The Doctor meets a new enemy, one his friends have seen before...
Applejack and her friends have been travelling with The Doctor for almost two weeks now. Unfortunately, the TARDIS needs to refuel, so they return for a quick 'pitstop' in Ponyville. However, an ancient evil is not only threatening the town, but also the consciousness of The Doctor and his friends.
The snow-laden street was quiet, and empty. Not a living creature stirred, except the two people standing beside a large police box. A blonde, middle-aged woman, outraged with the man in front of her, berated him.
“This is wrong, Doctor,” she said, disgusted, “I don’t care who you are, the Time Lord victorious is wrong!”
“That’s for me to decide,” he replied calmly, his long brown coat billowing in the wind. The look on Captain Adelaide Brooke’s face changed from outrage to pure disgust. “Now, you better get home!” He turned to look at the house behind them. “Oh, it’s all locked up. You’ve been away.” He pulled a slim device out of his pocket. “Still, that’s easy.” He pointed it at the door, pressing a button. The device whirred, the door unlocked, and it drifted open. “All yours,” he told her, popping the device back into his pocket.
“Is there nothing you can’t do?” she asked, walking past him.
“Not anymore.”
He watched her walk inside her home, before turning away walking back to his TARDIS. Reaching the door, he was about to open it when he heard a single laser shot emanate from Adelaide’s house. He turned around, before realizing what his actions had caused. He leant back against the box in shock.
“I don’t care who you are; the Time Lord victorious is wrong!” Her voice rang through his head. He turned to see a familiar creature, the creature that prophesied his death, standing in the middle of the street. “I’ve gone too far.” He dropped to his knees. “Is this it?” He called out fearfully, “My death?” The creature just stared at him. “Is it time?” Without a word, the creature faded away, as if it was never there at all.
The Doctor stood up, glancing around, before hastily shoving the key into the TARDIS’ lock and stepping inside. For a moment he just stood there, in the middle of the console room, listening to the chimes of the cloister bell. “No.” He yanked a lever, setting his machine in motion. Sparks flew out of the console. The whole room began to shake violently.
“What?” He checked his monitor as parts of the room crumbled around him. “Oh no...” The blue box tumbled through the time vortex, before becoming caught up in the rifts of the Medusa Cascade. It struggled for a few moments, trying to escape the Cascade’s pulling grasp. Then, it was gone. Wiped off the face of the universe.
DOCTOR WHOOVES DISCORD AND TIME
STARRING:
MATT SMITH TARA STRONG ASHLEIGH BALL ANDREA LIBMAN TABITHA ST. GERMAIN JOHN DE LANCIE
The Doctor suddenly jerked awake. Glancing around, he found himself in the middle of the TARDIS’ console room. Must have fell asleep, he thought, I have got to stop having that dream. I went too far... He circled the console, his hooves clopping against the glass floor.
“Do you always do this?”
He stopped, hearing the familiar voice of a certain orange farmpony. He turned around and, sure enough, there was Applejack, sitting at the top of the stairs.
“Do what?”
“Y’know,” she said, trotting down the stairs, “Stay up all night and mess around in here.”
“Usually. I don’t sleep as much as you, and the TARDIS has been acting a little strange recently,” he replied, “What are you doing up, anyway?”
“Couldn’t sleep.” He nodded, before turning back to the assortment of buttons and contraptions that adorned the console. She stopped him. “Doctor, can I talk to you about something?”
He paused, a little taken back by the question. Applejack had never been too personal with him over the last two weeks since they left Ponyville, preferring to sit back and watch in awe as they witnessed the wonders of the universe. “Sure, go ahead.”
“All those things we’ve seen, the singing towers, the Perseus Nebula, all those things in time and space. I can’t help but think that we are just tiny parts of your life because of all of them.”
“Applejack," he said soothingly, “You all are the best parts of my life. I’ve been to the edges of my universe, and this one too, but it’s no fun without friends by my side.” He sat down. “See, when you’re as old as me, and you’ve seen all these things, they kind of lose their touch.”
She stared at him, an inquisitive look in her eye. He ignored it.
“But with you six around, it feels as though it’s a whole new place. A whole new universe to explore, with friends.”
She looked into his eyes, concerned. "I heard the things you were mutterin' in your sleep, Doc. Something about 'going too far'."
He sighed. "Applejack, there's something I need to explain to you."
"Go on."
"If you remember a while back I explained that time is always in flux, which means there are minor details that can be changed. Say, for instance, someone you knew went on holiday to Trottingham, and you went back and made them go on holiday to Las Pegasus instead. Stuff like that."
She nodded.
"But there are some parts of time that are known as 'fixed points', that must always stay the same. I tried to change one of them, tried to 'assert my status' as a Time Lord. But it all went wrong."
"How? What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it. Long story short, I thought I had the power to bend the laws of time to my will, but I've realized that no one man should have that power." He looked up at her. "There's a song about that somewhere, I think. Well, if you can call rapping singing..."
Applejack clapped her hooves together. "Doc, you're goin' off topic here."
"Right, sorry."
She looked at him for a moment. "Doc, I got one last question."
He looked back. "Shoot."
"Why did y'all take me and Twi back in time anyway? You hardly knew us!"
He looked away. "To prove a point, I suppose." He got up and began to pace around the console.
Applejack studied him for a while. There was definitely something he wasn't telling her, but she decided not to question him any further.
"Maybe it's just because I enjoy your company so much," he called out, before grinning.
She smiled, and yawned.
"Couldn’t sleep, eh?” he said.
She chuckled and stood up. “I think I might try it again. Oh, and is there a toilet around here? The one in my room is broken.” She groaned. "Pinkie Pie picked up a little 'souvenir' when we were in the Horsehead Nebula. And by souvenir, I mean some local firecrackers."
He smiled. “First right, second left, just past the helter-skelter. Next to the wardrobe." She thanked him and trotted back upstairs.
The Doctor turned back to the console of the machine, staring at it. He chuckled, before settling down on a seat. Feeling drowsy himself, he drifted off to sleep.
***
“Wakey wakey, sleepy head!”
The time pony jerked awake to the sight of the TARDIS’ most hyperactive new occupant staring at him, inches away from his face. “Pinkie!” he exclaimed, wiping sleep from his eyes, “How many times have I told you not to do that?”
She giggled, failing to suppress an amused snort. “Sorry, it just cracks me up every time!" She hopped backwards, letting him stand up. The rest of her friends had gathered in the console room, having heaved their baggage from their rooms.
“What are you doing?” The Doctor asked, yawning. “What’s with the bags?”
Twilight turned her head at the sound of his voice, surprised to see him awake. “You said we were going back to Ponyville, remember? That the TARDIS needs to refuel, or something.”
He watched Pinkie Pie trot out of the room to collect her bags. “Did I?” He shrugged. “Must be getting forgetful in my old age.”
Twilight cocked her head. “Old age? You look no older than me!”
He straightened his bow tie and ran a hoof through his flowing mane. “Oh, right, haven’t told you yet, have I?”
“Told us what?”
“I’m about nine hundred years old, can’t remember exactly.” He walked over to the monitor on the console, leaving Twilight with even more questions that probably weren’t going to be answered. Tapping a few buttons, he set his machine to land back in Ponyville on February 19th, 1002 Celestia’s Reign. The day after they left.
Rainbow Dash glided over to him. “Don’t you remember, Doc? You said that Ponyville was a ‘hub’, or something, and that the TARDIS refuelled there using the Elements of Harmony!”
He nodded. "Right. Of course.”
“Wheeee!” Everyone in the room turned their attention to the hallway, where Pinkie soon appeared. “Guys, there’s a helter-skelter in here!” She leapt down the stairs in a single bound. “That was so much fun!”
The Doctor stared at her for a moment, before smiling and addressing the rest of the group. “Listen carefully, everypony! The TARDIS needs a day or two to refuel, so I suggest you all try to slot back into your daily routines, at least for a while.” The rest of them nodded, having already made their plans.
Fluttershy walked over to him. “What about you? What are you going to do for the next few days?”
He looked away, gazing into the column that protruded from the console. “Mess around in here, I s’pose.” He looked back at her. “Like I always do.”
Pinkie leapt in front of him. “Boring! How about you come to Sugarcube Corner with me? I need someone to taste-test Mr. Cake’s new candy invention!”
He smiled, looking her in the eye. “Oh really? And what would that be?” he said playfully.
“Mr. Cake came up with these new type of gummy candies! He calls them ‘Jelly Fillies’.”
He looked at her, disbelief spread across his face. “Really?” She nodded.
Suddenly, the room began to shake violently, throwing the six friends off of their hooves. Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. “We’re here!” The Doctor exclaimed proudly. Throwing open the double doors, he beckoned them to exit, proclaiming “Fillies first.”
They had landed in an alley opposite Sugarcube Corner. True to The Doctor’s word, it was mid morning the day after they had left. It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining and the birds were singing. Pinkie Pie had already bounced over to the building opposite, so, as the others went back to their business, The Doctor followed her inside the bakery.
A strange odour combination of freshly baked cookies and baby excrement hit the time lord as he entered. Covering his nose, he called for Pinkie, who had already gone behind the counter into the kitchen.
