Perhaps Death

by WritingSpirit

Meet The Sparkles

1005 AC, Third Summer, 7, 14:21:31

"So what do you think?"

"Um... well, let's see..."

Like most of Canterlot's fine architecture, it had lilac white walls, clean, arched glass windows, and a yellow tunnel with a matching purple door to boot. As it goes on to the top, it queerly splits into two, growing all the way up until it reaches the height of an oak tree, ending in a pair of blue spires with pink flags hanging like boa feathers on a hat. What''s queer is that this one bulges outwards in the middle, with something protruding from its side; a step closer revealed it was some sort of telescope, big enough to be fitted upon an observatory instead.

It was a house fit for a king and, to a certain degree, about a dozen children from the orphanage, minus five if one of them was of a larger than average size. The architecture is splendidly done, especially with the addition of the telescope and all. If you ask me, it's not really that much of a surprise, considering the fact that this is the household of Her Majesty's most faithful student, but that is but an assumption.

"I have to say, it's pretty huge," I simply remarked. Honestly, it dwarfs most of the other structures in terms of luxury, due to the fact that it was standing at the edge of a cliff with that big telescope poking out like an elephant's tusk from the window. I reckon somepony in her family could be an astrologer, astronomer or some other astro-whatnot. With my companion's relations to the Princess, no doubt that pony would have some royal, dignified position that could replace the iffy flanks of those crude ministers.

Twilight Sparkle just gave me a discontent look. Yes, apparently, she was expecting her best friend here to elaborate a little on its design and turn our conversation into a drawl that should've come from a nutty professor with a masters in architecture. Even though I am probably more than a million times older than a professor, that does not mean my interest lies in musty tomes of magic, encyclopedias of knowledge or cheesy novellas, unlike somepony I know.

"Come on, Turner," she whined. Sort of. "You can do way better than that."

"Alright, aside from the center, it looks like every other building in Canterlot."

A whack in the head left me dazed, leaving me to hiss from the ache of my companion's single blow. All I could do was rub it gently with my hoof, watching as my friend rolled her eyes, no doubt irritated by the honest truth. Yes, you might call it sarcasm, but what else is there to tell her? That her house has a roof that looks like a party hat? That it looked like a micro-biological creature frozen and cemented mid-mitosis?

With a sigh, I followed my companion up the steps of her home, hoping only for the best. I must admit, I'm a little nervous to be there. Even though I'm not heading up to her father and asking for permission to have her hoof, I could feel my knees melting under me. Remember how I said I was bad with first impressions?

"Just calm down, alright?" Twilight said with a chuckle, apparently noticing my dilemma. "Everything will be fine, Turner. They're just my parents! It wouldn't kill to talk to them!"

"But I don't even know what to say!" I protested. "What would I talk to your dad about? Fighting Cyberponies? Exterminating the Daleks? Save the whole of Equestria from impending doom by stopping that bugger in Fillydelphia from dividing the world by zero?"

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, though that last sentence just left her staring at me. Believe me, I would've done the same; who would divide anything by zero? Don't get any ideas, my friends.

"O-Okay..." she finally said after a minute of silence. "Well, did you do anything else, aside from all the time traveling in the... TARDIS? Anything relatively normal for two colts to talk about?"

"Like what?"

"Y'know! Chess-playing, kite-flying, stargazing even! My dad really likes stargazing. You should chat with him about constellations and stars and such."

"Not my thing," I simply replied. On the other hoof, that explains the telescope. "I don't really have much hobbies aside from time traveling, Miss Sparkle, and I don't think he would like to hear me boasting about my collections of er... bow ties..."

"But you must have something to talk about!" the lavender mare retorted. "Alright, let's try this. Think of something you did that you really liked without your TARDIS or screwdriver or... whatever gizmos and gadgets that you have. In five seconds, just shoot out what you can! Got that?"

My brain tensed immediately when she said five seconds. Even though Time Lords have the brain capacity to do a hundred calculus questions in that amount of time, that doesn't mean we can think of something normal. If you cried foul, just ponder over this for a minute: since when do Time Lords do anything... normal? I mean, a normal life? Euch...

"Five!" she yelled suddenly, nearly making me jump. Here goes nothing... "Alright, Turner! Say it!"

"Spending time with you!!"

