A crossover fic about ponies getting lost in different dimensions and one person's quest to return them to their own time.
In honor of Back to the Future 2, this story will be finished by October 21, 2015. When Doctor Hooves and Bill Neigh stumble upon a pony from the past, hijinks ensue as they try to help him get back to his own time while also discovering a new world for themselves!
It is a beautiful day in Ponyville, as ponies scurry about completing errands and enjoy the wondrous summer weather, made possible by the gracious Pegasi of Cloudsdale. At Ponyville Cafe, Doctor Hooves and Bill Neigh, Equestria's dynamic duo in scientific endeavors, are discussing their latest scientific developments and theories over a fresh pot of tea.
"And that's when I realized that my previous formula was false," Doctor Hooves explains, "It was in fact the square root of the space between vectors that provided the key to inter-dimensional travel, thus proving my theory of the quantum leap was possible!"
"Really?" Bill Neigh asks in astonishment, "You always seem to find your answers so easily, Cornelius. I blame it all on your incredibly vast range of knowledge," he says as he takes another sip of tea.
"Oh, why thank you very much, William," Doctor Hooves says feeling flattered, "but I can assure you, this was no easy task. First, I had to--" but he was suddenly interrupted by a loud bang somewhere in the sky. "Great withering stallions, what in Equestrian was that?!" he exclaims.
"Look, up there!" Bill shouts, and as they turn around, they see a strange object fall out of the sky from nowhere and plummet towards the Everfree forest. "Come on, let's go see what it is!" he says and quickly gets to his hooves as he and his companion follow the path of the strange flying object. Together they trot into the forest as they see a column of gray smoke curl up into the air.
When they find the source of the smoke, they are shocked to realize that the flying object seems to be some sort of metallic, horseless wagon with four wheels, an enclosed roof, and fitted with all sorts of different gadgets and glowing parts. The two scientists warily venture closer to the strange wagon and wonder what could be inside when one of its doors opens and out steps a grey pony with spiked gray and white hair wearing a white lab coat and goggles.
"Great Scott, where the heck am I?" the pony says to himself when he sees the other two ponies with him and suddenly back-pedals. "Wha . . wha . . what in the world are those things?" he asks no pony in particular.
"Excuse me, but we are not simply 'things'. We have names, you know," Doctor Hooves says impatiently, which only freaks out the new pony even more.
"You . . but you're . . but you're ponies. Ponies can't talk!" the visitor says incredulously. "Wait a minute, I'm a pony! How did this happen?!" he shouts as he looks down at his own hooves.
"Now, calm down there, sir," Bill says as the new pony calms down and rights himself. "Now, why don't you tell us who you are and what you're doing here?"
"Well," the visitor begins, "My name is doctor Emmet L. Brown of Hill Valley, California. I was testing my homemade time machine, trying to go a few years into the future when the dial board experienced technical difficulties and soon I had no control of where I was going. That's how I ended up here."
"Wait, are you talking about time travel? It really is possible?!" Doctor Hooves asks, about ready to faint in excitement.
"Of course it is!" Doctor Brown says, "Now, you tell me where I am."
"You're in Ponyville, Equestria, where ponies do indeed talk. My name's Bill Neigh, and this is my friend Doctor Cornelius Hooves. Where is this Cali-what's-it's-name?" Bill asks.
"You mean you've never heard of California? It's only the second biggest state in the United States!" Doc Brown says.
"The what-now? What in Equestria are you talking about?" Doctor Hooves asks.
"Ugh, never mind," Doc Brown says impatiently, "Right now, I need to figure out how to get my time machine up and running again so I can get back to my own time, so if you don't mind, I'd better--"
"Wait, maybe we can help," Doctor Hooves says suddenly. Emmet looks at him with a raised eyebrow, but he continues, "My good friend Bill and I are pretty proficient in the sciences and are on the edge of a time-travelling breakthrough ourselves. I'm sure anything we can do--" but just then Bill elbows him in the ribs.
"Um, can I speak with you for a second, please?" he asks Doctor Hooves, who agrees, and they trot a little ways away. "Doctor, what are you thinking? We have no idea what type of machine we're dealing with here," he says in a hushed tone, "I don't even know what it is, and you're offering our help to work in its inner mechanics?!"