She quickly popped her head out. “Sorry Doctor, Mr. and Mrs. Cake kind of have their hooves full with a big order today!”
“CARROT CAKE!” The Doctor heard somepony scream. “The foals need changing, in case you haven’t noticed!”
A lanky orange stallion came dashing down the stairs, trying his best not to trip over his dirty apron. “I’m on it, honeybun!” He paused to say hello to Pinkie, before disappearing into the kitchen.
The Doctor stared at the kitchen door for a moment, listening to the overworked couple unsuccessfully try to juggle their work and duties as a parent at the same time, before looking back to Pinkie, who had been doing the same. "Did we come at a bad time?"
The pink pony groaned. "We could have done better. I'd better go help them out." She disappeared inside the kitchen once again. She emerged soon after, the Cake’s following behind carrying saddlebags full of confectionery.
“Alright Pinkie, are you sure you’ll be able to handle Pound and Pumpkin while we’re gone?” Mrs. Cake asked, constantly checking her watch.
“You can count on me!”
“OK then, we’ll see you later.” They exited, greeting The Doctor briefly on their way out.
They both stood there for a moment, before The Doctor grinned characteristically. “Well, this should be easy!”
“Easy?” Pinkie scoffed. “You obviously haven’t met the Cake’s twins.”
“No, but I speak fluent baby.” He trotted over to the foals, who were playing with a set of building blocks, and picked them up. “Hey there,” he whispered to them, “I’m The Doctor, what’s your name?” They stared at him, innocent smiles on their faces. Pumpkin tugged on his bow tie, trying to put it in her mouth. “No, it’s not tasty.” He looked distant for a moment. “I’ve tried.”
Pinkie giggled. “Well, it looks like you have them under control, that’s for sure.” She turned towards the kitchen. “That means I’ll be able to make some Jelly Fillies for you to try!”
Hopping into the kitchen, she pulled open a large cupboard, taking out all the ingredients she needed. Her face dropped. “Oh, we don’t have enough food colouring.” She trotted back to The Doctor, who was talking to the foals. “What are you doing?”
He turned his attention to her. “Oh, just telling Pound and Pumpkin the story of the Emperor Dalek’s new clothes. Would you like to listen too?”
Pinkie smiled. Only The Doctor would entertain a pair of foals by telling them of ancient aliens from the outer reaches of space. “No, I have to go out to the market for a while. Will you be okay with the twins?”
He scoffed. “Of course! I can’t believe you ever doubted me, Pinkie.”
She rolled her eyes, and bounced out of the door.
***
Pinkie didn’t spend long at the market. There wasn’t much to see, as it was a slow day for business. A few ponies trotted from stand to stand, buying necessities for everyday life, but it was otherwise deserted. Making her way back inside Sugarcube Corner, she was surprised to see the storefront empty. “Doctor? Where are you?”
“In here!” she heard him call from the kitchen. Walking inside, she saw Pound and Pumpkin eating some hay fries, dipping them excitedly into a bowl of custard between them. She gave The Doctor a confused look.
“They were hungry,” he explained, a sheepish smile across his face, “I tried giving them everything, but, apparently, the only thing they want to eat today is hay custard!”
Pinkie gaped at him for a second, before glancing towards the bowl of custard. She looked to the time lord for approval. A nod of the head. She dived in, picking up the custard and gulping down the whole bowl. The Doctor chuckled, picking up some fries and popping them in his mouth.
“Hmm,” he said to himself, “Not bad.”
***
Can I smell apple pie? Heh, I must be home.
Applejack trotted up to the farmhouse. The farmhouse that had been her home all of her life. It felt strange to be back, living a normal life for a while. I’m not sure if I’m ready to be home, after all I’ve seen, she thought, staring at the front door. She could hear the aged voice of her grandmother from within.
“Apple Bloom! Can y’all hurry up and finish off the dishes?”
“I’m comin’ Granny, hold your horses!”
Applejack smiled. Some things never changed. She slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside. The distinct aroma of apples hit her the moment she stepped through the threshold. She walked into the kitchen, taking in her disturbingly familiar surroundings. A freshly baked apple pie sat on the windowsill. I don’t think I can remember a time where there wasn’t some sort of pie sitting there.
She heard her little sister grumbling, reluctantly scrubbing away at the dishes. “Granny always makes me do the dishes.” She groaned. “It was Applejack’s turn today.”
Applejack chuckled. “Is it? I better get to work then.”
Apple Bloom whirled around, startled at the sudden noise. She quickly composed herself. “Oh, so you’re finally home!” she said, resentment in her voice.
Applejack embraced her sister. “Oh, Apple Bloom, I’ve missed you so much!”
The filly struggled to break free of her sister’s grip. “Hey, calm down big sis! You’ve only been gone for one night!”
Her sister smiled. “Yeah, something like that.” She let go of Apple Bloom, who was now even more confused with her sister’s behaviour. Applejack laughed slightly. “Come on, let’s finish the dishes.”
Applejack was finally home with her family for a few days, away from all the space and time travel. After all she’d seen and done, she needed some peace and quiet.
Letting the soft breeze cool his face, The Doctor trotted through the streets of Ponyville, taking in the sights of the beautiful, if somewhat quaint, village. The Cakes didn’t take too long with their order, having arrived just after he’d finished tucking the foals in with a bedtime story from his homeworld, something which Pinkie Pie was eager to listen to as well. As if she’s never heard of The Three Little Sontarans, he thought.
He made his way through the town towards the library, curious as to what Twilight was up to. He hated to admit it, but he was lonely by himself in the TARDIS, and he needed to read up on the history and geography of where he was anyway. Before he met his new friends, he had been floating around in that blasted machine for 3 years, hopping from planet to planet, before finally landing in Equestria not long before he had met Applejack as a filly.
He managed to locate the library. He stopped and stared at it for a moment, taking in the strange architecture. "Well, look at that, a literal treehouse." He chuckled and sighed. "Oh Equestria, you have such an ironic sense of humour." He trotted up and knocked on the door.
It swung open, revealing a bored looking small purple reptile. "Sorry pal, we're about to close for the day." He went to close the door, only to be stopped by The Doctor.
"Wow, what do we have here?" The time lord barged inside, whipping out his sonic screwdriver and examining the creature. "Twilight!" he called, "I think you have a reptile infestation!"
Twilight Sparkle appeared from a back room. "Doctor! What are you doing?" Shocked, she pushed the screwdriver out of the reptile's face.
"Sorry, Twilight, but in case you haven't noticed, there's a giant purple reptile in your library. No need to fear, however." He straightened his bow tie. "The Doctor is here."
Twilight sighed and covered her face with her hoof. "Doctor, this is my assistant, Spike.”
He stepped back, confused. “You have an assistant?”
She shrugged. “Yeah.” She picked Spike up off the ground. “Well, you don’t expect me to do all the work around here, do you?”
He avoided eye contact with the dragon. Picking up a dusty old book, he started to flick through the pages, murmuring, "No, I suppose not.” As suddenly as he had picked it up, he put it back again. “Saw that plot twist coming from a mile away.”
“What?”
He pointed back at the book. “This. Most predictable ending ever.” He picked up another book, labelled: An In Depth History of Equestria, flicking through it just as quickly as the previous one. “This ‘Ink Quill’ has got nothing on J.K... or J.R.R. Tolkien.” He looked back at her. “Which reminds me, someone in your universe still needs to write Lord of the Rings.”
She sighed. “I’m guessing you didn’t enjoy reading about Daring Do?”
He shook his head. “Oh no, it was a good story alright. Just a little too much Indiana Jones for my liking.”
She shrugged. “Sure, whatever. Why are you here anyway?”
He picked up yet another book, skimming through it with ease. “Boredom,” he said as she tidied up the books he’d left around, “Pure boredom, plain and simple.”
Twilight smirked. "Aw, is Ponyville too normal for The Doctor?" she said sarcastically, "Not enough aliens and monsters for you?"
He put the book down and turned back to her. "Ha ha, very funny. I can deal with normal just fine, thank you." Twilight trotted past him towards the door. "Where are you going?"
"To see what Applejack's up to," she told him, "I don't suppose you'd like to accompany me?"
He joined her by the door. "OK then, lead on, Miss Sparkle."
She pushed open the door and cantered out, giggling. "Alright, maybe you can handle being normal, but we'll see how you handle manual labour."
The time lord groaned and followed. They walked down the dirt road to Sweet Apple Acres in the mid-afternoon sun. For mid February, it was colder than usual. “It’s a bit chilly out, isn’t it?” The Doctor called, shivering slightly in his jacket. “Well, I suppose spring will be coming in soon, assuming that the seasons are the same here.”
“Well, Winter Wrap Up was a few weeks ago, so it should be starting to warm up," she called back.
"Winter Wrap Up?"
Twilight sighed and began to explain. Listening too intently to his friend, The Doctor didn't pay attention to where he was walking and tripped over into a puddle.
"Smooth moves." She smirked as he hauled himself up, soaked and shivering.
