Sometimes curiosity is simply that. Sometimes it's something much deeper, almost like the pony is searching for more than just knowledge... like answers.
Strange dreams. Disjointed memories. Curiosity. Twilight Sparkle suffered from all of these. Sometimes they scared her. Sometimes they made her a better pony and friend. But one day she would have to find out. One day it had to all come crashing down. She isn't just a pony, not just a princess. She's something much more mysterious... ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Well, now that the story is over, it's open to you! Have an idea for a continuation? Go for it!
"Is there some kind of epic pony war in the distant future?"
Darkness surrounded me. My voice echoed all about, repeating parts of life I'd already lived. The voices stopped when they asked this question.
"I'm sorry, Twilight. But... yeah."
I sat forward, shivering but drenched in sweat. Spike barely stirred.
I trotted quietly to the bathroom, getting a look at myself in the mirror. Deep circles sagged below my eyes, and my mane was a frazzled mass of blue and pink.
How many times? How many times had I had that dream? Too many, if you ask me.
But it was all perfectly scientific. Dreams were made of fragmented parts of memories, mushed together in whatever way your brain found acceptable. Even though that voice at the end sent chills through me, it seemed familiar. I was certain I'd heard that voice before, though I couldn't place it.
It was male, but only just, at a higher pitch than most stallions I knew. It had an accent as well, Bittish-- but I didn't know anypony like that.
I sighed, snatching a brush off the bathroom counter a lazily tugging it through my matted mane. Only an hour before sunrise, may as well do a bit of early morning research.
The library, although familiar, was a creepy place to wander about in at night, and I resolved to bring a few books back up to my bed. It sounds silly, but I couldn't feel safe unless I had my back pressed up against something solid-- otherwise, somepony could sneak up behind me and scare the crap out of me.
Safely nestled back under the covers, I cracked a book on theoretical economic future. The book explained where certain businesses and countries were expected to go over the period of the next twenty years. It was dry reading, but I was excellent at sapping information from even the most boring of texts. Maybe there was a recession on the horizon. That could cause a war.
Plus, who didn't love a good mystery? One involving myself just added a new level of excitement.
After I had read about credit and durables for a while, the sunlight crept over the windowsill, causing me to squint in the sudden harsh light.
Surprise, surprise. You can't get through more than a few pages without being interrupted by somepony pounding on your door in this town.
"Who is it?" I called.
"Uh... Derpy the Mailmare... y-you need to sign for this package, Miss Sparkle... "
"Oh, Celestia... " I muttered. I stuck a tissue into my page and came to the door as quickly as I could manage. There stood Derpy, happy as a clam, looking at both me and my awning at the same time.
"Hello! Just sign here, please." She passed me a clip board and a quill.
"Thanks, Derpy. Who's the package from?" I asked, signing quickly and giving them back.
"I dunno," she said. "It's just this little thing... Not enough space for a return address? Then, they could've just put it on the back. Maybe it's inside? But then how could the Post Office read it?" She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Tell you what? How about you come inside and we can open it together? I'm sure you're as curious as I am," I offered.
Derpy's face brightened. "Yeah? Oh, that'd be really cool, thanks!"
"Sure thing." I smiled, leading her inside. "let me just get a pair of scissors..."
"Mm-kay..." Derpy swayed back and forth happily, glad to be a part of something.
I dug through a junk drawer in my desk. "Got them!"
"Great!"
Spike snored loudly. I rolled my eyes.
The package was about the size of a coaster, so that only the very tips of the corners poked outside the reaches of my hoof. I cautiously slid the scissor blade under the tape, snipping it open evenly and unfolding the cardboard. "Huh."
"Wow! That looks cool!" Derpy smiled.
An antique watch lay on a small bed of faded yellow tissue paper. It was very plain, just silver with a matching chain. "That's kinda weird... this looks old... who would send something like this through the mail? Stuff gets lost all the time, why not hoof-deliver?"
"Do you recognize it? It's pretty neat."
I shook my head. "Guess it got sent to the wrong place. That's too bad... I can't send it back."
"My grandmother always told me not to look judge a gift by it's mouth. Wait a minute..." She looked deep in thought. "Yeah, that wasn't it..."
"I'll keep it around. Maybe somepony we know lost it. I'll post an ad in town hall." I folded the box back together, placing it on a shelf out of Spike's destructive reach.
"Thanks for inviting me in, Twilight!" Derpy beamed. "But I should finish my route. Oops..." She had backed into a small table with a vase on it near the door. I caught it all with my magic before it could drop.
