Ch. 10: "Of Ponies, Esperkin and... Timelords?"
Chapter Ten
“Of Ponies, Esperkin and… Timelords?”
So far it’s been three days into our lockdown.
Terra’s taking it pretty well; I’ve been teaching her some of my cooking techniques (that’s not to say she couldn’t cook before, I’m just helping her refine it). Twilight joined in because she was vastly interested in my theories on cooking.
Speaking of which, she was also taking it pretty well for the first couple of days. We’d been fairly distracted by my training, which so far just consisted of getting a feel for different types of energy, drawing it in and making it manifest before dispersing it into the world.
Unfortunately, Twilight was beginning to crack a little. I think the lack of a schedule and shortage of books were really tugging at her sanity and there were a few… accidents.
‘Yeah, the whole “shower incident” was pretty entertaining. At least, your reaction was.’
Please don’t remind me of that, Nica.
‘Oh come on, I couldn’t tell whether you were staring at her plot or her shelf… both of which I am completely jealous of FYI.’
Hey, she left that door unlocked on purpose!
‘And you just walked right in like you couldn’t hear the water running, perv. I will say, however, that she kinda-sorta looked like she wanted you to get in the shower with her and-’
Moving on, I tried to alleviate the stress by handing over my notebooks and writing utensils and letting her on my computer, but it only helped a little. What really seemed to work was when I talked about my other theories with her, namely on my views of reality and time. We were on my couch discussing this particular theory while Terra was upstairs taking a nap.
“That doesn’t make any sense, Leon.” She said, confused “How can you go back in time, intervene in a major event, only to return to your own time to find it unchanged?”
“Because,” I replied, drawing a straight line on a piece of paper “Things that have happened to you, or that you know have happened in your history, are set in stone. They cannot be changed in any way, shape or form.” I pointed at the line with my pencil “See this line here? Say it’s your timeline. It will always be straight, no matter what you do because that is how your life progresses.”
“If that’s the case, what’s the point in choosing if your future is already decided for you?” She asked me, her brow furrowed in concentration. I chuckled at this.
“But that’s just it, Twilight, your future is unwritten; what happens to you in the future is all up to you. It’s just that the choices you didn’t make…” I explained, drawing a line branching off from the center of the main line “Break off and go somewhere else and thus into an alternate reality, and every choice the alternate you didn’t make…” I drew three separate lines branching off from the new line “All break off as well, creating more realities. It’s the same if you went back to a certain point in your time…” I drew a line that curved back to an earlier point on the main line “You interfere in something earlier in your time period, but instead of changing your history…” I drew a line branching from the main line at where the curved line met it “You just create an alternate history that has no bearing on your time, unless you remember someone intervening at that particular moment. Normally, this wouldn’t affect anything in your time period, but if you’re a regular time-traveler this concept takes on a whole new meaning because time becomes a relative thing.”
Twilight’s eyes lit up in realization “Oh, I see! So Time is both immutable and malleable!” She exclaimed and wrote this new theory down in her ever-growing series of notes “I just don’t understand why I didn’t talk with you sooner; you’re so knowledgeable and wise!” This caused me to blush and cough nervously.
“Oh, um… thanks, Twilight, but I’m not that wise.” I said, glancing away “Besides, I’d think most people would be resolute in their argument that I’m wrong.”
Twilight looked at me confused “Why would they? Your theories make so much more sense than anything else I’ve heard or read, particularly the cooking ones; all the books I’ve read and all the chefs I’ve spoken to are out-right opponents of experimentation, but you encourage it as a natural method of learning.”
“That’s because, in a way, it is a natural way to learn, though I most definitely don’t encourage just throwing random stuff in and seeing what works, that’s how you get food poisoning.” I replied, turning back to her (in case you’re wondering, she’s wearing a spare set of my pajamas. Fortunately for her, most anything that fits me also fits on other people as well. She can’t wear Terra’s clothing because the two of them are physically different in several areas. I’ll let you guess where) “When you experiment with your ingredients, you can learn what will make the dish taste better and what could ruin it, as well as how much to use of said ingredient. As for why people would insist I’m wrong, it’s because I have no real evidence to support my claims, all I do is put it in a way that makes a lot of sense.”
