got separated at Sugarcube Corner when the Angel attacked," Fluttershy replied.
Rainbow Dash looked outside at the small snowstorm that was blowing through town. "Where the hay did this snowstorm come from?" she asked.
"Twilight should definitely be back by now," said Spike. "She wouldn't stay out in a snowstorm."
"Well ain't this a pickle. Twilight's off somewhere, Pinkie's up and disappeared, there's a Weeping Angel wandering through town, and that strange mare is at the center of all of it," said Applejack.
Just then, the door to the library opened and the Doctor and Colgate ran inside. "Lock the door!" cried Colgate.
"Already on it!" said the Doctor as he slammed the door behind him and hastily locked it. "Besides, I think we lost our dear stalker in the snow."
"It won't be long until he finds us again. It won't be long until he finds me!"
Donna suddenly cleared her throat and the Doctor and Colgate turned their attention to Donna and the others. "Oh! Hello everypony...and Donna!" said the Doctor.
"I think I speak for everypony here when I say this: answers, please, now!" Donna stated sharply.
Rainbow Dash flew up to Colgate and eyed her closely. "Yeah! You could start by explaining as to why a freaking Weeping Angel is chasing after you!" snapped the pegasus.
"I don't know! I don't even know what a Weeping Angel is!" Colgate snapped back. Rainbow Dash continued to eye Colgate suspiciously.
"Colgate, you were explaining something to me before the Weeping Angel, your stalker, appeared," said the Doctor. "You said, if I remember correctly, that this curse of yours has turned you into a...murderer. Could you elaborate on that?"
Colgate sat down and wrapped her forelegs around her head. "I can't help it. I can't control it! It just...happens!" she cried.
"What happens?"
The Doctor tried to place a hoof on Colgate to comfort her but she slid away. "Don't touch me! If you do, you'll die too! You'll die like the others!" Tears were beginning to form in the mare's eyes. "You wanna know what this curse does to me?! I'll tell you! Sometimes, especially when I'm experiencing a really powerful emotion, when I touch somepony...they vanish."
"Vanish?"
"Yes. Poof. Gone. I can't control it! It's completely random and all it takes is a simple nudge!" Colgate's eyes suddenly fell upon a picture of Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity sitting together. "Oh no!" She began looking at Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. "I...I'm so sorry!"
"About what?" asked Applejack.
"Your friends! The purple unicorn and the pink earth pony!"
Everypony looked at each other. "What...do you mean?" asked Rarity with a nervous tone.
"I ran by the library earlier," Colgate explained. "That...thing was following me! I ran into the unicorn and the pink pony outside! I bumped into them and...they were gone! Just like that! I couldn't control it! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"
A deathly silence fell amongst everypony in the library. "No...it can't be true. Twilight and Pinkie...can't be gone," Spike croaked.
"They've been missing recently, haven't they?" Colgate asked.
Spike, Derpy, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack turned to look at each other. Sad expressions of denial were etched onto their faces. "Twilight and Pinkie...gone?!" cried Fluttershy softly.
"It...can't be true," said Applejack.
"No, Twilight, NO!" Spike cried as he backed up into the table. The Doctor's ears perked up as a cardboard box fell off the table and spilled open onto the floor.
Derpy's eyes went wide as she saw the contents of the box. "Wait a second...are those...Twilight's winter clothes?" she asked as she pointed at the box.
Spike turned around and looked at the clothes that had spilled out of the box. "They...they are! Those are Twilight's clothes!" he exclaimed.
"So? What's that supposed to mean?!" snapped Rainbow Dash as she struggled to hold back her tears.
Spike turned towards Colgate as he picked up a purple jacket. "Was Twilight wearing this when she vanished?!"
Colgate stopped shivering with guilt as took a close look at the jacket. "Now that I think about it...yeah. She was wearing that! And the boots too!" Colgate replied.
"Where did that box come from?" the Doctor asked as he walked over to Spike.
"Granny Smith came by earlier and dropped it off," Spike replied. "She said it was for you, Doctor."
The Doctor's eyes were suddenly drawn to an aged envelope lying next to one of the boots. "Hey now. What's this?" He quickly grabbed the envelope and opened it. An aged letter was situated inside.
"A letter?" asked Donna.
"Yep! And, based on the scent, it's about...oh...I say a little over seventy-two years old." The Doctor looked at the letter and read the contents aloud. "Doctor. Pinkie Pie and I have been mysteriously sent back in time. We are at Sweet Apple Acres and the date in which I am writing this letter is October 5, 930 C.E. If you get this letter, Pinkie and I would appreciate it if you could use the TARDIS to give us a lift back to our time. I pray to Celestia that we'll see each other again soon. Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle." A giant smile appeared on the Doctor's face. "Oh! Oh, oh, oh! Things have certainly gotten interesting!" The Doctor turned to the others and gave out a wondrous laugh. "Fear not, my friends! Ms. Sparkle and Ms. Pie are not dead! They're merely time displaced! A quick trip in the TARDIS is all that's needed to bring them home!"