"No problem. Always like to make a friend or two."
"Heh.. bye..."
I waved as Derpy awkwardly exited the building, closing the door behind her and spiraling through the sky to her next destination.
"Whew..." I breathed a sigh of relief. No damage done.
I stole one last glance at the box, then climbed the stairs and began to poke Spike awake. "Spike! Come on, it's shopping day!"
Spike heaved a fantastic sigh, rolling about in his bed.
"Spike, no time for this! We've lost a few hours as it is!" I continued shaking and poking his shoulder.
"Hours? What were you doing this morning? You never lose track of time!" he whined.
The last word echoed in my head, growing louder and louder until I had to cover my ears. It then left as quickly as it had begun. "Huh..."
" 'Huh,' what? Just... lemme go back to sleep, please..." He waved a claw in my face, tugging the blanket back over his head.
"A-alright..." I muttered absent-mindedly. I wandered back to the door, pulling it slowly open to check for any signs of my friends.
The coast was clear. I grabbed the package back off the shelf and lifted the watch. "What are you..." I wondered.
The whispers weren't in my head. They were coming from this watch. I could feel it!
It wasn't an ordinary watch. It meant something. It had some kind of spell on it. I had trouble looking directly at it for more than a few seconds. What kind of spell would do that? Why make it like this when you could make it invisible?
I pressed hard on the latch, trying to get it to open. It was stuck tight. Even magic couldn't open it.
I held it up to the light by its chain, letting it spin slowly, revealing its strangely decorated backside. Odd symbols, mostly circles, intertwined on the back.
What could it be?
A mystery...
Did I mention I love mysteries?
~~~~~
"What's that, Twilight?" Mayor Mare peeked over my shoulder to look at the flyer I was putting up. "Ooh! That's a pretty trinket!"
I chuckled. "It got sent to me by mistake. I was hoping I'd get lucky and somepony here in town would recognize it."
"Good luck, then!" She trotted off.
Wow. Some ponies just weren't curious at all, were they?
"You just couldn't give a crap, could you?" I asked.
"I don't know. Doesn't bother me." The Professor raised a hoof to his forehead. "Follow orders!" he mocked.
I punched him in the shoulder. "Stop it. Something's up..."
"Twilight? Anypony home?" Applejack waved a hoof before my eyes.
"Hm? Yeah?" I snapped back to reality as though from a deep sleep.
"You alright? In one of your worlds again?" Applejack gave me a concerned look. "You're startin' to worry me, Twilight. Ever since that time you thought your future self--"
"I know, I know. But it really happened!" I insisted.
Applejack looked a little sad. "I wanna believe you, Twilight, but..."
I hung my head. "I'm fine. Really. I just... drift off sometimes. What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Oh! Just... pickin' up an order form from the Mayor. Birthday's comin' up... wanted some apple pies. Listen, though: I think you should think about seein' somepony."
"W-what? Applejack, we're best friends! You know me well enough to know that this has never bothered me before!"
"I don't know... just think about it, okay? I'm only sayin' so 'cause I'm a bit worried about you. This kinda thing is usually caused by somethin', you know," she said.
"Okay. Maybe..." I left. Nothing more to say. Applejack was so down-to-earth. She doesn't over-react, she just knows what's best.
I would've taken her advice and considered some kind of therapy, but... that watch. That watch was something real, something that seemed to be connected to this.
And I would solve this mystery. No matter the cost. This was my mind we were talking about.
Not an hour after posting the flyer, a set of frantic knocks jolted me from further research. I jumped, giving a small yelp, and fell out of my chair.
Spike ran to get the door. "Stop knocking!" he complained, as the visitor seemed to be quite insistent upon entering.
"I got it, Spike." I shooed him away. "Coming!"
I threw open the door, revealing a chestnut brown stallion. "You have the watch?" he asked excitedly.
"Uh..." I looked him up and down. He was wearing a collar and red tie, and his earthy hair seemed to be exploding from his head. "Sorry, who are you?"
"Oh, nopony. But you--" he pushed past me.
"Excuse me!" I protested.
"--you're somepony!"
"No, no, no!" I stuck a hoof in his path. "You can't just come barging in here."
"Why not?" He gave me a concerned look. "Oh... you haven't opened it yet, have you?"
"The... the watch?"
"Of course! Now, where'd you put it..." he started rifling through the shelves, looking for the package.
"It's stuck. Would you stop it!" I yelled in one breath.
"Ooh... sorry." The whirlwind of motion stopped. "Uh... this is awkward."
"Who are you?" I demanded.
