Time Bubbles

by Janicethelight

Chapter 27: The Rifts

The next morning, Derpy bolted up in her bed. Her heart raced from an odd dream she had. She tried remembering it, grabbing a quill and parchment to write.

“Odd creature’s fighting with strange weapons.” She scribbled, trying to grasp at the dream that was already trying to leave her memories, “giant ants! Stars gone from the sky,by some creature...what else was there...Oh, right...the windows, and purple smoke.” The scribed more, “I feel like I’m forgetting so much of it, but one thing I do remember!” She wrote ‘terrifying’ in giant letters, and stared at the sheet, nodding. She realized by that point that the Doctor wasn’t around again. “Does that stallion ever sleep?!” She rolled the parchment with her nose, and went into the corridors. Everything seemed so quiet after the crystal fair. She wondered if the snow storm had finally let up. Looking out a window, she saw what was left of the fair being cleaned up; ponies were dismantling their stalls to store away until next year. Above, the forcefield was as strong as ever. As she looked at the snow hitting against it, flashbacks of the snowglobe incident went through her mind. She shook her head, wandering the castle. It seemed just as quiet as the city. Derpy felt her hair stand on end, tensing up for a moment. ‘Silent castles are creepy.’ She thought to herself. She was beginning to hate being by herself anymore. Too many things were happening to her when she was by herself. ‘I need to get a grip. It’s just the crystal castle. Everypony here is wonderful.’ Still, she felt uneasy for some reason, and she couldn’t seem to shake it off. “Doctor?” She called, he wasn’t in the dining hall and there was no corn left on the serving trays, so she figured he had eaten already. “I must have slept longer than I thought.”

“Miss Derpy!”

Startled, Derpy jumped and fluttered halfway to the ceiling.

Sombra flushed a bit, “I didn’t mean to scare you. The Doctor has been talking with Starswirl about the mirrors for quite some time. They asked me to check in on you. Or the Doctor did, anyway.”

“Th-thanks.” Derpy managed, slowly flying back to the ground, sighing in relief, “I was getting a bit nervous.” She admitted before realizing Somepony was missing, “Where’s Princess Luna?” She asked.

“Ah. She and her sister are… discussing some important news!” Sombra looked like he was about to fly himself if he had wings. Derpy giggled, causing Sombra to raise an eyebrow.

Derpy shook her head. “It’s nothing… let’s go see what those two are up to!”

Derpy and Sombra walked up the two stallions mid conversation, “How many mirrors are there in total?” The Doctor asked.

“At the moment, I have five other mirrors. Only two of them are working so far though, including the one that is here. The new one goes to a completely different dimension than the first. And the timing is--” Starswirl paused to address Sombra. “Your Majesty, with your permission, may I please bring the original mirror back with me to Canterlot? I need to compare the two. There are some interesting differences and they require much more study.”

“Of course you may, Starswirl.”

“How did you happen upon the idea for these dimensions?”

“Actually from the archives of the Crystal Kingdom. Long ago, an ancient power once reigned here, and it was the original ruler of this land. Something said to be not of this world, someplace called the True Dark. It was something-- sorry, I’m straying. It had a mirror that it could use-- well it’s all somewhat vague, but we know the mirror exists, or what’s left of it anyway. From a fragment of the original, I was able to reverse-engineer the process needed to make a new one. I thought I was building a portal that would allow us to travel through time, but when we used it, we ended up in a new world. It was only when I noticed similarities there to ponies I had known, that I realized it was more than a new world. It was a parallel dimension! Naturally, I wanted to see if I could recreate the phenomenon, and I did. Though the second dimension proved to be far more unique.”

“And you’re still working on four others? That’s six...six different dimensional gateways stored in one nation. Do you realize how dangerous that is?!”

“It’s not dangerous at all, my fine stallion.”

“In such close proximity they could shatter your world!”

“Nonsense! These portals only open at precise times. They are like gates that have always been around, just now they come in handy, portable easy to find gates.”

