The Doctor has been living in Ponyville for several peaceful weaks, but the peace is shattered when a stallion from an alternate dimension named Clockwork appears.
The Doctor has been living in Ponyville for several weeks now and Hearth's Warming Eve is just around the corner. However, the peace is shattered when a mysterious stallion from another dimension named Clockwork appears. As the a dark nightmare wreaks havoc, Twilight is forced to examine her true feelings for the Doctor and Clockwork must face the fate of his wife, Twilight Sparkle.
"Who else?" replied a familiar, snarky voice. Clockwork smiled as he ran over to the door and opened it. Twilight Sparkle greeted him with a warm kiss to the cheek. "How's my favorite clockmaker?"
"Fine. I was just working on another clock for Pinkie."
"Another one? Seriously, how many clocks is she going to go through?"
"You know Pinkie. Sometimes those parties of hers can get out of hoof."
"And your clocks always seem to pay the price."
"I know. It's sad...but at least I get to continue doing what I love to do!" Twilight turned around and kissed Clockwork straight on the lips.
"I hope I'm not interrupting you."
"Of course not, love. I'll always put time aside for you." They kissed again and Twilight giggled. Clockwork smiled and walked over to a nearby sofa.
"I've already begun packing," he said as he sat down.
"Already? The wedding's not for another month," Twilight said as she sat down next to him. "Besides, you'll have plenty of time to move in after the honeymoon."
"Are you kidding? I want to be ready to move in as soon as I say I do."
"I guess I'll have to warn Spike then. He's yet to clear out a space for your supplies."
"I admit that I'll miss this old place...but at least I have something even more wonderful waiting for me at my new home." Twilight looked into her future husband's eyes. Something else appeared to be on his mind.
"Something's on your mind. What is it?" she asked as she stroked her hoof through his brown mane.
"It's just this random series of dreams that I've been having recently," he replied.
"Good dreams, I hope."
"They are...in a way."
"What happens in these dreams?" Twilight scooted closer to Clockwork and Clockwork wrapped one of his forelegs around her.
"In these dreams, I'm a different pony. I look the same but I go by a different name. I'm called the Doctor."
"The Doctor? Doctor who?"
"That's just it. I'm just the Doctor. Don't care to tell anypony my real name. I'm not even a pony. I look like one but I'm not. I'm a member of a species called the Time Lords. I travel around through all of space and time in a blue box called the TARDIS, it stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space."
"Do you travel by yourself?"
"Yes and no. I occasionally have different companions who travel with me."
"Am I in your dreams?"
"Yes. You're there too. And so are others."
"Others?"
"Yeah. Spike's there...and Applejack and Rarity and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and Bright Eyes is there too, only she goes by the name of Derpy Hooves."
"What type of adventures do we go on?"
"Oh. We go on marvelous adventures. Truly marvelous. We fight aliens and clones. We create paradoxes and fix them. We even come across creatures from alternate universes like moving statues and human beings."
"You should write a book about your dreams. It could be a big hit. I already have a title planned out: Doctor Who: Master of Time and Space!"
"How about just Doctor Who?"
"Good enough, I suppose." Clockwork and Twilight kissed again. Twilight looked seductively into Clockwork's eyes. "I can't wait for the wedding...and the honeymoon."
"Me neither. Where do you want to go?"
"I don't know. Anywhere with a nice, warm, cozy room is fine with me."
"Then we can start a family."
"A family. I like the sound of that."
"Yeah and-" Twilight put her hoof up against Clockwork's mouth.
"No more talking for now." She began advancing on him. "Who says we have to wait for the honeymoon? Why not try for a head start?"
Clockwork kissed Twilight again.
"Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Twilight," he whispered in her ear. Everything afterwards became a blur.
The Clock Tower, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
"Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Mr. Clockwork!" said Bright Eyes as she walked through the door. The chestnut stallion was sitting silently in front of his desk, as usual. "Clockwork?" She noticed that he was busy writing something. Bright Eyes shook her head and sighed. She could only think that at least he was doing something for a change. He had stopped working on clocks or talking to anypony else for that matter since the death of his wife earlier that year. She didn't want to disturb him, for she knew all too well that it was best not to make him angry, but she felt that he needed somepony to talk to on Hearth's Warming Eve. "Mr. Clockwork?"
Clockwork turned around to face his visitor. He was wearing a brown, striped suit, a black tie, and a long, light-brown overcoat.
"Oh...hello, Bright Eyes," said Clockwork as he approached the gray mailpony. "Do you have mail for me or something like that?"
"Well...no."
"Then why are you here?"
"I...I just felt that you maybe wanted somepony with you. It is Hearth's Warming Eve after all."
"I don't need anypony with me."
"Yes you do. You need somepony, Clockwork. Especially since...you know." Clockwork seemed to shake with anger and sadness at the reference to the demise of his beloved wife.
"Get out."
"Clockwork, I-"
"Get out."
"I didn't mean-"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT YOUR INTENTIONS WERE! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Bright Eyes began to cry.
"Please, Clockwork. I'm so-" A hoof came down and struck her across the face. Clockwork grabbed her and pushed her towards the door.
"GET OUT AND NEVER RETURN, YOU BUMBLING PEGASUS!" The door shut with a loud bang. Bright Eyes stood outside the slammed door for a moment, tears rolling down her face.
"I'm sorry, Clockwork." She then turned around and began making her way down the stairs.
Clockwork kicked a chair over in anger. He looked back at the letter he had been writing. He suddenly realized that he was finished. He looked at the letter and read it silently. It read:
To Anypony Who Continued to Care for Me,
I apologize for what I have done to you. What happened to me wasn't your fault. None of you were in the wrong. I...I just can't do this anymore. I miss her. The pain hurts to much. I simply cannot live on anymore. I need to see her again. I need to be with her again. Is the choice I've just made selfish? Most likely. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I just can't do it. It's the end, my friends. Don't feel sorry for me. By the time you read this, I'll be with her again. We'll be together at last. We may have been denied happiness in this life, but we will have it in the next. Goodbye, until we all meet again.
--Clockwork
Tears were rolling down Clockwork's face now. He laid the note out plainly on the table before him. He then turned towards the door that led out to the balcony. He slowly walked outside. Snow was falling down and the entire town was covered in a blanket of snow. The wind was harsh. Clockwork put on a hair of black, square glasses to give his eyes some protection, though they really didn't need any. He looked over the edge. The ground was far below. He could just make out the outline of Bright Eyes exiting the ground floor entrance and running off back to town.
"Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Bright Eyes," said Clockwork as he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Equestria."
He took a step forward and fell. Snow and wind whipped against his body as he fell towards the ground far below. Due to Clockwork's eyes being closed, he didn't notice the rippling air situated just beneath him, located about halfway between the balcony and the ground. Bright Eyes turned around just in time to see the depressed stallion fall straight through the dimensional rift. The rift closed with a loud bang and a flash of light. The confused mare just stood there, staring at the looming clock tower that blended in so well with the snowy night.
Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
Snow was falling heavily upon the town of Ponyville. The whole town was covered in a deep, but nice, blanket of snow. Except for a few, most of the town's inhabitants had resorted to staying indoors for the time being. Twilight and Spike were currently finishing setting up their decorations for Hearth's Warming Eve.
"And...that should do it," said Spike as he placed the golden dragon on top of the tree.
"Perfect, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed. "I can't believe how quickly we finished our decorating this year."
"We would have finished faster if a certain somepony hadn't been sulking around in his box all day." Spike gave a snarky grin and Twilight rolled her eyes.
"You know how he is, Spike. He likes spending at least a couple hours a day in his TARDIS."
"Still, I would have appreciated the help."
"Oh, quit complaining, you," said the Doctor as he walked through the doorway that led to the basement. "Setting up decorations hardly considers as something worth complaining about."
"If it's so easy then how come you didn't help?"
"If you haven't noticed, I've been busy of late."
"One would never guess," said Twilight as she smiled and rolled her eyes. The Doctor sighed as he slumped over to the nearby sofa. "You okay, Doctor?"
"I've hardly made any progress in my study of the rifts! What happened to them anyway? We couldn't stop coming across them in our travels and then, once we returned to Ponyville, they stopped appearing!"
"Why are you so obsessed with those rifts?" Spike asked as he sat down in a chair opposite to the sofa.
"It's all connected, Spike. Rainbow Dash's future self warned me about the rifts, so that alone sets up a red flag for me."
"And let's not forget the Daleks that we came across a few weeks ago back in Canterlot as well as Celestia's news of an evil Doctor and a human Luna," said Twilight as she sat down in the seat next to Spike. The Doctor was silent for a moment. Then a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"By George...it's really been weeks since we got back," he said. He leaned back and let out a sigh. "Time sure flies."
"It sure does. By Hearth's Warming Eve, you'll have been here for a month."
"A whole month of no traveling. Haven't done that in a while, to be honest." He hopped off the sofa and looked at the tree. "Brilliant. Almost exactly like Christmas."
"What's this Christmas that you keep talking about?" Spike asked.
"It's a human holiday that takes place in December each year, the 25th of December to be exact."
"So it's like Hearth's Warming Eve?" Twilight asked.
"In some ways, yes. There's singing and trees and snacks and getting together with friends and family and all that. Except Christmas is more of a religious holiday rather than a founding holiday."
"Interesting. You'll have to tell me the origins of Christmas later."
"Certainly. It's a wonderful tale. But, I must return to the TARDIS! More work to be done!"
"Don't you want any hot cocoa or something to snack on?"
"Of course. Be a dear and bring it down to the TARDIS for me!" The Doctor winked as he disappeared through the basement door. Twilight ran towards the door and stretched her head through the threshold.
"Derpy's going to be here soon!"
"Send her down here then!" Twilight let out an annoyed groan as she marched off to the kitchen.
"Do I detect some jealousy?" Spike teased.
"Don't start with me, Spike."
"So who would you consider to be your greatest rival: Derpy or the TARDIS?" Spike suddenly felt his body levitate off the ground. "TWILIGHT, DON'T YOU DARE!" Twilight poked her head through the doorway that led into the kitchen.
"What are the magic words?" she teased as she placed a hoof up to her ear.
"I'm sorry?" Spike asked.
"And?"
"We shall never speak of your Doctor conflictions again?"
"Correct!" Spike fell to the ground with a loud thud and Twilight retreated back into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Twilight emerged from the kitchen with a cup of hot cocoa and a plate of cookies levitating next to her.
"I do sometimes wish that he would get out more. I guess this whole dimensional rift thing is getting to him," Twilight said as she passed through the library and descended into the basement. Spike looked over at a nearby clock.
"Hmm...Derpy's late. That's unusual," he said.
The Doctor was busy looking through a series of books inside the TARDIS as well as looking at a few monitors and such every few seconds. Twilight walked through the open doors, the levitating mug and plate followed her.
"Here's your snack," she said.
"Excellent! Much appreciated, Twilight," the Doctor replied with a smile as he walked over to greet her. "You can just place them on the console." Twilight looked and noticed a small table extending from the console.
"I never noticed that before."
"It's new, and temporary. I put it in here so that I could have a snack every now and then while I worked."
"Don't you want to get out for a bit?"
"Wasn't I just out?"
"I mean out in general, as in out of the library and into the town."
"That would be nice but the weather has not been that up to par for taking an afternoon stroll."
"I thought you were going to relax while you were staying in Ponyville."
"And I have, haven't I? I've spent time with you, Derpy, and the others and have already fallen victim to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash's pranking ways...twice."
"But you've spent so much time cooped up inside this box of yours." The Doctor sighed and smiled at his friend.
"I'm sorry...but I just can't stop thinking about these rifts. I need to uncover their secrets! I don't want to take a break and risk missing something that could potentially lead to the destruction of all of time and space."
"I understand all that, Doctor, but-"
"Do you really understand, Twilight?" His voice suddenly became sad and guilt-ridden. "Do you really understand what I mean, why I want to take every step to make sure that nothing happens?" Twilight looked the Doctor straight in the eye. Twilight always felt sad whenever she looked deep into the Doctor's eyes. She could tell that the eyes she was staring into had seen countless atrocities and horrors, some probably ten times worse than the stuff they had encountered thus far in their travels together. She wished she could learn to fully understand the Doctor but she knew that she would never be able to meet the level of emotion that he felt. She was only a 19-year-old unicorn from Equestria while he was a 906-year-old Time Lord from a planet called Gallifrey that existed in an alternate universe. How could she now, if ever, call herself his equal? "Twilight? Are you all right?" Twilight realized that she had been staring into his eyes for a long period of time and snapped out of her trance.