"I told you. Nopony."
"No, no. What's your name?" I corrected.
"Oh. Right. Yes, I'm... the Doctor." He sort of bowed when he said his name.
"Uh-huh." I gave a fake smile. "Does that watch belong to you? Do you need it back or something? Because if that's what this is all about... I'll just give it back!"
He sighed.
"What?"
"Look, I know this might be hard for you to believe, but..." he trailed off.
"Yeah?"
"Well, basically your entire life is a lie."
"Doctor!" called a second, female voice. "Stop it!"
A very familiar blue-grey mare appeared at the door.
I sat down hard. "I am so confused."
"Derpy!" The Doctor scolded. "I told you not to come in!"
"Sorry! But... you're gonna wind up scaring her!" Derpy put a hoof around my shoulders. "Lay off, would ya? I'll talk to her."
The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, but no words came. He closed it tight in a frustrated grimace, then sat in a nearby chair. "Fine. Don't leave anything out."
Derpy let out a sigh. "Okay. Gosh, where to start?"
"Start with me," the Doctor insisted, waving a hoof in the air like he was a student in school.
"Doctor..." Derpy threatened.
He grumbled something to himself, folding his hooves grumpily and glaring on.
"Okay, then. This is the Doctor." She gestured to the stallion slouching nearby. "He's an alien."
"Um..." I looked at him. "But he looks--"
"I know," Derpy cut me off. "Eesh... this is hard. Hey, Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"I've got a better idea. Let's just show her."
"Great!" He leapt up, excited and happy again. "Come on then, Twilight! Allons-y!"
I must have looked confused, because the Doctor felt the need to explain. "It's Prench."
"I... I know. I'm just... what in the hay is going on?!" I demanded. "Derpy, how are you in on this? How long have you...?" I couldn't even finish the question. "I mean... what?" My voice had climbed in pitch until I was breathlessly squeaking words.
She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry I couldn't tell you. The Doctor and I have been friends for a while, but... I didn't know who you were."
"I still don't know who I am!" I complained. "What the hay are you two talking about?" I was getting close to throwing a tantrum.
"Yes, yes. Well, we can all catch up later but for now let's... let's just get her to the TARDIS." The Doctor trotted to the door. "And I'm sorry about this, Twilight, but it needs to be done."
~~~~~
"Bigger... this is physically impossible," I said. "What is it, a spell? A transportation spell, right? Just a fancy parlor trick?"
"Actually, no. It's transdimensionally linked with the exterior. You're looking through a portal to a mini dimension." He grinned. "I love explaining it to somepony who actually understands!"
I blinked. The unfamiliar words actually did make some sort of twisted sense. "Huh."
"Alright, then. Down to business. You've been having strange dreams, right?"
"Well, not strange exactly... I mean, what does that even mean? All dreams are strange..." I found myself rambling, still trying to figure out this strange thing the Doctor called a 'TARDIS.' "What does that mean, anyway? 'TARDIS?' "
"It's an acronym," Derpy explained. "It stands for--"
"Time and Relative Dimensions in Space," The Doctor cut in. "That's my bit."
"Sorry."
"Now-- strange dreams? Voices?" The Doctor pressed.
"Uh..." I looked at him funny. "Well, yeah. Actually, it was--"
"My voice?" he guessed, smirking a bit.
"Hmph." I pouted. "How do you know all this stuff about me? Have you got a spell on me or something?" I started to become aggressive.
"Memories? Well, they'd seem like daydreams to you, but..." he asked.
"Yeah. I guess. Mostly sound, though. And lots of color and feeling, but no real shapes," I explained. "Does that make sense?"
"Of course. Just a hazy memory. Happens to everypony." He waved it off. "How about... the curiosity?"
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."
"No, no. It's a side affect."
"Side affect of what exactly?" I spat.
"It's a machine," Derpy stepped in here. "We call it the Curiosity Machine, but it has another name."
"Curiosity Machine?" I asked. "What... what is that? I've never heard of it." I blinked, grimaced, then rubbed my temple.
"Oh dear..." The Doctor rushed to my side. "Sit down! Sit down! There's a memory coming!"
~~~~~
"The Curiosity Machine," announced the General. "It's designed to look like an everyday household item for discreet use."
I giggled. "A teapot? The greatest invention, the most ingenious, and it looks like a stupid teapot?"
The Professor shushed me. He was listening intently. "It's important! For undercover use!"
I blinked in confusion.
"Ugh! Do you listen at all?"
I shook my head. "Prefer to do things my own way."
