The Doctor Is In
Nightmare continued laughing until there was a shout from the mayor. “Seize her! Only she knows where the princess is!” The guards at the front of the audience, all pegasi, leapt up and prepared to tackle Nightmare.
“Stand back, you foals!” Nightmare’s eyes flashed and her horn glowed. A bolt of lightning appeared, the sudden appearance and noise of which blew the guards back to the ground, battered and shaken but otherwise unharmed. Nightmare decided to make her exit and, shifting into a blue mist like before, flowed out of the building.
Vinyl finally galloped past Octavia and burst out of the door. Octavia ran after her. Lyra also followed them, herself being followed by Bon Bon. When they were all outside, Vinyl removed her sunglasses and looked around the town and sky. But Nightmare was nowhere to be seen.
“Hayseed!” she cursed. “She’s gone!”
“Did she really mean that?” Bon Bon asked. “I mean, the whole ‘night shall last forever’ thing?”
“If the legends are true,” Octavia said, “I have no doubt.”
“Hey!” a voice shouted behind them. They all turned and saw Derpy running toward them. She stopped and panted when she came close.
“Derpy!” Bon Bon said. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Turner,” she answered.
“Timey?” Vinyl asked. “What about him?”
“After that mare left,” Derpy answered, “I looked around and noticed Turner wasn’t there anymore.”
“Maybe he ran away from the dark alicorn thing promising to create eternal night,” Lyra said.
“Wait, didn’t Timey know who that was?” Vinyl asked.
“True,” Octavia said. “He was the one who correctly identified her.”
“Are you saying Turner has something to do with all this?” Bon Bon asked.
“No!” Derpy shouted. Everyone looked at her. “Turner seemed too nice to be involved with Nightmare Moon.”
“Still, we’ve all heard this story at some point in our lives,” Octavia pointed out. “We should have figured it out along with him. He must know something we don’t.”
“If only we knew where he was,” Lyra said. “Maybe then we can ask him.”
Everypony thought hard for a moment. Suddenly, Derpy spoke up. “I think I may have an idea.”
Derpy led the others to a field just outside of town. Even with the sky still dark, she was able to locate her destination easily; of course, it helped that lights were coming out of the box’s windows.
“This is it?” Vinyl said. She didn’t sound convinced. The other mares had looks of doubt on their faces as well.
“I saw it appear this afternoon,” Derpy explained. “I didn’t tell anypony about it because they’d all think I was crazy. But when I saw Turner today, I thought he might have had something to do with this.”
“But Derpy,” Octavia pointed out, “there are plenty of other ponies from out of town. They came for the Summer Sun Celebration.” (“Can’t say they won’t forget it anytime soon,” Vinyl added.)
“But Turner’s the only new pony since this afternoon,” Derpy argued. “Either way, we don’t have much else to go on.” She put her hoof around the doorknob and pulled.
“Come on, come on,” the Doctor kept repeating to himself. “I know you can do it.” He was pacing around a large room with his sonic screwdriver in his hoof. He put it to a console in the center of the room; the screwdriver made strange whirring noises when he had it where he wanted it. Right now, he had it next to the monitor.
“Ugh, they just had to take out everything didn’t they? ‘Since he won’t be using the TARDIS anymore, might as well shut down the computer, right?’ And they wonder why I don’t particularly like them sometimes.” The Doctor continued to work on the console. “I mean, yes, I realize I won’t get her up and running anytime soon, but did they ever stop to think that something might just happen anyway that only I can handle, and that I might just need information, and that I might just need the computer for said information?”
The Doctor was very irritable; between his current situation and the one that just fell onto his back, he was amazed he managed to stay as calm as he was.
Finally, the monitor blinked on and started going through information at a rapid pace. “Finally,” he groaned. “Okay, sweetheart, what we need is Nightmare Moon.” He started typing on a keyboard. “And we better hurry up. The longer we wait, the less chance we have to—!”
Suddenly, the Doctor heard what sounded like screams. He looked behind him and saw, to his surprise, all five mares he had met today piled on top of each other in the doorway.
“Told you you had to push,” Vinyl said.
