Doctor Whooves: The Angels of Canterlotby Rarity BelleChaptersArrival of the AngelsNo time, right down to businessOut of the frying pan and into the fireClock is tickingThe time of ponies and AngelsHome, sweet home, right?Arrival of the AngelsThe sun shone down once again upon the garden of the castle of Canterlot that was filled with the statues of past heroes, villains, other noteworthy ponies and other beings for that matter. Princess Celestia found herself at the front of a small convoy of unicorns that were walking through the place. Three groups of six unicorns each held something within their magical aura. Though none of them truly knew what it was they carried. All that they know was that it was big and heavy. Three things that matched the height of the princess when they were carried through the garden. Luckily for the stallions, there was no sun that burned that hot upon their coats. It was a lovely spring one and a cool breeze of air went through each of their mane, giving some refreshment. Celestia kept a keen eye on everything that happened in the garden. Quite literally she did that. One of them was always taken from the view by her ever so calm yet majestic mane. It caught everything from the littlest of birds chirping, to the branches moving in the trees thanks to the wind. Nothing would have slipped her attention. Yet nopony knew just how either she or her sister had gained them but it was all pretty obvious that it had to do something with the sun, the moon and the banishment. The cloudless skies caused the air was as blue as it possibly could but time to enjoy the view in the skies was unheard off as Celestia had something important to do. “N-No offence, your majesty, but these, things, weigh a ton even if we carry it with the six of us. What are they made of, dwarf star alloy or something?” a stallion with a grey coat and green mane asked as he struggled to keep up. “And if they are from that material, who retrieved it and carved it? Your sister?” “Does explain how bloody heavy these things are, what are they to begin with?” another asked as his eyes looked over to the princess. “Course there’s, no answer...” The last couple of words were added in a near inaudible muttering. But only when there wasn’t any form of answer was given to him or them. The princess always had been a mystery to decipher for everypony when it came down to it. Nopony could ever have just predicted what she was planning in that head of hers. And it was that what made her so well respected by her subjects in the land. But also rose fear in the hearts of some ponies that lived under her reign. Princess Celestia on the other end never gave their complaints any hearing. All because of the fact that she didn't had any desires to do so. She had paid them well and their task was simple. A task that was clear for them. Carry the cloaked objects to the given location by the princess, it was literally that simple and easy to remember. With her one visible light magenta red rimmed eye she scanned the area for anything that looked like it could hold all three of the cloaked things. They all went through the garden with a trot. They came across the statue of Discord himself as he was once again reduced to nothing but stone and it was how the princess preferred him actually. Some called her cold and heartless for the action but they hadn't seen the unnatural chaos that was spread by him. Either that or they didn't want to remember. Yet there were rumors that she wanted to set him free and let the very elements of harmony reform him. But it were just rumors. “Creepy dude,” one of the carriers spoke up in a deep tone as he peeled up to the statue. “If the gentlecolts found that the most horrifying statue in the garden, then I suggest them not to look over to the vine overgrown statue of Nightmare Moon. That one really looks like it wants to not just gobble you up, but devour you,” Celestia all of the sudden replied in an ominous tone. One that none was actually used from her and each of the stallions looked a bit suspicious to one another before they carried on with their duties. But within seconds the feelings were gone as their minds and muscles did the job again. The strain alone was actually enough to crush the feelings they had racing through their minds. “Halt,” the princess spoke to them all. They had arrived by a pedal of grass that stood in the middle of four roads. “Would you be so kind to set them on the lit up area’s?” With a charge of her horn were three spots of grass illuminated with a white light, a wonderful one at that. All eighteen of the stallions couldn't be happier that their journey was almost over. All they had to do, was to place them and then it would just be done. Their jobs would be done and their day off could begin. With some great care had they brought the objects over to the parts pointed to them. Moments later it would have been. The three dull plofs on the ground as they were set down on the grass. The only visible eye of the princess went over them and she gave a nod of approval. Each of the objects stood to her liking and a smile had grown on her face as the horn discharged itself. “Would the foreman please remove the cloaks and thus reveal, the new additions to the Canterlot statue garden?” Celestia spoke up in her usual calm and serene tone. But inside she was like a filly in a sweetshop, she couldn't be happier. “Shouldn't there be like, a major opening for this or something?” the foreman asked to the royal. He walked up to the cloak, looking nervous out of his eyes. “Oh my dear, mister Trails, these statues are not that important that they require the full attention of every living soul in the land. They aren't from Starswirl or somepony alike. Now if you please.” Celestia insisted the stallion with a reassuring smile across her lips. --- But back inside the castle there was nopony else than Luna who had found herself gazing through one of the windows. One that had a clear view on what happened in the garden. On the sight she saw, she could only release a deep sigh through her mouth and shook her head in a negative manner. “Sister, my sister, what have you gotten this time?” she mumbled to herself as she leaned against the wall to be more ‘casual.’ It was something she had to try every so often. Not for Celestia though, but more for herself. The thousand years on the moon had her mindset still back in that time. The one that she carried was the mindset of regal and posture that hadn't been seen in the land for at least five centuries. Something that was replaced with casual and down to earth over the passage of time. The blue eyes of the royal mare never lost their attention from the events that went on in the garden but she never seemed to actually be excited about the whole happening. Luna had tried to warn her sister about that what remained under the cloak. That it was best left destroyed or left in peace. But a stubborn Celestia didn't listen to her sister and waved it off with a joke. A wave they would come to pay in great numbers. “Captain Armor, what do you think of the whole situation?” she asked to the white coated, multiple blue maned stallion that stood against her. His broad posture was something that wasn't uncommon by the guards, yet it made him stand out from all of them. “I, am not sure just what I have to think about it all, your highness. I was given very little information about this operation,” the captain replied in all of his honesty. A sigh left through his nostrils afterwards. The eyes took themselves away from Luna and he looked to the outside world, to the events happening. He too tried to figure out just what was going on, what was happening even. “And that troubles me the most...” Luna said to him in a quiet tone. Her eyes fell shut for a moment. It wasn’t long after that, that she allowed herself to be submerged in her own thoughts. --- While the horn of the foreman kept itself charged which caused the cloaks to get shrouded within their aura’s and looked to one another. The three of them nodded to one another. At the same time, they all removed the pieces of cloth from the objects. What they revealed was something breathtaking to say the least, but perhaps not in the good way of the word. All of the workers gasped for air whereas Celestia only smiled more. Twenty-one set of eyes were all focused upon three statues of what appeared to be just stone. Statues whose weight was as much as if they were made from a material that came out of space itself. Making the connection with space, some thought the beings were carved out by nopony else then Luna. A right they had of course, but they couldn't be further from the truth itself. But the real truth was something far more deadly. Far more scheming even. “W-What are they?” a worker with a bright blue mane asked to the princess. “A very good question that is to be asked. Gentlecolts, that where you are looking at right now are three statues that will serve as the spiritual protector of Canterlot. I give you, the Angels of Canterlot,” she spoke proudly to the ponies that were present. --- Luna had opened her eyes again and she had just rolled them away when she saw the hoof motion her sister made. Captain Armor on the other end looked at it all in pure horror. “This is...” he said. “Unbelievable?” Luna interrupted him without a warning. She had opened her eyes straight again. Though she placed her eyes on the captain, eyeing his reactions. “Well, quite, your highness. I never expected these kind of statues to enter the garden. They are more home at a,” captain Armor spoke up as he looked back into the deep blue eyes of the princess. but he had lost his touch for words and fell in silence. “At a..?” Luna pried unto him to get it loose. She was curious to hear what he had to say. “At a cemetery,” the stallion spoke up in the end. An eerie reality that the alicorn of the night had to admit that much. They indeed looked like the guardians of the dead in their eyes. --- All three of the statues had the identical pose and structure to them which made them look like exact replicas of one another. Their pose was that of a pony who stood on its hind legs while the forelegs covered the faces but above all, the eyes themselves. They held in such a manner as if they were weeping over something, or somepony. Their hind legs were invisible as the statues ‘wore’ a dress that went to the very base of them. The spread wings gave them the impression that they were from the pegasus race. And that fact only rose more questions by the workers. “If you ask me, they look more like weeping angels then spiritual protectors, your highness,” the green maned stallion spoke aloud. “You sure there isn't anything special about these things? Cause they look, I shouldn't question.” He held his mouth quickly when Celestia gave him an utmost uncomfortable glare with her one visible eye. The deadly glance she gave caused shivers to others. “So, where do these come from? Obviously not from Cloudsdale given their weight. Ancient times perhaps?” yet another worker asked out loud. He was hoping to reduce the rage of the mare. “They do come from that age actually,” replied Celestia under her signature, calming smile. “These were supposed to be the protectors from the pegasus kingdom until it took off in the form of Cloudsdale’s predecessor. But, enough about these statues. How about we have a little celebration within the castle? Who's coming?” Of course none of the workers could say ‘no’ to the offer that was made and they all followed the high alicorn back into the castle. Each of them was more than glad they didn't had to carry those things around anymore yet they never felt comfortable with them. The Angels of Canterlot were everything except what they looked like. They were deadly, vicious, without mercy and lightning quick creatures. How would that be possible, one might ask? Only one being held the answer to that question. A being who had come into some trouble on his own. A being who never believed in the concept of coincidence itself, yet was going to be part of it whether he liked it or not. --- Inside the machine that was called the TARDIS itself, the eleventh incarnation of the mysterious and perhaps mostly unpredictable Doctor was working. He ran around the clock to get her back on track while the sparks flung around his ears. “Come on Sexy, you can do this! You never left me alone and you for certain wouldn't do it this time!” he spoke just before he pulled lever after crank. The Doctor didn't care about the flying sparks that were sent everywhere around him. He would find out just what had set him off course. “Come on, come on, come on. Let’s see now...” Despite the moaning and groaning of the machine, the Doctor took hold of the screen and looked on the data that was readable on it. “Well, good thing I send Amy and Rory back to Earth. A rift in space and time, and I’m getting sucked right into it!” The further he spoke his words, the bigger his eyes got and the more they were filled with a disbelief. He knew he had to work fast to make sure he didn't entered through it. But little did he know that it was in fact, inescapable. He had to go in. It was literally all hands on deck for the last Time Lord. He did everything in his might to make sure he would get away from the rift. He would even burn up every circuit the TARDIS had in it would help. If the Time Lord would have gone through the rift, it was uncertain just where he could end up. If he would end up anywhere to begin with. Holes within space, just as unpredictable as humans. The TARDIS itself had it even heavier in the situation. For it was almost impossible to pull itself away from the strength that dragged it and the option to dematerialize simply wasn't there. That came due to the fact it was a little, broken. “Stupid blue lights! You were good for nothing! And can somebody shut that siren off, please!” the Doctor shouted to himself. Yet the dangers only rose. Much of the machine’s alarms were ringing as loud as they possibly could, sparks of electricity were sent into every single direction. Nonetheless, he did everything that was possible to save his skin. Even button not pressed in years were finally pressed again. But all was in vain hope. “Don’t you dare to quit on me today! We have so much more to do!” the Doctor shouted to the console just before he went to work again. “So many things to see!” Without any form of warning, there was a moment of silence. Almost as if time itself stood still inside the TARDIS. The Doctor took note of the events and began to question if it was too late already. Slowly he stepped away from the control board and fixed his bow tie under a gulp. “Indeed we do, but now, you need to sleep,” a voice spoke to him. A voice that came as a shock to him as he had heard it before. Right on the planet outside the universe. “W-Who is there?!” he questioned to it. He couldn't believe it. The Doctor refused to believe that what he heard. Then time came back into motion. It was a rather small explosion which caused the console next to him to go up in smoke. “And that were the stabilizers,” the Time Lord mumbled. Before he could get an answer to the question, he was flung from one end to the other like a toy, until he fell from the stairs. It was only seconds after he landed that his body fell unconscious. With nothing to guide the machine and its systems shutting themselves down one after the other by either power shortage or overload, the TARDIS flew right into rift. The closer it came, the more violent it shook up and down. In an instant there was nothing but calm. No lights to be seen, no sudden splashes of water from the library pool. Nothing, absolutely nothing went through the thing. The worst that could have happened to the man was that he found himself in the inescapable void of nothing. A universe that walked right between two others where he would be able to peek at both but never enter. It was a concept that was used to create the infamous Pandorica, the ultimate prison. Yet the Doctor managed to escape that, because it wasn't watertight. The universe he could have found himself in however, was. No time, right down to businessNothing could tell him just how long he laid down on the floor of the TARDIS but all that was known to him was that it was long. Under a groan had he risen himself from his position and stood a bit wonky on his legs. “Woo, wha!” he managed to bring out just before he fell forward. He almost automatically used his arms to catch the fall and it worked. He still hadn't a clue on that what happened. The Doctor looked over himself before he released a loud yelp in confusion. “A, a pony!? I’m a bloody show pony!?” he exclaimed. His eyes looked at his hands which had become hooves. With no time to lose at his end, he moved up to the screen in the hope to see something from the security footage that was recorded. It was in that moment that he encountered the other bad news. The fact that the whole TARDIS was broken down and was in the need for repairs. Under the sounds of a deep gulp he turned himself around and looked over the damage that was done to his beautiful, sexy TARDIS. The Doctor had to wipe away a tear as it was the most damage that was ever done to her in all of his years. Not even an army of Daleks or Cybermen would have been able to inflict that much damage as was done by the rift. A black hole was nothing compared to it. “Okay, okay, okay. Uhm, recollect your mind, Doctor,” he spoke before he hit himself with the left forehoof into his forehead. “Think, think, think! Aha! Regeneration. Why, why doesn't it feel all too different, it’s a new body but everything else stayed the same, I think.” At the last part he squeezed his left eye a bit and looked into the direction of a mirror with his right one. In the mirror it was visible that he had a brown coat and a darker brown mane that wore his bow tie while his eye coloring remained the blue one. “Curious,” the stallion mumbled before he spotted something on his flanks. “What in... A, tattoo?” His eyes looked over to the mark on both of his flanks and could make out an hourglass of some sort. “Where have I landed this time... Landed? More like crash landing, but still a landing! I’m not drifting helpless into space!” the Doctor exclaimed happily. He took his sonic screwdriver in a hoof and he galloped over to the front door of the Tardis. “Why hello new legs, I can get used to this. Haha!” With one quick motion he took his jacket from the hatstand and pulled it on, which gave a feeling of recognition. His trusty jacket was once again among him and he slit the screwdriver into the inner pocket. Then he was off into the unknown world that he had entered. It seemed he took it rather well, despite the fact of being turned into a technicolored horse for an unknown reason. But then again, the stallion had lived for over nine hundred, if not a thousand years already and owned a time machine. He had seen and done fairly much everything there was to do. Without any hesitation for his own health care were the doors flung open and the stallion himself took a deep inhale. Within that same second, he was blinded by the light that was created by the sun high above for a moment. Nothing was seen for that bit of time, only the chirping of the birds was heard within his ears. A chirping that reminded him of the encounter with the Dream Lord. But the Doctor knew he was awake and left the machine without further questioning. He only forgot one little fact. The TARDIS was in the state that it needed to be repaired. Meaning that the door locked itself behind him and would only open after it was completely done. And who knew how long that would take with the damage done. The Doctor took another swig of the fresh air that was around him and regained his sight again. The stallion was greeted by the plain of land and the trees. Like the child he was, or never left, he just galloped over the plain where the machine had made a beautiful landing. No craters, no smoke, no nothing. Just like as if it materialized again. He couldn't be happier about that fact. Just a moment for himself to do whatever he wanted. Though he forgot one little aspect and that was the gravel road that walked next to the plain of land. --- On that road ahead, there were two ponies that came down from the hill and were heading towards him. One of them was a mulberry unicorn with two saddle bags around her body as the other one was an orange coated, blond maned, stetson wearing earth pony mare. They appeared to be in some conversation with one another as they traveled along the path. Though the more they ventured down the road, the closer they came to the stallion who was just being a foal. The Doctor just galloped around before he unbuttoned his jacket and threw it off of his body to truly enjoy his new body in almost every single aspect. After a couple more rounds he just dropped himself into the grass and snuggled it under a laughter. “Uhm, Twi, ya think he is alright?” the orange coated, hat wearing mare asked to her companion. They both had been watching his actions with both curiosity and wonder. “Well, I hope so. A visit to the asylum is the last thing I want. Remember the last time I was there?” the unicorn replied to the other. Yet the memories flowed back within her mind. “They wanted to lock ya up?” the cowgirl replied with a questioning tone. “Precisely, Applejack. Nevertheless, we can always ask.” “Whatever ya say partner, don’t know why ya got me here in the first place.” “You were the only one honest enough to say yes,” the unicorn replied to her. “Thanks a lot for that reminder...” Then they were off. Off towards the mysterious stallion that snuggled the grass like he was insane. He turned around and moved his back up and down on it under a couple light moans and chuckle. “Oh, right there, yes, yes, yes, there it itches so badly!” he spoke in pure delight. His eyes closed themselves to enhance the effect of the fresh grass against his back. “Uhm, hello?” Applejack called out to him. The two mares had gotten closer to him. But they didn't get a response from him. The earth pony turned herself over to the unicorn. “Twilight, ya know Ah ain't Rarity and mah patience is running rather thin,” she spoke to the other mare. “Easy Applejack,” replied Twilight to her. Then she laid a calm hoof on her back. “Though, what is that?” Her eyes had moved up from the stallion and laid unto the bright blue police box. “New item of that fancy brother of yours?” the cowgirl replied as she also looked at it. The both of them had lost the stallion out of their eyes. “Oh shut up,” the unicorn added. “Excuse me, but that’s my line,” a stallion’s voice suddenly spoke up from behind them. Both of the mare yelped a bit and then they turned around. Only to find that it was the stallion that snuggled the grass mere seconds ago, was standing right behind them. “Oi, no need to be scared of me. I should be scared of you and do I look scared to you?” he replied with a smile to them. He straightened his bow tie again. “Now, could the two of you tell me who you are and where I am?” “What..?” Applejack brought forth as she scratched the back of her head in confusion to his words. “Guess, ya don’t look scared to me though. Name’s Applejack by the way.” “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and you are in the Monarch of Equestria. Or as it is commonly more known as, just Equestria,” the unicorn said. The differences between the two were clear as day. “Equestria ya say? Never heard of it and you all look like, horses?” the Doctor replied. He had tried to imitate the tone of the cowgirl to the best of his ability. Trying to