"I'm fine, Doctor...but, no, I guess I can never truly understand what you feel about situations like this." Twilight looked away for a moment before turning back with a determined look on her face. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to try." She took a step forward. The Doctor suddenly realized how close he was to Twilight. He could feel her breath pressing against his neck. He looked at the unicorn with a cocked head. She truly was beautiful, in her own bookworm unicorn way. When he looked into her eyes, he saw a desire to learn, a desire to be a fantastic friend, a desire...to understand. He couldn't help but feel guilty. This was common for him now. There wasn't one encounter with any of his past companions that he didn't feel somewhat guilty about. He couldn't help but wonder about in what ways had he affected his companions' lives by befriending them. Did he make their lives better or did he screw them up? "Doctor? Are you all right?" The Doctor realized that he too had been caught staring deep into her eyes and he cleared his throat awkwardly before taking a step back.
"Sorry. I was just thinking of something. Thanks for the cocoa and the cookies. They'll prove useful in...giving me the physical strength to keep going."
"No problem." Twilight turned around and began making her way out of the TARDIS.
"Twilight...wait!" Twilight turned back around to look at the Doctor.
"Yes?"
"How...how would you feel about...going for a walk around town with...me later today?" Twilight's eyes sparkled. "As friends of course!" The sparkle faded a bit but Twilight smiled.
"I knew it. Even you need some time out."
"Is that a yes or a no?"
"It's a yes, of course."
"Okay then. I'll meet you upstairs at around five o'clock then. Sound good?"
"Good. It's a date."
"Yes...wait...a date?!" Twilight chuckled as she began making her way upstairs.
"I'm just kidding with you, Doctor!" The Doctor couldn't help but smile and laugh nervously himself.
Twilight returned to the library to find Spike reading a letter.
"Who's it from?" Twilight asked.
"Derpy. She says that she won't be coming over for a while. The snowfall's too heavy," Spike replied. Twilight looked out the window and noticed that snow was falling from the sky in tons.
"I hope it's not like this later. The Doctor just asked me to go walking with him later and I don't want his first time out of that box of his in a long time to be spoiled."
"Wait...did the Doctor-"
"It's not what you think, Spike. We're just taking a walk as friends. This is mostly something to get him out of that darn TARDIS."
"It's a date, isn't it?"
"No it isn't."
"He asked you out, didn't he?"
"We're just doing it as friends!"
"Isn't this what you want? You've been ogling over him since Celestia knows when!"
"Keep talking and you're going out in the snow!"
"I'll just shut up now."
"Thank you." Spike gave a devious smile. "Spike!"
"I'm being quiet. You said nothing about thoughts and expressions." Twilight was about to levitate the dragon again when suddenly there was a bright flash of light in the middle of the library. Twilight was blinded for a moment. When the light faded, Twilight looked to see a chestnut stallion lying on the floor in the middle of the library. He had a brown mane and an hourglass cutie mark. He wore a brown striped suit, a long light-brown overcoat, a black tie, and a pair of glasses. Twilight's eyes widened when she realized that he looked exactly like the Doctor. "Twilight...is that-"
"He looks exactly like the Doctor!" Twilight cautiously approached the unconscious stallion. She stopped when her face was right over his. He looked like the Doctor but there was something different about him. He looked younger. While the Doctor looked like a pony in his early thirties, this stallion looked like a Doctor who was around Twilight's age. Spike slid off the chair and stood a few feet away.
"Twilight, is he-"
"No. He's alive. See? He's breathing." Spike looked and saw that the stallion's chest was rising and falling. The dragon couldn't help but sigh with relief.
"At least he's not dead. Should I tell the Doctor about this?"
"Yeah. You probably should." Spike nodded as he raced through the basement door. Just then, the stallion began to come to. "Hello? Sir? Are you okay?" The stallion's eyes opened. He had the same eyes as the Doctor's only they were a little bit different. His eyes still held sadness and guilt like the Doctor's only they didn't look quite as old nor as guilt-ridden. The stallion stared blankly up at Twilight. "Are you okay?"
"Twi...Twilight?" the stallion asked. Twilight was a little surprised by the fact that the stallion knew her name. "Twilight Sparkle?!"
"Uh...yeah. That's me." A wide smile appeared on the stallion's face and his eyes lit up like fireworks.
"It worked! We're together again! Oh Twilight, my love, we're finally together again!" The stallion reached his forehooves up and wrapped them around Twilight's neck. He then brought Twilight's face down and their lips met in a hot, passionate kiss.
Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
The Doctor followed Spike up the stairs as fast as possible. He was excited. As soon as he heard the words appeared out of thin air he knew exactly what had happened: another rift had opened. This was what the Doctor had been waiting for! What he saw once he got up to the library, however, was nowhere near what he was expecting.
Twilight was standing over a stallion in an overcoat who was lying on his back. Their lips were locked together like welded iron. Spike's jaw dropped and the Doctor felt his stomach do several back flips. The Doctor could only manage to say, "Well...this was unexpected."
Twilight was in shock. The strange stallion was kissing her as if they had known each other for years. For a few seconds she hesitated and let him proceed to kiss her. He looked so much like the Doctor. Then, reality came into play and she suddenly realized what she was happening: a stranger was making out with her from out of the blue. She pulled herself away from the stallion and gave him a firm slap with her hoof.
"What the hell are you doing?!" she snapped as she stepped away, rubbing her lips vigorously. The stallion sat up and looked at Twilight, a confused look was on his face.
"Kissing you. What's wrong with that?" he asked.
"What's wrong with that?! I don't even know you!"
"What are you talking about? How could you not know your own husband?"
"My...my HUSBAND?! Are you insane?! I don't have a husband! I don't even have a coltfriend!"
"Now, Twilight, stop this right now! I'm Clockwork, remember? Your husband!"
"I told you! I'm not married!" Twilight suddenly realized that the Doctor and Spike had returned. Everypony fell silent. Spike was still in shock and so was the Doctor, but the Doctor had been listening to the stallion's words with extreme care. The stallion named Clockwork turned towards the Doctor and Spike. His face became pale when his eyes fell upon the Doctor. The Doctor cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"Now I think it would be best if everypony just calmed down and took a breather," he said. Clockwork pointed at the Doctor with a shaky hoof.
"So you know me? That's a start." Clockwork looked back at Twilight with a saddened look on his face. "Clockwork, is it?" Clockwork turned back to the Doctor and nodded. "Would you mind standing up for me?"
"What? Oh...of course not." Clockwork stood up and dusted himself off. The Doctor pulled out a magnifying glass and began walking around the confused stallion.
"Let's see. Same coat, same mane, same cutie mark, same eyes, and even a resemblance to my old wardrobe. Interesting." Clockwork kept looking back at Twilight. Twilight avoided looking him straight in the eye. Spike moved over next to Twilight.
"I leave you alone for a few seconds and you make out with him?!" he whispered. Twilight was tempted to slap the dragon but she decided against it.
"I didn't kiss him! He kissed me!" she whispered back. She looked back at Clockwork. The stallion appeared to be in shock more than anything. It was as if he thought he was in a dream. The Doctor finished his observations and took a few steps back.
"Yes. Now would you be so kind and explain to me about why you were kissing my assistant?" the Doctor asked. Clockwork snapped out of his daze and turned to face the Doctor.
"Assistant?"
"Yes. That would be Twilight Sparkle, the mare you were kissing a few moments ago."
"I know who she is!" Clockwork's expression became darker and angrier.
"No need to get angry. It's just that I'd like the know why a complete stranger such as yourself decided to, for lack of a better statement, make out with my assistant, somepony who has never met you before." Clockwork's face became darker. It was apparent that the Doctor's words were not helping calm him down. He remained silent for a few seconds. "Well? Am I going to get a response?"
Not two seconds after that, a hoof came out of nowhere and punched the Doctor square in the nose. The Doctor fell on his back and quickly found himself pinned to the ground. Clockwork was standing over him. His eyes were dark and angry and his teeth gnashed together in furious confusion.
"WHAT IS THIS PLACE?! WHAT IS GOING ON?! AM I DEAD?! IF SO, THEN WHY CAN'T MY WIFE RECOGNIZE ME?! WHO ARE YOU AND WHY DO YOU RESEMBLE THE DOCTOR FROM MY DREAMS?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Tears were beginning to fall from Clockwork's eyes. Suddenly, an invisible force smashed into Clockwork and sent him flying through the air. The stallion then found himself trapped in a glowing purple ball of magic levitating a couple feet above the floor.
"Don't you dare lay another hoof on the Doctor!" Twilight snapped, her horn glowing furiously. Spike helped the Doctor back up. The Doctor clutched his nose in pain. Streams of blood were flowing out of his nostrils. The Doctor reached into one of his suit pockets and pulled out a handkerchief, quickly placing it over his wounded nose.
"Thank you, Twilight. But I can assure you that I had everything under control," he said. Twilight chuckled out the sound of his nasally voice.
"Yeah. The bloody nose is clear proof of this," Spike said sarcastically. The Doctor sighed with embarrassment. Twilight approached the side of the magical bubble. Her eyes locked with Clockwork's.
"Now I'm going to let you out now. Don't you even think about attacking the Doctor again or I will use magic on you again!" she snapped. "Are we clear?"
"Twilight," said Clockwork in a confused state. "I-"
"Are we clear?" Clockwork sighed in response.
"Yes, we're clear."
"Good." Twilight's horn stopped glowing and the magical prison disappeared. Clockwork fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"Now, can we all sort everything out with breaking each other's noses?" Spike asked.
"That sounds like a good idea, Spike," said the Doctor through his handkerchief. The Doctor approached Clockwork again. Clockwork had calmed down, for he didn't look angry this time. Now he just looked sad and confused. The Doctor looked at Clockwork and followed his gaze which, of course, led to Twilight. "You seem to care about Ms. Sparkle a lot, don't you Mr. Clockwork?" Clockwork turned towards the Doctor and nodded.
"I do...very much," Clockwork replied. Twilight was confused but she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty after hearing Clockwork's words. "I love her so much."
"Tell me, Mr. Clockwork-"
"Just call me Clockwork. I never liked formalities like that."
"Hmm...interesting."
"What is?"
"Nothing. Little matters. Anyway, please explain to us what you were doing prior to falling through the rift?" Clockwork's ears pricked up.
"Rift? What rift?"
"The dimensional rift that you fell through. I would assume that's how you ended up here."
"A dimensional rift? That's impossible."
"Oh, it's quite possible. How else would you have been able to end up here?" Clockwork sighed and looked towards the floor.
"When I opened my eyes and saw Twilight, I thought this was Heaven. I thought I was dead." Everypony fell silent again. The Doctor cleared his throat and eyed Clockwork closely.
"Clockwork, what were you doing right before you ended up in this library?"
"I...I was falling from the top level of the Ponyville clock tower." Twilight and Spike looked at each other and then looked back at Clockwork.
"How did you find yourself in such a situation? Did you fall or-"
"I jumped, okay?! I was trying to kill myself!" Clockwork's eyes had become angry again.
"Let's try to calm down, okay." The Doctor stared deep into Clockwork's eyes and Clockwork stared back. Clockwork could feel a sense of calm running throughout his body. He took a few deep breaths and sighed. "Would it be safe to assume that Twilight Sparkle has something to do with this?" Clockwork looked at Twilight and nodded sadly.
"This isn't the afterlife, is it? This is another dimension," Clockwork said as he looked at the Doctor. The Doctor nodded. Clockwork then turned to speak to Twilight. "Then...you're not my Twilight, are you? You're another Twilight Sparkle." Twilight nodded in response before taking a few steps forward. She had a question in mind though she already could figure out the answer.
"Clockwork. Did...did something happen to your Twilight that made you want to kill yourself?" she asked. Clockwork nodded.
Clockwork sighed again before stating with hardly any emotion, "She was my wife...and she was murdered."