"Calm down, Bill, and look at the opportunity presented to us," Doctor Hooves says soothingly, "We've almost perfected our quantum leap theories, and this technology might just be the push we need to finish them. Plus, imagine what all the other ponies in this world would say if he tried asking for their help?"
"Well, I suppose you're right about that," Bill complies, "So, Doctor Brown, how can we help to fix your - um, what is it exactly?"
"Why, it's a Delorean retrofitted to travel through different dimensions of time," Doc Brown begins, but stops when he sees the blank stares on their faces. "Don't tell me you've never heard of or seen a car, before."
"A what?" Doctor Hooves asks innocently.
"Doctor Brown puts his hoof to his face; "Oh, this is going to be fun," he groans as he steps back into his time machine.
Over the next few days, Doctor Hooves and Bill Neigh help Doc Brown bring his time machine to Doctor Hooves' laboratory so as to keep their project a secret, at Doc Brown's request. They swear not to tell anypony else about their activities so as not to raise suspicion; the only other pony who knows about it is John Darkblaze, who supplies the trio with whatever materials they need to complete their project. Luckily for the Ponyville inventors, Emmet always kept his notes and blueprints regarding his Delorean on him, so they were not completely in the dark. One day, as they worked on fixing the machine, the ponies explain their histories with all things scientific.
"I've studied math and science my entire life," Doctor Hooves reminisces, "I've always been interested in understanding the world around me ever since I tragically miscalculated one particular experiment and caused the entire room to explode!"
"Well, for me, it was the mystery of science that drew me in," Bill Neigh comments, "I was always fascinated by the different applications of science in our lives and how certain phenomenon that may seem impossible to explain are quite simple, such as how lightning and thunder work."
"What about you, Doc?" Doctor Hooves asks Doc Brown, "How did you become a great scientist?"
"Well, it all happened one fateful day during my studies of time travel and inter-dimensional phenomenon. I slipped and hit my head while trying to hang a picture, and I suddenly had a vision of the Flux Capacitor." He then opens the Delorean to show them the Y-shaped transmitter in the backseat; "I discovered that this is what makes time travel possible and have tried finding various practical uses for inter-dimensional travel. This endeavor has, unfortunately, brought more harm than I originally intended."
"I find it amazing," Bill says, "that we in the future have not re-discovered time travel yet. It seems quite fun!"
"Well, that is simply due to the lack of ponies with a hankering for science, my dear William," Doctor Hooves says.
"I must warn you, though," Doc Brown says sternly, "messing with time and space is a dangerous game of risks. One action or event could trigger another, and if it is not dealt with before the ramifications take place, then it could mean serious trouble for you and all else affected. Why just last week, my friend Marty--" but just then they hear the doorbell ring, causing everypony to jump.
"Who could that be?" Doc Brown asks. "That better be that Darkblaze fellow with my order for more electromagnetic wire," he adds as Bill Neigh trots to the door and is greeted by a fluffy-haired pink pony.
"Hey, Billy-boy! You remember me, don't you?" she asks enthusiastically.
"Pinkie Pie! What are you doing here?" Bill asks incredulously.
"Well, I know how much you like to 'get down', from time to time, so I thought I'd ask you to my big party today!" she answers.
"What party are you talking about?" Bill tries to ask but is interrupted by the energetic mare.
"Hey, I just thought of something!" Pinkie says, about to go on one of her tangents, "Why don't I invite your friend Hoovesy, too! Where is he, is he here? I mean, of course he's here because you two always hang out together, because you're the best of friends like two peas in a pod, but not exactly because peas are small and you're big and, honestly, who'd want to be a pea anyways, am I right? So, where is he, cuz I haven't seen him with you yet which is strange and--" but she is soon interrupted when Doctor Hooves warily approaches the doorway.
"What party are you inviting us to?" he asks.
"Heeeyyy, what's up, Doc?" Pinkie asks in greeting, "Well, today marks the eleventh anniversary of Twilight's after-birthday party, and everypony who's anypony's gonna be there. You game?"
"Uh, sure Pinkie," Doctor Hooves hesitates, "We . . wouldn't miss it for all of Equestria."