It just popped up in my head suddenly, though however shocking it was, it is still the truth. Why? Well, instead of saving ponies from Weeping Angels, I was drinking a milkshake and listening to her rambles in Daisy's; instead of burning down a Dalek base, I was teaching her on simple biological studies; instead of raiding some Silurian warren, I was helping her on organizing her notes! Who could've believed that the Doctor could resort to the most mundane of things with a mare?

Immediately after I said that, Twilight stepped back, blushing a deep red. If I must say, her expression of shock was exceptionally priceless! No doubt she didn't expect me to say that as much as I don't expect myself to say it out loud (really, what the heck were you thinking, Turner?) but what comes after that... well, it was a bigger surprise.

"Y-You..." she began to stammer. "You really mean that?"

I stared at her, narrowly catching my mouth from falling. Something lit up in my heart, blood flushing to my cheeks and tinting it as red as hers. Both of us opened to speak, the simultaneity of our movements left us turning away from the other pony, fidgeting our hooves in embarrassment. My head was scolding me sternly inside, asking me to man up. Come on, Turner! Go on and make your first darn move! Easy for you to say, darn head.

Before I could even begin to speak, the front door suddenly opened, both of us turning towards it to see the pale gray face of a unicorn poking her head out, frowning grimly when she spotted me. That was when I noticed how similar she was to my fellow companion, as if looking at a mirror. A pretty... color-blind mirror, if you ask me. No really, her mane, albeit a different streak of light purple and pure white, was combed into a style that was somewhat similar, if not an exact replica to Twilight's. I wonder...

"Hi Mom!"

Close enough to home, I guess; I thought they were sisters.

"Twilight? Is that you?" she exclaimed, apparently surprised at seeing her daughter. Immediately, Twilight galloped up with a giggle to hug her mother, the two mares nuzzling their snouts with the gentleness of maternal love. Even I couldn't help but smile as I watch their short reunion unfold. "Oh, for the love of Celestia, I was wondering who in the world was making all that ruckus!" the older mare cried, probably referring to our awkward conversation. "Your father's almost about to lose his head over a few new star systems he spotted from all the noise! You know how he is and his concentration, dear. On a side note, who is this?"

I tensed up immediately when she turned to me, giving me that cynical stare again. Funny, really: if Twilight did that, I couldn't help but laugh my flank off. For her mother, I laughed as well, though it was short, gawky and awkward all around, despite only serving to plunge that dagger of a narrowed stare deeper into the recesses of my brain. No offense to her or to Twilight, but how in the deepest pits of Tartarus does the family put up with her?

"Oh, he's a friend from Canterlot High," my companion explained, retaining her smile. "I uh... invited him to have dinner with us."

"I see..."

Seems Twilight's mother wasn't one prone to trusting strangers, especially when it was the best friend of her own daughter. Funnily, I don't see her as a possessive kind of mother; my intuition tells me she seems to be of an open mind. I might be wrong but with great modesty, my intuition is right. Most of the time. "I'm glad to see my daughter introducing a new friend to us," she began. "Of course, there are a few things I want to clarify before letting you step into my house. First, what's your name and second, where do you live?"

Where do I live? Really? Harsh, I silently said to myself, clearing my throat.

"Um... m-my name is Time Turner," I answered. I still prefer the Doctor, but it's best not to. "I live about uh... ten to fifteen blocks from the palace, in the Canterlot Center for Foster Children ran by Missus Hearthfire. What many ponies call the orphanage, so to speak."

A small gasp left her mouth once I said the word 'orphanage'. Immediately, much to the surprise of Twilight and I, I found myself being pushed into the house by her mother. The next thing I know, I was on the couch, staring down at a cup of water in between my hooves, with my companion smiling timidly at me while her parents were having a squabble upstairs. Apparently, Twilight's mom wanted her father to come down and see me, even though she did say he was losing his head over some new star systems.

"Are your parents always like this?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Uh... not really," she admitted sheepishly. "She usually has a clearer head than now, especially when it comes to interrupting Dad and his work. Every time that happens, they'll just have a little fight and--"

A loud crash resounded from upstairs, nearly making me drop my cup. I was about to rise up from the chair and storm up the stairs when Twilight suddenly pushed me back down, shaking her head quietly. Something from her strangely calm expression told me that despite her parents arguing only from time to time, whenever it happens something would surely be thrown about. This time, it sounded like... an easel? I'm a tad bit sure it was an easel. Before any of you say anything, I've listened to many easels fall and break apart before. No big deal. Never thought I would hear one in a normal household.

