The Doctor crashes his TARDIS on the planet Equus and meets some new friends.
Canterlot, Equestria, Equus. This is where the Doctor has found himself after he crashes the TARDIS. He also finds he's regenerated into a pony of all things. While trying to adjust to his new situation, he meets six other ponies, their princess of the sun, and a familiar threat. Rated for safety.
Twilight Sparkle and her friends walked up to the large front doors of Canterlot Castle. After the guards let them in, they made their way to the throne room. Twilight had received an urgent summons from Princess Celestia just this morning, requesting the presence of all six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. All six ponies got on the earliest train they could; the last time Celestia had summoned them like this, Discord had broken free from his stony prison. They could only guess what had happened this time.
The doors to the throne room also had a couple of guards stationed on either side. Sometimes, Twilight wondered if the castle really needed such high security, but she knew better than to question the princess’ authority.
“The princess is expecting you,” one of the guards said. “You may enter.” They stepped aside and one of the guards, a white unicorn, opened the door with his magic. The six ponies cantered inside. Celestia was waiting on her throne at the end of the long room.
When they approached the throne, they stopped and bowed. “Welcome, my little ponies,” Celestia said. Her voice was kind and calm, yet still had a sense of unease, no doubt due to the situation at hoof.
The ponies stood up straight again and Twilight said, “We came as soon as we could, Princess. Is something happening?”
“I sincerely hope not,” Celestia said. She stood up and walked down the steps of the throne. “Come with me.” Celestia led them out of the throne room and into what Twilight recognized as the council chamber. Usually, the princesses met with important political figures here. Right now, two members of the Royal Guard and another white unicorn stallion Twilight didn’t recognize were at the table.
“Ah,” the stallion started, “you must be the Element Bearers.” His voice indicated a sense of command.
“That’s us!” Rainbow Dash said.
“This is Captain Watch Tower,” Celestia introduced. “He’s in charge of internal protection, keeping the city and its inhabitants safe. Captain, if you would.”
“Thank you,” Watch Tower said with a salute. He turned to the ponies. “At around 0800 hours this morning, the internal protection department received a strange report.”
“How strange?” Applejack asked.
“The report indicated an unidentified object appearing along Mane Street. Eyewitness accounts say it fell from the sky and haphazardly crashed into some of the buildings before landing in an alleyway. No casualties were reported. Since then, nothing has happened around that area or the object. I’ve already placed it under constant watch.”
“Hold up a minute,” Rainbow said. “When you say ‘unidentified object’ that ‘fell from the sky,’ do you mean like an ‘unidentified flying object?’”
“Rainbow, I can already tell where this is going,” Rarity said, her tone of voice rather stern, “and I’m going to tell you right now to stop right there.”
“Ah don’t know, Rarity,” Applejack said. “We’ve seen some pretty weird stuff. Best be keepin’ an open mind about things like this.”
“What did it look like?” Twilight said, steering the conversation back on topic. “The object.”
“I had some photographs taken of the crash site,” Watch Tower said. He pushed an envelope on the table toward the ponies. Twilight opened it with her magic and pulled out some of the pictures. She quickly found what she was looking for. The object looked like a large, blue box. It had two doors on one side and windows around the top. A black band above those windows had the words “Police Public Call Box.”
“So, um, what is it?” Fluttershy asked.
“Unfortunately, we can’t really describe it, let alone name it, beyond what you see,” Watch Tower said. “We even tried getting the doors open, but so far, all our efforts have been in vain.”
“So, why are we here, then?” Twilight asked.
“We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” Celestia answered. “For all we know, this box, whatever it is, could be harmless. Or there may be something inside that could cause harm to all of Equestria. Either way, we’ll need to be prepared for anything. And that could mean the use of these.” Her horn glowed and a blue and gold chest appeared out of nowhere. The ponies recognized this chest as one containing the Elements of Harmony. Celestia must have been inwardly scared if she thought the Elements would be needed.
Suddenly, the doors slammed open. Everyone turned to find a dark grey pegasus, dressed in Royal Guard attire, in the open doorway.
“Captain Watch Tower!” he said with a salute.
“This had better be good, Private,” Watch Tower said. “We’re in the middle of briefing the Element Bearers.”
“Sir, the team watching the site claims to have heard noises from inside the box,” the pegasus said.
There was a small pause. “What sort of noises?” Watch Tower asked.
“From their description, mostly grunts and groans, like somepony waking up.”
“Right then. Fly back to the site and inform the guards that we’re on our way.” The pegasus saluted again and flew out of the castle at speeds that impressed even Rainbow.
“You’d better go with them,” Celstia said to the six ponies. “This could mean big things for Equestria.” She used her magic to open the chest, revealing the Elements. “Let’s just hope that these will only be used as a last resort.”
The Doctor felt like he got hit by a truck then run over by another truck (sixteen-wheeler, it felt like). He could barely open his eyes, but from what little he could gather, he was still in the TARDIS, albeit on his stomach, like he was just recovering from a bad hangover. “What happened?” he said to himself. As soon as he finished, however, he noticed was something off. “Must be more hungover than I thought if my own voice sounds different.” He tried standing up.
And he still didn’t feel quite right. If anything, he was beginning to feel even stranger. The first thing he noticed was that, even though he felt like he was standing at full height, his chin could only reach the top of the console.
“Okay, Doctor, you’re not going mad,” he said to himself. “There’s a perfectly logical explanation for why this is happening.” He began to pace and think it out. New voice and shorter height were all he had to go on at the moment, unless he counted the odd feeling that he wasn’t standing on two legs. “Either I had something really bad before takeoff or…!” The answer that came to him made him question his intellect.
“Regeneration?” he nearly shouted. “How? Okay, think, Doctor, think! What’s the last thing you remember? Oh, I just realized, I’m talking to myself. That’s a new one. Don’t think I ever talked to myself before. Unless you want to count those times I met myself all wibbly wobbly timey wimey like. But then again, that’s not what people often mean when they refer to talking to oneself. Oh great, now I’m getting off topic. Come on, Doctor, focus. Immediate past, what happened?”
He started to go through his recent memories. “Okay, last thing I remember was that encounter with the Slitheen. Really, do they never learn? They had infiltrated the United States House of Representatives trying to pass some new finance laws, financing them, of course. I stopped them, though I had to use vinegar injections on their leader to do it. Not pleasant, for them or me. Now that I think about it, she did growl at me as I did it. I mean I hated to do it, but that’s what you get when…” The Doctor noticed something. “Wait. She… That was a female Slitheen. That means…! Oh! You are so stupid! You should have known better than to get that close to a female Raxocoricofallipatorian! She wasn’t growling at you, she was breathing on you! Poison breath!” The Doctor grunted in frustration.
He soon calmed down, though. “Well, no use crying over spilled milk. I’ve got more important things to think about. Like finding a mirror.” He walked to the lower area of the TARDIS, where he kept his expansive wardrobe. Although he couldn’t shake the feeling that his legs felt different, he was still able to descend the staircase without stumbling. He finally found his full-length mirror and looked into it.
The Doctor wasn’t sure what to expect of his new look, but he certainly wasn’t expecting what he did see: the figure looking back at him appeared to be more like a horse than a human. His coat was brown and his mane and tail were a darker shade of the same color. “Really, Cosmos?” he said when he made this latter observation. “You make me into a horse… Well, actually, judging by the body structure, I actually look more like a pony. Ah, equine either way. But you turn me into a pony and you don’t make ginger to compensate?” He sighed. “It’s official: the universe hates me.”
The Doctor began to inspect his new body further. There wasn’t much else about the body itself. It looked very much like a standard pony, although there were still some differences between his new body and a lot of other ponies he had seen; he would have to look into that. The only truly unique feature was the image of an hourglass on his flank. “Apropos, at least,” he said to himself.
Realizing there wasn’t going to be much else for him in the wardrobe (seeing as nothing would fit him in his current state), the Doctor headed back up to the main floor. He walked to the computer and tried to use it. He stopped though when he realized his hands were now hooves, which would make typing on a keyboard difficult at the very least. Luckily, he saw his sonic screwdriver on the floor nearby. He reached down and grabbed it and was actually surprised that it just stuck to his hoof.
“Now that I think about it,” he said, “Everything seems to be instinctual for me. Walking, grabbing, who knows what else? I’ll think about that later, though. Okay, where did we land?” He turned on the screwdriver and the computer started flashing through several screens at once. Finally, it stopped on what looked like a map of space. “Let’s here, coordinates are… 20-10-9-blah-blah-blah, and that puts us at… Equus. The planet Equus. Let’s see here. Equus, Equus.”
The Doctor thought hard for a few moments before it finally came to him. “Right! Equus! 250 parsecs south of Barcelona, geocentric planet, home to the Equestrians. Well, that explains the new body.” Suddenly, the console started beeping. The Doctor activated his screwdriver again.
“Ooh, hello,” he said. “Several life forms approaching the TARDIS. Must have had a rough landing after regenerating. I have got to stop doing that midflight. Well then, time to meet the neighbors.” He walked up to the doors and pulled.
Twilight and the others arrived at the box with the Elements already in place. Nopony knew what to expect as she powered up her magic and focused on the doors. She tried using the strongest magic she could muster without damaging the box, but the doors didn’t budge. She was just about to try a riskier spell when the doors suddenly began to open by themselves. Or that’s what it looked like, anyway, until she saw a brown earth pony stallion on the other side.
“Hello,” he said rather cheerfully. Twilight was surprised to find a fairly normal pony inside such a strange object.
“Um, hello?” Twilight said. She looked back at the others; they were just as confused as she was. She turned back to the stallion. “Who are you?”
“Straight and to the point, I see,” he said. “Very well. I am the Doctor.”
“Doctor Who, exactly?” Rarity asked.
“Just the Doctor,” he said. “And yes, that’s all you’re gonna get.”
Rainbow Dash, who had been hovering above the others, lowered herself closer to the ground. “Anyone else think this guy’s weird?”
“Rainbow!” Applejack scolded.
“He seems fine to me,” Pinkie Pie said.
“I’m still sticking to my alien theory,” Rainbow said.
“And stick you should, my dear pegasus,” the Doctor said, “for I am, in fact, what you would call an alien. Not ashamed to admit that, given the circumstances.” Fluttershy squeaked in fear and hid behind Pinkie.