see if it would fit him. Twilight wanted to give him another reply straight to the point, but Applejack managed to cut her off. “One moment here. An answer for an answer, alright? We have answered yars, now ya answer us. Who are ya?” The unicorn was surprised by the approach of Applejack. At the other end could she fully understand where she was coming from. It was not every day they encountered a stallion like him. And she had to confess it to herself, she was a bit curious to him as well. “Equestria you say? Never heard of it... Either way, fire away!” the Doctor spoke just before he stroked his chin. "I'm an open book for you all." “Who are ya, and where are ya from?” “I’m the Doctor. I am not from somewhere, I just came here. Far place away and a bit of a complicated story,” the Doctor explained to them. He wasn’t in the mood to go much deeper into it. “Doctor, who?” Applejack asked through as she still remained skeptical. “Nothing. Just the Doctor,” he spoke with a great big smile on his face. “You said you weren't from here and that box wasn't here a couple hours ago. You travel in it or something?” Twilight noted to him with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't seem that practical though." “Blimey me girl, you are quick to figure it out!” “Well, everypony always said I had a mind for those things,” Twilight replied to him. She hid her face a little bit as there came a blush and a giggle left her. “You wear a stetson, don’t you?” the Doctor all of the sudden spoke to Applejack’s direction. Twilight was smart, smarter than the other mare at least. The Doctor had figured it out almost right away when she spoke the words. But he couldn't let her blabber on the facts for too long. Mostly because of his own boredom and a tiny bit of self-security, mostly boredom. “Why yes, Ah do, never left the spot since it got there,” the cowgirl replied with a smile. She fixed the hat upon her head, making it sit there with pride. “Good, because stetsons are cool,” the Doctor replied with a grin. And it were those words that made the cowgirl blush a little bit as nopony ever told her that about her headgear. “Yet you wear a, bow tie..?” Twilight said as she took note of the thing around his neck. “Bow ties, are just like stetsons, cool. Now shut it before I start about your bags.” “Hey! Those were hoof made by my friend Rarity.” “Shut it then,” the Doctor grinned to her. --- Neither of the mares could truly explain it to themselves though. The very fact that they found themselves almost attracted to his mystery and curiosity while he just went along. Applejack liked him because he appeared to be kind, a bit rough around the edges for certain, but kind nonetheless. Twilight on the other end was more interested in just the fact of who he was. “Say Doctor, if that is your real name, how did you arrive here if I may ask?” the studious unicorn asked of him. She let her eyes fall upon the powered down TARDIS. “It’s not that big from the outside to be any sort of ship.” “Oh trust me, she’s bigger on the inside then on the outside. I would love to give you two a tour through it. Unfortunately, she’s repairing herself. You see, I am not from here.” He just blew his cover away yet seem to be realizing just that little fact. “And I suppose that the name of Time Turner would be a good follow up to the Doctor. Doctor Time Turner, oh I do quite like that myself, if I may say so.” The brown maned and coated stallion didn't knew just why he said it, but it felt almost like a natural name to him. Yet he could only hope they wouldn't be using that against him. Fortunately for him was it enough material for the two mares to erupt out in a little laughter. They possibly couldn't believe those words. Everything sounded like it was being made up by a writer of science fiction and that his creativity was indeed not lacking. “Any who, would you two mind telling me where I am?” the Doctor said as he shook his head a bit to get the thoughts straight again. “Yar on the road towards Canterlot, sugarcube,” replied Applejack to him. “Sugarcube? Never been called that before. I like it, sounds rather sweet. But, what’s Canterlot?” the Doctor quickly responded with a smile towards the cowgirl. Then the two mares looked to one another with a questioning gaze before Twilight spoke the words in a careful tone. “Canterlot, the major city of Equestria. Capital of the three kingdoms.” “Oh, right, yes. I was, testing the both of you, see if you knew it,” he replied as his comeback. “I’ve lived there for most of my life,” added Twilight while she gave him a skeptical look. “And Ah see it every day on the horizon. Rares been talking 'bout it since Ah've met her. Odd unicorn. Maybe it’s a species habit.” The last sentence was spoken with a leaning look towards Twilight, who didn't liked it one bit. “Applejack, if you have a problem with unicorns, just say so alright. You were the only one who wanted to come and I am not in the mood to bicker about it,” said Twilight against the cowgirl. The cowgirl wanted to go in full counter by speaking her words. Though the Doctor knew just what was going to happen with them. He prevented it by saying his own words. “And how about you two, where were, or are, you two going?” As he spoke them, he made a couple odd movements with his forehooves by moving them over the other. He thought to have been used by them, but the lesser was true. Having forehooves instead of hands was just something he hadn't gotten used to. “Well, I just wanted to go to Canterlot to visit my family again and spend some time within the library. Applejack here is more for, emotional support. It’s hard to see your family again after a year,” the mulberry mare spoke. The more she said, the more a tear build itself below her eye. Not liking the unicorn race for what they were but Twilight was still her friend and Applejack knew that deep within her heart. The cowgirl gently laid a hoof over the shoulders of the mare in a comforting manner. “Tis alright sugarcube. How ‘bout we just go to Canterlot Garden first? Might give your mind some clearance there.” Applejack turned her eyes over from the near crying mare over to the Doctor. “Ya coming as well?” “Well, a nice garden tour is never wrong, is it? Though do you two really want me to tag along for the ride?” he asked in a gentle manner. Although, it could be the best manner to learn even more about the mysterious land he had landed in. A rift in space and time that would have lead over into the Void between space, yet somehow ends me up here? Could it be, that there actually is a world in there? It was a train of thought that went through the mind of the stallion before he was brought back to the there and then. “Well, Ah don’t mind it. More souls more joy and such, right Twi?” said Applejack with a smile. Her words seemed honest. He felt comfortable around her for some strange reason. Twilight sniffled one last time. Then she wiped the tear just away and gave a silent nod. “That, that would be nice,” she eventually spoke to them both. --- And so they went on. With a complete stranger that the two mares for some reason seemed to be trusting more than anypony else in the moment of time. It was odd if not curious for the both of them. Though little did question their arrival in the big city itself. Most of the higher class ponies kept themselves busy with just themselves. The Doctor looked his eyes out in silence as he managed to get even more comfortable on his hooves. Almost in no time at all it seemed like he was just, used, to it all. That being the whole concept of being a pony. The three of them ventured straight down the main road and into the gardens of Canterlot. A garden that stretched itself right next to the castle itself. The Doctor had a couple chats with the unicorn and earth pony about what they knew about the statues displayed within them. He was interested in all of the mythology behind it. But what struck him the most was the usage of magic. For him it was something he didn't have any knowledge for and possibly could use that as an excuse for his Tardis if they asked about it again. “So with your magic, you speak a spell and that whatever you say just happens?” he summarized in the near half an hour lecture of Twilight. A lecture that had bored the cowgirl to near death and wasn't even paying attention to it anymore at one point. “Almost correct. Not every unicorn can learn every single spell. For example, Rarity got her cutie mark because of a spell that guided her over to a gem filled rock. And I got mine, by hatching a baby dragon,” Twilight replied just before she showed off the mark on her flanks. It was a rough revelation, but it did explain just how he got the hourglass on his flanks. “Curious...most, curious. But this, Rarity, you keep talking about, is she a friend of yours?” “Depends on her mood,” Applejack chuckled a bit loud. “Oh... One of those types, isn't she?” In response the both of them nodded. It still fascinated him though. The entire concept of magic that was channeled through the horn of a unicorn. On Earth they were looking for them in almost every single corner and here they just walked over the street like it was nothing. Curiosity was his greatest friend and as an earth pony, or so he was told he was by using Applejack as an example, he had a valid excuse to ask further about the concept of the magical powers. But at one point or another, they had to pass the Angels that were placed within the garden. While they were chatting with one another, it came to light that none of them realized that they were the only ponies in the particular part in the garden. The stallion walked next to Twilight and Applejack behind him, he had his head turned around to view them both, just to be polite. Yet as he taught the young Amelia Pond so many years ago there was something that struck him in the corner of his eye. He knew all too well what it was yet didn't dare to believe it. “Nobody, blink,” he spoke calmly before he rushed in his pace. Something had captured his attention, something was wrong. The mares looked at him as he went and it was Twilight who spoke the words up to him. “Doctor, what is it?” Even though she found the name ridiculous, it was the best she could call him given the fact that Time Turner didn't roll that easily from the tongue. She didn't get any response from the stallion directly as he took out his sonic screwdriver and tailed around each of the three angel statues. The whirring of the device had both mares raising an eyebrow again towards him as they had not a single clue of the events going on. Their day was getting stranger and stranger the more they walked with him and it would only be getting worse. “First the rift, then this land, and now you... Lonely assassins... What’s next, Daleks?” the stallion muttered in himself. “Would love to see them here though, better than this lot.” “What, in Equestria,” both of the mares spoke in choir to his rambles. “Oh, now that is something to be happy about,” the Doctor mumbled. He read the readings of the device and pushed it back in. Only to hide it back in his pocket. The looks in his eyes said it all. “What was...” Twilight spoke in a baffled voice in response to the device. “Sonic screwdriver,” the Doctor replied in the blink of an eye. “What are...” Applejack dared to say. “Weeping Angels,” he spoke as he turned his head around to the statues again. “This is bad. Very, very not good.” Both of the mares looked to one another in utter confusion but also in fear. For the answers given and the very tone in which the Doctor spoke his words in, was one that told them he had seen it or them before. Out of the frying pan and into the fireWith a smile did Celestia walk up to her sister. One who was still speaking with captain Armor. She gave the two of them a gentle nod before the words left her mouth. “Aren't they magnificent? Angels created from the ancient times. Watching over the city in its full glory. Oh, I’m wasn't interrupting, was I?” she to the both them. Her tone was genuine in the matter, she was overjoyed. “No, not at all, sister,” replied Luna with a fake smile of her own. “Not by my account, your highness,” the captain said before he gave a salute. “No saluting captain. But Shining, if you will excuse me and my sister, we have an appointment to go to,” Celestia said to the captain, making him stand at ease. “We do?” Luna said when she tilted her head. “I don’t remember anything from the agenda.” “That’s because this isn't on the agenda. At least not our shared one. We are supposed to go to the weather factory in Cloudsdale, remember. That’s why I am so, happy, about these statues,” spoke Celestia with the smile still on her face. “Shall we go then, sister?” “Uhm, well, yes. O-Of course, sister,” stuttered Luna. She truly didn't knew about the meeting and thus hadn't prepared anything for it. A thing she normally always did, no matter what. The princess of the sun turned her attention over to the captain and spoke her desired words towards him in her gentle and friendly tone. “Shining Armor, I leave the castle in your control. As head of the royal guard, you know what to do. And, keep an eye out on the workers. Make sure they don't drink too much.” With that she was just off. Off to take off into the air and head for the majestic city of Cloudsdale. “Oh sister, no need to prepare, just come with me.” “This, is going to suck...” spoke Luna in a whisper against Shining. Who in return released a well meant chuckle to her. If there was one thing Luna didn’t like, it were unannounced visits. “Don’t be in it too much, sometimes you just have to go with it. Besides, if I may speak so freely, it’s a good chance to show how well you can improvise on a situation,” replied Shining Armor to her. After he had spoken the words, there came a slight smile on his face. The mare of the night had to think over the words just for a couple seconds. Yet then realized that what he said was more than true. She gave him a smile but also something else. Which was a small kiss upon the lips. Nothing too serious, just a small one. An affair was what the two had with one another. Nothing all too serious yet as it were just some cute little things they did with one another. They both liked it for what it was mostly because of the fact that the both of them did gain something from it. Nothing that could be measured in materials, but in emotions and lessons to be learned. Though the oddest part of all was that no one ever seemed to figure it out. Or they simply didn't want to. Either of the matters could be true. “See you soon, my captain.” Luna whispered in his ear. Then she joined up with her sister on the balcony. A faint blush went over the cheeks of the stallion who, in an attempt to hide it, turned over to the window again and looked over the gardens. But as he looked he got the feeling that the angels had moved a bit. “What on earth..?” he mumbled to himself. He swore that one of the three had turned its head around just to look around. “I’m going mad... Heh, guess it runs in the family,” chuckled Shining Armor to himself. But the stallion couldn't quite place it in his head though. “Nah.” He was finished for the day and then just turned his head away. And then just left the hallway as a whole. If he had only waited just five more seconds before that window, he could have seen the unlikely trio of two mares and a stallion. The trio that had made a terrifying discovery. --- “And that, is the whole of the weather factory here in Cloudsdale, your highness's,” a red coated stallion spoke as his eyes looked through the squared glasses. “Do you happen to be having, any questions?” “Well, I don’t think that me and my sister are having any actually. Your explanation has been more than satisfying for me, doctor,” said Celestia with another smile on her face. Though in all honesty, she hadn't paid any form of attention to the words. She was more interested in the whole layout of the building. Resulting in her having kept a keen eye on it. “Actually, I do have a question. Two in fact,” said Luna before the stomping of metal over metal came into their direction. None of the three ponies gave any attention to it as passed the stallion went the metal suited pony. It passed by them as if it was the most normal day of the week. “Make that three,” Luna added as the pony disappeared in another hallway. “Well, your highness, I’m all ears,” the pegasus replied to her. He fixed his glasses on his nose and perked the ears. He would be waiting for the questions to roll out of the royal her mouth. In contrary to other ponies, he was having a great length of patience. “Alright then, first question...” But then the younger sister just went silent. No words left her mouth as her gaze locked itself upon infinity. She almost appeared to be frozen. Both the stallion and Celestia looked over her and then one another with the same, asking gaze. “I forgot...” Luna suddenly mumbled out to them. “Sorry, but I forgot the first question.” “It’s alright princess, every soul forgets something now and then, right? Perhaps you want to continue with question number two?” the stallion replied. He made a polite motion with his foreleg. “Uhm, yes, that is true and I shall. What is up with all those metalized ponies?” she asked. “That, my dearest princesses, is the future of the Corporation. Suits of armor that are used to protect ourselves from the hazards of the factory. Nothing all too special really,” the stallion replied with a grin on his face. A grin that was small in size and therefore hard to notice for the mares. “Curious, I'm wondering if you could send one of those suits over to Canterlot? I would love to experiment with it myself,” answered Luna before she trailed another one of them. “Afraid that that is impossible, they are company property. But your third question is?” “You shall deliver one, or I take one. Your choice. But as for my third question, why aren't we allowed upstairs, in the rainbow department?” she then asked, hitting a literal wall of trouble. It was a question that was asked already a couple dozen times during the tour and the doctor had grown tired of it. But he never revealed just what laid above the dark clouds of the department. Celestia had laid her mind to the matter but Luna always had been a bit more persistent. “Your highness, follow me for a moment, please,” the doctor said. He turned around and started to walk. Luna couldn't do much else then to follow him. Celestia stayed behind and made her way over to the front entrance of the factory, just to stay out of the way of the workers. While the mare of the night and the doctor walked through the place, the silence between them was great. But they couldn't help it to pass more of the suits of armor. They always managed to catch the attention of the royal sister. She was interested and wanted to know more about them. No matter how. After a little while they had come to the vats of freshly made spectra and the stallion held his walking. Her looked over to Luna with a sinister look in his eyes and the lights of the liquid only enhanced the overall creepiness of him. And then the question was asked from his side. A question that, mildly put, the mare herself never even expected to come. “Are ya ready to fight the monster?” Luna looked over to him and she simply rose an eyebrow to the question itself. “I am afraid I do not understand the question, doctor. To my knowledge this facility didn't have any form of a monster within itself,” the mare replied to him. She was genuinely confused on the matter. Then the heavy hoofsteps could be heard within the distance. They came towards them. Luna turned herself around and she stared right into the dead eyes of the suit of armor. "That's because we make them," the doctor brought forth from his mouth. --- Both Twilight and Applejack just looked at the Doctor as he did more things with his sonic screwdriver but the unicorn couldn't stand it. “Just, just what is it with you, these ‘Weeping Angels’ and that device of yours? Is it like, a magical receiver or something?” “Magical receiver? Ha! I laugh at magic, no such thing as that where I'm from, just plain old technology,” the Doctor boldly stated to her. He laid down on the grass and he had blown his cover as a whole with his words. The whirring of the screwdriver was the most dominating sound after the silence had taken its place again. Out of the two of them it happened to be Twilight who was greatly offended by the made statement and her horn charged itself up with an amount of power that even made the screwdriver go nuts for a moment. “Wow, wow, wow, what’s...” The Doctor pointed the device to Twilight and all of the readings just spiked. They went through the roof, of not the atmosphere. “Impossible,” he spoke up as he rose back in his hooves. The stallion then went closer to Twilight while still whirring the screwdriver. “...Impossible! But it’s true!” “Doc, take back what ya said, cause when she’s mad, let's just say ya don’t want to be near her,” said Applejack in order to snap him out of the dream. That, and as a warning too. “It’s Doctor, Applejack,” said the stallion to her. He gave the cowgirl a quick look and then turned back to the unicorn. “Oh Twilight Sparkle, how wrong I have been! Come here girl!” And almost in an instant had the two found themselves hugging one another for whatever reason. The cowgirl was surprised by the whole turn of events and scratched the back of her head confused. Nevertheless she was also relieved because the magic that had been building up in the horn or the unicorn disappeared like snow before the sun. The mare let the moment go on for a couple seconds before she coughed a couple times. “No offence, Doctor, but it’s time for ya to do some explaining to us both. Don’t you agree, Twilight?” “Well, yes, Applejack,” replied Twilight before she broke the hug. The unicorn then sat down in the pleasant grass and looked over to the stallion with a stern set of eyes. “Well, explain. Who exactly are you, where are you from and what on earth is that device?” “If you must know,” the Doctor said as he also sat down. A bit odd for his doing but he managed. “Heh, this is different than sitting down on a chair. Anyway, let's begin.” Even Applejack lowered her body to give him the full attention as she was curious herself. “I’m the Doctor.” “Doctor who?” the cowgirl asked up with a raised eyebrow. “Not doctor who, just, the Doctor.” “The Doctor?” “That's me,” the Doctor returned to her with a smile. It seemed like a repetition of that what happened on the before they went to Canterlot. The both of them gave up, especially Applejack, and let him continue on his story. “I’m from a place far away. Across time and space, the most beautiful planet there ever was. Until they came of course. The last great Time War. But, let’s not dwell too much in the past shall we? And this device here, is a screwdriver.” “A screwdriver?” Twilight repeated in a questioning manner. “Yes, a screwdriver,” the Doctor chuckled. He then pointed it to Twilight and made it whir again. “Simply fascinating, your life form,” he spoke to them while he read the readings. But as he read them, there was something else came to his mind. “The statues.” “What ‘bout them?” asked Applejack before she rose back on her legs. But the one jump, the Doctor was back on his hooves and he had gone to the statues. “Whatever you do, don’t take your eyes off of them, and above all, don’t blink! Winking is fine, blinking stands equal to death!” he said before the screwdriver began to scan each of the statues once more. Something had been sparked within him, something impossible had awoken. “What