"Great! Well, I guess I'll be on--" but she stops when she notices Doc Brown and the time machine. "Ooohh, what's this? Hello, I'm Pinkie Pie, what's you're name? Usually I know the names of everypony in town, but since I've never seen you before, you must be new here, and therefore--" but suddenly, Doc Brown tackles Pinkie to the ground before she can finish her tangent.
"Who are you and who are you working for?!" he asks sternly, "How did you know I was here, and--" but just then Bill pulls him off the pink pony by the tail.
"Doc, that was unnecessary," he says incredulously, "Pinkie's a friend, and she's good at keeping secrets. Right?" he then directs at her.
"But how can I keep this secret?" she asks innocently, "Having a new pony in townis so exciting that--"
"Pinkie, we mean it," Doctor Hooves says, "You cannot tell anypony about this, it's just a secret . . science project. Swear you won't tell anypony else about our project."
"I promise," Pinkie says after a pause. She makes her famous "Pinkie Promise" and hops away, calling back "Don't forget about the party!"
After that, the trio continues their work on the time machine, but as they progress, Doctor Hooves begins to formulate a plan in his mind. By the end of the day, they are almost finished with the restoration, and they decide to finish it tomorrow. During the night, however, Doctor Hooves wakes Bill up to have a private conversation.
"Ugh, what is it now, Cornelius?" Bill asks sleepily, "I was in the middle of a good dream."
"I've had an idea, Bill," Doctor Hooves says, "How would you feel about learning more about the past?"
Bill Neigh gasps, "What are you suggesting? That we go back in time? We can't possibly do that, we don't even know how to!" he whispers.
"Well, I've been reading Emmet's notes and blueprints, and it seems fairly easy, actually," Doctor Hooves whispers excitedly, "If you're in, just follow my lead."
"I don't know, Doc," Bill says, "Didn't he say something about not messing with time?"
"We wouldn't be messing with anything," Doctor Hooves insists, "We would only go back for a little while, just to see what life was like before any of us came along. Come on, Bill," he urges gently, "aren't you even the slightest bit curious as to what lies in the past?"
Bill considers Doctor Hooves' plan, and after a period of silence, finally answers; "Alright, Cornelius, I'll play along for now, but we're only gone for a few minutes."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Doctor Hooves says, "As long as we take note of exactly when we left, we can be gone as long as we want before we get back to this exact time - then it will seem as if we never left!"
"If you say so," Bill Neigh says nervously.
"I told you I know what I'm doing," he says as they climb into the Delorean. He punches a few buttons on a central dial pad and a date and time appear on a screen in-between them. "That must be the time he arrived here from. Fascinating!" Doctor Hooves exclaims with glee. Then, he takes a remote, which controls the car's ability to travel in time, and presses the green button in the middle.
Suddenly, lights begin to flash all around the time machine as the world swirls around before them. "Here we go!" Doctor Hooves says excitedly; just before they disappear, however, Bill believes he catches a glimpse of Doc Brown racing into the lab with a shocked expression on his face. He does not have time to consider it, however, as the duo and the time machine disappear and reappear in their destination in time.
When the pair look at each other, they scream in shock; they both look like themselves, only not like themselves. They both sport four extended appendages - two of which have weird, hinged elements, a shorter muzzle, and more clothing than they had on before. Doctor Hooves sports a brown trench coat, grey pants, and a multi-colored scarf, and Bill is wearing his grey sweater with a white lab coat over it.
"What in Equestria happened to us?!" Bill asks incredulously.
"Maybe it's a side effect of time travel?" Doctor Hooves says uncertainly, "Nothing to worry about, though; let us see this new world."
They climb out and gaze at their surroundings; the are in a grassy field with a few houses surrounding them in the distance.
"Where the hay are we?" Bill asks immediately.
"I don't know where we are," Doctor Hooves explains, "but I know it worked because this place looks nothing like Equestria!"
Just then, they both hear a strange sound growing louder; suddenly, a large bird seemingly made of metal flies over them and off into the horizon.
"Where in time did we land?" Bill asks, to which Doctor Hooves offers no reply.