He frowned at her, before shaking the water out of his coat. "For some reason, I've always wanted to do that," he thought out loud.
They had reached Sweet Apple Acres. Knocking on the door, they were surprised to see Applejack answer. According to her, there was no apple harvesting to be done today, so they were invited in for some tea.
The Doctor wasted no time in settling down and relaxing. “Ah,” he said blissfully, “Nothing like sticking the kettle on and having a nice bit of tea. Haven’t got any Jammy Dodgers, have you?” Unfortunately, he was left disappointed.
Not soon after, Applejack returned with three mugs. Thanking her, The Doctor and Twilight sat back and started to talk.
“So,” the time lord started, “Bring me up to date. What’s been happening over the past week? Since my party?”
Applejack thought for a moment. “Well, Hearts and Hooves Day was last Thursday.” She leaned in close. “I wouldn’t go mentioning that around Big Macintosh though. It’s kind of a sore subject.” The Doctor nodded and mimed zipping his lips shut.
“But apart from that,” Twilight continued, “Nothing else really has been going on. However, according to the princess, peace negotiations with the Griffon Kingdom have been deteriorating slowly.”
“Griffons? Any other day I’d be surprised, but I’m talking with a unicorn, so...” He decided to wind back a bit. “What do you mean, ‘peace negotiations’?"
Twilight shrugged. "The Griffons and us have been at each others throat for years. Politically, of course. Something about border problems. I doubt it's anything to worry about."
"Not all sunshine and rainbows around here then," he murmured to himself.
"What was that?"
"Um, nothing."
There was a sharp knock on the door. "Come on, open up!"
Applejack groaned. "Now what could Rainbow Dash want at this hour?" She set down her cup and opened the door. Rainbow Dash was there, anxiously glancing behind her back.
"Rainbow? What do y'all want? And what's got you all worked up?"
Dash calmed down slowly. "I just got a message from my friend, Gilda. Y'know, the Griffon."
Applejack remembered. The loud mouthed one. It took over a day to calm down Granny Smith after that market incident. She rolled her eyes. "So?"
She grabbed a piece of paper out of her saddlebag and shoved it in the cowpony's face. "Here, read it!"
By now Twilight and The Doctor had joined them at the door. Leaning over Applejack's shoulders, the time lord began to read.
"Dash,
I haven't got time to explain this. Negotiations between your country and mine have gone down the damn toilet. The Griffon armies are mobilizing an army to invade Equestria. Please, find your friends and hide someplace safe. I can't stop this. If they find out I sent you this, they'll hang me, so don't reply.
Your old friend Gilda."
He turned to Twilight. She didn't believe what he had just read. "Nothing to worry about, eh?" he said grimly.
"What are we gonna do, Doc? Applejack asked, "What about my family?"
He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. "Don't worry, your family's going to be fine." He looked back up. "Dash, go find Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Come and meet us back at the TARDIS."
"I'm on it, Doc!" She did a mock salute and flew away.
“What about the rest of us, Doctor?” Twilight looked scared. Who could blame her. A few minutes ago this had all been political debate, the kind of fights that belonged in the parliament.
The Doctor smiled, bringing a sense of reassurance to everyone in the room. “We’re going to pay a little visit to...” He trailed off. “To... where do the Griffons come from?”
Despite the situation, Twilight managed a giggle. “The Griffon Kingdom. Unimaginative, I know.”
“Yeah, you got that right.” He started to gallop off.
“Doctor!” Applejack called. He stopped. “What about my family? We can’t just leave them here!”
“Well, bring them along, they’ll be perfectly safe in the TARDIS,” he said, trotting back over to them. By now, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith and Big Macintosh had gathered around them. Applejack nodded to them and they started to follow.
The Doctor glanced skyward. Far above, he could make out the winged silhouettes of the invaders. He gritted his teeth and called for them to follow. As they sprinted into the town, they could already see the harsh effects of war. Buildings were burning, and injured ponies were lying in the street. Arrows were flying everywhere. Defiant citizens were making a final stand from within their homes.
They were nearing Sugarcube Corner; it was just a few blocks away. We’re all gonna make it, The Doctor thought, We’re gonna be OK. It was then when he heard Apple Bloom scream. Oh no...
“Big Mac!”
The time lord whirled around. The red workhorse had collapsed, having being shot through the leg by a barbed arrow. “Applejack, help me carry him!” He put one of Big Mac’s front hooves over his shoulder as Applejack did the same, and began to carry him the rest of the way. “Hey, you OK?” The Doctor asked.
Big Macintosh looked in pain, but he managed to grunt, “Eeyup.” He looked like he could take a lot of punishment.
“OK, we’re almost there.” The Doctor couldn’t hear a thing over the deafening sound of explosions around him. “We’re going to make it, Big Macintosh, don’t you worry.” There was no response, and the weight that he was carrying seemed to ease a little. “Big Mac?” He turned his head towards the muscular pony, and gagged at what he saw.
A stray arrow had flown towards them and pierced Big Macintosh straight through the neck. His once hard-working body was now completely lifeless. The Doctor tripped and collapsed out of shock.
“Hey, Doctor, what’re you-” Applejack noticed, as had the rest of the group. “Oh, dear Celestia, no!” She lay him down gently, right in the middle of the street.
Apple Bloom broke down and started to cry, kneeling over his body. “C’mon,” she sniffed, “Don’t do this, big brother. Please wake up...”
“This can’t be happening,” Applejack wept, “This just can’t be happening!”
“Can’t be happening...” The Doctor whispered in realization, “Can’t be happening...” He smacked himself on the head. “Wait a minute, of course this isn’t happening!” His mind replayed through the events of the day. The puddle I tripped into, as Twilight and I were walking to Sweet Apple Acres. The water hadn’t rippled! How could I have not noticed! Water that doesn’t ripple, the telltale sign of a mind trick. OK, whoever’s doing this, the jig’s up, I’ve got you!
As he thought this, the world around him seemed to bleed away, into nothing but empty blackness all around. He seemed to be within the realms of his own mind. Distant memories played back to him before his eyes. Until, finally, they all faded away, leaving him standing face to face with a strange creature.
It had the head of pony and a body that was comprised from parts of a variety of different animals. It made no sense. In fact, it seemed to take joy in the fact that it made no sense. It was as if the creature before him represented the very spirit of chaos itself.
“Ah, you finally figured it out,” it spoke, “Hello, Doctor.”
Twilight Sparkle lazily opened her eyes, groaning. Her head felt like it was about to explode. Her vision was hazy, but she managed to notice the unconscious forms of her five friends laying beside her. Her vision came into focus, and she took a look around. They were in the TARDIS console room, but The Doctor was nowhere to be seen.
What just happened? Twilight remembered escorting an injured Big Macintosh through the war-torn streets of Ponyville, but after that, she just couldn’t remember. How had they gotten inside the TARDIS? From what she remembered, they were still a few blocks away when she must have passed out. Had The Doctor carried us? No, that wasn’t possible.
Memories were slowly coming back to her. She remembered Applejack screaming, clutching to the limp body of her older brother. Oh dear Celestia! Big Macintosh was dead. She remembered it all now. She remembered The Doctor backing away slowly as Applejack wept, murmuring something about how “none of it had been real”. Was that it? Was the whole thing some sort of sick, twisted mind trick?
She didn’t know. She slowly got to her hooves and took a look around. Apart from her friends, there was nopony to be seen. She called out The Doctor’s name, but there was no response. Strange, she thought, Where could he have got to? She trotted towards the double doors of the time machine and threw them open, stepping outside.
Quickly, she caught herself before she fell out of the TARDIS into the open expanse of space below. She rubbed her eyes, not believing what was before her eyes. But we landed by Sugarcube Corner, I remember it perfectly! She gazed out towards the stars. They spread out all around her. She noticed that the TARDIS was slowly floating towards a dark purple nebula in the distance. She stared at it for a moment, watching in awe as a multitude of colours danced between the stars in front of her, before stepping back inside.
Her friends had begun to stir. The first to fully awake was Rainbow Dash, who slowly stood up and glanced around.
“Wha... where are we? What happened?” She took to the air, hovering slightly above the glass floor. She circled around the central column, looking for any signs of The Doctor or Applejack’s family. When she realized her search was ultimately fruitless, she returned to the rest of her friends, who had woken up and were looking around, dazed and confused.
Naturally, they were as confused as Twilight was. It took a few minutes for the lavender unicorn to calm them down and admit to them that she knew as little as they did. That didn’t help matters, as it caused the situation to descend into panic.
After they had found out that they couldn't leave the machine, and realized that they had no idea how to fly it, the situation only worsened. It wasn't until Twilight screamed at the top of her voice that a semblance of order returned to the console room.
"Everypony, just calm down!" she shouted, "I'm sure The Doctor's around here somewhere, and even if he's not, he wouldn't just leave us here! We'll be fine!"
Her friends started to quieten down, with most of them sitting down and taking deep breaths. Even Pinkie Pie was beginning to become uncharacteristically worried.
"So what are we all gonna do now?" Applejack was the first to speak up.
Twilight sighed. "I don't know. Sit tight for a while, I guess. I'm sure he's figuring out a way to get through to us."
