The Adventures of Doctor Whooves and Friends (Season 1)by Cameronguy2ChaptersImmortalityFuture Lesson Part 1Future Lesson Part 2ImmortalityTwilight’s eyes fluttered open. She couldn’t remember much except that it had been a long night, and now her body slightly ached. She was still tired, but decided to force herself to get out of bed anyway. She sat up on the bed, rubbed her eyes, and looked around. Everything looked the same in the library but, for some reason, it all felt… different. She looked out the window and saw that the sky was a very strange color, much like a sunset, but with more pink. Twilight was too groggy for this to have any impact on her, however, and hopped down onto the floor. She walked downstairs to make breakfast, but was surprised to find that the clock read 8:00 PM. “Spike!” she called, planning to ask her assistant why she had been asleep for so long and why he hadn’t woken her up. Alas, there was no reply. “Spike!” she called again at a slightly increased volume. Still no one answered. A few moments later a strange ball of slightly blue light floated in through the window. “Good Morning,” it said in a robotic voice, “you have been in suspension for: 12 days.” “Twelve days!” Twilight screamed, “That’s more than a week! I haven’t sent a letter to the Princess! I haven’t talked to my friends! I haven’t done anything for twelve days!” “That is correct,” the light replied in the same robotic voice, “this completes both the physical and cognitive portions of the examination. You may now return to suspension.” “What are you talking abou-” Twilight started to say, confused, but was stopped and fell to the floor unconscious. She woke up in the same condition she had woken up in previously. The clock again read 8:00 PM, but the sky was now a simple lighter shade of blue that one would expect to see on a cloudless afternoon. Everything below the sky, however, seemed to be just barely illuminated as though it were night. Twilight also noticed that there was no sun. Her library was a complete mess; it looked like a tornado had come through it “Good morning,” said a familiar robotic voice. Twilight turned around and saw the same ball of light she had before. It said, “You have been in suspension for: 9… 9… 9… 9… 9… this is a recording.” “Oh no,” Twilight said. She ran outside and found Ponyville to be even more disastrous than her library had been. “This can’t be happening,” she said, “this isn’t happening!” She ran all around Ponyville looking for somepony she could ask about what had happened. Everywhere she looked, things were just as horrifyingly terrible as everything else and equally, if not more so, unsettlingly quiet and deserted. She rushed back to the library. “How long did you say I was… in suspension for?” Twilight asked the orb. The strange light replied once again in its strange, robotic voice, “You have been in suspension for 9… 9… 9… 9… 9…” The ball’s robotic voice “shorted out”, and then said, “Length of time incomputable.” “What?” Twilight said. She fell back as she tried to comprehend what this thing had just told her. Suddenly, in an all too familiar voice, the ball floated above her and said, “Did you miss me Princess Sparkle? I know I’ve missed you.” “Discord,” Twilight said angrily, “What have you done to Ponyville!” “Ponyville?” the light said in Discord’s voice, “Twilight Sparkle, you insult me. I’ve spread this fabulous new look all across Equestria! It’s quite the rage nowadays.” Twilight’s mouth dropped. “What’s wrong Miss Sparkle?” the orb said, “Are you upset by my new chaos apocalypse inspired style? All the other ponies seemed to like it. Well then again I didn’t really get the chance to ask them in their screams of terror all those millennia ago. Ah, C’est la guerre.” “All those,” Twilight gulped, “millennia ago?” “Yes,” the orb replied still in Discord’s voice, “didn’t you hear my friend here?” “Indeed,” the orb said, now in its old robotic voice, “didn’t you hear me? Ha… ha… ha… ha…” “Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…” The voice of both Discord and the robot were laughing now. Twilight closed her eyes as tears started streaming down her face. The sound of the robot slowly laughing in the distance could still be heard, and the last thing Twilight heard before she fell asleep once more was the voice of Discord saying, “Welcome to immortality.” Twilight woke up in her room at the castle in the Crystal Empire. She rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. Spike was asleep in his basket in the corner. Twilight kicked the bedframe to figure out if she was still dreaming. Unfortunately, she wasn't, and when she kicked the bed, she let out a small yelp of pain. As she sat there, clutching her leg, she heard a voice from outside, “Everything all right in there?” “Yes, I’m fine,” said Twilight. She gradually stood up on her injured leg and limped out the door. Outside her room she found The Doctor sitting next to the TARDIS and reading the newspaper. “It’s one thirty,” Twilight said, “What are you doing up?” “First,” said The Doctor, not looking up from his paper, “I’m supposed to be guarding you. Second, I don’t really sleep that often. And third, I’d ask you the same question.” “Well,” said Twilight. She yawned. “I just had the weirdest dream.” “Did it involve Princess Luna, a burning house, and lemons?” The Doctor said, still refusing to look away from his paper. “Well, no,” Twilight began, “but-” “Then it wasn’t the weirdest dream,” The Doctor said. “Whatever,” Twilight said, “but I have a question for you.” “Alright,” The Doctor said, “but nothing about the future. I’m not really supposed to tell you that kind of stuff.” “What’s it like being immortal?” Twilight said. The Doctor remained silent, but finally looked up at Twilight with an inquisitive expression like he was trying to read her mind. He looked back down at the newspaper he was holding. “It’s… alright I suppose. Why do you ask?” He said. “It has to do with my dream,” Twilight said looking down,“I’ve been thinking about immortality and what it must be like. I know that some things about it must be hard, but it can’t be all bad, right?” "Well," said The Doctor, "If you'd like a second opinion, you could always ask