Home of Derpy Hooves, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
Derpy sat at her table quietly. She stared through her window and cursed the snow. Because of it, she couldn't go to the library and visit Twilight, Spike, and the Doctor. Though, she figured that it didn't matter whether she visited them or not. The Doctor was so busy of late with his study of the rifts that he hardly paid attention to anypony anymore, not even Twilight. Derpy sighed sadly at the thought of the Doctor being alone with Twilight and couldn't help but feel jealous. She shook her head at the thought of being jealous. It was wrong to feel that way. Twilight was her friend. But...that still didn't hide the fact that both she and Twilight had feelings for the Doctor. And Derpy could only think that she stood no chance if the Doctor, one day, decided to choose between them. Twilight was smart, could pick up on most of what the Doctor was saying, and had been with him longer. Derpy was just...Derpy. How could she even compete with that intelligent mare in the library?
Derpy looked out the window again. The snowfall had become even thicker. It looked like it was the middle of the night rather than early in the afternoon. She then turned her attention to a basket of muffins that sat on the table before her. She had prepared them for the Doctor, Twilight, and Spike but, of course, hadn't expected the sudden snowstorm. She wondered if they had even received her message about not being able to visit. She had used a strong mail hawk that Fluttershy had been taking care of to deliver the message. They were known for flying through harsh weather so Derpy didn't worry.
"I hope this weather lets up soon," Derpy said to herself. She was about to get up from the table when there was a flash of light in the middle of her kitchen. Derpy was blinded for a moment. When she opened her eyes she saw that there was a gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane and inverted yellow eyes sitting in the middle of her kitchen. The mare was dressed in a blue mailpony outfit and a bag of letters was hanging over her shoulder. Derpy was in shock. "What's going on?!" Derpy managed to keep her commentary down to a whisper. "She just appeared out of nowhere! She...she looks almost exactly like me!" The mare stood up and shook her head. Upon seeing Derpy, she jumped with surprise. The two mares stared awkwardly at each other for a moment. The Derpy clone then cocked her head and stepped forward.
"Wow...you sure do look a lot like me. That's funny," she said. "Anyway, name's Bright Eyes! Have you happened to come across a stallion named Clockwork recently?"
Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
Twilight was getting tired of the awkward silences so she decided to be the first to break the prolonged silence among them.
"Murdered?" she asked. Clockwork nodded his head and sighed.
"Yes, she was murdered," he replied.
"Well, this is certainly another twist of events," the Doctor whispered to Spike.
"I know! Who knew Twilight, even an alternate version of her, would get married?" Spike whispered back.
"You know I can hear you, right?" Twilight asked as she turned to Spike. Spike gave a guilty smile and hid behind the Doctor. Clockwork looked at the Doctor and cocked his head.
"I still can't believe it's you," he said.
"So, how do you know about the Doctor anyway?" Twilight asked. "Does your dimension have its own Doctor?"
"No. The Doctor doesn't exist in my dimension. He only exists in my dreams."
"Your dreams?" the Doctor asked.
"Yes. There have been nights where I've dreamt that I was was called the Doctor. I traveled all throughout time and space in a blue box called the TARDIS and I, while I looked like a pony, was really a Time Lord. Twilight loved hearing about my dreams."
"Interesting."
"I'm lost," said Spike.
"I think it all makes complete sense," said Twilight.
"You do?" asked Spike and Clockwork together. The Doctor smiled.
"I'll let you have the floor with this one, Ms. Sparkle," he said.
"Thank you, Doctor," Twilight said as she cleared her throat. "It's obvious that Clockwork here is an alternate version of the Doctor."
"An alternate version?" Spike asked.
"Of course. He's from an alternate dimension. Now, our Doctor's from an alternate dimension in relation to the one we're in now but Clockwork here is basically from a dimension in which the Doctor wasn't the Doctor. He's the Doctor if he were born in Equestria as not a Time Lord but an average earth pony named Clockwork. However, for some reason, Clockwork has been having dreams that basically tell the story of our Doctor, his alternate self. Hmm...dreams that show you visions of your alternate selves. I should look at a book about dreams and see if anypony's had an experience like that before."
Before anypony could say anything, Twilight rushed over to a nearby bookcase and began looking through a series of books. Clockwork smiled.
"She's practically the same as my Twilight," he said. "Only...only-"
"She doesn't love you," the Doctor finished.
"Well, there's more than one way to look at that," said Spike.
"What's that supposed to mean?" the Doctor asked. Twilight flashed Spike an angry glare.
"Nothing!" Spike then closed his mouth shut.
"I just can't believe that your Twilight was murdered!" said Twilight as she looked through another stack of books. "Murder happens next to never in Equestria."
"The case is the same in my Equestria," said Clockwork. "Twilight was murdered...but not in a really direct way."
"What do you mean by that?" the Doctor asked.
"I guess I should explain the whole story." Clockwork cleared his throat. The Doctor and Spike sat down and were all ears. Twilight, while still looking through her books for anything about dream visions, was all ears as well. "It all started as a test of sorts from Princess Celestia. I don't know if it's the same in your dimension, but in my dimension there was once a powerful and glorious kingdom called the Crystal Empire. It was a magnificent place. Several years before the fall of Discord, the empire was taken over by a dark unicorn by the name of Sombra. He ruled the empire with an iron fist until Celestia and Luna defeated him not too long prior to Luna's banishment. However, Sombra put a curse on the empire and it disappeared following his defeat. Then, not too long after the wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Cadance in my dimension, the empire reappeared...and so did Sombra. Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity traveled to the Crystal Empire to help Shining Armor and Princess Cadance defeat Sombra and save the empire. This was Twilight's test. In order to defeat Sombra, they had to power the Crystal Heart with the happiness of the Crystal Ponies. They put on a fair in order to cheer up the ponies and it worked. Twilight and Spike traveled deep into Sombra's old castle to find the Crystal Heart and they managed to find it. However, Twilight got caught in a trap and Spike had to deliver the Crystal Heart to Cadance. Cadance then used the Crystal Heart to defeat Sombra and save the empire...but at a cost." Twilight had stopped looking through her books. She could see a deep sadness appearing on Clockwork's face as he was forced to relive the memory. "Just before Sombra was destroyed, he used the last of his powers to activate a secondary mechanic on the trap that had ensnared Twilight. You see, the original trap basically caused a wall of rocks to appear around the area that the Crystal Heart had been held. Twilight had been trapped in this rock cage of sorts, and there were also enchantments to prevent her from teleporting out. However, there was a secondary, last resort mechanic. The mechanic was that a quick, powerful shock traveled through the rocks and the area encircled by them. In other words-"
"She was electrocuted to death," the Doctor finished.
"Yes. She could have been saved but everypony was too busy celebrating the death of Sombra. Spike ran up to fetch her and...that's where they found her. The cage had been destroyed and Twilight was just lying there. She didn't have any marks on her body but she wasn't breathing...she didn't have a pulse...she was gone." A tear rolled down Clockwork's cheek. "I remember hearing how the Crystal Heart had caused everypony within the vicinity of its power to gain a crystal-like appearance. Those who weren't native to the empire only had it temporarily...except for Twilight. Her body remained in a beautiful, crystalline state. She was still sparkling like diamonds when I saw her body. She was so beautiful. I...I miss her so much." It looked like the stallion wanted to cry more but it was apparent that he had already cried too many tears in the past. He had no more to let out. He looked at Twilight again. "It pains me every second I look at you, Twilight. You look just like how she did when I said goodbye to her the day she left for Canterlot to learn the details of Celestia's test."
Suddenly, Clockwork began to feel extremely weak. He felt as though something was calling him away. He began to sway back and forth.
"Clockwork? Are you okay?" the Doctor asked. Clockwork let out a soft breath as he lost consciousness and fell forward onto his stomach.
Clockwork stood at the train station. Twilight, Spike, and the others were walking across the platform. Twilight had a floating ocean of books, scrolls, and other study tools moving alongside her.
"Sorry to leave on such short notice, Clockwork," she said as she leaned forward and kissed him. "But, you know, the Princess summoned me and-"
"I'm not worried. Go and ace that test for me. I'll be waiting for you here when you get back," he said with a warm smile.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"Can we save the mushy love stuff for after Twi passes the test?" Rainbow Dash teased.
"Oh, you're hopeless, Rainbow Dash," said Rarity. "Can you let the husband and wife have their moment?"
"I thought we were in a hurry?"
"We are!" Twilight said suddenly as she raced towards the nearest train car. She turned back to Clockwork and smiled. "Wish me luck!"
"Good luck!" Clockwork called as the others filed onto the train. He wanted to go with them but he had too many orders to take care of. Being a clockmaker was a surprisingly busy job. He turned around and began making his way back to the clock tower. Suddenly, the world seemed to melt away from beneath Clockwork's hooves. "Huh?! What's going on?!"
A voice then began emanating from the new void of darkness around him.
"Is it working yet?" the voice asked. It was definitely a male voice. It sounded bored, annoyed, and dark.
"NOT YET!" announced a metallic voice.
"You Daleks are hopeless. Then again, I did steal you from that warehouse that the Master was using to hoard you all. I guess he made sure to make you all dumber than normal."
"WHEN DO WE EXTERMINATE?!"
"All in due time. Damn, who knew creating an inter-dimensional portal would be such hard work? If only the TARDIS wasn't being a mindless bitch. It has no use in terms of dimensional travel anymore. I make one wrong turn and BANG! No more dimension hopping! At least this dimension wasn't too hard to take over. That Princess Luna is still a pain in my side though." The male chuckled coldly. "I can't wait to show her what surprise I have in store for her."
"WHO'S THERE?!" Clockwork screamed into the darkness. Suddenly, an image began appearing before him. There was an annoyed groan.
"Really? More of these? I thought the side effects had gone away."
"NEGATIVE! THERE ARE STILL HOLES BEING RIPPED OPEN THROUGHOUT SPACE AND TIME!"
"At least the machine is showing that it has the potential the work." A gray figure turned to face Clockwork. His eyes were the clearest part that Clockwork could make out. They were gray and sunken in. "Get out of here you blurry little insect of reality. I have no desire to deal with you at this moment." The figure pulled something out of his pocket and aimed it at Clockwork. There was a strange buzzing noise that Clockwork instantly identified as the sound of the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver. The scene faded back into black and then...Clockwork woke up.
Outside the Home of Derpy Hooves, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
Derpy was met with a burst of cold air when she opened the door. Snow began flying through the new opening. She turned around to face Bright Eyes.
"Come on! We need to see the Doctor!" she said.
"But, I told you, I'm not sick!" Bright Eyes argued.
"I'm not taking you to a doctor! I'm taking you to the Doctor! He'll help you find this Clockwork friend of yours." Bright Eyes smiled happily at the sound of that. Derpy quickly put on a jacket and some boots and walked out into the snow. Bright Eyes followed and shut the door behind her. "You're not getting a coat or boots?"
"Nah. I've flown through weather much worse than this." Derpy and Bright Eyes then began trudging through the snow and towards the library. They walked in silence for a few minutes until something caught Derpy's attention. Somepony, or something, was following them through the snowstorm.
"Do you hear that?"
"No. I can hardly hear anything over this wind." A figure then began to slowly emerge from the wall of snow in front of them. Derpy realized that the figure sparkled like diamonds. She also realized that the figure looked oddly familiar. Bright Eyes gasped.
"What is it?!"
"It...it can't be!" Derpy looked forward to focus on the figure approaching them. She realized that it was a mare but it wasn't just any mare. It was a unicorn mare with a lavender coat and a purple mane.
"Twilight?" Derpy asked as she tried to focus in more on the unicorn. Bright Eyes was in shock.
"But that's impossible! You're dead!" croaked Bright Eyes. The sparkling Twilight before them laughed. It didn't sound like a normal Twilight laugh. It sounded cold and somewhat deep. Twilight's eyes then began to glow bright green.
"I know who you're looking for. You're looking for my dear husband, Clockwork," Twilight said with another cold laugh.
"Husband?" asked a confused Derpy. Bright Eyes was still in shock as Twilight stepped forward. Derpy got a closer look and began to feel afraid. Twilight looked like she had a coat and mane made out of crystals. Her eyes were bright green and black smoke was emanating from her horn.
"You...you're not Twilight Sparkle!" Bright Eyes accused.
