The Timepony’s Journal

by Penny_Shavins109

Chapter 23 - S.O.S

Twilight Sparkle laid her head into her pillow, though slammed might be a more accurate description as she was completely and utterly exhausted. She’d just returned from her Manehatten trip with Rarity, which was certainly interesting to say the least. More or less Rarity had to design an entire new dress line on the fly and she and her others happily volunteered to help. However Rarity got a little too into her head and too their help for granted, but in the end she made it up to them by taking them to an exclusive performance of the play they’d missed in the hassle.

But as she looked to her side and saw the leather bound book on her nightstand, that was the last thing on her mind. How long had it been since the Daleks on Provia, days, weeks? It felt like an eternity for her mostly since she hated the memory so much. So close to death once again in an endeavor related to the Doctor. She wasn’t the same mare she was all those years ago when studying under Celestia and the Doctor was in a place far far away from here and now.

She could keep on reading, keep on going, but that same old question still lingered within her mind. Why? Why here of all ponies to be chosen to save him, did he really trust her that much? She knew that he trusted her as much as she trusted him, but now she no longer trusted herself. She let out a long sigh and picked the diary back up, a hoof brushing over the glistening golden embroidery on the cover. Still so much between where she was and even her own Doctor, maybe her own memories could assist in unlocking the diary’s end but that was an idea for when she had more energy. Time to move forward, time to continue the adventure.

---

The Doctor observed the controls and readouts on the mint green console. He was sulking, only recently letting his granddaughter Susan go. She was moving on without him, not needing him to go on adventures anymore. He was sulking, not saying anything to Spark or Berry Blossom. He didn’t have as much as a connection to them as he did through his granddaughter, he knew them through her. He sat down into one of the old wicker chairs lying about in the console room and took a little nap. He dreamed of his later days on Gallifrey with his two friends graduating the academy. He rose up in the ranks before being in the high counsel, though the decision as to why he left wasn’t a happy one.

He couldn’t avoid the memories of his granddaughter, she was everything to him. Her mother didn’t have the same twinkle in her eyes as she did, the same intrigue and desire to learn what was outside of the citadel. They were all under the same curse of a Time Pony, too high and mighty to even use their TARDISes half the time. Not her though, she wanted and craved the adventure too. That’s when he began to hear the voices of Spark and Berry again, muffled from his slumber.

“He’s never slept through a landing before.” said Spark with a bit of concern.

“Doctor, we’ve landed. Are you alright?” Berry asked with equal worry.

“Hmm? Oh nonsense, nonsense, I’m sure everything is alright. Could you please check the Temporal Regulators Susa-“

The Doctor stopped mid sentence, falling into old habits again. Berry and Spark looked at each other growing even more worried for him. He silently moved over to the other side of the console and flicked a switch, reading the diagnostics to himself. The room felt a little eerie as he turned the scanner on again. The planet had an eerie grayish-purple atmosphere with various spots of blue land and deep black water. The world was mostly ocean though there were strips of land here and there, hundreds of continent sized islands floating around like noodles in a soup bowl.

“There, the planet Didos somewhere in Copper’s Bowl. Interesting system, I went there once myself…”

Another memory with Susan, it was getting more and more difficult to ignore the feelings and carry on. Carry on as if things were normal and she were here, but she wasn’t and likely wouldn’t be for a long long time.

“Anywho, everything seems alright outside. Breathable mostly, however only in a small area of a few cubic kilometers. Must be another Equestrian colony, was absolutely flourishing the last time I was here.”

Upon exiting the doors of the indigo Police Box, the world around them was in fact, not absolutely flourishing. Just dust and ruins spread for miles. The world inside of this colony, held inside of a giant glass dome like figures in a snow globe, was left to rot long ago. The Doctor was too late for anything here, just the remainders that were left by some unknown cause hundreds, maybe thousands, of years ago. He was just about ready to turn back into the TARDIS, Spark talking about something he wasn’t fully listening to, to see a large plume of smoke rising into the sky.

“Doctor!” yelled Spark, having tried to get his attention with no use for nearly a minute.

Berry grunted as she pulled her hooves out of a rather deep divot in the dusty ground, brushing off the sand.

“Spark spotted some kind of smoke off in the distance, we think it’s some kind of signal or beacon for those passing by. We’ve been trying to tell you but you entered another one of your trances.”

The Doctor scoffed dismissively at Berry. He’d never had any trances, she just caught him in deep thought. There was certainly a lot to think about these days. After straightening his frock coat and retightening his ribbon tie, he went off in the direction of the smoke.

“Come along , Beryl and Spike, no time for dilly dallying.”

He didn’t even realize that he’d gotten their names completely wrong. Just a mere slip of the tongue, surely. A thick layer of clouds reigned above them in the dome, the threat of a storm looming on the horizon. Upon looking through the thick glass all they could see were sand dunes, stretching on endlessly for miles. Oddly the buildings seemed a little slanted and while most windows were broken, there wasn’t a shard of glass anywhere.