“So you don’t open them yourself?” The Doctor double checked.

“Precisely! I would never try to tamper with them to make them open. That would cause a tear in the fabric of reality. We don’t need that again!” Starswirl said with a nervous laugh.

“Doctor!” Derpy said after noticing the conversation was at a stand still, the Doctor musing over thoughts that Derpy couldn’t understand.

He shook his head a moment, “Derpy!” He galloped over, hugging her, “good morning! Starswirl, this is the mare that we were speaking about!”

“Wait...what?” Derpy asked just before Starswirl came centimeters away from her nose.

“Yes, the mare who sees rifts without a mirror.” Derpy felt herself light in the air by magic, Starswirl looking her over.

“Do you MIND?!” Derpy growled, embarrassedly.

“Oh, no I don’t mind at all, thank you for asking.” Starswirl nodded, rounding her one more time, “She seems like every other Pegasus to me” he shrugged, “the eyes need fixing to be sure, but good wingspan. The cutie mark is unusual. Tell me, what exactly do seven bubbles of various sizes mean that contributes to the good of all ponies?!”

“What?!”

“What is your talent? I mean, I suppose it could be blowing bubbles, but that doesn’t seem like it would be a worthwhile talent to pos-“

“Doctor, he’s as rude as the raccoons!” She huffed, annoyed.

“You are getting off-topic.” The Doctor whispered.

“Right,” Starswirl said. “So you don’t know what the cutie mark represents?”

Derpy shook her head.

“I’m going to take a guess that it is somehow connected to your ability to see other dimensions.”

“Wait-Doctor? You told him?!” Derpy exclaimed.

“No… King Sombra told him.” The Doctor admitted, “But he’s shown much discipline; seems to understand the dangers of altering the timeline, or the theory of it anyhow. He doesn’t seem to hold any hostility, and seems to be fascinated specifically in your special talent.”

“Perhaps there’s more to this puzzle than we can see.” Starswirl ‘s horn lit up more, and the magic holding Derpy flowed around, changing colors in various places before stopping. He cantered up to her, examining the magic around her, “hmmmm, Interesting.”

“What is?” The Doctor’s asked.

“Well, each race has a certain magic aura naturally. Like a way their magic works. Earth ponies tend to have warm tones to their magic; reds and yellows. Unicorns are the more varied depending on the kinds of magic that they excel at. Pegusi like your companion tend to have blues, pinks, purples. Never have I seen a Pegasus with a golden hue to their magic!”

“Golden hue?”

“Yes, there seems to be a light golden edging, about the same color as her off-set eyes, all the way around her, but it tends to center at the eyes themselves. The cutie mark shares this to a lesser degree.”

“What does that mean?” Derpy asked.

“It could mean plenty!” Starswirl bounced, overjoyed. “It could mean that you have latent unicorn energy from your lineage, or that a unicorn somehow melded some of their magic with your own. It might even be a side effect from time traveling! There may be more that we haven’t figured out yet, but I’m confident that this odd golden energy is connected to your ability to see those rifts!”

“How can you tell?” Derpy wondered,

Starswirl was enamored in theories, murmuring to himself about something. Finally, he let her go, “Now, let’s see how it works!”

“See how what works?” Derpy asked.

“Doctor, Sombra. Come with me for a bit! Miss Derpy, stay here until we get back!” Starswirl coaxed, the two trotting over to see him, “Let’s leave her be. If she thinks she’s alone, then a rift may show, and we’ll see it first hoof!”

“First hoof.” The Doctor snickered. They hid behind a corner.

“Hey. Everypony. Come back!” Derpy called, after a few minutes. The three didn’t answer. Derpy shrunk down. Being left alone was the last thing she wanted to do after the nightmare and the uneasiness. She waited a while longer. “Doctor? Please, I don’t want to be in here by myself!”