"I am her, and I'm not her. I am him, and I'm not him. I am both, and I'm not both," Twilight chuckled. She took a few steps forward. The snow around her turned black and rotten, as if snow could even become rotten. "Why don't we team up? I'm looking for Clockwork too."
"Whatever you are, leave us and Clockwork alone!" Twilight laughed in response to Bright Eyes's order.
"Now why in Equestria would I want to do that, Bright Eyes? After all...the fun is only just beginning."
Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
"Are you okay?!" asked a worried Twilight as she looked down at Clockwork, who was slowly regaining consciousness. He sat up and rubbed his head, which was throbbing horribly.
"I'm better now," he replied.
"What was all that about?" Spike asked.
"I don't know. I just...suddenly felt weak. Then I passed out and...I flashed back."
"You flashed back?"
"Yes, to the last time I saw my Twilight when she was still alive. Then everything melted away and I saw somepony talking."
"Who was it?" asked the Doctor.
"I don't know. But he was talking to a Dalek and he had a Sonic Screwdriver. He mentioned something about creating an inter-dimensional portal." The Doctor's eyes grew wide.
"Did this pony mention anything else? What did they look like?!"
"I couldn't get a clear image. I remember them being gray and having these dark, sunken in eyes. I also remember him mentioning that this portal he was working on was causing some slight side effects."
"Side effects?" Twilight asked. The Doctor and Twilight turned to face each other. "Could it be-"
"It's a strong possibility," said the Doctor.
"What are you two going on about?" asked Clockwork.
"We're still unsure about a few things here but I think we're finally getting some answers behind the source of the dimensional rifts." Just then, somepony began knocking on the door frantically.
"Now who could that be?" Twilight asked.
"DOCTOR! TWILIGHT! SPIKE! LET ME IN!" cried the voice of Derpy Hooves.
"Derpy?" asked the Doctor.
"YES! LET ME IN! THEY'RE FOLLOWING ME!" The Doctor ran to the door and opened it. Derpy forced herself through the open door and closed it shut behind her. She then gave the Doctor a bone-crushing hug that would give Pinkie Pie a run for her money. "Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"Derpy! You're crushing me...again!" Derpy let go and blushed slightly.
"Derpy, what's wrong?" Twilight asked. Derpy was about to speak when she suddenly noticed Clockwork standing a few feet away. Her eyes widened. She stared at Clockwork and then stared at the Doctor. She looked back at Clockwork and then turned back to the Doctor. Her eyes began to invert.
"There...are...two...of...you?!" she croaked.
"Oh yes, Derpy this is Clockwork, my inter-dimensional double, now could you get back to what you were trying to warn us about?" the Doctor asked.
"Clockwork?! She was asking about you!"
"Who was?" Clockwork asked.
"That mare who looked like me: Bright Eyes!"
"Bright Eyes?! What's she doing here?"
"She must have come through another rift," Twilight guessed.
"Where is she now?"
"She...oh Celestia! She got her!" Derpy cried.
"Who got her?!" the Doctor asked. Derpy looked at Twilight and pointed at her.
"Twilight did."
"WHAT?!" gasped the Doctor, Twilight, Spike, and Clockwork.
"Well...not her exactly. She must be a clone or something."
"A clone of me? Was it Thalia?" Twilight asked.
"No, it wasn't Thalia. She had green eyes and she looked like she was made out of diamonds." Clockwork's eyes widened.
"Diamonds?" he asked.
"Yeah. She kept saying that she was searching for her husband or something like that. Then she grabbed Bright Eyes and turned her into a...a diamond ghost!"
"A what?" Spike asked as he began nibbling on his claws. Suddenly, a voice began calling from outside.
"Hello? Is anypony in there?" called the voice. Twilight gasped. It was her voice only it was more...sinister. Clockwork, as if in a trance, walked forward and opened the door.
"Don't!" Derpy cried. It was too late. The door opened. Standing a few yards from the doorway was the diamond clone of Twilight that Derpy had been talking about.
"Twilight? Is it really you?" Clockwork asked. His eyes began to emanate a light-green color and he began to sway back and forth. The diamond Twilight began walking forward.
"It is I, my love. I have missed you oh so much," replied the diamond Twilight. Derpy grabbed onto Clockwork and attempted to pull him inside the library. Snow was beginning to fly in through the doorway. Clockwork began walking towards the diamond Twilight.
"I have yet to feel happiness since your death."
"I know, honey. Don't worry. It's all right now." Diamond Twilight's horn began to emit a plume of black smoke.
"Clockwork!" cried Derpy. Diamond Twilight gave a cold smile as she and Clockwork moved closer and closer together.
"Come. Let the circle of life and death finally be completed," said diamond Twilight in a deep, male voice.
"CLOCKWORK!"
"I'll get him!" said Twilight as she ran through the door. She aimed her horn at the diamond Twilight and fired. A blast of magic flew through the air and smashed right into diamond Twilight's jaw. The clone fell back and Clockwork snapped out of his trance. He looked down and gasped. Diamond Twilight was lying on her back in the snow. Her jaw had been smashed to bits like glass. A green fluid began flowing from the wound in her body. Twilight grabbed onto Clockwork and began pulling him back towards the library. "Get inside! Whatever that thing is, it's not your Twilight!"
"But I am. Why would you doubt otherwise?" asked diamond Twilight as she stood up. Her voice began switching between a seductive female voice and a sadistic male voice.
"That voice," said Clockwork as his face became pale. "I remember it! It's the voice from my nightmares!"
"The voice of the King." Diamond Twilight began to laugh as her eyes shone bright green. Her jaw then slowly repaired itself. Twilight managed to pull Clockwork into the library and shut and lock the door behind them. "Honey! Come out! You don't want to keep your dead wife waiting!"
"It can't be! It can't be! He's dead! He's dead! They're both dead!" Clockwork rambled as he curled up into a ball on the sofa. He was shivering like mad. Diamond Twilight began pounding on the door.
"Doctor, do you have any idea about what's going on?" Twilight asked. The Doctor scratched his chin and rubbed his temple. He was silent for a moment.
"WELL?!" asked Twilight, Derpy, and Spike together.
"I'm thinking! God! Let a poor stallion/Time Lord have a moment of peace!" the Doctor snapped.
"I don't think we have a minute," Spike gulped as he pointed at the door, which was slowly freezing over and being smashed to bits. Clockwork continued to ramble and shiver on the sofa.
"Twilight. King. Twilight. King. Wife. Villain. It. Can't. BE!" he cried.
"Great. Our Doctor's busy brainstorming and the other, earth pony not-Doctor is having a complete mental breakdown. All while a diamond clone of me is breaking through my front door, which I ALREADY had to replace after the whole Thalia incident!" Twilight snapped. She groaned. "Things always have to be complicated, don't they?"
"I guess so," Derpy gulped as she looked at door that was slowly being knocked down.
"King? Wife? Nightmare? Flashback? Nightmare. Nightmare. Dream. Dream and nightmare. Wife and king but not wife and king. Clone but not clone," the Doctor said as he looked around the room. Then he clapped his hooves together with a smile on his face. "Got it!" He ran over to Clockwork and looked him straight in the face. "Clockwork, can you hear me?"
"Maybe. Yes. Why?" Clockwork asked.
"I need you to think our little visitor away for a bit."
"Huh?"
"I need you to wish diamond Twilight away."
"What will that do?!"
"A lot, trust me."
"Uh...Doctor," Spike gulped.
"Yes, I know the door's coming down. Just give me a second."
"No...that's not it."
"Then what is it?!"
"There's a ghostly Derpy standing right next to you." The Doctor turned to see the white and frozen face of Derpy Hooves looking at him. Her eyes were bright yellow and sharp fangs were protruding from her mouth. She appeared to be wearing a mailpony uniform.
"Ah. Ms. Bright Eyes, I presume?" the Doctor asked with a nervous smile. Clockwork began to shiver some more.
"I have some mail for you! Please take it and die," Bright Eyes said with a giggle as she pulled out an ice knife. She swung the blade down at the Doctor. The Doctor dodged the attack and jumped over the sofa. He grabbed onto Clockwork and pulled him away from the murderous Bright Eyes. Diamond Twilight was almost done breaking down the door. Bright Eyes began advancing towards the Doctor, Twilight, Derpy, Spike, and Clockwork.
"Got any plans, Doctor?" Spike asked.
"I was in the middle of one before I was so rudely interrupted!" the Doctor snapped as he knelt down and stared back into Clockwork's eyes. "Just wish them away, Clockwork."
"How?" Clockwork asked.
"Just do it."
"But...Bright Eyes."
"She'll be fine. We'll save her. Just wish them away for the time being."
"I...I can't."
"You're an alternate version of me: the Doctor. You can do anything!"
"I can?"
"You've dreamt of me a lot, right?"
"Yes."
"Don't dream them away as Clockwork. Dream them away as the Doctor, the Doctor that you were in your dreams." Clockwork took a deep breath and focused. Diamond Twilight began screaming in anger.
"You can't do this to me, Clockwork! How could you do this to me?! I thought you loved me!" she cried.
"Don't listen to her. She's only a dream. She's only a nightmare waiting to be destroyed by reality. Dream her away."
"Clockwork!"
"Push her aside."
"You've betrayed me!"
"Forget Twilight Sparkle and listen to my voice."
"We will never be together again if you do this!"
"Just breathe...and forget."
"I...I wish you away...Twilight," Clockwork said as a few tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Doctor! Clockwork!" Spike cried suddenly.
"Spike! Don't!" Twilight cried. The Doctor heard a yelp and looked up. Spike was standing over him and Clockwork. The ice knife of Bright Eyes was jabbed straight through his chest. The Doctor's eyes widened. Bright Eyes hesitated for a moment. Twilight and Derpy gasped. Clockwork closed his eyes tightly.
"What have I done?" Bright Eyes asked as she began to break away from her icy persona.
"SPIKE!" cried Twilight and Derpy. The Doctor turned back to Clockwork.
"WISH THEM AWAY NOW!" he ordered.
"FINE!" Clockwork screamed as he stood up. His eyes were glowing pure white and his body looked as if it were fading in and out of existence. Diamond Twilight screamed as she slowly disappeared. Bright Eyes broke free of her possession and lost consciousness. The ice knife within Spike disappeared and he too fainted. The entire library shook and vibrated around them. Twilight held onto the unconscious Spike. Derpy held onto the Doctor. Blood began seeping from Clockwork's nose. He let out a frightening scream and a white light began pouring in through the windows and doors of the library.
"What's happening?!" Twilight asked.
"He's taking us!" the Doctor replied.
"What?!"
"Clockwork! He's taking the entire library with him!"
"What?! Where?! When?! HUH?!"
"Wait until the shaking stops and then I'll explain everything!" Clockwork let out another yell and beams of white light shot out of his eyes. The library began spinning like a twister and the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy blacked out.
Rarity and Pinkie Pie stepped outside as the snow finally stopped falling. The clouds cleared instantly and the sun shone down on Ponyville as if it were a summer's day.
"Well, isn't that nice?" Rarity asked. "The storm has finally stopped! That's a relief. I was afraid that I would have to spend the rest of the day and the entire night here at Sugar Cube Corner."
"And what's wrong with that?" Pinkie asked.
"Nothing. I just need to get back home and look after Sweetie Belle. She must be just frightened after having to go through a storm like this all by herself." Just then, Rainbow Dash appeared out of nowhere and landed in the snow in front of them.
"Girls! You're not going to believe what's happened!" she said in a panic.
"What is it?! Tell me! Tell me! Are we throwing a surprise party?! Has somepony thrown a party without me?! They better not have!" Pinkie replied.
"The library! Twilight! Spike! The Doctor!"
"Oh just spit it out already, Rainbow Dash! What on earth's happened?!" asked a somewhat annoyed Rarity.
"It's the library! The whole damn library is gone!"
Home of Twilight Sparkle, Orbit of Q, Clockwork System, Space, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
Derpy opened her eyes to find the Doctor lying on top of her. He was much heavier than she had originally thought. She guessed that it was probably due to all of the muffins she had been feeding him but she had no time to guess how the Doctor weighed so much for he was currently crushing her lungs. She pushed the unconscious Doctor off her chest and sat up. Her body ached with mildly annoying pains and her ears rang something fierce. Everything was quiet. It was completely silent in the library. Derpy looked to see that Twilight, Spike, and Bright Eyes were still unconscious. Derpy walked over to Spike to see if he was still wounded. The wound had mysteriously disappeared but a scar had been left behind on his chest and back. Derpy sighed with relief at the realization that there was now a high possibility that the dragon was okay. She then realized that Clockwork was nowhere to be seen.
