After a month of traveling, things seem to be going well for the Doctor and his companions. However, after a certain egotistical unicorn appears in the TARDIS, they find themselves trapped in an army base that has a bad infestation.
It's been a month since the Mane 6, Derpy, and Spike started traveling with the Doctor. Things suddenly take a turn for the worse when a foil from Twilight's past mysteriously appears in the TARDIS and they all end up trapped in a seemingly-abandoned asteroid base that has a bad infestation.
Doctor Whooves: Episode 10 The Magician and the Angels
Prologue
Carrot Hill, The Emerald Plain, Northern Regions, Epripa, Spring, 343 P.C.E.
The Doctor sat on top of the hill and overlooked the wide, green plain before him. A colony of rabbits had come to rest at the foot of the hill. Fluttershy stood before them. She was giving an equal serving of carrots to each rabbit.
"Now remember to share from now on. Okay?" Fluttershy said with a smile. The rabbits nodded before taking off towards the horizon. The yellow pegasus turned back to the Doctor and flew up to him. "Thank you for bringing me here, Doctor."
"Well, from what I've heard about your love for animals, I guessed that this place would practically be a dream come true for you," the Doctor replied.
"Oh it is! There's so many rabbits here! Maybe I should bring Angel Bunny here someday!"
"Hard to think that in a few thousand years, these rabbits' descendants will be intelligent, humanoid creatures."
"I would prefer the intelligent bunnies to the ones we just encountered!" said Rainbow Dash, was was sprawled out on the ground a few feet away. Pinkie Pie was having a blast playing with a few bunnies who decided to stick around for a little bit longer. Twilight was taking notes of the landscape with a quill and notepad. Derpy and Applejack were cautiously trying the carrots.
"I haven't eaten that many carrots in my life but these are certainly the best!" said Derpy with a smile.
"Not an apple for miles. Darn," said Applejack with a sigh.
"Don't you get tired of apples every now and then?" asked Rarity as she walked forward with Spike.
"Me get tired of apples?! Never!"
"So is everypony ready to go?" asked the Doctor as he walked towards the TARDIS.
"Finally!" Rainbow exclaimed as she sat up. Twilight stuffed the quill and notepad into her bag as she walked forward.
"I think the Princess would be very interested to read about all the places I've been so far," she said happily.
"I can't believe it's already been a month since we started traveling with the Doctor," said Spike as he walked next to her.
"Time sure flies by quickly."
"I know, right?!" asked Pinkie as she cartwheeled into the TARDIS.
"I've seen many strange things in my travels and I don't think I'm ever going to get used to Pinkie Pie," said the Doctor with a chuckle.
Once everypony was back inside the TARDIS, they began discussing where they would go next.
"How about a beach? We haven't visited a beach yet!" Spike suggested.
"That reminds me! When we visited EPX234, a giant grasshopper told me about a planet with sand that doesn't stick to you and water that tastes like sugar!" said Pinkie.
"That certainly sounds interesting!" said Rarity.
"What was the name of that planet?" Applejack asked.
"Rowel, I think," Pinkie replied.
"Then Rowel it is!" said the Doctor happily. Everypony casually held onto something as the Doctor began tweaking with the controls. The TARDIS began to shake and soon it shot off into the time stream. For a few seconds, everything was working normally. Then something smashed into the side of the ship.
"What was that?!" Derpy asked.
"We're hitting something!" said the Doctor.
"Ah think we were able to work that out on our own, thank you very much," said Applejack. The TARDIS groaned again.
"What if something's trying to get in?" asked Spike as he began biting on his claws.
"We're traveling through the time stream! What could possibly be trying to get into the ship through the time stream?" Twilight asked. The TARDIS shook again and then came to a smooth halt. Everypony was silent for a few seconds.
"Have we stopped?" Pinkie asked.
"I think so," said Rarity.
"So when and where are we?" Derpy asked as she walked up next to the Doctor. Twilight followed suit and stood on the other side of the Doctor.
"I don't think we're anywhere. We're still in the time stream," the Doctor replied.
"Has the TARDIS ever stopped in the time stream before?" Twilight asked.
"No."
"That's not the answer I was hoping for."
"So what do we do now?" Rainbow asked. Just then, a large flash of golden light appeared. The Doctor and the others were temporarily blinded for a few seconds. When the Doctor's vision returned to normal, he saw that a new figure was standing in the TARDIS. It was a unicorn mare with a dark blue coat, a silver mane, and a cutie mark that consisted of a crescent moon and a star-tipped wand. She was wearing a purple wizard's cloak and a purple wizard's hat: both were purple with a series of stars on them.
"What?!" asked the surprised Doctor. The others looked at the mare with open mouths.
"TRIXIE?!" they all gasped. Trixie the unicorn looked at the others with an angry stare.
"You! Where have you brought the Great and Powerful Trixie?!" Trixie snapped.
"What?!" asked the Doctor, who was still surprised by Trixie's unexpected appearance.
"What is this place?!"
"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Rainbow groaned as she proceeded to face-hoof. Suddenly, the TARDIS shook again and began flying off towards an unknown place and time.
"Doctor! What's going on?!" asked Twilight as she held onto the control console along with the Doctor and Derpy.
"Where are you taking the Great and Powerful Trixie?! She has no time for this!" Trixie snapped as she held onto one of the columns.
"What?! What?! WHAT?!" asked the Doctor, who was attempting to piece everything together in his mind.
Hospital Wing, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
Trixie hit the ground with a loud thud as the TARDIS came to a sudden halt. Her hat flew off her head and fell on top of Spike.
"Give Trixie her hat back!" Trixie snapped as he snatched the hat up and placed it back on her head.
"What just happened?" Derpy asked.
"I don't know. But I know that we're certainly not on Rowel," the Doctor replied.
"I demand that you take Trixie back to where you took her from!" Trixie ordered as she approached the Doctor.
"Nice to see you again too, Trixie," Twilight said as she rolled her eyes.
"I should have known that you and your stupid friends would be behind this! Take Trixie back now!"
"Does she normally talk like that?" the Doctor whispered to Twilight.
"Sadly, yes," Twilight sighed.
"Stop whispering amongst yourselves and take Trixie home this instant! Trixie doesn't want to be in your company any longer than she needs to be!" Trixie snapped.
"Don't worry, the feeling is mutual," said Applejack. The Doctor began tweaking with the TARDIS controls.
"Uh oh," he said.
"Uh oh? I don't like the sound of that," said Spike.
"The TARDIS seems to be in a hibernation state."
"What does that mean exactly?" Rarity asked.
"That means that we're stuck here until the TARDIS recovers."
"I really don't like the sound of that!" Spike added.
"Trixie has no time for this! She has a show to get back to!" Trixie stated.
"You're still doing shows? I thought you would have stopped after Twilight showed you up," said Rainbow with a smirk.
"That was just luck! Trixie is still the superior unicorn!"
"Trixie, can we please put what happened behind us and move on? It doesn't matter who's better at magic," said Twilight.
"No! Trixie will put you in your place, Twilight Sparkle!"
"Wherever we are, can we just leave her here?" Rainbow asked.
"No, Rainbow," Twilight replied.
"Darn."
"Well we might as well see where we've landed anyway!" said the Doctor with a smile.
"What?! Trixie doesn't have time for this!" Trixie hollered.
"Quite a complainer, aren't you?"