“But you look so…” Rarity paused, trying to find the right word. “…Normal,” she finally said.
“Oh, I can assure you, there is more to me than meets the eye,” the Doctor replied. “Yes, I am extraterrestrial, and with that in mind, I must ask you all something.” The other ponies seemed unsure, but they let him continue anyway. “Where exactly am I?”
Twilight still wasn’t sure what to make of this pony, but for now, she figured it would be better to answer his questions. “Um, you’re in Canterlot, the capitol city of Equestria.”
“Well, that’s what I call a lucky landing, then,” the Doctor said. “Speaking of which, and I’m terribly sorry about this, but I was, um, indisposed during my arrival. Bit of a long story, I’ll tell you some other time. Anyway, did the TARDIS cause any trouble before it landed?”
“TARDIS?” Applejack repeated. “What kinda fancy-talk word is that?”
The Doctor lifted a hoof and pointed behind him at the box. “That’s what I call my ship back there. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. But back to my question; were there any problems caused by my arrival.”
Surprisingly, Fluttershy answered his question, albeit cautiously. “Well, it did run into a few buildings, but nothing too bad. Most of the damage was already repaired when we came through here.”
“That’s good to hear,” the Doctor said. “So, then, back to the important point: this is the capitol city of Canterlot, do I have that right?” Twilight nodded slowly. “Then that must make you Princess Celestia. Always a pleasure to meet royalty.” The Doctor bowed in front of Twilight.
“Wha—What?” Twilight stuttered.
“Although, pardon me for saying this, Your Highness,” the Doctor continued, “but I thought you’d be just a bit taller. Not that I’m saying you can’t be any height you want. After all, as the saying goes, ‘Size doesn’t matter.’”
“But I’m not Princess Celestia!” Twilight said quickly before the Doctor could get another word in.
“Really?” the Doctor replied. “My apologies then, Princess Luna. You know, that actually makes more sense, considering purple is a much more fitting color for the night. Not as fitting as black of course, or a dark blue, but might I say you pull it of marvelously.”
“Okay, let me try that again,” Twilight said with a sarcastic chuckle. “I am not either princess! I’m not even a princess!”
“That so?” the Doctor asked. Twilight nodded once firmly. “Then why do you have a tiara on your head?”
Twilight was reminded of the Element on her head. “Oh, you mean…? Oh, no. This isn’t a royal crown. It’s one of the Elements of Harmony.”
“Twilight, you sure ya wanna say that?” Applejack said.
“Means nothing to me,” the Doctor replied. “So, I gather your name is Twilight?”
“Twilight Sparkle, yeah,” Twilight affirmed. “These are my friends: Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy.” She pointed to each of the ponies as she introduced them.
“Pleased to meet you all,” the Doctor said. Suddenly, he fell over, like his legs buckled under his own weight. Fluttershy galloped up to him and helped him up.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” the Doctor replied as he stood up. “Although I think it’s starting to catch up with me.”
“What is? Applejack asked.
“Remember when I said I was ‘indisposed’ just before my, erm, landing?” Several of the ponies nodded. “Well, I’ve been so busy trying to figure out where I am and trying to adjust to my situation that I guess I never noticed that I’m still not quite as better as I’d like.”
“Should we get you to a doctor?” Fluttershy asked.
“He is the Doctor,” Pinkie joked.
The Doctor chuckled. “In all seriousness, though, I’ll be fine. Just give me a chance to rest—!” Everyone heard a quiet, low rumble. “—and perhaps something to eat, and I’ll be right as rain.”
Twilight thought for moment and turned to one of the pegasus guards. “Fly back to the princess and tell her we’re bringing a guest. And that he’ll be hungry.” The guard saluted and flew off. She turned back to the Doctor. “Can you walk on your own?”
“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”
“Then follow us.” Twilight turned and walked into the street toward the castle.
No one expected the Doctor to last very long on his hooves. Luckily, Twilight already had Fluttershy and Pinkie take either side of him so that whenever he stumbled, they would be able to support him and get him back up. Aside from these almost frequent interruptions, he was able to stay up the whole way to the castle.
While they walked, some of the ponies tried starting a conversation with the Doctor. “So where are you from?” Pinkie began.
“That is actually a very long story,” the Doctor replied, “one that would probably best be saved for when we meet the princess herself.”
“How do you even know about the princess?” Rarity asked. “Have you been here before?”
“First time, actually,” he answered. “But as a traveler of the cosmos, I make it a point to know the basics. I’ve always meant to come to this planet, just never got around to it. It’s so fascinating.”
“What’s so ‘fascinating’ about us?” Twilight said. “I mean, for all the weird stuff that’s happened so far, you still look pretty normal otherwise. I can’t imagine things would be too different.”
“Hmm, let me guess,” the Doctor mused, “you haven’t started a formal space program yet, have you? No real clue what’s out there?”
“We do have a few scholars in the field,” Twilight said, “but it’s still in the early stages of development, not a truly recognized science. A lot of ponies still say there’s really nothing else out there.”
“Well, I think we just proved them wrong,” Rainbow pointed out.
“Indeed,” the Doctor concurred. “Anyway, to answer your question, Twilight, the first thing about your planet is that it’s geocentric.”
“Gee-oh-what-now?” Applejack asked.
“Geocentric,” Twilight replied. “It means the sun moves around us.”
“But out of the millions upon millions of worlds out there,” the Doctor continued, “such planets are a minority. A fraction of a minority, really. In the case of Equus, I have a feeling it may be due to the strong connection with pure magic energies.”
“Equus?” Rainbow asked. “What the hay is that?”
“Well, that’s the name of this planet,” the Doctor explained. He just received some confused looks. “You didn’t know that? How could you not? You live here.”
“Like I said, Doctor,” Twilight explained, “there’s no real space program yet. We haven’t had a need to formally identify ourselves to whatever else may be out there.”
“Right,” the Doctor said slowly. “But back on topic, your use of this energy you call ‘magic,’ that’s something that many of the cleverest races are still trying to figure out and harness. Puzzles me too, to be quite honest.”
“What?” Twilight stopped walking and turned back to the Doctor. “Doesn’t everypony have access to magic in some way?”
“Only for entertainment in children’s birthday parties,” he answered, “and even then, it’s just illusions, all smoke and mirrors, a minor form of deception, and did you really just say ‘everypony’?”
“Yeah,” Twilight said. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Quite honestly, I’m not sure whether I should laugh at your language development or put my hoof to my face.”
“What’s wrong with it?” Rarity asked. “I’ll have you know it is a commonly accepted word within Equestrian grammar.”
“Some others might call it a bad pun on the more common word ‘everybody’,” the Doctor said.
“That just sounds… weird,” Rainbow said.
“Could we discuss this later?” Twilight interrupted. “We’re almost at the castle and I’d rather have the Doctor off his hooves as soon as possible.” The group continued walking. True to Twilight’s word, the castle was really close now.
Soon, they approached the gates. Twilight looked at the guards expectantly. “Her Majesty requests your presence in the dining hall,” one of them said. Twilight nodded and continued to lead the way.
The group walked to a large doorway that Twilight knew led to the dining hall. Celestia was waiting just outside.
“Welcome back, everyone,” she said. She turned to the only new face in the group. “And you must be this Doctor I’ve heard about.”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance as well,” the Doctor returned. “I can safely assume that you are Princess Celestia?”
“You can,” Celestia said. “If my messenger is correct, you must be hungry. Please follow me.” Her horn lit up and the doors were surrounded in a golden aura. The Doctor watched in amazement as the doors opened seemingly by themselves.
“My first real contact with actual, honest-to-goodness magic,” he whispered in awe. “Used to open doors as though it’s commonplace.”
“Who cares about the doors, Doc?” Rainbow said. “Check out that spread!” The Doctor looked into the room; the table was a rather modest size, but the amount of food set upon it was quite the opposite. There were apples, sandwiches, salads, and several other dishes that all looked appetizing.
“I’ve made sure there would be enough for everyone,” Celestia said, “so you’re all welcome to partake.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Pinkie said. She rushed over to table and started eating almost immediately.
“Pinkie, save some for us!” Twilight chided. She and the others went to the table as well.
The Doctor’s observations about the food being appetizing turned out to be true. This in itself was amazing because some of the foods were things he wouldn’t have thought of even trying before. There were chips that seemed to be made out of hay, the sandwiches had daisies as the filling, and the frosting flowers on the cake were actual roses. The weird thing was that he never noticed these facts until the food was already in his mouth. Probably another instinct thing for me being a pony.
When the food was halfway gone, Celestia spoke up. “So, Doctor, I have a few questions for you.” Her voice was calm and curious.
“Of course, milady,” the Doctor replied.
“If my messenger was accurate, he says that you admitted to being an alien,” Celestia began. “Rather quickly too, I might add.”
“Well, given the circumstances behind our encounter, I really didn’t see a need to hide it.”
“Perhaps,” she said, “but I think it would be best if you took on an alias for the remainder of your stay. The appearance of your… TARDIS, I think it was called, has put several ponies on edge already.”
“Understandable,” the Doctor affirmed. “I’ll think on a few ideas.”
“So, if you’re an alien,” Rainbow said, “how come you look like a regular old earth pony?”
“Well, if I had the choice, and since I’ve seen magic for the first time in my life, I’d rather be a unicorn. Maybe next time.”
There was an awkward silence around the table; even Celestia didn’t know what to think about the Doctor’s answer. Finally, Applejack said, “That s’posed t’ be a joke?”
“No.” There was another pause. “You see, ladies, I’m not really a pony. I may look like a pony, I may act like a pony, and surprisingly enough, for me at least, I may even have the diet of a pony. But I am not actually a pony, biologically speaking. I am a Time Lord, born and raised on the planet Gallifrey.”
“Time Lord? Gallopfrey” Twilight repeated.
“Yes, Time Lord. The name itself should give you a sense of what I can do. And no, Gallifrey, with an ‘i,’ not an ‘op.’ Anyway, the reason I look like a pony is because, well, for lack of a simpler way to put this, I died.” Another silence followed. “Are you going to be quiet every time I say something?”
“Wow,” Pinkie said. “For a dead pony, you look pretty good.” She was still as cheery as ever, this latest fact bothering her minimally, if at all.
“Thank you, Pinkie Pie,” the Doctor returned. “I guess no matter what I look like, I am still of the ‘handsome’ persuasion.”