"Whoa-kay..." I chirped. My companion certainly has pretty scary parents. "So... what do they work as?"

"Well..." Twilight began. "Mom's an author, writing stories about adventures and moral values, which were basically the stuff that I believe you go through every day. On the other hoof, my dad's a biologist and alchemist, but works part-time as Princess Celestia's royal astronomer. Oh, and he's a bit of a dreamer."

"... imagine the infinite possibilities of such a breakthrough. If magic could diffuse into such delicate matter, it could be refined into some sort of stream that could probably power a town for four years with only a single spark!"

"If you can harness it," Twilight's mom clarified over the sound of them trotting downstairs. "Plus, the only spark that matters now was the spark of friendship. Our daughter finally has a friend, Night Light. After so long, our little girl finally befriends somepony her age."

Her words caught me by surprise, leaving me to turn with widened eyes at my companion. The lavender mare was starting to glance to the side, frowning grimly as if she had just been mocked and insulted publicly by her very own mother. The last thing I expect was for the only protege of Her Majesty to not have any other friends. All these questions kept running through my head over and over, the temptation to ask piling up like a landfill.

"I..." I tried to speak. "I didn't know you never had any--"

"It's alright," she cut in, trying to smile underneath her dark facade. "It's just... I'm not very...... comfortable around other ponies, Turner. You're the only friend I ever had and... well... we both really had a lot of fun--"

"Is it a bad time now?"

The foreign voice made me jump with a yelp, my mane standing on end as soon as I spotted a purple creature standing at the doorway into the kitchen. Immediately, I flicked out my sonic, gritting my teeth as it whirred a bright green, waving it threateningly at that... that thing! He stared at me confusedly, slanting his head and would've snatched my dear sonic with his dirty claws had I not shooed them away.

"Back!!" I told Twilight, just as her parents stormed in, wondering what the commotion was all about. "I can handle him!"

Immediately, Twilight burst out into a fit of laughter, followed by her parents. Lowering the sonic, all I could do was stare at their abrupt hysteria, unable to understand what in Celestia's sun tattoo is going on with this family. The last time I saw ponies laugh this hard, it was when I accidentally caused a leak of laughing gas in a power plant.

"Oh, Turner," she chuckled, wiping off a tear of joy. "Don't worry about it. He's totally harmless!"

"I am not!" the creature declared, puffing his chest. "I'm a dragon! You got that, dude? De-raaaa-gon. I could tear your head off your shoulders in the blink of an eye. The best part? You wouldn't even know it happened!"

"Maybe you can do that if you aren't that small," Twilight chided, which only heightened their laughter. The dragon (as he reputedly said he was) just crossed his arms with a scowl as the lavender mare petted his head, snickering underneath her breath. You have to admit, for a dragon, he seems a lot smaller than I pictured one to be. Really kills the vicious and majestic portions out of the typical dragon.

"His name's Spike," my companion explained, turning to me. "He's a baby dragon that was hatched from an egg by yours truly. Oh, and he is my little brother!"

"Unofficially," the dragon, um... Spike, added in a low grumble. I have to admit, for a baby dragon, I was a little impressed at his extent of vocabulary. Surely that is expected from some uh... dragon closely acquainted to Twilight Sparkle, but the fact that he could speak in pony was a little surprising. I was expecting something along the lines of ghlarg ghlar chew roar graah spit hiss rrargh or something like that, not that I wouldn't understand what it meant. Then again, he was brought up in a pony society; you are where you're from, I presume.

"So who's this guy? he asked Twilight.

I sighed. Here we go again...
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---

1024 AC, ? Month, ? Day, ? h/min/s

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"Please, if you could just let him go..."
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Hello?

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"We're sorry, miss. He is to remain......... until he......"
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Who... who is it?
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"He was just doing what's right!! You can't do this to him! Just please!!"

"I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave..."
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No... no, don't go...
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"I'll... I'll c-come back, Turner! I-I promise!! I'll get you out!!"
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Don't... don't leave me here...
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"Just hang on!!"