Doctor Emmet Brown was sleeping peacefully, dreaming about going back to the future the next day when he woke to a commotion in the laboratory. He galloped out into the room just in time to see Doctor Hooves and Bill Neigh disappear in his time machine to god knows where and when.
"I knew those two would try and pull something like this!" he says angrily to himself, "Especially that Doctor Hooves character, always asking questions about how time travel worked. They could be anywhere in the space-time continuum by now . ." Then, he remembers something he did before the ponies found him; "Yes, I already locked in the date and time I was to return to once I managed to get the Delorean fixed, so at least I know where and when they are. The question is, how do I find them?" He stays up for the rest of the night trying to figure out a way to get back to the past.
Doctor Hooves and Bill Neigh, after eventually figuring out how to walk with their new legs, they head into a nearby town, which they find out is called Hill Valley. As the duo make their way across town, they marvel at the many sights that lie before them; architecture they have never seen before, other people of all shapes and sizes, and cars that roll around every street corner.
"My word!" Doctor Hooves says, "This is all simply magnificent!"
"I wonder if we're in the past or the future?" Bill Neigh says, astounded by their surroundings.
"Why, it must be the future, of course. Just look at all of these technological advancements!" Doctor Hooves says and points to someone using a water bubbler. Bill Neigh looks over at a group of kids who had been staring at them ever since they had arrived.
"I'll ask them if they know what year we're in. Excuse me, boys," Bill calls out to the kids, "Is this the future or the past?"
The kids snicker amongst themselves. Finally, one of them says "Get lost, freaks!" and they ride away on their two-wheeled contraptions.
"Well, that was rather rude," Bill says to his companion.
"It must be a new sign of greeting others in the future. Hey, you there," Doctor Hooves shouts at an elderly lady, "Go lie in a ditch!" The woman, clearly offended, hurries away as fast as she can.
"I don't think it's a sign of greeting," Bill says as he sees the looks of disdain the bystanders give the duo.
"It seems like we have a lot to learn about the future, my dear William," Doctor Hooves says. "So, let us begin our journey over there!" he exclaims and points to a sign that reads "National Science Conference; Today only, from 1-4pm".
"Are you sure, Cornelius?" Bill asks nervously.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life! Science is something we know, so maybe if we tell people about our scientific endeavors, they might begin to accept us!"
"Well, if you say so," Bill says unconvinced as they make their way to the town hall.
Back in Ponyville, Emmet trots towards John Darkblaze's shop to gather materials for his project. He still had his notes with him, so if he can replicate the Flux capacitor, then he might have a chance of traveling back in time without his time machine. As he trots away from the shop, he let's his mind wander and ends up crashing into a lavender unicorn with dark purple hair.
"Oh, dear! I'm terribly sorry," she immediately apologizes, "I'm usually not this clumsy."
"That's fine, I'll be alright," Doc says as he tries to recover his materials as quickly as possible, but she simply continues.
"No, I feel just awful about this! Here, let me help you," and she uses her magic to put all the pieces of metal and wires in Doc's satchel.
"Thank you. Well, I must be on my way," doc tries to get away, but the unicorn is insistent.
"Are you sure there's nothing else I can do to help? What are all these materials for?" she asks the flustered gray pony. "Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name's Twilight Sparkle, who are -" suddenly, she gasps as if in recognition. "Wait a minute - you're that time-traveling pony Pinkie was talking about!"
Doc Brown nearly has a heart attack as he tackles Twilight into an alleyway. "How do you know about that? We told Pinkie to keep it a secret!" he demands angrily.
"She told me because she couldn't hold it together; something about making her feel weird," Twilight explains, "Anyways, I haven't told anypony else about it, I swear! Please trust me!"
Doc looks into her eyes and realizes she is telling the truth. "Okay, you're in the clear - for now. How about you tell me what you know, and I'll help fill in the blanks. Not here, though," he says, "somewhere private. where nobody - uh, nopony - can hear us."
At Twilight's castle Twilight listens intently as Doc Brown tells his story, all the while her grin growing wider and wider. Finally, when he finishes, she gazes in wonder at him; "Wow," she says "I never thought about a time outside of our own, what life might have been like in the past." Then, she adds "How can I help you find Doctor Hooves and Bill Neigh?"