Twilight giggled and wrote it down in her notes, before filing everything away and setting down her writing material. She yawned and stretched (Oh yeah, we must’ve been talking for at least a couple of hours), and then rubbed at her eyes.
“Alright.” I said, also yawning “I think it’s time for a nap. Don’t really have much else to do right now and I’d like to give my mind a rest for an hour or two.” She nodded and we both stood from the couch. I moved around the table and went to the kitchen for a drink of water, but Twilight stopped me as I passed her.
When I looked at her, she was blushing and glancing away nervously but she eventually found the courage to speak.
“Um… thank you for putting up with me for these last couple of days; I guess I didn’t entirely think this through before locking us in here.” She said, giving me a small smile “Your patience is truly astounding.”
“Think nothing of it, Twilight; this is the least I can do for you.” I said, but then my mind caught up with me and I blushed, looking away quickly “That is to say, uh… I don’t mind… helping…”
“Thank you.” Was all I heard before she kissed me on the cheek and hurried to the guest room she was staying in, leaving me rooted to the spot, swaying slightly as I reached a hand gingerly to where she’d kissed me.
‘D’aww, how sweet. She likes you, too! So when’s the wedding, Casanova?’ Nica said, her tone sweet.
“Hush, you.” I murmured and I heard her laughing in my head.
I continued on to the kitchen and after a small glass of cool water (ugh, this stuff is disgusting after my experience with the water bubble), I went upstairs to the master bedroom to lay down for a nap, shutting and locking the door because, unfortunately, Twilight was still in estrus despite how normal she acted.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard Terra scream from her room. My eyes snapped open and I leapt off the bed in one smooth motion, moving over to my desk, flinging open a drawer and pulling out my gun which I loaded with a clip, chambered a bullet and then unlocked and flung open my door and ran over to Terra’s room.
I threw her door open and aimed my gun around, settling on a strangely dressed earth pony with a chestnut coat and brown mane wearing a blue suit with a red bowtie and brown dress shoes on his hooves. He was currently on the ground, his body spasming as it coursed with electricity.
I stared at him for a moment, unable to recognize him at first, but then his coat and mane coloration hit me and I nearly died laughing.
It was Doctor Who, or in the pony-verse, Doctor Whooves… and he’d just gotten his ass whipped by a girl. Granted, she’d probably hit him with a low grade Thunder spell, but it still counts. Twilight ran in while I was laughing, first looking at the spasming Doctor Whooves, then running over to Terra to calm the terrified girl down.
Aw, damn. Once I saw that, my laughter died immediately and a look of shame crossed my face. I also crossed over to the bed and sat on the edge.
“You okay, sweetheart?” I asked her, to which she nodded shakily at me. I smiled and patted her head gently before standing back up and facing the Doctor, who was beginning to get back on his hooves.
“That was rude.” He said once the electricity fully faded “I’m terribly sorry I scared you, darling, but I had no idea the TARDIS would appear in your closet. If you had just allowed me to explain…”
It was at this time he saw me aiming my pistol at him, and his jaw dropped in surprise.
“Oh dear.” He said, then cleared his throat “Um, I am terribly sorry for intruding upon your home. I know I must look odd to you, I was trying to get back to my world when I…” Then he noticed Twilight Sparkle this time and his jaw dropped again.
“Yeah… you might actually be on the world you intended to be on, but you’re not where you should be.” I said, then pulled the hammer back on my pistol (I know, it’s double action, meaning I don’t have to, but I like to give the people I’m aiming a weapon at some warning before I decide to shoot him) “This isn’t personal, buddy, but you are kinda trespassing on private property, so I think you’d better start
talking.”
“Ah. Well, I’m the Doctor.” He said, extending a hand to me, which I shook while still aiming the gun at him “However, around Ponyville I’m known as Time Turner. Hello, Miss Sparkle!” He called happily “Would you mind telling your… coltfriend, to lower his firearm please? I mean no harm, this was all just an unfortunate accident.”
