The stallion, who had called himself just the Doctor, had led the Elements of Harmony (plus one baby dragon) to a rather peculiar blue box at the end of the alleyway. The box, which they could have sworn wasn’t there a second ago, was most strange, having the words Guard’s Public Call Box, a box that Twilight had said had not been used for quite some time.
The odd brown stallion, with a trench coat to match, had opened the box with a clop of his hooves, the doors swinging open wide for them. The mares and drake looked towards him with a mix of worry and apprehension. With a roll of his eyes he made his way past them and entered the box, but not before looking back and smiling brightly and saying only one word.
"Coming?"
One by one, the girls slowly followed after him and to their surprise, and utter shock, found that they found themselves in a room that was much bigger that should have been possible.
The Doctor watched as the small group wondered around the control room of the TARDIS, each one gasping in wonder at the sight that was before them.
The small blue box opened to a room, a large room, much too large for the proportion that the box seemed to be. As amazing as that was, what was in the inside was the most remarkable. It looked as though somepony had hollowed out a tree…a very very large tree. Smooth to the touch and not a ridge out of place, it seemed to give the mares and dragon a feeling of tranquility despite the overwhelming since of astonishment. A soft white light shined from above, setting a sunny like ambiance, even warming her fur as she slowly went further inside.
In the middle of the room was a raised platform, with three slanted walkways leading to the middle of it. Some type of machine stood in the middle of it all. A large clear cylinder with a pair of horseshoes floating absentmindedly in it could be seen within the confines of the cylinder. A door on the far side of the wall could be seen leading to only Celestia knows where.
He couldn’t help but study all of their expressions. It was what he lived for after all, those looks of amazement and wonder. It brought a smile to his face, no matter his mood.
The Doctor turned and smile he did as he watched each one curiously before standing on his hind hooves and spreading his arms out in the grandest welcome he could muster. “Ladies and gentlecolt…er drake! Welcome to…” Of course he paused for dramatic effect. “The TARDIS!" He got back on to all four hooves. "Well? How do you like it?"
Spike, the name of the green and purple baby dragon, stood slack jawed at first but then began jumping up and down, his excitement plainly showing. “IT’S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE!!”
The Doctor couldn’t help but smile wider at the young one’s observation before saying in a giddy tone. “Really? Huh…I never really noticed.” He shifted his focus to the cyan mare with the rainbow mane next to the drake, aptly named Rainbow Dash. The face she made would have made the Doctor spit his tea from his mouth, and quite possibly his nose as well, had he been drinking some. The cyan mare had come to squeezing her cheeks together, making quite the adorable expression. She hovered in place, slowly twirling about in a circle, a quiet “ohmygosh, ohmygosh” being repeated in between her squeals of delight.
Fluttershy, the shy butter yellow mare with the light pink mane, sat upon her haunches, looking upwards at the larger than life tree, taking in the sights that she thought were more than likely impossible. He wasn’t quite sure, but he honestly thought he heard a small squeak coming from somewhere her way.
His attention turned to the ever-lovely Applejack, an orange earthpony with a yellow mane and a Stetson sitting snugly upon her head. Her mouth was agape with both wonder and fear.
He really liked her Stetson. Stetson’s are cool…
His gaze drifted towards the mare beside her, an alabaster unicorn named Rarity, her deep violet curly mane bouncing to and fro as her head whipped from side to side. She stood in silence as she looked over the area with a critical eye. Actually, now that he was looking at her, it was a bit too critical for his taste. He couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed by the way she was looking over the TARDIS, HIS TARDIS, like something was not right about it.
Of course the antics of a certain pink mare with a cotton-candy colored mane caught his attention just as soon as he was starting to become annoyed, a smile forming brightly across her face as her head twisted around in a peculiar manner. Pinkie Pie seemed to be tearing down, stripping apart, and rebuilding the TARDIS…all with her eyes alone. He ever so slightly cringed at that thought before he went on to focus on the last mare in their little group. The one who’d been fighting him every step of the way since she found him passed out in her bed earlier today.
And when the Smooze invaded Ponyville.
And when he saved them all with just his wits.
Twilight Sparkle, a lavender unicorn with a deep purple mane that had a pink stripe running in the middle of it, stood with bright shining eyes, her mouth set in an “O” as her pupils grew to the size of dinner plates. He could see a slight sparkle in her eyes as she gazed upon his ship.
The Doctor strolled up to the control panel, a bright smile upon his face. “Well…Anything you would like to say Miss Sparkle, Mmm? Or is Spike the only pony…er…Drake here able to use his voice in the TARDIS?”
