Consulting the Doctor
“Moon Dancer, you’ve got to give friendship a chance” said Twilight.
“Achk, I gave friendship a chance a long time ago. It didn’t work out then. It isn’t gonna work out now." Moon Dancer stormed off.
“Twilight, are you alright?” Spike asked.
“No. No I’m not.” Twilight said, dejectedly trudging through Canterlot.
“Well, where are you going?” Spike inquired
“I don’t know Spike.” Twilight sighed “I really messed this one up. That party was everything to her. I can only imagine what it must have felt like when I didn’t show up.” Twilight gazed at the castle courtyard, imagining how the scene must have played out. “If there was only a way to undo the damage." Suddenly, Twilight got an idea. “I know what I have to do. And I know just who could help me."
“Who’s that?” Spike asked.
“Here’s a hint. His cutie mark is an hour glass.”
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Strolling up the steps to the house, Twilight tentatively lifted a hoof to the door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
When the door opened she saw the smiling face of cross-eyed gray Pegasus on the other side.
“Oh hello Derpy, I’m looking for Doctor Time Turner Hooves. Is he home at the moment?"
“Yeah he is” Derpy said playfully. "We were just making muffins. Little Dinky seems to love them almost as much as I do. You want one?”
“I’m fine” Twilight said. “I just want to talk to the Doctor right now.”
“I’ll go get him” Derpy shouted. As she flew through the house, she accidentally knocked over a table lamp and it clattered to the floor. “Oops, my bad.” she said. As she quickly and clumsily put the lamp back in its place, she called out to her husband. “Oh Timey Wimey, somepony’s at the door for you."
“I’m coming” a charismatic voice called out. The Doctor walked to the door. “Oh Twilight my dear, what brings you by our humble home?”
“I need your help” Twilight said urgently. "A year and a half ago, just before the Summer Sun Celebration, I got invited to my old friend Moon Dancer’s party in Canterlot.”
“Well what’s so bad about that?” Time Turner asked.
“The problem is that I never went to that party. I just found out that it sent her life into a downward spiral. Now all she does is study, study, study purely for its own sake without any real goals, never allowing herself to just have fun with friends and---”
“Stop right there!!!” Time Turner cut her off. “I think I understand why you came here today. You want me to use my Tardis to take you back to that date so you can attend that party. Am a correct?”
“Yes!” Twilight said surprised, “how did you know that?”
“I’m fairly decent at reading other ponies” the doctor claimed. “You don’t live for hundreds of years without learning how to properly interact with others. And you had your intentions written all over your face from the moment you got here.”
“So you’ll help me then?” Twilight asked eagerly.
“I'll consider it."
"Consider it? What do you mean you'll consider it? No, I need you to help me. I want you to promise that you'll help.
The Doctor pondered over this for a moment. "I will promise.........on one condition.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.
“You’ll need to do something about those.” He pointed a hoof at Twilight’s wings.
“Wha?” Twilight recoiled back. “What’s wrong with my wings?” she wondered.
“You said yourself that this party took place one and a half years ago, just before the Summer Sun Celebration of that year” the Doctor explained. “You weren’t exactly the Princess of Friendship back then now were you?”
“No, I guess not. But what’s your point?”
“Think Twilight think. If that party really happened when you say it did, it would have been before even Princess Luna returned to the throne. You and Princess Cadence weren’t even a thought in the minds of most ponies yet.” The Doctor started to ramble, frustrated. “If you strut around Canterlot looking as you do you’ll end up plastered all over the national news and who knows what kind of paradoxes that might cause? I can tell you from personal experience that when it comes to time travel, you need to keep a low profile. For now though, get out of my house.”
“WHAT???” Twilight exclaimed. “But I was just--” Twilight never had the chance to finish her sentence. Before she knew it, she had been tackled out the door, right on top of Spike, and the door slammed in her face. Twilight might be powerful, but that stallion sure knew how to throw his weight around. “Well, what are we gonna do now?” Twilight sighed somberly.
“Well,” Spike said “I don’t know about how you’re going to hide those wings of yours, but if you’re serious about going to that party, you might want to dress up for it. Just an idea.”
“Heh, dress up.” Twilight chuckled. “Wait a minute, dress up. Dress up? Dress! Spike, you’re a genius!!!”
“I am?” said Spike.
“Yes you are." Twilight screamed in delight. "I can just tuck my wings underneath a dress. Nopony will see them then."
"That's great Twilight, but can you, um, please put me down?"
"What?" Twilight asked. Without even realizing it, in her excitement, Twilight had flown several feet into the air and carried Spike with her.
"Oh, sorry." She put him back down, embarrassed. "We need to go talk to Rarity
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“So Twilight, darling, are you absolutely certain this is a good idea?” Rarity inquired. “Time travel would seem to be a nasty business.”
“I know it is but I have to try” Twilight said determined.
“Well, if you’re really that set on it, I suppose it isn’t my place to try and stop you. You said you wanted me to make you a dress?”
“Nothing fancy” Twilight said. I just need something I can hide my wings under.”
“I will see what I can do” Rarity confirmed.
“Thanks Rarity. This means a lot to me. You’re the best friend I could ask for.”
“It’s no problem twilight. I’m simply doing my job.” From there, Rarity galloped up the steps to her sewing room.
“Ah, Rarity” Spike sighed. “If only, if only”. Twilight could almost swear she saw little hearts in his eyes.
“Maybe someday Spike.” Twilight giggled “But that’s a mission for another day.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right” the dragon sighed.
Twilight and Spike sat in the lobby of the Carousel Boutique for the next two hours, making idle conversation until, finally, Rarity cantered back down the stairs. Draped over her back was a simple yet elegant yellow dress with a flowing red neckerchief draped around the shoulders. “I hope it’s nothing too fancy” Rarity said.