one of the Princesses." Twilight looked up. She'd been a bit too tired to really think about this much, and hadn't considered talking to anypony else other than the stallion who happened to be just outside her door. "That's a great idea!" she said, "Have you seen either of them recently?" "Luna asked to go in the TARDIS a few minutes ago," The Doctor said, "though I can't imagine why." Twilight thought for a moment and then walked into the TARDIS. When she got in she was surprised and slightly creeped out to find that the lights had been dimmed, and slow, smooth jazz was coming from an unknown source. "Surprise," said a seductive female voice. Luna walked out from behind a corner wearing dark blue socks decorated with stars. "Oh," she said, blushing when she saw Twilight, "I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else." "I would hope so," Twilight said as she watched Luna walk up to the main control panel and push a button. The jazz music stopped. "What do you want?" asked Luna trying to hide her embarrassment. "I had a few questions for you," Twilight said, struggling to put two and two together in her tired condition. "And what might these questions be related to?" Luna asked as she slipped off the socks. "Immortality," Twilight said, “I’ve been wondering about what it’s like.” “Well,” Luna said, leaning against the main control panel, “I suppose you could call it a blessing and a curse. While living forever might be nice, and you get to see all that happens, watch empires rise and fall, you also are forced to sit back and look on helplessly as your friends and family age to dust in what feels like seconds to an immortal, while your skin barely wrinkles.” Luna was looking off into space as she said this. Her eyes were tearing up, and her face held a mixture of sadness and rage. The way she told her story, combined with her tears and her face, it was enough to make a full grown burst into tears. “I’m… I’m so sorry,” Twilight said. “Oh it’s all right,” Luna said, brushing away tears and sniffling, “if one is lucky, one finds other immortals to spend their time with.” “Well, um,” Twilight said, “I guess I’ll see you later.” She started for the door. “Oh, and Twilight,” Luna said. Twilight stopped and turned around. “Don’t tell anyone about this, especially not…” she blushed, “him.” Twilight nodded, exited the TARDIS, and went back to bed. Just before she fell asleep, her brain finally made a connection. “Wait, what?” Author's Note First story, first episode. Enjoy. Future Lesson Part 1As The Doctor walked around, checking to make sure that the TARDIS was functioning properly, as properly as his TARDIS could function anyway, he wondered what the day’s events might hold. His question was somewhat answered when Twilight burst through the door, panting like a dog that had just gone for a long and tiring run. “What’s wrong?” The Doctor asked. “Something really bad is happening,” Twilight said trying to calm herself down. “What is it?” The Doctor said, quickly getting out his sonic screwdriver and leaning out the door to scan the area, “Are the Daleks attacking?” “No,” Twilight said. “Are there Weeping Pegasi somewhere?” The Doctor asked getting the results of the scan. “Worse,” Twilight said, looking very nervous. “This scan says nothing’s out of the ordinary,” The Doctor said, “what’s the matter?” “The Princess,” Twilight said, trying to regain her composer. “Yes?” The Doctor said. “She,” Twilight said, now looking absolutely terrified. “Go on,” The Doctor said. “She… She gave me an assignment and I have no idea what she’s talking about!” Twilight screamed. She hung her head in shame and looked about ready to cry. “Seriously?” The Doctor said, “That’s the reason you were so terrified? Are you kidding me?” “I’m serious!” Twilight said, “It was weird, she told me to come see you.” “Really?” The Doctor said, now slightly more intrigued, “What exactly happened?” “Well,” Twilight began, “I was told to see her at once, and that she had an assignment for me. When I went to talk to her, she told me that she’d have a test for me tomorrow about something called The Day of the Launch, but I have no idea what that is! I’ve never even heard of it!” Twilight sat down with her head in her hooves, muttering something about failure. “Hmmm…” The Doctor said, “That is interesting… I never knew about that.” “You don’t know what it is either!?” Twilight yelled looking up. “Oh no no,” said The Doctor, “I know all about that, it’s just… you’re a princess…” “That’s right,” Twilight said. “and yet you still need to take tests?” The Doctor said. “Yes, yes I do,” Twilight said, “Now could you please tell me about this day of whatever?” “Ohhhhh,” said The Doctor, “I can do much better than that. It's time for a history lesson, or in this case, a future lesson.” He ran around the main control panel, pushing buttons, pulling levers, and twisting knobs until he pulled one final lever with a dramatic motion. “You may want to hold on to something,” he said with the sound of adventure clear in his voice.” Twilight grabbed a column and held on tightly as instructed, and heard the familiar whooshing sound of the TARDIS, as the two ponies embarked on another adventure through time and space. The TARDIS landed, and Twilight fell back, happy that the ride was over. She got up, and watched as The Doctor walked to the exit. “Well aren’t you coming?” he said. Twilight walked out of the TARDIS and looked around. “Hang on,” Twilight said, “this is Canterlot.” “Well aren’t you a smart one,” The Doctor said, “Yes, this is Canterlot, but in the year 2655. This is the day that Equestria goes to the moon. You can see their ship if you look over there.” The Doctor pointed in the direction of a very large space ship. It was disc shaped and about the size of a small city. It was black with glowing blue lines in certain places and it also had long, horizontal and rectangular windows encircling it. Twilight’s jaw dropped. “This is amazing!” she said, “Come on, we’ve got to go see it!” “Ahh, there’s your sense of adventure,” The Doctor said as he followed Twilight down the street. They hailed a cab and soon they were on their way to the starship Luna. When they arrived at the launch pad, they