I blushed furiously when he called me Twilight’s coltfriend, and judging from the silence, so was she. Terra, however, gave a giggle and spoke for her.
“It’s alright, Leon. He seems nice enough.” She said, and I lowered my weapon, turning the safety on.
“Well, since you’re here, Doctor. I have a letter for you that I’ve been holding onto for weeks.” I said, and motioned for him to leave the room. As he did, I looked back at Terra “You sure you’re alright, Terra?”
“Yes, Leon.” She replied with a smile and a nod “I was just surprised; I may have over-reacted with the Thunder spell. Could you apologize to him for me?”
“Sure thing, sweetheart.” I said, and closed the door. The Doctor was waiting patiently for me and I led him into the master bedroom, shutting the door behind me.
I walked up to the desk and sat down in my chair, opening a drawer and pulling out the envelope, which I handed him. He looked at it for a moment, and then opened it, his face dropping as he read it.
“I know it’s probably private, but I’d like to know what kind of information I’ve been lugging around since I got here.” I told him as I removed the clip from my gun and ejected the bullet in the chamber, replacing it in the clip and putting everything back in the drawer I keep it in.
“Oh, this? It’s just an invoice from the time I crashed into some shop on my way here.” He said, then grimaced “I swear, if a snowflake owed that woman something, she’d be able to find it on a planet covered in the stuff.”
I chuckled but I had no idea what he was talking about, though it sounded vaguely familiar. I didn’t think much about it.
“Mind talking about it? You’re probably stuck here anyway, speaking of which, I might have to change the sleeping arrangements a bit.” I said casually, but he his expression hardened.
“I am truly sorry, Leon.” He replied “But I cannot answer that question; you paid a heavy price to be here and besides, I cannot say her name outside of her own world.”
I glared at him “I don’t recall introducing myself, Doctor.” I said, causing him to wince and shift uncomfortably.
“Ah. Yes, well… as you like to say, spoilers.” He replied with a small smile.
I shrugged “Alright. By the way, Terra says she’s sorry for zapping you earlier. Gotta say, surprising mages is usually not a good way to live for any length of time, Doctor.” I said, giving him a wide grin.
“I’m sorry, who?” He asked me, and I face-palmed “OH, you mean the girl who was sleeping! Tell her it’s quite alright, I’ve had worse happen to me in lesser situations. If you don’t mind me asking, how did she do that? I mean, I’ve seen magic before, but not of that variety.”
“She’s not from this world or mine; actually she’s from a different dimension altogether.” I answered, giving him a casual shrug “She hit you with an electrical spell known in her world as Thunder. You’re very lucky it didn’t have much more voltage than that of a taser; if she’d hit you with anything stronger, and believe me when I say she could’ve if she’d wanted to, you probably would’ve just been a greasy smear on the wall and I would’ve been pissed as all hell at having to clean it.”
The Doctor blanched at me “I sincerely hope you’re joking; combat magic isn’t unknown in Equestria, but that kind of volatility just doesn’t exist here!” He exclaimed, with a shocked look on his face. I shrugged again.
“I don’t think its non-existent; I think ponies just don’t have the right mental state to tap into it. Hell, I’m currently learning how to use magic and I’ve already got a handle on Water, Fire and Wind magic.” I said as I created the water bubble from a couple of days ago, making his eyes go wide in awe.
“How fascinating! Being able to create water from nothing is just…” He said, his voice awed. I shrugged again and offered the floating bubble to him, but he stared at it hesitantly.
“Drink it, Doctor, it’s just pure water. It’ll refresh your body, though it won’t quench your thirst being that’s it’s magical in nature.” I said, gesturing toward the bubble. After a moment’s hesitation, he extended his hand and the bubble floated over to it. Once he had it, he put it to his muzzle and drank it. When he was finished, he looked considerably more lively.
“Wow, that is fantastic; it feels like I just sat and did nothing for half an hour, and my muscles no longer ache from being electrocuted!” He exclaimed happily, giving a couple of experimental jumps to test it.
