The Timepony’s Journal

by Penny_Shavins109

Chapter 34 - The Chosen Myths

Once Equestria was finally unified after nearly a century of civil war amongst the ponies, they began to face a new threat. As Equestria began to become the new ruling superpower, they began to attract enemies. The distant Dragonlands originally ruled the badlands to the south before colonisation, though the land wasn’t given up without a fight. The pegasi were Equestria’s new militia, reigning from the ground to the skies along the Dragon Lord’s borders. In the grand capital of Pegasopolis a new hero was forged, Flash Magnus. He wasn’t the strongest fighter, but was certainly the most brave and courageous.

Word spread across the land when he rescued his comrade in arms from the dragon’s clutches. He braved the storm used as cover for the dragon army, risking himself to save a life. From this bravery he cemented himself as one of the founding pillars for Equestrian society, but this is not his story. This is the lost story of the ponies long forgotten by the twisting of myths and legends. This is the story of Àlogo.

---

The TARDIS materialised on the hillside of a grassy plain. Two pegasus stallions were sparring against one another, swords clashing against one another for sport. A village was slightly off in the distance, smoke rising from freshly lit fires. Both stallions stood in front of the blue box, ceasing their sparring. They both looked up at the object, bewildered and confused. Inside the TARDIS Free was fiddling with a small computational puzzle to pass the time. Meanwhile Cosmic was reading a book in one of the Doctor’s antique chairs.

The Timepony himself was fiddling with the controls, attempting to fix one of the numerous subsystems that were always malfunctioning. The ship was bouncing back and forth between the 22nd and 23rd century and the age of ancient Equestria. He’d hoped to break that cycle to revisit Berry and Spark. They’d landed at the edge of this side of the temporal loop, 18 years after the two sister’s inauguration as princesses. For the rest of the universe it’d been 30 years since they’d last landed, for them only a few short days. He sighed, still not fully able to comprehend the things he’d done in the recent months.

He was feeling a bit more tired, always having more to think about. No TimePony had witnessed a planet dying before, not in his current lifetime so far at least. He blew on one of the slightly burnt components for the navigation system, a small portion of it completely unsalvageable. He wiped the component off with a rag before placing it back underneath the console.

“How’s the Tardis coming along?” Free asked, looking up from her puzzle.

“Nothing yet, nothing yet. It seems that the ship's navigational circuits are a puzzle even I struggle to fix.”

“Ah, so no help from me then.”

“Or me, either? Clearly there’s no need for my skills.” Cosmic huffed, closing his book.

“Oh, don’t be so down on yourself, my colt. You did quite well with the Draavins. Even without either of our assistance you were quite self-sufficient.”

The Doctor turned on the scanner, revealing the two stallions staring. He looked at them, humming to himself as he contemplated his next action. He turned the switch to open the doors.

“I shouldn’t be long, just a quick word to gather where we are.”

“And you’re sure that’s safe?” Cosmic asked.

“It appears to be, I do have an inkling of when we are. I’ll be but a moment.”

The Doctor opened the police barn doors and approached the two stallions. He hadn’t noticed that they were carrying swords when viewing them on the scanner. He didn’t even know they were carrying swords until they were dropped in shock.

“Ah, excuse me, could you perhaps give me a precise idea of where I am? I seem to have gotten lost.”

No real looks of confusion, that was a first. The two stallions kneeled before him, bowing their heads in honour.

“My apologies, wise one, we wish you no harm. Our humble residence is simply ahead, 5 metres due North.”

The Doctor looked at the two of them strangely, only now putting the pieces together. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally start a new religion. It was the first time he’d materialised in the open too, not the wisest idea.

“Err, thank you, your kindness is much appreciated. I think it best to not speak of this to anypony, hmm?”

The two stallions looked slightly disheartened before crossing their foreleg across their chest, an honorary salute. The Doctor did his best not to roll his eyes as they sheathed their swords and went back home. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, already feeling exasperated. Equestria was still in an influential state in its history. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally replace the two sisters as their ruler.

“Come along my foal, it’s quite safe. Given how those two were both pegasi, the Equestrian time period, and their dress, I’d say we’re close to Pegasopolis, the capital of the Four Wings Empire.”