on earth..?” Twilight asked aloud. She began to have a hard time believing his words. “Don’t ask! Just do it if you want to live!” “But it’s broad daylight,” Twilight told him. She was right though. “They don’t care, just keep your eyes on them will you!” the Doctor shouted to them. And so said, so done. Neither of the mares dared to take their eyes off of the beings that stood before them. The statues that apparently weighted tons each. All while the stallion scanned each of them with his screwdriver. After a bit of time, the whirring sound stopped and the blue eyes of the Doctor went over all of the readings. He was relieved to say the least of it. “It’s alright, take your eyes off of them. They are harmless. Hibernation to be exact,” he explained to the pair of them. Which was a massive relief. “Wait, if they are in hibernation, it means they will wake up, right?” Twilight asked in a scared tone. She looked over to the Doctor with a set of frightened eyes. “Oh yes. But not if we cut their power supply. Somewhere below this city, those creatures have set up an energy drink. Power conducts through it and up to them. Given how fast it travels, I would say about, thirty minutes from now that they will wake up.” “So, just where is this energy drink?” the cowgirl asked with a raised eyebrow. “Down below,” the stallion replied before he pointed the screwdriver to the soils. Applejack looked down towards the ground as she didn't caught the words fully. The stallion did the same but his looks went as if he was looking through the earth. The only pony who didn't look, was Twilight. She was deep in thought about what could be down there that had so much space. But then she remembered it. From a memory that was placed deep within her mind, locked away. “The mines... Doctor, the mines!” she exclaimed to him. Both of the other ponies looked up to her and it was the Doctor who replied. “So beneath here, are mines? You sure about that and above all, can you get us in?” “Sure and sure. I can teleport us in to the place I was once.” “Good enough for me!” the Doctor shouted in a tone filled with glee and he kissed Twilight on the forehead. “I knew I had to trust upon you since I saw you on the hill!” The words rose questions in Applejack’s mind but the mare wasn't given any form of asking them. The horn of Twilight shone already in its magic and she was ready to make the teleportation jump to the prison. --- Under an explosion of light did all three of the ponies land on the ground within the caverns of Canterlot. The complete darkness surrounded them and their groans were the only sounds to be made out of the silence. Twilight was the one who came back to her knowledge the fastest. The mare charged up her horn again to make some form of light among the dark. A thing that would save them on numerous occasions. That was all that she knew in the moment. What laid beyond, was unknown. Slowly had both Applejack and the Doctor managed to crawl back on their hooves. They all looked at one another. Applejack had forgotten the questions, the hit just made them fly away. “Ohhh, that was worse than a vortex manipulator,” he groaned before he rubbed his back with a bum. “It always goes like that?” “N-No, normally it goes much smoother, without the kind of bumps that I felt when casting it. Something was interfering with my magic. Anyway, we are here and whole, that's all that matters,” replied Twilight. She rose up and rubbed her head a bit. “The mines of Canterlot.” “Would ya’ll look at this place...” said Applejack. She was astonished by the gems within the rocks. The reflections they created and the overall size were just breathtaking. “Rarity would have loved this. But, where to now?” “Gems of unknown origin, sizes much bigger... The perfect energy conductors,” the Doctor mumbled to himself. He took out his screwdriver again and made it bleep for the moment. “What are you doing with it?” Twilight asked while she looked to the device. “Sort of like a sonar, the Angels are feeding of something powerful and that always leaves traces of radiation... Bingo, ladies, if you want to follow me, we are going to the heart,” the Doctor spoke as the bleeping became stronger the more he held the device before one cavern. “Let’s go! Thirty minutes before the whole thing goes down. So, move it please.” The two mares followed him without a question. He was the reason they were down there and it would be with his help that they would get out again. Applejack regained the question of her mind again. Though she quickly dispatched of it. If that mysterious stallion trusted Twilight so much for whatever reason, he had to do the same for her. Even though she appeared like the third wheel on the wagon. That was the way Applejack felt in the moment. Like she wasn’t important. “So much stronger here... How deep is this in the mountain, you know that Twilight, Applejack?” the Doctor asked as the readings went through the roof. “No idea, about half a mile?” Twilight replied while Applejack just shook her head. But as the cowgirl shook her head, she was the only one that caught a lonely Angel that just stood within a side cavern. An Angel that had the same position as those in Canterlot. Though it did took her some time and it was only after she caught the sound of stone moving, her eyes sprung open. Without any word the cowgirl just too hold of Twilight's tail and moved the unicorn back to the spot. “Applejack, what in hays name are you doing!? We are running out of time!” she yelled as she struggled to release herself again. The mare spit out the tail and pointed her hoof into a burrow. “That, Twi!” Both the Doctor and Twilight laid their eyes upon the Angel whose forelegs were lowered and eyes stood in the direction they had walked to. “Oh no... This is not good,” the stallion said as he turned himself around. “Keep your eyes on it but don’t look it in the eyes!” he quickly added. Both of the mares didn't move a muscle, they both just looked at the Angel with a chunk in their throat. Seconds were spent within the deadly silence of the caverns. The only sound to be heard was the bleeping sound of the sonic screwdriver. But then it was Twilight who spoke her words in a whisper. “Applejack, can, you...” “Yeah, Ah will.” “Thank you,” spoke Twilight in a whisper. She turned her eyes away from the stone being and looked to the Doctor. “We don’t have that much time anymore, do we?” “No... That, is a proper Angel. One that is out of hibernation... If luck isn't with us, we just might be too late already,” he replied to her in a saddened tone. His eyes continued to go over the cave with the fear visible within them. He too was terrified of the beings of stone. “And, that is going to stop you?” she asked through. His blue eyes fell upon the ones of Twilight before a smirk came to his face. “Of course not.” --- All the way back in Canterlot castle, Shining Armor was on his lonely patrol through the hallways. He rested his eyes upon a statue. All of the guests had made their departure after the drinks and all of the guards were dining in the mess hall. His eyes fell on the statue of an angel with the forelegs before the eyes. “I don't remember you... You must be new around here,” he said towards the inanimate object. But then a shock went through him as he realized something. “I’m talking to a statue of all things. Craziness runs in our veins, sister.” Shining gave a gentle chuckle before he turned away from the statue and continued on his path. In the moment the two lost eye contact, the statue came to life and it attacked the captain. One cry for help, one flash, then he was gone. Consumed to feed the lonely assassins and send across space and time. Nopony knew where he would end up, but one thing was certain. He was gone and out of the lives of those who loved him. All while they weren’t even aware of it. Clock is ticking“Applejack,” the Doctor spoke to her. But the cowgirl didn't even dare to look up at him because of the Angel before her, “turn towards me, but never, ever, lose eye contact. Understood? And when I say run, you run as fast as you in reverse. Am I clear?” “Clear as crystal! But where are we going to run?” she asked. That was something the Doctor hadn't thought up exactly. The more silent he went, the more Applejack became impatient to an answer. “Well?” She didn’t wanted to admit it to herself, but she became scared in the moment. “We go towards the origin of the radiation, which is through this cavern. And then we just pray we don’t get caught,” he then explained to her as honest as he could. “That’s nerve resting,” the cowgirl mocked as she winked both of her eyes independently. “Three, two, one, Geronimo! Go, go, go!” the Doctor almost shouted. Both him and Twilight turned their pace into a full on gallop with Applejack hot in their trails. The brown maned earth pony and the unicorn had made a decent gap between themselves and the other mare. Who didn't liked it one bit that they could see where they went. “For Pete’s sake,” she muttered and turned herself around just for a little bit. But when she looked back, there was the Weeping Angel that stood almost right in front of her. Applejack couldn't do much else then to release a yelp. A yelp which acted as an indicator for Twilight and the Doctor. “We have to go back for her,” the Doctor said when he turned his eyes over to Applejack. But he knew there would be more. Such a mysterious power source, it was feast for them. “No need to go back,” Twilight replied to him, she didn’t even break a sweat with the words. “Are you insane!?” he returned to her and took the mare by her shoulders. “I am not leaving her behind, you understand me? I’m, not, leaving, her!” “Just wait and see. What’s your top speed with running?” she asked then with a smirk. “Uhm, ah, ha... I don’t know,” the stallion returned to her. He was surprised by the change of conversation. How on earth could that mare remain so calm, when a friend was faced with death? “Well, time to find out. Applejack, hold on!” “On what? The statue!?” she yelled in return. “Point there. Anyway, orb incoming to pick you up!” Above the horn of Twilight, the charge become only more powerful. As said, it indeed emerged around the cowgirl. The raspberry colored bubble that would carry her away from the Angel but allowing her to keep an eye on it. “Just, just don’t break eye contact!” the Doctor added while he watched the raw power output from the horn. Magnificent, such power output from within her body... What could it possibly be? Maybe there is such a thing as ‘magic’, though there has to be a better explanation for it, he thought to himself in a split second. But then he caught Twilight running away and Applejack in the orb passed him. “Huh..? Oi! Wait for me!” Within a split second was he also off. Off with them to the very source of what they were looking for. --- Eventually their pace went to hold and the took liberty of the time to catch up with their breath. Twilight released Applejack from the hold and all three of them sat down for a moment. Their backs were against the other so in that way, they could see where the creatures would come from. All three of them were panting either from exhaustion or fear. “Doctor...” spoke Twilight before she released an orb from her horn. An orb which created light within the stone room they sat. A room covered from nearly all the sides with diamonds that reflected the light, making it nice and bright. “...Just what, are those things. Tell us everything, you know about them, please. We have the right to know, what’s attacking us.” The Doctor sighed deeply and all three rested their heads against one another. “You two really want to know just what those beings are?” Both Twilight and Applejack didn't nod, but spoke a words in unison. “Yes.” “Alright then, you asked for it. But not here on the ground. We gotta keep moving, understood?” The Doctor was the first of the three to stand up and the other two followed suit. “Twilight, you take the rear and Applejack takes the middle.” “So you upfront?” the cowgirl asked with a gentle smirk. “Well, yes. You happen to have a problem with that?” he replied to her. He did a couple steps back. His eyes never even dared to leave the front but one of his hooves was sneaking up to the hat of the mare. “Unless you know what you are dealing with better than I do and I have encountered them, at least three times. So...” “Suppose ya have a point there,” Applejack replied. The Doctor gave her a smile and before she knew it her hat was too be found on his head. “Stetsons are cool, Doc, but there’s a place and time. And this is neither of em.” The mare took her hat back and they assumed their positions. Even though the stallion didn't like it when she called him that way, he couldn't do much else than just soak it up. She was a physical strong mare, one that could easily have beaten him in a fight. In convoy they continued to follow the bleeping sounds of the sonic screwdriver. “The Weeping Angels, that’s what we are dealing with here. Creatures that are around since the dawn of creation but nobody has ever seen one in the flesh. For when they are observed, they turn into dead rock. When not seen, they are quick. You’ve seen it, Applejack, one look away and it was near you,” the Doctor explained to them in the most down to earth fashion. “But, what if one of them gets you, what happens?” Twilight asked out of sheer curiosity. “They send you back or forth in time. Placing you long before or after your were born and died. And they consume the energy from the days you could have lived within this age. Perfect consumers and filled with kindness.” “Kindness? How can that possibly kind?” Applejack exclaimed. Her green rims went from side to side. Twilight had managed to leash the orb of light and she carried it with her, above the group as their source to see within the darkness. “Well, unlike the Cybermen who delete you or upgrade you, or the Daleks who exterminate everything that isn't a Dalek, a Weeping Angel only send you back or forth, usually back. You live your life but in another time period. Basically they let you live to death,” the Doctor replied to Applejack. “They still give you the chance to live, cowgirl, the greatest gift of it all if you ask me. Though they can be violent from time to time. And I reckon, these is one of those times. Especially with me here.” At the hearing of the names, the mares tilted their heads and wanted to know more about those kinds. But given that what they were already dealing with, it didn't seem to be the best idea. “And, what do they do then, when they get violent?” Twilight asked. “Break a couple bones, snap your neck, use your mind to speak to the others. Nasty stuff. That’s why you don’t need to blink. Though, never there have been made good readings on the creature behind the stone. It’s, difficult to describe them,” the stallion spoke to them in all honesty. It was clear within his voice that even he didn't knew just what to do think of them. His knowledge was infinite but on the subject he knew so little. Both of the mares shivered at the words and Twilight let down her guard just for a mere two seconds. Two seconds that were enough for a hidden Angel to burst out of its hiding and stop literally before Twilight. “What..!” she shouted out to the rest of them as the creature of stone just pointed up. Up to the ball of energy. --- The Doctor turned himself around and went past Applejack with some words. “Now you’re at front.” With his blue eyes he inspected the situation around Twilight and followed the hoof up. “Oh no...” was all he was allowed to say before the orb flickered. In response did both of the mares took their eyes away from their position and gazed upon the orb. “Run,” the Doctor whispered at first. “Run!” With that one word within their ears, all three of them just kicked their legs into the highest possible gear and ran. They ran through caverns old and deep. They ran away from the Angels that could and also would chase them around. But they still had the light even though it was fading in energy. They galloped through the dark caves while blindly following the bleeping of the screwdriver. As ridiculous as it looked, neither of the mares had problems with it. Because they couldn't complain about them given the fact they were running for their lives. The charge around the horn of Twilight never ceased to exist nor did it seem to fail in power. “This way, quickly! We are closer than I thought! One last sprint to the end! Geronimo!” the Doctor shouted while he tucked the device back inside his jacket. Then he continued to gallop as fast as he possibly could. Before them it became visible as a lit up area in a raspberry color. The light that was reflected against the gems and send it in all possible directions. But the Angels were hot on their trail. Twilight swung her head from side to side almost every possible second in order to keep the creatures off. From time to time she even turned herself around to face them. They were getting closer and closer to the room, but so did the hooves of the Angels to them. It would only be a matter of mere seconds before they would get them. Though one mare wouldn't end up as their dinner and as both the Doctor and Applejack made it through. Twilight turned herself around and faced the dark cavern before her. “Are you insane!?” the Doctor spoke before he wanted to pull her in but Twilight just pushed him off. Without a word spoken from all the parties present had the unicorn risen up on her hind legs. There she thus stood bipedal while only more power raced through her horn. Silence had taken over everything and the unicorn could only hear her own heartbeat. Everything played itself out in slow motion. With the orb still flickering, she could see the Angels coming closer towards her. Under a roar of power had she lowered herself on all four of her legs again. Then she released the charge of her horn. All of it as one massive blast of magical energy. All of it got sent towards the beings of stone in a brilliant raspberry color. It didn't kill them but the lights revealed that the entire cave was swarming with them. And then the darkness fell again. The energy of the horn faded away and Twilight huffed into the room while walking backwards. “W-What did ya do Twi?” Applejack asked in a worried tone. She kept her eyes on Twilight. In the time they had entered had neither the Doctor nor the cowgirl had been able to find another entrance, or exit for that matter. Something they were lucky with. Only problem was that the exist was crowded with the beings. Their only entrance, was also their only exit. All of the sudden had it become the worst spot they could possibly be in. “You didn't kill them, did you? Oh tell me you didn't!” the Doctor yelled. It almost seemed like he would charge Twilight with everything he got. “I didn't kill them, Doctor. I only locked them up in a time block. Out of this room, in that cavern, time stands still,” explained Twilight to him, hoping he would get it. “Impossible... How, how can you do such a thing without, without anything!?” the stallion wondered out loud. He rubbed both of his forehooves through his mane. “How!?” “Was rather simple. Just a couple spells from Starswirl the Bearded himself,” replied Twilight with a cocky smile. She took strange delight in seeing him that confused before her. “And who might that be?” the Doctor dared to ask of her. “Oldest, strongest and wisest unicorn that has ever lived upon this land.” “Enough with the chit chat will y’all. We are running outta time, remember.” Applejack had interrupted the two bluntly. Twilight and the Doctor, two beings with the same knowledge. Refusing to believe the science or magic. They attracted one another, but also were their exact polar opposite in certain cases. “So shut up and work! Ah don’t wanna die by one of those Angel bastards.” “But it’s not over yet,” the Doctor said. He let his eyes fall upon the streams of raspberry light that were irradiated. “...That’s impossible.” They hadn't laid their eyes on the source yet, but the stallion already had made some sort of connection in his mind. Twilight had her own theory whereas Applejack was just astonished. But the wonder within the green rims quickly turned into one of fear. “D-Doc...” “Hm?” The Doctor followed the extended hoof of Applejack and looked almost right into the eyes of a Weeping Angel. It’s mouth was filled with fangs and it was just ready to devour the first thing it would meet. The fangs were a feature they hadn't seen before, but it certainly added up to the levels of creepiness the statues already had. “Wow!” As quick as the stallion could he turned his eyes to a lower part of the creature and continued to speak in despair. “Suppose that spell doesn't work indoors, because we might have slight problem right before us.” “Oh no...” was all that Twilight said. She turned herself around and looked at the being. “Applejack, can you keep eye on it? Doctor, you as well.” “And what about you?” the stallion asked when he reached out for one of Twilight's forelegs. The unicorn looked him into the eyes. “I need to know what kind of power conductor it is, and we only have like, fifteen minutes left before those creatures are set loose, don’t we? Time is of the essence and we’re not having much of it, not anymore,” she said to him, hoping to solve it all. “If we aren't too late already, yes,” the Doctor replied in a near whisper. Twilight let go of his hoof and walked past the both of them. With a normal pacing she walked up to the very edge of the cave, to the spot where all the beams of raspberry went from the gems, into the ground, into a pit. What she caught within her violet eyes was something of the utmost discomfort. Her eyes caught a sight of something. Of something that was just so horrible that she didn't knew the words to speak, nor the ability to scream was granted to her. --- “Excuse me, but do you happen to know where my sister is?” Celestia asked against one of the metal ponies that roamed through the front area of the weather factory. Luna had been gone for a long time and it worried the mare of the day to no end. She just had to know where her sister was. Whether it be good or bad. “Negative. Please wait at the reception,” the pony returned in a near mechanical voice. “Then so it has to be,” replied Celestia to herself. There was a worried expression which formed itself on her face. She did what was told to her and went to the reception of the building. Though along the way she kept an eye out for her beloved little sister. When she arrived, she did what she had done for a thousand years already. And that was waiting. But as she waited, Celestia couldn't help it but to notice that there were more and more of those armored ponies literally stomping around. It was quite terrifying for her to see. To see her subject that were normally flesh and bone be like that way they were. The alicorn walked up to a clerk that sat behind the reception and she couldn't resist her question anymore. “Would the fine sir please tell me, what in the name of the sun those things are?” The stallion behind the desk looked up at her and he let his blue rims fall upon her before he stroked his green mane. “Certainly miss. They are a product of utmost pegasus technology. Androids that look just like ponies. Designed to help out in the more dangerous part of the factory.” “So no ponies are being stuffed inside them?” “Depends. Some do have a pony inside if the job requires utmost precision. Though most pegasi don’t prefer it. They just want to use their wings and the armor prohibits that.” “I, I thank you for your time,” the alicorn