“Give me a break,” Derpy defended. “The door said pull.”
“Um, girls?” Lyra said. She was looking all around her. “Not to interrupt this lovely conversation, but you might want to take a look at this.” The other ponies looked up and were speechless for a few seconds.
“Um, are my eyes playing trick on me?” Derpy asked. “Because, honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were.”
“That depends,” Bon Bon replied. “Are you seeing a room inside a box that is bigger on the inside?”
“What?” the Doctor blurted out. Everyone turned to look at him now.
“Turner!” Derpy shouted. She got out from the pile and ran over to him. “Thank Celestia you’re okay.”
“What?” the Doctor said again.
“What’s going on, Timey?” Vinyl asked. “You know who Nightmare Moon is on sight and you just run away into a box with a huge room inside it?”
“What?!”
“And what is all this stuff?” Octavia asked as she looked around. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.”
“WHAT?!”
“Okay, please stop repeating yourself,” Lyra said. “Just complete the sentence.”
“What are you all doing in here?!” the Doctor almost shouted. (“That’s better,” Lyra said.) “More importantly, how did you get in here?”
“We opened the door,” Vinyl said, pointing at the opened doors. “I’d think that’d be obvious.”
“But I had those doors locked! And the only ones who could open them are myself and…” The Doctor stopped and thought for a few seconds. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me, you have got to be kidding me!” He turned back to the console. “You let them in? I thought we were trying to keep a low profile! This…” He waved his hoof toward the girls. “This does not fall under ‘low profile.’”
“Um, you might have lost ‘low profile’ when you started living in this box thing,” Bon Bon pointed out.
“And why the hay are you talking to that… thing there?” Vinyl asked.
“Technically,” the Doctor replied, “this ‘thing’, as you so quaintly put it, is a she. And she is very much alive and aware of everything I and even you are saying, and yes, I realize that saying that out loud makes me sound like a madpony!”
Derpy continued to stare at the Doctor throughout his entire tirade. “Who are you?” she asked.
The Doctor sighed. “Well, since you came this far, might as well go the whole way. First of all, my name isn’t really Time Turner. Just call me the Doctor.”
“Doctor Who?” Octavia asked.
“Just the Doctor. And this box is my ship, the TARDIS: Time And Relative Dimensions In Space.”
“Time and space?” Lyra repeated. “So does that mean you’re a space traveler?”
“Or an alien?” Vinyl added.
“Put simply,” the Doctor replied, “yes and yes.”
“Then give me one good reason why I shouldn’t buck you to the moon!” Vinyl said, her voice filled with anger. “You know all about Nightmare Moon, then you just disappear after her escape, and now you admit to being an alien? Forgive me for being more than a little suspicious.”
“Vinyl, think about it,” the Doctor said with his hoof to his face. “If I really was dangerous, I would have taken care of all of you for just finding me here. Instead, I’ve been answering your questions and staring dumbfounded that the TARDIS let you in in the first place.”
“Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, Vinyl, okay?” Bon Bon said.
Vinyl sighed. “Fine. But if he makes a move I don’t like, he’ll have two hoofmarks right in the teeth.”
“Agreed,” the Doctor said. “So, any other questions?”
“Yeah,” Lyra spoke up. “If you’re an alien, why do you look like a pony?”
“Actually, I’m a Time Lord,” the Doctor answered. “Our species have the ability to look like any other race in the universe.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound pretentious in the least,” Octavia mused. “Time Lord?”
“It just means we can perceive beyond time and space, while some, like myself, can travel through it.”
“How is this place bigger inside than out?” Vinyl asked. “I don’t think there’s a spell that can do that.”
The Doctor hummed in thought. “In the simplest terms I can employ, the doors to the TARDIS act as a gateway between two dimensions. Granted, one of them is a small pocket dimension that is supposed to exist within the other, but the idea’s the same.”
“Why did you run away?” Derpy asked. Her eyes seemed sad. “I was so worried. I thought Nightmare Moon did something to you.”
The Doctor sighed. “Sorry, Derpy,” he said, “but I had to find more information on her.”