“I’m glad you like it, Doctor.” I said with a smile “Unfortunately, I won’t be offering it to you again unless it’s absolutely necessary. Don’t want you getting dependant on it, now, do we?”
“Of course not.” He replied, also smiling, but then he face grew thoughtful “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you call the mage-girl ‘sweetheart’? She seems a little young for you to be dating her.”
I face-palmed and gave him a serious look “First off, whatever relationships I may have are none of your business. Secondly, Terra’s like a sister to me; calling her ‘sweetheart’ is one way of showing I care about her. She has not said anything against it, and so I haven’t stopped.”
“Ah.” He said “Does that mean you are-” but he stopped when I gave him one of my most severe glares. He coughed and looked away.
“Okay, look.” I said, deciding to lay it out straight for him “We’re kinda stuck here because Twilight put the house into lockdown; there’s all kinds of magical defenses set in place to prevent exit or entry, but obviously your machine was able to get in. Can you take Twilight home with you?”
He shook his head “The TARDIS may have brought me here, but the reason I was caught in Terra’s room was because I couldn’t leave. Something is holding the TARDIS in place and I have no idea what it is.”
“That’s the lockdown. Seems you’re also stuck here until it ends, which should be in a couple days or so.” I groaned. This was gonna be difficult; I’ll probably need to restock my pantry when this is over “Alright, let’s go talk to the girls and get stuff moved around a little.”
With that, I walked over to the door and opened it, revealing Twilight and Terra behind the door trying to listen in.
“Terra, is it at all possible for you to sleep in the guest room with Twilight until this is over?” I asked her. She nodded slowly, but her expression was confused.
“I… suppose. Is it alright if I ask why?” She said, to which I gave her a small smile.
“The Doctor is kind of stuck with us until the lockdown is over and since his TARDIS is stuck in your closet, letting him sleep in your room will mean he’ll have constant access to it without disturbing you.”
Her expression became understanding, but was still troubled “Okay, but why can’t I sleep in your room with you?” She asked and caused both me and Twilight to blush furiously and me to give a polite cough.
“Sweetheart, there’s a… stigma to a male and a female sleeping in the same bed; it’s generally only acceptable when the two are… together.” I replied, shifting uncomfortably. Terra didn’t seem to understand so I had to elaborate “When they’re a couple, Terra. Don’t get me wrong, I care about you quite a lot, it’s just…”
Terra blushed when she realized what I’d meant “O-oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-” She began, but I cut her off.
“It’s alright, sweetheart. Trust me; it’ll work out better this way.” I said, which caused her to smile at me (have I mentioned recently how much I love Terra’s smiles? Seriously the most heartwarming things on the planet) “Well, as exciting as this has been, I’m still in the mood for a nap, so if you’ll excuse me…”
I ushered the Doctor out into the hall and shut the door. I booted up my computer, opened up my music program and set it to play (Time - Ozzy Osbourn). I lay in my bed as the opening chords began to play and I felt my body relax as I lost myself in the music.
After a moment, I thought I heard the door to my room open and close, but my relaxed state dismissed it as trivial. But then I heard a voice.
“Excuse me, Leon… is it alright if I… lay in bed with you?”
I opened my eyes and saw Twilight Sparkle standing next to me. I must’ve forgotten to lock the door.
‘Say yes. Come on, you know you want to.’
“Alright. But no funny business, Twilight.” I replied drowsily as I closed my eyes and began to lose myself to the music again.
I barely noticed as the bed shifted while Twilight climbed in. After a moment, I registered her taking my hand and holding it gently, and I shivered with pleasure at the touch of her fur. I don’t know why, I mean I’ve hugged her before and not felt anything but now…
“I don’t think I’ve told you what I felt the other day when we… connected.” She murmured. I opened my eyes and looked at her calmly.
“Twilight, I have no words to describe what exactly happened, myself. Why would I expect you to?” I asked her, my own voice low and gentle.