"Oh shut up, you twit!"
"Trixie, don't worry about wasting any time. This is a time machine so you literally have all the time in the world," said Derpy as she walked by.
"What?"
Trixie fell silent as she followed the Doctor and the others through the TARDIS doors.
Outside the TARDIS was an old hospital ward. The windows were smashed, cobwebs hung from the ceiling and from the walls, the beds were rotting and torn, the windows were smashed, and the floor was filled with cracks. It was nighttime outside and a series of stars could be seen in the sky through the broken windows.
"Lovely place to stop," said Rarity sarcastically.
"I wonder where we are," said Spike. Derpy walked over to a nearby bedside table and examined a picture on top of it. The picture consisted of a group of soldiers. Something was written on the bottom of the picture. It read: Red Wing Unit - Ft. McDonald, November of 6599.
"This isn't recent but it may help out a bit," said Derpy as she handed the picture to the the Doctor. The Doctor examined the picture and sniffed it.
"It's at least ten years old," he said.
"You can tell how old something is by smelling it?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes."
"Wow! I wish I could do that! That would come in real handy!" said Pinkie Pie.
"That doesn't make sense though. How could a place fall into such decay in less than a decade?" Twilight asked.
"Now that is a good question," said the Doctor.
"Who cares?!" Trixie asked.
"I do, and we're going to find out! Might as well since the TARDIS isn't taking us anywhere for a while."
Trixie turned back to the TARDIS and was shocked to see a small police box sitting there.
"But...how...how...what the hay is going on?!"
"That's what we'd like to know," said Applejack as she approached Trixie. "How did you get inside the TARDIS in the first place?"
"Trixie doesn't know and Trixie doesn't care! She just wants to go back to her show! Fans are waiting for her!"
"God help those fans," the Doctor whispered to himself.
"It feels weird, doesn't it?" Fluttershy asked.
"What does?" Derpy asked.
"Every place we've been to, there's always been somepony or something else there to keep us company. Here, it seems that we're the only ones here. We're completely alone."
Everypony feel silent. It was extraordinarily quiet. The only thing they could hear was the sound of their own breathing.
"Creepy," said Spike.
"Remember to giggle at the ghosties!" Pinkie reminded with a large grin.
"Thanks for the useful advice," Trixie said with a snarky tone.
"Exploration time?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Exploration time," the Doctor replied as he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver.
Mess Hall, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
The group remained silent as they walked through the abandoned hallways. Even Trixie couldn't help but be silent. Nopony felt comfortable. It felt almost as if something were watching them at every moment. They eventually came upon an abandoned mess hall.
"Nothing. We've found absolutely nothing," Twilight sighed.
"Have hope, Ms. Sparkle! We'll find something eventually!" said the Doctor as he scanned the mess hall with the Screwdriver.
"Trixie doesn't have time to wait for you to find something!" Trixie complained.
"Don't give me any of that! You have all the time in the world, Ms. Trixie! By the way, for future preference, I recommend you hone your abilities in the area of patience."
Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity snickered at Trixie.
Trixie noticed Rarity's smile and snapped, "Do you want your green hair back?!"
Rarity gasped and said, "No thank you! I prefer to keep my purple mane, thank you very much!"
"Then stop snickering like foals already!"
Rainbow turned to face Trixie and said, "Keep talking and I'm going to shove my hind hoof straight up your-"
"Rainbow!" Applejack hissed. Rainbow fell silent and turned away from the unicorn.
"Strange," said the Doctor.
"What's strange?" Derpy asked.
"This place has obviously been abandoned for quite some time, right?"
"Yes."
"If that were true then who's powering the lights?"
Everypony looked up to see that some of the mess hall's lights were on.
"Maybe it's a backup battery that was left on," Twilight guessed.
"No. It's not that. Somepony's powering them."
Suddenly, the lights began to flicker and a loud scream emanated from behind a nearby doorway. Spike and Pinkie hugged each other tightly and Fluttershy cowered behind them.
"Stand aside! The Great and Powerful Trixie can handle whatever's out there!" Trixie boasted. Twilight stepped forward without saying anything. "What are you doing? Back away! There is no need for your help, Twilight Sparkle!"
"I'm not trying to help in order to prove myself better than you, Trixie! I'm helping so that I can protect my friends!" Twilight snapped. That's when the lights when off. Twilight could hear somepony running through the mess hall doors as well as something running after them. The lights turned back on and both the Doctor's and Twilight's eyes went wide. Standing a few feet away from them was a pegasus stallion in a torn army outfit. Something was holding onto him: the statue of a humanoid angel.
"Please help me!" the stallion pleaded. Tears were beginning to stream down his face. "Don't blink! Don't blink! Whatever you do, please don't blink!"
Mess Hall, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
"It can't be!" the Doctor and Twilight exclaimed as their eyes fell upon the Weeping Angel. Trixie turned to Twilight and laughed.
"You're afraid of a statue? What is there to be afraid of? It's just a statue!" Trixie exclaimed.
"Don't look away!" the stallion cried.
"What's the matter with you? It's just a statue! And an ugly one at that!"
"It's not just a statue. It's a Weeping Angel," said the Doctor.
"A Weeping Angel?" asked Fluttershy.
"I don't see it crying. It looks pretty angry to me," said Pinkie. This was true. The Angel's mouth was open, presenting its sharp teeth, and its white eyes glared with anger and hunger.
"It's just a statue! Statues can't hurt you!" Trixie snapped.
"Only as long as you see it," Twilight added. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker. The stallion tried to break free from the Angel's grasp but its hold was too strong.
"Don't let it take me!" the stallion cried.
"Fine! If you insist!" Trixie scoffed as she aimed her horn at the Angel.
"Trixie! Don't!" yelled the Doctor as he ran forward, but he was too late. Trixie fired a blast of blue energy at the Angel. The magic blast simply bounced off the Angel's hand and smashed into the lights above. The lights turned off. A sickening pop echoed throughout the room just before Twilight, Rarity, and Trixie each cast illumination spells. Some of the mares screamed while others looked on in horror. The stallion's body was lying the ground. The Angel was standing above him, his decapitated head held in its hands.
"How? What? HOW?!"
"Weeping Angels. They're only statues when they're in the sight of a living being. Once you look away, once the lights go out, once you blink, they come after you."
"I...I didn't know! I didn't know!"
"Well now you do! You just let that statue kill him!" Rainbow snapped.
"I didn't know!"
"Well now you do know," said the Doctor as he walked forward. "And, for the record, please stick to talking in first person from now on. That whole talking in third person was really starting to get annoying." The Doctor looked at Trixie. He could see that the unicorn was shaken up by this. "Are you alright?"
"N-no...Trix...I'm not."
"What's a Weeping Angel doing here, Doctor?!" Twilight asked. "I thought the only one to come into this reality was the one back at Fort Rice! What's one doing here?"
"I'm not sure, Twilight," the Doctor replied.
"So what are we supposed to do now?" Derpy asked.
"I think we need to go back to the TARDIS. We'll be safe there and at least we can get some time to find out exactly what's going on."
"Ah don't think that's going to be an option," Applejack gulped.
"Why not?" Pinkie Pie asked. Applejack pointed towards the door in which they had come through. Two Weeping Angels were standing in the doorway.
"More of them?!" Trixie gasped.