“You seemed to know enough,” Bon Bon pointed out. “More than we did, anyway.”
“Oh, please,” the Doctor replied, “your planet’s been telling that story for the past thousand years. Anyone who even looks up a brief anthology of myths and legends could know the same. But I want to know the specifics. What happened all those years ago? Were there any tricks to her initial defeat that may still prove useful?”
Suddenly, there was a small ding. The Doctor turned around and saw the computer had pulled up a file. “Speaking of which…” he said. He started scrolling through the text on the screen. He was mostly quiet, mumbling to himself.
“So, uh,” Derpy started, “what are you doing here in Equestria?”
The Doctor stopped paying attention to the screen for a brief moment. “Uh, like I said, I just wanted to rest my hooves for a bit. Even a pony who travels, no matter where he’s from, has to stop every once in a while.” He put his focus back on the screen. Derpy wanted to ask more, but she heard Lyra make a sharp hissing noise at her, signaling her to rejoin them.
Derpy walked back to the group, stopping periodically only to look back at the Doctor. When she finally got to the others, Vinyl whispered, “Can we really trust this guy, girls? I mean, even if he isn’t an alien, he’s still pretty weird.”
“Oh, Vinyl,” Octavia chided, “weirdness alone does not mean he’s a bad pony. After all, I’ve stuck with you for this long, haven’t I?” Octavia just a got a dirty look from Vinyl in response.
“I say we give him a chance,” Bon Bon said. “It looks like he wants to help. Besides, if he does pull some shifty moves, there’s five of us and only one of him. No alien can be good enough to beat those odds.”
“I like your style, Bon,” Vinyl said.
“Like I said, Vinyl,” Bon Bon reminded her: “last resort.”
“We may not need to, anyway,” Lyra pointed out. “He’s just looking at that screen thingy of his.”
“I’ve been with him all night,” Derpy said. “If there was anything going on, I think I would have found something by now.”
“So, it’s agreed, then,” Octavia said at last. “For now, we trust him.” Everyone nodded; Vinyl just grunted a reluctant agreement.
“Oh, now this is interesting,” the Doctor whispered. The other ponies ran up to the console to get a look at the screen.
“What is it, Doctor?” Bon Bon asked.
“It’s a prophecy,” the Doctor replied. “It reads, ‘On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars shall aid in the nightmare’s escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal.’ Tell me, how long has the Summer Sun Celebration been observed?”
“That’s easy,” Lyra responded. “This marks the 1,000th celebration. There were a few reports of protests from the bigger cities like Manehattan and Canterlot that the princess chose Ponyville of all places as this year’s location.”
“That’s it!” the Doctor suddenly shouted. The other ponies shrunk back.
“What’s it?” Derpy asked.
“The stars! The moon! The image of a pony’s head in the Maria!” he continued shouting. “Back at the Celebration, I noticed some of the stars actually getting close to the moon, even touching. That explains why Nightmare Moon is back! She’s been trapped within the moon for a millennium, slowly regaining power for her escape and takeover! And she was gathering the stars, the strongest source of energy in the universe, to engineer it all! Brilliant!”
“So, how do we stop her?” Vinyl asked.
“Still working that part out,” he replied. “But I should be getting close to an answer.” He continued scrolling through the text on the screen. “Ah, this should prove useful: the original legend of Nightmare Moon.” The Doctor looked at the words. “Hmm, not much we don’t already know. Oh, wait, here’s something.”
Everyone else loudly said, “What?”
“It says here that Nightmare was once one of the two sisters who ruled over this land, one to raise the sun at dawn and the other the moon at dusk, that’s her; But she felt useless because everypony sleeps at night. She went mad with jealousy and became the force of darkness we saw back at town hall. To stop her, her sister used something called the Elements of Harmony to banish her in the moon.”
“Does that mean these element things can stop Nightmare Moon?” Lyra asked.
“It’s about as good an answer as we can get,” the Doctor answered. “Worst case scenario, we’re no closer to failure than we are now; all that would have happened is that time would be wasted on a lost cause, and I really hope that turns out not to be the case. The question is where can we find these Elements?” He started typing into the computer. New information started rolling across the screen.