Suddenly, a frighteningly familiar voice boomed throughout the console room. "Ah, so you finally figured it out. Hello, Doctor." Twilight cringed. She knew that voice. She knew it all too well. It was...
"Who are you?" The Doctor's voice. Both of them seemed to emanate directly from the main console itself.
"What, so your six little friends never told you about me?" the trickster responded, "They never told you how they cheated me out of the throne of Equestria?"
"Oh, you're Discord!" The Doctor chuckled. "No, they told me about you. Forgive me if I sound rude, but I'm used to something a little more intimidating than cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain."
Twilight smiled. He always managed to get a laugh or two out of something, even at the worst of times. Seemed like Pinkie Pie had rubbed off on him.
"Discord!" Applejack shouted out. "I know y'all can hear us! So tell me, how'd you get free? We encased you in stone!"
Discord sighed. "Now that was rather rude of you, Miss Applejack. I was trying to have a civilized conversation with the good Doctor here. If you must know, only my mind and consciousness has escaped. My body is still in the Canterlot Gardens, being gawked at by tourists, and boring schoolchildren on class excursions."
"Now I'd love to catch up with you all," he continued, "but I'd like to talk privately with your friend, and I simply can't have you listening in." As he spoke, Twilight noticed the sound of gas rushing into the room. "You all sound awfully tired. Perhaps you should get some rest."
Immediately the six friends began to feel drowsy. Twilight tried to shake off the effects of the gas, but to no avail. Soon enough they had all passed out on the floor, and the TARDIS was quiet once again.
***
OK, I need a plan. Think, Doctor, think. Well, I don't seem to be anywhere in particular, and there doesn't seem to be anything here, so I suppose my best plan is to sit here talking to this... thing until one of us starves to death.
Honestly, I've had better plans.
The Doctor glared at Discord as he formed a large couch out of nowhere and laid down, stretching and yawning. The time lord took a look around again, trying to find an item of interest in the black expanse of nothingness that surrounded them.
"So, now that we're all alone," the dragonequus began, "I'm sure you have some questions. So shoot."
"What have you done to them?" The Doctor asked almost immediately.
"They're unharmed, if that's what you mean," Discord responded, "Can you even remember the last time you used the gas defense measures on this thing? Heck, have you ever used them? It's a shame to put something so useful to waste..."
“Okay...” the chestnut-coloured pony continued, “Where are we?”
“I was waiting for you to ask that. You see, Doctor, we are inside your machine! Amazing, isn’t it?”
“So where’s my body?”
“Well, remember that time a few days ago, when you were doing repairs down near the backup engines?”
The Doctor nodded slowly, not liking where this was going.
“You passed out, did you not? One of the engines backfiring. Well, you thought you woke up, but you didn’t, of course. You and your friends were put into a dream state that I created.”
“That was when you used the gas for the first time...” The Doctor figured out.
“Oh well done, Doctor," Discord congratulated mockingly, slowly applauding The Doctor. "Only a genius such as yourself could have figured that out."
The time lord sat back on his haunches, confused. What does this guy want? He decided to ask.
“Call it a rematch with your friends,” Discord explained, “To see if they can best me without their precious Elements of Harmony.”
“And what do you want with me?”
“Nothing,” he answered simply, “I just need you out of the way for a little while. Can’t go giving anyone any unfair advantages now, can we?”
"I've left them a note, you see. On the screen on your console. The challenge is simple. Reach the backup engines, and your unconscious body, and get them online. The software behind your machine will recognize me as a virus and purge me from the system, and I'll be trapped in body once more."
The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "Oh really? And what's the catch?"
Discord shrugged and looked away nonchalantly. "Well, I managed to activate all of the TARDIS' defense mechanisms getting here, so I suppose they'll have those to worry about." He looked back, a menacing look in his eye. "Oh, and they only have about four hours before this ship gets sucked into a supernova taking place in the nebula below us."
The time lord’s eyes widened in horror. “No... that’s not possible.”
Discord laughed, a manic, insane smile upon his face. “Of course it's possible! I control this Type 40 TARDIS now!"
"So why don't you just kill us all right here and now?"
The trickster smirked. "Well now, where's the fun in that?" He chuckled slightly as The Doctor took a quick step back. “So,” he continued, “While we’re alone, tell me about yourself, time lord.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Good, because I didn’t need you to tell me anyway,” Discord told him, “So tell me, are you still playing the hero? Even after what you did?”
The Doctor looked away. “I did what I had to do,” he said weakly, “And I’ve forgiven myself.”
"Are you sure about that? Is that why you're still looking to be adored by everyone you meet?" Discord asked, The Doctor not meeting his eye. "The great Doctor, always here to save the day."
"And what about the people you've met, people you've molded into your own soldiers?" the dragonequus continued, trying to evoke emotion from the silent time lord, "Did you ever stop and consider what happens to them?"
The Doctor turned and faced him suddenly. "Stop it. I remember Davros pulling that move, and I'm not falling for it again."
Discord leaned back on his couch, musing. "I see," he said slowly, "Tell me, dear Doctor, do you remember a Professor River Song?
"Yes, the woman in the library. The one from my future," the pony answered, suspicion apparent in his voice.
"That's funny. Because no one else does."
"What do you mean, no one remembers her?"
Discord slouched back even further, getting comfy on the couch that seemed extremely out of place in the black expanse around them. "It's a long story, but I'll give you the abridged version. Basically, because of your, shall we say, 'unexpected' trip to my universe, Miss Song no longer exists." He grinned cruelly as The Doctor's eyes widened in horror.
"No, that can't be possible!"
"Oh, you of all people should know that time is always in flux, Doctor," he replied, "I won't spare the details, but let's just say it involves your wonderful blue box, a Roman Centurion, and a lonely little girl with a scary crack in her bedroom wall."
The Doctor blinked. All of those descriptions felt awfully familiar. It was if he was supposed to know who Discord was talking about. Maybe if I hadn’t come here, to this universe, I might have met them. It was obvious that the God of Chaos was trying to guilt-trip him. Well, it wasn’t going to work. Too many people had pulled that stunt before. He’s just going to have to try and come up with something original.
“And what about your beloved planet Earth, Doctor?” Discord was unrelentless, desperately trying to elicit some sort of emotion from the silent time lord. “Who’s going to protect it, now that you’re away?”
“I have friends. Good friends,” he answered, an air of pride in his voice. “The Torchwood team in Cardiff are more than capable of looking out for humanity.”
“Are you sure? Because it seems that they were disbanded not too long after you left!” Discord cackled with glee. “Officially and permanently terminated by the government!” He sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. “How ironic. Able to protect their planet from the unknown, and yet they are destroyed by the very people they swore to protect.”
The Doctor smirked. “Oh, trust me, my friends don’t give up that easily. Especially when one knows that almost nothing can stop him.” He approached Discord, his signature confidence quickly returning after Discord’s mind games. “Being revived by the power of the Time Vortex tends to have that effect on someone.”
“Really? How fascinating,” the dragonequus deadpanned. “You know, I really expected you to be more fun to speak to, Doctor. But alas, no, you’re just as boring as the others. It’s always ‘you’re nothing against us, Discord’, or, ‘we’ll find a way to stop you, Discord’. Blah blah, somepony please change the record.”
He clicked his fingers, and a computer monitor appeared out of nowhere. “Speaking of the others, let’s see how they’re getting on, shall we?”
***
“...All you have to do is make your way to the backup engine rooms, and you’ll be able to get yourselves home.” Twilight read aloud, trying to concentrate while her friends tried to catch a glimpse of the TARDIS’ computer monitor. “So that’s it?” she thought aloud, “Just make our way to the backup engines, and we’re home free? What are we waiting for? This is gonna be easy!” she scoffed.
“Now, Twilight, you of all ponies should know not to underestimate Discord,” Rarity advised, “He’s probably planning something horrific with The Doctor that we don’t know about.”
“I agree,” Applejack said, “If we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna need to be careful. We don’t know how big this place is, and it’ll be easy to get lost.”
Rainbow Dash flew over and inspected the computer screen. “But he left directions to the backup engines!”
“Uh, hello!” Pinkie Pie butted in, “This is Discord we’re talking about! We shouldn’t trust a thing that big old meanie says!”
“Pinkie’s right,” Fluttershy agreed quietly, “We should stick together to get through this.”
Twilight sighed, and thought for a second. “Okay, here’s the plan,” she told them, “We’re going to make our way towards the backup engines, like it says. If anypony sees anything suspicious, and I mean anything, don’t hesitate to tell us. It may be something important.” Her friends all nodded in understanding. “Right then, let’s not waste any time.”
Reassured and with high morale, the six friends briskly trotted up the main console room staircase and into the myriad of rooms and corridors beyond.
***
Twilight hated to admit it, but she thought she was lost. She and her friends were completely unprepared for the maze of halls and corridors inside The Doctor’s impossible machine. They were standing in the middle of a corridor that branched in four directions, and they were deciding how they were going to split up.