"Don't turn your eyes off any of them!" the Doctor ordered.
"How do we get out of here?!" Spike asked. Derpy looked around and noticed a third exit.
"There!" she said. "There's another way out of the mess hall!"
"Okay. Here's the plan. We're going to slowly back up towards that exit. Keep your eyes on the Angels. Whatever you do, don't look away and don't blink!" said the Doctor. Everypony nodded and slowly began backing up towards the third exit. "Keep those illumination spells going, girls!"
Twilight, Rarity, and Trixie nodded nervously. As soon as everypony had passed through the doors, the Doctor quickly shut them and locked them with the Sonic Screwdriver.
"Let's hurry, Doctor!" said Twilight.
"Right!" said the Doctor. The group turned around and began running down the hallway.
"Why are they called Weeping Angels?" Derpy asked.
"Weeping Angels turn to stone when any living creature sees them. That includes each other. They sometimes travel with their hands over their eyes because they can't afford looking at each other. Loneliest creatures in the universe. They can never be seen."
"How sad."
"Something's different though."
"What do you mean?"
"Weeping Angels normally send their victims back in time to feed off their potential energy, but that Angel just decapitated that stallion. That isn't normal."
"They feed off potential energy?"
"Yes. If a Weeping Angel were to touch you, it would send you back in time to probably decades before your birth and just let you live out your life in the past. Weeping Angels feed off the potential energy left over by the life you could have lived if you had remained in the present. That's their main source of food."
"Can they gain that energy by simply killing somepony in the present?"
"Maybe some but not much. No. If an Angel is simply decapitating victims in the present then that means that there must be a larger source of potential energy here to feed off of."
The group rounded a bend only to come across four more Weeping Angels.
"There's another one?!" Rarity gasped.
"More like four more. These aren't the Angels we met in the mess hall. Look. They have scars on their bodies," said Twilight. Everypony examined the Angels and saw a series of scratches and bruises scattered all over their stone bodies. "Everypony just back up and don't take your eyes off them!"
The group began quickly backing up, making sure to not look away from the Angels for one second. Spike turned around and jumped. Four more Weeping Angels were standing at the other end of the hallway.
"More of them?!" Trixie gasped.
"Where the hell are they all coming from?!" Rainbow asked.
"It's an infestation! There must be an entire family of Angels living in this building!" the Doctor exclaimed.
"How are we going to get out of here then?" Applejack asked. Suddenly, the ground fell out from underneath them. The group landed in the middle of another hallway. The insulation and floor stuffing thankfully braced the main impact of the fall. "Ah guess that's one way to get out of a pickle."
A series of footsteps began emanating from upstairs.
"The Angels!" Twilight gasped.
"Everypony look up towards the hole!" the Doctor ordered. Everypony looked up just in time to see the eight Weeping Angels staring down at them.
"How were they able to do that?! I thought you said Angels can't move if any living being's looking at them, even other Weeping Angels!" said Derpy.
"Well the magical effects of this world of yours tend to have random effects on their bodies."
"You could have said that earlier!"
"I guess I could have."
"Oh come on!" Spike groaned as he stood up. At one end of the hallway was a group of five Weeping Angels.
"Just how many of them are there?!" Rarity snapped.
"There just seems to be no end to them!" Fluttershy cried. The Doctor looked to see that the other end of the hallway was clear.
"Everypony run at the count of three!" he said. "One...two...three!"
Everypony turned around and ran down the hallway. They could hear the sound of the Weeping Angels' feet running along the concrete floor behind them. Trixie looked back for a second to see that the Angels were catching up to them quickly. They eventually came to a pair of blue, iron doors that were locked tight.
"This looks like a good place to seek refuge!" said the Doctor as he pulled out his Screwdriver and unlocked the doors. They quickly slipped inside and the Doctor proceeded to close and lock the doors behind them. "We should be safe in here."
"I wouldn't count on that, Doctor," said Twilight. The Doctor turned around to see a line of guns pointed at him and the others.
Refuge Entrance, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
Everypony held their breaths as the gun barrels continued to point at them. The group of ponies operating the guns lowered their weapons upon realizing that the new arrivals were nothing to be afraid of.
"Thank Celestia! For a second there I thought some more Weeping Angels had gotten in!" exclaimed one of the armed ponies.
"You know about the Weeping Angels?" Twilight asked
"How could we not? They're all over the place!"
"He's got a point," said Spike.
"Who are you? Are you the rescue team or something?" asked another one of the ponies.
"Not really. We just ended up here by accident," said Derpy.
"Well you certainly took a wrong turn because now you're trapped here like the rest of us."
"Did any of you see a stallion by the name of Jefferson out there?" asked a pegasus mare in the back.
"We only came across one stallion and he...he was killed by a Weeping Angel," said Twilight. Some of the ponies lowered their heads while others threw their army caps to the ground.
"Damn it!" cursed a pony at the front who was obviously the leader. He was a buff earth pony with a brown coat, a brown mane, and a cutie mark that consisted of a tan shield.
"I'm sorry for your friend but you must tell us what's going on here," said the Doctor as he took a few steps forward.
"We don't like conversing with others whose names we don't know."
"The feeling is mutual."
"You first."
"Fine. If you insist. I'm the Doctor and these are my companions: Twilight Sparkle, Derpy Hooves, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, and Trixie."
"The Doctor? As in-"
"Yes, as in the Doctor. I reckon that you've heard of me."
"Of course! I have read much about your travels. My name in Alexander Cross. I'm the leader of this band of survivors."
"Pleased to meet you. Now could you please explain to me and my friends why there's an abandoned army base infested with a family of Weeping Angels?"
"I'll be happy to explain everything to you, Doctor."
Alexander turned around and began walking towards the interior of the refuge base, beckoning the Doctor and the others to follow him. As they began walking, Alexander said, "By the way, Doctor, there isn't just a family of Weeping Angels here. It's an entire colony."
Refuge Cabins, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
Alexander led the Doctor and his companions past a series of rooms, each with at least two soldiers or scientists bunking inside of them.
"So where are we exactly?" the Doctor asked.
"You're in Fort McDonald. It's an army base built on the asteroid of Trixus...well it was an army base. Now it's nothing more than a prison," Alexander replied.
"What happened here? How did Weeping Angels come into the picture and how do you know what they're called?"
"Weeping Angels have popped up all over the place throughout history. Thankfully, most of the time you were there to stop them. One of my favorite Weeping Angel stories was the infiltration of Fort Rice in 1899. I believe you remember that one well since you were there."
"Yes. I remember."
"Anyway, ten years ago, in November of 6599, a large group of Weeping Angels just suddenly appeared out of thin air. We didn't know how they came to be here but we found out quickly that they were near impossible to beat. It didn't take long for us survivors of the initial attack to be pushed back into this small corner of the fort. The Weeping Angels have been breeding and reproducing constantly since the initial invasion. Now there's an entire colony here."
"How were they all able to mature to adulthood so fast?"
"I can only assume that the far-reaching effects of the power source they're searching for could have something to do with that."
"So there is a powerful energy source involved. I knew something was odd when the Angel simply decapitated your friend rather than sending him back in time."
Alexander led the Doctor and his companions down a flight of stairs that led into a large, circular room. In the center of the room sat a huge orb of blue energy.
"Incredible!" Twilight gasped. Pinkie Pie ran up to the orb and touched it. Swirls of blue gas wrapped around her.