“Oh I absolutely love Ancient Pegasopolis. The sights, the smells, the architecture, and all the tales of Flash Magnus fighting the forces of evil.”

“I see you’ve read up on your history, hmm. Though this isn’t some tourist destination, not for another millenia or longer.”

“And you’re certain that it’s peaceful? We at least deserve a break for onced” Cosmic said as he closed the TARDIS doors.

The Doctor looked over at a small boulder with several characters etched into it. Àlogo, 50 metres ahead, it read. A primitive way of guiding them along, but effective.

“I suppose so, though I have been wrong. We’re not quite in Pegasopolis, but Àlogo should be a short walk ahead.”

“Àlogo, like the old nursery rhyme?

Àlogo is a nowhere land,
In the midst of smoke and sand,
In the town of Àlogo,
Good cheer will follow you wherever you go.”

“Hardly as good as Humpty Dumpty, let’s just hope we don’t need all the king’s men.”

“To put us back together again?” Free chuckled.

The Doctor was somewhat sceptical of this place. For the first time in a while he had no knowledge of this place. He’d often landed in places of historical importance, but here he was just drawing blanks. It terrified yet excited him, one of the feelings he’d been hunting for. He took a deep breath, taking one step at a time. He was so lost in thought that he’d barely heard his companions trying to get his attention.

“Doctor, watch where you’re…going.” Free sighed as she watched the Doctor blindly trip over the boulder he was observing mere seconds ago.

“You really need to stop spacing out so much. We worry about you Doc, uh tor.”

“How many times have I told you not to call me Doc?”

“Eeeeh, at least two?”

“Hmph, and that’s very much enough for me, young stallion. Come on, history to observe and explore.”

Both Free and Cosmic looked at one another with concern before following along. Surprisingly for being a part of the Four Wing Empire, there wasn’t an upper city. No cloud layer hanging over the town where the Pegasi citizens lived. Most of the ground towns in the empire were established purely for those that couldn’t fly. There was a mix of the different races around, both Earth Ponies and the occasional Unicorn. Equestria had come a long way since their darker days of living purely in segregation.

The buildings were much more simple, made more of limestone than marble or condensed cloud quartz. That didn’t mean that the terracotta roofed buildings were any less beautiful. Ponies carried carts and water buckets around, moving to and fro. It wasn’t particularly busy though the market was still open. Fresh breads and goods available, soups and stews offering wonderful scents for those with the coin. Cosmic put a hoof on the Doctor’s shoulder, the Doctor looking back at him.

“Maybe you should go ahead, Free. The Doc and I are gonna go ahead.”

“Alright, I’m just going down the street. I’ll catch up with you later.”

The Doctor looked at Cosmic, concerned as they entered a bar. They both sat down, the Doctor just ordering water. The barmaid looked at him a little funny before heading into the back. The Doctor straightened his jacket before clearing his throat.

"So, I presume you had something you wanted to talk about?”

“Yes, about earlier. We’re concerned about you, you’ve been through a lot recently. I’ve only seen what happened…what happened with the Draavins. Though the things that Free’s told me about, well, it’s certainly a lot.”

The Doctor had a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach. He’d recently started feeling the weight of his travels more and more frequently on his shoulders. It wasn’t until Cosmic put a hoof on his shoulder that he’d realised that he’d spaced out. He’d been doing that a lot recently, constantly lost in thought.

“Doctor this is what I’ve been talking about. Maybe we need to take a break from running from place to place.”

He looked down at the mug of slightly cloudy water as it was placed in front of him. The Doctor had lost his appetite by now.

“Perhaps…perhaps you’re right. I’ve been far too careless recently and perhaps, perhaps I should take some time for myself. Time to stop and think about what we’ve done.”

The doors to the bar opened, a small wave of militia in their shiny armour flooding the place. The barmaid sighed in annoyance as they were already starting to get loud and rowdy. Even Cosmic was looking back annoyed. Eventually they settled down but one of them was still pestering the barmaid. Cosmic quickly got up to protest as the soldier put a hoof on her shoulder. Before Cosmic could do anything the barmaid quickly grabbed his foreleg and dragged him out of the bar. Cosmic simply watched in shock as she nonchalantly walked back in, returning to her job.