Rainbow Dash Flew up to the stallion, pressing her face against his, not the pony he was trying to mess with but, eh, she’d do. “How in Celestia’s name did you get such a huge room inside such a small space!?”
Twilight, recovering from her stupor, shook her head wildly before trotting around the room to get a better view at everything the ship had to offer. “It has to be some kind of magic right? But, no magic I know can do something like this. This is…impossible!”
The Doctor danced around the panel as he answered her saying, “Nope! No magic here. What you’re seeing here is what we like to call good old Time Pony Technology! Science! Not magic!” He smiled and winked. “Also…I just took down an entire gel-based civilization with just a pick ax, a box, a banana and a jar of Rainbows. Even you have to admit I live for the impossible Miss Sparkle.”
“Ya’ll saying that this here…ah…TARDIE is made of that there science?” Applejack questioned.
“That’s TARDIS my dear. With an ‘S’.” He responded slightly annoyed before smiling again.” And yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying!”
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! OH MY GOSH!!” The pink one said, bouncing everywhere. “It’s like another universe in another universe! That’s so neat!”
Twilight looked towards the pink mare as her mind began to race. “No…wait…but…It can’t be that simple.” She turned to the Doctor, her eye twitching slightly. “Right Doctor?”
The Doctor couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked away from her. “It is a bit more complicated than that but that’s pretty much it, in laypony’s terms. I would tell you the Sciency words to explain all of this but I don’t want to overload your brains.” He motioned to the cyan pony. “Especially that one.”
“Hey!”
Applejack gripped Rainbow’s tail before she could tackle the indignant Doctor to the ground as Twilight raised an eyebrow to something the Doctor had said before. “Did you actually say Sciency?”
“NO!” He paused. “Yes…” He frowned. “Oi! Quiet you! I just regenerated! I’m still getting use to how I pronounce words and things and…well…stuff.” He folded his hooves over his chest for added emphasis. Gotta go the extra mile as they say.
Rarity coughed daintily into her hoof gaining everypony’s attention. She still seemed to be disgusted by something, but the Doctor to let it go for now. “My dear Doctor. You mentioned Time Pony before, am I right?”
“Oh! Another surprise!” He smirked at them all. “Hello! I’d like you to meet your first alien of the voyage! Me!”
“You’re an alien!?” Every mare and drake yelled in unison.
“CORRECT!” He exclaimed as he winked. “I’m a Time Pony. From the planet Gallopfray!”
“Wait, so you really are an alien!?” Rainbow gaped, landing on the ground with a clop as she stopped flapping her wings in disbelief.
The Doctor nodded.
“From a different world?!” Rainbow said with wide eyes, her wings jutting out in excitement.
The Doctor nodded. “Indeed.”
Twilight pushed Rainbow to the side. “And you said regenerations before. Does that have to deal with you being not of this world too?”
The Doctor pulled one of the levers on the panel as he nodded. “It’s something we Time Ponies go though. Whenever we die, we regenerate.”
“Wait.” Spike interrupted. “So…before you met us you…ah…died?”
“That would be the case, yes.” The Doctor said, pulling another lever. “I had just died before arriving…missed my old body too…I had a great chin.”
“So, is that an ongoing thing with you Time Ponies?” Twilight inquired. “You can live forever like an Alicorn?”
“Well…not quite. We Time Ponies have a set number of times we can regenerate. I’m on my…um…well…tenth…or was it eleventh? Not really sure…” The Doctor answered and shrugged. “Either way I’m well into my thousandth year…give or take a few hundred.
“T-That’s…impossible…” Twilight stuttered.” That means you’re older then the princesses.”
“Really now? Well that is fun now, isn’t it! I’m older than your princesses.” He chuckled as he flipped another switch. He turned to face them again but found Rainbow with narrowed eyes, her face pressed into his own.
“Are you planning an invasion or something!?”
The Doctor looked towards the cyan mare and sighed. “Really? After I saved countless ponies on your world that is what you ask me Miss Dash?”
Rainbow folded her hooves about her chest. “Well, you come prancing to Ponyville with your fancy technology just before those slimy things attack. I bet you and your kind could destroy everything and everyone on Equestria. And take it over too!”
“I’d have to agree with RD on this one.” Applejack said. “What’s to stop you and your Time Ponies from invading?”
“Well…that would be impossible because of…well…a reason.” The Doctor said as he looked away.
“A reason?” Applejack asked.