“Um, darling,” Rarity said, “not to interrupt your neighcissistic moment, but could you please tell us what exactly you mean by ‘you died’?”
“Technically, my species can look like anything,” the Doctor answered. “Whenever a Time Lord… expires, what usually happens is the cells in our bodies heal and reformat, essentially giving us a new life. But in the process, the appearance changes and the personality is tweaked a bit, usually based on the circumstances. I mean, before this, I looked like a creature called a human: two legs, two arms, five fingers on each hand, essentially a smart monkey.” He was about to continue but stopped for a second.
“Hang on,” he said, looking at Rarity. “Did you just say ‘neighcissistic’? First ‘everypony’ and now this? I mean city names, I can understand, but casual conversation?”
“So what you’re saying is,” Celestia interrupted, “you died in the crash and now you look like an average pony?”
“Fine, let’s talk about my death and not the puns,” the Doctor whispered. “Actually, Your Highness, I died before the crash. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have crashed in the first place. I must have been over your planet when I started feeling the effects.”
“You weren’t hurt, were you?” Fluttershy asked.
“Prior the crash, I had been dealing with a rather nasty creature. To make a long story short, she poisoned me, but I didn’t notice until it was too late.”
“Oh, you poor thing,” Fluttershy said.
“Hey, like I said, the regeneration process takes care of all that. Though would have liked it better if I hadn’t died in the first place. But even I can’t change the past.”
“Sorry to hear of your troubles, Doctor,” Celestia said. “It seems we can reasonably assume that your coming to Equestria was merely an accident.”
“Sorry if I caused any trouble,” the Doctor said. “I’ll just need about a day to collect myself and I’ll be on my way.”
“Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie exclaimed. “You can stay with us in Ponyville!”
“Really?” the Doctor asked. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“It is a quiet place mosta the time,” Applejack said. “Ah’d recommend it for a peaceful weekend if anypony asked.”
“I think that’s a splendid idea,” Celestia said. “I’ll arrange for your transportation as soon as we’re done here.”
“Very kind of you, Your Highness,” the Doctor said. “But with all due respect, I’d rather take the TARDIS there. It’ll be much faster and you won’t have to waste any ma… erm, horsepower.”
“But didn’t it crash?” Rainbow pointed out.
“That depends; how long has it been there?”
“Since this morning,” Twilight replied.
“The TARDIS has self-recovery systems if anything should happen to it, so long as it’s not too extensive,” he explained. “I’d be very surprised if I couldn’t get it across the planet by now, much less to this Ponyville.”
“Then you may leave whenever you’re ready, Doctor,” Celestia said.
“Just let me try a bit more of this food,” he said. “This is my first time eating an equine diet, and I don’t want to miss out on the experience. Tell me, these cookies, are they oatmeal?”
“Just plain oats, actually,” Applejack answered.
Meanwhile, Twilight leaned over to Celestia. “Um, Princess,” she whispered, “could I ask you a favor?”
After the meal, Celestia collected the Elements of Harmony from the six ponies, reasoning that, for the moment at least, the Doctor did not seem to be an immediate threat. Once that was done, the six mares and their alien companion headed back to Mane Street. Celestia sent her messenger ahead to replace the Elements and relieve the on-duty guards.
As they walked down the road toward the alley, they heard a voice. “Twilight!” The voice was feminine and seemed both young but mature at the same time. Everyone turned and saw a pink alicorn with a heart-shaped crystal on her flank and dressed similarly to Celestia.
“Cadence!” Twilight shouted back. She ran over to the alicorn. The two mares started skipping in place, quickly followed by covering their eyes with their hooves for a split second.
“Sunshine, sunshine! Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!”
As they chanted, they clapped their hooves together and shook their tails at each other.
The Doctor looked at the scene with confusion. “What was that all about?” he asked.
Rarity answered, “That, Doctor, is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, better known to friends and family as Cadence, formerly Twilight’s foalsitter, currently her sister-in-law and princess of the Crystal Empire.”
The Doctor wasn’t expecting so detailed an explanation, especially not with these details. “Talk about friends in high places,” he whispered to himself.
“What are you doing here?” Twilight asked Cadence.
“Shining Armor needs a new tuxedo,” Cadence answered. “We’re expecting some important guests at the Crystal Empire in a couple of weeks. But everything there is too… glittery for Shiny’s tastes. Although, to be fair, crystal suits against a normal unicorn do clash a bit. I left him at the store more than a half-hour ago, but he’s still not done yet.”
“Well, you know how Shiny is,” Twilight said. “Everything kinda looks the same to him. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s looking for something that won’t result in a night on the couch.”
“Twilight!” Cadence scolded playfully. “I’m shocked you think I would do such a thing!”
“Are you denying it?”
“Of course not.” They both laughed. Cadence turned to look at the others. Her eyes soon focused on the Doctor.
“Oh! I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t believe we’ve met before.” Twilight flinched slightly.
“Not to worry, my dear,” he replied. “Though since you’ve brought it up, I guess introductions are in order. I am Doctor Clockwork, professor of history. And these ladies have already told me your name, Your Highness.”
“Please, call me Cadence. So what brings you here, Doctor?”
“I’m looking for a place of employment,” the Doctor answered. “I thought I’d try Canterlot University. These ladies offered to show me around the city.”
“I would have expected nothing less from Twilight,” Cadence said. “Even before she started making friends, she was enthusiastic about school. It makes sense she would want to help out an aspiring teacher.” Twilight smiled sheepishly.
“Well, nice meeting you, Doctor, but I have a husband to find.” Cadence walked down the street away from the group, who proceeded to go their own way.
Applejack decided to strike up a conversation. “You sure belted that one out in a hurry,” she said to the Doctor.
“Beg your pardon?” he replied.
“What you told Cadence back there,” she explained. “Sounded like you were rehearsin’ it fer days.”
“Well, Princess Celestia told me to pick an alias, but I hadn’t prepared my long term one quite yet. That was all spur-of-the-moment. And now I hope I haven’t gotten into the whole pony pun thing you lot have going on here.”
“You mean you just pulled that out of your hat?” Rainbow asked.
“Pretty detailed too,” Twilight added.
“I process information quickly,” he said frankly.
“But how would you know about Canterlot University?” Twilight asked. “You aren’t even from here!”
“I already told you, I know the basic stuff about each planet. Although what I term ‘basic,’ you may call detailed notes. And I can only assume you’re familiar with the city layout, since you’re so familiar with the princess and all, so the whole thing about being my guides wouldn’t sound too farfetched.”
“You accounted for everything in only a few seconds?” Twilight asked in awe.
“I know, I’m really getting slow in my old age,” the Doctor replied. Most of the others’ faces had a cross between a smirk and a gaping mouth at his apparent confidence.
It wasn’t long after the conversation was finished that they finally reached the alley where the TARDIS was located. The guards had already gone, so it was just them and the box in that alley. “So, ladies,” the Doctor said, “now that we’re here, perhaps you’d like to take a firsthand look inside the TARDIS?”
“First-what?” Applejack asked.
The Doctor looked puzzled for a moment but quickly figured out what she meant. “Erm, a firsthoof look inside the TARDIS. I’ll never get used to that.”
“Don’t know what else there is to see,” Rainbow said. “I mean, as big as it is, it looks kinda small.”
“I can estimate maybe two or three ponies could stand side by side along the bottom,” Twilight said.
“Hate to tell you this, Miss Sparkle,” the Doctor said, “but you’re way off. Come on in.” He grabbed the right door handle and pushed. The door swung open and revealed the room inside.
A very large room.
The six mares stepped inside and marveled at the impossibility of the size that was contained in such a small box. Fluttershy looked around nervously, almost scared of this contradiction of basic knowledge. Rarity nearly fainted, her fall broken by Twilight. Even Pinkie Pie was rendered speechless.
After nearly a minute of staring, Twilight spoke first. “I don’t believe it.”
“This can’t be real,” Rainbow said next.
“Mah ahs are playin’ tricks on me,” Applejack said, blinking a few times.
Pinkie finally spoke, saying aloud what was on all their minds. “It’s bigger on the inside!”
“New planet, same outbursts,” the Doctor said to himself. “Proof that the universe is consistent, if nothing else.”
“But how is this possible?” Twilight demanded. “What kind of magic could do this?”
“No magic, my dear,” the Doctor answered, “just a link between two dimensions in space. Now, if that’s all the questions you have, just let me input the proper coordinates and we’ll head for Ponyville immediately.” He moved toward the computer and prepared to type into it… only to remember something important. “No fingers.” He looked around the dashboard and found his sonic screwdriver. He reached over and picked it up. “And yet I can still hold stuff.” As he turned on the screwdriver, he continued, “I’m starting to realize that this new form might be difficult for the first few days or so.”
“What do you mean?” Rarity asked.
“Mainly the fact that I don’t have fingers anymore. I mean, I can work the computer just fine with the sonic, but it’ll take some getting used to.”
“The what?” Rainbow asked.
“My sonic screwdriver.” The Doctor held the device up for all to see.
“A sonic… screwdriver?” Twilight asked. “How is that even supposed to be a thing?”
“Oh, please, you would not believe the kinds of things that can be fitted with sonic devices: pens, blasters, lipstick, you name it. You know, this reminds me, I’ll have to find a way to carry it with me. Never go anywhere without this thing. It’s like my American Express.”
“Yer what?” Applejack asked.
“Erm, never mind. I’ll just work out the whole ‘carrying things’ angle later.” The computer suddenly beeped. “Ah, there we go. Now, for your safety, you all might want to hold on to something. First trips are always a bit bumpy.” He started moving around the console, pressing buttons, turning a crank, grabbing a mallet and hitting the console in a few spots, and ending it all by holding down a lever.
The six mares all held on to the fence around the center of the TARDIS, watching with curiosity. As soon as the lever was pulled, they started to jerk around like the entire structure was being tossed. The long tube-like structure in the center was making some odd whirring noises. Twilight could only assume one thing: the TARDIS was moving.
And then it stopped. Almost a half-minute after it started, the movements and noises began to slow down to nothing. “And there we are.”
“What?” Rainbow asked.
“Ponyville,” the Doctor answered. “We’re there.”
“But we can’t be,” Twilight said. “We only just started moving.”
“And yet…” The Doctor walked up to the doors and opened them.