He sighed. "Look: it works as a normal teapot but it's got this secret compartment in the bottom. There's a powerful spell in there that seeps out whenever you make a brew."
I blinked again.
"God! Look, the spell can allow sonic devices to sense timelords in disguise! After the use of a chameleon arch, of course."
I scoffed. "Oh, of course. Why's it called the Curiosity Machine, then?"
"That's the only downside. It can bring back memories from the timelord's past, and therefore makes the user--"
"Curious. Nice!" I smiled. Not too bad after all! "One more question-- what the hay...
The words echoed in my head long after the Doctor had said them. Who had given it to me? I couldn't seem to remember... it was like that bit of my memory was just... just missing.
"But-but what is a chameleon arch?" I demanded again.
"Twilight, this is so important... who gave you that teapot?" The Doctor kept asking.
"Not until you tell me about the chameleon arch." I folded my hooves across my chest.
"No-- Twilight--" He growled. "I don't want to scare you!"
"Why would it scare me?" I asked sincerely.
"Twilight..." The Doctor's face continued to fall as I stared at him.
I felt a hoof on my shoulder. I jumped.
Derpy smiled down at me. "Look. I know it's hard at first, but you really just have to trust him."
I hung my head. "I'm just so... so confused. It's happening too fast. Pause, rewind, something! Just... just stop talking!" I yelled at him, shrugging Derpy's hoof away.
The Doctor looked shocked and defensive, but stood calmly. "Well," he said, "Only one thing to do in a situation like this."
I arched my eyebrows as a prompt.
"I'll brew us a pot of tea." He smiled a bit at his little joke. "Where do you keep the Curiosity Machine then, Twilight?"
~~~~~
The hot liquid steamed copiously as he poured it into a flared mug. The smell was enchantingly strong, and I couldn't wait to taste the Doctor's 'special brew.'
"Now, remember:" he said, "drink slow. The only reason I haven't just cracked open that watch is because you've spent a longer time than normal without your memories. I'm afraid it would hurt you in some way."
"Thanks for the consideration," I mumbled. I blew gently over the top of the mug, more steam spilling off it and flowing across the table.
"Sure you're okay with this?" Derpy asked.
"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I be?" I asked, swirling the liquid around.
"Well..." Derpy rubbed the back of her head. "It's just... it's all so experimental and unpredictable. You could get hurt. You know that, right?"
I shrugged. "To be honest, I think the worst it'll do is burn me or give me a headache!" I laughed. "This has been happening to me for a really long time. Almost as long as I can remember. It's not really dangerous to me."
"Just... be careful, please," The Doctor warned.
I took a sip.
This time, the memory came as an article I must have read long ago.
Chameleon arch (n.): A relatively new technology allowing one species to modify its biology, so its cells identify as something entirely new. Consists of a headset and fob watch-appearing device used to store memories, previous biological information, and a perception filter.
I opened my eyes. "There. See? Fine." I smiled to prove it. "Wait, wait..."
The Doctor began to look concerned.
I grabbed the watch. "You said this was mine, didn't you?"
"Well, not in so many words, but--"
"Then... then this is all fiction?" I asked. The question had barely even registered.
"No. Well, some things. Just from when you were very young. And... and your name. Any experiences you've had are genuine, Twilight. You needn't worry about that." He nodded to complete this thought.
I cleared my throat. "So then what was I?" I asked finally.
"That's hardly important," he said. "It's true," he added after an accusing glare from Derpy.
"Wh-" I choked. "Who was I, then?"
"That's too important. Not yet, dear, I'm sorry. We have to take things slowly."
"Oh, 'that's too important,' 'that's not important...' why do you get to decide?" I spat. "Huh?"
"Look, I'm just--"
"No, really. I'm curious. Why you, Doctor? Why am I your responsibility?" I stood up, standing as tall as I could to meet him eye-to-eye. "What did you mean to me in the past? Something, obviously."
"Twilight, please, just--"
"I've had enough." I pushed past him. "No more games. No more tricks. No more lording it over me with your knowledge."
"Wait! Please, wait! You've no idea how long I've been looking for you!" He shouted after me.
I stopped.
"Just... just a few more sips. We need some more information before we can open the watch."
I spun about.
"What?"
"Who gave you the Curiosity Machine?"
"You already asked me that." I stalked back towards him. "Why is that so important? But not too important?" I mocked.
"Because whoever gave it to you knows what you were. Knows who you used to be." He held the mug up to me. "Just another sip or two, please," he begged.
I sighed. "Oh... fine. Fine, fine. I'll finish the mug and then I'm out, okay?"