“That’s because you’ve never felt pure magic before, whereas I do on a daily basis.” She replied, looking at me seriously “Leon… what we did was more intimate than you realize. We… ‘experienced’ each other at a spiritual level. It was so intense it actually curbed my… urges.” And with that she blushed while I gaped at her.
“You didn’t-” I began but she interrupted me with a giggle and a shake of her head.
“No, nothing physical happened, it just quieted what I feel during estrus, made it more bearable.” She explained calmly (‘Didn’t stop her from leaving the shower door unlocked, did it?’). Ignoring Nica ‘Whatever’, I relaxed and went back to staring at the ceiling. We lay there for a moment, letting the song wash over us.
“Leon… would you like to know what your spirit felt like?” Twilight asked me hesitantly and I considered the question before giving a small shrug “It felt like I was being bathed in a calm and soothing light that made me feel as though all of my troubles were a thing of the past, and I felt… hope. I felt that, if I embraced the light, the pain in my heart would ease and I could…”
I looked at her when she failed to finish the sentence to see her staring at the ceiling as well, her eyes distant. After a moment she looked at me, her eyes gentle with a small smile on her face.
“I understood, right then, why Terra admires you so much. You may not be… him, but your soul is just as radiant… just as beautiful, and you inspire her to do her best.” She murmured gently, and I gave her a calm smile.
“Thanks, Twilight.” I said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Her beautiful eyes caught my attention at that time, and I stared into them while she stared back at mine.
‘Well, what are you waiting for? Kiss her already, dammit!’ Nica snapped, causing me to blink and look away with a blush ‘Whoops, uh… sorry, Leon.’
I sighed irritably and closed my eyes to sleep, but Twilight seemed to note the tone in it.
“Is everything alright, Leon?” She asked, concern in her voice “You can tell me, you know.”
“It’s nothing.” I replied, my voice drowsy “Don’t worry about it. I’m gonna close my eyes and sleep now, okay? If you’re tired, you can stay and sleep as well.”
“What about that stuff you said about a male and a female sleeping in bed together?” She replied with a giggle, but my mind was already drifting off as the next song played (Key of the Twilight - Yuki Kaijura).
“I think I can make an exception for you just this once, Twilight…” I murmured “It’s not like we’re gonna be spending the night together; just a couple of hours.”
I have no idea what she said next because sleep finally claimed me.
Next thing I knew, I was standing on the mural in my mind. It had changed a little; Twilight’s eyes had brightened and she was no longer looking down, instead looking across at the image of me, while the shards at the center had started to expand and meld together.
Nica was sitting in a recliner watching a movie.
“Not really.” She quipped “I’m watching a memory of you watching a movie.”
“Veronica, what are you up to?” I asked her seriously, which caused her to shift in her chair and look at me, a sly smile on her face.
“I have no idea what you mean, Leon.” She replied sweetly, which caused me to glare at her.
“Yes you do.” I deadpanned at her “You’re trying to make me fall in love with her, aren’t you?”
“No, actually. You were pretty much already there; I’m just helping you out by giving you little pushes where it’s important.” She replied in an equal deadpan, before glancing at the mural and looking back at me with a big smile on her face “And unless I’m mistaken, it seems to be working.”
“Veronica!” I snapped, using her name again “You’re playing a dangerous game here. What if things don’t work between us, it’ll destroy her, especially considering what’s already happened!”
“To mend a broken heart, you must sometimes risk exposure to more pain.” Nica replied solemnly “She needs this desperately and so do you, and I know for a fact you’re not gonna abandon her while your own heart beats within your chest.”
“Still, Nica, I wish you’d told me the truth about that… method.” I said, rubbing my temple in frustration “That could’ve gone wrong on so many levels, and yet you had me teach it to her just so that I would be able to cast magic!”
Nica held a finger up warningly “Hey, that magic is gonna save your life one of these days, mark my words.” She snapped irritably “And besides, I didn’t lie to you; I told you from the start it was intimate but also that it was necessary to activate your senses.”
“That doesn’t make it right!” I retorted “What if I’d tried that with Terra?”