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Confound this migraine...

Apparently that dream sequence was over. I was beginning to wonder when I would wake up to see Luna's moon laughing at me through a field of iron bars. It would be brilliant instead if I woke up to see myself in some comfy bed with daylight streaming through the curtains and painting the room a golden orange, perhaps even with somepony to call the love of my life staring and smiling warmly at me. Ah... picture that...

Well, enough of your fantasies now, Doctor! It seems the night was just starting, the last remnants of a sunset fading in the horizon. Many of Canterlot's lights were just starting to flicker into life, though they could never match the majesty of the stars. As much as I loathe her, Princess Luna did a really uh... swell job tonight. As always.

"I appreciate your compliment, Doctor."

I whirled around in surprise, gasping quietly when I saw the Princess of the Night staring back at me with a grin. The guards she was usually seen with were not here, leaving only the two of us, separated by a qualm of silence and a row of rusted bars. The jail cell wasn't as... smothering as it was before, as if all my senses were brought into clarity. But it's impossible, right? I'm certain I'm still in the same cell, yet it feels... different.

"It seems you are confused, Doctor," the alicorn spoke. "Heed no worries. You are sound asleep and in a safe place."

"Sure I am," I answered in sheer sarcasm. The last ponies I want to entrust my life on now were the two Princesses who were holding me captive in the first place. "Can you tell me, however, where exactly am I right now?"

"Where you've always been, and where you always will be."

As if to prove it, the bars of the cell started to bend without any form of magic, allowing Princess Luna to step through. The room started to shift and turn like one of those colorful cube puzzles -- I'm not really sure what they're called -- with the stones tiles of the prison floor splitting one by one. All I could do was watch in both disbelief and contempt at her display of power over dreams, the walls tearing away like strips of paper and re-bandaged with that of pale cyan, with a matching platform whooshing up from the endless darkness underneath my hooves. One by one, furniture fell from the ceiling, with some oddities such as a telescope, a globe and a few ornaments too strange for me to recognize.

"You're in my chambers, Doctor," she explained, apparently noticing my confusion. "You're of a good fortune today. It is not every day a pony has the privilege to see where I reside."

"Nor is it every day that a Princess whisks a pony away into their abode without their consent," I growled. "Can you wake me up now? I'd rather be in the filth of the dungeon than be with you."

"Don't you dare use such a blatant, treacherous tone to thy Princess," the alicorn snarled back. I was expecting her to actually shout in my face with her famed 'Canterlot voice', but somehow this one gets the message across clearer than I assumed it would. "I've brought you here on the premises of a colloquy; a conversation of modest intentions, mind you, about your recent endeavors that led you into a fiasco with the Equestrian law. In retrospect, if you ever did recall, it was the worst decision that you had ever made in your life, Doctor."

"Really? Then tell me what it is I've done."

"A truth like this, per se, shalt only be relinquished when time sees it fit."

The cerulean mare stepped forward, beckoning me towards a chair, to which I complied hesitantly. I was a little insulted at that point; she could've just told me what I've done wrong, allow me to use the TARDIS to travel back and patch things up and all of this wouldn't have to happen, yet again, they've insisted to let time run its course! Did they know who in the endless bounds of Equestria had they confined?

"Patience is virtuous, Doctor," she stated. "It is not wise to jump across the planes of time frequently. There are occasions where you have to follow the path of time like everypony else. Sometimes, you can learn and be enlightened by the admonitions of life and of being by tracing the entirety of one's existence, not by the trials you place yourself in."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, staring blankly at her. "You want me sit back and watch as my life goes by? Until I rot in that damned jail cell?"

"No, Doctor."

Immediately, my head started to spin and, despite my attempts of quelling it with every firm clasp of my hooves, it only started to rage across my vision, setting every stalk of nerve and fiber on fire. Within moments, I felt myself giving into gravity, slamming down onto the floor and sparing the last of my fading strength to stare up at the Princess, her concerned visage turning into a dark blur.

"I'm not asking for you to preach Death's arrival," she said as I started to black out.

"I'm asking you to remember..."
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Remember...
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Remember what?
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My life?

My days of freedom? My journeys through time?
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And why?

Why would she care all of the sudden?
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I don't know anymore...
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I just... don't...

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