“I don’t like the look of this weather, it’s getting chilly rather fast.” Berry shivered, wrapping her wings closer to herself for warmth.

“We better move quickly then. Come on Doctor, we better go see who needs help.”

With a quick shake of his head, the Doctor immediately followed suit, trotting of into whatever lie ahead. It eventually began to snow, little crystalline shards gently floating down from above. The wind carried strange sounds all around them, like tapping on glass with a spoon. Climbing over the heaps of broken concrete and steel rebar, the trio found themselves at a shuttle bay. It obviously wasn’t meant for full on space travel, just quick trips from colony to colony.

Spark stopped as an old white tile fell and broke in front of him, it’s ceiling just as cracked as it was now. There was a fire crackling nearby, still hot with high flames and bellowing smoke. The Doctor put a hoof to his mouth, signaling for them to be quiet. Spark stood guard at the short entrance tunnel they came through while the others inspected the area. A distinct rustling could be heard from shuttle Delta, the only one with intact windows.

Berry and the Doctor approached carefully, one step, two steps. Then suddenly the door burst open, and a young purplish-gray mare with a blonde main and tail tumble out in front of them. Berry and the Doctor looked at each other in confusion. This was certainly not what, or rather who, they’d expected. The teenage mare brushed off her dark purple sweater, looking up at them with glee.

“Oh thank goodness you’re here! You said that the rescue party was still a month away, but you must’ve been sent ahead! Oh, thank you so much for coming. Please, come inside, it’s snug but it’s fine, oh I can’t wait to show my dad!”

The Doctor and Berry looked at the exhilarated stranger, then at one another with a saddened yet worried glance. She hadn’t seen anyone else other than her father in a long long while. Just with the look in her eyes she was given away.

“How… long have you been here?” Berry asked, stepping into the shuttle.

“About a few years I think, keeping track is a little hard.”

“That’s quite brave of you, my dear, but…” the Doctor paused, contemplating his response.

He didn’t know if he could break it to her that they weren’t a rescue party. Her eyes had so much hope hiding the deep despair.

“But… we aren’t quite ready to leave just yet. Our ship, eh, needs to refuel. However I’m quite glad we found you, we weren’t certain that you weren’t an attacker of some kind. It’s alright Spike, you can come out now.”

No response. Berry looked down the tunnel for Spark, no pony there anymore. Berry looked at the Doctor with concern. The Doctor internally chastised himself, of course splitting up never ends well. It didn’t bode well with neither the Daleks nor the old Council of Sages, so why would it ever work now? The young mare immediately went from her ecstatic attitude to one of shear horror.

“Not again, please we have to get to your ship, somewhere safer. They’ll hurt us again, dad isn’t here to protect me.”

Berry immediately went back into her protective teacher mode, rushing to her side. She draped a wing over the horrified teen in an attempt to soothe her.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, we’re here with you. I’m sure that whatever these things are, we’ll keep you safe. I’m Berry Blossom and he’s the Doctor, what’s your name?”

“Frequency, Frequency Wave, though my friends used to call me Free. And your friend is in a lot of trouble if the Koquillion got him.”

“The Koquillion? I don’t know who or what he is, but Spark has been strong before and I’m sure he will be again.” comforted Berry, pulling away from Free a little.

“But they’re the one that did all of this, they cracked the dome.”

---

Spark groaned, leaning his head up against the wall behind him. Just seconds ago he was keeping watch in the entrance tunnel, now laying on the ground while an older stallion was untying him.

“Ugh… who are you and where am I?”

“SSH, keep your voice down. I’m Radio Wave.”

“Who or what are we running from?”

As Spark’s ropes fell to the ground, the two of them took off. They were in another tunnel similar to that of the station, but darker and dingier. It was likely some kind of service tunnel but there was no clear exit or entrance, just a long tube that stretched into the darkness.

“The Koquillion, only one beast that toppled our entire civilization. There was nothing we could do… he was too powerful for us.”

“Are you the only one left, we have to go back for others.”

“Nonsense, the Koquillion has likely returned for you by now. If we go back we die.”

“But if we don’t then several others may die!”

The walls around them groaned with age and decay. Dust started to rain down as everything shook for several seconds that felt like an eternity. Thankfully it stopped and the two returned to a whisper.

“The tunnel’s so unstable that even noises could bring the place down on our heads, there’s no choice. We have to go now.”

Spark looked back before sighing, internally cursing himself for how little he could do. So they continued on, not even able to run without the tremors continuing. They were nearly at the tunnel’s end when another tremor occurred, causing the ceramic ceiling tiles to fall again. That sound he’d heard before when it snowed, it was glass. The glass dome was cracking and raining around them and none of them were the wiser. Suddenly Radio called out for him in alarm, the ceiling finally giving up the ghost after so long. Spark didn't even have the time to look up before it was too late.