Spike fell back onto the table and let out a great sigh. "Oh thank Celestia!" he exclaimed. Everypony else in the library followed Spike and let out deep sighs of relief.
"Colgate, based on this piece of evidence, you don't cause ponies to simply disappear," said the Doctor as he approached the confused unicorn. "You send them back in time."
"I...I send ponies back in time?" she asked.
"Yes. You have, what I like to call, a temporal touch. And there's only one other creature in the whole of space and time with that ability...and it's the species that your stalker belongs to."
"You mean...Weeping Angels?"
"Exactly. Weeping Angels sends ponies, people, or whatever else back in time to feed off their potential energy: the energy left over by the lives they could have lived if they had never been sent back in time." The Doctor placed Twilight Sparkle's 72-year-old letter into his suit pocket and began scratching his chin. "Tell me, Colgate, have you caused a lot of ponies to vanish?"
"A lot. More than I can count. It's been happening ever since I was a foal."
"And, tell me, did you ever feel a bit stronger after causing them to disappear?"
"Actually...yeah. I do. Always."
"Colgate...how easily can you get injured?"
"What?" asked the confused unicorn.
"It's a simple question," said the Doctor. "How easy is it for you to get injured? Cuts, bruises, broken bones, the like." Colgate looked towards the ground and fell silent. "Or...have you ever been injured at all?"
"Doctor, where are you going with this?" Donna asked.
"It's true," Colgate said suddenly. "I've never been injured."
"What?" asked Rainbow Dash. "There's no way that's possible! You must have gotten at least a paper cut at some point!"
Colgate simply shook her head. "No. Never. I've come in contact with lots of sharp objects, fallen over several things, and have been at the receiving end of certain, flying objects at one time or another. I've never been cut, never received a bruise, and have hardly felt any sort of pain from any of these accidents."
"How is that possible? What, are you related to Superman or something?" Donna asked.
"Who's that?" Colgate asked.
"Nevermind."
"Interesting. Very, very interesting," said the Doctor as he turned away from Colgate and approached one of the bookcases. He grabbed a random book and examined it for a moment. "Think fast!" The Doctor suddenly spun around and threw the book at Colgate. Colgate had no time to react. The book smashed right into her face, spine first. Everypony watched in amazement as the book broke apart while Colgate's face was left untouched.
"What the hell, Doctor?!" snapped Donna. "What was that for?!"
"Don't worry! I'm fine!" Colgate said. "It didn't hurt!"
"I think I'm starting to piece this together," said the Doctor as he walked towards Colgate. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small paper clip. He then bent the paper clip until it was completely straight. "Now, I want everypony to close their eyes. That includes you, Colgate, and me as well."
"I'm confused," said Derpy as her eyes began inverting again.
"Doctor, what are ya trying to prove?" Applejack asked.
"I'll explain in a moment. Now, everypony, close your eyes," the Doctor replied. Everypony stood in confusion for a moment. "Trust me." Everypony sighed and did as they were told. Now, only the Doctor and Colgate had their eyes open. "Colgate, close your eyes. I promise that I won't make this hurt that much." He then carefully took one of her hooves. "Try not to send me back in time."
Colgate didn't pull away this time. She instead stared deep into the Doctor's old, sad eyes and nodded. She then exhaled calmly before closing her eyes. A few seconds of silence passed as she found herself in a world of darkness. Then, out of nowhere, she felt a sharp pain rush up from her hoof. She jerked a bit but not too much. "Ow," she stated. She expected the Doctor to say something, but he remained silent. She felt the Doctor place her hoof down and heard him step back.
"Okay. Everypony open your eyes," he said suddenly.
"So...what was the point of all this, exactly?" Donna asked.
"To prove my theory...and it's correct. Look at her hoof."
Colgate looked at her hoof and saw a small cut on it. "You...cut me," she said in disbelief.
"Sorry about that. I just needed to see if my theory was right or wrong."
"What theory?" asked Rarity.
"I throw quite a large book at Colgate and it hits her square in the muzzle," the Doctor explained. "The book is destroyed while she doesn't even get a bruise or a paper cut. Everypony closes their eyes and I'm able to cut her with an ordinary paper clip." Everypony began looking amongst each other. "Colgate, you have the ability to send anything back in time and you're as invincible as the toughest and strongest of stone statues as long as a living being...is looking at you."
"Doc...are you saying what I think you're saying?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Yes." The Doctor looked straight into Colgate's eyes. "I don't know the reason behind this or how it's even possible. Colgate, you're not just an Equestrian unicorn pony...you're also a Weeping Angel."