“We should leave one of the corridors,” Applejack told them, “Take the other three, and go in pairs.” She pointed a hoof at the closest hallway. “Twi, Rarity, you take that one.” They nodded and trotted off as she directed the rest of them.
“I don't know what The Doctor was thinking when he designed this place,” Rarity said as they were deeper down the corridor, trying to make conversation. “I mean, hexagonal corridors? Who in their right mind would want that?”
“This is The Doctor you’re talking about, remember, Rarity?” Twilight told her, “He doesn’t exactly fit into any social norms.”
Rarity said something in agreement, but her friend didn’t hear. She stumbled and fell against the wall as her head exploded in pain, crippled by what seemed to be a sudden migraine.
She managed to make out Rarity’s muffled voice. “Twilight, my dear, are you alright?” The lavender mare was sure that the fashionista said something else, but couldn’t pay attention as she fell unconscious. She closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she almost fainted a second time in shock.
The scene around had changed completely. Instead of the drab, gray corridors of the TARDIS’ interior, she was now stood in the middle of a raving crowd during what seemed to be an outdoor nighttime concert. She glanced around. Her hair was neatly curled and she was wearing a long purple dress. Looking to the stage, she could see Pinkie rocking out with a white unicorn wearing reflective purple sunglasses.
Wait, this is too familiar...
It was her brother’s wedding reception, that had taken place only a few weeks ago. She looked around and saw things she remembered vividly. Rainbow Dash excitedly chatting with a member of the Wonderbolts, Spike dancing next to Rarity’s sister, Sweetie Belle, even Applejack playing a fiddle to a couple of her relatives.
Either she had somehow travelled back in time somehow, or there were darker forces at play. Either way, she had to find out. She couldn’t pinpoint why, but she knew that her friends were in grave danger.
The atmosphere around Twilight Sparkle was amazing. Of course it was amazing, it was her brother’s wedding night. She remembered it vividly. And now it was replaying itself all around her, down to every last detail. Everything she remembered about the wedding reception, which, for her, had taken place about a month ago, was unfolding before her very eyes. Unsure of what to do, she meandered through the partying crowd towards the drinks stand.
She reached the small table and poured herself a glass of punch. Leaning back, she gazed around, trying to think of a plan. Maybe I’m stuck in some sort of time loop, she thought, But it’s probably another of Discord’s mind games. Problem is, how do I escape it?
She pondered on these thoughts for a moment, watching as the party continued. Pinkie Pie was still bouncing around excitedly on the stage, next to the DJ. What was her name again? Twilight wondered, her mind trailing off topic, Vinyl Scratch, I think. Yes, I remember. Always making a racket back in Ponyville with her “sick beats”, as she calls them.
“Brilliant wedding, eh?” came an accented male voice from beside her, “I love weddings. Drinks all around!”
Twilight turned to face the eccentric sounding stallion. He was dressed up rather lavishly in a long black blazer and matching top hat, complimented with a pearly white bow tie fastened around his neck. He brushed his long brown mane out of his face and smiled at her. “But honestly,” he continued, “I only came for the dancing.”
Well, I certainly don’t remember this.
“Doctor?” she stammered, blinking to make sure he was real, “What are you doing here? I don’t remember you being here!”
“What am I doing here?” The Doctor chuckled. “Is there something in that punch, Twilight? You invited me here!”
“Wait, I did what?”
The time lord poured himself a glass of punch and sniffed it suspiciously. “Don’t you remember? You sent me a telepathic message, via my psychic paper, inviting me to your big brother’s wedding. You told me you’d just prevented a changeling invasion, if I’m not mistaken.”
Twilight shook her head, trying to figure out whether he was some sort of hallucination or something similar. “Doctor, I need your help,” she pleaded. He put down the glass of punch and looked over to her, concerned.
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t really know,” she admitted, “The last thing I remember is being in the TARDIS, looking for you in the emergency engines.”
The Doctor chuckled. “Why would I be down there? Haven’t had to go down there in years!”
“Because Discord took over your machine!” she shouted, gaining a few strange looks from some nearby partygoers. “He knocked you out and seized control of the TARDIS! And now, if we don’t find you and restart the engines, we’re all going to die!” She grabbed and shook him for emphasis.
The time lord stared at her for a second, before pushing her off and smiling. “Twilight, I think the stress of that whole 'invasion' thing has gone to your head. This is your brother’s wedding! The TARDIS is parked in the courtyard safe and sound, and, if I remember correctly, Discord is still encased in stone.”
Twilight grunted in frustration. “I’m being serious! I remember my brother’s wedding, it was over a month ago! I’m telling you, this is one of Discord’s mind games, and I need your help to escape it!”
The Doctor chuckled again. “Oh, Twilight, what part of ‘encased in stone’ do you not understand?” He sighed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and congratulate the new Mister and Misses Cadenza." He smiled and trotted off toward the newlyweds.
"That's not even how it works!" Twilight shouted angrily, watching him walk away in disbelief. She could gave sworn she heard him call out "Yes it is!" but she was too confused to notice.
Well, what am I supposed to do now?
“Why would he do that?” she thought out loud solemnly, downing a glass of punch. “The Doctor always listens to our problems, even if they seem silly.” She shook her head. “No. If this is one of Discord’s games, then that means that The Doctor here is just a projection of his mind as well. I can’t let him distract me. I have to focus.”
She trotted around the garden that the party was taking place in, trying to formulate a plan. Okay, maybe I should do exactly what I did last time, she thought. Okay, I’d better go say goodbye to my big brother.
The reception was drawing to a close, and the crowds were cheering as Shining Armor and Princess Cadance made their way to the royal carriage. The lavender unicorn trotted over to them as they smiled and waved at the crowd.
"Twilight!" The captain of the Royal Guard called out, noticing his sister approaching. "None of this would have been possible without you, little sis." He embraced her in a tight hug. "Love ya, Twily."
She chuckled nervously and returned the gesture. "Love you too, B.B.B.F.F." She leaned in close, whispering into his ear. "Can I talk to you privately for a second?"
He looked at her, concerned. "Sure, what about?" he asked.
Twilight sighed. "I'm in trouble. It's really complicated, and I don't know if I can explain it to you properly." She hung her head. "But you're the only one I can turn to."
"Twilight, tell me what's wrong," he said to her, a stern tone in his voice.
"It's a long story," she admitted, "But I think Discord may have been set loose again."
Shining Armor chuckled. "Twilight, I think the stress of the last few days has gone to your head. Everything's fine, okay?" He patted her head affectionately. "Look, I really gotta get going, but I'll see you tomorrow." With that, he climbed into the carriage with his wife, leaving his sister incredibly confused and frustrated.
"Why won't anypony listen to what I have to say?" she moaned. She considered talking to her friends, but she had a sneaking suspicion that they would have the same reaction everyone else had.
Oh my dear Twilight, have you not figured it out yet? A gleefully sinister voice echoed through her head.
"What the..." she murmured to herself, before suddenly realizing. "Discord!"
Yes, hello. Did you miss me?
"What do you want?" she demanded, having found a quiet spot in the castle gardens. "How do I escape this trick if yours?"
There's nothing you can do, he answered simply, Only your friends can wake you up. Granted, it shouldn't be too hard, but still, it probably delayed you a bit.
The unicorn shook her head. "But why my brother's wedding?"
You will keep reliving the same memory until you wake up, he told her, I chose this memory because I was feeling, shall we say, generous. Better to be stuck in an endless loop of a fond memory than, shall we say, a parasprite invasion, eh?
"You're not going to get away with this, Discord," Twilight said defiantly, "Now get out of my head!"
The dragonequus sighed. Fine, have it your way.
Twilight just sat there, completely helpless. Discord said only my friends can wake me up, but how are they going to do that?
It wasn't like she could communicate with them in any way. Her friends here were just memories, fueled by Discord's twisted magic. She sat back, defeated. “Great, it’s not like it could get any worse,” she moaned.
A few minutes later, after she realized she had exhausted all of her options, she felt a large rumbling. It was slowly becoming larger and more prominent, to the point that even the ground had started to shake. Strangely, no one around her paid any attention to it. In fact, it was as if they were oblivious to any sort of disturbance whatsoever.
She glanced around, trying to locate the source of the problem. All around her, there was no difference. Ponies were drinking and partying, completely oblivious. It wasn’t until she looked up towards the stars in the night sky did she find what was disturbing her.
“I just had to say it, didn’t I?”
Hurtling towards her, seemingly from the clouds themselves, was a rushing tsunami of water. Not just a torrent of rain, but a huge wave, crashing toward the ground. It was impossible to escape, and no one around her had noticed it yet. Realizing it was hopeless, she sat back and resigned to her fate. She closed her eyes just as the torrent hit her.
“Gah!” Twilight spluttered and sat up, wiping her eyes and glancing around. She was in the TARDIS’ hallways, and Rarity was standing over her, levitating an empty bucket with her magic.
“Wha... what happened?” the studious unicorn managed to say, looking up at her friend.
“You passed out, dear,” Rarity explained, “Luckily, the swimming pool was just around the corner. I shouldn’t need to explain the rest.” She held out a hoof and helped her friend up.
“Thanks, Rarity,” Twilight said, hugging the dressmaker.