The scene outside was much too different to be a Canterlot street. In fact, it looked like the inside of a house. There was plenty of scientific equipment everywhere, yet the area didn’t look too cluttered. The walls were made of wood and almost looked like the inside of a tree. There was also a set of stairs leading up to a door.
“Hey, wait a minute!” Twilight said suddenly. “This is my basement!”
“Is it really?” the Doctor asked. “I just picked a remote area to land the TARDIS, and what could be more remote than the basement of a library where the librarian seems to be out for the day? Wait, you’re the librarian?”
“I live here and run the place, if that’s what you’re asking. But we couldn’t have been moving more than maybe ten yards. How did we—?”
“What the hay?!” a voice called out. It sounded muffled. The door opened and a small, purple dragon ran into the room. He looked down at the basement and the TARDIS with its passengers.
“So I see,” Spike replied. He stared for a few more seconds before talking again. “You do realize this is gonna take some explaining, right?”
“I’m well aware of that,” Twilight said. This is gonna be good, she grimaced.
“So let me get this straight,” Spike said. “You’re supposed to be a pony from outer space?” The entire group had left the basement and were now in the library’s lobby.
“Oh, we could argue the finer points of that statement all day,” the Doctor replied. “But essentially, yes.”
“He says he’s going to stay for a bit so he can rest up after the crash,” Twilight said.
“And while I’m resting, I’ve got certain things to think about,” the Doctor added.
“Like what?” Applejack asked.
“A great many things, like how do I function as a pony now, what’s the first thing I should do once I’m back on my feet, but first and foremost is the personal effects storage situation.”
“You mean that muttering to yourself about your screwdriver?” Rainbow said.
“Yes. Exactly that. What I really need is pockets. With those, I can at least carry my more useful things. And unless Equestrians have some sort of pouch in their flank that can act as a pocket, I’ve run out of ideas.”
“Leave it to me, Doctor,” Rarity said. Before the Doctor could respond, she was already shoving him out the door. “We shall head to my boutique posthaste.”
“Boutique? Wha—?” the Doctor started, but he was at a loss for words at the unicorn’s adamant attitude. Everyone else just watched, also unsure of how to react to the events unfolding before them.
“Is this really necessary?” the Doctor asked. As she had said, Rarity took him to her boutique. At the moment, she was using her magic to levitate a measuring strip around his body. The Doctor’s emotions were a mix of overwhelmed at how fast everything was going and fascination at the precision of Rarity’s magic with the strip; but the former was taking priority at this point.
“I normally don’t make suits for stallions,” Rarity said, “so I’ll have to start from scratch. And I do need your measurements to do that.”
“Couldn’t I just get a suit from someone else?”
“Oh, my dear Doctor, I will not have you wearing just any old thing. Your suit needs to proclaim loudly who you are as a pony.”
“I thought we agreed that I need to keep a low profile,” the Doctor quipped.
“Maybe not your exact identity,” Rarity conceded, “but enough so that ponies will see you on the street and say, ‘That pony is quite a character, so mysterious, and yet so stylish.”
“It’s just a suit. If it weren’t for the fact that I have nothing that fits me anymore in my current state, I could find what I need in my wardrobe.”
“Well, since that isn’t the case, you’ll have to make do with me. Trust me on this, I have had many good things said about my work.”
The Doctor sighed; Rarity wasn’t going to be talked out of this one easily. And while he did not appreciate the unicorn’s slightly pushy demeanor, he still needed a suit, even if only for practical reasons. “Fine. Just stick to something simple. If your usual work is any indication,” he waved toward all the dresses in sight, all of which were elegant and complex, “I wouldn’t want to walk around with an unnecessary cravat or frills.”
“Trust me, Doctor, your new wardrobe is in capable hooves.” After a while of more measurements, Rarity finally levitated the strip from the Doctor. “There, that should do the trick. You may go now, Doctor. It’ll take me a while to come up with something that works for a pony like you.”
“About time, too,” the Doctor whispered. “Thought I’d turn into a statue, standing still that long.”
“What was that?” Rarity asked.
“I said, ‘Hope it turns out well,’” he lied. We walked to the door as quickly, yet calmly, as possible.
As soon as he was outside, he saw the other ponies waiting for him. “You know, ladies,” he said with a playfully sarcastic tone, “the next time someone pushes me out of the house with unclear intentions, the least you could do is try to intervene.”
“Sorry,” Applejack replied. “It just happened so fast.”
“And even then,” Rainbow added, “we wouldn’t have been able to stop her anyway. Trust me, I’ve been on the receiving end of those dresses before. If she could, she probably would have glued my hooves to the floor.”
“Um, if it’s not too much trouble,” Twilight interrupted, “perhaps we could talk more about you, Doctor?”
“I don’t know,” the Doctor replied. “I think we covered all the important points back at the castle.”
“But there’s still so much more we don’t know,” Twilight said. “Celestia brought us into this because we didn’t know what we were dealing with. I like to think of this as continuing our mission for the princess.”
“Or as I like to call it,” Rainbow added, “Twilight going full-on egghead mode.” Twilight glared at her.
“Very well then,” the Doctor conceded. “What is your first question?”
Twilight refocused on the Doctor. “Uh, you said you were called a ‘Time Lord.’ What exactly does that mean? Is it a title, an occupation…?”
“I should think this would have been obvious by now, but it’s actually an entire species. Time Lords had the power to see throughout all of time and space.”
“Had?” Applejack repeated. “Ain’t that past tense?”
“It’s a rather long story,” the Doctor said. “One that I’d prefer not to tell right now.” His mood changed into something more negative.
Fluttershy was quick to change the subject. “So, uh, what do you do? For a living, I mean.”
“I’m actually a traveler,” the Doctor answered. “I go across the universe seeing the sights. And believe you me, there are some really amazing sights that you wouldn’t have come up with in your wildest dreams.”
“My turn!” Pinkie said loudly. “What color of frosting do you like on your cake?” There was a short pause.
“I… beg your pardon?” the Doctor stuttered.
Pinkie started explaining rapidly. “I’m planning your ‘Welcome to Ponyville Party,’ and I want your input on a few things. I mean I’ve never thrown a party for aliens before, and I want to make sure you have a good time with everypony else. Of course I’ll be as secretive as I can about the whole ‘you’re an alien’ thing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t at least try to make it enjoyable for you. That reminds me, what kind of party games do you play? Are there certain foods you’d want? What sort of things don’t work well with parties? How—?!” She was finally interrupted by the Doctor’s hoof over her mouth.
“I can’t say your welcoming party is really needed—I’ll only be here for so long—but I can answer all your questions and more with one sentence: Go with what normally works. I can assure you, nothing will alienate me in the slightest. Except pears. Hate pears. Other than that, go wild.” The Doctor removed his hoof. Pinkie smiled as soon as her mouth was free.
Soon, though, her front knees started shaking. Pinkie looked at them in confusion.
“Bad knees?” the Doctor asked.
“No,” Pinkie said. “They’re just a pinchy.”
“Wait, doesn’t that mean…?” Twilight started, but she paused like she couldn’t think of the words.
“Well, usually,” Pinkie said, “when my left knee is pinchy, it means something scary is about to happen.”
“I’m sorry, what?” the Doctor demanded.
“Pinkie Sense,” Applejack replied. “Don’t bother tryin’ ta understand it. Not worth the trouble.”
Rainbow continued the conversation with Pinkie. “So what happens when both knees are pinchy?” (“You’re really entertaining this?” the Doctor asked.)
“Don’t know,” Pinkie said. “Maybe something doubly scary will happen.”
Suddenly, they all heard a scream. Everyone jumped in surprise. There was a small moment of confusion before Fluttershy said, “That was Rarity!” Rainbow immediately charged at the boutique, blowing the door open. The others followed her inside.
Rarity was backed into the wall. She was shaking, like something had scared her beyond anything had before. “Rarity!” Twilight shouted. “What happened?”
“M-my ma-mannequin,” Rarity stuttered. “It-it just m-moved!” The others looked at the object in question. It was one of the many mannequins Rarity used to put the finishing touches on any of her designs; right now, the unfinished stitch-work of a blue suit was fitted over the front half of the body. However, contrary to Rarity’s outburst, it was completely still.
“Ah don’t see no movement, Rarity,” Applejack said.
The Doctor walked up to the mannequin. “Rarity, tell me, is this mannequin made of plastic?”
“Y-yes, b-but why should that matter?”
The Doctor just stared at the mannequin’s absent eyes. “It can’t be possible,” he whispered. He soon raised his voice to regular speaking levels, however, and said, “But if I’m correct and you can hear me, I know what you are. So there’s no point in hiding yourself.”
For a long time, nothing happened. The Doctor backed up a bit when he thought his hypothesis seemed for naught, but everyone soon caught sight of something very odd; the head turned toward him. Everyone gasped, causing the head to move in their direction. It surprised them even further when the entire mannequin came off its stand and stood on all fours unaided.
“So you are one, after all,” the Doctor said. “I don’t know what it is you’re thinking of doing, but I can help you find an alternative, I’m sure.”
The mannequin didn’t do much else for a while except look around the room. It seemed to spend an unusual amount of time staring at Twilight in particular. Finally, it raised one of its front hooves, pointing it at the group. The end of the hoof suddenly clicked open like a lighter, revealing a tube inside the leg.
“So much for diplomacy,” the Doctor said. “Girls, move!” He ran out of the way. Before the mares could react, a blast of light shot out of the mannequin’s leg. The blast only hit the wall, just above them, but it left a severe burn mark. Rainbow retaliated by launching at the mannequin. Before it could train its leg at her, she tackled it, causing the head to be separated from the main body. The mannequin fell over.
“Yeah!” Rainbow cheered. “That oughta take care of him for a long time.”
“I don’t know about that,” the Doctor said.
“Do you know what that was about?” Twilight asked.
“Before I answer that, let me ask another question. Rarity, are all your mannequins made of plastic?”
“Um, yes,” she said. “I first bought them when I was starting my practice. My budget was very low at the time. But they’ve worked so well that I never found a need to replace them.”
“Then we have major troubles coming our way,” the Doctor said. “And Rainbow, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but the lack of a head won’t stop this one.” As if on cue, the mannequin started to rise. Despite its headlessness, it faced the group once more. Everyone’s fears were added to when several of the other mannequins moved off their stands and raised their forelegs, revealing more blasters.