said. She gave the green coated pegasus a nod. Celestia turned around and continued to wait. All while letting the revelation made to her sink into the brain she had. The clerk returned the nod with a smile before he continued on with his duties. With the passage of some time, had the clattering of a rather familiar set of hooves made their way down the corridor. While the chatting of two ponies became more apparent, Celestia rose up from her seated position. She would have smiled when both her sister and the stallion had finally entered. “I thank you kindly for the tour sir and good luck in the future,” the mare of the moon spoke to him. After which she gave him a gentle bow. “Nothing to thank for, your highness, I only did that what you asked me to do,” the stallion said. He returned the bow with a nod of his own. “I suppose the two of you are on your way than?” “Yes, yes we should be going. Don’t you agree, sister?” spoke Luna while she looked to her older sister. The time to leave had come again, the time to return home was there once more. “I think that that would be the wisest of things, yes. We still have more things to do for ourselves today.” the mare of the sun replied as she also gave the stallion a bow. “Shall we, Luna?” The mare of the moon nodded and both of the royals made their departure from the factory without much questioning. Though the moment they left through the door, there was a muffled scream that came from above the stallion. He calmly looked up into the thick pack of clouds. His lips curled up into a menacing grin at one side of his mouth. But the scream was interrupted by a set of stomping hooves on the ground. The attention of the stallion was quickly taken away from the cloud ceiling and looked down a corridor. “Sir?” was spoken in the mechanical voice. --- Back within the deep caverns of the Canterlotian mines, Twilight was looking horrified at that what her eyes caught in the pit. The longer she stared at the mysterious object, the more she reached out for something on top of her head. “That’s, that’s impossible!” she almost shouted through the room. The shout also had a drawback to it and that was that it got the attention of both the Doctor and Applejack. Though it was the cowgirl who managed to keep her eyes upon the angel within the room. “What is impossible, Twilight?” the Doctor asked before he walked up to her. Without words, the mulberry mare just pointed down into the pit. To the very source of the streams of magic. The blue eyes of the Doctor couldn't believe it either and he started to switch between the mysterious object and the same thing Twilight was, by then, rubbing in a gentle manner. “No, way,” the stallion said. He couldn’t believe the thing that his very eyes had captured. It was as she said, impossible. For within the pit laid the very source of the Weeping Angels their food supply. The very thing that was nothing else than the very horn of Twilight Sparkle herself. But it couldn't be, as her horn was still attached to her head. It sat right there, ready to cast the magic in a moment’s notice. The unicorn just wanted to go down to it and investigate it even further, but she was held back by the Doctor. Who had to put quite the lot of force upon her to push her back. “Twilight no! We have no idea of just what it is or does. For all we know, is that it is a duplicate. Who knows what happens if we touch it!” “Ah don’t wanna be a bother but, hurry up!” spoke Applejack to them. She never lost the Angel out of her eyes. She was getting more terrified with every passing second. “Quiet you!” the Doctor replied before he turned his attention back to Twilight. “You don’t understand, if that is my horn, then how can it be still on top of my head!?” And with one yank had she freed herself from the stallion's hold. Before the Doctor could do anything, she had walked down into the pit. The Doctor feared for everything in existence when she went down. He couldn't bare the looks of it, but decided to keep watching. Twilight just trailed around the object. Watching it with a keen eye as her mind made up the craziest of theories. Even the Doctor couldn't give a proper explanation to the situation and that was what made her grew desperate. But above all: the powerful unicorn got scared. Scared as a little filly. “Hallo?” was all of the sudden spoken in a voice rather familiar to Twilight. But the origin of the voice was of a place rather unusual. “What..?” Applejack said. She wanted to look to see where the voice could have come from. Though she made the decision to keep her attention to the statue. “Well all,” the Doctor said while Twilight just looked up to the stallion. He reached inside of his jacket and took out his sonic screwdriver, only to meet it with a flashing, red light. “I got a message? On this? How bored was I when I made that feature into it?” “Answer it!” Twilight spoke as she had placed the voice in her mind. And there was no doubt of just who it was, that spoke to them. “Alright, alright, give me a moment,” the Doctor returned in an annoyed tone. Then he pressed a button upon the device. “The Doctor for the mysterious talker, do you copy me?” the stallion spoke into it. He then released the button again, almost as if it was a walkie talkie. “Loud and clear, sir,” the voice spoke up again, fractions of a second after the Doctor spoke. “Now, cut the chit chat and straight to business. Who are you and why are contacting me on my, screwdriver? Still pretty amazed by that feature. Just, just forget that and focus,” the Doctor rambled as he started to rise on his two hind legs. Twilight crawled out of the pit with a confused look on her face. She awaited the reply to come. “Doesn't this remind you of someplace else, Doctor? Remember that time you threw us all through that crack in space and time?” the voice spoke again, indeed reminding the stallion. “Angel Bob? But, that crack was supposed to destroy you all!” said the Doctor. It was in that moment that he became scared himself. The memories of what happened inside the Byzantium were still a bit too fresh in his mind. “Oh, no, no, no!” Though all of his words weren't spoken through the screwdriver so the Angel couldn't hear them. As his free hoof went through his mane, it was Applejack who nudged Twilight to keep looking at the creature. The unicorn nodded and they relieved one another from duty. Whether it was the smartest decision had to be discovered. The Doctor pressed the button to talk again. Though hesitation filled him at first. He wasn’t so sure just what he had to say. “It, it’s a replay of the Byzantium, isn't it? Though do tell me this, who on earth are you? Because you don’t sound like Angel Bob, I know how he sounds like. But what about that horn? Those currents of energy, what is with all of that?” “That, Doctor, is what kept us alive. The horn is the source, the gems just amplify the power of it. It’s basic but it's helping us a lot,” was spoken over the open channel of the screw driver. “Helping you to tear down this world, you mean. Whose voice did took over?” If that question would be answered, the mind of Twilight was about to be shattered even more. Further than it already was with the made discoveries. The time of ponies and AngelsTwilight had started to dart around. All the way up to the point she was chasing her own tail for all she cared. All while the cowgirl kept an eye on the Angel in the room. The upcoming answer of the Angel was something the unicorn didn't want to hear but she never dared to interfere with the Doctor’s affairs. The places and names she had heard went even far above her own expertise. It was rather obvious to her that the Doctor was the highest authority in their situation and she just had to deal with that fact. And thus hear the relieving or crushing words. Applejack on the other end noticed just how bad Twilight was doing. She patted a spot next to her for her to sit down. Twilight kept turning around on her spot before she finally got the silent sign. The unicorn knew that she needed some comfort. Just the sheer thought alone was crushing and with the silence growing all the more present, it seemed like they were playing a game. When Twilight took position next to Applejack, the cowgirl placed her hoof over both of the shoulders of the insecure unicorn. She began to hum some comforting notes as she would have done for her little sister. The soothing tones had some effect upon the mulberry mare. She did became a lot calmer, though Applejack could feel the heart racing and beating within the throat. For the first time since they had defeated Nightmare Moon, Applejack felt the fear she had within her body clear. She just irradiated it like it was nothing. And she couldn't blame her given the situation they were in. “So the Angels from the Byzantium were sucked through the crack in space and time, that would mean they entered into the Void, but,” the Doctor grumbled to himself at a normal tone. “Void? Ya mean the Void of Darkness?” Applejack interrupted to his words. “What?” The stallion turned himself over to the cowgirl. Though he had to make sure to keep the angel within his eye. Only through that could Applejack talk to him. “What Void of Darkness?” “Yeah, the void where all the hatred originates from. It’s said it ya listen closely to yar shadow, ya can hear it. A thing created by Nightmare Moon herself,” explained Applejack to the best of her abilities. She could explain it as down to earth as possible but he just didn't get it. Though what he did know was the fact that the two voids were different from one another. “Sounds like the Vashta Nerada to me. But not the void I meant, and could you please just hold your mouth for a bit, so I can think? Thank you in advance,” he replied to her. Then he started to chase his own tail, so to speak. Applejack was a little bit discouraged by the words and thus returned to calm down Twilight. Who only grew more in the fear that she had. Everything was about to fall. “Hey Twi, it’s gonna be alright,” the orange mare tried to reassure her. “I hope, I hope you’re right Applejack,” managed Twilight to let go. “Send to the Void but end up here. How did you guys even manage do that!? Oh don’t tell me you are like the Daleks, now are you?!” the Doctor suddenly shouted up through the room. “Doctor? Are you there?” was eventually and all of the sudden spoken through the device. With caution him to press the button that would open his link to the channel. In the end, it granted him the ability to communicate with the Angel again. With a lowered and bit insecure voice, the Doctor spoke his word. “The Doctor is here, care to tell us who you are?” He released the button in order to receive any incoming messages and hoped for the best while his eyes stared at the time locked Angels in the hallway. “That lock is not going to keep them out forever,” he mumbled just before his eyes widened up as if he had made a shocking revelation. “No...” Though much further he couldn't think as the message returned. “I’m the Angel within the room you are standing. Our forms changed when we fell through the crack but just as what we did to Bob, we did to a stallion here. White coated, blue maned. Captain,” the voice from the device said. “Cut the chit chat and tell us, your, name!” the Doctor said in frustration. “Shining, Armor.” With those two words, that name which caused the heart of Twilight shattered into nearly millions of pieces. Her own flesh and blood had fallen victim to the statues they were looking at. The unicorn couldn't hold herself any longer. She just erupted out in tears and sobbed loud within seconds. Everything on the journey had become all too much for her. Yet the Doctor didn't understood just why she was crying. It was Applejack who caught it in the corner of her eye. It was up to her to tell the history behind the two. “Shining Armor, was Twi's brother,” she said to him, answering the unasked question. That struck the Doctor a lot. He didn't know just what to say or do other than a couple little words. A couple meaningless words. “I’m sorry... I, I truly am,” was all that he could say in response. Deep within Twilight did his words worked as a patch over the bleeding heart. Though the damage done was something far too much. “I will, destroy, every, stinking, last, of you!” the mare suddenly shouted in all of her anger. “All of you shall pay, for what you did!” She was blinded by her sadness and fueled with her rage, it was a dangerous combination to mess with. But to prevent things from escalating any further, Applejack wrapped both of her forehooves tight around Twilight and hugged nearly the life out of her just to keep her in that one position. “No ya don’t. Yar gonna stay with me, Twilight. Calm and peaceful.” The words probably didn't mean nothing, but they made her keep her mouth shut and thus giving the Doctor the opportunity to talk to the Angel. “So, Angel Armor is it then? Quite the interesting name. Now tell me your plan,” he spoke through the screwdriver and the waiting game started once more. --- Their situation was only getting more grim the more time was waited out. The time lock appeared to be losing itself in strength. Not to forget that Angel Armor just loved to take his time with his words. Yet after nearly three minutes of a complete silence, with the only sounds being their heart beats, breathing and sobbing of Twilight, the response was finally given to them. “Our plan is to succeed there where we first failed, Doctor. We want our army to be awaken and this place is perfect for it. The horn of the most powerful unicorn, the gems used as power conductors,” it spoke to them. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get that part, but what about that horn?” the Doctor asked further. “Taken from the head of a princess,” Angel Armor replied almost in an instant. It was either a fool's luck or their ignorance, but both of the mares didn't caught the last set of spoken words. The Doctor turned around to see Twilight. “Foreknowledge is a dangerous thing,” he whispered to himself before he shook his head. Without a warning of any kind given to them there was an explosion and a bright raspberry light the illuminated the area. The Doctor’s attention and the eyes of Applejack would gaze upon it. Yet giving how Twilight was looking against the chest of Applejack meant that none had their eyes upon the Angel in the room. Therefore leaving it free to do as it desired. It was when Applejack turned her head back after nearly a second to look away, that the forehooves of the Angel were reaching for the two ponies and the fangs could be found within its mouth. “Doctor!” she shouted to get his attention. “Keep looking at it Applejack, whatever you do, keep looking!” the stallion replied before he fixed his own eyes upon the entrance. With the light dimming once more, this worst nightmare had come true. “Oh no, the lock is broken and they can move again! We gotta destroy those gems. Applejack, you take Twilight with you and smash those gems, without them, they just crumble out to dust! Hurry!” he said to them He backed away from the entrance, keeping his eyes upon the statue. The stallion knew he was powerless against gems. They were massive and compressed rocks. He had to place his faith in the two mares, which was what he did, but the doubt never truly left him. With Twilight still crying over her brother and the Angels knocking at his door, things didn't look all too bright. “Just why do they have to be Weeping Angels and no Daleks or Cybermen. Would have loved to fight those things. But no, it had to Weeping Angels, good job sending them here, of all places,” he muttered to himself while he passed Angel Armor. He gave a look to the mares. “Go.” Time was running short upon them and both Applejack and the Doctor knew that fact just all too well. But with Twilight being the most powerful, the cowgirl had to set everything on everything to get her back. “This is gonna hurt... Twi, Twi, listen to me. Ya need to keep it together! Your brother may have passed away, but if you don't toughen up, you will join him and none us will live to tell the tale of his actions! You understand me here?” she spoke in a loud and clear tone, hoping it worked. Twilight knew deep in her heart that the words of Applejack were the truth. The truth alone meant that Twilight couldn't do much else than accepting them. She had to return to the game that was being played. She had to join again and make sure, she would win. Her crying and sobbing would have stopped. The mare wiped the tears away and she calmed herself down from the troubles. “Today if possible!” the Doctor shouted to them. He winked one eye after the other in order to have at least one eye still upon the statues. But not even the brilliant Time Lord was able to doing it and had to blink every so often. A thing that resulted in the Angels getting even closer than they originally were. Some had already managed to set their hooves in the cavern opening. “Please!” Their situation was tense and with each passing moment, the very light of the horn could go out and they would be history. Quite literally in their case, the Doctor was the last pony who was wanting that. “Hurry up!” he shouted towards them again. Of course he had the urges to do it himself but then who was going to look after the Angels, he questioned himself. “Let’s do it,” said Twilight in a careful voice. With all the strength in her body did she back stood up. “Applejack, you take the two on the right, I take the three on the left. One good bucked rock should crack them, three should destroy them. Let’s hope I’m right about their structure.” “How do ya know that all?” Applejack asked as she looked up to Twilight. With the unicorn gone, it was only the Angel on her back and that frightened her a bit. Almost as quick as Rainbow Dash had she crawled away from it and for the first time was granted a look upon the put. And thus looked upon the horn. “You weren't kidding,” she said in a soft tone. “Applejack, focus,” said Twilight to her. The unicorn charged up her horn to release a blast. “Yes, yes, sorry,” the cowgirl returned. Her eyes then looked for a couple rocks that were suitable for the incoming destruction. They had to be sharp and sturdy if they wanted to help. “You killed something dear to me, I take something from you. Call it, returning the favor,” Twilight muttered in a tone that was directly aimed for the Angels and released the charge she had been building up. A vibrant raspberry colored beam shot away from her horn and made contact with the gem. Though it did had a small side effect and that was that it fed the captive horn. Yet the incoming blast was big enough to shatter the gem into a million pieces. “One down, two to go.” With a couple moans from Applejack were the rocks sent flying against the gem and Twilight was right. One hit cracked them were three caused it to shatter. “Make that two, partner.” “Don’t keep score! Just do it!” the Doctor shouted to them when He caught the counting. --- With the smoke that came off of Twilight’s horn and the panting of Applejack. Though the mares had done it. They had destroyed the conduction ports of the magic used by the captive horn and the two smiled to one another. Knowing they were done, the Doctor had started to smile himself. He waited for the very moment the Weeping Angels would just crumble to dust. “It really is a replay of the Byzantium, you get defeated once again!” he spoke up in a happy voice that was followed up by a loud ‘ha!’ Though his relief was gone like snow in the sun when he heard an almost deafening screech travel through the cavern. A screech of an Angel and it was angry as it could be. Little did they knew, but that sound originated from Angel Armor. The one Angel that stood within the room with them. With the screwdriver still in his hooves and him standing bipedal, the voice of the Shining Armor spoke once more through the device. “You think you have defeated us, Doctor?! The truth is that we learned from our mistakes. And you know why we decided to build here?” he asked of him. Terrified by the voice that was filled with anger, the Doctor pressed the button to speak to the Angel again. His eyes kept going between the Angel in the room and those wanting to enter. “Oh don’t you dare to pull such a thing on me. We defeated you fair and square, it seems like you can’t take your loses, can you?” he spoke against the Angel, hoping they were good sports. He then released the button, awaiting the reply. One that came almost in an instant. Fractions later did he got a reply from the Angel. A reply spoken in a sinister tone. “Time’s up.” The stallion rose an eyebrow in response to the words and looked at the tip of his screwdriver. It was green again and thus indicated that the function had been cancelled out by one of the parties. “Time’s up, what could he mean by that? Think, think, think, oh no, no, no, no!” He wanted to turn himself around so badly but that would give the angels a free game to enter. Applejack and Twilight both found themselves standing upon the edge of the pit and looked over the horn. As calming as it was levitated within its prison as dangerous it looked. But something was also warning them as they heard the words spoken. To make matters worse, there was something that tried to escape out of the orb where the horn was in. With a rumble and a tear did the currents of magic shot out of the orb. They went straight into a new set of gems. There it would have continued like it never stopped. Almost as if it had a minor malfunction within its systems. The two mares were shocked by the events and they turned around to face the Doctor. A stallion who wasn’t happy with the results he saw. “Oh come on!” the stallion shouted towards the invading Angles. He then aimed his screwdriver towards them. The whirring sounds of it did their turn through the cavern. The looks in his face turned sour. He was done with it. He thought to have defeated the Angels again. “Now what?” Twilight asked with terror in her voice. Despite she stopped crying, the streams of tears could still be seen upon her cheeks. “I don’t, know,” the stallion simply stated. He continued to aim his screwdriver to the statues. “Who knows just how many Angels are down here, ready to invade upon the land above... I just, don’t know...” He moved the screwdriver away from the Angels and looked upon the reading the beings irradiated. The chance was small, but perhaps he would get to know things about them. While it was true that the creatures could turn into solid stone when being observed, the sonic screwdriver was perhaps the only device known in all of the universes that could read through the rock. Therefore enabling it to watch the actual biology of a Weeping Angel. “Just as I thought,” the stallion spoke with a deep sigh through his nose, “we’re too late. They’re at full power...” “Maybe, there is one last thing, we can try before we die,” Twilight spoke in desperation. It were those words that caught the attention of the stallion and the cowgirl. Both of them gave a look to Twilight in utmost confusion before they turned back. Yet with their eyes on Twilight, they lost the Angels and they crawled back further inside the room. One of them was pointing its hoof to the horn in the pit. Almost as if it wanted to suck out the light or electricity. Or even worse, the very magic it contained. The Doctor went over all of the chances they had to possibly get out but would always come down to the number nopony had the desire for to hear. And that number was zero. He had to place his full trust upon a creature he didn't even knew that could exist, yet through