joined in with the very large crowd looking up at the ship and patiently waiting for its launch. At the front of the crowd, there was a large and ornately decorated podium. Thunderous applause and near ear shattering cheers could be heard for miles around as Princess Luna walked up to the podium and began a speech. “Citizens of Equestria,” she began. The applause got even louder and Luna had to wait a few moments for it to quiet down again before she could continue. “Citizens of Equestria, today, as you all know, is the long awaited Day of the Launch! This is the day that Equestria will expand beyond even the borders of this world! This is the day that will forever be remembered as the day that we put a new city…”, she paused for dramatic effect while the crowd was on the edge of their seats, practically drooling with anticipation. “ON THE MOON!” Luna finished. The crowd went completely nuts, and Twilight and The Doctor had to cover their ears to keep from going def. Luna spoke again, “I now join the one million ponies on this proud ship, to lead them to glory, and govern this new colony. I relinquish control of the stage to a pony who has achieved feats even greater than this long before Equestria was even established. This is a pony who has not only traveled in space and saved countless worlds, but a pony who has traveled throughout time itself!” The crowd went crazy once more, and The Doctor sat there with a very confused look on his face. “What?” was the only thing he said. “Doctor,” Twilight asked, “is she talking about you?” The Doctor was completely silent and still very confused as Luna stepped down, and a familiar looking mare with curly, blond hair took the stage. “Hello Equestria,” she said, “oh, and hello sweetie.” “What?” The Doctor said again, now completely petrified by sheer confusion. Twilight waved a hoof in front of his face. “Doctor?” she said, “What’s wrong?” The blond mare spoke again, “Today, as I’m sure you all know by now, these fine ponies will take this fine ship, and establish a colony on the moon.” The crowd cheered again, and Twilight was now almost as confused as The Doctor. “And what will they do once they are done with that?” the blond mare asked, “Well I’ve got one word for you Equestria.” Twilight looked over at The Doctor, finding that he was now fully “awake”, and had a mildly serious expression. “Spoilers,” he and the blond mare said in unison. Author's Note Holy plot twist Batstallion! Future Lesson Part 2The Doctor was in complete shock. “It can’t be,” he said, “It’s impossible.” “Doctor? Do you know that pony?” Twilight said. “Yes,” said The Doctor, “and she shouldn’t be here.” Once she’d finished talking, the mysterious mare vanished in a flash of light. The crowd started talking amongst themselves, and The Doctor, slowly but surely, pushed his way through the crowd towards the elevator to the ship. He and Twilight got on to the elevator and rode it up to the ship’s entrance. The Doctor maintained a stern expression during the entire ride. This made Twilight a bit nervous about what was going to happen, but she was used to unexpected things happening by now, and she’d seen The Doctor like this before. The two made their way up to the bridge, and once they arrived, The Doctor immediately started asking questions. “Who was that?” he started, “Wait, never mind, I know who it was, just tell me why she’s here and why you allowed her to speak.” Luna turned around. “Doctor!” she said, “How nice to see you. I wasn’t expecting you here today, though I suppose I should’ve been considering your history, or should I say…” she smiled, “our history.” “Just answer the question,” The Doctor said with seriousness and just a hint of annoyance or anger in his voice. Luna’s smile disappeared. “She told me that she was a friend of yours, and that she had a message to deliver,” she replied, “Was that the answer you were looking for?” “Do you have any idea where she is now?” The Doctor asked. “No, not at all,” Luna said. “Come on Twilight,” said The Doctor, “your lesson will have to wait.” He grabbed Twilight’s arm and started for the exit. “Leaving so soon?” Luna said, “If you’d like to stay, I suppose we could find an extra room… for Twilight at least.” “Tempting, but no,” The Doctor shouted back, not even pausing to turn around. They went back to the elevator, got off the ship, and started walking back towards the TARDIS. “Doctor, what’s going on?” Twilight asked as they were walking, “Who was that? Why do you seem so angry?” “That,” said The Doctor, “is someone who shouldn’t be here, and that I have to send back before this universe gets ripped apart. Does that answer your question?” Twilight decided against responding to that, and instead just kept walking. They arrived at the TARDIS and The Doctor, planning to go back and ask the mare a few questions, entered followed by Twilight. The Doctor started flipping switches, pulling levers, and typing numbers. Just as he was about to pull the final lever a voice said, “Aren’t you going to turn the brakes off?” The Doctor turned around. Standing in front of him with that smile that only she could have was a tan, almost white pony with big, curly blonde hair. “River,” The Doctor said. “Hello Sweetie,” she replied, “did you miss me?” “Doctor,” Twilight said, “who is that?” “She’s my-” The Doctor started. “I’m his wife,” River interrupted. “It doesn’t matter. Why are you here? How did you get here?” said The Doctor, “You never mentioned anything about a magical world of talking ponies whenever we did diaries.” “Oh, that reminds me,” said River, getting out a TARDIS blue book, “where are we?” “I said it doesn’t matter, why are you here?” The Doctor asked annoyed. “Ooh aren’t we the angry one today,” River said, pulling back sarcastically, “Spoilers.” “Alright fine, how are you here?” The Doctor asked, “You were never supposed to exist in this universe.” “Neither were you,” said River, “So I suppose I’m doing it the same way you are.” The Doctor opened his mouth to say something else, then quickly closed it, and looked up like he was thinking. “Oh come on,” River said, “don’t tell me you’ve never paused to think of how you’re existing here without ripping apart the fabric of the universe.” The