“...what?” the barmaid asked, Cosmic still just staring at her.

“Oh, uh, it’s not everyday you see somepony throw a soldier out without a fight.”

“I hold my own, it comes with the job.”

“My apologies for any rudeness my companion may possess. I’m known as the Doctor and this’s Cosmic.”

“Lavender Decor, just doing my duty for the sun, sky and lovely patrons.”

“For the sun and sky, so you worship Princess Celestia?”

“Princess?”

“Dear, dear me. We offer the utmost respect for your service. Come along Cosmic.”

Cosmic quickly followed the Doctor, offering an apologetic goodbye.

“What was all that about?”

“You can’t just go around asking ponies if they worship Celestia.”

“But the duty for the sun and sky is a common old Celestian prayer. What’s somepony doing saying that in the time before Celestia, hmm?”

“The princesses still have their influence before becoming crowned. The before Celestia notation denotes when she was crowned, not when she was first worshipped. Not to mention you called her a princess nearly twenty years before she was crowned. You really should read up on your history like Free. Speaking of which, she should be nearby.”

As if on cue, before Cosmic could quip back, Free came along clearly not in a good mood. She was carrying a velvet coloured dress laced with obviously false gold that was already peeling off. She’d had a small scuffle with a semi-shady salespony selling fake dresses. She gave him a good slap when he got handsy, making off with the dress partially by accident.

“Goodness Free, are you alright?” Cosmic asked.

“I’ll tell you later, not the time.”

“Okay…well what do we do now?”

“Maybe we can meet the legend of Pegasopolis, Flash Magnus.”

A lot of ponies stared at Free in disdain. She looked at them, puzzled by their reaction. Ponies almost seemed to actively avoid her now.

“Doctor, did I say something wrong?”

“I’m not certain. Not everypony remembers the same parts of a story.”

“This isn’t a story, though. This is reality.” said Cosmic.

More gold and silver plated soldiers marched into town. The townsponies receded into their homes, a solemn silence falling upon the town square. They began to move large bags of grain, swords and shields being handed out by the dozen. Only then did the Doctor see the thunderstorm on the horizon. The clouds burned with bursts of lightning and fire. Dragons.
He could see their faint shadow illuminated by each burst of light. The low grumble was not thunder but the far away cries of the Draconic army. Free and Cosmic began to notice as well, steadily backing away.

“I think it’s best we return to the ship.”

“You don’t say. I’d rather not be in the middle of a warzone, real experience or not.”

Large blasts of fire were already scorching the fields outside of the village. By the time they were at the edge of the town they were already getting too close. The TARDIS would be fine, even dragonfire would barely singe its paintwork. They however were stuck in the crossfire. Ponies yelled at them to get back, several soldiers guiding them to shelter.

“Why isn’t Flash Magnus here? I thought he rescued anypony in need, endlessly loyal to those around him.”

The soldiers looked almost insulted at Free.

“I’m sorry that pompous idiot isn’t here for bravery and glory, but we’re all you’ve got.” one of the soldiers said, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

“But…he saved somepony…he risked his own skin to do it.”

“Free, we can’t stay here much longer.” Cosmic said as he offered a hoof.

Free took it and the three of them quickly ducked into an alleyway as the first of the fire strikes hit. Free hugged the Doctor as the battle continued to wage on around them. Free wasn’t sure how to feel, all she knew was that she was scared. She’d lived in a place like this before for several months, the world crashing around her. The Doctor stroked her mane as she slightly trembled, though she still maintained a brave face. She was still a child on the inside, he’d just never thought of her that way.

“There, there. Everything will be alright. Hmm?”

“But what about this place? If nopony comes to save them then who will?”

“Not everypony can be saved. The risk doesn’t always return an equal reward. The universe doesn’t necessarily have heroes, it has ponies like us who do their best.”

