> Draconic Time Guardian > by The-DerpSide > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Ch 1: A terrifying prediction > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Celestia sat upon her throne,tapping her fingers on her knee and thinking of all of the things that had happened over the couple years. Ever since her student, Twilight Sparkle, had arrived in Ponyville and saved her sister from the entity known as Nightmare Moon with her friends using the Elements of Harmony, lets just say that things would definitely not be boring after that. She thought back to a meeting years ago, before she sent her student to Ponyville. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Princess Celestia stood pacing in front of her throne while inwardly wondering what she would do when Nightmare Moon returned. She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard weird groaning, wheezing sound. Vworp. Vworp. Vworp. Seemingly out of thin air, a strange blue box with a black strip of paint on the top with the words "PONY PUBLIC CALL BOX" on the strip of paint in white. The door on the front opened on the inside and a brown Earth Pony stepped out. He was a chestnut-colored Earth Pony with a brown main that spiked backwards, as did his tail-both dark brown in color. He was wearing a blue shirt and pants, his hooves were the same color as his fur. He had a red necktie holding the collar together and he wore a light brown trench-coat over the outfit, and hourglass design on the left breast-pocket. When she had first met this Doctor Whooves, she had first thought he was crazy. That was until he showed her the worlds among time and space. This was when she and Doctor Whooves made a plan. He, and another Time Pony in hiding-Colgate (who had her own time machine hiding somewhere in her dental clinic-and was under the alias "Minuette") would maintain the time stream, making sure events in time stayed running smoothly. That is when she decided to...revise...a few laws. First thing first, she went over the population census and made an alarming dicovery. The female-to-male ratio was 3:1. So, she re-legalized multiple marriages, or "herd forming" as citizens called it. This was after multiple hints to Doctor Whooves that he should "settle down" or "find some mares", much to his chagrin. He then took a small piece of his TARDIS interior, nothing major that wouldn't regrow, and gave it to her to put under growing spells to accelerate the growth of the new TARDIS. The next problem was that the operator of a TARDIS had to live a long life. Now, at first her thoughts were to any of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, but disregarded it. They already had enough on their plates. That's when a thought trickled into her mind. Spike. The assistant of Twilight Sparkle-the bearer of the Element of Magic. He had been growing, and was now in his late teens-the same age as the girls-without succumbing to his draconic greed. He had been reluctant at first, until he learned that he would be helping his friends this way. After that, all he had to do was learn to mesh with the newly-grown TARDIS. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The sound of a TARDIS materializing in the room shook her from her memories, as she saw Doctor Whooves's TARDIS appeared in the room she was in. At first, Princess Celestia grinned. Maybe Derpy was pregnant again, she always loved meeting little foals, so innocent from worry and fear. Dinky could brighten up the room with a smile. Or maybe he found another mare, she knew that Derpy (on her suggestion, nonetheless) was looking for other mares. Celestia knew that her sister Luna had a crush on the eccentric Time Pony. Maybe she would become an aunt! However, when he stepped out, she knew it was something serious. He was frowning and his brow was furrowed, his hand twitched, presumably resisting the urge to mess with his Sonic Screwdriver, a multipurpose tool created by a TARDIS to be used by its driver. "How bad is it?" Se asked, almost dreading the answer herself. Still, she could not help her curiosity. "How close are you to Spike...because if nothing is done, he will die and all of Equestria will be thrown into Chaos and Anarchy." Doctor Whooves said. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Inside The Apple Family barn Rarity lit a torch and blew out the match she used to light it. She then turned and set down the torch and sat with five other mares around it. These were five mares she was best friends with: Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and-Equestria's newest Princess-Twilight Sparkle. "Okay girls, we are here because of one reason. We all have feelings for Spike." Twilight stated matter-of-factly, and everyone blushed slightly at the dragon's name. Fluttershy even hid her face behind her mane. "As we know, Princess Celestia reinstated the law nicknamed the 'herd law' right before Twilight and Spike arrived in this little town. So what we do is get Spike to fall for all of us and use that law to our advantage. Simple" Rarity spoke, clasping her hands together. Just when Applejack was about to say something, the doors flew open and Ponyville's mail mare-Derpy Whooves-stood there with a serious expression on her face. "DERPY!" Rainbow Dash shouted in irritation, "Can't you see we're having a meeting here?!" "Princess Celestia needs to meet you six immediately." Derpy said, and all six mares glanced at each other in worry. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Canterlot Castle Princess Celestia stood nervously as the six mares representing the Elements of Harmony stood there, curiosity and fear on their faces. "Spike needs your help." Doctor Whooves said, coming out from behind a pillar. At this, each mare let out a loud gasp. "Spike, where is he?" Applejack aid, her voice firm and eyes narrowed. At this Princess Celestia sighed. "I haven't been honest to everyone in Equestria. I, with Doctor Whooves and Colgate's help, created a secret organization known as the Time Guardians, to maintain the time stream itself. Spike is one of these Time Guardians. That is the 'Royal Business' I call him out for occasionally." "A Time Guardian?" Rarity asked, "But what does it have to do with us?" "You see, Time is not linear, from cause to effect. Time is a big bowl of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey...stuff. Well, Spike's been working....alone..for a while now." Doctor Whooves explained, "And if Spike goes on the next mission alone, he will be killed, and Equestria goes into a Civil War of Dragon-haters fighting dragon-supporters led by the Princesses...all four of them." "Spike....dies...on no...that's very frightening...and not nice at all." Fluttershy said, peering at Doctor Whooves from behind her mane. "And it's going to take all six of you to save him." He added. The six bearers of the Elements of Harmony talked to each other in hushed whispers and glancing at Celetia and Doctor Whooves every now and then. "We'll do it!" All six said at once, and Celestia gave them each a bright smile. Doctor Whooves glanced at a watch. "And just in time too." Vworp. Vworp. Vworp. An ice-blue colored box materialized, right behind the group. The door opened and a familiar figure slid out, closing the door behind him. He was a purple-scaled dragon with a green colored underbelly. Green ear fins were on each side of his head, bordering emerald-green eyes. He stood the same size as the other six mares and had an athletic build, and wore a simple pair of black jeans, a white shirt, and a black leather jacket with a gold "S" on the bottom-right front side of the jacket "Time Guardian Spike, reporting for.....duty...." He said, trailing off right when the six mares he knew well and went through so many things together with tackled him to the ground and cried loudly. > Ch 2: The TARDIS > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- For basic Character designs, I'm using the anthro character forms by one of my favorite deviantart artists, ss2sonic. Links are now up! Spike's basic appearance (wrong clothes though): http://ss2sonic.deviantart.com/art/Time-Skip-MLP-Spike-302024109 Princesses Celestia and Twilight Sparkle: http://ss2sonic.deviantart.com/art/Princess-Twilight-353465475 Rarity: http://ss2sonic.deviantart.com/art/Time-Skip-MLP-Rarity-302372410 Pinkie Pie: http://ss2sonic.deviantart.com/art/MLP-Rise-and-Shine-Pinkie-270138288 Fluttershy: http://ss2sonic.deviantart.com/art/Time-Skip-MLP-Fluttershy-302372752 Rainbow Dash: http://ss2sonic.deviantart.com/art/Time-Skip-MLP-Rainbow-Dash-302373027 Applejack: http://ss2sonic.deviantart.com/art/Time-Skip-MLP-Applejack-302373300 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "What?!" Spike said in disbelief as he stood up, in disbelief about what just happened. Just when Twilight was about to speak, Doctor Whooves cut her off. "Don't! If you tell him what might happen, it will create a fixed point in time. That means that it the event must happen or all of reality will be ripped apart." Hearing this, the six mares blanched and even Pinkie Pie made the motions of a Pinkie Promise. Shaking her head, Rarity inspected the ice-blue box that Spike arrived in. There were two windows on each side with six paneled frames on each window. There was a black strip of paint near the top above the doors with the words "Guard Public Call Box". Her gaze went onto the scorch marks randomly scattered across it. "It seems small. It'll be a tight fit. Now Spikey, don't use that as an excuse to grope any of us." She said, giggling slightly. "It's not..... What?!" Spike just stammered. "What is going on." "Spike, you know of our most recent law made." Celestia said, keeping her face straight. "But that doesn't pertain to me! I'm a dragon!" He stammered. "Actually" Doctor Whooves spoke up, and Spike turned to his mentor. "As you WERE hatched on Canterlot soil, you DID have to have Equestrian Citizen papers made for you, making you an Equestrian Citizen." Spike just turned to see his six closest friends looking at him with hopeful expressions. "Me. But..." Spike said turning to Celestia with a frightened expression. "What if I hurt them?" "Okay. I didn't want to do this, but you can't leave...unless you take all six of them." Celestia said, and Spike groaned and smacked a clawed hand against his face. "What choice do I have." Spike said, before being tackled by the six mares. Pulling himself free, he gazed at the ice-colored box that brought him here. "Sorry girl, but we're going to have company." "Who are you talking to?" Pinkie Pie shouted next to him, suddenly appearing next to him. "Gah!" Spike shouted, stumbling back slightly. "The TARDIS! I'm talking to the TARDIS!" "TARDIS?" Twilight asked, "Why did you name a ship something that almost sounds like tardy?" "It stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space." Spike explained, "It's basically my home away from home." "A'h agree with Rarity though. It's ah bit on the small side." Applejack said, gazing on the TARDIS. Spike just grinned and opened the door, and walked into a dark space. The girls walked in and Spike flipped a switch, and the room filled with light. The walls were a golden color and had circular designs on them. A glass floor held up by six pillars with an engraving on each pillar was in the center of the room, and stairs leading to someplace downstairs. Two large couches that could fit three ponies sitting each were next to each other-with a chair on the other side, and the rest of the sections around the floor were blocked off by a fence. A hexagon-shaped panel around a glass pillar was in the center of the room, with switches, levers, monitors, and buttons all over it. Inside the pillar were greenish pistons. The ponies were speechless at the gigantic room, until Fluttershy of all ponies found her voice. "It's bigger...on the inside....if you don't mind." She said. "Okay. I need you six to sit down while I set the coordinates." Spike said, while all of the mares sat down, watching him run from section to section. "Um...don't you need any help?" Rainbow Dash asked, wondering where he got all of that energy. "Maybe another time." Spike said, "but the TARDIS has to get to know all of you before she'll teach you how to drive her." "Are you sure this box'll move." Applejack said, rubbing her head to stave off an oncoming headache, and Spike gazed back at her. "This is one of the most powerful ships in the galaxy, one of the only vessels that can travel anywhere in space and time! Though, I do believe doubt is to be expected." Spike said, pressing a few other buttons before pulling out a lever and the pistons starting moving before a groaning, wheezing sound filled the room. Vworp. Vworp. Vworp. "Now. Open the doors." Spike said, grinning at the thought of what the mares would see. Twilight glided over to the doors-as that's all she had learned to do with her new wings, with Rainbow Dash following her and the others walking (or, in Pinkie's case-bouncing) over. Flinging the doors open, the girls were struck at the sight of their own planet below them. "It's so.....beautiful..." Rarity said, "My, I could be inspired to make many more dresses for a very long time!" Spike walked over and looked over their shoulders. "Yeah. I never get tired of the sight." Spike said. As the girls walked on shaky legs to the couches, Spike stood watching the planet with a small, nostalgic smile. "Hey! What does this lever do?" Pinkie's voice came from the room, and Spike turned to see Pinkie hovering over the control panel. "No Wait!" Spike started to say, but Pinkie pulled the lever down and the TARDIS turned and jerked back down to the planet. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Spike held on to the bottom of the floor just in front of the doorway. The mares had grabbed onto his left arm and were trying to pull him up. In his right hand, he held a tan object that had a glass orb at the top with a green orb inside the glass. Spike gazed down and saw an oncoming building. With a yell of terror, he aimed the object at the control panel and the green orb lit up and a buzzing sound seemed to emerge from the object. A lever lowered and the TARDIS jerked up, Spike nearly losing his grip and barely missing the top of the building. The mares held on, and Spike managed to get his grip, and pull himself back into the TARDIS, shutting the doors behind him. "And THAT'S why we don't pull random levers!" Spike said, panting as he got up onto shaky legs. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// In Appleloosa, months before the "buffalo incident" A pony walked into a alleyway, panting from a long day at work. All of a sudden, without warning, there was a cry of "EXTERMINATE!" and he heard nothing else again. > Ch 3: Dalek Invasion of Appleloosa > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "And now it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves. The Eleventh Hour is over now, the clock is striking Twelve's." So, yesterday we said Goodbye to Matt Smith-the Eleventh Doctor as The Doctor got a NEW set of Regenerations from the Time Lords and said Hello to Peter Capaldi-the Twelfth Doctor in a twist ending even I didn't see coming. And now, we can look forward to another twelve Doctors after Capaldi. Who knows-Doctor Who could go ANOTHER 50 years! Oh! And a late Merry Christmas! Theme music for the story: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Vworp. Vworp. Vworp. The sound of a TARDIS materializing filled an alleyway in Appleloosa as an ice-blue box appeared out of thin air. There were two windows on each side of the box, and the words "Guard Public Call Box" were on the top. A loud THUD was heard when the box fully materialized. Inside the TARDIS, Spike and the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony sat down, Spike panting and rubbing his sore shoulders. Twilight Sparkle was inspecting the object he once held in his hand. It was a long, tan object with a glass orb with a green orb inside the glass-connected to the sides of the glass with a tan metal bar. A green screen surrounded by grey metal was at the tan section just underneath the ringed "neck" attaching the orb to the object, and parts of gears sat on each side and back at the same level as the screen. A silver button sat underneath the screen, and silver sections of metal on the sides and bottom of the object on the same level as he button were holding the object to a lower section below the button. The handle was below that, colored white, angular and was hexagonal in shape, and the base was ringed like the "neck" attaching he orb to the object, and ended in a small hexagonal bolt-like object. "What is this?" Twilight asked, pressing the button and watching the orb light up and emit a buzzing sound. "It's a Sonic Screwdriver. Basically, it's a sound-based multipurpose tool." Spike said, catching the Sonic Screwdriver when Twilight tossed it back to him. A lilac aura surrounded his shoulders and massaged them. Spike sent an appreciative smile at Twilight, who had her horn lit up with the same lilac aura. "So...." Spike said, gazing around the controls of the TARDIS, "why me? Why not actually settle down with a stallion?" "Spike." Twilight began, "You've been my closest friend and assistant. When my relationship with Flash Sentry failed-though we remain good friends-you were there to comfort me. Why wouldn't I fall for you." At this she walked over and rubbed his head spines. "Darling, do you really think your efforts to win me over would really go unnoticed?" Rarity asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him. When he didn't respond, she frowned and messed with her mane. "After all, you've done more for me than some Stallions trying to court me and expected less out of the relationship-you only wanted me to see you as a potential boyfriend instead of trying to get into a certain room." "Umm....you've always done so much to help me without asking for anything in return...if you don't mind." Fluttershy said, hiding behind her mane and refusing to say more as her shyness stopped her. "Like Fluttershy, you've always helped me and always attended my parties! Why, you've never complained no matter what prank I've done." Pinkie Pie said, popping up behind him. "Trust me, if you've seen what I've seen-those pranks are harmless." Spike said, a frown marring his face. "Awww! Don't be so glum!" Pinkie said, pulling the corners of his mouth into a smile. "We Apples are always looking for strong partners to help on the farm, and you've always done what you can to help a friend-no matter who it is. Ah admired that in ya'h." Applejack said, tilting her hat. "Finally! My turn!" Rainbow