"Ooh! It tickles!" she giggled.
"What's it made of?" Spike asked.
"Nopony knows. It just appeared here randomly ten years ago," Alexander replied.
"Let me guess. It appeared just before the Weeping Angels did, didn't it?" Rainbow Dash guessed.
"Correct. We don't know why it's here but it sure has proven useful this past decade."
"How so?"
"Since this appeared, none of us has aged a day. We've never had the need to eat, sleep, or even use the restroom. It's almost as if it's keeping our bodies frozen in a single, comfortable state."
"Strange," said Twilight.
"It certainly is," the Doctor added.
"It's strange because those effects seem to match the effects of the Master's Rejuvenation Spell."
"The Master's Rejuvenation Spell?" Rarity asked.
"Oh please! Every unicorn should have at least heard of it! It's an extremely powerful spell that can give any weakened creature all of its strength back," said Trixie as she rolled her eyes. "At full power, it can heal any type of injury and even suffice a creature's basic needs for a temporary time. But it's very difficult to pull off and can cause serious problems to the unicorn casting it if it's cast wrong. Putting a halt to the aging process sounds out of even that spell's league, though."
Rainbow and Rarity mumbled something to each other and Trixie proceeded to give them a death stare. Rarity fell silent, thinking about Trixie's earlier mane threat, while Rainbow simply glared back at her.
"The problem is that this thing is both our savior and our executioner," Alexander continued.
"Because this is what the Angels want," said Derpy.
"Exactly."
"An energy source powerful enough to stop aging. I can see why the Weeping Angels want it."
"But how can this power source cause the ponies to stop aging if it's also causing the Weeping Angels to mature faster?" Applejack asked.
"I think the answer's obvious!" said Trixie. "Obviously, this power source has differing effects according to which species is within its radius of power. It's common logic."
Rainbow mumbled something to Applejack and Applejack couldn't help but snicker.
"But we can't let them have it. The outcome of Weeping Angels gaining control over a huge energy source is never good," said the Doctor. Twilight walked up towards the power source and examined it. She stretched out one of her hooves and passed it through some of the magical gas. The gas felt cool to the touch but it had a sense of familiarity to it. Trixie was also drawn towards the power source. Like Twilight, she passed her hoof through it and it felt cool to the touch for her also.
"Twilight? Trixie? Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked.
"Nothing's wrong," said Twilight and Trixie together in an almost robotic voice. Their expressions were glassy and they refused to turn away from the power source. The Doctor approached the two mares and shook them slightly. Twilight and Trixie suddenly grabbed their foreheads and passed out.
"Twilight! Trixie!" the Doctor exclaimed.
"I'll get some help!" said Alexander as he turned back and ran out of the room.
"What's happened to them?!" asked a worried Spike.
"I don't know," the Doctor said as he turned away from Twilight and Trixie and looked up at the mass of blue energy. "I just don't know."
Refuge Clinic, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
The golden light reflecting off from the planet of Regulus shone through the window like a dim shower of sunlight. Twilight and Trixie lay in a pair of beds across from each other, both mares caught in a calming trance of unconsciousness.
Twilight was standing in the middle of a plain of blue grass. The grass sparkled like diamonds and was cold to the touch.
"Just like the power source," said Twilight as she moved her hooves through the grass. She looked towards the sky to see a massive blue ball acting as the sun for this dream world of hers.
"Where are we?" asked a familiar voice. Twilight turned to see that Trixie was there with her.
"Asleep, I guess."
"Why are we asleep? I thought that power source prevented sleep."
"I know just about as much as you do about what's going on here, Trixie."
The two mares fell silent. Suddenly, two ghostly figures fell down from the ball of blue gas. The figures looked like the ghostly outlines of two ponies.
"It's almost time," the figures said. Their voices were distorted but they sounded like the voices of somepony Twilight and Trixie knew very well. "It's almost time."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"We've slept for so long. We've existed in a never-ending second. It's been a short experience for us and yet we know that we've been here for a long time."
"What are you talking about?!" Trixie asked.
"When time calls for it, you'll know what to do. You'll know what to cast. You'll know what to cast...and what to hold onto."
The sapphire grass slowly began to turn to stone and the blue orb of gas turned into a solid, gray rock. Twilight and Trixie watched as the ghostly figures turned into a pair of Weeping Angels.
Twilight and Trixie awoke with a start. Both of them were sweating terribly.
"You're awake!" exclaimed Derpy, who was sitting next to Twilight's bed with Spike.
"What happened?" Spike asked.
"I don't know," said Twilight.
"That makes two of us," Trixie added.
"Do you remember anything?" Derpy asked.
"I...I remember passing out next to the power source and then...the plain," Twilight replied.
"What plain?" Spike asked.
"The ghosts," said Trixie.
"What ghosts?"
"The Weeping Angels," Twilight and Trixie said together.
"What about the Weeping Angels?!"
Spike fell silent as he looked deep into Twilight and Trixie's eyes. Their eyes looked normal except for a faint, blue fire burning in the far back of their irises.
"What are you staring at, Spike?" Twilight asked.
"I'm not sure," Spike replied. Spike then leaned in close to Derpy and whispered, "I think we need the Doctor to take a look at this."
Derpy looked at Twilight and Trixie and quickly noticed the faint eye-flames too. She turned to Spike and whispered, "Yeah. Let's go get him right now."
Power Room, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
The Doctor was examining the power source closely with help from his Sonic Screwdriver. Alexander was standing next to him.
"Have you found anything out yet, Doctor?" he asked.
"Curious. Very curious. This power source acts, looks, and feels like a gas and yet it isn't a gas," the Doctor responded.
"If it isn't a gas then what is it?"
"It's a form of matter outside the main four phases of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. This is made out of none of them. Tell me, Alexander. In this universe, are there more than four phases of matter?"
"Possibly. Scientists of all types have debated on whether or not certain substances can be classified as a separate form of matter entirely. There is one substance, though, that has been debated the most and I believe most scientists are ready to classify it as the fifth phase of matter."
"And what would that be?"
"Magic."
"Magic. I wouldn't doubt for one second that this power source is magical. Though that brings up even more questions."
"How so?"
"I haven't been in this universe for that long, maybe around a little bit over a month, but I have come into several magical encounters. Magic only seems to exist if somepony or something conjures it."
"This is true."
"So if this power source is magical, who or what is it being conjured by?"
Alexander fell silent. At that moment, Derpy and Spike ran into the room.
"Doctor!" Derpy cried.
"Derpy? Spike? What's wrong?" the Doctor asked.
"It's Twilight and Trixie! They're awake!" Spike replied.
"Well that's great!"
"There's something different about them, Doctor."
"What's different about them?"
"I think it would be best if you saw them yourself," Derpy said.
Refuge Clinic, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
Twilight examined herself in the mirror. It didn't take her long to notice the faint, blue flames deep in the back of her eyes. She knew something was inside of her but she didn't feel any different than what she normally felt like. There were no voices in her head, her skin didn't feel clammy or hot, and she didn't feel incredibly angry or sad. She felt normal, plain and simple.
"What are you?" she whispered to herself as she looked at the flames in her eyes, almost as if expecting a voice from within her mind to respond. She heard a chuckle from behind her. She looked to see that Trixie was sitting on the edge of her hospital bunk, chuckling softly. "Something funny?"