Doctor thought for a minute. “And if I were to tell you that?” he said with a hint of embarrassment in his voice. River rolled her eyes and looked at Twilight. “I swear, he’d never figure anything out anything out if it weren’t for me,” she said. “Hey!” The Doctor yelled. River turned back to The Doctor. “You know about the Crystal Empire right?” she asked. The Doctor and Twilight nodded in relative unison. “Think about it,” River said, “a whole city disappears for a thousand years, and then suddenly reappears just a few months before you’re dropped into the universe. What does that sound like to you?” “Time travel,” said The Doctor. “Oh, it’s more than time travel,” River said, “it’s a paradox machine.” “What’s a paradox machine?” Twilight asked. “It’s a machine that allows paradoxes to exist without damaging time or the universe,” The Doctor said, “For example, if you went back in time and killed your parents,” Twilight reeled back in horror and put a hoof over her mouth. “Just an example!” The Doctor said. “Yes, a very good example,” River said sarcastically. “Shut up,” said The Doctor, “anyway, normally you would vanish from existence, but if there were an active paradox machine, you would continue on even though your parents were never around long enough to have you. They’re very useful, but I’ve only ever seen one built on…” The Doctor’s eyes widened and he looked up at River. “No!” he said in utter disbelief. “Yes,” River said smiling, “The entire city.” “What?” Twilight asked. “That’s impossible,” said The Doctor, “no race in this entire universe ever has or ever will have technology like that.” “What is it?” Twilight asked again. “You’re absolutely right,” River said, “No race in this universe ever will. But there is someone else who could do it quite easily. And it just so happens that he’s the same someone who dropped both of us in here.” “What’s going on!?” Twilight asked, confused and annoyed. “Oooh,” The Doctor said, “I get it.” “I knew you would eventually,” said River. “Excuse me!” Twilight shouted. “I was wondering when I’d get to see him again,” The Doctor said. “COULD SOMEPONY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE BUCK IS GOING ON HERE!!!” Twilight yelled. The Doctor and River backed away from Twilight and looked at each other. River motioned for The Doctor to tell Twilight the whole story. “Well,” The Doctor began, “The Crystal Empire isn’t just a paradox machine… it’s a TARDIS that was made by a virtually all powerful, pan-dimensional being that happens to be a very good friend of mine, and it’s also what’s been allowing me and River to exist in this universe.” “Oh…” Twilight said, “OK.” River was surprised at how easily Twilight accepted the information as truth. She leaned over towards The Doctor. “You picked a good one,” she whispered in his ear. “I know,” he whispered back. “Right then!” The Doctor yelled, shooting his hoof up into the air, “What do we need to do with the Crystal Empire? He didn’t happen to tell you did he?” “No,” said River, “he didn’t tell me, he just gave me a number.” “And what number might it be?” The Doctor asked. “Forty two,” River replied. “Forty two? That could mean anything! A year, a day, a location…” The words of The Doctor and River talking about the number were drowned out of Twilight’s head. She put a hoof on her forehead and shut her eyes tightly. She had a terrible headache. She felt like that number should mean something to her, but she couldn’t remember what. She also felt slightly sick. “Twilight, does forty two mean anything to you?” The Doctor asked. Twilight snapped out of her confused state. “No, nothing at all,” she said. “Well that’s great,” said The Doctor, “Now we have absolutely no idea whatsoever as to what we’re supposed to do.” He started pacing, annoyed that none of them knew what was going on. Twilight felt sick again as she tried to remember what forty two meant. “Wait,” he said, “I think I might have something.” The others all turned to face him, eager to hear what he had to say. “Princess Celestia gave you an assignment on The Day of the Launch.” “Yes,” said Twilight. “So why would she give you an assignment on something that hasn’t happened yet?” The Doctor said. “I don’t know,” Twilight said, “maybe she knew you’d help me?” “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” said The Doctor, “So why don’t we go ask her?” He started pressing buttons and flipping switches, and with one final pull of a lever, they were off. The TARDIS made its familiar sound, and the group got thrown around as they rocketed through the Time Vortex. Suddenly, the sound stopped and everything was still. They exited the TARDIS into Canterlot Castle and made their way to the throne room. Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne looking at a picture of Twilight and her friends when The Doctor burst in followed by Twilight and River. “You gave Twilight an assignment on something that hasn’t happened yet,” said The Doctor, “Why?” Celestia looked up from the picture. “What?” she said. “You gave Twilight an assignment on The Day of the Launch. That hasn’t happened yet. Why?” said The Doctor. “Doctor, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Celestia said, “Then again, I never really understand anything you say in general.” “Maybe you have the wrong time period,” Twilight said to The Doctor. “Yes, I do. You there!” The Doctor shouted, pointing to a guard, “What’s the date?” “September 5, in the 2002nd year of Celestia’s rule,” he said. “See? I told you,” The Doctor said. He turned back to Celestia, “So, a few hours ago today, you gave Twilight an assignment to study for a test on something that hasn’t happened yet. Why?” “Doctor, please,” said Celestia, “you’re mistaken. I have done no such thing, nor do I intend to.” The Doctor looked at Celestia suspiciously. “Why can’t you remember?” he said quietly to himself. “Doctor,” said Twilight. “Not now Twilight,” he responded. “Doctor,” Celestia said. “Shush, all of you,” The Doctor said, “I’m trying to think.” “Doctor,” Twilight said again. “What?” The Doctor said annoyed. “Why do you have stitches on your arm?” Twilight asked. The Doctor looked down at his arm. “Those aren’t stitches,” he replied, “they’re tally marks.” Author's Note Oh yeah, it's a three parter.