“Okay, now I say we have more reason than ever to RUN!” The Doctor ran for the door. The others decided to follow his example, running out the door before the mannequins fired on them again.
Everyone kept running after they left the boutique. “Doctor!” Twilight shouted. “What’s happening?”
“If we make it through this, I’ll be more than happy to tell you!” he replied. Another blast hit the ground beside them. “But let’s focus on staying alive right now!”
They ran through the town hoping to find a place to hide. They passed several other ponies who were out and about. At first, the bystanders wondered why seven ponies, one of which didn’t look familiar at all, were running like Discord himself was on their tails. Then they saw Rarity’s mannequins following them and shooting at them. The townsfolk quickly understood, if only the basic danger of the situation, and headed into whatever building was closest.
“Everypony!” Twilight shouted. “Head to the Everfree Forest! It’s thick in there, so we might be able to lose them.” Nopony argued. They ran toward the part of town where the trees began to grow in number.
The six mares never thought they’d be so glad to see the forest come into view. The irony was lost on no one (save the Doctor, of course) that they would be looking for safety in arguably the most dangerous area around Ponyville. But once they reached the entrance, they all practically skidded to a halt when some of the mannequins appeared from behind the trees. A few of the ponies quickly turned around to make yet another escape, but there were still other mannequins following them.
“We’re surrounded!” Fluttershy nearly shouted. Twilight may not have needed Fluttershy’s sudden and uncharacteristic increase in volume to reveal the severity of the danger, but it was still nice to know that she wasn’t alone in feeling it.
“Twilight!” Applejack said. “Think you kin teleport us outta here?”
“Too many of us for one trip,” Twilight said, “and I am way too stressed out to even pull it off successfully.”
“Listen up, you lot!” the Doctor shouted. He was turning his head around from side to side, talking to the mannequins. “There’s obviously something you want, but you can leave these ponies out of it. They’re innocents; their species, their planet, has yet to fully grasp the wonders of the universe. They have no idea just how small they are in the grand scheme of things. They remind me of another race of which I’m quite fond, and like them, they have the potential to be great in spite of what some would call their ‘weakness.’ Whatever you need, I’m sure it can be done without having to sacrifice such innocent lives. If you have any shred of dignity, if you have any sense of logic in you, you will stand down and let me help you. The last time I saw your kind, I was forced to take action. Let us do this the way it should have been done.”
There was a pause, as if time had stopped. The mannequins just stared blankly at the Doctor as he made his speech and continued to stare for several tense seconds. Finally, the mannequins made their move; they raised their forelegs.
“No! Stop!” the Doctor pleaded. “I can help you!” Twilight and Rarity’s horns started glowing; both were visibly afraid. Rainbow and Applejack stood in fighting stances, their faces filled with false determination. Pinkie, meanwhile, was holding onto Fluttershy, who by this point had been reduced to all but a nervous wreck. The mannequin’s legs clicked open.
Then they stopped; the mannequins just simply fell over. Everyone waited, but the plastic figures didn’t move. The ponies all let out a chorus of sighs, except for Fluttershy, who started sobbing into Pinkie’s shoulder.
“Looks like you were right, Pinkie,” Rainbow said. “Although you might wanna try ‘triply scary’ next time.”
“But I don’t understand it,” Rarity said. “What happened to my mannequins? They were just mere plastic when I bought them. Have I been harboring some sort of creatures all these years?”
“No, they’re not living,” the Doctor said. He approached one of the fallen mannequins. “Something was controlling them, making them into Autons.”
“Autons?” Twilight repeated.
“Soldiers created by animated plastic through a psychic link.”
“Like a come-to-life-spell?”
“If that’s the parallel you want to make, sure.”
“So who’s pullin’ the strings?” Applejack asked. “Psycho or magic, somepony’s gotta be callin’ the shots.”
“A being called the Nestene Consciousness,” the Doctor answered. “And unlike your mannequins, Rarity, it is indeed of alien origin.”
“Whatever it is,” Twilight said, “it must have listened to you when you asked it to stop.”
“After it told the Autons to kill us?” the Doctor pointed out. “No, something happened to make it stop the attack. But what? The only way I’m going to find out is to ask it.”
“You wanna go to the alien creature that tried to kill us?” Rainbow asked hysterically.
“Not exactly the brightest idea,” Pinkie added. “Even I don’t want to meet it, and I try to be friends with everypony.”
“The only way to prevent more Auton attacks is to stop them at the source,” the Doctor replied. “And that source is the Nestene. No other way to go about this, really.” Everyone fell silent in the realization that he was right.
“So what do we do first?” Twilight asked.
The Doctor thought for a second. “First, we need that head Miss Dash left back at the boutique. Then we need to go back to the TARDIS and scan said head for telepathic activity. That should give us an idea of where to find the Nestene.”
“One plastic dummy head, coming up,” Rainbow said with a salute. She flew back to Ponyville, obviously heading for the boutique.
“Right, then,” the Doctor said. “The rest of us will head back to the library and the TARDIS.” Everyone galloped back along the path they just took.
Twilight magically opened the doors to the library and ran inside. Everyone else came in after her.
“Twilight!” Spike called. He was at the window, like he had recently been looking outside. “What happened? I started hearing that you guys were being chased by… Rarity’s mannequins?” He finished his sentence as though he still had a hard time believing the words coming out of his mouth.
“It’s a very long story, Spike,” Twilight replied.
“Short version,” Pinkie added: “we’re probably under attack by some alien thing that controls plastic things.”
Spike just stared blankly. “Not sure I want to know the long version,” he said.
All thoughts were interrupted by a rainbow streak that concluded with Rainbow Dash, holding the mannequin head in her hooves. “Here’s your head, Doc,” she said. She tossed it to him.
The Doctor caught it easily. “Thank you, Miss Dash. Now then, to the TARDIS.”
“Um, Doctor,” Rarity started as everyone went to the basement, “not to insult your tactics, but is it really safe bringing one of my mannequins in here? What if it tries to attack again?”
“I’m betting that if this head does become an Auton again,” the Doctor replied, “a head without so much as a mouth, let alone a face, will present much less immediate danger than a whole body.”
“Fair enough,” Rarity quietly conceded.
Everyone approached the TARDIS and the Doctor opened the door. “Our best bet of finding the Nestene is scanning this head for telekinetic resonance and narrowing down the available places for it to create its psychic influence.” He placed the head on the TARDIS console and picked up the sonic screwdriver. He moved the device close to the head from almost every angle. After a tense near-minute of examination, he switched off the sonic and moved to the computer.
“According to this,” he started, “the telekinetic broadcast came from just a little over a hundred mile radius. Now I just need to factor in the suitable living conditions for the Nestene, and…” He turned on the sonic and held it next to the computer. “Really need to figure out hooves. Ah! Bingo!” He looked closely at the screen. His face quickly lost some of his excitement, however. “Okay, not so bingo.”
“What’s wrong?” Applejack asked.
“The field is narrowed considerably,” he explained, “but it’s still too big to make any decisions without a bit of guesswork.”
“Let me take a look,” Twilight said. She walked up to the computer; the screen showed a map of what she assumed to be the area of land around Ponyville. Part of the map was marked by a red circle, not too small, but still large enough to encompass 30 square miles by Twilight’s estimation.
“This is the area where the Nestene should be, 100 miles north of Ponyville,” the Doctor said. “The Nestene requires an environment that can support temperatures of extreme heat.”
“Wait a minute,” Twilight whispered, “this wouldn’t happen to be near Mt. Scorch, would it?”
“You mean that volcano that’s supposed to be dormant?” Rarity asked.
“Dormant or not,” the Doctor replied, “it’s still pretty hot inside. Right then, I’ll be back soon, hopefully with the situation well in ha… hoof.”
“Wait, you mean you’re leaving us?” Rainbow asked.
“I can’t risk your lives any more than I already have,” the Doctor explained.
“But that’s why we have to go.” At this point, nopony thought anything could surprise them anymore; but Fluttershy saying this, and this being the first thing she said after the attack, made some of them start to question reality. “Something tried to attack us,” Fluttershy continued. He voice was determined. “I want it to know that it can’t hurt me or my friends and think it can get away with it.”
“Well, if Fluttershy of all ponies is goin’,” Applejack said, “we’re all goin’.”
“Besides, Doctor,” Rarity added, “whatever you’re planning may require you to need some help.”
“And I still want to keep an eye on you,” Twilight said. “The princess told us to learn everything we could about you, and you going off on your own would be counterproductive to that effort.”
There was a small pause between everyone. Finally, the Doctor said, “I don’t suppose there’s any way to convince you to change your minds, is there?” None of the mares responded. The Doctor smiled. “So why don’t I mind all that much? Ladies, take your seats, please; landing in the middle of a volcano can be pretty tricky.”
“Hold on!” Twilight said. She leaned out of the TARDIS doors. “Spike!” she called. The little dragon stood at attention. “Get a letter to Princess Celestia; she’s going to want to know about this.”
“Right,” Spike replied, though he seemed unsure about it. “So what am I supposed to say? ‘Dear Princess Celestia, the world may be under attack by mannequins’?”
“Actually, the ring leader looks more like a blob of molten plastic,” the Doctor interjected.
“Oh, that’ll make things better.” The sarcasm was practically dripping from Spike’s voice.
“Just let her know what’s going on,” Twilight stressed. “I don’t know what’ll happen, and I’d rather have the princess prepared for a crisis than spring it on her at the last minute.” Before Spike could respond, she ducked back into the TARDIS and closed the door.
The Doctor moved around the console, hitting various buttons and switches in an almost chaotic manner like last time. The six mares were all prepared this time and held onto the railings tightly. Finally, the Doctor pulled one last lever and the TARDIS began to whir and shake.
Again, the shaking only lasted for so long. If it wasn’t for the all-but-inevitable change of scenery that awaited them beyond the doors, no one save the Doctor would believe they had actually moved. That didn’t stop them from being nervous, given their destination and intention.
When the tossing and turning stopped, the Doctor hit a few more buttons. “Okay, I’ve placed a protective field around the TARDIS,” he said. “As long as we stay within a 15 foot radius, we should be fine, from both the magma and… whatever else may be out there.”
“Is this… um… Nestene dangerous?” Twilight asked. She struggled to speak the alien word correctly
“Not by itself, no,” the Doctor answered. “But be ready for anything.” He went to the doors and pulled them open.