Rarity smiled. “Don’t mention it. Now, we’d better press on, we’ve lost some time.” Twilight nodded in agreement. They pressed on down the hexagonal hallways, searching for a route to the backup engines. Every corridor looked the same, and they found themselves losing their bearings as they trotted around in what seemed like circles.
“Ugh, this isn’t helping,” Twilight moaned about ten minutes later, after they still hadn’t progressed, “How are we supposed to find this place?”
“Maybe it was a different route back at the swimming pool,” Rarity wondered, “Speaking of which, who puts a swimming pool in a library?”
“You’re getting off topic.”
“Yes, sorry.”
Twilight stopped for a second, trying to remember what she had read on the console monitor. “You know, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to follow Discord’s instructions after all. Maybe it’s a big riddle, like last time.”
Her friend furrowed her brow, thinking. “Perhaps. It’s worth a shot at least, but I still don’t trust it.” She turned around and followed Twilight, the librarian following the directions in her head. “But how are we going to tell the others to meet us there?”
“It’s simple,” Twilight explained, “A few days ago The Doctor explained to me how his species’ telepathy worked, so I tried to replicate it best I could.” Her horned started to glow. “With a bit of luck, I can send everyone else and psychic message.”
“Hmm, convenient,” Rarity commented, impressed.
“Right,” Twilight said, leading the way down the corridor. “Let’s go.”
***
“Ooh, this place gives me the creeps.”
Rainbow Dash sighed. Why she volunteered to go with Pinkie Pie, she’d never know. They’d been walking around in no particular direction for almost an hour, and the stress was starting to get to her. They were running out of time, and they needed to find The Doctor fast. It was as if there was a proverbial sword hanging over her head, ready to drop at any moment. Pinkie’s ridiculous and obvious comments weren’t exactly helping.
“I know, Pinkie Pie, you’ve said that three times now.”
The party pony giggled slightly. “Oh, woops, sorry. I tend to repeat myself when I get a little nervous.”
“You repeat yourself all the time anyway.” Rainbow Dash sighed. When she agreed to travel with the mysterious Doctor, she hadn’t expected this. He had promised them the stars. Mythical and alien planets to explore alongside him. Granted, he had delivered all of that over the past two weeks, but he never mentioned anything about spending hours traipsing through the inner workings of his machine. How she longed to be out in the open air, soaring above the clouds without a care in the world. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she missed being in Equestria. She missed being at home.
Things had been quiet for a few minutes now, which was strange, to say the least. Pinkie Pie was always talking, and the absence of her bubbly voice was worrying. The cyan pegasus turned around to check on her friend, only to find her laying on the ground a few meters away, shuddering.
“Hey, Pinkie, you okay?” There was no response. “C’mon Pinkie, stop messing around!” Dash called out, a little more worried this time. The pink pony still didn’t answer. Rainbow rushed to her friend’s side, concerned. “Pinkie! Come on, what’s wrong with you?” She rolled Pinkie onto her back, revealing that she appeared to be asleep. She was writhing and shuddering, and was muttering something incoherent.
“Wake up!” Dash shouted, prodding her friend. “Come on!” She shook Pinkie, but she still didn’t stir. She was about to look around for something to help when she was crippled by a sudden migraine.
Hello, everypony. The voice of Twilight Sparkle seemed to talk to Rainbow Dash from within her own mind. Don’t ask me how I’m talking to you, I’ll explain later. Just retrace your steps and meet us back at the intersection. We’re going to go with Plan B.
Dash’s rear legs gave way, and she collapsed onto her haunches out of exhaustion. “What am I going to do now?” she wondered aloud, glancing over to Pinkie, who was subconsciously muttering something about pudding. Better go meet with Twilight and the others, she thought, Even if it means dragging Pinkie along with me. Seeing no other alternative, she took to the air, picking Pinkie up by her front hooves and dragging her back down along the corridor.
It took her longer than she expected to find her way back to the intersection where they had split up. She was sure she’d made a few wrong turns somewhere, but, eventually, she saw a glimmer of orange and yellow in front of her. “Hey, Applejack!” she called out, but the country mare did not respond. “Applejack, over here!” Still, Applejack remained with her back to the pegasus.
Dash flew over to the earth pony, still carrying Pinkie Pie in her hooves. Just as she got close, the farmpony disappeared around a corner without a word. Confused, Dash followed, calling out to her friend. She rounded the corner only to find that Applejack had disappeared, nowhere to be found.
“What the hay is going on here?” she whispered to herself, the steady beating of her wings the only sound above the soft hum of the impossible machine she was in. She shook her head and tried to focus. “Come on Dash. You can’t let Discord distract you.” She turned around, only to find that the corridor behind her had changed completely. She almost dropped the party pony in shock, but caught her at the last moment. Letting Pinkie fall to the ground slowly, she hopped back onto her hooves and went to investigate.
She quickly reached the T junction. Funny, she thought, I swear this was a four-way crossroads. She looked to her left, then to her right. In both directions, the corridors seemed to go on for miles. She couldn’t see any sort of branching pathways; the hallways just went on until she couldn’t see the end.
“Oh, horseapples,” she muttered, trotting back to Pinkie, who was murmuring something about a ‘cupcake party’. “What am I going to do now?” She sat down. “This whole thing is going nowhere.” She cradled her head in her hooves.
Her ears perked up at the sound of clopping noise, gradually becoming louder as the source came closer. “Rainbow Dash?” came a familiar Southern drawl, “Is that you? You okay, sugarcube?”
Dash hopped up and whirled around. “Applejack?” She stopped, and stepped back, apprehensive. “How do I know you’re real?” the pegasus asked suspiciously.
Applejack approached her friend, despite the latter’s glare. Raising a front hoof, she hit Dash lightly across the head. “That real enough for ya?”
“Ow!” Dash grunted in pain, “Yeah, fine...” she grumbled, rubbing her forehead. “Where’s Fluttershy? She was with you.”
“I’m here,” came a timid voice from behind her. The soft pegasus came into view. She immediately noticed the unconscious Pinkie, and gasped in shock.
“What’s wrong with her?” Applejack asked as Fluttershy rushed to her aid.
“I don’t know,” Dash admitted, hanging her head. “She just fainted, and I can’t wake her up.”
They both looked over to Fluttershy, who was whispering in the pink pony’s ear. “Pinkie? Can you hear me?” There was no response from Pinkie, who had fallen silent. “Pinkie, please wake up,” the pegasus said, raising her voice. Still nothing. Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other, concerned.
“PINKIE PIE! YOU WAKE UP RIGHT THIS INSTANT!”
The sudden raise in volume jolted Dash and Applejack, who looked over to their friend. The usually timid pegasus was still standing over Pinkie Pie, a strained look of worry in her eyes. The slumber body of the party pony beneath her began to stir and roll over. Slowly, one of Pinkie’s eyes fluttered open.
“Huh?” she mumbled, still half-asleep. “What’s going on?” She would have asked more questions, but she was suddenly scooped up into a tight hug by Fluttershy. Applejack just chuckled as the pegasus fussed over their friend, much to the pink pony’s confusion.
“Right,” the farmpony began, once Fluttershy had calmed down to her usual self, “We’d better get moving. The intersection’s just back this way, and I reckon Twilight and Rarity are already there by now.” Her friends nodded in agreement, and they set off on their way.
“So, what happened to you, Pinks?” Rainbow Dash asked as they made their way through the winding corridors.
“I think it was one of Discord’s evil tricks,” she told her, waving her front hooves in an effort to emphasize her point. “He stuck me in one of my memories. Gummy’s birthday, to be exact.”
“But why would he put you into a good memory?”
Pinkie giggled. “I dunno. Sure was fun though, but I’m glad to be back with you guys.”
They rounded a corner, and their two unicorn friends came into view. ‘Finally!” Twilight groaned, noticing them. “What’s been taking so long?”
“We kind of had a bit of a holdup,” Applejack told them, “Pinkie got knocked out somehow by Discord.” The resentment was obvious in her voice.
“Strange,” Twilight muttered, “The same thing happened to me. He told me he was just trying to slow us down...”
“Then why doesn’t he just knock us all out and be done with it?” Rarity wondered. Fluttershy cringed at the thought.
“Because he’s toying with us,” Applejack said. “We can’t be distracted, we have to focus.”
“AJ’s right,” the lavender unicorn announced, “We haven’t got much time.” She drew them in closer together in a tight circle. “Now, I’ve thought about this for a while, and it seems to add up. Discord wasn’t trying to deceive us with the directions, he was just going to distract us with those mind games of his. We’ve wasted enough time already, and that’s exactly what he wants.” She trotted towards one of the hallways that branched off from the intersection. “Come on, let’s keep moving.”
“Don’t worry,” Applejack told the rest of the group, “Now that we know what we’re doing, there’s no way Discord can stop us.” Positively reinforced by the country mare’s words, the six mares confidently made their way deeper into the bowels of the TARDIS.
In the corner of her mind, Applejack could have sworn she heard a gleeful and evil voice murmur something, but she brushed it off as nothing.