The Doctor started to shift. Her voice was shaking. She kept looking around, occasionally looking straight at them but unable to see them. The Doctor had a sinking suspicion that Starswirl used his magic to help hide them. Starswirl noticed the Doctor’s shifting, shaking his head. The Doctor sat. He knew this was important. It was to help Derpy not see the windows anymore, and they couldn’t stop something until they figured out why it happened. Time ticked on slowly, with no changes. Minutes turned to hours. Derpy paced back and forth tapping her for hoof on the ground in nervousness. She walked up the hall, uncomfortably close to the three of them, looking out the other side. “Where did they go?” Derpy asked right by the Doctor. “I should look for them. No, they told me to stay here. Maybe they got lost! Yeah! Wait, Sombra was with them. He would know how to find me. Maybe something happened! No, I would hear a commotion.” She sighed. She had already counted the doors several times, and sang songs she knew, and anything to make time go by faster. Derpy was becoming more and more frustrated, continually checking around the corner.

The Doctor was close to revealing where they were, noticing the amount of frustration and hurt in Derpy’s eye, when she turned the corner, and her eyes; both of them, suddenly focused on the same spot. Her eyes glowed slightly as she walked around the bend, her straightened eyes narrowing in confusion at what she saw. The three stallions followed her gaze in attempt to see what she saw. Confusion covered their faces. They saw nothing. The Doctor silently followed Derpy, taking out his sonic.

Derpy cried out, “Doctor! It’s another! It’s here!”

“I’m right here, Derpy.”

Derpy turned her head, “Where have you--”

“Don’t look away from it. Stay focused. Describe what you’re seeing; every possible detail no matter how insignificant it might be.”

“This one is different. It’s the same size, but I think it’s... open!”

“Open?” The Doctor Aimed his sonic with his hoof, checking it after, “Why do you say that?”

“With the others, I could only hear what was happening, but with this one, I can feel the wind! It’s warm! Very warm!

“What’s on the other side?”

“It’s some sort of city; it’s enormous! I can see all of the roofs. I think this window is on the roof of a building. On the left there’s a body of-- the ocean, going all the way to the horiz-- I hear screaming! Something moving in the streets. There’s hundreds, thousands of creatures all running towards the ocean. Everything just shook! Sweet Celestia!”

“Derpy? What is it?”

“The biggest dragon I’ve ever seen! No-- wait, it doesn’t have wings-- no it has to be a dragon! And a hydra; a hydra just landed, it has wings. Their Fighting each other-- they’re charging-- breathing fire at each other! Three buildings just went down like nothing, this is terrible!”

The Doctor glanced back at Starswirl and Sombra; a look of terror in both of their faces. “Are either of you seeing this?”

They shook their heads, but Starswirl added, “I can feel it though, there’s something there. The power is immense!”

Derpy continued, “The hydra just fell over onto the streets full of creatures, everything is burning, Doctor I don’t want to look anymore!”

“OK, you can look away now. It should go away when you do.”

Derpy lifted up her hoof, “No...I don’t...I can’t… the hydra took off, flew past the window, he’s...the dragon is coming closer!”

“Derpy, look away!”

“No! I have to close the window, or he will get through!” Derpy seemed panicked at this point.

“Derpy, he can’t, he wouldn’t fit!”

She held her hoof forward.

“Derpy. It’s a rift. It doesn’t work like a real window. You can’t close it!”

“I have to try. The dragon’s looking this way, his mouth is open, he’s about to use his fire again!”

“You don’t know what will happen if you touch it.”

“Please, trust me, Doctor!”

The Doctor stopped, breathing slowly, “Okay, I trust you.”

Derpy bit her lip, touching the portal. She felt something solid like a thin sheet of glass that felt like it thickened rapidly at her touch. Everypony saw a bright light from her hoof expand before she was pushed back by the force of something, flying back against the three stallions. For a brief moment, they could see a white glowing window before it vanished in a flash. Derpy shook her head, dazed. The Doctor noticed her eyes were back to their usual state.