The scenery that greeted them was filled with rock walls that had a reddish-brown hue. Upon stepping outside, everyone saw that they were on ledge. The drop below led to a floor with a large hole around the center. A faint, red glow could be seen inside, likely the magma within the volcano. But what drew everyone’s eye was a small pool of a magma-like substance not too far from the larger hole.
The Doctor stepped forward from the others until he was near the corner of the ledge. “I request an audience with the Nestene Consciousness,” he declared. For a moment, nothing happened. But suddenly, the contents of the small pool began to swirl around and eventually bulged up into a barely coherent mass. The mass opened up like a slit on one side, almost like a mouth. It breathed something between a sigh and a roar. The creature looked up at the balcony. (“You weren’t kidding when you said ‘blob,’ Doctor,” Pinkie whispered.)
“So, we meet at last, Doctor. And you brought your friends, as well,” a voice said. It was a low voice, almost echoey. It gurgled as though the speaker was talking through water. The creature’s mouth hadn’t moved, but they all could tell that it made the voice, speaking through their minds. “Forgive my frankness, but you seem… shorter than I had imagined.”
“Oh, trust me,” the Doctor replied. “If anyone else recognizes me, you won’t be the last one to say something to that effect. But that brings up an interesting point: how do you know me? Have we met?”
“No,” the Nestene said. “But I know very well who you are. You were the one who killed my father.”
“Oh, so tempting to make a movie reference here,” the Doctor whispered. “Your father, you say? I wasn’t even aware the Nestene could reproduce. Tell me, was he involved in an altercation that occurred on Earth in the year 2005 A.D.?”
“Years have little meaning for me,” the Nestene said. “But yes, he did attempt to bring new life to that small planet.”
“A planet that was already teeming with life,” the Doctor pointed out. “Life that had no less reason to exist than anything else.”
“Did my father not deserve that same right?”
“I gave him a chance, a choice to be the bigger… blob. But he refused and put millions of lives in danger, all for the sake of self-preservation. I can only assume your following his example?”
“As you said, all beings have a right to exist.”
“At the expense of another species? I think not. Besides, this planet is completely uninhabitable for your kind.”
“What do you mean?” Rarity asked.
“Autons need a steady supply of pollutants to stay active,” the Doctor explained, “and that life energy is transferred into the Nestene through their psychic connection.”
“Pollution?” Twilight asked. “But the only real pollution comes from the bigger cities like Manehattan and Las Pegasus, and even then it’s hardly noticeable.”
“You hear that?” the Doctor said to the Nestene. “The only planets more clean and environmentally friendly than this one are planets without sentient life. So why here?”
“Once my soldiers begin to lay waste to this world,” it said, “the damage they cause will release fresh pollutants into the atmosphere. The ecosystem here is so fragile that I will immediately feel the effects and become strong enough to extend my reach further and further as more of the planet succumbs to us. I will become the most powerful force in the universe.”
“And how do you intend to start?” the Doctor asked. “Attacking a small town will hardly give you what you need.”
“Do you forget where we are, Doctor?” the Nestene laughed. “Any fool knows the destructive power of a volcano. And my body heat is only adding to the pressure inside. Just think: the black smoke rising from the flames, the greenhouse gasses from the corpses of every creature, the ashes of whatever remains are left. It will be a good starting point to raise a stronger army and begin razing the settlements, where the real pollution starts.”
The Doctor thought about what the Nestene was saying. “You know, all things considered, that is a good plan. Except for one thing. At the risk of sounding offensive, you are just a pile of molten plastic. Plastic has a melting point of anywhere up to 260 degrees centigrade. But you are looking to erupt a volcano. With magma, molten rock. Even the coolest temperatures are barely below 700 degrees centigrade. With all that magma, you would be destroyed before it even hits the surface.”
“I have taken the necessary precautions,” the Nestene said calmly. “I’ve acquired the help of someone quite adept at creating the necessary means of protection.”
“What kind of pony would be so stupid as to help a would-be conqueror with a plan as insane as yours?” the Doctor asked incredulously. The Nestene didn’t answer right away. Instead, he lowered what could laughably be called his head and started making humming noises.
“What’s he doing?” Rainbow asked.
“My guess is he’s calling for his henchpony,” the Doctor answered. “Oh, I seem to be getting the hang of this language thing,” he added to himself.
“But who’d wanna betray Equestria like this?” Applejack demanded.
“We’ll know more once he or she gets here.”
After a tense moment of silence, the Nestene finally raised itself. “I’d like you all to meet my… assistant,” it said. “The purple one will appreciate this, I’m sure.” Twilight flinched.
Something came out of one of the nearby caves: three figures. Two of them were more Auton mannequins, both wearing tuxedos. They were escorting a white unicorn stallion with a blue, unkempt main and tail. His horn was surrounded by a magenta aura, indicating that he was in the middle of casting some kind of spell. There was a mark on his flank that the Doctor couldn’t quite make out, though he thought it looked like a blue and purple shield. The mares, however, recognized him almost immediately.
Shining Armor looked up on the shelf above him. “Twilight!” he yelled in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask the same of you!” Twilight said.
The voice of the Nestene interrupted whatever conversation might have followed. “I had my soldiers bring him here from the store he was browsing.”
“You mean you kidnapped him,” the Doctor interjected. “Your father had the same tactics. I guess it is true what they say about apples and trees, isn’t it?”
The Nestene continued, “Through my psychic senses reaching from my soldiers, I could tell he was incredibly gifted in shield ‘magic.’”
“Shining, how could you?” Twilight demanded. Her voice was between anger and sadness.
“I didn’t want to, Twily!” Shining defended.
“Yes,” the Nestene added, “he did prove to be quite unwilling to help me. But his mind is an open book. I could see that he had family not too far from here. And unlike your Canterlot, Ponyville is much closer; I could easily control more soldiers than the paltry two I was barely able to create to take Mr. Armor.”
“I saw everything, Twily,” Shining said. He sounded scared. “They were gonna hurt you… and everypony… I had to stop it.”
“So that’s why you called off the attack,” the Doctor surmised. “You had succeeded in your blackmail attempt.”
“I have promised him complete safety, for himself and his family, if he created the heat shield which even now protects the two of us,” the Nestene said. “The eruption would never even reach your little town. Once it is over, he is free to go, protect his family, perhaps mount a futile defense against my army…”
“A heat shield?” The Doctor became curious. He did notice that the area around the Nestene was redder than everywhere else. “Can he really cast one strong enough to block several tons of magma?”
“Shining’s shield magic is second to none,” Twilight answered. “He was even the captain of the princess’ Royal Guard.”
“I am quite confident in his abilities,” the Nestene said. “And at this point, it’s far too late. The shield is already up at its maximum potential and the volcano is mere minutes away from eruption. Even if he wanted to back out now, it would be… hazardous to his health.” It chuckled.
“Doctor,” Twilight said, “is there anything we can do?”
The Doctor turned her. “I’m working on it, but right now, the Nestene is holding all the cards and… Hang on. Where’s Rainbow Dash?” The others quickly looked around and saw that Rainbow was indeed no longer among them.
The Nestene ignored the ponies’ situation as it said, “Perhaps it’s best you simply accept what is to come, Doctor.” Suddenly, a cry rang out through the cavern. No one had time to react before Rainbow flew in and slammed into the Autons on either side of Shining Armor. One simply fell over, but the other landed into the Nestene itself; the plastic body melted into the Nestene’s and the tuxedo burst into flame. The Nestene screamed in both anger and agony.
“Come on!” she shouted. The other Auton was already getting up.
“But where—?” Shining started.
“How do you think we got here?” Rainbow interrupted. “Our ride’s up there, so move it!” Shining didn’t bother questioning his sister’s friend. He cut off the magic powering the shield. By now, the Nestene had fully recovered and was already focusing on the fallen Auton. The two ponies started running as the mannequin-turned-alien finally stood up and chased after them. Its hoof clicked open and it stood ready to fire.
Suddenly, Fluttershy appeared in front of the Auton; it was a surprise to everyone that she had moved without them noticing. She was glaring at it. “You should be ashamed of yourself!” she said to it, still quiet but a bit stern as well. “You were just supposed to show off a nice suit, but now you want to hurt ponies? If you had a mother, I bet she would be disappointed in you.” The Auton seemed to be reeling, and its actions were affecting the Nestene as well.
The Doctor watched in confusion and a bit of amusement. “Okay, I have been turned into an equine, seen real magic for the first time, and heard of a Nestene reproducing. But only now can I say that I have seen everything, and for me, that’s saying something. I mean, berating an Auton? And succeeding?”
Pinkie spoke up. “Let’s just say there’s a reason Flutershy’s sometimes called ‘The Stare Master.’”
Fluttershy proved to be enough of a distraction for Rainbow and Shining to reach the foot of the cliff. Without any way to climb up, Twilight and Rarity had to levitate the unicorn to their level. Rainbow helped speed things along by getting under him and pushing him upward.
Soon, Shining was more than halfway up the cliff. “Fluttershy!” Rainbow called. “We’re good here! Let’s get going!” Fluttershy’s face softened and she flew away from the Auton. It took a few seconds for it and the Nestene to regain their senses. The Nestene growled and the Auton trained its hoof at the fleeing pegasus. However, when it fired, the blast stopped and exploded in midair, like it hit a wall.
“Told you that field would protect us,” the Doctor said as Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Shining landed near the others.
Shining walked up to Twilight. “Twily, I’m sorry. I—!” He was stopped by a sudden hug.
“Don’t bother,” Twilight said with tears in her eyes. “Even I don’t know what we’re dealing with. You certainly couldn’t have.”
The Doctor turned back to the Nestene. “I hope you realize what this means,” he said. “We have your only means of defense-slash-bargaining chip. The volcano will blow any minute now, and I don’t think I need to tell you what happens when it does. So I’m offering you one last chance: let me help you. I can find you a planet that is more than suitable for your needs.”
“Ally myself with the one who killed my own father?” the Nestene replied in rage. “I would gladly accept death! And I will take you all with me! I was limiting how much of my own body heat went into the volcano, but if I unleash it all…”
“…The scope of the lava’s range will increase to include…” The Doctor paused as he completed the Nestene’s statement. “…Several towns in the surrounding area, with Ponyville among them!” The others gasped.