"What? Oh...no. I was just thinking of a strange coincidence," Trixie replied. Twilight was happy that Trixie was no longer acting like her usual, boastful self. She didn't seem to be as angry towards Twilight as she had been earlier. Something was different about her.
"What kind of a coincidence?"
"I wasn't lying earlier when I said that I was in the middle of a show when I randomly appeared in the Doctor's...what's it called again?"
"The TARDIS."
"Right, the TARDIS. The show wasn't that big of a deal. I haven't been able to get that many show opportunities since that whole Ursa Minor mishap two years ago. Apparently, news from Ponyville travels around quickly when it involves giant monsters and lying performers. It's been hard, trying to find work and somepony to take you in. I've been able to get some money working at shops and occasionally giving little performances here and there at birthday parties and bars."
"I guess some of that was my fault."
"You think?!"
Trixie fell silent. Twilight could tell that the magician wasn't as angry as she was displaying herself to be.
"No," Trixie continued. "It wasn't your fault. I was the one going around boasting about my supposed gifted, magical abilities to far beyond the average performer's norm. Those two colts wouldn't have gone off and disturbed that Ursa Minor if I hadn't been boasting about achievements that I didn't even have."
"Well this is certainly a change from the norm for you, Trixie," Twilight said with a smile.
"I've been angry for a while, Twilight. Mostly at you and your friends. I was so stubborn that I refused to take any responsibility for what happened and encircled all of my problems around you. All you did was clean up the mistake I caused, and I hated you for it. But...I don't anymore. Something here has just pushed all the anger away."
"The blue flames?"
Trixie pointed at her eyes and nodded.
"You see them too?" Trixie asked.
"Yeah," Twilight replied with a smile. "By the way, what was the coincidence that you were talking about?"
"Remember how you said the effects of the power source remind you of the Master's Rejuvenation Spell?"
"Yeah."
"That's actually the spell I was attempting to cast right before I got transported into the TARDIS."
"Seriously?! Huh. Something tells me that's more than just a coincidence."
"What do you mean?"
"I have no idea."
The clinic doors opened and in walked the Doctor, Derpy, Spike, and Alexander.
"So what's the problem?" the Doctor asked as he looked at the two unicorns.
"Look into their eyes," said Derpy. The Doctor looked straight into Twilight and Trixie's eyes and quickly saw the flames hiding deep within their irises.
"Interesting. Do either of you feel different in any sort of way?"
"No, though Trixie has begun acting nicer," Twilight replied with a grin. Trixie shuffled her hooves slightly until the Doctor began scanning her eyes with his Screwdriver.
"Get that out of my face!" she snapped.
"Apparently she hasn't done a full change," the Doctor chuckled as he proceeded to examine Twilight's eyes with the Screwdriver. "Curious. The flames in your eyes have readings similar to that of the power source."
"I'm not really surprised there. That's probably what put the flames in there," said Twilight.
"But what does it mean, Doctor?" Alexander asked.
"I'm not sure," the Doctor replied.
"Are they going to be okay?" Spike asked.
"As far as I'm concerned, I see no reason to fear for their health. They both appear to be healthy and normal, despite the loss of consciousness earlier and the blue flames in their eyes."
"That doesn't make me feel better by that much."
"Perhaps I should have worded that differently."
"You think?" asked Twilight, Derpy, Spike, Trixie, and Alexander together.
"Alright! No need to gang up on me! Let's just head back to the power source and see if we can deduce anything from it."
Refuge Entrance, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie were standing next to the entrance, staring at the iron doors that separated them and the others from the Weeping Angel colony.
"Do ya think those doors can keep them Angels out of here?" Applejack asked.
"I hope so! I wouldn't want to come across those Angels again and get on their bad side!" Pinkie replied.
"Sugarcube, the first Angel we came across popped a poor stallion's head off like a cork. Ah think it's safe to assume that we're already on their bad side."
"Oh...right!"
Applejack smiled and then let out a great sigh. Pinkie looked at her friend to see that something was off about her.
"Hey, Applejack. Is something wrong?" Pinkie asked.
"Nah, Pinkie. Well...ah guess ah do have something on my mind," Applejack replied.
"Is it a secret?"
"Ah wouldn't say it's a secret. More or less ah would call it something that's on my mind that I don't really want to talk about at the moment."
"Oh...I understand."
"Pinkie...do ya miss home?"
"Of course I do...but I've definitely enjoyed our time traveling with the Doctor!"
"Yeah, I've enjoyed that too...but how much do ya miss home?"
"A whole lot! I miss the Cakes, I miss Gummy, I miss Vinyl and Octavia, I miss Lyra and Bon-Bon, I miss the Mayor, I miss-"
"Alright, sugarcube, ah get it."
"Why did you ask that anyway?"
"Ah don't know. Ah guess I'm starting to feel homesick too...but ah don't want to return home just yet."
"Huh?"
"Ah have a feeling that everypony's getting ready to head back to Ponyville in 1002. Ah just want to revisit one particular event one last time before heading back home."
"And what's the event?"
"Ah really don't feel like talking about it at the moment."
"Okay...I understand, Applejack."
It was at that moment that a loud bang emanated from the other side of the doors. Applejack and Pinkie jumped. Rarity walked in from the interior of the refuge base.
"Where on earth did that racket come from?" she asked.
"The other side of the doors," Applejack replied nervously.
"You don't think-"
Another knock came...and another...and then another. Soon the doors were close to shaking off their hinges. Something hard kept smashing onto the other side of the doors and the sound of scratching could also be heard.
"I think we need to tell the Doctor!" said Pinkie. Applejack and Rarity nodded. The three mares then took off towards the power room.
Power Room, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
Twilight and Trixie approached the power source once again. It still felt cold to the touch but, thankfully, it didn't cause them to pass out this time.
"Do you feel anything?" Alexander asked.
"No," Trixie replied.
"Nothing," Twilight added.
"There has to be something that we're just not noticing," said the Doctor. Suddenly, the entire room shook violently.
"What was that?!" Spike asked.
"An earthquake?" Derpy guessed.
"Asteroids don't have earthquakes," said Alexander. That's when Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity burst into the room. They were followed by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. "What's going on?"
"We think the Angels are trying to break in," said Rarity.
"What?! They've never been this ferocious in their attempts to get the power source."
"I wonder what's changed their attitudes so suddenly," said the Doctor. Twilight and Trixie turned towards the power source and noticed something odd about it: it was beginning to change color.
"Doctor," said Twilight. The Doctor turned and was stunned to see the gas ball changing from blue to purple.
"I think the power source is trying to tell us something."
"Or maybe it's trying to tell us something," said Trixie as she pointed to Twilight and herself. The source began quickly shifting between blue and purple and began spinning like a top. It was spinning so fast that it was blowing air at the ponies like a large fan. Twilight and Trixie froze as they both stared deep into the ball of swirling, magical gases.
"Twilight?! Trixie?!" the Doctor called. Twilight and Trixie remained silent as they continued to stare deeper and deeper into the ball of gas. A tear began falling down Trixie's cheek and Twilight gasped as if she had just learned a shocking secret. The power source then stopped spinning, returned to its original, blue color, and both Twilight and Trixie broke out of their trance. "What happened?! Are you two okay?!"
"We...we saw...some...things," Twilight breathed. Trixie was breathing heavily and looking around the room like something was going to take her.