everything that happened, proved her strength both mentally and physically. “Whatever it is, just do it!” --- The royals of Canterlot had made their way out of Cloudsdale. They soared through the skies like the free mares they desired to be from time to time. While it was true they had a chariot to carry them through the skies, the both of them just preferred it to fly through the skies on their own powers. But after a small flight, they were descending already and Luna could make up the Canterlot statue garden below the clouds. With a graceful landing had the two alicorns made it back unto their home turf. Celestia pointed to the three statues of the Weeping Angels. Luna tucked her wings back against her body and looked over the stone creatures. It still crept her out for one reason or another. “Sister, how could you have placed such nasty looking statues in a garden like this? They are looking far better on a cemetery if you ask me,” the alicorn of the night said to her, clearly showing her disgust for them. “Luna, Luna, Luna, I thought you come to that chapter in history by now. Those statutes have been around for ages, even within the time of the Old Kingdoms. They were used by the pegasi for good luck. Sounds odd, but it is true. Its near impossible to find ones in this perfect state from what I have gathered during my research to them,” explained Celestia to her. What Celestia didn't know –nor Luna for that matter– was the fact that she had confirmed the fact that the race of the Weeping Angels had been in Equestria before. Long before the formation of the land itself did they dwell the surface. If the Doctor would knew it, would scare him to death. “But just, why?” Luna would have asked. Yet a response she never would have received on it. For all that her sister did was giving a smile upon the sight. Then her wings spread themselves again, ready to take off. Back to the castle, back to the throne room. --- “So you sure this spell can work? This, override?” the Doctor asked to her. Time was up but yet still found time to chat against one another deep in the Canterlot Caverns. “Yes, yes I can very certain that it will work,” replied Twilight to him with certainty. “Twi, overcasting your own magic like this, might have ya end up dead as well. Just, don’t ya think the cost is bigger? Ah mean, its yar life that’s at stake here,” Applejack spoke in a manner of trying to bring the unicorn on other thoughts. But Twilight was determined to do it. She wanted to play it her way. She knew the risks at hoof, but didn't care about them for one bit. “If it destroys them, then so be it. I rather give my own life than needing to live in a world filled with living, statues,” the unicorn spoke in her defense. Both the stallion and mare knew there wasn't anything they could do against it. She was a stubborn little pony when it came to magic and the situation proved it again. “Though I should warn you both, the spell will knock me out in the end. When it happens and the statues are reduced to rubble, bring me to a hospital as soon as possible, please.” “Will do,” the both of them spoke in a tone of compassion. Twilight gave the both of them a smile as she walked back past them and to the pit where the elder horn was kept prisoner. Soon enough there were the charging sounds of Twilight’s horn. The sheer humming of power reminded the Doctor of his TARDIS materializing into existence. They had something in common when it came to sound. Yet he couldn't put his hoof on it. While the brilliant raspberry color just filled the area, the two of them kept their eyes on the Angels. Who on their turn had little plans on their own. The agenda of the creatures turned to stopping Twilight, once and for all. For the Angel that was pointing was indeed sucking the power out of it. The light created by both horns flickered and even faded for a couple times. Making the Angels come to life and move a step or two. Yet where the Doctor was wise enough to take a step back into the direction of the pit, Applejack was either foolish or brave enough to stay in her position. The lights went out again as the Doctor stood near the edge of the pit leading to the horn. “Applejack!” he shouted out to her and then the lights returned again. But in that near second the lights went out there was something that managed to get a hold of the cowgirl. The sound of stone being moved through the darkness could be heard clear as day. It was when the lights went on again that the horror was revealed. The horror for a captured Applejack. Knowing he couldn't do anything for the poor cowgirl, the Doctor looked her ever so deeply in the green rimmed eyes. And she looked back in them as her position was turned, whether it was due to the Angel or she did it before the statue caught her remained a mystery. Without words spoken from either pony, they knew what they meant to say to one another and the mare released a sigh of hope into the air. The lips of the Doctor curled up into a smile. The stallion placed the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket and lowered himself all four hooves again. And it was then that he spoke the final words. “It’s now or never Twilight, do it!” Upon the command given, Twilight released all of the power she had stored within her horn. She would have fired it directly at the other horn, her elder horn. The beam was powerful enough to cut through the exterior orb and be sent through the horn as a conductor. It did gave the Angels a massive boost in power, so powerful that they ever started to move even in their stone state. But that victory wouldn't last long though. The overload of power became too much for the beings. The gems that acted as conductors began to melt like they were heated. All of the Angels began to cry for help or mercy to the unicorn. But none of them ever spoke in words, they screeched like the monsters they were. Yet the worst fact of it all, was that Twilight wasn't even done. More and more power got added up to the point that both Applejack and the Doctor had to close their eyes and cover their ears from the sounds that echoed, if not boomed, through the cavern they were in. Twilight on the other end, managed to remain calm as she had her eyes closed and concentrated upon the power she was putting out. --- Then it happened, with one large explosion that was followed up by an implosion, the true overload happened. The horn first denied but then absorbed all of the power it had gotten. Which then also sucked the power right out of the Weeping Angels. The power that the horn had been feeding to them, was taken back by a ruthless force and with a lot of interest. Within the pocket of the Doctor’s jacket was it Angel Armor who spoke his dying words through the screeching. “We shall return, Doctor, we shall...” Then the channel went silent before the static came. One by one were each of the Weeping Angels within the room and hallway, reduced to nothing but dust, gravel and pebbles. They crumbled upon themselves. There was nothing they could feed from, there was nothing they could hold their power together with. They were just rock and that was it. While it was true that stone can’t be killed, keep reducing it to nothing more but dust and it becomes rather harmless. But what the other two didn't knew was that Twilight was weakening from the cast spell and she had erupted out in another set of tears about her brother. Hearing his voice on the channel like that for the last time, made her realize he was gone. Truly gone. Home, sweet home, right?The power of the mulberry unicorn became less and less, the lights she created dimmed until the darkness had taken over the caverns again. The Doctor and Applejack finally removed their hooves from their eyes. Yet in their ears they heard the thud of a body against the stone. They both knew just what to do right away. And that was getting Twilight to safety. --- “She’s waking,” the unicorn could hear faintly in her ears. Then she released a groan of discomfort. With a gentle motion were her eyes opened. The mare was greeted by the blinding light of the sun. Almost right away she just closed her eyes again. It made her moan a bit and she shut her eyes again. “She’s looking better than expected,” a stallion's voice said. Then the eyes opened again, but ever so slightly to constantly adjust themselves to the bright lights. Bit by bit did she came back to her knowledge. Bit by bit she could feel the troubles of her mind and the pain through her body. “Doc, tor,” the mare spoke in a weakened voice as she finally had sight just where she was. Twilight made the discovery that she was laid in a hospital bed with a couple tubes going into her body through her hooves. “Easy there Twilight, you need to take it easy. The, the amounts of power you called within the caves, had a greater side effect than we first had thought,” the stallion said just before he walked up to her and laid his hoof upon hers, starting to stroke it in a comforting manner . “Apple, jack,” said Twilight. The cowgirl knew right away to come. The orange mare continued to stroke the hoof while the smile upon her face was simply astonishing to see. Never in her life had Twilight seen such a smile upon the face of her rough friend. “Ah’m here Twily, Ah’m here,” she spoke in a comforting tone towards the unicorn. “What, happened?” she asked to them both. Her speech might have been shattered up to a point of long recovery, but she just needed the answer for her mind. To ease the gab that had been created. It didn’t matter how terrible it was, she would have to know it. “What happened was, that the Angels managed to get your horn from a far future version of yourself. Yet the strength of the gems was best at this time of age. Heh, and then us three had to come in and ruin their party good,” the Doctor explained to her with a small smile of his own. The unicorn gave a weakened nod to the gotten explanation over the situation but felt her mind slipping away again, sending her back to a much required sleep. Soon there was nothing than the air that was in- and exhaled through the nose of the silent savior. “Sleep well Twily.” Applejack spoke as a single tear went down her cheek. “E-Excuse me, Ah need to talk, talk to a nurse.” Of course it was spoken as a matter of self-defense for she wasn't used to crying at all. “Yeah, yeah you do that. I just, stay with her for a bit more,” the Doctor said as the cowgirl left the room as a whole. After she had left, the Doctor sat down on the bed itself. He would have continued to stroke the hoof in a calm manner. His eyes never seemed to be able to take themselves off of her while he spoke his words. Words that came from the both of his hearts and just aimed towards her. “When we first met, you asked me who I was. A question understandable, but to one the answer was lied upon. I’m a Time Lord of the planet of Gallifrey. Not a pony, like you or Applejack. Though, if I hadn't met the two of you a couple days ago, I don’t know what could have happened. You were brilliant, Twilight, fantastic even. That cowgirl as well. I know you can hear me, girl, and there is just one advice I can give you, keep living your life. For it is amazing the way it is,” he said to her. With his words spoken against her there was a nod before he moved up to the face of the sleeping Twilight and gave her a small kiss upon the forehead. And then there was a little tiny tear that streamed out of his own eyes. “You were just, just the best I have ever seen.” He released a small sniffle and finally stood up from the bed again. That was their goodbye. Just right after the events he would be going again. It was hard, even for him to leave such a wonder of life behind him. --- With a sigh he closed the door that was leading up to her room. He looked through the hallway of the hospital. None would believe just what they had been saved from. But then there was a smile upon his face, for the future of Twilight had been foreshadowed by the Angels. They had proved themselves once more as the most kind killers in the universe. A sick concept, even for him. In his eyes he caught the cowgirl who was talking to the nurse. There was just one last tease that came to him. With his mind set back to zero, he just darted over to the cowgirl and took her hat clean off her head. “Hey!” she spoke up to him before she excused and thanked the nurse. “What?” the Doctor replied before he set the hat upon his own. “Stetsons are cool remember.” He gave her a wide smile and the earth pony couldn't do much else then erupting out in laughter just from the sheer silly look he had. “Okay, okay, okay,” the mare spoke up after her laughter had died off. “In all seriousness, what’s gonna become of her, and them for that matter?” “Twilight should be back to her normal self in just a couple of days, she needs a lot of rest. That power output was nearly impossible. No, it was not, it was highly unlikely. Anyway, rest, got that? Just some rest and she’s fine. As for them, I don’t think we will be hearing from them for a long time. Let’s say, fifty million years,” the Doctor explained to her with a massive grin of joy. “Ah see. Shouldn't be the biggest of troubles. But what 'bout yourself?” the mare then asked. That shocked the Doctor a bit. For he never would have expected such a question to be asked towards him. Especially since how he treated Applejack like the third wheel on the wagon. It made him think about the answer for some time before he finally got one. “I’m, not sure really. Guess I keep on traveling, like I always did. Going to places through space and time, see where I end up next time. As I have for over nine hundred years.” That was the best plan he could come up with. “Wonderful life is yar ask me,” the cowgirl replied with a smile. “Yup, you get used to it eventually. It’s hard at times but, what can you do about it?” the Doctor said with a mixed tone. Then he reached inside his jacket and saluted Applejack with the horn of the elder unicorn. After the salute he placed the horn back in the jacket and gave her a wink. Applejack looked confused at him and then he was just gone. Off running off as always. Except he still had her hat. “Hey!” she spoke up and started the chase after him. --- Applejack followed the stallion through street and alleyway until she found him leaning against the blue box he was first seen with. His back leaned against it as he stood bipedal and the forehooves were closed over one another. His head looked down and the eyes were covered by the hat itself. “Howdy, partner,” he spoke with a slight smirk created by his lips. “All fun and games Doc, all fun and games. Can I have mah hat back? Ah’m rather attached to it,” she said to him. Then her hoof stretched itself to take it. The Doctor flicked his head back up and looked up to the earth pony. “You mean this?” he said just before his own hoof pointed to the hat. “Yes.” “Very well,” he said. He took off the hat and gave it to the cowgirl herself. The mare placed it back upon her own head and smiled towards him. “Thanks Doctor,” she spoke with a tip of the hat given to him. “Well, guess this is our goodbye,” the stallion said to her. “Been an amazing tale to me.” Despite them not having started at the most of friendly grounds, the adventure through the caverns had led to a wonderful friendship, even if the two of them wouldn't admit it opening to one another. “Last hug?” “You got it partner,” said Applejack with a smile. The two just embraced themselves in a tight and friendly hug. But as their forelegs tightened, they both rose up to a bipedal stance and their noses touched one another. A little thing that caused them both to blush more than they should. “You aren't, you know?” the Doctor stumbled out upon the facial contact. “Nope, just a lucky coincidence,” Applejack claimed upon it. She gave him a little nuzzle though. The action was something that made the stallion blush ever so deeply and he didn't even had the slightest idea of that what he could be doing. Nothing with the exception of just taking it. “Goodbye Doctor, may you travel safe,” she spoke in a whisper. “Goodbye Jackie, may time be kind to you,” the Doctor whispered in return before they separated from the hug. But upon the nickname, it was the cowgirl who had to release a blush as not many ponies called her by the name. “Heheh, go. Your box needs you.” Almost right away he gave one last salute to the cowgirl. “You might want to step back.” The Doctor opened the door of the Tardis and walked inside as he always would. Applejack was given just a glimpse of the wonderful machine that laid behind the door before the door closed again. “Bigger on the inside,” she exclaimed in a whisper. Though she heeded his warning and did a couple steps back. Not even five seconds later did the machine came to life. The metallic thudding and its signature sound went through the air as the light at top flashed a couple times. And right before her, the machine just vanished out of existence. Almost as if it never had been there. “The sound of the universe,” spoke Applejack up when it was completely gone and the silence had taken over again. “Goodbye, Doctor.” Another tear traveled down her cheek in her own silence. --- With the sounds of the TARDIS that made their way into his ears, the machine traveled through the time vortex. Yet the horn of the unicorn was hooked upon many instruments. The sheer levels of power that it irradiated when it was feeding the angels frightened him. Just the combination of the two could have created an army of Weeping Angels, ready to spread over the universe if they liked. “Now let’s see how powerful you really are,” the Doctor said to himself. With one flick of a button did the instruments do their job. The Doctor turned the screen over to his side. The horn laid on the other side of the control panel. It was mostly done out of safety reasons for himself. But the reading he got were even more than he originally would have bargained for. “Six, seven, eight. Nine, nine thousand? Curious...” He took out his sonic screwdriver and stared upon his hoof for a little bit. The twinkle in his eyes alone spoke that something had changed about them. Something that happened in mere milliseconds and without feeling. “What..?” he spoke up as he saw his flesh colored hand again and blinked a couple times in response. “What!?” the Doctor then looked at the rest of his body and took notice that he was normal again. He released a loud laughter at the sight and did a little jump in the air. When he landed, he tossed the screwdriver into the air and caught it back in his hand. The device was aimed at the horn while the signature whirring sounds could be heard. The Doctor proceeded to read the levels from his trusty device. “Most curious...” But in his hearts he had a difficult time accepting the real truth. The truth as it was within the universe that housed the land of Equestria. The Doctor unhooked the horn from all the wires and slid his screwdriver back into his jacket. With a sigh that left through his nose, he picked up the horn and walked down to the sofa. He dropped his body into it and he just looked upon the all-powerful horn. The horn of a unicorn, a mythical creature that shouldn't even have existed, yet the proof was in his hands. But if he had paid attention to his on board navigator, he could have seen that he had last through the same rift as he had entered. “Could it be possible that, in the Void, nah. Nothing can live within there,” he explained to himself. But his beliefs were once again tainted by the fact in his hands. A most curious matter indeed. And one the Doctor himself, might not be able to truly solve. --- Back through the rift, in the magical land of Equestria and, inside of the hospital of Canterlot, Applejack had joined herself with Twilight once again. Then it was her who sat upon the bed. With the light of the moon that shone down upon them both, she confronted the sleeping unicorn with her hooves stroking against one of the forelegs. “Ah’m glad Twily,” Applejack spoke up in a whisper. “Ah’m glad Ah made the decision to go with you to Canterlot, for if Ah didn't, we never would have been on this wonderful adventure sugar cube. Thank you,” she brought out to the unicorn. The cowgirl sat with one of her best friends for a long time in silence until a much more stabilized voice did its turn. A voice that originated from the near unconscious unicorn herself. “H-Hey.” And with all the might she had in her, the mulberry hoof returned the stroking to the cowgirl. A cowgirl who beamed like the sun of happiness.