The Doctor smiled knowingly. "Great. Have at it."
I sat down hard in the little chair, holding the mug up to my muzzle and taking another swallow of tea.
"Welcome back!" I shouted, pulling her inside. "How was your trip?"
"Oh, splendid! Fillydelphia may not be as glamorous and famous as Manehatten, but that doesn't make it any less amazing. Oh, you should've seen it Twilight. So many ponies bustling around..." She made herself comfortable on a couch nearby.
"And the others? Did they have fun, too?" I pressed.
"Oh, yes! Even Fluttershy came out of her shell and tried some new things!" she replied happily.
I giggled. "That's great!"
"Yes, it's too bad you had to stick around and study for your exam... Oh, goodness! Nearly forgot! We bought you a little something while we were there!" She motioned for Spike to bring in her bags, then began meticulously rifling through them. "Hang on..."
"Oh, you shouldn't have. Really."
"Nonsense! We knew how much you wanted to be there! Aha!" She pulled out a gift bag and passed it to me. "From us to you!"
I smiled in thanks. "You're so sweet."
"Oh, no trouble at all. Just open it."
I did as she asked, pulling out several layers of silver tissue paper revealing a simple, brown teapot in the bottom.
"We saw it in this little ceramics shop and thought... well, it looked just like your old one, the one Pinkie broke, so..." She beamed. "Do you like it?"
"I love it!"
I was pulled out of the memory as the two of us went onto more boring trivia.
"Well?" The Doctor came at me very quickly. "Who was it? Who gave it you?"
I shook my head. "No. No, it can't be right. That's... that's not right."
"What isn't? Who gave it to you, do you know?"
I just kept shaking my head. "I just... that can't be right..."
"I don't care what you say anymore, Doctor. This is... this is too personal. I'm opening that watch." I stood firm, snagging the watch and holding it up by the chain.
"Twilight, no!" The Doctor stood, too. "You have to do this slow! The shock could... could..."
I arched my eyebrows, demanding an answer.
"That's it! I don't know!"
The watch swung gently in my grip, the soft blue light from the console glinting off its silver surface elegantly. As I watched it, the imperceptible clicking sounds of the chain became magnified. The watch was the world... but not this one.
"Another world..." I whispered.
"Yes." The Doctor nodded.
"Another destiny..."
The Doctor was silent.
"How do I get it open? Show me."
"How else?" Derpy put a hoof on my shoulder. "Your spell."
"M-my spell?" I looked at her, the world suddenly coming back into focus. "What... what does that have to do with anything?"
"Where did the words come from, Twilight? All those magnificent, perfect words..."
"I..." He was right. Starswirl couldn't write that spell in hundreds of years, and I finish it off in less than twenty?
"They came from before, Twilight. Long before. Hundreds, thousands of years."
Time lord... the watch whispered. Fate... Destiny... The Rebel...
"Who... who is 'the rebel?' " I asked. "Why are my friends all mixed up in this?"
The Doctor looked panicked. "It's happening already! This-- this is too fast!"
Open it, Twilight... the watch murmured. The murmur was made of many voices speaking in perfect unison. Open it! the voices were soothingly familiar.
I felt a calm wind begin to swirl up around me, and although it just barely moved my mane, the Doctor and Derpy were swept back.
The Doctor seemed to be screamed muffled warnings to me, but none came through the whirlwind about me.
"From one to another, another to one..." I began to recite.
I closed my eyes. My lids were warmed by a gentle light.
"A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled..."
The wind continued to pick up, and my hooves left the metal grating I had once stood on.
"From all of us together, together we're friends! With marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end!"
~~~~~
Bombs exploding. Bullets flying. Voices screamed, though not all were equine in nature. Something mechanical, something... something...
A voice near me gasped. "Dalek! Get down!"
A rough shove forced me to the ground. The Pilot stood over me, her prismatic mane being knotted and matted by the goggles pushed up onto her forehead.
I breathed heavily, spitting a clod of dirt out of my mouth. "Thanks."
"No prob." She offered my hoof, which was ringed by sheep's wool from her aviator's jacket.
I grabbed it, being hauled to my hooves.
"Need a lift?" she asked, her wings ratcheting as she flapped them showily.
"Could do with one. That a problem?"
"Not since I updated these babies!" She spread her wings to their full length, the natural feathers accented by heavy brass machinery. "I can carry three times my weight."