"No! It can't be true! I won't let it happen! It's not going to take me!" Trixie cried as she ran out of the room.
"Trixie!"
Twilight chased after Trixie. The Doctor and the others followed in hot pursuit.
Refuge Cabins, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
Twilight eventually managed to catch up to Trixie in the survivor cabins. Soldiers and scientists were running all over the place as the building continued to shake from the Angels' attack. Trixie was nearly in tears now.
"We can't let it happen, Twilight! We can't!" Trixie cried.
"If that's what's supposed to happen then that's how it's got to be," Twilight sighed.
"We can stop it, can't we?! Please, Twilight! I...I don't think I'd be able to do it!"
"I'm not completely faithful in my abilities either...but we must do it to save the others...and ourselves!"
The Doctor and the others caught up with them.
"Twilight! Trixie! What the hell's going on?!" the Doctor asked. Trixie tried to break free from Twilight's grasp but Twilight held on to her tightly.
"Time sure is complicated. Right, Doctor?" asked Twilight, who looked almost as frightened as Trixie.
"What's going on? What did you see?!"
"Doctor...the power source...it's-"
Trixie let out a frightened scream and, in the blink of an eye, Twilight and Trixie disappeared into thin air. The Doctor and the others were speechless. Standing in place of the two unicorns was a Weeping Angel, whose face was curved into an evil smile of success.
Refuge Cabins, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
"TWILIGHT!" Spike screamed.
"Quick! Everypony back up and don't take your eyes off that Angel!" Alexander ordered. The Doctor grabbed a hold of Spike and pulled him away from the Angel. A laser blast flew over their heads and smashed into the Weeping Angel, causing the statue to disintegrate into a pile of dust. "Thanks, Chloe!"
A pink, pegasus mare with a laser blaster nodded and aimed her gun to ward off anymore oncoming Angels. The Doctor couldn't help but feel a pit in the bottom of his stomach. Twilight was gone. She had been taken while under his watch. He couldn't help but feel even more guilty when he turned towards the others, who were visibly distraught.
"Twilight," Spike croaked as a tear rolled down his cheek.
Power Room, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
The Doctor was quick to lock the door to the power room with his Sonic Screwdriver once everypony had made it inside.
"Is everypony here?!" Alexander called. All of the soldiers and scientists were accounted for. The walls began to shake with knocks and groan with scratches. They were surrounded by Weeping Angels and it wouldn't be long until they broke in.
"Doctor...what happened to them: Twilight and Trixie?" Derpy asked.
"The Angel sent them back in time," the Doctor sighed sadly.
"To when?"
"I have no idea, Derpy. It's impossible to determine when and where a Weeping Angel's going to dump you."
The Doctor angrily kicked the ground.
"Don't blame yourself, Doctor," said Spike, who was still wiping tears from his eyes. "I don't blame you."
"None of us do," Applejack added. The Doctor felt like smiling but the pain he had from losing Twilight was enough to keep him from doing so. And then there was Trixie. Sure she had been annoying at first but she had begun to change for the better. She was a bystander who should had never been there. In a split second, he had lost a bystander and a friend to a Weeping Angel of all things.
"This isn't the end," the Doctor stated. "There has to be something! A clue of sorts! Twilight would have known how to contact us in the future!"
"I haven't noticed anything," Derpy admitted. The Doctor looked around the room until his eyes fell upon the power source. It was beginning to slowly fade between its blue and purple colors. Then he remembered what Twilight had said right before she had disappeared.
She had said, "Doctor...the power source...it's-," and then she was gone. The Doctor slowly approached the power source, staring deep into its gaseous body.
"Could the answer to the mystery really have been staring us in the face this whole time?" he asked.
"You look like you're thinking up a hypothesis, Doctor," said Alexander.
"That's because I am. Tell me again, when did the Weeping Angels first arrive?"
"November of 6599, exactly ten years ago."
"And this power source appeared right before they did?"
"Yes."
"Did you notice anything odd in Fort McDonald prior to the power source's appearance?"
"No. It was just like a regular d-"
Alexander stopped as he began scratching his head.
"Yes, Alexander?" the Doctor asked.
"I...I think I heard something right before the power source appeared," Alexander continued.
"The word something is really vague. Could you please elaborate?"
"I was the first one to discover the power source. I remember walking to the power room to check up on some old files, since this was a record room prior to the power source's arrival, and as I descended the steps I remember hearing what sounded like a pair of voices."
"Do you remember what they were saying, by any chance?"
"No...but I think they were female voices."
"Then what happened?"
"I asked if anypony was down here and there was a huge flash of light. I ran in here and found the power source...just sitting here."
The Doctor pressed one of his hooves up against the gaseous surface of the power source.
"Doctor...just what are you going on about?" Derpy asked.
The Doctor turned to answer Derpy's question but then turned back to Alexander and asked, "Has anypony ever walked through the power source?"
"No. It gets incredibly cold inside the power source. Somepony could freeze their skin off if they went too deep inside," Alexander replied. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and smiled.
"Well I have plenty of lives to spare."
"Doctor? What are you doing?" asked a nervous Derpy.
"I'm going to find our friends and stop the Angels!"
The Doctor suddenly turned around and charged towards the power source. He activated the Sonic Screwdriver as he dove into the swirling, gaseous mass.
"DOCTOR!" Derpy cried.
Military Sleeping Quarters, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6599 C.E.
Twilight hardly felt anything when the Angel touched her. All she felt was a small prick in the back and a gust of hot air. The decaying hallway, the Doctor, and the others disappeared in an instant and were replaced by a nice, white, clean hallway with silver doors. Trixie was shaking with fear and was still holding onto Twilight. Twilight took in a deep breath of air. The hallway smelled like soap and antibacterial lotion.
"You shouldn't have grabbed me! You should have let me go! I could have escaped it. We could have escaped it!" she snapped.
"We can't change what's supposed to happen, Trixie. I have a feeling that things could have turned out a lot worse if we didn't go back in time."
"How so?!"
"We could have created a paradox!"
"I...I know, Twilight. I just don't think I can do it."
"You don't have to do it alone, Trixie. Remember? We're both in this together."
"Have you ever cast it before?"
"No. But I've read enough about it so I might be able to pull it off...that is if you're there to help me."
"I hope we don't screw up."
"We won't. Remember? We already succeeded."
Trixie chuckled a bit and the two mares began making their way towards the power room-to-be.
Record Room, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6599 C.E.
Fort McDonald was certainly a lot more crowded in 6599 than it was in 6609. Twilight and Trixie had a little difficulty sneaking their way downstairs. At one point, they were nearly caught by the stallion known as Jefferson, who would meet a terrible fate at the hands of a Weeping Angel one day. They eventually made their way into the record room which was, thankfully, empty. Twilight and Trixie stood in the center of the room and took deep breaths.
"You ready?" Twilight asked.
"I'm not sure," Trixie gulped.
"Come on! You're the Great and Powerful Trixie after all! This should be a piece of cake for you!"
"Huh. I'd never thought that I'd hear those words come out of your mouth, Twilight Sparkle."
"So? Do you think you can do it?"
"I...of course! The Great and Powerful Trixie can handle anything!"
"This should be interesting."
"What do you think it's going to feel like?"
"Something tells me that it's going to feel like taking a quick power nap. It won't feel like a decade's going by."