Arrival of the AngelsThe sun shone down once again upon the garden of the castle of Canterlot that was filled with the statues of past heroes, villains, other noteworthy ponies and other beings for that matter. Princess Celestia found herself at the front of a small convoy of unicorns that were walking through the place. Three groups of six unicorns each held something within their magical aura. Though none of them truly knew what it was they carried. All that they know was that it was big and heavy. Three things that matched the height of the princess when they were carried through the garden. Luckily for the stallions, there was no sun that burned that hot upon their coats. It was a lovely spring one and a cool breeze of air went through each of their mane, giving some refreshment. Celestia kept a keen eye on everything that happened in the garden. Quite literally she did that. One of them was always taken from the view by her ever so calm yet majestic mane. It caught everything from the littlest of birds chirping, to the branches moving in the trees thanks to the wind. Nothing would have slipped her attention. Yet nopony knew just how either she or her sister had gained them but it was all pretty obvious that it had to do something with the sun, the moon and the banishment. The cloudless skies caused the air was as blue as it possibly could but time to enjoy the view in the skies was unheard off as Celestia had something important to do. “N-No offence, your majesty, but these, things, weigh a ton even if we carry it with the six of us. What are they made of, dwarf star alloy or something?” a stallion with a grey coat and green mane asked as he struggled to keep up. “And if they are from that material, who retrieved it and carved it? Your sister?” “Does explain how bloody heavy these things are, what are they to begin with?” another asked as his eyes looked over to the princess. “Course there’s, no answer...” The last couple of words were added in a near inaudible muttering. But only when there wasn’t any form of answer was given to him or them. The princess always had been a mystery to decipher for everypony when it came down to it. Nopony could ever have just predicted what she was planning in that head of hers. And it was that what made her so well respected by her subjects in the land. But also rose fear in the hearts of some ponies that lived under her reign. Princess Celestia on the other end never gave their complaints any hearing. All because of the fact that she didn't had any desires to do so. She had paid them well and their task was simple. A task that was clear for them. Carry the cloaked objects to the given location by the princess, it was literally that simple and easy to remember. With her one visible light magenta red rimmed eye she scanned the area for anything that looked like it could hold all three of the cloaked things. They all went through the garden with a trot. They came across the statue of Discord himself as he was once again reduced to nothing but stone and it was how the princess preferred him actually. Some called her cold and heartless for the action but they hadn't seen the unnatural chaos that was spread by him. Either that or they didn't want to remember. Yet there were rumors that she wanted to set him free and let the very elements of harmony reform him. But it were just rumors. “Creepy dude,” one of the carriers spoke up in a deep tone as he peeled up to the statue. “If the gentlecolts found that the most horrifying statue in the garden, then I suggest them not to look over to the vine overgrown statue of Nightmare Moon. That one really looks like it wants to not just gobble you up, but devour you,” Celestia all of the sudden replied in an ominous tone. One that none was actually used from her and each of the stallions looked a bit suspicious to one another before they carried on with their duties. But within seconds the feelings were gone as their minds and muscles did the job again. The strain alone was actually enough to crush the feelings they had racing through their minds. “Halt,” the princess spoke to them all. They had arrived by a pedal of grass that stood in the middle of four roads. “Would you be so kind to set them on the lit up area’s?” With a charge of her horn were three spots of grass illuminated with a white light, a wonderful one at that. All eighteen of the stallions couldn't be happier that their journey was almost over. All they had to do, was to place them and then it would just be done. Their jobs would be done and their day off could begin. With some great care had they brought the objects over to the parts pointed to them. Moments later it would have been. The three dull plofs on the ground as they were set down on the grass. The only visible eye of the princess went over them and she gave a nod of approval. Each of the objects stood to her liking and a smile had grown on her face as the horn discharged itself. “Would the foreman please remove the cloaks and thus reveal, the new additions to the Canterlot statue garden?” Celestia spoke up in her usual calm and serene tone. But inside she was like a filly in a sweetshop, she couldn't be happier. “Shouldn't there be like, a major opening for this or something?” the foreman asked to the royal. He walked up to the cloak, looking nervous out of his eyes. “Oh my dear, mister Trails, these statues are not that important that they require the full attention of every living soul in the land. They aren't from Starswirl or somepony alike. Now if you please.” Celestia insisted the stallion with a reassuring smile across her lips. --- But back inside the castle there was nopony else than Luna who had found herself gazing through one of the windows. One that had a clear view on what happened in the garden. On the sight she saw, she could only release a deep sigh through her mouth and shook her head in a negative manner. “Sister, my sister, what have you gotten this time?” she mumbled to herself as she leaned against the wall to be more ‘casual.’ It was something she had to try every so often. Not for Celestia though, but more for herself. The thousand years on the moon had her mindset still back in that time. The one that she carried was the mindset of regal and posture that hadn't been seen in the land for at least five centuries. Something that was replaced with casual and down to earth over the passage of time. The blue eyes of the royal mare never lost their attention from the events that went on in the garden but she never seemed to actually be excited about the whole happening. Luna had tried to warn her sister about that what remained under the cloak. That it was best left destroyed or left in peace. But a stubborn Celestia didn't listen to her sister and waved it off with a joke. A wave they would come to pay in great numbers. “Captain Armor, what do you think of the whole situation?” she asked to the white coated, multiple blue maned stallion that stood against her. His broad posture was something that wasn't uncommon by the guards, yet it made him stand out from all of them. “I, am not sure just what I have to think about it all, your highness. I was given very little information about this operation,” the captain replied in all of his honesty. A sigh left through his nostrils afterwards. The eyes took themselves away from Luna and he looked to the outside world, to the events happening. He too tried to figure out just what was going on, what was happening even. “And that troubles me the most...” Luna said to him in a quiet tone. Her eyes fell shut for a moment. It wasn’t long after that, that she allowed herself to be submerged in her own thoughts. --- While the horn of the foreman kept itself charged which caused the cloaks to get shrouded within their aura’s and looked to one another. The three of them nodded to one another. At the same time, they all removed the pieces of cloth from the objects. What they revealed was something breathtaking to say the least, but perhaps not in the good way of the word. All of the workers gasped for air whereas Celestia only smiled more. Twenty-one set of eyes were all focused upon three statues of what appeared to be just stone. Statues whose weight was as much as if they were made from a material that came out of space itself. Making the connection with space, some thought the beings were carved out by nopony else then Luna. A right they had of course, but they couldn't be further from the truth itself. But the real truth was something far more deadly. Far more scheming even. “W-What are they?” a worker with a bright blue mane asked to the princess. “A very good question that is to be asked. Gentlecolts, that where you are looking at right now are three statues that will serve as the spiritual protector of Canterlot. I give you, the Angels of Canterlot,” she spoke proudly to the ponies that were present. --- Luna had opened her eyes again and she had just rolled them away when she saw the hoof motion her sister made. Captain Armor on the other end looked at it all in pure horror. “This is...” he said. “Unbelievable?” Luna interrupted him without a warning. She had opened her eyes straight again. Though she placed her eyes on the captain, eyeing his reactions. “Well, quite, your highness. I never expected these kind of statues to enter the garden. They are more home at a,” captain Armor spoke up as he looked back into the deep blue eyes of the princess. but he had lost his touch for words and fell in silence. “At a..?” Luna pried unto him to get it loose. She was curious to hear what he had to say. “At a cemetery,” the stallion spoke up in the end. An eerie reality that the alicorn of the night had to admit that much. They indeed looked like the guardians of the dead in their eyes. --- All three of the statues had the identical pose and structure to them which made them look like exact replicas of one another. Their pose was that of a pony who stood on its hind legs while the forelegs covered the faces but above all, the eyes themselves. They held in such a manner as if they were weeping over something, or somepony. Their hind legs were invisible as the statues ‘wore’ a dress that went to the very base of them. The spread wings gave them the impression that they were from the pegasus race. And that fact only rose more questions by the workers. “If you ask me, they look more like weeping angels then spiritual protectors, your highness,” the green maned stallion spoke aloud. “You sure there isn't anything special about these things? Cause they look, I shouldn't question.” He held his mouth quickly when Celestia gave him an utmost uncomfortable glare with her one visible eye. The deadly glance she gave caused shivers to others. “So, where do these come from? Obviously not from Cloudsdale given their weight. Ancient times perhaps?” yet another worker asked out loud. He was hoping to reduce the rage of the mare. “They do come from that age actually,” replied Celestia under her signature, calming smile. “These were supposed to be the protectors from the pegasus kingdom until it took off in the form of Cloudsdale’s predecessor. But, enough about these statues. How about we have a little celebration within the castle? Who's coming?” Of course none of the workers could say ‘no’ to the offer that was made and they all followed the high alicorn back into the castle. Each of them was more than glad they didn't had to carry those things around anymore yet they never felt comfortable with them. The Angels of Canterlot were everything except what they looked like. They were deadly, vicious, without mercy and lightning quick creatures. How would that be possible, one might ask? Only one being held the answer to that question. A being who had come into some trouble on his own. A being who never believed in the concept of coincidence itself, yet was going to be part of it whether he liked it or not. --- Inside the machine that was called the TARDIS itself, the eleventh incarnation of the mysterious and perhaps mostly unpredictable Doctor was working. He ran around the clock to get her back on track while the sparks flung around his ears. “Come on Sexy, you can do this! You never left me alone and you for certain wouldn't do it this time!” he spoke just before he pulled lever after crank. The Doctor didn't care about the flying sparks that were sent everywhere around him. He would find out just what had set him off course. “Come on, come on, come on. Let’s see now...” Despite the moaning and groaning of the machine, the Doctor took hold of the screen and looked on the data that was readable on it. “Well, good thing I send Amy and Rory back to Earth. A rift in space and time, and I’m getting sucked right into it!” The further he spoke his words, the bigger his eyes got and the more they were filled with a disbelief. He knew he had to work fast to make sure he didn't entered through it. But little did he know that it was in fact, inescapable. He had to go in. It was literally all hands on deck for the last Time Lord. He did everything in his might to make sure he would get away from the rift. He would even burn up every circuit the TARDIS had in it would help. If the Time Lord would have gone through the rift, it was uncertain just where he could end up. If he would end up anywhere to begin with. Holes within space, just as unpredictable as humans. The TARDIS itself had it even heavier in the situation. For it was almost impossible to pull itself away from the strength that dragged it and the option to dematerialize simply wasn't there. That came due to the fact it was a little, broken. “Stupid blue lights! You were good for nothing! And can somebody shut that siren off, please!” the Doctor shouted to himself. Yet the dangers only rose. Much of the machine’s alarms were ringing as loud as they possibly could, sparks of electricity were sent into every single direction. Nonetheless, he did everything that was possible to save his skin. Even button not pressed in years were finally pressed again. But all was in vain hope. “Don’t you dare to quit on me today! We have so much more to do!” the Doctor shouted to the console just before he went to work again. “So many things to see!” Without any form of warning, there was a moment of silence. Almost as if time itself stood still inside the TARDIS. The Doctor took note of the events and began to question if it was too late already. Slowly he stepped away from the control board and fixed his bow tie under a gulp. “Indeed we do, but now, you need to sleep,” a voice spoke to him. A voice that came as a shock to him as he had heard it before. Right on the planet outside the universe. “W-Who is there?!” he questioned to it. He couldn't believe it. The Doctor refused to believe that what he heard. Then time came back into motion. It was a rather small explosion which caused the console next to him to go up in smoke. “And that were the stabilizers,” the Time Lord mumbled. Before he could get an answer to the question, he was flung from one end to the other like a toy, until he fell from the stairs. It was only seconds after he landed that his body fell unconscious. With nothing to guide the machine and its systems shutting themselves down one after the other by either power shortage or overload, the TARDIS flew right into rift. The closer it came, the more violent it shook up and down. In an instant there was nothing but calm. No lights to be seen, no sudden splashes of water from the library pool. Nothing, absolutely nothing went through the thing. The worst that could have happened to the man was that he found himself in the inescapable void of nothing. A universe that walked right between two others where he would be able to peek at both but never enter. It was a concept that was used to create the infamous Pandorica, the ultimate prison. Yet the Doctor managed to escape that, because it wasn't watertight. The universe he could have found himself in however, was.
No time, right down to businessNothing could tell him just how long he laid down on the floor of the TARDIS but all that was known to him was that it was long. Under a groan had he risen himself from his position and stood a bit wonky on his legs. “Woo, wha!” he managed to bring out just before he fell forward. He almost automatically used his arms to catch the fall and it worked. He still hadn't a clue on that what happened. The Doctor looked over himself before he released a loud yelp in confusion. “A, a pony!? I’m a bloody show pony!?” he exclaimed. His eyes looked at his hands which had become hooves. With no time to lose at his end, he moved up to the screen in the hope to see something from the security footage that was recorded. It was in that moment that he encountered the other bad news. The fact that the whole TARDIS was broken down and was in the need for repairs. Under the sounds of a deep gulp he turned himself around and looked over the damage that was done to his beautiful, sexy TARDIS. The Doctor had to wipe away a tear as it was the most damage that was ever done to her in all of his years. Not even an army of Daleks or Cybermen would have been able to inflict that much damage as was done by the rift. A black hole was nothing compared to it. “Okay, okay, okay. Uhm, recollect your mind, Doctor,” he spoke before he hit himself with the left forehoof into his forehead. “Think, think, think! Aha! Regeneration. Why, why doesn't it feel all too different, it’s a new body but everything else stayed the same, I think.” At the last part he squeezed his left eye a bit and looked into the direction of a mirror with his right one. In the mirror it was visible that he had a brown coat and a darker brown mane that wore his bow tie while his eye coloring remained the blue one. “Curious,” the stallion mumbled before he spotted something on his flanks. “What in... A, tattoo?” His eyes looked over to the mark on both of his flanks and could make out an hourglass of some sort. “Where have I landed this time... Landed? More like crash landing, but still a landing! I’m not drifting helpless into space!” the Doctor exclaimed happily. He took his sonic screwdriver in a hoof and he galloped over to the front door of the Tardis. “Why hello new legs, I can get used to this. Haha!” With one quick motion he took his jacket from the hatstand and pulled it on, which gave a feeling of recognition. His trusty jacket was once again among him and he slit the screwdriver into the inner pocket. Then he was off into the unknown world that he had entered. It seemed he took it rather well, despite the fact of being turned into a technicolored horse for an unknown reason. But then again, the stallion had lived for over nine hundred, if not a thousand years already and owned a time machine. He had seen and done fairly much everything there was to do. Without any hesitation for his own health care were the doors flung open and the stallion himself took a deep inhale. Within that same second, he was blinded by the light that was created by the sun high above for a moment. Nothing was seen for that bit of time, only the chirping of the birds was heard within his ears. A chirping that reminded him of the encounter with the Dream Lord. But the Doctor knew he was awake and left the machine without further questioning. He only forgot one little fact. The TARDIS was in the state that it needed to be repaired. Meaning that the door locked itself behind him and would only open after it was completely done. And who knew how long that would take with the damage done. The Doctor took another swig of the fresh air that was around him and regained his sight again. The stallion was greeted by the plain of land and the trees. Like the child he was, or never left, he just galloped over the plain where the machine had made a beautiful landing. No craters, no smoke, no nothing. Just like as if it materialized again. He couldn't be happier about that fact. Just a moment for himself to do whatever he wanted. Though he forgot one little aspect and that was the gravel road that walked next to the plain of land. --- On that road ahead, there were two ponies that came down from the hill and were heading towards him. One of them was a mulberry unicorn with two saddle bags around her body as the other one was an orange coated, blond maned, stetson wearing earth pony mare. They appeared to be in some conversation with one another as they traveled along the path. Though the more they ventured down the road, the closer they came to the stallion who was just being a foal. The Doctor just galloped around before he unbuttoned his jacket and threw it off of his body to truly enjoy his new body in almost every single aspect. After a couple more rounds he just dropped himself into the grass and snuggled it under a laughter. “Uhm, Twi, ya think he is alright?” the orange coated, hat wearing mare asked to her companion. They both had been watching his actions with both curiosity and wonder. “Well, I hope so. A visit to the asylum is the last thing I want. Remember the last time I was there?” the unicorn replied to the other. Yet the memories flowed back within her mind. “They wanted to lock ya up?” the cowgirl replied with a questioning tone. “Precisely, Applejack. Nevertheless, we can always ask.” “Whatever ya say partner, don’t know why ya got me here in the first place.” “You were the only one honest enough to say yes,” the unicorn replied to her. “Thanks a lot for that reminder...” Then they were off. Off towards the mysterious stallion that snuggled the grass like he was insane. He turned around and moved his back up and down on it under a couple light moans and chuckle. “Oh, right there, yes, yes, yes, there it itches so badly!” he spoke in pure delight. His eyes closed themselves to enhance the effect of the fresh grass against his back. “Uhm, hello?” Applejack called out to him. The two mares had gotten closer to him. But they didn't get a response from him. The earth pony turned herself over to the unicorn. “Twilight, ya know Ah ain't Rarity and mah patience is running rather thin,” she spoke to the other mare. “Easy Applejack,” replied Twilight to her. Then she laid a calm hoof on her back. “Though, what is that?” Her eyes had moved up from the stallion and laid unto the bright blue police box. “New item of that fancy brother of yours?” the cowgirl replied as she also looked at it. The both of them had lost the stallion out of their eyes. “Oh shut up,” the unicorn added. “Excuse me, but that’s my line,” a stallion’s voice suddenly spoke up from behind them. Both of the mare yelped a bit and then they turned around. Only to find that it was the stallion that snuggled the grass mere seconds ago, was standing right behind them. “Oi, no need to be scared of me. I should be scared of you and do I look scared to you?” he replied with a smile to them. He straightened his bow tie again. “Now, could the two of you tell me who you are and where I am?” “What..?” Applejack brought forth as she scratched the back of her head in confusion to his words. “Guess, ya don’t look scared to me though. Name’s Applejack by the way.” “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and you are in the Monarch of Equestria. Or as it is commonly more known as, just Equestria,” the unicorn said. The differences between the two were clear as day. “Equestria ya say? Never heard of it and you all look like, horses?” the Doctor replied. He had tried to imitate the tone of the cowgirl to the best of his ability. Trying to see if it would fit him. Twilight wanted to give him another reply straight to the point, but Applejack managed to cut her off. “One moment here. An answer for an answer, alright? We have answered yars, now ya answer us. Who are ya?” The unicorn was surprised by the approach of Applejack. At the other end could she fully understand where she was coming from. It was not every day they encountered a stallion like him. And she had to confess it to herself, she was a bit curious to him as well. “Equestria you say? Never heard of it... Either way, fire away!” the Doctor spoke just before he stroked his chin. "I'm an open book for you all." “Who are ya, and where are ya from?” “I’m the Doctor. I am not from somewhere, I just came here. Far place away and a bit of a complicated story,” the Doctor explained to them. He wasn’t in the mood to go much deeper into it. “Doctor, who?” Applejack asked through as she still remained skeptical. “Nothing. Just the Doctor,” he spoke with a great big smile on his face. “You said you weren't from here and that box wasn't here a couple hours ago. You travel in it or something?” Twilight noted to him with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't seem that practical though." “Blimey me girl, you are quick to figure it out!” “Well, everypony always said I had a mind for those things,” Twilight replied to him. She hid her face a little bit as there came a blush and a giggle left her. “You wear a stetson, don’t you?” the Doctor all of the sudden spoke to Applejack’s direction. Twilight was smart, smarter than the other mare at least. The Doctor had figured it out almost right away when she spoke the words. But he couldn't let her blabber on the facts for too long. Mostly because of his own boredom and a tiny bit of self-security, mostly boredom. “Why yes, Ah do, never left the spot since it got there,” the cowgirl replied with a smile. She fixed the hat upon her head, making it sit there with pride. “Good, because stetsons are cool,” the Doctor replied with a grin. And it were those words that made the cowgirl blush a little bit as nopony ever told her that about her headgear. “Yet you wear a, bow tie..?” Twilight said as she took note of the thing around his neck. “Bow ties, are just like stetsons, cool. Now shut it before I start about your bags.” “Hey! Those were hoof made by my friend Rarity.” “Shut it then,” the Doctor grinned to her. --- Neither of the mares could truly explain it to themselves though. The very fact that they found themselves almost attracted to his mystery and curiosity while he just went along. Applejack liked him because he appeared to be kind, a bit rough around the edges for certain, but kind nonetheless. Twilight on the other end was more interested in just the fact of who he was. “Say Doctor, if that is your real name, how did you arrive here if I may ask?” the studious unicorn asked of him. She let her eyes fall upon the powered down TARDIS. “It’s not that big from the outside to be any sort of ship.” “Oh trust me, she’s bigger on the inside then on the outside. I would love to give you two a tour through it. Unfortunately, she’s repairing herself. You see, I am not from here.” He just blew his cover away yet seem to be realizing just that little fact. “And I suppose that the name of Time Turner would be a good follow