"Clockwork?" she asked as she looked around the library. Her eyes then turned over to the basement door. It was open. Derpy knew what hid away within Twilight's basement so she quickly made her way downstairs. She was still unsure about whether or not Clockwork was completely trustworthy as she had only known him for a few minutes before his eyes glowed white and she blacked out. She made it down into the basement to find Clockwork standing in front of the TARDIS. He stroked his hoof up and down the wooden surface of the front doors. "Clockwork?"
Clockwork turned around, surprised by Derpy's sudden appearance, and then sighed heavily.
"Oh...it's you," he said with a weak smile. "Derpy, was it?"
"Yes." Derpy awkwardly took a few steps closer to Clockwork. "What are you doing down here?"
"I don't know. When I came to I felt this force telling me to come down here." He looked at the TARDIS and smiled. "So, this is it. This is the real deal."
"Hmm?"
"This is the actual TARDIS. I've dreamt about this for such a long time."
"You've dreamt of the TARDIS?"
"Yes. I'm sure the Doctor didn't have enough time to explain things to you as we were preoccupied with other things."
"Obviously."
"I guess the best way to say this is that I am, in a way, an alternate version of the Doctor."
"You two definitely look alike. Only you look younger."
"Yes. I'm nineteen years old right now. Your Doctor looks like he's in his thirties or something."
"So...are you a Time Lord too?"
"No. I'm an earth pony. I guess I should elaborate a bit more. I'm the Doctor if he were born as an earth pony in Equestria. No Time Lord knowledge. No TARDIS. Just a simple stallion with a love for clocks...and for a beautiful mare." Derpy quickly put two and two together.
"Twilight?"
"Yes. In my dimension, Twilight was my wife."
"Was your wife?" Derpy then remembered diamond Twilight's claim of being Clockwork's dead wife. "She...she's dead, isn't she?"
"Yes. She was murdered through the act of a terrible tyrant by the name of Sombra." A shiver went down Clockwork's spine at the mention of the name.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Clockwork suddenly became cold. He glared at Derpy for a moment before taking a deep breath and calming down. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be cold and blunt. I've just heard that one time too many." He sat down and leaned back against the TARDIS. Derpy walked forward and sat down next to him. The stallion sitting next to her certainly wasn't the Doctor but he had a similar aura to him. Like the Doctor, his eyes were deep with guilt and sadness, most of which was probably forcibly hidden away. "I've been sad for a long time. After my Twilight passed, I didn't really have the urge to carry on. I loved her with a passion...and then she was gone. There was still so much that I wanted to do with her."
Derpy placed one of her hooves on one of Clockwork's hooves. He turned and looked at her. Their eyes met. Derpy felt sad looking deep into the stallion's eyes. They didn't look as old as the Doctor's, but they looked just as guilty.
"I can't say I know what you're going through but the Doctor might." Clockwork shook his head.
"Maybe, but he's not one to go to for things like this."
"Why not?"
"I may be a dimensional duplicate of your Doctor but we're not really the same pony. He's lived through a lot of tragedies in his life. Hell, he lived through the Time War."
"Time War?" Derpy recalled the Doctor mentioning it once before but he had never gone into much detail.
"The closest I've gotten to feeling how he feels is when I became him in my dreams. I've had dreams of the Doctor's life: traveling around in the TARDIS with you, Twilight, and the others. I used to think that they were just silly dreams: visions of a life that some part of me desired. But, now, I see that it was all real in some form or another. And after meeting the Doctor in the flesh, I can honestly say that he's not one to go to for consolation. He's already lived through enough sadness and loss in his life. He's desynthesized."
"What are you saying? That he's heartless?"
"No. I'm just saying that he's too used to it all to give a damn anymore." Derpy shook her head.
"You're wrong, Clockwork." Just then, a scream emanated from upstairs.
"Twilight!" Derpy and Clockwork then raced up the stairs.
Twilight was standing in front of the now open front door. The Doctor and Bright Eyes were slowly waking up but Spike was still unconscious.
"What hit me?" Bright Eyes groaned.
"The same thing that hit me," the Doctor replied as he rubbed his temple.
"DOCTOR!" Twilight cried as she stepped away from the door.
"Yes? What is it?"
"We...we're...we're...we-"
"Spit it out already!"
"WE'RE IN SPACE!" Derpy and Clockwork froze in place. Bright Eyes gasped.
"In space?" Derpy asked in shock.
"How is that possible?" Clockwork asked.
"Look for yourselves!" Twilight said as she pointed at the front door. The Doctor, Derpy, and Clockwork raced to the front door and looked outside. There was no Ponyville outside. There was only an endless abyss of stars spreading out on all sides. A large, blue planet could be seen hovering beneath them.
"We're in a library that's floating in space," said the Doctor. A wide smile appeared on his face. "Well that's new!"
Grounds of the Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity raced as fast as they could towards the spot where the library was, or used to be. Rarity gasped as they arrived at the scene. Rainbow had been right. The library was completely gone. All that remained was a single crater in the snow. Everything had been taken. Not even the basement had been left behind.
"How?" Rarity asked.
"I don't know!" Rainbow replied. Once the snow started to die down, I headed out to the library to see if any new Daring Doo books had come in and I found this!"
"Maybe Twilight was practicing a new spell and she sent the entire library away?" Pinkie Pie guessed.
"I don't think Twilight would ever test magic out on her precious library."
"This looks an awful lot like something Discord would do," said Rarity.
"Yes, but there's one problem with that theory. Discord's still a statue!"
"Well, maybe he broke loose. I'd say that we should check with the Princess on this matter."
"Okay, let's go ask Spike to send a letter to the Princess then. Oh wait, Spike's gone with the library!"
"No need to be a smart mouth, Rainbow Dash. But what do you think has happened?"
"How do I know? I wasn't here when it happened!"
"It must have happened during the storm. Did you notice anything weird happening during the storm?"
"No. I was taking a nap."
"Figures."
"Ooh! I saw something!" Pinkie chirped as she raised her hoof and jumped up and down.
"You did?!" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well don't keep it to yourself! Tell us!" Rarity demanded.
"I saw two Derpys walking through the snow and then Twilight attacked them!" Pinkie replied. Rainbow and Rarity looked at each other and then back at Pinkie.
"Come again?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I was looking out my bedroom window and I noticed two Derpys walking by. One of them was dressed in a coat and the other was dressed as a mailpony. Then Twilight appeared out of nowhere. She was sparkling like a diamond and she had really green eyes. Then she attacked them."
"Derpy clones and evil Twilights?"
"That's what I saw!"
"I'm lost," said Rarity. Suddenly, the crater began to shake and vibrate slightly. A ghostly image of the library appeared before them. It then disappeared a second later. "What...what on earth is going on here?!"
"Interesting things," replied a familiar voice. Pinkie gasped. Rainbow and Rarity turned around. Standing a few feet away from them was Twilight, only she was sparkling like a diamond, had smoke coming out of her horn, and had glowing green eyes.
"See! I told you!" said Pinkie.
"This isn't the time to rub it in, Pinkie Pie," said Rainbow. Diamond Twilight shook her head in disappointment.
"Pity. My husband has run away from me. No worry. I can find him. But, before I do, I might as well have some fun first," cackled diamond Twilight. Rainbow, Rarity, and Pinkie took a few steps back as snow began to circle around diamond Twilight like a twister.
Home of Twilight Sparkle, Orbit of Q, Clockwork System, Space, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
The Doctor yelped as a hoof hit him in the back of the head.
"Oi! What was that for?!" he asked.
"Why are you so happy about this?!" Twilight snapped.
"Because it's brilliant! We're in a library floating in outer space! We should be dead now but we're not! I highly doubt the TARDIS has anything to do with this." He turned towards Clockwork and patted him on the shoulder. "It must be you then! Oh, brilliant work there old chum!"
"Can you please start making sense?" Clockwork asked. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Well...that's a bit complicated."
"Try me. We have plenty of time. We're in a library in space."
"True. Anyway, during the mayhem that was happening earlier, I began putting the pieces together. Your temporary slip from sanity, the rifts, the diamond Twilight, the voice, Twilight's death, and everything else and...I made a gamble."
"A gamble?"
"Yeah, a gamble. I went for the most likely possibility to the cause of everything that was happening and it turned out that I was right! Oh I'm so good that I scare myself sometimes!"
"Can you please explain to us about what this gamble of yours was?" Twilight asked as she examined the unconscious Spike on the sofa.
"Is he okay?" Bright Eyes asked.
"Yes. The wound has healed itself but he'll be out for a while." Twilight turned back to the Doctor. "Anyway, please continue."
"Gladly. From your reaction, Clockwork, of the male voice that diamond Twilight spoke I was able to deduce that you've heard it before," said the Doctor.
"Yes...in my nightmares," said Clockwork.
"Three guesses as to whose voice that is but I only need one guess because it's so clearly obvious: it's the voice of King Sombra, the murderer of Twilight Sparkle."
"Correct, Doctor."
"But Sombra is dead, and your Twilight is dead."
"Yes."
"So how could they be existing down there in Ponyville, merged into one being of diamond evil?"
"Magic?" Derpy guessed.
"In a way, yes, magic has a factor in this. It's because of you, Clockwork, that diamond Twilight visited Ponyville."
"You're blaming this whole thing on me?" Clockwork asked with a frown.
"No! I'm not blaming anypony. The rifts are to blame and, in turn, the creator of the rifts: the Dark Doctor!"
"Really? That's what you're going to call that evil Doctor that the Princess told us about?" Twilight asked.
"What else am I supposed to call him?!"
"You could call him Rot Cod or something like that."
"Twilight, don't go and pull a Pinkie Pie on me right now, I'm on a roll!"
"Okay."
"Anyway, it's apparent that my darker self is building an inter-dimensional portal of sorts, which is what I've been able to deduce from what you've told me, Clockwork. This portal has created rifts in the fabric of space and time and they've spread out far and wide across this universe and God knows how many other universes. Clockwork, you fell into one of these rifts in a moment of complete depression and loss of hope. You see, the universe is an odd thing and it occasionally has a sense of humor. Sometimes it has a sense of humor as well as some pity. When you fell through that dimensional rift, all of your sadness and all of your fears were collected and scanned. A part of your nightmares was separated from you and made into an actual, physical being. Thus, diamond Twilight was born. A creature made from your deepest desires, nightmares, and depressed thoughts."
"You mean...that diamond Twilight with the Sombra voice...is a part of me?!" Clockwork asked.
"A nightmare brought to life by the odd powers of the universe combined with the side effects a mad doctor's inter-dimensional portal. Brilliant, isn't it?"
"More like terrifying," said Derpy.
"I'm with her on that one," Bright Eyes added.
"Okay, so that other Twilight was a part of Clockwork, but how exactly did we end up in space?!" Twilight asked.
"Ah, well, that's where things get slightly more complicated. You see, Clockwork, as the diamond Twilight is a part of you, the creation of her made you a part of the rift," said the Doctor.
"The rift?" Clockwork asked.
"Yes, the rift. The rift that brought you to our dimension in the first place. You see, I was aiming to just have you send diamond Twilight away as she was a part of you. With her gone, Bright Eyes would return to normal as her state was brought on by the very nightmare that came from you. With the nightmare gone, Bright Eyes returned to normal and the fatal wound in our little dragon friend ceased to be. But, it appears that you went a little overboard and opened a new rift, which sent the entire library, us included, to some part of space." The Doctor took in a huge breath of air. "And from the smell of things, I would say that we're still in our universe at the correct time."
"You can tell what time and universe we're in just by smelling?" Bright Eyes asked.
"Time Lord thing."
"Ah."
"Well, I guess that solves almost everything," said Twilight. "Now there's only one problem." The Doctor turned to face Twilight. "How do we get back to Ponyville?"
"I'll tell you how: we're going to take another gamble!" the Doctor replied with a huge smile. Derpy and Clockwork gulped at the same time.