"I hope not. Being stuck with you in a floating ball of magical gas sounds like a boring way to spend ten years."
"The feeling is mutual."
"Okay...I'm ready."
"Good! Let's begin!"
Twilight and Trixie faced each other and pressed their front hooves against each other's. They closed their eyes as they began to focus. Their horns began glowing and they could feel their bodies slowly levitating off the ground.
"It's working!" Trixie exclaimed.
"Keep focusing!" said Twilight. The air became extremely cold while their bodies became extremely hot. "Almost there!"
"Is anypony down there?!" echoed the voice of Alexander Cross from upstairs. Twilight and Trixie remained silent. A huge plume of magic shot out of their horns and wrapped around them. There was a bright flash of light and the neat record room disappeared.
Twilight and Trixie found themselves floating in what appeared to be an abyss of blue and purple gases. They could feel the days passing by outside the gas tomb. The days turned to weeks. The weeks turned to months. The months turned to years.
"We're almost there," said Twilight. "I can feel it."
"Yeah...me too," said Trixie. The two mares fell silent. Their tomb of cold magic wrapped around their bodies like living gelatine. "I think we're here."
"Yes."
A small window appeared in the wall of gas in front of them. Two mares were staring straight at them, yet the mares couldn't see them. Twilight and Trixie recognized the mares as themselves. A blue spark appeared in front of Twilight and Trixie before gliding through the window and into the eyes of their past selves. Past Twilight and Past Trixie passed out as the window closed. A few seconds passed before another window opened. They could see a plain of sapphire grass down below. Twilight and Trixie could see their past selves standing in the middle of the plain.
"Time to deliver the message," said Twilight.
"Yeah," said Trixie. The two mares spiritually descended themselves down into the plain, their bodies remaining safe inside the cold, magical tomb.
"It's almost time. It's almost time," Twilight and Trixie said to their younger selves.
"What do you mean?" asked Past Twilight.
"We've slept for so long. We've existed in a never-ending second. It's been a short experience for us and yet we know that we've been here for a long time."
"What are you talking about?!" asked Past Trixie.
"When time calls for it, you'll know what to do. You'll know what to cast. You'll know what to cast...and what to hold onto."
Twilight and Trixie then returned to their bodies, allowing their past selves to wake up from the their dream as it slowly became stone around them.
"We're close to the end," said Trixie.
"I know. I can feel it," Twilight said with a smile. A new window opened to show Past Twilight and Past Trixie for one last time. This time their past selves could see them. For a brief moment, their minds and memories interlocked with those of their past selves. A tear rolled down Past Trixie's cheek and Past Twilight gasped. The window then closed, leaving Twilight and Trixie alone in the tomb once again. The gas around them began to shift. The air began to become slightly warmer. "It's all up to us from here. The rest is a complete mystery."
"I hate mysteries."
"At least we won't have to deal with it alone. We have friends. We have the Doctor."
"We're going to wake up soon, I hope."
"Not until those Weeping Angels are sent away."
"How are we going to get rid of them?"
"Our future selves implanted those blue flames into us unknowingly, just as we just did to our past selves. I think we can use that extra spark to use this tomb to our advantage."
"How so?"
"We need an extra spark. A second spark of blue would suffice."
"Could you stop speaking in riddles already?"
"Sorry. Being trapped in a magical ball for ten years does weird things to you."
"I guess it does."
"Ah. Here comes that second spark now."
Twilight and Trixie looked to see a familiar chestnut stallion in a blue suit stumbling through the gaseous wall in front of them.
"Brilliant!" the Doctor exclaimed.
"It looks like you found us, Doctor," Twilight giggled.
"It looks like I did! It's a little cold in here!"
"How can you even be in here?" asked a surprised Trixie. The Doctor presented the Sonic Screwdriver to Trixie.
"This helped me get through most of the barriers you've unwillingly set up."
"We need to help the others, Doctor!" said Twilight.
"I know! Do you have a plan that could help rid us of an entire Weeping Angel colony?"
"Trixie and I have a little extra spark inside of us. With an additional spark, we could possibly use the power of our combined spells to inflict some special effects on the Angels."
"I'm sure that you both are thinking the same thing that I am."
"Of course!" Twilight and Trixie replied.
"Okay! Here goes nothing!"
The Doctor activated the Screwdriver and brought it close to the mares. Twilight and Trixie touched the Screwdriver with their hooves. They could feel a feeling of warmth rush from the back of their eyes, through their forelegs, and into the Screwdriver.
"This is it," said Trixie. "Time to end this."
Power Room, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
The lights began to flicker as soon as the door fell down. The Angels were coming closer and closer towards the ponies and the power source with every passing second.
"DOCTOR! DOCTOR!" Derpy cried.
"It's no use! He can't hear you!" Alexander exclaimed. Some of the soldiers attempted to destroy the Angels with their guns but the attacks were proving less and less effective as the Angels drew closer and closer to the power source.
"What do we do now?!" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Panic?" suggested a frightened Fluttershy.
"Sounds good to me!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie as she jumped into Fluttershy's arms and let out a frightened scream.
"This can't be the end!" said Applejack.
"It isn't the end!" Spike exclaimed. The Angels were extremely close now. They were all smiling evilly by this point. They had won and they knew it. That's when a large explosion of blue erupted from the power source. A wave of blue rushed throughout the room. Derpy could swear that she could hear the Angels scream as the blue shock wave smashed into their bodies. Their bodies became nothing more than piles of dust on the floor. It felt like it took forever for the blue explosion to stop. Then everything was silent. The Angels were gone and all of the ponies were left breathing in large quantities of air.
"What...was that?!" Alexander coughed.
"I don't know...but I think the Angels are gone!" Derpy replied. Everypony began looking at each other with shocked and confused faces.
"They're gone?!" Rarity asked.
"But how?!" asked Alexander.
"Who?!" Pinkie Pie asked. The sound of somepony clearing their throat emanated throughout the room. Everypony turned towards the center of the room and stared with wide eyes. The Doctor was sitting in the middle of a small, black crater in the center of the room that used to hold the power source. His Sonic Screwdriver was held firmly in his hoof and an unconscious Twilight and Trixie were lying next to him. His coat was slightly singed and so were Twilight and Trixie's.
The Doctor gave a weak smile as he asked, "Who do you think?"
Refuge Clinic, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
Twilight and Trixie awoke to find the Doctor and the others sitting next to their beds.
"We're already back in here again?" Twilight asked with a smirk. The Doctor couldn't help but smile and give out a faint chuckle. Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight, hugging her tightly.
"I thought that I was never going to see you again!" he stated.
"Spike, I promise that I will never leave you behind. I'll always come back!"
"Well thanks for giving us all heart attacks!" Rainbow Dash snapped.
"Sorry."
Twilight blushed slightly. Trixie rose from her bed. She noticed that her cape and hat were now hanging from a hook on the wall nearby and she quickly dressed herself.
"How are you feeling?" the Doctor asked as he turned to face the magician.
"Better. Are there still flames in my eyes?" Trixie responded. The Doctor carefully examined Trixie's eyes and then turned back to Twilight's eyes. The flames were gone.
"They're gone. You have nothing to worry about."
"Thank Celestia! And thank you Twilight! I probably would have lost my mind from fear if you weren't there to talk sense into me!"