up to the Doctor. Doctor Time Turner, oh I do quite like that myself, if I may say so.” The brown maned and coated stallion didn't knew just why he said it, but it felt almost like a natural name to him. Yet he could only hope they wouldn't be using that against him. Fortunately for him was it enough material for the two mares to erupt out in a little laughter. They possibly couldn't believe those words. Everything sounded like it was being made up by a writer of science fiction and that his creativity was indeed not lacking. “Any who, would you two mind telling me where I am?” the Doctor said as he shook his head a bit to get the thoughts straight again. “Yar on the road towards Canterlot, sugarcube,” replied Applejack to him. “Sugarcube? Never been called that before. I like it, sounds rather sweet. But, what’s Canterlot?” the Doctor quickly responded with a smile towards the cowgirl. Then the two mares looked to one another with a questioning gaze before Twilight spoke the words in a careful tone. “Canterlot, the major city of Equestria. Capital of the three kingdoms.” “Oh, right, yes. I was, testing the both of you, see if you knew it,” he replied as his comeback. “I’ve lived there for most of my life,” added Twilight while she gave him a skeptical look. “And Ah see it every day on the horizon. Rares been talking 'bout it since Ah've met her. Odd unicorn. Maybe it’s a species habit.” The last sentence was spoken with a leaning look towards Twilight, who didn't liked it one bit. “Applejack, if you have a problem with unicorns, just say so alright. You were the only one who wanted to come and I am not in the mood to bicker about it,” said Twilight against the cowgirl. The cowgirl wanted to go in full counter by speaking her words. Though the Doctor knew just what was going to happen with them. He prevented it by saying his own words. “And how about you two, where were, or are, you two going?” As he spoke them, he made a couple odd movements with his forehooves by moving them over the other. He thought to have been used by them, but the lesser was true. Having forehooves instead of hands was just something he hadn't gotten used to. “Well, I just wanted to go to Canterlot to visit my family again and spend some time within the library. Applejack here is more for, emotional support. It’s hard to see your family again after a year,” the mulberry mare spoke. The more she said, the more a tear build itself below her eye. Not liking the unicorn race for what they were but Twilight was still her friend and Applejack knew that deep within her heart. The cowgirl gently laid a hoof over the shoulders of the mare in a comforting manner. “Tis alright sugarcube. How ‘bout we just go to Canterlot Garden first? Might give your mind some clearance there.” Applejack turned her eyes over from the near crying mare over to the Doctor. “Ya coming as well?” “Well, a nice garden tour is never wrong, is it? Though do you two really want me to tag along for the ride?” he asked in a gentle manner. Although, it could be the best manner to learn even more about the mysterious land he had landed in. A rift in space and time that would have lead over into the Void between space, yet somehow ends me up here? Could it be, that there actually is a world in there? It was a train of thought that went through the mind of the stallion before he was brought back to the there and then. “Well, Ah don’t mind it. More souls more joy and such, right Twi?” said Applejack with a smile. Her words seemed honest. He felt comfortable around her for some strange reason. Twilight sniffled one last time. Then she wiped the tear just away and gave a silent nod. “That, that would be nice,” she eventually spoke to them both. --- And so they went on. With a complete stranger that the two mares for some reason seemed to be trusting more than anypony else in the moment of time. It was odd if not curious for the both of them. Though little did question their arrival in the big city itself. Most of the higher class ponies kept themselves busy with just themselves. The Doctor looked his eyes out in silence as he managed to get even more comfortable on his hooves. Almost in no time at all it seemed like he was just, used, to it all. That being the whole concept of being a pony. The three of them ventured straight down the main road and into the gardens of Canterlot. A garden that stretched itself right next to the castle itself. The Doctor had a couple chats with the unicorn and earth pony about what they knew about the statues displayed within them. He was interested in all of the mythology behind it. But what struck him the most was the usage of magic. For him it was something he didn't have any knowledge for and possibly could use that as an excuse for his Tardis if they asked about it again. “So with your magic, you speak a spell and that whatever you say just happens?” he summarized in the near half an hour lecture of Twilight. A lecture that had bored the cowgirl to near death and wasn't even paying attention to it anymore at one point. “Almost correct. Not every unicorn can learn every single spell. For example, Rarity got her cutie mark because of a spell that guided her over to a gem filled rock. And I got mine, by hatching a baby dragon,” Twilight replied just before she showed off the mark on her flanks. It was a rough revelation, but it did explain just how he got the hourglass on his flanks. “Curious...most, curious. But this, Rarity, you keep talking about, is she a friend of yours?” “Depends on her mood,” Applejack chuckled a bit loud. “Oh... One of those types, isn't she?” In response the both of them nodded. It still fascinated him though. The entire concept of magic that was channeled through the horn of a unicorn. On Earth they were looking for them in almost every single corner and here they just walked over the street like it was nothing. Curiosity was his greatest friend and as an earth pony, or so he was told he was by using Applejack as an example, he had a valid excuse to ask further about the concept of the magical powers. But at one point or another, they had to pass the Angels that were placed within the garden. While they were chatting with one another, it came to light that none of them realized that they were the only ponies in the particular part in the garden. The stallion walked next to Twilight and Applejack behind him, he had his head turned around to view them both, just to be polite. Yet as he taught the young Amelia Pond so many years ago there was something that struck him in the corner of his eye. He knew all too well what it was yet didn't dare to believe it. “Nobody, blink,” he spoke calmly before he rushed in his pace. Something had captured his attention, something was wrong. The mares looked at him as he went and it was Twilight who spoke the words up to him. “Doctor, what is it?” Even though she found the name ridiculous, it was the best she could call him given the fact that Time Turner didn't roll that easily from the tongue. She didn't get any response from the stallion directly as he took out his sonic screwdriver and tailed around each of the three angel statues. The whirring of the device had both mares raising an eyebrow again towards him as they had not a single clue of the events going on. Their day was getting stranger and stranger the more they walked with him and it would only be getting worse. “First the rift, then this land, and now you... Lonely assassins... What’s next, Daleks?” the stallion muttered in himself. “Would love to see them here though, better than this lot.” “What, in Equestria,” both of the mares spoke in choir to his rambles. “Oh, now that is something to be happy about,” the Doctor mumbled. He read the readings of the device and pushed it back in. Only to hide it back in his pocket. The looks in his eyes said it all. “What was...” Twilight spoke in a baffled voice in response to the device. “Sonic screwdriver,” the Doctor replied in the blink of an eye. “What are...” Applejack dared to say. “Weeping Angels,” he spoke as he turned his head around to the statues again. “This is bad. Very, very not good.” Both of the mares looked to one another in utter confusion but also in fear. For the answers given and the very tone in which the Doctor spoke his words in, was one that told them he had seen it or them before.
Out of the frying pan and into the fireWith a smile did Celestia walk up to her sister. One who was still speaking with captain Armor. She gave the two of them a gentle nod before the words left her mouth. “Aren't they magnificent? Angels created from the ancient times. Watching over the city in its full glory. Oh, I’m wasn't interrupting, was I?” she to the both them. Her tone was genuine in the matter, she was overjoyed. “No, not at all, sister,” replied Luna with a fake smile of her own. “Not by my account, your highness,” the captain said before he gave a salute. “No saluting captain. But Shining, if you will excuse me and my sister, we have an appointment to go to,” Celestia said to the captain, making him stand at ease. “We do?” Luna said when she tilted her head. “I don’t remember anything from the agenda.” “That’s because this isn't on the agenda. At least not our shared one. We are supposed to go to the weather factory in Cloudsdale, remember. That’s why I am so, happy, about these statues,” spoke Celestia with the smile still on her face. “Shall we go then, sister?” “Uhm, well, yes. O-Of course, sister,” stuttered Luna. She truly didn't knew about the meeting and thus hadn't prepared anything for it. A thing she normally always did, no matter what. The princess of the sun turned her attention over to the captain and spoke her desired words towards him in her gentle and friendly tone. “Shining Armor, I leave the castle in your control. As head of the royal guard, you know what to do. And, keep an eye out on the workers. Make sure they don't drink too much.” With that she was just off. Off to take off into the air and head for the majestic city of Cloudsdale. “Oh sister, no need to prepare, just come with me.” “This, is going to suck...” spoke Luna in a whisper against Shining. Who in return released a well meant chuckle to her. If there was one thing Luna didn’t like, it were unannounced visits. “Don’t be in it too much, sometimes you just have to go with it. Besides, if I may speak so freely, it’s a good chance to show how well you can improvise on a situation,” replied Shining Armor to her. After he had spoken the words, there came a slight smile on his face. The mare of the night had to think over the words just for a couple seconds. Yet then realized that what he said was more than true. She gave him a smile but also something else. Which was a small kiss upon the lips. Nothing too serious, just a small one. An affair was what the two had with one another. Nothing all too serious yet as it were just some cute little things they did with one another. They both liked it for what it was mostly because of the fact that the both of them did gain something from it. Nothing that could be measured in materials, but in emotions and lessons to be learned. Though the oddest part of all was that no one ever seemed to figure it out. Or they simply didn't want to. Either of the matters could be true. “See you soon, my captain.” Luna whispered in his ear. Then she joined up with her sister on the balcony. A faint blush went over the cheeks of the stallion who, in an attempt to hide it, turned over to the window again and looked over the gardens. But as he looked he got the feeling that the angels had moved a bit. “What on earth..?” he mumbled to himself. He swore that one of the three had turned its head around just to look around. “I’m going mad... Heh, guess it runs in the family,” chuckled Shining Armor to himself. But the stallion couldn't quite place it in his head though. “Nah.” He was finished for the day and then just turned his head away. And then just left the hallway as a whole. If he had only waited just five more seconds before that window, he could have seen the unlikely trio of two mares and a stallion. The trio that had made a terrifying discovery. --- “And that, is the whole of the weather factory here in Cloudsdale, your highness's,” a red coated stallion spoke as his eyes looked through the squared glasses. “Do you happen to be having, any questions?” “Well, I don’t think that me and my sister are having any actually. Your explanation has been more than satisfying for me, doctor,” said Celestia with another smile on her face. Though in all honesty, she hadn't paid any form of attention to the words. She was more interested in the whole layout of the building. Resulting in her having kept a keen eye on it. “Actually, I do have a question. Two in fact,” said Luna before the stomping of metal over metal came into their direction. None of the three ponies gave any attention to it as passed the stallion went the metal suited pony. It passed by them as if it was the most normal day of the week. “Make that three,” Luna added as the pony disappeared in another hallway. “Well, your highness, I’m all ears,” the pegasus replied to her. He fixed his glasses on his nose and perked the ears. He would be waiting for the questions to roll out of the royal her mouth. In contrary to other ponies, he was having a great length of patience. “Alright then, first question...” But then the younger sister just went silent. No words left her mouth as her gaze locked itself upon infinity. She almost appeared to be frozen. Both the stallion and Celestia looked over her and then one another with the same, asking gaze. “I forgot...” Luna suddenly mumbled out to them. “Sorry, but I forgot the first question.” “It’s alright princess, every soul forgets something now and then, right? Perhaps you want to continue with question number two?” the stallion replied. He made a polite motion with his foreleg. “Uhm, yes, that is true and I shall. What is up with all those metalized ponies?” she asked. “That, my dearest princesses, is the future of the Corporation. Suits of armor that are used to protect ourselves from the hazards of the factory. Nothing all too special really,” the stallion replied with a grin on his face. A grin that was small in size and therefore hard to notice for the mares. “Curious, I'm wondering if you could send one of those suits over to Canterlot? I would love to experiment with it myself,” answered Luna before she trailed another one of them. “Afraid that that is impossible, they are company property. But your third question is?” “You shall deliver one, or I take one. Your choice. But as for my third question, why aren't we allowed upstairs, in the rainbow department?” she then asked, hitting a literal wall of trouble. It was a question that was asked already a couple dozen times during the tour and the doctor had grown tired of it. But he never revealed just what laid above the dark clouds of the department. Celestia had laid her mind to the matter but Luna always had been a bit more persistent. “Your highness, follow me for a moment, please,” the doctor said. He turned around and started to walk. Luna couldn't do much else then to follow him. Celestia stayed behind and made her way over to the front entrance of the factory, just to stay out of the way of the workers. While the mare of the night and the doctor walked through the place, the silence between them was great. But they couldn't help it to pass more of the suits of armor. They always managed to catch the attention of the royal sister. She was interested and wanted to know more about them. No matter how. After a little while they had come to the vats of freshly made spectra and the stallion held his walking. Her looked over to Luna with a sinister look in his eyes and the lights of the liquid only enhanced the overall creepiness of him. And then the question was asked from his side. A question that, mildly put, the mare herself never even expected to come. “Are ya ready to fight the monster?” Luna looked over to him and she simply rose an eyebrow to the question itself. “I am afraid I do not understand the question, doctor. To my knowledge this facility didn't have any form of a monster within itself,” the mare replied to him. She was genuinely confused on the matter. Then the heavy hoofsteps could be heard within the distance. They came towards them. Luna turned herself around and she stared right into the dead eyes of the suit of armor. "That's because we make them," the doctor brought forth from his mouth. --- Both Twilight and Applejack just looked at the Doctor as he did more things with his sonic screwdriver but the unicorn couldn't stand it. “Just, just what is it with you, these ‘Weeping Angels’ and that device of yours? Is it like, a magical receiver or something?” “Magical receiver? Ha! I laugh at magic, no such thing as that where I'm from, just plain old technology,” the Doctor boldly stated to her. He laid down on the grass and he had blown his cover as a whole with his words. The whirring of the screwdriver was the most dominating sound after the silence had taken its place again. Out of the two of them it happened to be Twilight who was greatly offended by the made statement and her horn charged itself up with an amount of power that even made the screwdriver go nuts for a moment. “Wow, wow, wow, what’s...” The Doctor pointed the device to Twilight and all of the readings just spiked. They went through the roof, of not the atmosphere. “Impossible,” he spoke up as he rose back in his hooves. The stallion then went closer to Twilight while still whirring the screwdriver. “...Impossible! But it’s true!” “Doc, take back what ya said, cause when she’s mad, let's just say ya don’t want to be near her,” said Applejack in order to snap him out of the dream. That, and as a warning too. “It’s Doctor, Applejack,” said the stallion to her. He gave the cowgirl a quick look and then turned back to the unicorn. “Oh Twilight Sparkle, how wrong I have been! Come here girl!” And almost in an instant had the two found themselves hugging one another for whatever reason. The cowgirl was surprised by the whole turn of events and scratched the back of her head confused. Nevertheless she was also relieved because the magic that had been building up in the horn or the unicorn disappeared like snow before the sun. The mare let the moment go on for a couple seconds before she coughed a couple times. “No offence, Doctor, but it’s time for ya to do some explaining to us both. Don’t you agree, Twilight?” “Well, yes, Applejack,” replied Twilight before she broke the hug. The unicorn then sat down in the pleasant grass and looked over to the stallion with a stern set of eyes. “Well, explain. Who exactly are you, where are you from and what on earth is that device?” “If you must know,” the Doctor said as he also sat down. A bit odd for his doing but he managed. “Heh, this is different than sitting down on a chair. Anyway, let's begin.” Even Applejack lowered her body to give him the full attention as she was curious herself. “I’m the Doctor.” “Doctor who?” the cowgirl asked up with a raised eyebrow. “Not doctor who, just, the Doctor.” “The Doctor?” “That's me,” the Doctor returned to her with a smile. It seemed like a repetition of that what happened on the before they went to Canterlot. The both of them gave up, especially Applejack, and let him continue on his story. “I’m from a place far away. Across time and space, the most beautiful planet there ever was. Until they came of course. The last great Time War. But, let’s not dwell too much in the past shall we? And this device here, is a screwdriver.” “A screwdriver?” Twilight repeated in a questioning manner. “Yes, a screwdriver,” the Doctor chuckled. He then pointed it to Twilight and made it whir again. “Simply fascinating, your life form,” he spoke to them while he read the readings. But as he read them, there was something else came to his mind. “The statues.” “What ‘bout them?” asked Applejack before she rose back on her legs. But the one jump, the Doctor was back on his hooves and he had gone to the statues. “Whatever you do, don’t take your eyes off of them, and above all, don’t blink! Winking is fine, blinking stands equal to death!” he said before the screwdriver began to scan each of the statues once more. Something had been sparked within him, something impossible had awoken. “What on earth..?” Twilight asked aloud. She began to have a hard time believing his words. “Don’t ask! Just do it if you want to live!” “But it’s broad daylight,” Twilight told him. She was right though. “They don’t care, just keep your eyes on them will you!” the Doctor shouted to them. And so said, so done. Neither of the mares dared to take their eyes off of the beings that stood before them. The statues that apparently weighted tons each. All while the stallion scanned each of them with his screwdriver. After a bit of time, the whirring sound stopped and the blue eyes of the Doctor went over all of the readings. He was relieved to say the least of it. “It’s alright, take your eyes off of them. They are harmless. Hibernation to be exact,” he explained to the pair of them. Which was a massive relief. “Wait, if they are in hibernation, it means they will wake up, right?” Twilight asked in a scared tone. She looked over to the Doctor with a set of frightened eyes. “Oh yes. But not if we cut their power supply. Somewhere below this city, those creatures have set up an energy drink. Power conducts through it and up to them. Given how fast it travels, I would say about, thirty minutes from now that they will wake up.” “So, just where is this energy drink?” the cowgirl asked with a raised eyebrow. “Down below,” the stallion replied before he pointed the screwdriver to the soils. Applejack looked down towards the ground as she didn't caught the words fully. The stallion did the same but his looks went as if he was looking through the earth. The only pony who didn't look, was Twilight. She was deep in thought about what could be down there that had so much space. But then she remembered it. From a memory that was placed deep within her mind, locked away. “The mines... Doctor, the mines!” she exclaimed to him. Both of the other ponies looked up to her and it was the Doctor who replied. “So beneath here, are mines? You sure about that and above all, can you get us in?” “Sure and sure. I can teleport us in to the place I was once.” “Good enough for me!” the Doctor shouted in a tone filled with glee and he kissed Twilight on the forehead. “I knew I had to trust upon you since I saw you on the hill!” The words rose questions in Applejack’s mind but the mare wasn't given any form of asking them. The horn of Twilight shone already in its magic and she was ready to make the teleportation jump to the prison. --- Under an explosion of light did all three of the ponies land on the ground within the caverns of Canterlot. The complete darkness surrounded them and their groans were the only sounds to be made out of the silence. Twilight was the one who came back to her knowledge the fastest. The mare charged up her horn again to make some form of light among the dark. A thing that would save them on numerous occasions. That was all that she knew in the moment. What laid beyond, was unknown. Slowly had both Applejack and the Doctor managed to crawl back on their hooves. They all looked at one another. Applejack had forgotten the questions, the hit just made them fly away. “Ohhh, that was worse than a vortex manipulator,” he groaned before he rubbed his back with a bum. “It always goes like that?” “N-No, normally it goes much smoother, without the kind of bumps that I felt when casting it. Something was