"Is that a fact? 'Cause it looks like the Architect might need some help, as well." I gestured to the unicorn galloping towards us, trying to carry a load of schematics across the bumpy landscape. She wore a pair of square glasses and a long purple coat to match her mane. It was filled with pockets and straps that held strange and unfamiliar devices used for sketching complex designs.
The Pilot scoffed. "She invented 'em. She gets first go."
"Hey!" called a third voice from behind us. "What about me, huh?"
Of course, there was no getting anywhere without the Mechanic. She was stronger than all of us put together without all the machinery, and she sure loved to flaunt it. Instead of going for the damsel-in-distress type, or even strong home front type, she had been the first to throw herself into this war. She had a greasy, once-red handkerchief tied around her neck, and a set of grimy clothes to match.
"Get there yourself, Mechanic. You could prob'ly crush a Dalek between your teeth if you had to," the Pilot commented. "Plus, I'm full up with these two. Get Omega to carry you, she's got the same model."
"I don't know where she is!" Her southern accent grew thicker as she yelled louder.
"Psst!" hissed a very soft voice. "Over here!"
Omega was curled up on the ground, shivering slightly. Her wings were also accentuated by brass hinges, and were covered in dried red clay on top of it. She was using these once-yellow wings to hide herself from the hovering enemies.
Omega was our division's medic. She was very good at what she did, but it was hard to bring her along on most missions. I think she was actually afraid of... everything.
"Omega! We need you over here!" I called.
She continued shivering.
"Look, I can't fly the whole division over the Ridge, we need your help!" The Pilot grimaced, preparing to march over and grab her by the scruff of her neck.
Omega ever so slightly shook her head.
"Well..." the mechanic kicked at the ground. "To be fair, we got one more member unaccounted for. Let Omega be for now."
"Oh, don't say it..." The Architect put a hoof to her forehead.
"Where's the Hostess?" I said slowly.
"I don't know. Probably blowing up a building," the Pilot said, grinding her teeth slightly.
"Pilot, it doesn't matter how much she bothers you, she is a member of this team!" I said firmly.
"She never stays on point! She's never focused! She just bounds about, tossing grenades into the nearest major population centers!" She stamped her hoof angrily.
"That makes it sound so much worse than it is," I told her.
The Pilot sighed deeply. "Okay. Fine. You're right, we need her. Where should we start looking?"
"Um..." I rubbed my chin. "Where's the nearest bakery?"
~~~~~
I groaned softly, feeling about the floor, trying to find something so I could haul myself to my hooves.
"Oh, my gosh! Doctor, do something!" an echoing voice ordered.
"Derpy?" I mumbled. My vision was hazy, at best, but I made out a large brown shape standing over me.
"Oh! Oh, Twilight, are you alright?" A powder blue shape now hovered somewhere in my peripheral.
I groaned again, still groping for something to push off of.
"Twilight! Twilight, follow my hoof." The brown shape began to become clear as it moved its hoof back and forth in front of my face.
I closed my eyes for a second, then squinted up at the kind, familiar face of the Doctor.
"Doctor..." I smiled a bit.
He smiled back. "Hey. Are you okay? You feel woozy?"
"Uh..." I shook my head, then quickly changed to a nod.
"Derpy, could you get my coat off the rack over there?"
She nodded, trotting off towards the door.
"I, um..." I bit my lip. "I remembered a lot of stuff."
The Doctor looked a bit excited. "You did? Did you... did you want to tell me about it?"
"Well..." I frowned. "I don't know. I'm a bit confused. There was this pony called 'the Pilot,' only she reminded me a lot of..."
"One of your friends, right?"
"Here." Derpy tossed a long, brown coat to the Doctor, who rolled it up and put it under my head.
Derpy landed beside me, waiting eagerly to hear the full story.
I nodded. "Actually, they all looked like my friends. But that... that just can't be right."
"It is. You'd already figured it out before. Why is it that you can't believe it?" the Doctor asked seriously.
I sighed. "I'm just confused. Well, what I'm most confused about is... you, Doctor. How do you fit into this?"
"Well, that's the thing, Twilight. You... you were..." He turned to Derpy. "I'm sorry. Would you mind just... giving us some time to ourselves?"
Derpy nodded curtly, flying to the door and quietly slipping out.
The Doctor took a deep breath, laying down beside me. "You were once very... special to me."
"What... what does that mean?"
"It means... we used to spend quite a bit of time together."
"Then why don't I recognize you?" I asked.
"I used to look a bit... different. Well, very different. When you knew me. But you... you're exactly the same." He chuckled, running a hoof over my mane.