"Somepony had to be there to talk some sense into you," Twilight said.
"Do ah detect a change in attitude?" Applejack asked as she approached Trixie.
"Yeah. Listen, everypony. I just want to...to apologize for acting the way I have," said Trixie as she turned to face the others. "I was stupid and stubborn and a liar and-"
"Apology accepted," said Rarity as she held up one of her hooves. "You've obviously changed for the better and you did help Twilight return you two to the present as well as defeat those awful Weeping Angels. I think that at least warrants us to forgive you for being such a...uh-"
"Bitch?" Rainbow finished.
"I was going to say shrew but thank you for being vulgar, Rainbow Dash!"
"You were thinking it too!"
"She's right. I was acting like that. But I've changed now! Getting sent back in time and then getting trapped with a magical spell for ten years can certainly change a pony," Trixie said as she shuffled her hooves.
"So have you figured out what happened?" Twilight asked as she turned back to the Doctor.
"Of course. It all made perfect sense when I found you and Trixie. The Angel sent you back to 6599 where you both used the Master's Rejuvenation Spell to turn yourselves into the power source that would protect Alexander and the others for the last decade. The blue flames and the visions you two received were from your future selves, basically giving you instructions of what to do and how to do it. The spell helped keep you at your current age throughout the decade and the whole thing went by in a little over a minute from your point of view. It's all very simple when you think about it and I've already explained it to the others," the Doctor replied.
"Simple to you, maybe," Spike groaned. Derpy walked up and hugged Twilight.
"I'm glad that you're back, Twilight," she said as she pulled away.
"I'm glad to be back, Derpy," Twilight replied with a smile.
"But there's one thing that I'm still confused about."
"And what's that?"
"How did Trixie appear in the TARDIS and why did the TARDIS bring us here against our will?"
"It's obvious isn't it?" the Doctor asked. "Think about it. The power source never would have existed if Twilight and Trixie had never gone back in time and cast the spell. Twilight and Trixie would have never gone back in time if they hadn't received messages from their future selves and if the Weeping Angel hadn't touched them. The Weeping Angels wouldn't have stayed in Fort McDonald for ten years after appearing in this dimension if the power source had never existed in the first place, which is why the Angel touched Twilight and Trixie to begin with so that they could produce the power source that the Angels craved for the past decade. That's why the Trixie appeared in the TARDIS. The TARDIS called her to us and sent us all to Fort McDonald so that the circle of time could be completed. It's a paradox. A never-ending paradox."
"So if the TARDIS had never brought us here than none of this would have happened?" Applejack asked.
"The Angels would still be here but they probably wouldn't have stayed as long as they did if the power source never existed in the first place."
"My head hurts!" Derpy exclaimed.
"Time is complicated," said Twilight.
"You got that right!"
Alexander then walked into a room. His smile was so wide that his teeth gleamed in the light from Regulus.
"You look happy," said Fluttershy.
"It must be good news then!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
"It is! For ten years, those blasted Angels have kept our communications down. Now, with them gone, we were finally able to make contact to some other forts. We're all going to be leaving this place in less than three hours," Alexander exclaimed happily.
"I'm glad for you and your friends," said Trixie.
"How did nopony check up on you for ten years? Didn't they think it was strange that they weren't hearing anything back from you?" Rarity asked.
"The Angels were interfering with that too. They have frightening abilities in this world, the Angels."
"I'm beginning to see that," the Doctor sighed.
"Don't worry. Whatever happens, I believe that you'll be there to stop them!"
Alexander held out a hoof and the Doctor shook it.
"Thank you, Doctor. Thank you and thank you all!" Alexander exclaimed.
"It was our pleasure," Twilight said.
"We checked and, don't worry, the TARDIS is safe and is ready for use!"
"Then I guess it's time to head off then!" said the Doctor.
"Off again?!" asked an excited Derpy.
"Off again."
Hospital Wing, Fort McDonald, Trixus, Regulus Orbit, Autumn, 6609 C.E.
The Doctor and the others quickly made their way back to the TARDIS. None of them could feel happier about finally leaving the ruined Fort McDonald.
"I guess we'll need to drop you off back home first, Trixie," said the Doctor as he walked into the TARDIS.
"That would be nice," Trixie replied. The Doctor was about to begin working the controls when he noticed that some of the others were looking a bit...off.
"Is something wrong?"
"Not really," Spike replied.
"It's just that...we're all feeling a bit homesick," said Fluttershy. "I hope you don't mind!"
"I don't mind, Fluttershy! It's perfectly understandable! So I guess you all want to make a quick pit stop back home, right?" the Doctor asked.
"Actually...we think we want more than a pit stop, Doctor," said Rarity. The Doctor turned away from the controls. He knew what was coming.
"We don't want to stop traveling with you forever! Trust me, there are plenty of places that we want to see...but we just want to go home for now," said Rainbow Dash. The only ponies who seemed to be disappointed by this news other than the Doctor were Twilight, Derpy, and Applejack.
"We're...going home?" Derpy sighed sadly.
"We've been gone for a whole month. I haven't seen anypony else in Ponyville for a whole month!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"You too huh, Pinkie?" the Doctor asked. Pinkie nodded sadly. It was obvious that the ponies didn't want to stop their adventures...but their longing to be home again overpowered their lust for adventure. The Doctor was sad...but he understood completely. "Fine. I guess it is about time that we put our adventures on hold for now."
"We'll come back for more, Doctor! You can be sure of that!" Spike said. "Just don't lose anypony along the way."
Spike looked up at Twilight and she smiled back at him.
"I'll never lose any of you. That's a promise."
Everypony smiled as the Doctor began making his way over towards the controls.
"WAIT!" somepony called suddenly. The Doctor looked to see that Applejack had stepped forward, her hoof was raised. "Can we not go home...just yet?"
Everypony fell silent. This was certainly unexpected.
"Applejack? You don't want to go home?" Rainbow asked.
"I thought you of all ponies would be the one who wanted to go home the most," Rarity stated.
"Ah do want to go home! Very much so! There's just...something ah want to see before ah return home," Applejack continued.
"And what would that be?" the Doctor asked.
"It's an event that occurred in my life that I would like to take a look back at."
"I...I don't know, Applejack. Mostly, everypony here seems ready to go home. I bet Trixie's just dying to get back to her-"
"I don't mind, Doctor," Trixie interrupted. Everypony stared at Trixie. "It looks like this event is very important to Applejack. I bet she's been trying to ask you about it ever since you started traveling together but she didn't puck up the courage to ask you until now. I wouldn't mind waiting around a little bit longer so that Applejack can relive some old memories."
"Thank you, Trixie," said a stunned Applejack.
"Well if even Trixie, of all ponies, is willing to wait then I guess I can too," said Rainbow.
"Me too," said Rarity, Spike, and Fluttershy together.
"Me five!" cheered Pinkie.
"So we get one more adventure before heading home?" asked Derpy as her eyes lit up.
"Why not? What's the harm in making one last trip before taking everypony home?!" the Doctor asked as he began tweaking with the controls.
"This should be interesting," said Twilight as she stood next to the Doctor.
"It probably will be! So, Applejack, when and where are we off to?"
Applejack looked stunned, sad, and happy all at the same time. Something was definitely off about the earth pony. Whatever this event was, it was apparently extremely important to her. She looked at the Doctor and said, "Ponyville on July 6, 996."