"Well," doc says sarcastically, "Unless you've got a spare Flux capacitor in this castle of yours, then I don't see how."
"I don't have . . whatever you just said, but I may have something better. Follow me!" she says enthusiastically as she hops out of the room, with doc close behind her. when she shows him the mirror to Canterlot High School and explains its purpose, his eyes suddenly light up with realization.
"Then . . all I need is to reconfigure the hard-wiring on this so that it takes me back in time instead of to another dimension! Great Scott, this is brilliant! Thank you, Twilight; and here I thought I wouldn't have found any good friends in this world."
Twilight blushes as Doc Brown sets to work, using the materials he bought fro John to calibrate the mirror for time travel. Being an aspiring engineer and inventor, he finished the job in less than an hour and sets the estimated time of arrival based on his assumptions.
Twilight looks in nervously. "Are you sure this will work?" she asks Doc anxiously.
"If my calculations are correct, I should arrive on the exact date and the exact time once I walk through the portal. Well, here goes nothing," he adds as he pushes a button which powers up the mirror. He says one last farewell to Twilight as he gallops through the mirror and back into his own time.
Doc spits out a few blades of grass in disgust before getting on his feet. He had not known where the portal would drop him in Hill Valley, and somehow he knew it wouldn't be pleasant; he was now standing in a grassy field surrounded by cows on all sides. He peers around, looking for any signs of his time-traveling companions when he sees the time machine parked not too far away. Doc strides over to it but Doctor Hooves and bill Neigh were nowhere to be found. Debunking that they must have made their way into town, he starts the time machine up and roars out of the meadow, scaring some cows and chickens in the process.
"I have to find them before they make a mess of my time," Doc says as he finds the road leading into town and follows it, fearing how much they've interfered already.
Doctor Hooves and Bill Neigh, meanwhile, have not made too much progress with their plan to "fit in" at the scientists' convention; everyone they speak to either blows their theories off with their own speculations, or they completely ignore the duo.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Cornelius," Bill says after failed attempts to win the approval of yet another scientist. "I don't think anyone here is familiar with our Equestrian theories of time travel and what-not."
"Never give up hope, Bill," Doctor Hooves says enthusiastically, "There's bound to be somebody here that we can talk to about our theories of time travel and --"
Just then,. a voice booms from behind them, "Time travel, eh?" The two Equestrian scientists turn around to face a tall, burly gentleman in a blue suit and red tie followed by a small army of similarly-clad men.
"Um, yes," Doctor Hooves speaks up nervously, intimidated by the man's size. "My friend and I here have our own theories on practical travel through time and space."
"Well, then, that makes us friends! My name's Hubert Grant, proud owner of Grant Industries," and he reaches our a giant hand in greeting, which the other two take politely. "I'm more known for the state-of-the-art appliances and products my company puts out, but I am a major science aficionado - I'm actually working on developing a theory on time travel, as well."
"Well, that certainly is . . . fascinating," Bill Neigh says warily.
"Why don't you join us for a little lunch before the demonstrations?" Hubert offers to the gentlemen, "I'd love to hear more about your theories on time travel."
"As would we like to hear about your own theory. we'd be happy to join you," Doctor Hooves says without consulting his friend.
"Splendid!" Hubert says as he and his followers retreat to the cafeteria.
"Are you sure about this, Cornelius? Something doesn't quite seem right about him," Bill asks his fellow scientist.
"This is the first break we've had all day," Doctor Hooves says insistently, "and besides, what's the worst that could happen?" he adds as they walk over to join Grant for lunch.
Once Doc Brown reaches town, he searches around the square to find the Equestrian scientists. When he sees the sign for the scientist's convention, he surmises they must have gone there first and walks over. When Doc arrives, he looks around again until he sees them talking to none other than Hubert Grant. Just looking at Grant gives Doc an uncontrollable wave of anger, but to see two strangers talking with him - after all Doc had shared with them about the Delorean - amplifies this feeling by a thousand. He storms over to the group, and Bill was the first to see him; "Doc! How did you find us?" he asks startled.
"Just a hunch. Hello, Hubert," he says with scorn.