Dash said, hovering up into the air. "Part of my reason's like Pinkie-I love pulling pranks and you've never got mad at me. Not only that, you've seen me as a 'girl' despite my tomboyish tendencies and never looked down on me for it." Spike looked skeptical. "That's it?" "Well....when we figure out we...all might have feelings for you-about eight months ago-Rarity set up meetings where we all talked about you and....well....swooned over each others tales." Twilight said, blushing, "So I looked up laws until we found that 'herd law' Celestia re-instated." Spike gazed at the pillars of his TARDIS, specifically the engravings on them. Walking over, he rubbed a hand over the control panel. "You knew about this, girl? Didn't you?" "Knew what?" Applejack asked. "Look at the engravings on the pillars." Spike said, and the mares did so, letting out a gasp when they realized what they were looking at. The apple of Honesty. The lightning of Loyalty. The diamond of Generosity. The balloon of Laughter. The butterfly of Kindness. Finally, the spark of Magic. The engravings were of the the Elements of Harmony. Spike chuckled a bit when a drawer opened on the console and he saw six keys siting there, attached to necklaces. "Okay. You definitely knew about this." He said pulling out the keys. They were all of the same key. He even had a copy inside of a coat pocket. They were keys to the TARDIS. The mares were now standing there around the console, gazing out the windows of the doorway-the only windows that were shown from the inside of the TARDIS. "I guess the TARDIS made the decision for me. You will all be with me, won't you?" Spike asked, and the mares turned to him with hopeful expressions. "Well, I have something for all of you." With that, he placed the key necklace into each of their hand and the mares smiled, Rarity even tearing up in excitement. Spike gazed out the window and shook slightly. "I don't know why, but something about this mission is making me nervous." The girls gazed at each other nervously. "When and where are we?" Rainbow Dash asked, the scenery looking very familiar out the window. "Appleloosa, a few months before we first visited." Spike answered, and the girls let out sounds of surprise as he flung the doors opened and stepped out onto the sand. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The doors shut behind the girls and they dove behind some trash cans. "This is so undignified." Rarity huffed. "Relax, if anyone important sees us and then greets us before Braeburn does the first introduction when we actually arrive for the first time it could cause a paradox that would destroy reality." Spike said, with Rarity putting a hand over her mouth. A strange, whirling sound came from the outside the alleyway. The thing looked like a bronze-colored robot shaped like an upside-down trash can with a rounded top slid to the front of the alleyway. An eye stalk poked out of the top and what looked like a plunger and a whisk poked out from the middle. "Inferior life-forms detected! Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" It said in a gravelly, metallic voice. "Daleks. Why did it have to be Daleks?!" Spike whispered. "Daleks? What are Daleks?" Applejack asked, all of the mares seeing the fear visible on Spike's face. "Only one of the deadliest and most dangerous alien species." Spike replied, "The creature can only live inside of that casing. It only knows hatred and anger. It literally lives to conquer planets and kill every other species in its way." Right after he said that, a blue laser shot out of the "whisk" and hit the wall near the group, which then exploded into rubble. "Careful! Even a glancing blow of that laser kills on contact! It doesn't even leave a mark on the body!" Spike said, his eye widened as an idea came to him. "Quick! To the TARDIS!" Spike ran with surprising speed and shoved the doors open wit the mares running in afterwards. The doors shut and the TARDIS started hovering in the air. "Time Pony technology detected! Scans indicate it is the model used by the non Time-Pony dragon. Sending information to fellow units." That is all it got to say as Spike's TARDIS crashed into it and shattered the casing into pieces before flying into the air. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Okay" Spike said, glancing at the monitor on his TARDIS as different numbers and symbols flashed across it, "according to the TARDIS scans, there are only five...no...wait...four other Daleks in the area. That is both good and bad." "How is it good? That thing was terrifying!" Fluttershy said, shivering at the memory of the strange creature. "The good news is that it is a small number and not something between thousands and billions. I'm not Doctor Whooves." Spike said, "The bad news is that with the element of surprise-which they have-it would only take one Dalek to wipe out a town like Appleloosa." None of the mares said anything, just looking at each other in shock and terror at that revelation. "Now normally I would just charge in and think up a plan as I go along." Spike continued, pressing some buttons as he kept looking at the monitor. At this, pure fear swept through the mares as they recalled Doctor Whooves's words. If nothing is done, Spike will die on the next mission. "I don't think that's a good idea." Twilight said, as the TARDIS landed in another part of town. Spike said nothing, just shaking in rage and sorrow as he watched the Daleks surprise the inhabitants of Apploosa by suddenly coming out of hiding and bombarding the town with laser fire. "But what do I do?! If I do nothing Appleloosa will be nothing but rubble and the Daleks will start invading the rest of Equestria!" Spike said. Applejack gazed at the monitor over Spike's shoulder. "Wait just ah moment. One of them is hurt!" She exclaimed pointing at one of the Daleks. Spike glanced at it again and saw that it's laser gun was mangled, and it was staying behind the other three Daleks. "Ladies, I now have a plan, but i will need you to sit in here and trust me.....well, I will need a pie or small cake too." Spike said. Pinkie Pie quickly pulled out an apple pie from....he didn't want to know-the knowledge might rip a hole in the time-space continuum-and handed it to Spike before stepping back to stand next to her friends. "On behalf on of all of us, we all trust you, darling." Rarity said, sitting down on the couch with her legs crossed. "Well...that's...fantastic actually!" Spike said, running out the door with the pie. "Wonder why he needed that pie, though." Twilight said. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Warning! Warning! The dragon is detected!" The injured Dalek shouted out. The other Daleks stopped firing as the injured one turned and moved up the main road of Appleloosa to investigate. "The dragon is surrounded!" Another stated. "Seek! Locate! Destroy!" All four of the Daleks chanted as the three battle-ready Daleks followed behind the injured one that first detected Spike. Without warning, a pie was slammed against the eye-stalk of the injured Dalek; blinding it. "Well what do we have here?" Spike asked, standing in front of the injured Dalek. "A Dalek that can't fire it's main weapon. I wonder why the other Daleks kept you." "Self-Destruct sequence initiated!" It droned, before starting a countdown. "Ten. Nine. Eight..." Spike wasted no time, pulling his Sonic Screwdriver out and activating it, running it over the dome of the Dalek before pushing it back-exposing some wiring. "You cannot stop the self-destruct sequence." The Dalek droned. "I'm not looking for stop." Spike said, as he ran the Sonic Screwdriver over some wires, and the Dalek suddenly started rolling backwards. "I'm looking for reverse." "Forward!" The Dalek shouted in desperation before crashing into the other three Daleks. Right when it did, the Dalek self-destructed; the explosion taking out the other Daleks. Spike gazed at the burning rubble as ponies started poking their heads out the doorway at that sound. Turning without a word, Spike walked back to the TARDIS, stopping at the door to turn back and look at the town. That's when Spike heard a voice behind him. "Exterminate!" There was a fifth Dalek, and it was right behind him....and he had no way to defend himself. Without warning, a lilac aura surrounded the Dalek, lifting it into the air. "Warning! Warning! Unexplained interference! Activating emergency temporal shift." The Dalek droned out, before a vortex formed around it and the Dalek vanished into the vortex. "Darn! It got away! And here we thought we could just slam it into the wall." Twilight's voice came from the door of the TARDIS. "Thank Celestia you ladies were here." Spike said, as Twilight wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him into the TARDIS, "I could have just died right then." Right after he said that, Fluttershy fainted-the emotions overrunning her. "By the way, we forgot to ask Celestia. Who's Colgate?" Rarity asked. Spike, who was setting the next destination the TARDIS would go to, looked up. "Oh yeah! You all know her as Minuette! Colgate's her code-name, a running joke because her mane is the same color as a toothpaste she uses in her clinic." He explained, before the familiar sound of the TARDIS engines working filled the room. Vworp. Vworp. Vworp. A loud thud was heard as the TARDIS landed