Grounds of the Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
Rainbow Dash groaned as a pile of snow smashed into her, sending her flying through the air. She flapped her wings frantically in order to prevent herself from smashing into the ground. With luck, she managed to avoid a nasty collision with the snow. A twister of snow was circling around diamond Twilight. Her green eyes shone through the white flurry and her laugh echoed around, making it appear like she was everywhere. Rainbow was tempted to dive-bomb the twister but she figured that following through with that plan wouldn't end well for her. Rarity tried to control the snow with some spells she had recently learned from Twilight but her attempts bore no fruit.
"I guess offensive spells aren't your cup of tea, Rarity," said Pinkie Pie, whose face was caught somewhere between hyper excitement and terrified confusion. Diamond Twilight took a few steps forward and the twister moved with her. Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow backed up slowly. They couldn't attack this evil Twilight head on.
"Where's Twilight when you need her?!" asked Rainbow.
"In her library, usually," Pinkie replied.
"Too bad her library decided to go for a walk today," Rarity gulped. Diamond Twilight laughed as she broke into a run. The snow twister around her grew larger as she ran. Rarity's horn began to glow as the twister sped towards her. "It's worth another try." She focused as much as she could...but her attempt once again failed. Rarity screamed as a powerful force picked her up and pulled her deep into the furious winds of the magical twister.
Home of Twilight Sparkle, Orbit of Q, Clockwork System, Space, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
"And what gamble are you taking this time, Doctor?" Twilight asked.
"I would say about the same one I took the first time," the Doctor replied.
"What do you mean by that?" Clockwork asked as a look of fear appeared on his face.
"You're still connected to the rift. That means that you, and you alone, have the power to bring us back to where we belong."
"What about the TARDIS?" Derpy asked. "Couldn't you use that to bring the library back to Gaia?"
"I'm afraid that particular plan isn't a possibility at the moment. Sure, I've used the TARDIS to bring objects through time and space before, an entire planet and an immortal captain just to name a few, but the TARDIS isn't up to that at the moment."
"And why not?" Clockwork asked.
"You and the TARDIS don't seem to be cooperating with each other at the moment."
"What does that mean?!"
"You're the one who brought us here, Clockwork. You have an other-worldly connection with the walls of the universe that is rarely, if ever, seen. You brought not only the library and us but the TARDIS with you as well. Your little...trip has messed things up with the TARDIS temporarily. It's still trying to comprehend what the hell has happened."
"You speak of the TARDIS as if it's alive...and how do you even know this? You've been up here since we arrived in space!"
"First of all, the TARDIS is alive. I assumed that you knew this as you've had dreams of my life in the past; in a way, you've been me. Certainly you know that the TARDIS is in fact alive?" Clockwork rubbed his temple and nodded.
"Yes. I remember now."
"Secondly, the TARDIS and I have a, for lack of a better word, connection. Not a mental connection or something like that but for of a...connection of existence. At times, we can sense each other. This connection has improved greatly since I arrived in this universe, for the magical workings of this world have done wonders to the TARDIS, my belongings, and myself. It's opened up doors that were not even fathomable back in my home dimension. I can, in a sense, feel what the TARDIS is feeling at the current moment and, from what I'm sensing right now, she's not a happy phone box."
"Now it's a she?"
"If a captain can call a boat a she then I can damn well call my spaceship/time machine a she!" The Doctor stomped his hoof on the ground.
"Okay, we get it. The TARDIS can't help us out of this," said Twilight as she walked away from Spike and stepped in between the Doctor and Clockwork. She turned towards Clockwork. "I guess it's up to you, Clockwork." Their eyes met again. He looked so much like the Doctor.
"I...I don't know if I can even do what I did again," he said.
"You can. I saw you do it once. You've just got to focus with great intensity."
"But, how can I?"
"How did you do it the first time?"
"I focused on what the Doctor was saying and, for a moment, pictured myself as the Doctor."
"Then why not do it again?" Clockwork shuffled his hooves and lowered his head. "I see."
"Hmm?" Clockwork raised his head.
"You do believe that you can do it again, it's just that you're afraid of what's waiting for you back in Ponyville."
"You mean the diamond Twilight?" Derpy asked.
"The very same."
"It frightens me," said Clockwork as he looked straight into Twilight's eyes. He refused to acknowledge the diamond Twilight as a he or a she. It was nothing. It was nothing but some universal anomaly that didn't even have the right to exist. It had his wife's body but it had Sombra's soul. It was his nightmare, his monster, his own worst enemy. An enemy that came from nothing but had power over everything. Twilight placed a hoof under Clockwork's chin and lowered her head a bit until their eyes were once again meeting.
"She...it's a part of you. It should be afraid of you, not the other way around. You're it's creator, so make it go away the next time you see it."
"I...I believe I can defeat it, and yet I don't think I have the strength to." It was too tempting. Twilight figured that there was only one way to give Clockwork enough strength and courage to fight his demon. She raised his head up and pushed her face forward. Their lips met. The Doctor coughed awkwardly. Derpy stood there in shock. Bright Eyes made a long aww sound. Twilight and Clockwork pulled their lips apart.
"Can you face it to save my friends and I?" Clockwork was silent for a moment. He then gave a small smile and raised his head.
"You may not be my Twilight, but thanks. I think that's exactly what I needed," he said. Twilight took a few steps back as Clockwork began to focus.
"Focus on Ponyville. Focus on where the library was just before we left. Focus on that with all your strength."
As Clockwork frowned in concentration, the Doctor leaned in towards Twilight and whispered, "Are you going to start kissing everypony in order to get what you want?" Twilight turned and faced the Doctor, who had a childish grin on his face. His remark was met with a quick slap across the face. "I'll take that as a no."
The library began to shake and so did Clockwork. Sweat trickled down the stallion's coat and heavy breaths escaped through his lips. A white light began pouring in through the windows of the library. The Doctor yelped in surprise as Bright Eyes grabbed onto him.
"I suggest that we all hold onto each other," she said.
"I was just about to suggest the same thing," said Derpy.
"Dimensional duplicates think alike!" Derpy and Bright Eyes smiled and giggled. Twilight grabbed onto the Doctor and Derpy grabbed onto Twilight. Everything was shaking now and yet everything seemed to remain in place. Clockwork's eyes opened. They were pure white again.
"Ponyville," said Clockwork. His voice sounded as if several others were talking with him. Then an explosion of light filled the library and they were off again.
Grounds of the Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
Rarity was beginning to get sick. She felt as if her head was going to pop off her body from the speed at which she was traveling. She could faintly hear Pinkie and Rainbow's screams and diamond Twilight's laughs over the sound of wind rushing past her ears. She could feel tears falling from her eyes and snow and ice pounding against her coat. It was unbearable. Then...everything stopped. The force disappeared and Rarity fell several feet to the ground below. The snow cushioned her fall but she was still dizzy.
"Rarity!" cried Pinkie as she rushed to the unicorn's aid. Rarity allowed Pinkie to help her off the ground.
"What's going on with her?" Rainbow asked. Rarity looked at diamond Twilight. She appeared to have frozen in place. Her body was becoming transparent and it began shaking. It was as if she were disappearing from and appearing at several places at once. Her eyes stopped glowing green and instead became entirely black. A dark smile appeared on the unicorn's face.
"So...he returns. Good. Good," she said in a voice that made Rarity's knees buckle. Then, diamond Twilight disappeared. A gust of wind spread out from the spot in which she had been standing. Suddenly, the crater in which the library had once stood began to shift and bubble. Rarity and Pinkie stepped back.
"What's going on?!" Pinkie asked.
"Maybe...maybe they're returning," Rarity guessed. The three mares remained silent as the ghostly form of the library appeared before them. Rainbow smiled hopefully.
"I think you're right, Rarity!" she said.
"Why do you sound so surprised?"
"No reason." The library had almost finished materializing when a black cloud appeared out of nowhere above them. An evil laugh emanated from the cloud as bolts of green lightning proceeded to strike the library.
"Come, my dear Clockwork. It's time that you came home," cackled the voice.
"No! You leave them alone!" Pinkie ordered. There was an explosion of green light and the three mares were knocked back. When they stood up again, the library was back where it belonged. "Twilight!" Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow raced towards the front door. Pinkie pulled the door open with such a force that it nearly came off its hinges. They rushed inside.
The interior of the library looked intact. Spike was sleeping on the nearby sofa. But the strangest sight was that two Derpys were standing in the middle of the library, and they looked worried.
"What happened to them?!" asked the Derpy in the mailpony outfit.
"I don't know!" replied the other Derpy. The two Derpys noticed the presence of the others and gasped. "Pinkie Pie?! Rainbow Dash?! Rarity?!"
"See!" said Pinkie. "I told you that I saw two Derpys!"
"Actually, my name's Bright Eyes," said the mailpony Derpy.
"Uh...nice to meet you," said Rainbow Dash awkwardly.
"We'll explain everything later! Right now we need to find them!" said Derpy.
"Find who? Where's the Doctor and Twilight? What's happened to Spike?" Rarity asked.
"Spike's fine. It's Twilight, the Doctor, and Clockwork! They've disappeared!"
"Who's Clockwork?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Is he a new pony in town?!"
"Sort of," said Bright Eyes. Pinkie ran over to Bright Eyes and hugged her.
"Yay! Now I have two welcome parties to plan!"
"Pinkie, we don't have time for this! We need to rescue Twilight, the Doctor, and Clockwork!" said Derpy.
"Where did they go?" Rainbow asked.
"I don't know! Some green lightning struck them and then they were gone!" Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity all looked at each other nervously.
"I think the three of us have a good idea about who's behind this," Rarity gulped.
The Clock Tower, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
The Doctor couldn't help but gasp in shock when he opened his eyes. A few seconds ago, he had been holding onto Twilight, Derpy, and Bright Eyes in the library. Now, he was dangling from the edge of a balcony that was a long way up from the snowy ground beneath him. He nearly lost his grip when the building he was dangling from proceeded to shake violently. The sound of a bell rang out from beneath him.
"Am...am I hanging from a clock tower?" he asked as he looked around. Wind and snow smashed against his coat and the cold was nearly unbearable. He wondered where the others had gone off to and then his hearts jumped. He looked down towards the ground and gave a sigh of relief when he realized that there were no pony-shaped imprints in the snow.
"Doctor?" asked a familiar voice from nearby. It was Twilight.
"Twilight! I've over here and could use a bit of help!" Twilight appeared at the edge of the balcony. Her horn glowed for a second and the Doctor felt gravity disappear as he proceeded to levitate a few feet higher. He landed on the balcony with a soft thump. Twilight then gave the Doctor a quick hug before pulling him inside.
The inside of the tower resembled that of a small apartment. A bed was situated off in the corner, and a series of tables were scattered throughout the room. Clockwork was standing in the middle of the room. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were wide with shock.
"This...this is my home," he said.
"Your home?" Twilight asked.
"Yes. This is where I live. This is my home in the Ponyville clock tower."
"Wait...that means-"
"We're not in your universe anymore, Twilight," the Doctor finished.
"But...but where's the library? Where's Derpy and Bright Eyes? Where's Spike?!"
"Probably back in your home dimension."
"How did we end up here and they end up there?" The Doctor looked at Clockwork.
"Something interfered."
"It was her...er...it wasn't it?" Clockwork asked.
"I believe so." Clockwork looked around, expecting something to jump out of the shadows.
"How are we going to get back then?" Twilight asked. "Can Clockwork get us back?"
The Doctor suddenly shook and frowned as a sharp pain raced through his body.
"He can get us back," the Doctor replied. "But-"
"But at a price," laughed a voice from above. It was a deep and menacing voice. Clockwork jumped and began backing towards the corner. The Doctor and Twilight watched as the diamond Twilight descended from the rafters above. Holes were scattered throughout her body. Each hole emanated a green/black gas. Her horn was now long, jagged, and black. She no longer had a feminine look and looked more like a brute and somewhat muscular stallion. She was so masculine that the Doctor and Twilight figured that they couldn't even call her a she anymore. As diamond Twilight touched the ground he/she exploded into a cloud of black smoke. For a moment, there was nothing in diamond Twilight's spot aside from a black cloud with green eyes staring out of it. When the cloud disappeared, a large black unicorn stallion stood before them. He snarled a bit and cackled at the sight of his frightened subjects. The stallion turned towards Clockwork and smiled evilly. "Hello, Clockwork."