"Why, Emmet, I didn't know you'd be joining us here! I thought you were off on another one of your crazy experiments," Grant says lightheartedly.
"You two know each other?" Bill Neigh asks, sensing the tension in their staring contest.
"Yes, we've met on certain occasions," Doc Brown says through gritted teeth.
"So, what have you been up to lately, Emmet?" Grant asks casually, "Working on anything that might actually benefit society this time?" he adds with a chuckle.
"Well, our friend here has created a fully-functional time machine," Doctor Hooves says.
"Ha, I'll bet he has! Did it turn out like your last project that ended in complete disaster?" Grant asks with another laugh, "If so then I wish I was there to see your face when it happened."
"Well, actually --" Bill begins to say, but Grant suddenly stands up.
"Well, sorry to rush out like this, but I'm making the first presentation, and I must get ready," he says. "Nice to meet you gentlemen, and I'm sure I'll see you again, Emmet."
"Likewise," Doc says as Grant and his posse stride away.
He then turns to the two Equestrians, "What are you doing here, talking to him of all people?! I should have never left my time machine unattended!" he says with scorn.
"Now calm down, Doc," Doctor Hooves says, "We're sorry about taking the time machine without your permission, I was simply curious as to how time travel worked. As for Hubert, he seems like a fine fellow, what exactly do you have against him, anyway?"
"He's my biggest rival!" Doc exclaims, "He's been trying to figure out my scientific processes ever since we were introduced! He even had one of his henchmen to steal my formula for time travel for his own financial gain!"
"Oh, so, I guess he's not so good after all," Bill Neigh says solemnly, "Is that why he always seems interested in your projects?"
Doc Brown nods solemnly; "All of the research for his "projects", he's stolen or acquired through coercion from other scientists. There's not a single original idea that comes out of his mind, and his "demonstration" today is likely to be nothing different."
Just then, Doctor Hooves' face brightens up and he exclaims, "I think I've got an idea to help you out, Emmet," and without warning, he walks right into the presentation theater.
"What's he up to?" Doc Brown asks Bill.
"Knowing him, nothing good, I imagine," he replies nervously as they hurry in behind him.
Once inside, Bill and Emmet gaze over the hundreds of heads that occupy the theater hall to catch sight of their friend. They eventually spot him making his way towards the stage up front, upon which Hubert Grant is making a speech about his latest achievements in nanotechnology as various clanking sounds can be heard backstage. Bill and Doc try to get to the front without being noticed to grab Doctor Hooves before it was too late.
"Cornelius!" Bill whispers to Doctor Hooves as they sneak backstage, "What do you think you're doing?!"
"I'm looking for ways to sabotage this presentation, of course!" Doctor Hooves says hurriedly, "Now, are you two just going to stand there or will you help me?"
"Neither!" Doc says in a hushed tone, "We're leaving and I'm taking you two back to Equestria!" but Doctor Hooves continues on his search.
"Cornelius, get back here!" Bill says and rushes up to Doctor Hooves. They make contact and roll around until they get tangled in the curtain and pull it down, revealing what was backstage to the audience. Behind the curtain is a cluster of different machines, but they weren't making anything at all - only the noises they heard before.
"Who has done this?" Grant bellows, and he sees Doc Brown standing wide-eyed. "You . . . I knew you'd try to sabotage me eventually."
"Hey, it wasn't him, it was me!" Doctor Hooves says as he lifts himself out from underneath the fallen curtain. Grant is about to turn on him when one of the scientists in the audience speaks up
"Say, what's this, Grant?" he asks, "You told us you had machines making these microchips this very instant."
"Well . . of course I did!" Grant says, looking slightly flustered, "But these machines can only produce one microchip at a time, and here it is!" he exclaims as he holds up a thin piece of circuitry, which Doctor Hooves suddenly snatches out of his hand.
"Truly fascinating, all of that information on such a small piece of wires and circuits," he marvels at the microchip. Just then, Bill pulls out of the curtain in a frenzy and knocks into his companion, sending the microchip flying. Another scientist picks it up and easily snaps it in two pieces.
"This is just made of plastic," she says and throws the pieces on the ground. "You're a fraud!" she adds and soon the entire audience is on their feet protesting the mighty Hubert Grant. Instead of calming the audience, however, he turns to the trio who had ruined his elaborate presentation.
