The Misadventures of One Mixed-up Time Pony

"Storm! They're coming closer to Equestria!" shouts Esha. I look at the white mare, all unseriousness removed from my face.

"Esha," I try to force the words past my teeth, "In a minute I will give you a choice, I will give you the chance to save yourself and  leave me and this TARDIS to face the Dalek fleet, or you can stay to see me at my most magnificent, then at my worst. Staying means that I can't guarantee your safety, but if I send you back, I won't be sure that my magic will be able to save me from the darkness. I want you to have a good life and forget about this old trickster, but I don't want you to hate me for sending you back. The choice is yours, but I promise that if I send you back and I live, I will find you again."

"St-Storm, I have seen so much travelling the multiverse with you, but even if it means waiting for you, I will let you save me to save the world." She hesitated then continued, "I will wait until I'm an old gray mare for even the slightest chance that you'll come back." As I cast the spell, Gallopfreyan words swirl to life at Esha's feet. She is drawn into the teleport spell and disappears into the words, probably appearing back at her home in Ponyville.

Next, I turn to look out the door at the Dalek fleet, I draw from my own magic instead of the words and create a freezing inferno on a single ship of the Dalek fleet.  I turn to the control console and program it that, so after the battle the TARDIS will hide itself. Finally, I enter the world in my mind.

While floating in the mind world,  I navigate past the wards that protect my mind and go past the maelstrom that takes up most of the space. I float to what looks like a small moon staying outside of the vortex, and then go into the moon. The crystalline hallway where I landed was near where my destination was, thankfully. I go to the room and open the doors. Inside on a small table is a single box bound with a million chains. The chains dissipated at the touch of my hooves, and then, when there was only the largest left, I toyed with the idea of removing it.

Memories of the decades spent wandering the multiverse searching for the way to create this chain come back to my mind. The hair ripping at Alexandria, the insane fits in Canterlot, the banishment from Absalom, Palanthas, plus everywhere else, and the meltdown in my own library. I remember how I combined unicorn, elvish, and human magics, along with half broken Chameleon Arch, all just to create this single chain. I decide not to break this chain, it being my final failsafe when all else fails.

Instead, I draw out a key made up of my own life-force and place it in the lock. I turn it and the lock opens. I barely have enough time to create an astral projection before the shadows from the box overtake me.

Thrust back outside, but also outside my own body, I watch as a transformation occurs over my body. It twitches and an eye opens. The eye is not the normal greyish hue, but a deep red.

"My, my, looks like the old bag has finally taken a hike," I shudder to hear that voice again, He looks in at the mirror on the console. "This will just never do." His horn, no, not his, my horn glows and his hair sticks up and brings itself to points at the end. A red aura envelopes his entire form and when it dissipates, the white on my mane has turned to black and he has taken on a darker coat altogether. "There, much better. Now, what to wear to the beginning of the end?" He walks down the TARDIS corridors for a while, finally coming to stop in front of a wardrobe. He comes out a short while later, with a white coat and a hawthorn cane with a small silver grip. I remember stealing that cane from a minor death god, good times, good times.

The demon in pony form goes to the front door and turns to the Dalek fleet and raises his cane as if about to conduct a symphony. He points the silver skull at the most forward of the attack ships, a red blaze forming all around the different ships. Next he turns to face the console and spins, as if also dancing to his symphony's piece. He turns to the command ship and an explosion happens at the core, then blossoms out to the nearest ships. The explosion then reverses into an implosion and the remaining fleet disappears into it, and the Dalek threat is no more.

After this turn of events, the demon turns and starts to think aloud, "I'm surprised the weak half released me so conveniently, but apparently he also died in the process, good thing, too. If he got our body back under his control, I don't  even want to think about it."

Suddenly, the TARDIS shakes and knocks both of us out of the door, the TARDIS having apparently been traversing the Time Vortex the entire time. "Curses! I should have remembered that he would have set some trap in case I got out. Still, have to give credit to the old fox, he did know how to hide the TARDIS mid-materialization, where I could never get into it" This place gives me the feeling that this somewhere and when is important. Suddenly, it comes to me, this is the Reign of Chaos, and five days from now, the Princesses will find the Elements of Harmony and turn Discord to stone.

I start to wonder how I can prevent him from changing all the fixed points that occur at this time. Being an astral projection means it takes a lot of effort to manipulate anything tangible, so that puts a bother on my plans. I tinker in my head with a way to stop him using the last chain, but I decide better of it, so I set to work seeing what he will do before I decide what I will do to stop him.

"Looks like it's time to have some fun." I speak the best I can in my astral form Looks like this will be a battle between us, Professor Raven.