“And when it is over,” the Nestene continued, “even if you survive, their deaths will weigh heavy on your conscience. Knowing you will experience the loss what you consider ‘dear lives,’ maybe you will think twice next time.” The Nestene roared and the entire mountain shook.
“Everyone, into the TARDIS, now!” the Doctor yelled.
“But what about the—” Fluttershy started.
“Look, I want to help it,” the Doctor replied, “but it’s made its decision, and the volcano’s just a few short minutes from being filled to the brim with lava. We’ll be much more useful outside and alive.” Some of the other ponies looked back to the Nestene; it was still thrashing and yelling in anger. Eventually, they all realized the Doctor was right and headed into the TARDIS.
The Doctor ran to the console and did his usual thing. The TARDIS started moving again. After a while, the usual shaking slowed down, though it didn’t stop completely. “Okay,” the Doctor said, “we have a lot to do and I’m not sure what most of that is. I’m going to need everyone’s brains in a state of pure thought. Any ideas?”
Everyone was still trying to collect themselves after all that had happened. Shining Armor looked especially frazzled; he had only just escaped from what he could only describe as captivity and forced labor, and now he was twitching his head every direction throughout the TARDIS.
“Um,” he finally said, “would I be pointing out the obvious if…?”
“Yes,” the Doctor interrupted. “And we don’t have time for that right now. We need to focus.”
Shining turned to Twilight. “Twily, what have you gotten yourself into?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out myself, actually,” Twilight replied.
“What we really need to do is review all the important information,” the Doctor continued, seemingly unaware of the siblings’ sidebar. “What do we know?”
“That a volcano’s gonna blow and take a heckuva lotta towns with it,” Applejack said.
“And by my calculations,” the Doctor added, “we have maybe fifteen minutes before the temperature reaches critical.”
“Is there any way to stop the volcano before then?” Twilight asked.
“We’d have to find a way to lower the temperature,” the Doctor answered. “If we can just get it to a certain point, the whole mountain should return to a normal, stable internal pressure.”
“Where are we now, anyway?” Rarity asked.
“What kind of question is…?” Shining started.
“We should be hovering a safe distance from the volcano,” the Doctor interrupted.
“That’s ridiculous,” Shining replied. “We’ve just been in here the whole time.”
“Then open the doors and prove me wrong,” the Doctor said. Shining went to the doors and pulled one of them open. He was met by a view of the outside of the volcano from more than 800 feet up. “How else do you think we managed to get inside a volcano?” the Doctor asked rhetorically.
The other mares looked outside as Shining just stood there frozen. Smoke was starting to flow out of the top of the mountain. “So how do we cool down an entire volcano?” Applejack asked.
“I can see a bunch of clouds around here,” Rainbow said. “Fluttershy and I could huddle them around it and make it rain.”
“A good starting point,” the Doctor replied, “but it won’t be enough.”
“Couldn’t we just block the lava?” Pinkie asked.
Shining finally broke out of his trance and said, “I already used up too much magic powering one heat shield. I don’t think I can attempt it again.”
“And we could only do so much on our own,” the Doctor added. “In the end, we’d either fail to get the proper protection in time or just stave off the inevitable.”
“I’ve got an idea!” Twilight said. All eyes turned to her. “I could cast a cold spell over the volcano. That combined with the rain might help lower the temperature.”
“A cold spell?” the Doctor asked.
“It makes the area a little cooler,” Twilight explained. “I mostly use it during the summer to keep from sweating too much, but I think I can decrease the temperature even further.”
“Will that work?” Rarity asked.
“Either way, we don’t have much time,” the Doctor said. “Rainbow, Fluttershy, you two get those clouds ready; we’ll need all the cooling power we can get.” Rainbow saluted and took off out of the TARDIS. Fluttershy, surprised at the sudden directions given to her, took a few seconds longer to do the same. Both pegasi flew up to the clouds and started gathering them around the opening of the volcano.
“Now, while they’re doing that,” the Doctor said, “Twilight, get that cold spell up and running.” Twilight nodded and her horn lit up. She went to the edge of the door and pointed her horn at the volcano. The Doctor went to the console and pulled up an image on the computer, like a pair of thermometers.
“Okay,” the Doctor started, “the area around the volcano is starting to drop in temperature. Are those clouds in place?”
“Dashie’s getting the last cloud,” Pinkie said. Everyone could see a blue figure pushing a cloud into a much larger one above the mountain. Once it was ready, Rainbow turned around and gave the new, larger cloud a swift buck. There was a loud rumbling and rainwater poured out of the cloud.
“That’s it,” Applejack said. “Now what?”
“All we can do is wait,” the Doctor said. “If you have any deities, now would be a good time to pray.”
Everyone waited nervously, except for Rainbow and Fluttershy, who were hovering a safe distance from the volcano. All anyone could see was the rain falling on top; the only indication that anything more was happening was the slow drop in temperature due to Twilight’s spell. Beyond that, no one could truly tell what was happening. After what seemed like hours (in reality, only five minutes), the Doctor went back to the console to check the temperature readings.
“No no no, this can’t be right,” he whispered.
“What’s wrong?” Rarity asked.
“It’s still rising,” he replied. “All we’ve managed to do is just slow it down by a few minutes at best.”
“I’ll try amplifying the spell,” Twilight said. Her horn started to glow more violently. Everyone could feel the coldness intensify. The thermometer for the outside temperature read just above freezing levels.
Suddenly, Twilight gasped as her legs buckled under her. “Twilight!” Shining yelled. He turned his body so that he could try to lift her up.
“What happening?” the Doctor asked.
“Twilight’s a skilled magic user,” Shining said, “but even she has limits. Too much magic and she could collapse from the strain.”
The Doctor looked back at the thermometers. “The volcano’s levels are still rising! There’s got to be something we haven’t tried yet. Something we haven’t realized.” He hit himself on his forehead with his hoof in aggravated thought. He looked around him for any source of inspiration. His eyes stopped on the sonic screwdriver.
“Applejack! Rarity!” he suddenly shouted. The mares almost jumped at the sudden call “Keep Twilight upright. Mr. Armor, try to keep her conscious. Pinkie, look at that screen, keep your eyes on the left side, and tell me if anything happens.”
Realizing the Doctor might have a plan, everyone went to their stations, although Shining took a while to realize what was happening. As soon as Pinkie was at the Doctor’s station, he grabbed his screwdriver and went to the others. Rarity and Applejack were already on either side of Twilight, pushing against her slightly to keep her from falling again. Shining was holding her head up toward him.
“Twilight,” he said, almost in a whisper, “keep focusing on me. You can do this. I’ve known you all my life and you’re not a quitter. You never let something like sleep stop you before and I don’t expect that to change now.”
“I’m trying, Shiny,” Twilight replied. She sounded weak. “I really am. But I don’t know if I’ve got enough strength left.”
“If we’re lucky,” the Doctor interrupted, “we can keep that from being an issue.” He held the screwdriver at Twilight’s horn.
“Doctor,” Rarity said, “what are you doing?”
“When you were measuring me for that suit,” the Doctor explained, “I studied your magic energies and I’ve been formulating hypotheses all day. If we’re lucky, this one may be right.”
“And that is?” Applejack asked.
“I’ll let you know in a minute.” He turned on the screwdriver. It started whirring. “Okay, Twilight,” he said, “I’m going to have to ask that you keep this up just a little bit longer. I wasn’t lying when I said you ponies have plenty of potential, so now’s as good a time as ever to show me that potential.”
Twilight grunted. “I’ll… I’ll try.” Her head was bobbing up and down sporadically like she was trying to stay awake; Shining had to put a hoof under her chin to stabilize her.
“Pinkie!” the Doctor called. “How are things looking over there?”
“You wanted the one on the left?” Pinkie replied.
“Right!”
“Oh, I thought you wanted left, because that one’s still going up.”
The Doctor ignored Pinkie’s random statement and focused instead on the sonic. “Come on, come on. I am not going to let this happen.” He adjusted the settings. “Not now, not ever!” He pointed the sonic back at Twilight’s horn. The whirring noise was now at a higher pitch.
The Doctor noticed the aura around Twilight’s horn was beginning to become more opaque and bright.
“Doctor!” Pinkie shouted. “Are you still wanting the left or the right? Because the left is going down.”
“It’s working,” the Doctor said quietly. “Twilight, you’re doing great. Keep it up.” Twilight, through her tired state, was starting to look more determined than before.
“Doctor,” Pinkie said, “the red bar just passed one of the big lines.”
The Doctor quickly ran through the numbers. “Okay, that means that… carry the two, exponent of negative three, so… Just a little bit more, Twilight!”
The atmosphere of the TARDIS was turning from fear to excitement; if the Doctor’s current mood was anything to go by, things were starting to look better by the second.
“Hey, um, Doctor,” Pinkie continued, “the red bar just turned blue. Does that mean anything?”
“Yes, Pinkie,’ the Doctor replied. “It means that most of the magma has turned into solid rock by now, keeping the rest of the magma inside the volcano, where it belongs. Twilight, you can stop now.” The purple aura around Twilight’s horn disappeared and the sonic was switched off. Twilight sighed deeply and all but collapsed on the TARDIS floor.
“Twilight,” Shining said softly, “are you all right?”
Twilight breathed in deeply. “I’m fine.” Everyone released a sigh of relief almost at the same time.
“Okay then,” the Doctor said. “Someone call our feathered friends back inside. We’re heading back to Ponyville.”
“But what about Cadence?” Shining asked. “She’s probably worried sick by now.”
“Not if I’ve got anything to say about it,” the Doctor replied.
Rainbow and Fluttershy suddenly flew through the doors. “I’m going to need someone to take Twilight to one of the bedrooms; she can rest there. Down that hallway, two doors on the right, you can’t miss it.” Rainbow and Pinkie picked up the unicorn and followed the hallway the Doctor pointed at.
“Now then, Mr. Armor,” he continued, “when exactly were you kidnapped by the Autons?” Shining just stared at him blankly. “The mannequins?” he clarified.
“Oh, um, around 2:35 today?”
“And when did we meet up with Cadence?” the Doctor continued. “Anyone? Anyone?”
“I believe it was around a quarter to three,” Rarity answered.
“Then I think I can make this work. Granted, it’ll be cutting it close, but…” The Doctor once again hit seemingly random buttons and levers until the TARDIS started to shake and tumble.