"I still don't understand!" I yelled. "Who am I?" My vision finally returning to normal, I stood. "Enough secrets. Enough of this 'we have to do this slowly' crap. I want you to tell me what is going on."
The Doctor stood, too. "Fine. Fine! You, Twilight, are the Rebel."
"The... Rebel?"
"Yes. You were the only one who wanted to stop the war."
"What war?" I asked.
"The Time War, Twilight! The war between the Time Lords and the Daleks. You saw our fighting, and you wanted to find a non-violent solution. You convinced your little team to help you, and you all disappeared." He scoffed. "Well, now I know where you all disappeared to. You hid out here, on Equestria. But that's besides the point."
"I don't get it."
"Twilight, I was so... I was so angry at the Daleks. I found a way to kill them all, but... I killed the Time Lords, too." He swallowed hard. His eyes glistened.
"Then... how are you still alive?"
"It was my punishment. I had to live with killing all of those innocent people." He flopped down in the busted-up car seat taped to the rail.
"But... I still don't get it. Who were you... to me?"
"I loved you, Twilight!" He yelled suddenly. "Alright? I loved you..."
"The why don't I remember you?" I yelled back.
"You didn't call me 'Doctor.' You called me by a different name. Time Turner."
All of a sudden, a thousand memories rushed back to me, and I was knocked to the floor. It felt like hundreds of years ago that I had last seen that face... I remember his affectionate nickname for me, 'Twilight,' because we used to watch the suns rise together.
"Oh... my god." I stood shakily, trying to get my bearings. Today was shaping up to be very confusing. And yet... at the same time, this was the clearest I had been in years.
"Twilight! Oh, I'm sorry!" The Doctor lifted me gently off the floor. "Are you alright?"
I was quiet for a while, but finally nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. I'm great!" Without thinking, I planted a kiss on the Doctor's cheek.
He blushed, his ears flattening against his head. "Um... what did you remember?"
"You. Mostly you. But a few other things, too... " I rubbed my chin.
"Wh-what? What is it?" The Doctor put a hoof on my shoulder.
"Not sure yet... there's something in my library, but... I can't make out what it is."
Without a word, the Doctor trotted to the door.
"Where are you going? Do you know what it is?"
He grinned slyly. "Oh, Twilight. Aren't you curious?"
~~~~~
Derpy was swept up in our mad dash to Golden Oaks, a million questions bouncing among the three of us.
"What's happening? Did you remember?" was the first one.
"Well... sort of," I replied, panting a bit. "I don't think it works like that. I have to see things or hear words to trigger the memories. For example, you..." I looked at the mare's golden eyes, then at the bubbles on her flank. "I don't remember you at all. I don't think you were from my old life."
"She isn't," the Doctor confirmed. "Seems like you've gotten the hang of this."
"I think so..." I murmured.
"Then who are you? Like, really? Did you remember that?" Derpy pressed.
I nodded. I couldn't help but a smile a bit. "Yeah. With some help from the Doctor." I chuckled. "I solved that mystery."
"Who, then?" Derpy demanded. "Why is everypony being all mysterious about this? Just tell me!" Her nose scrunched up n frustration. It was kind of cute.
"Derpy, do you remember what I told you about the Time War?" The Doctor asked.
"Of course. Does Twi have something to do with that?"
He laughed. "She practically is the Time War! A vigilante, trying to stop it in its tracks! Everypony knew her name back on Gallopfrey."
"Gallopfrey?" I asked. Images of orange skies, two suns, red grass and silver trees flickered quikly in my mind, finally resting on the image of a city encased in a glass dome. It looked a bit like a snow globe. "Our planet."
"That's right," the Doctor said, smiling. His eyes glowed with a happiness so genuine, I thought he might just start laughing then and there.
The library was within sight, and I leapt off the ground to fly the last stretch of road.
Spike wasn't there. But then, I guess he really didn't have anything to do with this. Unless that's where the egg came from... was Celestia in on this, too?
I couldn't be sure, and I couldn't stop to think at the moment. My head was pounding, trying to form some kind of picture. It was like trying to remember the tune of a song you heard years ago... there was a shaky structure, but not much more.
I closed my eyes tightly.
"That's right, " the Doctor urged. "Just wait for the memory to come."
I grunted uncomfortably, growing impatient. "I don't... wait. I think... the lab?"
`"Lab?" Derpy asked. "Where? I don't see a lab."
"In the basement. Come on!" I trotted for my door to the laboratory, cheerily inviting the other two along.