“Is she okay?” Sombra asked, worriedly.

“Derpy? Derpy! Talk to me!”

“Did...did I close it?” Derpy managed a bit groggily.

The Doctor tested the area with his sonic again, checking it, “It seems like it is. According to the sonic, anyway.”

“Now, let’s not jump to conclusions.” Starswirl stood, brushing his hat off, “The rift could have closed for various reasons. We won’t know for sure until she tries again.”

“No!” The Doctor shouted, eyes like daggers at Starswirl. “This experiment is too dangerous to continue. She could have gone to that world. Or worse! She could have been stuck between worlds!”

“But she’s fine!” Starswirl countered.

“She is lucky! She had us to catch her fall, and nopony knows what that light was about. Also if she was right, we were all just seconds from being immolated! And it took hours of psychological torture to even get it to happen once and I will not do that again. I’m putting my foot-uh, hoof down!”

“Doctor, please understand. If we can figure out how-“ Starswirl stopped with one look from the Doctor, backing off, “Yes, well, perhaps another time.”

The Doctor helped Derpy up, puzzling over this new piece. To see rifts was one thing, but to close one?!

“I’m alright.” Derpy nodded, “just a bit light headed…”. Her stomach growled, “and really hungry.”

Sombra laughed, “well, let’s get some food!” He prompted, leading the way.”

“By the way, what took you three so long?!” Derpy asked.

“We were by you the whole time.” Starswirl explained, “just hidden by my magic so we could see what you saw!”

“You watched all that time, and didn’t say anything?!”

“Forgive us, Derpy.” Sombra bowed, “we were trying to find what causes you to see the rifts, so we can put a stop to it.”

Derpy’s anger faded, “Oh. Well, did you see it? Or figure out why it happens?”

“We couldn’t see what you saw, but there was definitely a rift there. The sonic doesn’t lie. I’ve noticed some unexpected variables, too…” The Doctor couldn’t seem to look at Derpy, his mind seeming to turn ideas in his head as he spoke, “You see them when you feel alone, isolated. Also, if you are feeling anxious, or overwhelmed, it seems to happen. We saw your eyes glow a bit when you focused on it. Were you trying to concentrate on it?”

“Uh, no, why?”

“How well do your eyes work, Derpy? Can you see out of one, but not the other?” the Doctor asked.

“I can see out of both fine. I just can’t focus them both on one thing without a lot of concentration , and even then, only for a short time. No more than a minute, really.”

“When you were looking at the window, you did.” the Doctor said.

Confusion covered Derpy’s face.

The Doctor continued, “I need you to promise me something.”

“What is it?”

“Derpy. If you see something like that again...leave it be. Watching is fine, but don’t try to touch it. “

“But Doctor, I had to close the window.”

The Doctor’s thoughts were going a mile a minute. The amount of force Derpy was hit back with could have caused serious injuries. He turned, eyes staying in hers. “I mean it, Ditzy! Don’t touch them.”

Derpy froze a moment, the Doctor walking on. He hadn’t used her real name since they first met. He had used the nickname so much, Derpy thought he had forgotten her real one. It almost seemed wrong coming from him now. It wasn’t in the kind, worried, or caring way that he said her name. It was definite, final, with an air of urgency.

Still, she inhaled deeply before catching up to him. “Doctor, I wasn’t trying to worry you, but I had to do something. I couldn’t just stand there and let that dragon shoot fire through the window!”

The Doctor agreed, “I know. I know. I just don’t want you hurt. Dimensional rifts have always been a mystery, and the last thing I want is to lose you!”

Derpy’s froze in her tracks and her heart soared. ‘He’s worried about losing me.’ Her mind repeated. She felt a light jab at her side, snapping her out of la la land. Sombra was next to her with a smirk on his face. Once he was certain she was back to reality, he pointed off where Starswirl and The Doctor had gotten far ahead. Derpy rushed back to them, Sombra snickering a bit along the way.