ImmortalityTwilight’s eyes fluttered open. She couldn’t remember much except that it had been a long night, and now her body slightly ached. She was still tired, but decided to force herself to get out of bed anyway. She sat up on the bed, rubbed her eyes, and looked around. Everything looked the same in the library but, for some reason, it all felt… different. She looked out the window and saw that the sky was a very strange color, much like a sunset, but with more pink. Twilight was too groggy for this to have any impact on her, however, and hopped down onto the floor. She walked downstairs to make breakfast, but was surprised to find that the clock read 8:00 PM. “Spike!” she called, planning to ask her assistant why she had been asleep for so long and why he hadn’t woken her up. Alas, there was no reply. “Spike!” she called again at a slightly increased volume. Still no one answered. A few moments later a strange ball of slightly blue light floated in through the window. “Good Morning,” it said in a robotic voice, “you have been in suspension for: 12 days.” “Twelve days!” Twilight screamed, “That’s more than a week! I haven’t sent a letter to the Princess! I haven’t talked to my friends! I haven’t done anything for twelve days!” “That is correct,” the light replied in the same robotic voice, “this completes both the physical and cognitive portions of the examination. You may now return to suspension.” “What are you talking abou-” Twilight started to say, confused, but was stopped and fell to the floor unconscious. She woke up in the same condition she had woken up in previously. The clock again read 8:00 PM, but the sky was now a simple lighter shade of blue that one would expect to see on a cloudless afternoon. Everything below the sky, however, seemed to be just barely illuminated as though it were night. Twilight also noticed that there was no sun. Her library was a complete mess; it looked like a tornado had come through it “Good morning,” said a familiar robotic voice. Twilight turned around and saw the same ball of light she had before. It said, “You have been in suspension for: 9… 9… 9… 9… 9… this is a recording.” “Oh no,” Twilight said. She ran outside and found Ponyville to be even more disastrous than her library had been. “This can’t be happening,” she said, “this isn’t happening!” She ran all around Ponyville looking for somepony she could ask about what had happened. Everywhere she looked, things were just as horrifyingly terrible as everything else and equally, if not more so, unsettlingly quiet and deserted. She rushed back to the library. “How long did you say I was… in suspension for?” Twilight asked the orb. The strange light replied once again in its strange, robotic voice, “You have been in suspension for 9… 9… 9… 9… 9…” The ball’s robotic voice “shorted out”, and then said, “Length of time incomputable.” “What?” Twilight said. She fell back as she tried to comprehend what this thing had just told her. Suddenly, in an all too familiar voice, the ball floated above her and said, “Did you miss me Princess Sparkle? I know I’ve missed you.” “Discord,” Twilight said angrily, “What have you done to Ponyville!” “Ponyville?” the light said in Discord’s voice, “Twilight Sparkle, you insult me. I’ve spread this fabulous new look all across Equestria! It’s quite the rage nowadays.” Twilight’s mouth dropped. “What’s wrong Miss Sparkle?” the orb said, “Are you upset by my new chaos apocalypse inspired style? All the other ponies seemed to like it. Well then again I didn’t really get the chance to ask them in their screams of terror all those millennia ago. Ah, C’est la guerre.” “All those,” Twilight gulped, “millennia ago?” “Yes,” the orb replied still in Discord’s voice, “didn’t you hear my friend here?” “Indeed,” the orb said, now in its old robotic voice, “didn’t you hear me? Ha… ha… ha… ha…” “Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…” The voice of both Discord and the robot were laughing now. Twilight closed her eyes as tears started streaming down her face. The sound of the robot slowly laughing in the distance could still be heard, and the last thing Twilight heard before she fell asleep once more was the voice of Discord saying, “Welcome to immortality.” Twilight woke up in her room at the castle in the Crystal Empire. She rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. Spike was asleep in his basket in the corner. Twilight kicked the bedframe to figure out if she was still dreaming. Unfortunately, she wasn't, and when she kicked the bed, she let out a small yelp of pain. As she sat there, clutching her leg, she heard a voice from outside, “Everything all right in there?” “Yes, I’m fine,” said Twilight. She gradually stood up on her injured leg and limped out the door. Outside her room she found The Doctor sitting next to the TARDIS and reading the newspaper. “It’s one thirty,” Twilight said, “What are you doing up?” “First,” said The Doctor, not looking up from his paper, “I’m supposed to be guarding you. Second, I don’t really sleep that often. And third, I’d ask you the same question.” “Well,” said Twilight. She yawned. “I just had the weirdest dream.” “Did it involve Princess Luna, a burning house, and lemons?” The Doctor said, still refusing to look away from his paper. “Well, no,” Twilight began, “but-” “Then it wasn’t the weirdest dream,” The Doctor said. “Whatever,” Twilight said, “but I have a question for you.” “Alright,” The Doctor said, “but nothing about the future. I’m not really supposed to tell you that kind of stuff.” “What’s it like being immortal?” Twilight said. The Doctor remained silent, but finally looked up at Twilight with an inquisitive expression like he was trying to read her mind. He looked back down at the newspaper he was holding. “It’s… alright I suppose. Why do you ask?” He said. “It has to do with my dream,” Twilight said looking down,“I’ve been thinking about immortality and what it must be like. I know that some things about it must be hard, but it can’t be all bad, right?” "Well," said The Doctor, "If you'd like a second opinion, you could always ask one of the Princesses." Twilight looked up. She'd been a bit