Free smiled, letting out a deep breath. At least she felt a little more safe. Cosmic looked around the corner, still unsafe to leave the alleyway. The town square was shadowed by a thick cloud of ash and smoke but he could still faintly see and hear. The Doctor turned his head to see the barmaid from before trying to get others to safety. Cosmic quickly rushed across the street to help her, nearly vanishing out of view. Free called out to him, soon following behind.

Putting a handkerchief over his mouth, the Doctor ran through the haze in the direction of their voices. Lavender was trying to get others into the safety of the bar’s cellar. The building was crumbling around them, likely to collapse at any moment. Dust rained down as the wall next to them shifted, its wooden supports burnt to a near crisp. Cosmic ducked out of the way but Lavender simply froze as part of the wall started to collapse on them. The Doctor jumped, pushing Lavender out of the way before she was crushed. Lavender breathed heavily, silently reciting a prayer to herself. He realised what he’d done, even though it was purely by instinct.

Cosmic quickly helped him and Lavender down into the cellar where Free was already waiting for them. There were dozens of ponies down here too, fearing for their lives as. Free noticed that sad look in his eyes as he tried to maintain a brave face. Lavender should’ve died. He’d changed history, rewritten lines that should never be changed. The one act, this one life could create possibilities that could tear rifts in the established continuity. Maybe even the TimePonies would notice him. He had to fix this, he had to make everything right. He had to…he had to.

“Doctor?” Free asked, looking up at him.

She was trying to console the distressed. Something felt different this time. Looking up he realised that this wasn’t the first time he’d changed history like this. Frequency Wave, his friend and companion, should’ve died in the collapse of the biodome. Yet he continued to travel with her, just there to offer help wherever he ended up next. He was no hero though, he wasn’t some galactic vigilante. He was just a runaway, an explorer, a kind old stallion in a beaten up TARDIS. Maybe that didn’t matter at all. Even if that was his mission before, he’d changed. All he wanted to do was to keep himself and the ponies he cared about alive.

He’d fallen in love with the Equestrians and their ways of friendship, he cared about every life in this species. Seeing these ponies here and now, trembling with fear, it broke his hearts. The Doctor sighed, smiling before addressing everypony in the room.

“Everypony, the situation at hoof does appear grim. Rest assured, you will all be safe. Your homes may be ravaged by fire breathing dragons, but we still stand. Àlogo will continue, not through the stone and wood left behind, but through our hearts and the stories we tell of it.”

He then turned to Lavender.

“Do you know a secure way through the town? We need to pass through to the other side, away from the dragons.”

“Yes, though once we leave we’ll be out in the open. There’s nothing but fields for miles.”

The Doctor looked at the group, seeing only two non-pegasi.

“Simple, you fly. Hide in the clouds, carry those who can’t until it’s safe. Get as much height above the dragons as you can. They’ll sweep through this town, but turning around will take them time. If we’re swift, you’ll never be noticed. Do you think you can manage for long enough?”

There was a general sound of agreement amongst the others. He couldn’t believe that he was actually about to do this. Whatever happened next didn’t matter as long as everypony made it out safe and alive. Lavender and Cosmic led in the front while Free and the Doctor followed in the back. The battle continued, buildings cracking apart and occasionally blocking their path. While they made it out of the city relatively unharmed they weren’t in the clear just yet. Cosmic joined alongside the others to ensure their safety, raising the non-pegasi into the clouds.

The Doctor quickly unlocked the TARDIS, noticing the dirt and mud spattered across the sides. Free then pushed him in before he could wipe down his precious ship. He quickly turned on the scanner, viewing the carnage outside. He pleaded to himself that this actually worked. Zoom in, zoom out, adjust the width, everything needs to be accounted for. The storm wasn’t turning around, slowly fading into the background as the town was left in shambles. He didn’t know how many ponies lived or died today, just that more survived than they should have. The Doctor didn’t know how to feel, the mixed emotions overwhelming him.

It was eerily silent out there. You could hear nothing but the wind blowing away the smoke and ash. There was no sound but the wind, no movement at all. But then, there was a song. The townsponies one by one picked each other up, helped one another, and they sang.