“Ah, here we go!” he said eventually. “The Elements of Harmony are said to contain the strongest magic in all of Equestria. In total, six Elements exist: Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Honesty, Loyalty, and the last, whose name remains a mystery. Oh, that’s interesting.”
“What is?” Octavia asked.
“Speaking modestly, I have a treasure trove of knowledge, and the TARDIS easily provides me with what I wouldn’t be able to call up automatically. So to have one detail missing is quite surprising. Unsettling, even.”
“Who cares what they’re called?” Vinyl said. “We just need to find them and use them to knock that alicorn back to where she came from.”
“Uh, quite,” the Doctor replied hesitantly. “Very well, then. The last known location of the Elements of Harmony is the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.”
“Are they there?” Derpy asked.
“It’s as good a place to start as any,” the Doctor pointed out. “Just let me run a quick scan on my UPS and… Bingo! The Castle is in ruins, but it’s still standing. And, as a bonus, it’s close by. In a place called… the Everfree Forest?”
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A story that takes random background ponies and makes them the main characters... MUST. HAVE. MOAR.
2916482
But what if there was an Element of Time eh?
Charlie Brown reference in the title?
Either way I love this story and cannot wait for more!
Charlie Brown reference for the therapy booth or a doctor who reference when he saves the planet from prisoner zero, or from countless movies about hospitals. Take your pick.
2930876 None, although you were closer with the Doctor Who thing. I'll give it a few more days before I give up my faith in humanity.
Dang! I remember that line "The Doctor is In" from an episode in DW, but I can't remember it AT ALL. Le sigh.
Well I'm usually good with references, but this one has stumped me to somewhat of an extent. Nevertheless, a good chapter, and I am noticing you have a truly strong passion for writing, otherwise you wouldn't be uploading them so quickly.
But until the next chapter, some Z's may be needed as I've spent these last couple of nights reading through story's such as this until 2.30 in the morning, but it is still enjoyable to do so.
Peace out (keep up the good work
, I've already recommended this story to several mates of mine)
2933453 Actually, the reason for the quick uploads is because I write the stories out to completion first and then start posting them online. That way, no one has to wait so long for when writer's block and real life start to happen.
“What?” the Doctor blurted out. Everyone turned to look at him now.
“Turner!” Derpy shouted. She got out from the pile and ran over to him. “Thank Celestia you’re okay.”
“What?” the Doctor said again.
“What’s going on, Timey?” Vinyl asked. “You know who Nightmare Moon is on sight and you just run away into a box with a huge room inside it?”
“What?!”
“And what is all this stuff?” Octavia asked as she looked around. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.”
“WHAT?!”
“Okay, please stop repeating yourself,” Lyra said. “Just complete the sentence.”
I see what you did there!
2930876 Pretty much what he(she, whichever) said. I've heard that line a lot.
2931358 IKR?
It's so annoying
2930638 2930876 2931358 2933453 3195598 3670482 Okay, this has gone on long enough. The reference is to Doctor Whooves and the Assistant, as the Doctor's secondary catchphrase/pre-butt-kicking one-liner. "I'm the Doctor, and the Doctor is in!"
“What?” the Doctor blurted out. Everyone turned to look at him now.
“Turner!” Derpy shouted. She got out from the pile and ran over to him. “Thank Celestia you’re okay.”
“What?” the Doctor said again.
“What’s going on, Timey?” Vinyl asked. “You know who Nightmare Moon is on sight and you just run away into a box with a huge room inside it?”
“What?!”
“And what is all this stuff?” Octavia asked as she looked around. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.”
“WHAT?!”
Nice reference to that part when he met Donna for the first time
Ha she said the thing and that was one of the most ultimate question of all time
It looks like the doctor try to figure out about Nightmare Moon and where she come from but it looks like he's not alone apparently Derpy and the others found him and to his shock it looks like the TARDIS let them in apparently she can trust these girls so the doctor explained everything about what is going on and it looks like they're going to head for the everfree forest to find the Elements of Harmony I wonder who's going to be the elements