Twilight examined it. “This will work. Thanks again Rarity.”
“Well, that’s what friends are for” Rarity said.
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Once again, Twilight knocked on the door to the house of the Hooves family wearing the new dress she’d gotten from Rarity. This time, it was the Doctor who answered. “Oh, I see you’ve figured something out” the Doctor said. “Well, in that case, I did promise I’d help you and I’m not one to break my promises. Follow me.” The Doctor trotted out of his house. He made his way through Ponyville, with Twilight and Spike following in close pursuit, until he came to a stop outside of a blue painted, wooden phone booth.
“Is this it?” Twilight challenged. “That’s really your time machine? It just looks like a boring old phone booth.”
“Looks can be deceiving Twilight.” The Doctor moved to push open the door and trotted inside. Twilight stood there staring, not sure if she should follow. “Well, what are you waiting for? Come on.” The Doctor insisted.
Twilight hesitantly walked forward followed by Spike. When she passed through the large double doors, she let out a shocked gasp. “It’s”
“bigger on the inside” the Doctor finished. “Yes, yes, I’ve heard it all before. Now do you want to go or not?”
Twilight gazed around the Tardis. Between the spinning gears, the blinking lights and all manner of unidentified machines littered about, it was almost too much for Twilight to take in. “Yes” Twilight said confidently. “I’m ready.”
“All right” the Doctor said “but I must warn you, there are some things you simply cannot change. Even with time travel.”
“It will work” Twilight declared. “It has to work.”
“Okay then” the Doctor said, not sounding quite as sure. He slammed his right front hoof onto a switch labeled ‘Big Friendly Button’.
Gradually, Twilight heard a grinding sound. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. The Tardis tumbled and tipped around like a roller-coaster and Twilight lost her footing.
Moments later, just as quickly as it started, it came to an end. Twilight shakily climbed to her hooves. And peeked outside the door. “We’re still in Ponyville. Why are we still in Ponyville? It looks exactly the same as when we left. Is this even the right date? Why couldn’t you drop us off in Canterlot?” Time Turner needed a second to process all of the questions.
“Well firstly, I must tell you that it’s the same where but a different when. I could have taken us to Canterlot, but it would have required a lot of extra programming and the Tardis can be a very temperamental girl. There are several things that could easily have gone wrong and it just didn’t seem worth the risk. As for the date,” the Doctor darted to his console “we’ve traveled to June 19th 2010” exactly when you said that party took place.
“Can I at least know the time?” Twilight inquired.
“It says here that it’s currently 3:37 pm. I tried to set this for a few hours earlier but like I said before, the Tardis can be temperamental.” Twilight slumped to the ground.
“Did we miss it?” Twilight wondered. “Did that party happen at two o clock or four o clock? Oh, I’m just not sure." Twilight exclaimed, exasperated. "Hey Spike, when was that party again?”
“What are asking me for?” the young dragon said defensively. “I didn’t go to that party either.”
“Well then we’ll just have to hope we can still make it.” Stepping out of the Tardis, with Spike on her back, Twilight flared out her wings, preparing to soar off to Canterlot. Two feet into the air, Spike threw himself on top of her wings causing them both to tumble back to the ground. “What the hay was that for?” Twilight shrieked. “If we fly, we can get there in ten minutes.”
“Remember what Time Turner said about keeping a low profile?” If you fly though the air, you’ll be out in the open for everypony to see.
Twilight sighed tucking her wings back under her dress “You’ve got a point. I guess we'll have to take a train then.”
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Before long, Twilight and Spike were running up to the train station. “Two bits per passenger” the conductor declared.
“Hey Twilight, you did remember to bring some money with you right?” Spike asked.
“Yeah, I did” Twilight confirmed. They managed to find seats without a problem. However the trip from Ponyville to Canterlot took an hour and a half. “Couldn’t this train go any faster?” Twilight whined “If we don’t get there soon we’ll miss the party for sure."
“You’re starting to sound like Rarity” Spike scoffed.
When the train finally arrived, Twilight bounded off of it with Spike on her back. They galloped through the streets of Canterlot wasting as little time as possible. Then, finally, they arrived at the Canterlot gardens. But the gardener was the only pony there. “Where is everypony?” Twilight asked him. “I thought there was going to be a party here”
The gardener vacantly gazed up at her. “Oh, you mean those five lovely mares? They all left about a half hour ago."
Time Turners words came flooding back to Twilight. “There are some things you simply cannot change.” “Oh,” Twilight said defeated “I guess we missed it”
“Whatever” the gardener said “That’s none of my business.” He continued his raking, whistling all the while, blissfully unaware of what that party had meant for Moon Dancer.
“No!” Twilight shouted, “NO, NO, NO!!! I failed! We didn’t change anything.” She crumpled to the ground and began sobbing into her forehooves.
“Hey Twilight” Spike said. “It’s not that bad. I’m honestly surprised you didn’t see this coming.”
Twilight peeked up at him though she could barely see him through her tear-filled eyes. ‘What do you mean?” she croaked.
“Well,” spike began “Do remember the last time you tried to time travel? You got really obsessed and broke into the Canterlot archives.” Twilight was still sobbing too hard to answer so she simply nodded. “Well, by trying to change the past, you just ended up causing it to happen. I don’t like it either” Spike said “but the hard truth is that you can’t change the past.”
Finally finding her voice, Twilight shakily spoke up. “You know what Spike? M-maybe you’re r-right.” Letting out her final sobs, Twilight spoke with a newfound determination. “Maybe I can’t stop Moon Dancer from going down that dark path. But even if we can’t change the past, we can still try and help her in the present.” Twilight got an inspired look on her face. “First we’ll need to find the Doctor and get back to our own time. But after that, there’s a certain pink party pony who I think could help us out.”