too tired to really think about this much, and hadn't considered talking to anypony else other than the stallion who happened to be just outside her door. "That's a great idea!" she said, "Have you seen either of them recently?" "Luna asked to go in the TARDIS a few minutes ago," The Doctor said, "though I can't imagine why." Twilight thought for a moment and then walked into the TARDIS. When she got in she was surprised and slightly creeped out to find that the lights had been dimmed, and slow, smooth jazz was coming from an unknown source. "Surprise," said a seductive female voice. Luna walked out from behind a corner wearing dark blue socks decorated with stars. "Oh," she said, blushing when she saw Twilight, "I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else." "I would hope so," Twilight said as she watched Luna walk up to the main control panel and push a button. The jazz music stopped. "What do you want?" asked Luna trying to hide her embarrassment. "I had a few questions for you," Twilight said, struggling to put two and two together in her tired condition. "And what might these questions be related to?" Luna asked as she slipped off the socks. "Immortality," Twilight said, “I’ve been wondering about what it’s like.” “Well,” Luna said, leaning against the main control panel, “I suppose you could call it a blessing and a curse. While living forever might be nice, and you get to see all that happens, watch empires rise and fall, you also are forced to sit back and look on helplessly as your friends and family age to dust in what feels like seconds to an immortal, while your skin barely wrinkles.” Luna was looking off into space as she said this. Her eyes were tearing up, and her face held a mixture of sadness and rage. The way she told her story, combined with her tears and her face, it was enough to make a full grown burst into tears. “I’m… I’m so sorry,” Twilight said. “Oh it’s all right,” Luna said, brushing away tears and sniffling, “if one is lucky, one finds other immortals to spend their time with.” “Well, um,” Twilight said, “I guess I’ll see you later.” She started for the door. “Oh, and Twilight,” Luna said. Twilight stopped and turned around. “Don’t tell anyone about this, especially not…” she blushed, “him.” Twilight nodded, exited the TARDIS, and went back to bed. Just before she fell asleep, her brain finally made a connection. “Wait, what?” Author's Note First story, first episode. Enjoy.
Future Lesson Part 1As The Doctor walked around, checking to make sure that the TARDIS was functioning properly, as properly as his TARDIS could function anyway, he wondered what the day’s events might hold. His question was somewhat answered when Twilight burst through the door, panting like a dog that had just gone for a long and tiring run. “What’s wrong?” The Doctor asked. “Something really bad is happening,” Twilight said trying to calm herself down. “What is it?” The Doctor said, quickly getting out his sonic screwdriver and leaning out the door to scan the area, “Are the Daleks attacking?” “No,” Twilight said. “Are there Weeping Pegasi somewhere?” The Doctor asked getting the results of the scan. “Worse,” Twilight said, looking very nervous. “This scan says nothing’s out of the ordinary,” The Doctor said, “what’s the matter?” “The Princess,” Twilight said, trying to regain her composer. “Yes?” The Doctor said. “She,” Twilight said, now looking absolutely terrified. “Go on,” The Doctor said. “She… She gave me an assignment and I have no idea what she’s talking about!” Twilight screamed. She hung her head in shame and looked about ready to cry. “Seriously?” The Doctor said, “That’s the reason you were so terrified? Are you kidding me?” “I’m serious!” Twilight said, “It was weird, she told me to come see you.” “Really?” The Doctor said, now slightly more intrigued, “What exactly happened?” “Well,” Twilight began, “I was told to see her at once, and that she had an assignment for me. When I went to talk to her, she told me that she’d have a test for me tomorrow about something called The Day of the Launch, but I have no idea what that is! I’ve never even heard of it!” Twilight sat down with her head in her hooves, muttering something about failure. “Hmmm…” The Doctor said, “That is interesting… I never knew about that.” “You don’t know what it is either!?” Twilight yelled looking up. “Oh no no,” said The Doctor, “I know all about that, it’s just… you’re a princess…” “That’s right,” Twilight said. “and yet you still need to take tests?” The Doctor said. “Yes, yes I do,” Twilight said, “Now could you please tell me about this day of whatever?” “Ohhhhh,” said The Doctor, “I can do much better than that. It's time for a history lesson, or in this case, a future lesson.” He ran around the main control panel, pushing buttons, pulling levers, and twisting knobs until he pulled one final lever with a dramatic motion. “You may want to hold on to something,” he said with the sound of adventure clear in his voice.” Twilight grabbed a column and held on tightly as instructed, and heard the familiar whooshing sound of the TARDIS, as the two ponies embarked on another adventure through time and space. The TARDIS landed, and Twilight fell back, happy that the ride was over. She got up, and watched as The Doctor walked to the exit. “Well aren’t you coming?” he said. Twilight walked out of the TARDIS and looked around. “Hang on,” Twilight said, “this is Canterlot.” “Well aren’t you a smart one,” The Doctor said, “Yes, this is Canterlot, but in the year 2655. This is the day that Equestria goes to the moon. You can see their ship if you look over there.” The Doctor pointed in the direction of a very large space ship. It was disc shaped and about the size of a small city. It was black with glowing blue lines in certain places and it also had long, horizontal and rectangular windows encircling it. Twilight’s jaw dropped. “This is amazing!” she said, “Come on, we’ve got to go see it!” “Ahh, there’s your sense of adventure,” The Doctor said as he followed Twilight down the street. They hailed a cab and soon they were on their way to the starship Luna. When they arrived at the launch pad, they joined in with the very large crowd looking up at the ship and