“I believe I’ve already answered that question, if you recall correctly, but allow me to reiterate.” She replied irritably “Magic is as natural to Terra as breathing; she doesn’t need to think about it, she just does. But where Terra has raw potential with her magic, Twilight has more control.”
“Well then, why not Rarity or one of the Princesses?” I asked her, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Y’know, you’re right, we really need to stop doing that.” Nica quipped and then her face grew serious “Rarity is more like Terra in terms of magic use; she doesn’t really think about it outside of telling it what to do and letting it feed off the images in her mind on what she wants done. As for one of the Princesses… think about it, you connected with Twilight’s soul and pretty much lost yourself in a state of pure Feeling; if you tried that with the Princesses, they’d most likely burn out your mind and leave you a vegetable.”
I groaned “So basically, Twilight was the only viable choice.”
“Actually… she was kind of a gamble, herself, really.” Nica said, glancing away nervously.
“Explain.”
“Well… as you know, Twilight is as adept a spellcaster as she is because of the Element of Magic residing within her.” She said, and I nodded “I was a bit concerned that she might harm you unintentionally because of it. Maybe not burn you out like the Princesses would, but you definitely might’ve suffered significant brain damage.”
I stared very hard at my Nobody.
“You risked my mental faculties in a gamble to get me to learn magic.” I deadpanned, to which she nodded “Veronica… if you ever do that again, there will be consequences. I currently don’t know how I’d punish you, but you and I both know it’ll be very creative.”
She gulped and shrunk back a little “Yeah… sorry, Leon. Won’t happen again, I promise.”
“Gonna need more than that, Nica.” I said which caused her to gape at me.
“Oh no...” She said and held up both her hands. I merely stared very hard at her “You are seriously gonna make me do that aren’t you?”
I nodded and she sighed. She then began the movements of the ultimate promise that no one breaks.
“I cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She deadpanned as she went through the appropriate motions, which caused me to smile. She looked like she wanted to say something, but I was suddenly pulled away from the dream world.
My eyes opened and I discovered I was back in my bed with Terra shaking me gently to wake me up.
“It’s time to get up, Leon. You don’t want to sleep too long now or you won’t get any later.” She said, giving me a sweet smile, which turned into a light giggle.
I was wondering why she was giggling, but then I realized there was pressure on my arm and when I looked I saw Twilight sleeping with her head on my shoulder. I gave her head a gentle nudge and her eyes fluttered open. She gave me a small smile and was about to say something, but then she saw Terra and was up in a flash, her face bright red.
“Alright, Terra, I’m officially up. Let’s get downstairs and practice my magic some more.” I said as I got up and went over to the computer, closing my music program (song cut: Dare - Gorillaz).
‘That was rude. Eh, I was gonna tell you to buzz off anyway. Oh, and I hate you eternally for cutting off that song, it’s my favorite.’ Nica pouted inside my head, but I ignored her ‘Jerk.’
When I got downstairs, I was surprised to see that my TV was on and there was a familiar show playing (it was Doctor Who. Go figure, and the Doctor was laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world ‘Note the irony here. The Doctor, watching “Doctor Who”.’).
“I still think it’s terribly hilarious they made a television show about me, though I’ll admit they make the TARDIS look gorgeous.” He said as we entered the living room.
“Doctor…” I asked, my voice level “What did you do to my TV, and why is it playing Doctor Who?”
“Oh, I got bored and used my sonic screwdriver on it to get some programming from your world so that your television isn’t something that just lies around your house looking pretty.” He replied with a dismissive wave of his hand “As for the show, I personally think it’s adorable the way they keep trying to capture my adventures on film.”
I was gonna protest his theft of cable, but the girls seemed entranced by what they saw so I decided to let it go and went into the dining room to continue honing my magic.
After that, the rest of the lockdown passed calmly… enough.
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2844644
Story of my life...
2848589
Then again, a bunch of bosses have joined us.
I couldn't agree more on the part (That the Doctor was watching Doctor Who) it so funny.
That's to much for me.
I love the Gorillaz therr awesome! The doctor Who part. Excellent. ლ(´ڡ`ლ)