Down a set of dark and mildewed stairs was a large, round room full of threatening machines and twisted masses of wire. The walls were covered with shelves of notebooks, most on the verge of falling apart. Most of the things in the room were horribly mismatched, all different sizes and materials.
"Wow..." Derpy glanced around. "What is all this stuff?"
"Research," I said simply, wandering about the room. My chest felt almost like it was squeezing, collapsing in on itself, in anticipation. As I neared the smallest shelf in the room, one made of cheap and deteriorating wood, my head suddenly cleared. Strangest of all, the shelf was empty.
I stopped moving, just staring at the shelf.
"What?" The Doctor was immediately by my side.
"I don't... remember this," I said.
"Huh?" Derpy was beside me, as well.
"The shelf. I don't remember it ever being here. But I don't remember a bare spot, either..." The memory clicked back into place. "Perception filter! Not invisible... unnoticed, un-remembered... genius..."
I grabbed the shelf with my magic, tearing it away from the wall. It landed on the ground, losing its weak structure and crumbling to rotted planks before me.
Behind that was a small room. It was dome-shaped, but shrouded in darkness. Cobwebs criss-crossed the entrance, which I dispelled with a quick swipe of the hoof.
I walked slowly forward, the hoofsteps of Derpy and the Doctor close behind.
I lit my horn, the purple light bouncing about the stone room, and ultimately illuminating a strange artifact.
A grandfather clock, so large that the housing of the pendulum could have acted as a door.
The pendulum itself was still, and the hands were both pointing straight up. The clock's wood was a lovely dark blue-purple, reflecting the color of my mane.
The Doctor stood proudly beside me, his chest puffed out and a ridiculous grin on his face. "You know what that is, Twilight?"
I squinted at it, but the memories came in short bursts that I couldn't understand.
"That... is your ticket to everywhere. That... is your TARDIS. Well... it's partly yours. But your friends have a share in it. The six of you... all of time and space..." The Doctor looked to me. "Better get started."
"What about you? And Derpy, of course."
Derpy smiled, too. "Really?"
"With your invitation," The Doctor bowed. "Don't you want to look inside?"
I walked up to the clock, resting a gentle hoof on the glass. I pushed hard against it, and it swung open. The inside was dark.
"A secret room inside a secret room inside a laboratory inside a library. isn't that just so... you?" the Doctor commented, hanging back.
I grabbed his front leg, yanking him forward, then sweeping Derpy along as well.
As soon as we had gone inside, the room lit up. Its ceiling was very high, held up by Corinthian columns. Vines of ivy swirled up these columns, creating a leafy roof. The whole place was very elegant, but at the same time very industrial. Things were made of tarnished silver and oxidized copper, and all of machinery was less electronic (like the Doctor's), and more physical. At the very center was the control panel, made of gears and hissing with steam. A glowing purple glass cylinder rose from this, scraping the ceiling and beyond.
"Where to, Rebel?" the Doctor asked.
I looked across the controls, spotting a certain lever that almost seemed to glow in my mind. I pulled it, the glow fading. Another button glowed, further away, and I hit that.
The TARDIS was showing me how to fly.
"Not sure!" I shouted. "But I think to pick up my friends!"
The TARDIS seemed to respond with an almost pleased groan. I danced about the controls, the Doctor and Derpy eventually joining in.
The TARDIS finally landed, and I pushed open the door.
Like magic, there stood my five closest friends in the world-- in the universe, probably-- grinning away.
I just stood for a moment, gazing out at them. None of us could even speak. There was too much to say.
Pinkie Pie ran at me, knocking me to the floor with a bear hug.
The rest of them giggled happily, hauling us up and joining the hug.
~~~~~
"Yes, Twilight," Applejack muttered. I could tell that, beyond her fake boredom, she was happy to hear the story again. "we remember."
"It's difficult to forget," Rarity added, tinkering with something at her desk.
"I don't mind hearing it again. I think it's a lovely story." Fluttershy smiled
"I can never figure out why you end it there, Twi," Rainbow complained. "I mean, we all know that there was so much stuff after that: the return to the Time War, the moons of Fuon--"
"Shimmering water palaces--" Rarity interrupted.
"Freeing the slaves on... that planet..." Pinkie added, quickly losing her train of thought.
"Not to mention the breezie comet. So adorable!" Fluttershy squealed.
"Yeah. You practically start that story with 'once upon a time,' but I've never heard you finish with 'the end.' Why is that?" Applejack asked.
I chuckled. "Well, that's an easy one. Story isn't over yet. Speaking of!" I leapt up from my seat, heading over to the control panel. "Who has an idea for the next chapter?"