This place is our home
Although it’s broken down
We won’t fix it alone
We’ll rise again in the end

We were never perfect
Yet together we stand
Our flaws we need to accept
That’s what makes us who we are

Àlogo is a nowhere land,
In the midst of smoke and sand,
In the town of Àlogo,
Family will follow you wherever you go

Free sat down on the floor and watched the scanner, listening to the lost song of Àlogo. The Doctor sat next to her, putting a hoof around her shoulder. In a way, this was all worth it. He’d need to leave as soon as Cosmic was on board, the TimePonies would probably notice the temporal disturbance. He’d hardly thought about what he’d left behind on Gallophrey. His friends, his family, he left it all behind. But in the moment it was all worth it for this.

“Doctor…do you know what’ll happen to them?”

“No. Their history is lost outside of the stories they tell.”

“So this could all happen again? Everything we did could all be for nothing.”

“My dear, Free. Even if that’s so, we still gave them more time with one another. They’ll sing more songs and live longer and potentially more fulfilling lives.”

“I think…I think I want to stay.”

He was surprised, though he understood why she felt the way that she did.

“You aren’t upset, are you?”

“Not necessarily, no. I’m simply saddened that our time is coming to an end.”

“Seeing them, I think I want to see it through. I want their hopes to be a reality. If there’s no heroes to save them, they should at least have somepony to help them out. Somepony like us.”

“It’ll be dangerous. You’ll be staying in a time of war and hardship.”

“Is that any different from what we’ve been through? At least I have the experience, and had a wonderful teacher.”

“I’m glad that you thought so.”

“Let’s tell one last story then, just before I go. What do you say, grandpa?”

The Doctor looked her in the eyes and smiled. He nodded his head as he held back tears. That one moment seemed to last forever, just the two of them sitting there and sharing stories of their travels together. It was just like their travels, expecting them to last forever, yet in the end he still had to say goodbye.

---

Cosmic walked into the console room, looking around as if Free were still meant to be there. She’d said her goodbyes to him, given him a hug, and yet he was still somewhat in shock. The Doctor was already programming in their next flight, initialising the dematerialization process. When Cosmic stepped out of the way he finally noticed that Lavender Decor was standing there in shock, mouth agape. The Doctor quickly tried to cancel the dematerialization but it was too late, the time rotor already started to rise and fall. At the very least he could use the Fast Return switch to correctly return them home this time. Looking back up he saw Lavender kneeling before him. Quickly rushing to her side he realised that it was worse than he thought.

“Please forgive me Doctor, I never realised what you were.”

“Is she alright? Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Help? What help is there in limbo? Strange god, you give me peace. I realise now that I was destined to die.”

“My dear foal, you are not dead. We’ll return you home at once, my sincere apology.”

“But this is not Àlogo, nor the Four Wings Empire. This isn’t even Equus, it’s a world beyond my comprehension at all.”

“Sit down, we’ll return you home shortly.”

The Doctor pulled over his antique chair for her to sit down in. Cosmic brought her a glass of water, though she seemed to be hesitant to hold it.

“But I have no home anymore. Great god, I only wish to assist you in any way I can.”

“Please, call me Doctor.”

“As you wish, Doc.”

“Please…I’m not a Doc. I’m not a god. Oh my dear Frequency Wave, I hope that you’ll be alright.”

---

Twilight Sparkle closed the diary after bookmarking her page. So much time had passed, so much had changed. She had changed. Looking outside Twilight watched as the snow melted and fell off of her windowsill. Winter was ending again, and she still wasn’t sure if she was ready for the new year or not. The TARDIS was still just down the hall but she didn’t dare to go anywhere near it. It still invoked that deep fear within her, that memory of what happened on Provia and everything else since. She wasn’t ready to go through anything like that again anytime soon.

By now the past events felt like a distant memory, but the pain still lingered on. She wondered what Radiance was doing now. She was probably off in the stars, continuing to search for her memories and how to build up the strength to fight. Maybe soon she’ll return and tell her about it. Thinking about all the what-ifs Radiance and the Doctor were going through was too much. Twilight sighed and levitated the book onto her nightstand before turning out the lights. She’d worry about them some distant tomorrow. For now, today was a new day, and she’d be ready for when her time comes to play her part.