//------------------------------// // Stallion with a Story // Story: The Curiosity Machine // by ThunderChaserCreate //------------------------------// Not an hour after posting the flyer, a set of frantic knocks jolted me from further research. I jumped, giving a small yelp, and fell out of my chair. Spike ran to get the door. "Stop knocking!" he complained, as the visitor seemed to be quite insistent upon entering. "I got it, Spike." I shooed him away. "Coming!" I threw open the door, revealing a chestnut brown stallion. "You have the watch?" he asked excitedly. "Uh..." I looked him up and down. He was wearing a collar and red tie, and his earthy hair seemed to be exploding from his head. "Sorry, who are you?" "Oh, nopony. But you--" he pushed past me. "Excuse me!" I protested. "--you're somepony!" "No, no, no!" I stuck a hoof in his path. "You can't just come barging in here." "Why not?" He gave me a concerned look. "Oh... you haven't opened it yet, have you?" "The... the watch?" "Of course! Now, where'd you put it..." he started rifling through the shelves, looking for the package. "It's stuck. Would you stop it!" I yelled in one breath. "Ooh... sorry." The whirlwind of motion stopped. "Uh... this is awkward." "Who are you?" I demanded. "I told you. Nopony." "No, no. What's your name?" I corrected. "Oh. Right. Yes, I'm... the Doctor." He sort of bowed when he said his name. "Uh-huh." I gave a fake smile. "Does that watch belong to you? Do you need it back or something? Because if that's what this is all about... I'll just give it back!" He sighed. "What?" "Look, I know this might be hard for you to believe, but..." he trailed off. "Yeah?" "Well, basically your entire life is a lie." "Doctor!" called a second, female voice. "Stop it!" A very familiar blue-grey mare appeared at the door. I sat down hard. "I am so confused." "Derpy!" The Doctor scolded. "I told you not to come in!" "Sorry! But... you're gonna wind up scaring her!" Derpy put a hoof around my shoulders. "Lay off, would ya? I'll talk to her." The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, but no words came. He closed it tight in a frustrated grimace, then sat in a nearby chair. "Fine. Don't leave anything out." Derpy let out a sigh. "Okay. Gosh, where to start?" "Start with me," the Doctor insisted, waving a hoof in the air like he was a student in school. "Doctor..." Derpy threatened. He grumbled something to himself, folding his hooves grumpily and glaring on. "Okay, then. This is the Doctor." She gestured to the stallion slouching nearby. "He's an alien." "Um..." I looked at him. "But he looks--" "I know," Derpy cut me off. "Eesh... this is hard. Hey, Doctor?" "Yes?" "I've got a better idea. Let's just show her." "Great!" He leapt up, excited and happy again. "Come on then, Twilight! Allons-y!" I must have looked confused, because the Doctor felt the need to explain. "It's Prench." "I... I know. I'm just... what in the hay is going on?!" I demanded. "Derpy, how are you in on this? How long have you...?" I couldn't even finish the question. "I mean... what?" My voice had climbed in pitch until I was breathlessly squeaking words. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry I couldn't tell you. The Doctor and I have been friends for a while, but... I didn't know who you were." "I still don't know who I am!" I complained. "What the hay are you two talking about?" I was getting close to throwing a tantrum. "Yes, yes. Well, we can all catch up later but for now let's... let's just get her to the TARDIS." The Doctor trotted to the door. "And I'm sorry about this, Twilight, but it needs to be done." ~~~~~ "Bigger... this is physically impossible," I said. "What is it, a spell? A transportation spell, right? Just a fancy parlor trick?" "Actually, no. It's transdimensionally linked with the exterior. You're looking through a portal to a mini dimension." He grinned. "I love explaining it to somepony who actually understands!" I blinked. The unfamiliar words actually did make some sort of twisted sense. "Huh." "Alright, then. Down to business. You've been having strange dreams, right?" "Well, not strange exactly... I mean, what does that even mean? All dreams are strange..." I found myself rambling, still trying to figure out this strange thing the Doctor called a 'TARDIS.' "What does that mean, anyway? 'TARDIS?' " "It's an acronym," Derpy explained. "It stands for--" "Time and Relative Dimensions in Space," The Doctor cut in. "That's my bit." "Sorry." "Now-- strange dreams? Voices?" The Doctor pressed. "Uh..." I looked at him funny. "Well, yeah. Actually, it was--" "My voice?" he guessed, smirking a bit. "Hmph." I pouted. "How do you know all this stuff about me? Have you got a spell on me or something?" I started to become aggressive. "Memories? Well, they'd seem like daydreams to you, but..." he asked. "Yeah. I guess. Mostly sound, though. And lots of color and feeling, but no real shapes," I explained. "Does that make sense?" "Of course. Just a hazy memory. Happens to everypony." He waved it off. "How about... the curiosity?" "You make it sound like it's a bad thing." "No, no. It's a side affect." "Side affect of what exactly?" I spat. "It's a machine," Derpy stepped in here. "We call it the Curiosity Machine, but it has another name." "Curiosity Machine?" I asked. "What... what is that? I've never heard of it." I blinked, grimaced, then rubbed my temple. "Oh dear..." The Doctor rushed to my side. "Sit down! Sit down! There's a memory coming!" ~~~~~ "The Curiosity Machine," announced the General. "It's designed to look like an everyday household item for discreet use." I giggled. "A teapot? The greatest invention, the most ingenious, and it looks like a stupid teapot?" The Professor shushed me. He was listening intently. "It's important! For undercover use!" I blinked in confusion. "Ugh! Do you listen at all?" I shook my head. "Prefer to do things my own way." He sighed. "Look: it works as a normal teapot but it's got this secret compartment in the bottom. There's a powerful spell in there that seeps out whenever you make a brew." I blinked again. "God! Look, the spell can allow sonic devices to sense timelords in disguise! After the use of a chameleon arch, of course." I scoffed. "Oh, of course. Why's it called the Curiosity Machine, then?" "That's the only downside. It can bring back memories from the timelord's past, and therefore makes the user--" "Curious. Nice!" I smiled. Not too bad after all! "One more question-- what the hay... "... Is a chameleon arch?"