Upon stepping outside, Shining Armor saw that the TARDIS was now in an alley in what looked like Canterlot. In fact, the area looked like…
“The tuxedo store?” he asked. “But why here?”
“Is there a clock nearby?” the Doctor asked.
Shining was surprised at the Doctor’s change in subject, but said, “Um, yeah, there’s a clock tower over…” He turned his head down the street and saw the tower he mentioned. But something was off. “Two forty-five?”
“Wait a sec,” Applejack said from inside the TARDIS. “Are you tellin’ me that…”
“We just went back in time?” the Doctor finished. “Yes. In fact, if Rarity is correct, our past selves are talking with Cadence as we speak.”
“Um, what?” was all Shining could say.
“Yes, time travel does have that effect on the uninitiated,” the Doctor said. “All you need to know is that Cadence will be here soon, but she’ll never know you’ve gone. Just don’t go anywhere near Ponyville for the next few hours; last thing we need is a time paradox on our ha… hooves.”
“Um, right.” Shining didn’t quite know what to make of the Doctor’s explanation, but he decided it would be best, for Cadence’s sake, that he just pretend today never happened. “Just take care of Twilight, okay?”
“You have my word,” the Doctor said. He closed the TARDIS door and Shining watched as it faded in an out of existence with a rhythmic whir.
Shining walked into the store. “Oh, Mr. Armor!” He turned and saw the clerk who was running the store at the time of his kidnapping. “Are you alright?” she asked.
“I-I’m fine,” Shining stammered. “It was just, uh, some of my old fraternity friends. Yeah, they were getting me back for something I did a few years ago.” The clerk looked confused. “A couple of them really tend to hold onto a grudge. You should’ve seen what happened at Junior Prom.”
“Ookay, sure,” the clerk said slowly.
“Oh, um, quick note,” Shining said. The clerk looked up at him expectantly. “Cadence may come by wondering where I was. If you could just not tell her about this whole thing? It’s kind of embarrassing,” he added, trying to pull off a sheepish look.
“O-of course, sir.” The clerk went back to her business, slightly skeptical but unwilling to pursue the matter further.
“Shining!” a new voice said. Shining turned to find Cadence coming through the door. “Have you really been here this whole time?” Her face wasn’t angry, but rather exasperated with a hint of amusement.
“Well, you know me,” Shining defended. “All these tuxes look the same to me. But I know they’re not that way to you, so I…”
“I’m aware,” Cadence said. “I just saw Twilight on my way here and she told me the exact same thing.” Shining was trying very hard to keep himself from thinking too hard about the time travel implications in that statement. “Come on, you,” Cadence continued with a smile. “Let’s find something that fits you.”
Sorry for taking so long with this, but after the incident Spike wrote to you about, I had to rest due to magical overuse. I’ll give you the details of our adventure in another letter (once I figure out how to best explain it), but for now, I think it’s best that I give my final thoughts on the Doctor.
After further analysis, I have concluded that the Doctor presents no threat whatsoever to Equestria. In fact, were it not for him, Equestria would have fallen to a force that we were not only unaware of, but also unknowledgeable of and otherwise defenseless against.
This whole adventure has taught me something, Princess. No matter where they come from, friends can be anypony who just happens to show up at your front door. The Doctor may seem strange when you first meet him, but deep down, he is just like anypony else; he has feelings, isn’t afraid to make his emotions known, and has a troubled history, just like most, if not all, ponies in Equestria. The only thing that truly separates him is biology, and let’s face it, even that isn’t so different.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle
P.S. Since our contingency plan is no longer needed, I’ll come by at my earliest convenience to drop them off.
“That should do it,” Twilight said to Spike. The dragon instinctively rolled up the parchment, slid the Celestial Royal Seal over it, and breathed a mystical, green flame over it; the resulting smoke flew out the open window of Twilight’s room.
“Hey, Twilight?” Spike asked. “What did you mean by ‘contingency plan’?”
Twilight paused, almost uncertain, but said, “It really doesn’t matter now, does it? The Doctor’s about as likely to attack Equestria as Fluttershy. Like I said, we won’t be needing it.”
“If you say so,” Spike replied. Both went downstairs to the lobby. The other ponies, save for Rarity and the Doctor, were already there.
“How ya’ feelin’, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
“Much better,” Twilight said. “How long was I out?”
“It’s almost noon,” Fluttershy answered. “After you passed out, we brought you back here so you could get some proper rest.”
“What about Shining?”
“The Doc dropped him off after the volcano thing,” Rainbow said. “He’s probably fine.”
“Ahem!” A small yet commanding cough came from the door. Everyone turned and saw Rarity in the doorway. “Ladies,” she said, “it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you… The Doctor!” She stepped to the side of the door.
The Doctor followed her in. He was now wearing a blue suit that seemed to be made of a sturdy yet comfortable fabric. Underneath was a white shirt that was mostly obscured except for the area around the neck and just above his hooves. He also wore a dark-blue necktie that was tucked into the suit itself. The whole ensemble ended behind him just in front of his flank, leaving his cutie mark visible.
“Be honest,” he said. “What do you think?”
“Not bad,” Rainbow said, “seeing as it came from somepony who makes dresses all day.”
“I shall take that as a compliment, Rainbow,” Rarity responded.
“It looks very nice,” Fluttershy said to the Doctor.
“You don’t know the half of it,” he replied. “It felt really weird walking around with nothing to wear. And of course, this suit has one thing I desperately needed since I got here.”
“A bold statement?” Rarity asked expectantly.
“Pockets actually,” the Doctor clarified. “Absolutely rubbish without them. You would not believe the things I’ve had to carry around with me throughout my life.”
“Anyhoof,” Applejack interjected, “you feeling up to headin’ on out?”
“Oh yes,” the Doctor said. “In spite of that nasty business with the Autons and the Nestene Consciousness, I feel fit as a fiddle. Wait, do ponies even play fiddles?”
“Just how often do you get into these kinds of messes?” Twilight asked.
“More than I’d like, admittedly. But hey, we all need some excitement in our lives. But enough of that; if I’m going to make my exit, I’ll be needing my transportation. Shall we make our way to the basement?”
The Doctor took the lead as all seven ponies and dragon went downstairs. After they got back, the TARDIS returned to same place as when it first arrived in Ponyville. No one had even approached it since then.
As soon as they were next to it, the Doctor sentimentally placed a hoof on the TARDIS. “Well, this is it,” he said to no one in particular. “Whole new body, whole new suit, whole new adventures to be had.”
“We wish you luck, Doctor,” Twilight said. “And thanks for your help.”
“It was my pleasure, Miss Sparkle.” The Doctor turned to the TARDIS as if to open the doors, but he paused and turned back to the group. “Actually, before I go, there is one thing I want to ask.”
“What’s that?” Pinkie replied.
“Do you want to come with me?” The reactions from the others were varied, but they all pointed toward one general emotion: surprise. “Of course I’ll bring you back when you decide you’ve had enough. You see, traveling the cosmos on my own can be, well, lonely at times. I’ve gone on many adventures with several friends I’ve made in the past. It’s just nice to have someone to share the experience with.” Everyone was thinking about the Doctor’s speech, like they were actually considering his offer.
“However, I don’t ask this lightly. Because if you do want to come, then I should warn you: you’re going to see all sorts of things. Ghosts from the past. Aliens from the future. And if we’re really lucky, the day the world died in a ball of flame. It won’t be quiet, it won’t be safe, and it won’t be calm. But I’ll tell you what it will be…” The Doctor paused to watch the ponies’ and dragon’s faces. He smiled. “The trip of a lifetime.”
There was another silence. The room was heavy with the anticipation of who would make the first move and what that first move would be.
“I’m in!” Everyone turned to Rainbow Dash. “The way you talk, it sounds like non-stop action. I want a piece of that.” In hindsight, no one should have been surprised, but the idea of her getting into Celestia-knows-what still caught them off-guard.
“If she’s goin’,” Applejack said, “Ah’m goin’. Gotta make sure she dun’t do anythin’ foolish.”
“I’m afraid I shall have to pass on this, Doctor,” Rarity said. The fact that she refused turned out to be no less surprising, given the two consecutive acceptances. “That… thing used my own mannequins as weapons against me. I shall need some time to… recover from this… unexpected occurrence.” Everyone could tell that she was trying to keep her composure and not break down at the memory.
“I’ll have to refuse too,” Fluttershy interjected. “I’m not sure I want to leave Equestria for something so… frightening.”
“I would defend that it’s not all frightening,” the Doctor said, “but suit yourself. Pinkie, how about you?”
“Wish I could, but I can’t,” Pinkie said energetically. “I still need to plan out your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party. Nopony, and I mean nopony, comes to Ponyville without getting a good ol’ Pinkie Pie-style bash.”
“If you say so,” the Doctor said slowly. “Twilight?”
Twilight had been incredibly silent throughout the whole conversation. She seemed conflicted: getting the chance to see things nopony had ever seen before would be quite the experience; but on the other hoof, she didn’t want to be gone for any longer than she had to.
“Come on, Twilight!” Rainbow said enthusiastically. “This’ll be awesome! How many ponies can say they’ve traveled in a spaceship-slash-time machine?”
“Wait. Time machine?” Twilight asked.
“Oh that’s right, you weren’t awake for that,” the Doctor realized. “When I dropped off your brother, I got him back to a time before Cadence even realized he was missing.”
“So… Wait, just let me see if I have this,” Twilight thought aloud. “This box can go through space… and time?”
“Theoretically,” the Doctor said, “I could have you all back home five minutes ago.”
Twilight’s indecision seemed to disappear completely. “A chance to see some of Equestria’s greatest moments with my own eyes? How can I say no?” She was on the verge of jumping excitedly; she quickly stopped herself, though. “Spike, can you watch the library while I’m gone?” she asked the dragon in faux calmness
“Hey, you wanna go off with a crazy pony who says he’s an alien,” Spike said, “all I gotta say is, ‘Just don’t bring anything weird back.’”
Twilight drew the dragon into a hug. “You’re the best Spike.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Well, then, if that’s everyone…” the Doctor said. The three volunteers lined up in front of him. “Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, welcome aboard.” He pushed the door open and all four ponies stepped inside. The others watched as the doors closed and the TARDIS faded out of sight.