"Sombra!" Clockwork gasped.
"Clockwork, don't be afraid of him! He's just a nightmare, nothing more!" Twilight cried. An invisible force slammed into Twilight, knocking her into the nearby wall.
"Twilight!" cried the Doctor and Clockwork. Twilight gasped as a green magical prison surrounded her. She definitely wasn't going anywhere.
"You've just made a terrible mistake!" snapped the Doctor as he reached for his Sonic Screwdriver; however, he didn't get the chance to grab it for the floorboards around him suddenly liquified. Before he could even raise his hoof, the Doctor found his hooves melted into the floor.
"Such annoying extras," Sombra sighed as he turned away from the Doctor and Twilight and honed in on Clockwork. "This is between you and me, Clockwork." Clockwork felt a chill run down his spine as the unicorn continued to walk towards him. He seemed to grow larger with every step he took. Clockwork could hear the Doctor and Twilight yelling for him to send Sombra away...but he simply didn't have the strength to do it. Something was holding him back. Sombra came to a sudden stop a few feet from Clockwork. He looked around the clock tower apartment and chuckled. "Funny, isn't it? This is where it all began, this little adventure of ours. How did this all start? Oh, yes. You pitched yourself off that balcony out there."
"Shut up," Clockwork ordered weakly.
"And why is that? Oh, that's right. I killed your lovely wife, didn't I?"
"Clockwork! Don't listen to it! This isn't the real Sombra! It's just a nightmare made real! You can make it go away!" the Doctor cried. Sombra looked back at the Doctor and then back at Clockwork. He gave another cruel chuckle.
"You know what's also funny? The fact that you're an alternate version of the Doctor. I find that hard to believe. I mean, look at what you are and then look at what he is." Sombra looked back and forth between the Doctor and Clockwork and laughed again. "If you two didn't look alike, I would have never guessed that either of you were related in any way whatsoever, not even through inter-dimensional means. The only similarities I see is that you both look alike and that you both have Twilight Sparkle wrapped around your hooves...oh...I guess that last fact doesn't apply to you anymore, does it?" Clockwork felt an unbelievable rage building up inside him. Sure, the thing before him wasn't the real Sombra, for Sombra had died months earlier, but, in a way, it was him to an extent. It was everything Clockwork had heard about Sombra made real. In some way of looking at things, his wife's murderer was standing before him and not only wishing to do him harm but making taunts at his friends as well as the wonderful mare whom he took life from.
"Shut up!" Clockwork growled as he stood up. Sombra smiled and looked down at Clockwork like a schoolyard bully would look at his latest victim.
"Getting angry, I see. Good. Maybe in your state of anger you might be able to pull something out of your ass that might make you live up to a percentage of what your dimensional duplicate has done." Clockwork was shaking with fury now. He wished he had a knife in his hooves for he so dearly longed to cut into the stallion before him and wipe the smile from his face. "Come at me then. This should be over quickly. It matters not if you die at this point. I've grown too powerful to be connected to you anymore. I'm free."
"You don't deserve to be free. You don't deserve anything. If there's one thing I've done faster than the Doctor, it's how much time it's taken me to lose my mercy." The Doctor felt a pit grow in his stomach upon hearing Clockwork's words. Clockwork looked up at Sombra. His eyes looked much darker than they previously had. An anger was billowing up from deep within the stallion in the overcoat. His eyes began to turn red and his breathing became raspy. Sombra still didn't back down. He kept his ground.
"Isn't that cute? You actually think you're threatening."
"You should be afraid of me, Sombra!" Clockwork's eyes were purely red now. His coat was also growing slightly gray. He brown mane was becoming black. "You've taunted me, taken my wife from me, and have caused my life to become a living hell! That's not a good place to be standing!" Twilight was beginning to feel frightened by the new Clockwork. It now sounded as if there was somepony else speaking alongside him. Somepony darker. Somepony...familiar.
Clockwork could see several things flashing before his eyes. It was as if his mind had suddenly opened up to a wide variety of doors. His furious mind led him to one particular door. Within the door, there sat a gray stallion with a black mane and a black bow tie. It was him: it was the Dark Doctor. The Dark Doctor looked at Clockwork and Clockwork stared at him. The Dark Doctor chuckled.
"You're quite a piece of work, you are. I'm not even sure that I've been as angry as you currently are. That's quite a milestone," he said. Clockwork felt anger for the Dark Doctor. He felt anger towards everything. "The Doctor on your end is right about something: you can easily take down this Sombra knock off. He's nothing compared to you, and that's a fact."
Clockwork mentally returned to the clock tower. Sombra was preparing to take him out.
"Let's finish this," Sombra chuckled.
"Yes...let's," Clockwork growled. Before Sombra could react, Clockwork jumped up and latched his teeth around Sombra's neck. The dark unicorn screamed in pain as Clockwork's teeth grew as sharp as knives and proceeded to drill deep into his neck. Clockwork tore and ripped at Sombra's neck like a primal carnivore. The Doctor and Twilight were freed from their traps as they looked on in horror at what Clockwork was doing.
"Clockwork!" Twilight cried. Clockwork couldn't hear her. His rage had taken over. Sombra tried to kick the stallion off him but it was to no avail. Clockwork bit down tighter.
"Hurts...doesn't it?!" Clockwork asked as blood smeared his muzzle and coat. The clock tower began to shake and morph around them.
"Doctor, what's happening?!" Twilight asked.
"It's Clockwork. His connection to the rift is at its breaking point. He could burn up!" the Doctor replied as he ran towards Clockwork. "Clockwork! You've got to let this anger go!" He grabbed onto Clockwork and wrapped his hooves around the stallion's neck. "Let go!"
"Ha!" Clockwork laughed. Suddenly, the Doctor was pulled up into the air alongside Clockwork and Sombra. Sombra screamed as he head smashed into the ceiling above. The Doctor cringed as a loud cracking sound emanated from the unicorn's neck. Clockwork smiled darkly. "Yes! Die! Die! DIE!" Sombra's lifeless head was smashed again and again into the ceiling. Blood poured onto Clockwork and the Doctor, only to disappear a few seconds later in streams of black and green smoke. The Doctor tightened his grip on Clockwork and suddenly found himself leave his body.
The Doctor was now standing in a small and simple bedroom. Everything in the room was gray and there was only a single window. It was raining outside. Clockwork was sitting on the bed nearby. He looked like he was in a daze. Somepony was standing next to the window: a gray stallion with a black mane and an hourglass cutie mark. The Dark Doctor turned around to face the Doctor. He smiled.
"Hello, Doctor," he said.
"What is this place?" the Doctor asked.
"Nowhere and everywhere." The Doctor looked at the dazed Clockwork and put the pieces together.
"You're not the real version of my darker counterpart. You're just a part of Clockwork's psyche. This is all just a part of Clockwork's mind." The Dark Doctor nodded in reply. The Doctor rubbed his temple. "But it's also more than that. The rifts had added something to it. This place could potentially become real...that is if Clockwork allows it extend that far."
"Correct. It's all on him." Clockwork looked up at the Doctor and nodded. It was then that the Doctor noticed that something was wrapped around Clockwork's head. It appeared to be a crab made out of black smoke. It had green eyes and a white, pearly smile.
"He isn't defeating his demon, he's allowing himself to become it." The Dark Doctor nodded again. The Doctor looked at his darker counterpart and pointed at him. "And you're egging him on!"
"Of course I am! I'm based around the version of you that embraces disharmony and chaos. Almost a...Discord Doctor if you will." The Doctor felt that his darker self was hinting at something but he figured that he'd give it more thought once everything was sorted out. "But...that doesn't mean I can't play fair sometimes." He nodded his head at Clockwork.
"What are you talking about?"
"The nightmare is the choice. I'm the devil on one of Clockwork's shoulders. You're the angel on the other shoulder."
"You're kidding."
"I'm a fabrication of dimensional anomalies and mental instability. Do I look like something that spends its time kidding around?"
"Well if Discord's your inspiration-"
"Shut it and have your go." The Doctor turned towards Clockwork and knelt down next to him.
"Clockwork, you've got to wake up."
"But I am awake," Clockwork replied. "I'm facing my nightmare, like you and Twilight told me to do."
"But not like this. You're more than this, Clockwork. You always have been. You've had the strength to defeat your demons but here you're choosing to become them instead."
"This...this power, Doctor. I've never felt so strong! I...I can do anything! Maybe I can even bring her back!"
"There's nothing you can do to bring your Twilight back, Clockwork."
"Oh...but there is. It all lies within your Twilight. All it would take is a simple memory swap and everything could return to what it used to be!"
"I won't allow you to do that, Clockwork."
"Are you threatening me?"
"You're better than this. What would Twilight want you to do?"
"She...she'd want me to be happy."
"Yes, but this isn't the path she would have wanted you to take."
"But the path you're currently on is so much fun!" cackled the Dark Doctor. The Doctor turned back to his darker self.
"There's enough demons in Clockwork's mind! Go!" The Dark Doctor rolled his eyes before disappearing into nothing. "Clockwork-" The room shook around them. Suddenly, the Doctor felt another presence in the room.
"It's time for you to make a tough decision, Clockwork," said a familiar voice. The Doctor turned around to find himself staring at himself! And it wasn't the Dark Doctor either. It was literally another Doctor who looked exactly as he was now.
"What?!" asked the Doctor. "What are you?!"
"Clockwork's mind is proving to be quite strong. He's breaking into your psyche as well, Doctor." The Doctor felt a pain rush through his head. The door to the bedroom flung open. The Doctor looked and saw five figures staring back at him: three women and two mares.
"Rose...Martha...Donna...Twilight...Derpy." The Doctor's companions smiled.
"Your greatest desires. Your worst fears," they said before disappearing. The Doctor rubbed his temple.
"I've really got to stop taking mental trips like this!" He looked up at his second self. "Then what are you supposed to be?"
The second Doctor smiled as he said, "I'm the truth. The deliverer of facts that will ultimately make us unhappy." He turned to Clockwork. "You must now make a tough decision, Clockwork."
"And what is it?" Clockwork asked.
"Your connection to the rift is weakening. You have enough strength to make one last journey. You can use this journey to bring the Doctor and Twilight back to their universe, but you will be brought with them. Once you do this, the walls of this universe will seal. There are too many holes. It'll take some time for them to mend. You'll get stuck in the Doctor's universe...until further notice."
"I...I'll have to leave my world behind?"
"Or...you can stay here and use your dimensional abilities to bring your wife back via the other Twilight; thus, Twilight will remain with you always but the Doctor will be trapped for his TARDIS is back in the other dimension."
"What are you doing?!" the Doctor snapped.
"Giving him his choices." The second Doctor turned back to Clockwork. "So what shall it be? New world or home? New life or lost wife? A broken heart with a new start or a new beginning with your true love? The choice is yours, Clockwork." The second Doctor then disappeared.
"I could have her back," said Clockwork. The Doctor could feel himself getting pulled away. His power and influence in Clockwork's mind was disappearing.
"Clockwork...please," the Doctor pleaded.
"I could-"
"What about Bright Eyes?" asked a new voice. The Doctor looked as Twilight appeared in the middle of the room.
"Twilight?" Clockwork asked.
"I'm not what you should be thinking about. What of Bright Eyes? She's trapped in the other world with nopony else from her world to give her comfort. What of her?"
"I...Twilight-" Twilight knelt down and kissed Clockwork on the lips.
"I love you, Clockwork. Now set things right." For a moment, everything was silent. The Doctor could hear nothing aside from his own, slow breaths. Then the black crab on Clockwork's head disappeared. Clockwork stood up and embraced Twilight.
"Do you have to go?" he asked as the room began crumbling into a white oblivion.
"No. Don't forget about me and I'll never be gone."
"We had so much planned."
"I know, life sucks sometimes. But that doesn't mean that you can't start over." Clockwork smiled as he turned to face the Doctor.
"Time to go home, right?" The Doctor smiled and nodded.