A portion of a rainforest, along with countless other things, crammed into what seemed like a tiny blue box.
Twilight Sparkle made a mental note. There was nothing that could amaze her more than this. She stared around the huge expanse with awe, marveling the rushing waterfalls and blooming plantlife.
"Why does he even have this here?" Rainbow Dash thought aloud, flying between the trees that neared the roof of the room.
"The Rainforest Room. For getting back in touch with nature," Twilight read off a nearby sign. "You know, I don't think he's been here in ages. He's always too busy messing with stuff back in the console room."
“Girls, we’re getting a little sidetracked here,” Rarity piped up, “While I agree this is quite astonishing, we haven’t much time.” She turned to Twilight. “Where do the directions lead us next?”
The lavender unicorn frowned. “They lead us right here,” she told them, “To the sign. Strange.” She thought for a second, before noticing something. One of the corners of the sign was hanging off. “Maybe there’s something beneath.” Using her magic, she lifted the front panel of the sign away, revealing a hastily written note. It looked like it had been written recently.
Everypony gathered around Twilight as she inspected the newfound note, reading it over and over.
“Come on, Twi,” Applejack finally said, “What does it say?”
“It seems to be some sort of riddle, even a quotation perhaps,” the studious unicorn explained, “All it says is ‘As above, so below. As within, so without. Create your life through your thoughts.’”
The room fell into silence, only broken by the squarks of the artificial (or, perhaps not, Twilight noted) wildlife above the tree canopy, as everypony tried to decipher the meaning of the strange riddle.
“Well what the hay is that supposed to mean?” Applejack exclaimed finally, frustrated. “We’re got less than two hours to sort this mess out, and now he’s guiding us with this mumbo-jumbo?”
“It’s not ‘mumbo-jumbo’ Applejack,” Rarity told her, “It’s a riddle. He’s testing us.” She paused for a second. “Again.”
“Think of it like a puzzle!” Pinkie Pie said to them. “You never know, it might make things a little clearer.”
“As above, so below...” Rainbow muttered, thinking. “Maybe we have to look for another clue beneath something, like the tallest tree around here?”
“Maybe you’re right,” Twilight agreed. “‘As above, so below.’” Maybe we should find the tallest tree, and search the base of it.”
This was easier said than done, however, as the artificial rainforest was surprisingly expansive. There were multiple clearings and babbling streams that ran through the open expanse, and finding the tallest tree proved to be quite difficult. Realising this, Twilight assigned Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to fly above the canopy to help the search.
It was very efficient, as, within a few minutes, the two pegasi had returned the rest of the group, pointing them in the right direction. The tree was not too far away, so they reached it relatively quickly. That only left the problem of finding the next clue.
They all searched the base of the tree and its surrounding area, but they found nothing. Only an abundance of flora and wildlife, but nothing concerning another clue in their quest. Stumped, Twilight referred back to the riddle.
“‘As above, so below. As within, so without...’” she muttered to herself, still looking around the base of the tree for anything important. “‘As within, so without...’ Wait a minute.” She suddenly got an idea, as if a proverbial lightbulb had clicked inside her head. She approached the tree and started to tap on the bark, listening to the sound that the clopping of her hooves created.
*Tap Tap*
No, there’s nothing there, she thought, circling the base of the large tree. She chose another part of the bark and leant in close, her hoof caressing the wood, looking for any unusual crevices.
*Tap Tap Tap*
Wait, that sounded different. She tapped the wood again.
*Tap Tap Tap*
There was definitely something different about this particular section. She felt along the bark, and found the outline of a small crevice, about half a meter in diameter. “Girls,” she called out to the others, “Come and look at this, I think I’ve found something.”
“What is it Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, eager to find a way to end the ordeal she and her friends had found themselves in.
“This part of the wood is hollow,” the unicorn explained, her horn lighting up with magic. The wood groaned as it was enveloped in a purple aura, before being yanked free from the rest of the tree. Sure enough, there was a moderately sized cubby hole that lay within. Peering inside, Twilight found some sort of futuristic device. A few lights blinked and it emitted a soft beeping sound.
"What do you think it is?" Pinkie Pie asked, admiring the strange object.
Rainbow Dash found herself equally interested in the device, inspecting it closely as it beeped and flashed. "What does it do?" she wondered.
"I don't know," Rarity muttered, "But perhaps the last part of the riddle will give us some sort of clue." She turned to Twilight, who was still examining the futuristic object. "What was the last part of the riddle, dear?"
"'Create your life through your thoughts'," the librarian answered, not taking her eyes of the device. "But what could that mean?"
Another silence echoed through the forest as the six mares pondered this. They looked around, looking for something that might give them another clue. Unfortunately, they came up with nothing, and were forced to decipher the last part of the riddle.
“Hmm,” Pinkie murmured, shattering the deafening silence, inspecting the device for a fourth time, “‘Create your life through your thoughts’. Maybe we all have to think of what we want, and it’ll be given to us!”
“That’s ridiculous,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, “Not to mention impossible!”
“Really Rainbow? We’ve spent the last two weeks in a blue box travelling around the universe, and you’re questioning what’s possible?” Applejack scolded her friend.
“Everypony, be quiet!” Twilight told them, raising her voice. “Maybe Pinkie’s right, and besides, I don’t see anyone else coming up with any ideas!” Everyone went silent, but Applejack and Dash still glared at each other.
“Right,” Twilight continued, “Let’s think. What is it that we want?”
“To get to the engine room, and help The Doctor,” Fluttershy answered.
“Exactly.”
“So what are y’all saying?” Applejack asked, “That if we all think of the engine room, we’ll magically teleport there, or something?”
Twilight shrugged. “Well, it’s worth a shot.” She closed her eyes. “Alright everypony. Close your eyes. Focus only on travelling to the backup engines; block out any other thoughts.
Her friends nodded and squeezed their eyes shut, focusing only on The Doctor and their destination. After a few seconds of silence, the strange machine built into the tree began to beep more rapidly. Undeterred, the six friends continued to channel their thoughts, refusing to be distracted as a high-pitched whine started to emanate from the device.
After what seemed like an age, the mechanical whining reached a near unbearable amount of noise. In a flash of light, the six mares disappeared, leaving the artificial rainforest empty once more.
***
He would have twiddled his thumbs, if he had any.
But instead The Doctor was forced to be content with just sitting by himself in the expanse of nothingness that was the heart of his ship, hopelessly waiting for the TARDIS to drift into the supernova. Discord had left a while ago, to "have some fun with his friends", as he put it.
In fact, the only hope the time lord had left now was his friends. As much as he hated to admit it, everything was on their shoulders.
He never meant for them to get endangered like this. It was foolish of him, in hindsight, to bring them along in the first place. Their race was decidedly primitive, and unused to the kind of dangers they were sure to encounter in the far reaches of the universe. Granted, the past two weeks had been a lot of fun, but that was because he had deliberately taken them to some of the more peaceful planets, to get them used to the concept of interstellar travel.
He just didn’t know what to do anymore. He had exhausted all of his options. The fabled time lord was utterly helpless in his situation. He was starting to feel a bit drowsy, as if his body just wanted to shut down. He happily obliged, and, as he drifted off into sleep, he thought he heard the faint voice of a certain lavender mare.
“He’s here! Girls, we made it!”
He ignored it, though, and embraced the warmth of unconsciousness. He settled down as a distant memory began to play before his eyes.
***
The time lord slowly came to, his eyes fluttering open as a metallic voice boomed throughout the room.
“Auto-destruct in two minutes.”
He jerked awake as he realised the gravity of the situation, and tried to stand up, only to fall back down again. His attention turned to his hand, which was chained to a pillar by a set of handcuffs. Confused, he turned his head towards a large chair in the centre of the room. Sitting in it was a middle-aged woman, her long bushy hair bouncing off her spacesuit, connecting an assortment of wires. The Doctor recognised her immediately. The woman from his future. River Song.
“Oh, no, no! What are you doing, that’s my job!” he cried out.
“What, I’m not allowed to have a career, I suppose?” she answered innocently, still connecting the variety of cables.
“Why am I handcuffed?” he asked her, “Why do you even have handcuffs?”
“Spoilers,” she answered smugly.
“This is not a joke. Stop this now!” he told her angrily, “This is going to kill you! I’ll have a chance, but you don’t have any!”
“You wouldn’t have a chance and neither do I!” she snapped harshly. The Doctor recoiled slightly. “I'm timing it for the end of the countdown. There'll be a blip in the command flow. That way it should improve our chances of a clean download,” the professor explained, referring to the innocent souls trapped within the ancient library’s computers.
“River, please, no!” The time lord pleaded, tears streaming down his face.
"Funny thing is, this means you've always known how I was going to die," she continued, "All the time we've been together, you knew I was coming here." She smiled weakly as he looked on in vain. "The last time I saw you, you turned up on my doorstep with a new haircut and a suit. You took me to Darillium to see the Singing Towers." Still smiling gently, River sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh, what a night that was. The towers sang, and you cried."
"Auto-destruct in one minute." The automated voice echoed around the room.
