Searchlight stood at the makeshift door, unsure of whether to open it. She had been getting strange feelings for the past few minutes now, and when she relayed this news, everyone was on edge.
“You’re sure?” she heard Hard Drink say.
“Absolutely,” an earth pony mare replied. “The RLAs are just… As now.”
“You sure you didn’t do anything wrong?”
“I’ve been taking care of that tree for more than eight months now!” the mare said indignantly. “I think I know what I’m supposed to do!”
Searchlight tried to ignore them, but the revelation that their food storage would be a bigger challenge than before just added to her building anxiety. She was seriously thinking of opening the door by just a bit before she picked up a new presence. What really worried her was how sudden it had appeared, like it just popped into existence.
“Guys, quiet!” she whispered harshly. The whole room fell silent. “There’s something up there,” she explained, “and I don’t know what it is.” The whole room waited nervously. Searchlight kept her magical “gaze” on the mysterious… whatever it was for what seemed like a long time. Suddenly, she felt something else, something familiar.
“Searchlight, you there?” she heard from outside. The voice was male and carried a Trottish accent.
“It’s them,” she whispered, mostly to herself. Feeling much more reassured, she lifted the bush above her and looked at the four ponies she met earlier. “Well, for ponies who never stay in one place too long,” she said, “you sure came back in a hurry.”
Then she realized something; the scenery around them looked… off, somehow. She turned her head in all directions and got it almost immediately; the forest around them looked like an actual forest, with real trees and real grass, not at all like what she saw every time she looked at the world around her for the past year.
The others must have seen the look on her face, because the purple one (Why didn’t I get their names before? she berated to herself) said, “We just thought you’d like to know: Discord’s been defeated.”
Those three words were what Searchlight, and every other pony in Equestria for that matter, had wanted to hear for a long time. And yet, she could barely believe it. “Really?” she finally mustered.
“Yep!” the rainbow-maned pegasus replied. “Literally stone cold.”
“Rainbow, that wasn’t funny,” the orange one chided.
“Regardless,” the stallion interrupted, “the only thing he’ll be ruling over anytime soon is someone’s lawn.”
“Incredible,” Searchlight whispered. She turned back to the shelter. “Hey, everypony! You’re not gonna believe this, but it’s over! Discord’s gone!” Many of the faces she saw were a reflection of her reaction. “Come on up!” she said. She turned back to the exit and, for the first time in over a year, walked into the world.
She relished the feeling of grass under her hooves. Her eyes took in the natural green of the forest, as opposed to the eyesore that was Discord’s world. She was about to turn to the four ponies but they were nowhere to be seen. Instead, she heard a strange, rhythmic noise. She turned to see a faded object disappear from sight.
By now, several ponies had come out of the shelter and were marveling at the return of their home. “Searchlight?” she heard. Hard Drink walked up to her. “Is something wrong?” Her mind drifted to the strange object she saw; it almost looked like a box, but it was so faded that she couldn’t be sure. Did it have something to do with the mysterious ponies? Did they have a hoof in making all of this possible?
Searchlight smiled and shook her head. “It’s not important right now,” she said, answering Drink’s question. “Come on. We better spread the word.”
“Okay, Doctor,” Twilight said, holding a sheet of paper with her magic. The Doctor looked up from the TARDIS console upon hearing his name. “I’ve found the paper, but I don’t know where the quills are.”
“Actually,” the Doctor said slowly, “I don’t have any quills. And even if I did, I don’t have any inkwells.”
“Then what am I supposed to write with?” Twilight asked hysterically.
“What exactly are you writin’?” Applejack asked her.
“Just my latest friendship report,” Twilight replied. “I realize I learned this more than a thousand years ahead of time, but I still learned something, and Princess Celestia would want it either way.”
“Well, if it’s writing utensils you’re looking for,” the Doctor said, “try this.” He reached under the console and pulled something out of it, tossing it to Twilight. She caught it with her magic and looked at it. It was small and thin, made of plastic with a metal point on one end. “It’s a pen,” the Doctor explained. “Same principle as a quill, really, just with all the ink already inside it.”
“If you say so,” Twilight said. “You got a place where I can write?”
“Down that hall, two doors to your right,” he answered, pointing toward one of the branching hallways.
“Just how big is this place?” Applejack asked.
“You know, I’ve never really looked into that.” The Doctor’s voice faded as Twilight followed his directions.
She found herself in a simple room. She figured it was meant as some sort of guest room, since there was a bed and a desk, but little else. She placed her paper on the desk and thought about how to write her letter. She figured it best to start where she always did.
Dear Princess Celestia,
She winced as she saw the quality of her hoofwriting; it was still legible, but far from the quality at which she normally wrote. She probably just wasn’t used to the way the pen moved across the paper compared to a quill. She breathed and continued.
My apologies if this letter is not my best work, but due to the lack of quills on the TARDIS, the Doctor has given me a new kind of writing utensil. Hopefully, this will not affect what I’m trying to say.
As I’ve just stated, right now, I am with the Doctor, as well as Rainbow Dash and Applejack, on the TARDIS. He offered to show us things that nopony has ever seen before, and seeing as his ship doubles as a time machine, I practically jumped at the chance. I regret to say that I can’t tell you where we went for our first adventure together, but only because doing so would probably disrupt the timeline. I’ve read enough science fiction novels to know that such rules basically constitute Time Travel 101. But while I was experiencing my first real encounter with time travel, I learned something.
Our adventure was only solved because we met several ponies who’s devotion to each other and even total strangers taught us all that friendship is more than what you bring to the table, but what others do for you as well.
I’m afraid that’s all I can say without actually telling you where, and when, I’ve been. I’ll send you this letter as soon as I get back.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
Having nothing to roll it into for the moment, Twilight just set the letter on the table for the time being. She stopped at just the right time, because Applejack called to her, saying, “Come on, Twilight! Rainbow finally made her decision.” Twilight remembered that they agreed to let Rainbow choose the next destination.
As she left, she turned to Applejack. “Should I be worried about this?”
“It’s Rainbow,” Applejack said frankly. “Of course you should.”