and the pistons stopped moving. "Here we are! The correct time we came from! As for destination, just look for yourselves." Spike said, opening the doors. The girls were greeted with the familiar sight of the library that Twilight lived at. "Well then. This calls for one thing." Twilight said, as she shared glances with her friends. "Sleepover!" The mares shouted at the same time, with Applejack pulling Spike back with the group as he tried to sneak off to the TARDIS. > Ch 4: A Crystal Vacation-Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Talking" 'Thinking' The next morning Spike awoke early, just before the sun rose and quietly tip-toed down the stairs, as not to awaken the others, and headed to where the TARDIS was located. "Come to think of it, why didn't I see any of the girls when I woke up?" Spike asked himself, before bumping into the back of Pinkie Pie. 'Me and my big mouth' Spike thought. "Morning Spike!" Pinkie practically shouted, causing the others to emerge from different locations of the library-each with a small book....except for Twilight, who had a stack of them. ".....What are you all doing?" Spike asked. He had never even seen Applejack read a book before....that he knew of. 'Come to think of it, I do get lost in thoughts or daydreams a lot.' "Hello Spike" Twilight greeted with a smile, flipping a page of an open book she was holding with her magic, "We were just doing some research about this...TARDIS you called it, and the Sonic Screwdriver." "But we've found nothing! it's just the Worst. Thing. EVER!" Rarity exclaimed, before acting like she was fainting, summoning a couch to catch her. "Well of course not! They are not Equestrian technology!" Spike said, like it was the most obvious fact on the planet. "W-what do yo mean?" Fluttershy stammered. "It isn't gonna hurt us, is it.....I think it's judging us...." She said quietly, gaze going to the TARDIS. Spike sighed. "The TARDIS is like a cat-it has to get to know you first before opening up to you. Anyway, you won't find any information on the TARDIS except for mentions of sightings here and there. The technology is from the Time Ponies on the planet Gallopfrey." "Gallopfrey. Just wait a minute here, sugarcube! You're tellin' us that this thing here goes to other planets?!" Applejack said, a skeptical look on her face. "It's name IS Time And Relative Dimension In SPACE!" Spike said, stressing the word space. "He got you there, A.J" Rainbow Dash said, trying to hold in her laughter. "Oh! Oh! can we go to Gallopfrey! Please! Please! Please!" Pinkie shouted, popping up from nowhere right in front of him. "We....can't...I don't like talking about why ... well, there's a reason Princess Celestia re-instated the Herd Law. Doctor Whooves and Minuette are the last Time Ponies." Spike said ear fins drooping slightly in sorrow. "Sorry. Doctor Whooves was my mentor, so I feel down every time I remember what he told me." "Wait. The Princess re-instated that law for those two? Why can any stallion follow it then." Twilight asked, while Rarity muttered "Or Drake" under her breath. "Well, the male-to-female ratio IS 3:1" Spike said, causing Twilight to slap her face at the fact she forgot that. "Also, I get a laugh at that every time. Princess Celestia is just about pulling her mane out. Doctor Whooves only has one wife right now, and HE's the one she re-instated the law for. Also the fact that Roseluck and her own sister have crushes on that Time Pony isn't helping her stress levels. Derpy's trying to help the Princess....it had taken a while to get him to marry Derpy alone! ...Anyways.....I'm rambling aren't I?" "Eeyep" Applejack said, an amused grin on her face as she imitated her brother. "Sorry. Habit I picked up." Spike said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Anyway, where do you want to go? The Sapphire Falls, The Sea of Marea-Marea...the..." He started, before the growl of his own stomach cut him off. "How about getting breakfast first, darlings. I myself am quite famished." Rarity said. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Is it really true that Luna AND Roseluck have serious crushes on me?!" Doctor Whooves said to Derpy, having stopped outside in his own blue TARDIS and overhearing the fact on those two mare's crushes on him. They were currently in his TARDIS, ready to give Princess Celestia the good news on Spike's survival. Derpy rolled her eyes, mentally cursing her strabismus (a medical condition that caused her eyes to not align properly), and answered her husband. "Serious crushes is an understatement. They're like Spike's crush on Rarity..." "Oh no. We have to fix this." he said, when Derpy grabbed his necktie and pulled him nose-to-nose with her. "Listen to me, Sunshine! You are going to go and actually get to know those two mares before saying it's too dangerous. Celestia re-instated the Herd Law because of YOU, Mr. 