"You . . . . get them!" he shouts to his followers, who immediately storm the stage as Doc Brown, Doctor Hooves, and Bill Neigh scramble towards the exit.
Once outside, the trio make their way to the Delorean as Grant and his goonies get into their SUVs. "Come on, Emmet, get this thing powered up before they get to us!" Doctor Hooves exclaims.
"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Doc Brown says impatiently; soon, it starts up and they speed out of town square with the convoy of SUVs close behind.
"Alright, Doc, I'll admit it!" Doctor Hooves suddenly bursts out as the chase brings them out of town, "I did take the Delorean in my own selfish behavior, and Bill here tried to stop me. I'm a scientist, and figuring out things that don't make sense is my passion. So, when you appeared in Ponyville talking about time travel, I just had to see for myself if what you said was true! Please forgive me!" he cries out with tears in his eyes.
"I'm grateful for your confession, but there's little we can do about that now," Doc says, slightly less annoyed than before.
"Is there any way we can get rid of these guys?" Bill asks Doc; suddenly, Doc's face lights up.
"Yes . . . I know a way to get rid of these losers and get you guys back home!" he exclaims. Doctor Hooves and Bill Neigh look at doc with confused looks, but Doc continues to speed through Hilldale until they come to the railroad crossing. Without warning, the time machine jumps into the tracks and speeds towards Eastwood Ravine - and in the path of an oncoming train! Grant and his gang, who had begun to follow them along the tracks, are forced to turn away, but the Delorean continues on, despite Doctor Hooves and Bill Neigh's screams.
Almost before the train hits them, Doc swerves the time machine out of the way - and right off the edge of the cliff. As the Equestrian scientists scream in horror, Doc flips the time circuit switch, deploys the hover feature and zooms towards the ground. The Delorean eventually reaches 88 mph and disappears in a blinding flash of light. As Grant makes his way to the edge of the cliff, he sees the explosion and, presuming the car's occupants to be dead, simply walks back to his own vehicle.
The Delorean soon reappears on the edge of the Everfree forest, back in Equestria. Doc sets the time machine back down on the ground as they get out to say goodbye to one another.
"Are you sure we didn't cause too much trouble for you back home?" Bill asks nervously, "We did create quite a mess of that convention."
"Don't worry about a thing," Doc says, "I had quite a lot of fun with the two of you. And don't worry about the convention," he adds, "I should actually be thanking you! Now that you've exposed Grant as a fraud, I don't think many people will ever believe anything he says from now on, which is something I've fantasized about for forever."
"Well, I suppose that's good, at least," Doctor Hooves says.
"Also, if Hubert saw us go over the cliff, he will probably think I'm dead," Doc says. "So, when I return, I can't wait to see the look on his face when I 'come back from beyond'," he says as he chuckles to himself.
Doctor Hooves and Bill share his delight as they say one last goodbye to Doc Brown. After wishing them good tidings, Doc sets the time circuits, lifts off from the ground, and speeds into the sky until he disappears in a flash of light and trail of fire. "I wish we could get to see him again, someday," Bill says, reminiscing on their adventures together, "He seems like a really good guy."
"Well, my dear William, that possibility might just become a reality for the two of us!" Doctor Hooves says as he takes out a folded bundle of papers and unfurls them to reveal complicated blueprints and plans.
"What's this?" Bill asks his friend.
"While Emmet was away getting supplies for the repairs, I took the time to copy his notes and blueprints for time travel and the Delorean," Doctor Hooves says eagerly. "We've spent so much time working on that machine that I'm sure we'd have no trouble replicating it. What do you say, Bill? How would you like to have the ability to visit any dimension of time your heart desires?"
Bill Neigh hesitated before giving his answer; "You know, Cornelius," he says, "This adventure of ours made me realize that there are so many eras of time that nopony knows about other than our own time. And, while we were not at all prepared for what we would encounter, I think this experience has enlightened me so that I feel we can do whatever we want in the name of science. Count me in!"
"I knew you would," Doctor Hooves says lightheartedly as the two trot towards Ponyville, discussing the plans for their next big adventure.