"Yes. Home sounds really good right about now," the Doctor replied. The room disappeared into a white void and the Doctor felt himself falling. As he fell, faces from his past flew past him. The Doctor suddenly remembered about how much it hurt to look back. The faces of his countless companions stared at him from the oblivion. Twilight and Derpy appeared before him along with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, Opal, and the many others he had met during his time in Equestria. He would not let anything happen to them: that was a promise. For a moment, the clock tower apartment appeared before him. Twilight was screaming and yelling but the Doctor heard no sounds. He could see Sombra finally disappearing into a cloud of smoke, he could see himself and Clockwork falling to the ground, and the last thing he saw was he, Twilight, and Clockwork disappearing into thin air with a simple flash of light. The Doctor then felt a strong pull behind his naval and everything went black.
Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
"It's the diamond Twilight, isn't it?" Bright Eyes asked.
"Yep," Rainbow Dash groaned in reply.
"Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no! We've got to find them!" Derpy cried.
"I don't think we need to find them," said Rarity suddenly.
"What do you mean by that?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"I think they're going to find us." Rarity pointed to behind Derpy and Bright Eyes. A spot of air was rippling and bubbling.
"Another rift?!" asked Rainbow. Just then, three figures slid out of the dimensional rift and hit the floor with three consecutive thuds.
"Doctor! Twilight!" Derpy exclaimed.
"Clockwork!" Bright Eyes exclaimed. Clockwork was unconscious and the Doctor looked like he was half asleep. Twilight was the only one who was conscious.
"Doctor! Clockwork!" Twilight called. She picked herself off the ground.
"What happened?!" asked Rarity.
"I'll explain later. Right now, I think the Doctor and Clockwork need some help, Clockwork especially."
Clockwork awoke to find himself feeling oddly relaxed. There was a slight pain in his forehead but, aside from that, he felt fine. He was lying in a hospital bed with the sheets pulled up to his neck. The pillow under his head felt incredibly soft. He suddenly realized how long it had been since he had had a good night's sleep.
"Oh good, you're awake," said a familiar voice. Clockwork turned and noticed that Bright Eyes was sitting next to his bed. She was still wearing her mailpony uniform, which looked fairly damaged by this point and could use a good sewing or two. Clockwork smiled at his visitor. He had never been happier to see the inverted yellow eyes of Bright Eyes. His memory was clouded. He hardly remembered anything from the time he, the Doctor, and Twilight had been back in his home dimension. He, however, remembered one particular detail clearly. It made him sad.
"How long have I been out?" Clockwork asked.
"Around a day or so."
"A day?!"
"Yeah. You arrived back in the library with Twilight and the Doctor. You looked like you were in pretty bad shape."
"I was. I'm still hurting a bit from what happened."
"Yes. Twilight and the Doctor explained everything to me, Derpy, and the others. I asked when it would be all right for you and I to head home but the Doctor simply said that was something that you should tell me." Bright Eyes looked at Clockwork curiously and the stallion gulped in reply. He had to break the news to her.
"Bright Eyes, you and I aren't returning home for a while."
"Are you saying that you can't travel through the rifts anymore?"
"That's part of the reason."
"Well that's no problem! The Doctor says that the TARDIS can travel through dimensions and-"
"The TARDIS can't help us. The walls of our dimension have been welded together for a time. Nothing, not even the TARDIS, will be able to pass through them for a while."
"Are...are you saying what I think you're saying?" Bright Eyes was beginning to tear up. It pained Clockwork to see the innocent mare in such a sad state but he knew that he had to tell her the truth.
"Yes. Until further notice, you and I can't return to our home dimension." Bright Eyes looked down sadly. Clockwork felt her pain and reached a hoof out. She looked up and grabbed his hoof with one of her own. "Don't feel so bad, Bright Eyes. We're alive. We're safe. The Doctor, Twilight, and her library are back where they belong. Everything worked out...for the most part."
"But what about our home?"
"I have a feeling that the walls won't be closed forever. Someday, we'll return home."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
"So...I guess this is our home for the time being."
"I guess...but I have another idea in mind."
"And what would that be?" Clockwork smiled.
"Bright Eyes, how would you feel about joining me on an adventure? And hopefully one that doesn't involve killer clones and living nightmares?"
Outside the Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.
Twilight and Derpy stood outside and watched as a friendly snowfall drifted down from the clouds above.
"This is a lot better than the storm we recently had," said Derpy.
"I agree," Twilight replied with a laugh.
"Is Spike doing better?"
"Yes. He woke up this morning but he's going to need some rest in order to recover from what happened."
"At least he's fine. What about the Doctor?"
"He's been quiet ever since he left the hospital yesterday. He just went downstairs and has been moping around in his TARDIS ever since. I can only assume that he's thinking up something."
"Well, there's a lot to think about. At least he can go to sleep knowing a little bit more about the rifts."
"Yeah. This Dark Doctor is creating them. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Me too."
"We should go and visit Clockwork and see if he's woken up yet."
"Bright Eyes is already there looking after him." Twilight smiled and looked up at the bluish-white sky. She took in a deep breath of air. It felt cool and crisp. She missed calm days like this.
"The days after a storm are always the best, don't you think?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah," Derpy replied. "I agree." Both mares took in deep breaths of air and exhaled with loud sighs. "It sure feels good to be home."
"Yeah...it does...but-"
"But what?"
"It's just...I love being home...but I've missed that thrill, to an extent."
"I know what you mean. The thrill of not knowing what's going to happen."
"The thrill of finding new things."
"The thrill of fighting for your life and protecting those you care about."
"And the running."
"Of course, the running."
"Running with the Doctor."
"The Doctor." The two mares were quiet for a moment before smiling and giggling. "Look at us. We just had another crazy, heart-pounding adventure and yet here we are asking for more."
"I think the Doctor's starting to rub off on us."
"I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
"I'd say that it's somewhere in the middle."
"I'll take that." Derpy yawned and stretched a bit. "Come on. We probably should go and check on Clockwork."
"No need to!" called a familiar voice. Clockwork and Bright Eyes walked across the snow towards them. They had some bags slung across their backs.
"I see that you're looking better," said Twilight.
"Going somewhere?" Derpy asked as she looked at the bags.
"Kind of," Bright Eyes replied. Just then, another familiar noise echoed around them. The TARDIS materialized a few feet away from the library. The Doctor hopped out the box. He was now wearing a brown suit with a red tie.
"Hello, everypony!" he said as he walked towards them.
"You look happy too, Doctor," said Twilight. "What's going on here?"
"I think I'll go and let these two tell their plans first." The Doctor nodded at Clockwork and Bright Eyes.
"Bright Eyes and I are going on a trip," said Clockwork.
"A trip?!" asked a surprised Derpy. "To where?"
"Anywhere. Since we're going to be staying in this universe for a while, we decided that we might as well explore it and see what it has to offer."
"Besides, I think traveling will help us get over things that have happened of late," Bright Eyes added.
"Traveling can help clear the mind," said the Doctor. "Take it from somepony with experience in that field."
"What's in the bags?" Derpy asked.
"Just some of the stuff I had with me when I came through the rift and the food you set aside for me," Bright Eyes replied.
"Well you're going to need more than that if you're going on a world tour!" the Doctor said as he dashed back into the TARDIS. He returned a moment later with a small silver box connected to a silver chain. He handed it to Clockwork.
"What's this?" Clockwork asked.
"That, my friend, is something I recently invented."
"You invented something?" Twilight asked.
"Why do you sound so surprised? What? Did you think I spent all of my time in the TARDIS just moping around?"
"Well-"
"Nevermind." The Doctor turned to Clockwork. "This is something I like to call a TARDIS Storage Bin. Much like the TARDIS, it's-"
"Let me guess," said Clockwork. "It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside."
"Correct. Open it." Clockwork opened the top of the box and a small, holographic screen appeared.
"What's this?"
"It's the list of everything that's currently inside. I've already gone through the liberty of storing it with some food, clothing, toiletries, and some leftover money that I received from the Good Queen Bess (which the TARDIS Storage Bin can happily turn into Equestrian currency)."
"Good Queen Bess?" Derpy asked.
"Don't ask." The Doctor turned back to Clockwork. "Now read anything off that list out loud."
"Okay. Winter jacket," said Clockwork. Suddenly, a blue winter jacket popped out through the top of the box and landed in the Doctor's outstretched hoof. "Brilliant!"
"I know. To put anything back, you just tell the TARDIS Storage Bin to send it back."
"Just like that? Okay. Send the winter jacket back." The jacket flew off the Doctor's hoof and back into the box.
"Wow," said Derpy and Bright Eyes.
"I know. I also managed to put in a little bit of Equestrian magic as well," said the Doctor.
"How?" asked a somewhat skeptical Twilight.
"I'm the Doctor, shouldn't that be enough of an answer for you?"
"No."
"I like you, Ms. Sparkle. Have I told you that recently?" Everypony laughed and Clockwork placed the TARDIS Storage Bin around his neck. He closed the top and the holographic list disappeared.
"I guess this is goodbye," said Clockwork.
"Until we meet again," said the Doctor as he extended a hoof. Clockwork hesitated for a moment and then shook it.
"Until we meet again, Doctor." While Derpy hugged Bright Eyes, Clockwork turned to face Twilight.
"Good luck, Clockwork," said Twilight as she walked forward and gave him a hug. It still felt a bit awkward between Twilight and Clockwork but they knew that they would get around this one day. "Are you okay?"
"I'm better than I was when I arrived here in your dimension. But meeting the Doctor and seeing you...it's made the whole thing easier to face."
"You'll see her again someday."
"I know."
"Until then, make sure to live life to the fullest. That's what she'd want you to do."
"Yeah. That's what she would want, isn't it? Thank you, Twilight." Twilight smiled and nodded.
"You best hurry to the station then," said the Doctor. "The train leaves in twenty minutes."
"Right! Bye!" said Bright Eyes as she began making her way towards the station.
"Bright Eyes! Wait for me!" Clockwork called as he ran after the excited pegasus.
"Slow poke!" Within seconds, Clockwork and Bright Eyes had disappeared around the bend.
"There they go," said Derpy. "Do you think they'll be all right?"
"Hey, he's an alternate version of me and she's an alternate version of you. That's already a deadly team right there," said the Doctor. Derpy giggled. She suddenly noticed that the Doctor was eyeing the TARDIS oddly.
"Doctor? Is...is everything all right?" The Doctor looked at Derpy and sighed.
"I don't know. I guess, after everything that's happened, it's made me feel a bit homesick."
"You mean of your dimension?"
"Yeah." The Doctor looked towards the TARDIS. Twilight and Derpy looked at each other and then turned back to the Doctor.
"You know...I've been interested for a while now in seeing your home dimension," said Twilight. The Doctor instantly turned back to Twilight and Derpy. A smile appeared on his face.
"Would you both really want to go after all this?" he asked.
"I guess traveling around with you has kind of made us used to stuff like this," said Derpy. The Doctor chuckled and nodded.
"Well, in that case, are you two in the mood for a quick trip to my home dimension?" The two mares smiled and nodded. "So, let's get to it then! The Doctor, Twilight Sparkle, and Derpy Hooves off again!" They began making their way over to the TARDIS. The Doctor opened the doors and stood to the side. "Mares first."
As she walked through the doors, Twilight said, "This should be quite interesting."
"Couldn't agree more, Twilight." Twilight then entered the TARDIS. Before entering the TARDIS, Derpy gave the Doctor a quick hug.
"I can't wait to see what your home dimension's like, Doctor! I wonder how muffins taste like over there," she said as she walked through the doors. The Doctor took one last look at Ponyville.
"Home," he said with a smile before turned around and heading into the TARDIS, closing the doors behind him. Just then, the door to the library opened. Spike stood in the doorway.
"Twilight! Where are you? Your new book of distant Equestrian history just arrived!" he called. Then he heard it: VVRROOMP! VVRROOMP! VVRROOMP! Spike looked and watched as the TARDIS slowly began disappearing. "Already?!" Spike rolled his eyes and smiled. Then he looked down at the book in his claws. "Might as well get this ready for when Twilight returns."
Spike then walked back into the library as the TARDIS disappeared. Meanwhile, a few yards away, a familiar mare in a large, brim hat named Matilda watched as the TARDIS vanished.
"And so it begins," she said to herself before activating her vortex manipulator and disappearing in a quick flash of light.