'Last Male Time Pony'! I WILL drag you down to their residences and make you propose to them if I have to! Do I make myself clear!" She said. "C-Crystal!" He said, startled by her sudden outburst. "Good!" She said, letting go of his necktie and pulling a chocolate chip muffin out from a basket she had in the TARDIS, "Because as much as I want to, I can't restore the Time Ponies to a reasonable number alone....even Sparkler was adopted...Dinky's the only one...so far...that was actually yours, but we'll work on that later...AFTER you talk to Luna and Roseluck." With that said, she took a bite of the muffin she was holding. 'Mares can be scary at times.' Doctor Whooves thought, 'I feel sorry for Spike. He has to deal with six of them.' ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "I can't believe you're making me talk about why we can't go to Gallopfrey." Spike said, as he was facing Fluttershy's "STARE", which had been brought forth by the encouragement of the other five mares. "It was destroyed in a war with the Daleks! There! I said it!" Spike said, closing his eyes and turning his head away. Right after he said this, Fluttershy's eyes widened in horror and she hugged him repeatedly saying "I'm so sorry!" "Anyway, as I was saying. We can go just about anywhere in Time and Space. Where do you want to stop first." Spike said, twirling his Sonic Screwdriver in his hand. "Oh! I want to see my BBBFF again!" Twilight exclaimed. "Oh! It was just so beautiful there! I can't wait to see that place again!" Rarity said, clasping her hands close together. "For once, sister, we are in agreement. Also, we can finally relax and have an actual vacation there!" Rainbow Dash said, hovering just above everyone's heads. As the six mares went into the TARDIS, Spike just stood there in disbelief. "ANYWHERE in TIME and SPACE....and they want to go to the CRYSTAL EMPIRE! A place reachable by TRAIN!" He said before entering the TARDIS and closing the door. The groaning, wheezing, sound of the engines soon filled the library and the TARDIS vanished from sight. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Before I forget, here's a video of a TARDIS dematerializing (taking off) /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// As Prince Shining Armor and his wife, Princess Cadence sat on a couch that rested on a balcony overlooking the Crystal Empire, a groaning, wheezing sound filled their bedroom behind them, and an ice-blue box seemingly appeared out of thin air. Shining Armor stood in front of his wife-ready to defend her should it be a threat like King Sombra or Queen Chrystalis. What he got instead was a purple blur that flew out of the box with a familiar cry of: "BBBFF!" Shining Armor was knocked onto his back, revealing that the one who slammed into him was his sister Twilight Sparkle. Her friends and Spike had also emerged from the box. As Princess Cadence did her customized greeting with Twilight, Shining Armor walked over to the others. "How in the world did you get here?" Shining Armor said, walking around the TARDIS, "Surely not in a box. It looks cramped." "But we did come in that box!" Pinkie Pie said, and Shining Armor cast a scrutinizing gaze at the box. He was quite curious at the words "Guard Public Call Box" on it as well. "Trust me, it's quite bigger on the inside." Applejack stated, resting her back against it and tilting her stetson up. Shining Armor quickly peeked inside and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "I've had too much hard cider. There's no other explanation!" He muttered to himself. "Time Guardian." Spike said, and Shining Armor looked at him in shock. "Wait. The Time Guardian Organization is real?!" He yelled, getting his wife's attention. "Wait. I thought you said they were just a rumor!" She said. "So did I!" Shining Armor said, "But here they come in an apparently time-traveling box that's larger on the inside!" "Yeah. Our last two visits weren't too relaxing, so we decided to have a proper vacation...if that's okay with you." Fluttershy explained. "We have no problems with it. Both of us owe you six and Spike a lot for your help." Cadence said, "But we do have a question for Twilight." "Oh?" Twilight asked, "What is it?" Shining Armor gulped nervously and asked "How would you feel about being an aunt?" Twilight's eyes widened, her wings unfurled in excitement and a huge grin spread across her face. She opened her mouth to say something..... And promptly fainted.