patiently waiting for its launch. At the front of the crowd, there was a large and ornately decorated podium. Thunderous applause and near ear shattering cheers could be heard for miles around as Princess Luna walked up to the podium and began a speech. “Citizens of Equestria,” she began. The applause got even louder and Luna had to wait a few moments for it to quiet down again before she could continue. “Citizens of Equestria, today, as you all know, is the long awaited Day of the Launch! This is the day that Equestria will expand beyond even the borders of this world! This is the day that will forever be remembered as the day that we put a new city…”, she paused for dramatic effect while the crowd was on the edge of their seats, practically drooling with anticipation. “ON THE MOON!” Luna finished. The crowd went completely nuts, and Twilight and The Doctor had to cover their ears to keep from going def. Luna spoke again, “I now join the one million ponies on this proud ship, to lead them to glory, and govern this new colony. I relinquish control of the stage to a pony who has achieved feats even greater than this long before Equestria was even established. This is a pony who has not only traveled in space and saved countless worlds, but a pony who has traveled throughout time itself!” The crowd went crazy once more, and The Doctor sat there with a very confused look on his face. “What?” was the only thing he said. “Doctor,” Twilight asked, “is she talking about you?” The Doctor was completely silent and still very confused as Luna stepped down, and a familiar looking mare with curly, blond hair took the stage. “Hello Equestria,” she said, “oh, and hello sweetie.” “What?” The Doctor said again, now completely petrified by sheer confusion. Twilight waved a hoof in front of his face. “Doctor?” she said, “What’s wrong?” The blond mare spoke again, “Today, as I’m sure you all know by now, these fine ponies will take this fine ship, and establish a colony on the moon.” The crowd cheered again, and Twilight was now almost as confused as The Doctor. “And what will they do once they are done with that?” the blond mare asked, “Well I’ve got one word for you Equestria.” Twilight looked over at The Doctor, finding that he was now fully “awake”, and had a mildly serious expression. “Spoilers,” he and the blond mare said in unison. Author's Note Holy plot twist Batstallion!
Future Lesson Part 2The Doctor was in complete shock. “It can’t be,” he said, “It’s impossible.” “Doctor? Do you know that pony?” Twilight said. “Yes,” said The Doctor, “and she shouldn’t be here.” Once she’d finished talking, the mysterious mare vanished in a flash of light. The crowd started talking amongst themselves, and The Doctor, slowly but surely, pushed his way through the crowd towards the elevator to the ship. He and Twilight got on to the elevator and rode it up to the ship’s entrance. The Doctor maintained a stern expression during the entire ride. This made Twilight a bit nervous about what was going to happen, but she was used to unexpected things happening by now, and she’d seen The Doctor like this before. The two made their way up to the bridge, and once they arrived, The Doctor immediately started asking questions. “Who was that?” he started, “Wait, never mind, I know who it was, just tell me why she’s here and why you allowed her to speak.” Luna turned around. “Doctor!” she said, “How nice to see you. I wasn’t expecting you here today, though I suppose I should’ve been considering your history, or should I say…” she smiled, “our history.” “Just answer the question,” The Doctor said with seriousness and just a hint of annoyance or anger in his voice. Luna’s smile disappeared. “She told me that she was a friend of yours, and that she had a message to deliver,” she replied, “Was that the answer you were looking for?” “Do you have any idea where she is now?” The Doctor asked. “No, not at all,” Luna said. “Come on Twilight,” said The Doctor, “your lesson will have to wait.” He grabbed Twilight’s arm and started for the exit. “Leaving so soon?” Luna said, “If you’d like to stay, I suppose we could find an extra room… for Twilight at least.” “Tempting, but no,” The Doctor shouted back, not even pausing to turn around. They went back to the elevator, got off the ship, and started walking back towards the TARDIS. “Doctor, what’s going on?” Twilight asked as they were walking, “Who was that? Why do you seem so angry?” “That,” said The Doctor, “is someone who shouldn’t be here, and that I have to send back before this universe gets ripped apart. Does that answer your question?” Twilight decided against responding to that, and instead just kept walking. They arrived at the TARDIS and The Doctor, planning to go back and ask the mare a few questions, entered followed by Twilight. The Doctor started flipping switches, pulling levers, and typing numbers. Just as he was about to pull the final lever a voice said, “Aren’t you going to turn the brakes off?” The Doctor turned around. Standing in front of him with that smile that only she could have was a tan, almost white pony with big, curly blonde hair. “River,” The Doctor said. “Hello Sweetie,” she replied, “did you miss me?” “Doctor,” Twilight said, “who is that?” “She’s my-” The Doctor started. “I’m his wife,” River interrupted. “It doesn’t matter. Why are you here? How did you get here?” said The Doctor, “You never mentioned anything about a magical world of talking ponies whenever we did diaries.” “Oh, that reminds me,” said River, getting out a TARDIS blue book, “where are we?” “I said it doesn’t matter, why are you here?” The Doctor asked annoyed. “Ooh aren’t we the angry one today,” River said, pulling back sarcastically, “Spoilers.” “Alright fine, how are you here?” The Doctor asked, “You were never supposed to exist in this universe.” “Neither were you,” said River, “So I suppose I’m doing it the same way you are.” The Doctor opened his mouth to say something else, then quickly closed it, and looked up like he was thinking. “Oh come on,” River said, “don’t tell me you’ve never paused to think of how you’re existing here without ripping apart the fabric of the universe.” The Doctor thought for a minute. “And if I were to tell you