“Yes…a reason.” He answered again.
“What reason?” Rainbow asked, glaring at the stallion.
The Doctor sighed before running a hoof through his mane. “Because I’m the last…”
“The last?” Rarity inquired. “What do you mean by that?”
“I’m it. The only one. The last of the last of the Time Ponies.” The Doctor’s focus went to one of the screens as he began to push a few more buttons.
Fluttershy, who had been quiet since the beginning, gasped as she flew to the brown stallion, grasping his hooves within her own. “Oh my goodness! You mean you’re all alone? There’s nopony waiting for you?”
“As I said Miss Shy, I am the last.” The Doctor answered.
There was a sad silence in the control room for quite some time, the only sounds coming from the Doctor as he pushed a button or pulled a lever or two. He turned back to face the mares and drake with a smile. “Well then before I get things started, are there any more questions?”
Rainbow Dash looked towards the stallion, still a bit crestfallen about doubting him. “Ah…Get started? What do you mean get started?”
“Well you don’t think that being bigger on the inside is all it has going for it do you?” The Doctor said with a smile.
Pinkie Pie somehow double gasped at his words. “You mean there’s more!?”
“Of course!” The stallion smiled as he made his way to the mare. “Tell me, my dear little ponies, did you ever wish you could travel in time?”
“Ooooooh no, you don’t!” Twilight stomped her hoof upon the ground. “Defeating a supposedly unbeatable race. Yes. Having a box that’s bigger on the inside, I agree to, but you are not telling me this thing can travel in time! That’s impossible!!”
“Really?” The Doctor all but smirked. “I mean it is called a TARDIS after all.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “What does the name of it have to do with it traveling in time, Doctor?”
“I didn’t tell you before?” The Doctor shook his head. “Sorry. I really should have.” He cleared his throat before smiling brightly. “You see TARDIS is an acronym. It means Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. T.A.R.D.I.S. TARDIS!”
“No…Nononononono…” Twilight started. “If the name is anything to go by…you’re saying this thing can travel though space…and time?” Twilight frowned. “You really expect any of us to believe that!?”
“I don’t expect you to believe it.” The Doctor reached out to touch one of the levers. “Not until I have a chance to prove it at least.”
“Prove it?” Spike asked. “Prove it how?”
The Doctor smiled. “Come with me.”
“Come…with you?” Rainbow asked.
“Yes.” The Doctor answered. “Come with me, you’ve seen what I can do…now come see what I have to show you.”
“But…what about our homes…” Applejack asked.
“And jobs?” Rarity added.
“And cake!?” Pinkie yelled.
“It is a time machine, girls. We can travel to the distant past and fly off to the unknown future and be back home in time for tea.”
The mares and drake all looked towards the stallion for a long while before Rainbow came flying forward.
“Can we see the First Wonderbolts!?” She asked.
“Ah! General Firefly! Now there’s a mare that knew how to fly!” The Doctor said.
“Well…I always wanted to know how the apples were grown in the days of old.” Applejack said with a growing smile.
“That’s two for past!” The Doctor pointed out. “Anypony else?”
“Oh! Is there a Cake planet!?” Pinkie Pie called out.
“Sadly…no…” The Doctor answered, making the pink mare’s ears droop and mane deflate. He then added, “But there is a Cupcake Planet, quite a lovely little place too. You’ll love it.” With a poof the Pink one was smiling again, jumping up and down with glee. Even Fluttershy, Spike and Rarity seemed to be on board with the whole traveling though time and space thing.
Twilight sighed as she looked towards the strange stallion. “Fine…I’ll go” She smiled smugly. “But only to prove you wrong.”
He smirked as he gave them all a wink. “Well then, now that everypony is on the same page...It’s time to get the show on the road!!” He pulled the lever causing the whole room to shake violently. Every mare and dragon gripped the railing, except Rainbow, who flew into the air to ride out the bumpy ride.
“What the hay did you do Doctor?!” Twilight yelled. “What’s going on?!”
“Hang on to your hooves, every pony!” The Doctor laughed. “Cause this is where the fun starts!!” He flipped a switch. “To adventure!” He pushed a lever. “To the unknown!” He pulled a button. “To where ever the wind takes us!” He gripped a latch. “And the stars as well!” He pulled at it making the TARDIS shake even more violently. “Get ready every pony! It’s time for the ride of your lives!”
Outside where the TARDIS stood, the sound of wind distorting filled the air. Soon, the Big Blue Box began to slowly disappear from sight until it was nothing more than just a faded memory