"You wouldn't tell me why, but I suppose you knew it was time for me to come to the library." She motioned to a pair of slender devices and a large, dusty blue book on the floor. "You even gave me your sonic screwdriver. That should have been a clue." She looked on tearfully as The Doctor futilely tried to grasp the device. "There's nothing you can do," she told him.
"Let me do this!" the time lord pleaded, struggling to free himself from his binds.
"If you die here, it'll mean I've never met you."
"Time can be rewritten!" he pleaded desperately.
"Not those times. Not one line. Don't you dare," River said to him sternly. "It's okay, it's not over for you. You'll see me again. You've got all of that to come. You and me, time and space." She smiled. "You watch us run."
The Doctor hung his head. "River, you know my name," he said, as the countdown entered it's final stage.
"Auto-destruct in ten seconds."
"You whispered my name in my ear," he continued, ignoring it. "There's only one reason I would ever tell someone my name. There was only one time I could."
River placed a metallic circlet on her head, connecting herself the mainframe of the computer as the countdown reached it's final seconds. "Hush now," she whispered, giving him a gentle smile. "Spoilers."
Professor River Song connected the two wires just as the countdown ended. There was a blinding flash of light. The Doctor tried to shield his eyes, but found it too much. He passed out just as a softer, younger voice echoed through the room.
"Four thousand and twenty two saved."
***
There was a soft hum emanating from the centre of the room as The Doctor’s eyes tentatively fluttered open, struggling to take in his surroundings. A warm green glow greeted him as his vision refocused. Glancing around, he found himself in the backup engine room, a smiling purple mare standing over him.
“Ugh...” he groaned, rubbing his head. “What did I miss?”
The lavender unicorn responded by pulling him into a tight embrace. Five other ponies around him shouted with joy and followed suit. “Oh thank Celestia!” Twilight sighed with relief. “When you didn’t wake up, I thought my spell didn’t work.” She hopped off him and adjusted his bow tie, grinning. “Welcome back.”
The old time lord chuckled. “Heh, thanks, Sparkle.” He tousled her hair affectionately.
The sound of Applejack clearing her throat interrupted their reunion. “Um, beggin’ your pardon, but we still got some unfinished business here.” She pointed towards the main console in the room, which had begun to glow.
The Doctor nodded and stepped forward. “Alright, Discord. They’ve done what you asked of them, now stop with your twisted games!” he shouted defiantly.
There was a brief moment of silence, before the console lit up. “Very well, Doctor. It appears that you have bested me. I wouldn’t have a decent reputation if I wasn’t a man of my word, was I?” He sighed. “I will vacate your machine.”
“No, no, no,” the time lord snapped. “Stop for one second. I know your kind. Take us away from the supernova first.”
Discord huffed. “Oh, you got me. Very well, have it your way.”
The room shuddered as the light from the console flickered out. The seven ponies gripped each other tightly as a blue flash of light enveloped them. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut as a high-pitched whine deafened her ears.
When she opened them, her eyes were almost blinded by the sudden change of light. They were in the brightly lit console room of the TARDIS. The machine was shuddering violently, and the girls had to find something sturdy to hang on to. The Doctor however, pulled himself to his hooves and made his way towards the computer screen on the console, despite the shaking and sparks flying from the console. He reached it, and examined a message spread across the screen.
“Oh no...” he murmured, his face turning pale, “This is not good. Not good at all.”
Twilight managed to get to her hooves. “What? What is it, Doctor?”
He looked up. “Well, the good news is we’re heading away from the supernova.”
The unicorn gulped. “And the bad news?” she asked wearily.
“We’re heading straight towards a temporal schism,” he explained hurriedly, “A literal hole in the universe.”
“Well, can’t you take us off course?” Rarity asked fearfully, clutching a handrail as the room shook violently.
“I’m trying!” he shouted, dashing around the console, clicking buttons and pulling levers. It only served to set off a multitude of miniature explosions around the room. “Argh, it’s no use!” he cried, clutching the console. “We’re going in, and I can’t stop us.” He glanced around the shaking room, looking on in sadness at the faces of his friends. They bore the look of pure fear. A kind of fear they had never experienced in their lives.
“Girls,” he croaked, suddenly losing his voice. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He looked over to Twilight, who merely nodded, her face wet with tears.
The Doctor clenched his eyes shut and clutched the console even harder as a high-pitched screech filled the room. The shaking reached a critical level, becoming so violent that none of them could even hold onto anything. There was another flash of light, a deafening bang, then nothing.
He stared out of the café window, up at the dreary sky. The weather shouldn’t have surprised him; London was always like this. Still, the abundance of grey clouds above him seemed to reflect his sombre mood as he sat and dwelled upon his memories. Memories that seemed like an age away.
It was here that she had finally made up her mind. Where she had chosen the time lord over him. “What do I do every day?” she had asked him and her mother. “Get up, catch the bus, go to work, come back home, eat chips and go to bed? Is that it?”
“It’s what the rest of us do,” he had replied coldly.
She left about a year later. Went somewhere else, further than anyone could have ever imagined. Granted he had gone with her, but it wasn’t quite the same. They didn’t talk as much, and she was always distant. Until about two years later, when they both returned to The Doctor. There was a crisis that they helped to overcome, and again he was left alone. She couldn’t stay, and there was nothing left for him back with her, so he decided to stay alongside the time lord for a little while longer.
He married after a year. A military doctor, who had similar experiences in the TARDIS. There was just something about her, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Unfortunately, that didn’t end well either.
“Your coffee, mate?”
An adolescent voice pulled him from his musings. He looked up to see a lanky, acne-riddled teenager holding out a steaming cup.
“Yeah, thanks,” he mumbled, passing him the change he owed. He took a sip of the scalding liquid, and recoiled slightly. It tasted like filth. But at least they had gotten his order right this time. Looking outside again, he was mildly surprised to see that it had stopped raining. He sat up and stretched, sighing with relief as his bones cracked, and stood him, deciding to go for a walk.
The chilliness of the mid-September air hit him as he stepped outside. The frosty breeze wasn’t much help, either. He took another sip of his coffee and set off down the street, towards a sprawl of apartment blocks not too far way. He took in his surroundings as he walked, mostly to take his mind off things.
He glanced over to a field on his left, where a group of children were playing football. He chuckled as a young boy, no older than ten, scored a goal and proceeded to pull his shirt over his face in celebration. He smiled and took another sip of coffee. It was nostalgic. He remembered his childhood on the estate, all those years ago. He would play games and skive off school just like those kids would, and he didn’t have a care in the world.
To his right were a teenage couple, giggling and hugging each other. He looked away, remembering his time with her. She only worked in a department store, so she usually had plenty of time to hang around with him. Hell, they were only eighteen, so it wasn’t like they had anything better to do. Still, things changed not too long after that, after the impossible man came from the stars in his impossible blue box.
He had reached the apartments by now. He didn’t know why he had an obsession with coming here. Maybe it was nostalgia, but it just felt like there was some sort of external force drawing him in. He gulped down the rest of his coffee, looking up and the battered and worn-down sign above him, that read ‘Powell Estate’. He laughed slightly. Of all the places in the world for an alien to come to, it had to be Peckham.
He stared up toward an block of flats in front of him. Bucknall House, a sign nearby said. He glanced along the doorways a few floor up, looking for the right number.
There it was. Forty eight. That was where she lived. He didn’t know who lived there now, but it was safe to assume it was probably some gang banger or junkie who used the place to grow weed. He turned his nose up in disgust. There were a lot of things he did in his teenage years, and not many of them pretty, but drugs were the number one thing he stayed away from. The mere thought just disgusted him.
In the distance he could hear the sound of auto tools being used. It was probably the old car workshop he used to work at. For a brief moment he considered dropping in and saying hello, but he doubted anyone he knew still worked there. It had been six years, all of them had probably moved on.
He shook his head, trying to focus on the present instead of dwelling on the past. It wasn’t much use, though, as his memories still lingered. Trying to set his mind on other things, he decided to turn around and walk away. Maybe there was a rogue alien to hunt or something.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a large crash. It sounded like it was no more than a few blocks away, further into the estate, so he turned around and jogged towards it. Making his way towards the source of the disturbance, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of curiosity and bewilderment. He didn’t know why he was so eager to find out what it was. Hell, it was probably just a microwave or something that someone had dropped out of their window. Nonetheless, he turned around a corner that lead into a large, open plaza, and stopped dead in his tracks.
If it were possible, his jaw would have hit the ground.
Standing in the middle of the plaza, looking pristine and completely undamaged, was a large, blue police box. No, it was the large, blue police box. Normal police boxes don’t just fall from the sky, after all.
He sprinted towards it, eager to meet his old friend. A few people from their flats above were poking their heads out of their windows, still fearful of the strange disturbance, but he didn’t care. He quickly reached the double doors, and was about to pull them open when someone inside beat him to it.
An unfamiliar young man, who looked about his age, stumbled from the box, clad in a tweed jacket and bow tie. He took a few seconds to take in his new surroundings, before looking at his hands and feet in awe. He mumbled something about being “not used to this” before finally noticing the man standing above him. He walked over to him tentatively, before finally recognizing him. A manic smile spread across his face.