that?” he said with a hint of embarrassment in his voice. River rolled her eyes and looked at Twilight. “I swear, he’d never figure anything out anything out if it weren’t for me,” she said. “Hey!” The Doctor yelled. River turned back to The Doctor. “You know about the Crystal Empire right?” she asked. The Doctor and Twilight nodded in relative unison. “Think about it,” River said, “a whole city disappears for a thousand years, and then suddenly reappears just a few months before you’re dropped into the universe. What does that sound like to you?” “Time travel,” said The Doctor. “Oh, it’s more than time travel,” River said, “it’s a paradox machine.” “What’s a paradox machine?” Twilight asked. “It’s a machine that allows paradoxes to exist without damaging time or the universe,” The Doctor said, “For example, if you went back in time and killed your parents,” Twilight reeled back in horror and put a hoof over her mouth. “Just an example!” The Doctor said. “Yes, a very good example,” River said sarcastically. “Shut up,” said The Doctor, “anyway, normally you would vanish from existence, but if there were an active paradox machine, you would continue on even though your parents were never around long enough to have you. They’re very useful, but I’ve only ever seen one built on…” The Doctor’s eyes widened and he looked up at River. “No!” he said in utter disbelief. “Yes,” River said smiling, “The entire city.” “What?” Twilight asked. “That’s impossible,” said The Doctor, “no race in this entire universe ever has or ever will have technology like that.” “What is it?” Twilight asked again. “You’re absolutely right,” River said, “No race in this universe ever will. But there is someone else who could do it quite easily. And it just so happens that he’s the same someone who dropped both of us in here.” “What’s going on!?” Twilight asked, confused and annoyed. “Oooh,” The Doctor said, “I get it.” “I knew you would eventually,” said River. “Excuse me!” Twilight shouted. “I was wondering when I’d get to see him again,” The Doctor said. “COULD SOMEPONY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE BUCK IS GOING ON HERE!!!” Twilight yelled. The Doctor and River backed away from Twilight and looked at each other. River motioned for The Doctor to tell Twilight the whole story. “Well,” The Doctor began, “The Crystal Empire isn’t just a paradox machine… it’s a TARDIS that was made by a virtually all powerful, pan-dimensional being that happens to be a very good friend of mine, and it’s also what’s been allowing me and River to exist in this universe.” “Oh…” Twilight said, “OK.” River was surprised at how easily Twilight accepted the information as truth. She leaned over towards The Doctor. “You picked a good one,” she whispered in his ear. “I know,” he whispered back. “Right then!” The Doctor yelled, shooting his hoof up into the air, “What do we need to do with the Crystal Empire? He didn’t happen to tell you did he?” “No,” said River, “he didn’t tell me, he just gave me a number.” “And what number might it be?” The Doctor asked. “Forty two,” River replied. “Forty two? That could mean anything! A year, a day, a location…” The words of The Doctor and River talking about the number were drowned out of Twilight’s head. She put a hoof on her forehead and shut her eyes tightly. She had a terrible headache. She felt like that number should mean something to her, but she couldn’t remember what. She also felt slightly sick. “Twilight, does forty two mean anything to you?” The Doctor asked. Twilight snapped out of her confused state. “No, nothing at all,” she said. “Well that’s great,” said The Doctor, “Now we have absolutely no idea whatsoever as to what we’re supposed to do.” He started pacing, annoyed that none of them knew what was going on. Twilight felt sick again as she tried to remember what forty two meant. “Wait,” he said, “I think I might have something.” The others all turned to face him, eager to hear what he had to say. “Princess Celestia gave you an assignment on The Day of the Launch.” “Yes,” said Twilight. “So why would she give you an assignment on something that hasn’t happened yet?” The Doctor said. “I don’t know,” Twilight said, “maybe she knew you’d help me?” “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” said The Doctor, “So why don’t we go ask her?” He started pressing buttons and flipping switches, and with one final pull of a lever, they were off. The TARDIS made its familiar sound, and the group got thrown around as they rocketed through the Time Vortex. Suddenly, the sound stopped and everything was still. They exited the TARDIS into Canterlot Castle and made their way to the throne room. Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne looking at a picture of Twilight and her friends when The Doctor burst in followed by Twilight and River. “You gave Twilight an assignment on something that hasn’t happened yet,” said The Doctor, “Why?” Celestia looked up from the picture. “What?” she said. “You gave Twilight an assignment on The Day of the Launch. That hasn’t happened yet. Why?” said The Doctor. “Doctor, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Celestia said, “Then again, I never really understand anything you say in general.” “Maybe you have the wrong time period,” Twilight said to The Doctor. “Yes, I do. You there!” The Doctor shouted, pointing to a guard, “What’s the date?” “September 5, in the 2002nd year of Celestia’s rule,” he said. “See? I told you,” The Doctor said. He turned back to Celestia, “So, a few hours ago today, you gave Twilight an assignment to study for a test on something that hasn’t happened yet. Why?” “Doctor, please,” said Celestia, “you’re mistaken. I have done no such thing, nor do I intend to.” The Doctor looked at Celestia suspiciously. “Why can’t you remember?” he said quietly to himself. “Doctor,” said Twilight. “Not now Twilight,” he responded. “Doctor,” Celestia said. “Shush, all of you,” The Doctor said, “I’m trying to think.” “Doctor,” Twilight said again. “What?” The Doctor said annoyed. “Why do you have stitches on your arm?” Twilight asked. The Doctor looked down at his arm. “Those aren’t stitches,” he replied, “they’re tally marks.” Author's Note Oh yeah, it's a three parter.