interfering with my magic. Anyway, we are here and whole, that's all that matters,” replied Twilight. She rose up and rubbed her head a bit. “The mines of Canterlot.” “Would ya’ll look at this place...” said Applejack. She was astonished by the gems within the rocks. The reflections they created and the overall size were just breathtaking. “Rarity would have loved this. But, where to now?” “Gems of unknown origin, sizes much bigger... The perfect energy conductors,” the Doctor mumbled to himself. He took out his screwdriver again and made it bleep for the moment. “What are you doing with it?” Twilight asked while she looked to the device. “Sort of like a sonar, the Angels are feeding of something powerful and that always leaves traces of radiation... Bingo, ladies, if you want to follow me, we are going to the heart,” the Doctor spoke as the bleeping became stronger the more he held the device before one cavern. “Let’s go! Thirty minutes before the whole thing goes down. So, move it please.” The two mares followed him without a question. He was the reason they were down there and it would be with his help that they would get out again. Applejack regained the question of her mind again. Though she quickly dispatched of it. If that mysterious stallion trusted Twilight so much for whatever reason, he had to do the same for her. Even though she appeared like the third wheel on the wagon. That was the way Applejack felt in the moment. Like she wasn’t important. “So much stronger here... How deep is this in the mountain, you know that Twilight, Applejack?” the Doctor asked as the readings went through the roof. “No idea, about half a mile?” Twilight replied while Applejack just shook her head. But as the cowgirl shook her head, she was the only one that caught a lonely Angel that just stood within a side cavern. An Angel that had the same position as those in Canterlot. Though it did took her some time and it was only after she caught the sound of stone moving, her eyes sprung open. Without any word the cowgirl just too hold of Twilight's tail and moved the unicorn back to the spot. “Applejack, what in hays name are you doing!? We are running out of time!” she yelled as she struggled to release herself again. The mare spit out the tail and pointed her hoof into a burrow. “That, Twi!” Both the Doctor and Twilight laid their eyes upon the Angel whose forelegs were lowered and eyes stood in the direction they had walked to. “Oh no... This is not good,” the stallion said as he turned himself around. “Keep your eyes on it but don’t look it in the eyes!” he quickly added. Both of the mares didn't move a muscle, they both just looked at the Angel with a chunk in their throat. Seconds were spent within the deadly silence of the caverns. The only sound to be heard was the bleeping sound of the sonic screwdriver. But then it was Twilight who spoke her words in a whisper. “Applejack, can, you...” “Yeah, Ah will.” “Thank you,” spoke Twilight in a whisper. She turned her eyes away from the stone being and looked to the Doctor. “We don’t have that much time anymore, do we?” “No... That, is a proper Angel. One that is out of hibernation... If luck isn't with us, we just might be too late already,” he replied to her in a saddened tone. His eyes continued to go over the cave with the fear visible within them. He too was terrified of the beings of stone. “And, that is going to stop you?” she asked through. His blue eyes fell upon the ones of Twilight before a smirk came to his face. “Of course not.” --- All the way back in Canterlot castle, Shining Armor was on his lonely patrol through the hallways. He rested his eyes upon a statue. All of the guests had made their departure after the drinks and all of the guards were dining in the mess hall. His eyes fell on the statue of an angel with the forelegs before the eyes. “I don't remember you... You must be new around here,” he said towards the inanimate object. But then a shock went through him as he realized something. “I’m talking to a statue of all things. Craziness runs in our veins, sister.” Shining gave a gentle chuckle before he turned away from the statue and continued on his path. In the moment the two lost eye contact, the statue came to life and it attacked the captain. One cry for help, one flash, then he was gone. Consumed to feed the lonely assassins and send across space and time. Nopony knew where he would end up, but one thing was certain. He was gone and out of the lives of those who loved him. All while they weren’t even aware of it.
Clock is ticking“Applejack,” the Doctor spoke to her. But the cowgirl didn't even dare to look up at him because of the Angel before her, “turn towards me, but never, ever, lose eye contact. Understood? And when I say run, you run as fast as you in reverse. Am I clear?” “Clear as crystal! But where are we going to run?” she asked. That was something the Doctor hadn't thought up exactly. The more silent he went, the more Applejack became impatient to an answer. “Well?” She didn’t wanted to admit it to herself, but she became scared in the moment. “We go towards the origin of the radiation, which is through this cavern. And then we just pray we don’t get caught,” he then explained to her as honest as he could. “That’s nerve resting,” the cowgirl mocked as she winked both of her eyes independently. “Three, two, one, Geronimo! Go, go, go!” the Doctor almost shouted. Both him and Twilight turned their pace into a full on gallop with Applejack hot in their trails. The brown maned earth pony and the unicorn had made a decent gap between themselves and the other mare. Who didn't liked it one bit that they could see where they went. “For Pete’s sake,” she muttered and turned herself around just for a little bit. But when she looked back, there was the Weeping Angel that stood almost right in front of her. Applejack couldn't do much else then to release a yelp. A yelp which acted as an indicator for Twilight and the Doctor. “We have to go back for her,” the Doctor said when he turned his eyes over to Applejack. But he knew there would be more. Such a mysterious power source, it was feast for them. “No need to go back,” Twilight replied to him, she didn’t even break a sweat with the words. “Are you insane!?” he returned to her and took the mare by her shoulders. “I am not leaving her behind, you understand me? I’m, not, leaving, her!” “Just wait and see. What’s your top speed with running?” she asked then with a smirk. “Uhm, ah, ha... I don’t know,” the stallion returned to her. He was surprised by the change of conversation. How on earth could that mare remain so calm, when a friend was faced with death? “Well, time to find out. Applejack, hold on!” “On what? The statue!?” she yelled in return. “Point there. Anyway, orb incoming to pick you up!” Above the horn of Twilight, the charge become only more powerful. As said, it indeed emerged around the cowgirl. The raspberry colored bubble that would carry her away from the Angel but allowing her to keep an eye on it. “Just, just don’t break eye contact!” the Doctor added while he watched the raw power output from the horn. Magnificent, such power output from within her body... What could it possibly be? Maybe there is such a thing as ‘magic’, though there has to be a better explanation for it, he thought to himself in a split second. But then he caught Twilight running away and Applejack in the orb passed him. “Huh..? Oi! Wait for me!” Within a split second was he also off. Off with them to the very source of what they were looking for. --- Eventually their pace went to hold and the took liberty of the time to catch up with their breath. Twilight released Applejack from the hold and all three of them sat down for a moment. Their backs were against the other so in that way, they could see where the creatures would come from. All three of them were panting either from exhaustion or fear. “Doctor...” spoke Twilight before she released an orb from her horn. An orb which created light within the stone room they sat. A room covered from nearly all the sides with diamonds that reflected the light, making it nice and bright. “...Just what, are those things. Tell us everything, you know about them, please. We have the right to know, what’s attacking us.” The Doctor sighed deeply and all three rested their heads against one another. “You two really want to know just what those beings are?” Both Twilight and Applejack didn't nod, but spoke a words in unison. “Yes.” “Alright then, you asked for it. But not here on the ground. We gotta keep moving, understood?” The Doctor was the first of the three to stand up and the other two followed suit. “Twilight, you take the rear and Applejack takes the middle.” “So you upfront?” the cowgirl asked with a gentle smirk. “Well, yes. You happen to have a problem with that?” he replied to her. He did a couple steps back. His eyes never even dared to leave the front but one of his hooves was sneaking up to the hat of the mare. “Unless you know what you are dealing with better than I do and I have encountered them, at least three times. So...” “Suppose ya have a point there,” Applejack replied. The Doctor gave her a smile and before she knew it her hat was too be found on his head. “Stetsons are cool, Doc, but there’s a place and time. And this is neither of em.” The mare took her hat back and they assumed their positions. Even though the stallion didn't like it when she called him that way, he couldn't do much else than just soak it up. She was a physical strong mare, one that could easily have beaten him in a fight. In convoy they continued to follow the bleeping sounds of the sonic screwdriver. “The Weeping Angels, that’s what we are dealing with here. Creatures that are around since the dawn of creation but nobody has ever seen one in the flesh. For when they are observed, they turn into dead rock. When not seen, they are quick. You’ve seen it, Applejack, one look away and it was near you,” the Doctor explained to them in the most down to earth fashion. “But, what if one of them gets you, what happens?” Twilight asked out of sheer curiosity. “They send you back or forth in time. Placing you long before or after your were born and died. And they consume the energy from the days you could have lived within this age. Perfect consumers and filled with kindness.” “Kindness? How can that possibly kind?” Applejack exclaimed. Her green rims went from side to side. Twilight had managed to leash the orb of light and she carried it with her, above the group as their source to see within the darkness. “Well, unlike the Cybermen who delete you or upgrade you, or the Daleks who exterminate everything that isn't a Dalek, a Weeping Angel only send you back or forth, usually back. You live your life but in another time period. Basically they let you live to death,” the Doctor replied to Applejack. “They still give you the chance to live, cowgirl, the greatest gift of it all if you ask me. Though they can be violent from time to time. And I reckon, these is one of those times. Especially with me here.” At the hearing of the names, the mares tilted their heads and wanted to know more about those kinds. But given that what they were already dealing with, it didn't seem to be the best idea. “And, what do they do then, when they get violent?” Twilight asked. “Break a couple bones, snap your neck, use your mind to speak to the others. Nasty stuff. That’s why you don’t need to blink. Though, never there have been made good readings on the creature behind the stone. It’s, difficult to describe them,” the stallion spoke to them in all honesty. It was clear within his voice that even he didn't knew just what to do think of them. His knowledge was infinite but on the subject he knew so little. Both of the mares shivered at the words and Twilight let down her guard just for a mere two seconds. Two seconds that were enough for a hidden Angel to burst out of its hiding and stop literally before Twilight. “What..!” she shouted out to the rest of them as the creature of stone just pointed up. Up to the ball of energy. --- The Doctor turned himself around and went past Applejack with some words. “Now you’re at front.” With his blue eyes he inspected the situation around Twilight and followed the hoof up. “Oh no...” was all he was allowed to say before the orb flickered. In response did both of the mares took their eyes away from their position and gazed upon the orb. “Run,” the Doctor whispered at first. “Run!” With that one word within their ears, all three of them just kicked their legs into the highest possible gear and ran. They ran through caverns old and deep. They ran away from the Angels that could and also would chase them around. But they still had the light even though it was fading in energy. They galloped through the dark caves while blindly following the bleeping of the screwdriver. As ridiculous as it looked, neither of the mares had problems with it. Because they couldn't complain about them given the fact they were running for their lives. The charge around the horn of Twilight never ceased to exist nor did it seem to fail in power. “This way, quickly! We are closer than I thought! One last sprint to the end! Geronimo!” the Doctor shouted while he tucked the device back inside his jacket. Then he continued to gallop as fast as he possibly could. Before them it became visible as a lit up area in a raspberry color. The light that was reflected against the gems and send it in all possible directions. But the Angels were hot on their trail. Twilight swung her head from side to side almost every possible second in order to keep the creatures off. From time to time she even turned herself around to face them. They were getting closer and closer to the room, but so did the hooves of the Angels to them. It would only be a matter of mere seconds before they would get them. Though one mare wouldn't end up as their dinner and as both the Doctor and Applejack made it through. Twilight turned herself around and faced the dark cavern before her. “Are you insane!?” the Doctor spoke before he wanted to pull her in but Twilight just pushed him off. Without a word spoken from all the parties present had the unicorn risen up on her hind legs. There she thus stood bipedal while only more power raced through her horn. Silence had taken over everything and the unicorn could only hear her own heartbeat. Everything played itself out in slow motion. With the orb still flickering, she could see the Angels coming closer towards her. Under a roar of power had she lowered herself on all four of her legs again. Then she released the charge of her horn. All of it as one massive blast of magical energy. All of it got sent towards the beings of stone in a brilliant raspberry color. It didn't kill them but the lights revealed that the entire cave was swarming with them. And then the darkness fell again. The energy of the horn faded away and Twilight huffed into the room while walking backwards. “W-What did ya do Twi?” Applejack asked in a worried tone. She kept her eyes on Twilight. In the time they had entered had neither the Doctor nor the cowgirl had been able to find another entrance, or exit for that matter. Something they were lucky with. Only problem was that the exist was crowded with the beings. Their only entrance, was also their only exit. All of the sudden had it become the worst spot they could possibly be in. “You didn't kill them, did you? Oh tell me you didn't!” the Doctor yelled. It almost seemed like he would charge Twilight with everything he got. “I didn't kill them, Doctor. I only locked them up in a time block. Out of this room, in that cavern, time stands still,” explained Twilight to him, hoping he would get it. “Impossible... How, how can you do such a thing without, without anything!?” the stallion wondered out loud. He rubbed both of his forehooves through his mane. “How!?” “Was rather simple. Just a couple spells from Starswirl the Bearded himself,” replied Twilight with a cocky smile. She took strange delight in seeing him that confused before her. “And who might that be?” the Doctor dared to ask of her. “Oldest, strongest and wisest unicorn that has ever lived upon this land.” “Enough with the chit chat will y’all. We are running outta time, remember.” Applejack had interrupted the two bluntly. Twilight and the Doctor, two beings with the same knowledge. Refusing to believe the science or magic. They attracted one another, but also were their exact polar opposite in certain cases. “So shut up and work! Ah don’t wanna die by one of those Angel bastards.” “But it’s not over yet,” the Doctor said. He let his eyes fall upon the streams of raspberry light that were irradiated. “...That’s impossible.” They hadn't laid their eyes on the source yet, but the stallion already had made some sort of connection in his mind. Twilight had her own theory whereas Applejack was just astonished. But the wonder within the green rims quickly turned into one of fear. “D-Doc...” “Hm?” The Doctor followed the extended hoof of Applejack and looked almost right into the eyes of a Weeping Angel. It’s mouth was filled with fangs and it was just ready to devour the first thing it would meet. The fangs were a feature they hadn't seen before, but it certainly added up to the levels of creepiness the statues already had. “Wow!” As quick as the stallion could he turned his eyes to a lower part of the creature and continued to speak in despair. “Suppose that spell doesn't work indoors, because we might have slight problem right before us.” “Oh no...” was all that Twilight said. She turned herself around and looked at the being. “Applejack, can you keep eye on it? Doctor, you as well.” “And what about you?” the stallion asked when he reached out for one of Twilight's forelegs. The unicorn looked him into the eyes. “I need to know what kind of power conductor it is, and we only have like, fifteen minutes left before those creatures are set loose, don’t we? Time is of the essence and we’re not having much of it, not anymore,” she said to him, hoping to solve it all. “If we aren't too late already, yes,” the Doctor replied in a near whisper. Twilight let go of his hoof and walked past the both of them. With a normal pacing she walked up to the very edge of the cave, to the spot where all the beams of raspberry went from the gems, into the ground, into a pit. What she caught within her violet eyes was something of the utmost discomfort. Her eyes caught a sight of something. Of something that was just so horrible that she didn't knew the words to speak, nor the ability to scream was granted to her. --- “Excuse me, but do you happen to know where my sister is?” Celestia asked against one of the metal ponies that roamed through the front area of the weather factory. Luna had been gone for a long time and it worried the mare of the day to no end. She just had to know where her sister was. Whether it be good or bad. “Negative. Please wait at the reception,” the pony returned in a near mechanical voice. “Then so it has to be,” replied Celestia to herself. There was a worried expression which formed itself on her face. She did what was told to her and went to the reception of the building. Though along the way she kept an eye out for her beloved little sister. When she arrived, she did what she had done for a thousand years already. And that was waiting. But as she waited, Celestia couldn't help it but to notice that there were more and more of those armored ponies literally stomping around. It was quite terrifying for her to see. To see her subject that were normally flesh and bone be like that way they were. The alicorn walked up to a clerk that sat behind the reception and she couldn't resist her question anymore. “Would the fine sir please tell me, what in the name of the sun those things are?” The stallion behind the desk looked up at her and he let his blue rims fall upon her before he stroked his green mane. “Certainly miss. They are a product of utmost pegasus technology. Androids that look just like ponies. Designed to help out in the more dangerous part of the factory.” “So no ponies are being stuffed inside them?” “Depends. Some do have a pony inside if the job requires utmost precision. Though most pegasi don’t prefer it. They just want to use their wings and the armor prohibits that.” “I, I thank you for your time,” the alicorn said. She gave the green coated pegasus a nod. Celestia turned around and continued to wait. All while letting the revelation made to her sink into the brain she had. The clerk returned the nod with a smile before he continued on with his duties. With the passage of some time, had the clattering of a rather familiar set of hooves made their way down the corridor. While the chatting of two ponies became more apparent, Celestia rose up from her seated position. She would have smiled when both her sister and the stallion had finally entered. “I thank you kindly for the tour sir and good luck in the future,” the mare of the moon spoke to him. After which she gave him a gentle bow. “Nothing to thank for, your highness, I only did that what you asked me to do,” the stallion said. He returned the bow with a nod of his own. “I suppose the two of you are on your way than?” “Yes, yes we should be going. Don’t you agree, sister?” spoke Luna while she looked to her older sister. The time to leave had come again, the time to return home was there once more. “I think that that would be the wisest of things, yes. We still have more things to do for ourselves today.” the mare of the sun replied as she also gave the stallion a bow. “Shall we, Luna?” The mare of the moon nodded and both of the royals made their departure from the factory without much questioning. Though the moment they left through the door, there was a muffled scream that came from above the stallion. He calmly looked up into the thick pack of clouds. His lips curled up into a menacing grin at one side of his mouth. But the scream was interrupted by a set of stomping hooves on the ground. The attention of the stallion was quickly taken away from the cloud ceiling and looked down a corridor. “Sir?” was spoken in the mechanical voice. --- Back within the deep caverns of the Canterlotian mines, Twilight was looking horrified at that what her eyes caught in the pit. The longer she stared at the mysterious object, the more she reached out for something on top of her head. “That’s, that’s impossible!” she almost shouted through the room. The shout also had a drawback to it and that was that it got the attention of both the Doctor and Applejack. Though it was the cowgirl who managed to keep her eyes upon the angel within the room. “What is impossible, Twilight?” the Doctor asked before he walked up to her. Without words, the mulberry mare just pointed down into the pit. To the very source of the streams of magic. The blue eyes of the Doctor couldn't believe it either and he started to switch between the mysterious object and the same thing Twilight was, by then, rubbing in a gentle manner. “No, way,” the stallion said. He couldn’t believe the thing that his very eyes had captured. It was as she said, impossible. For within the pit laid the very source of the Weeping Angels their food supply. The very thing that was nothing else than the very horn of Twilight Sparkle herself. But it couldn't be, as her horn was still attached to her head. It sat right there, ready to cast the magic in a moment’s notice. The unicorn just wanted to go down to it and investigate it even further, but she was held back by the Doctor. Who had to put quite the lot of force upon her to push her back. “Twilight no! We have no idea of just what it is or does. For all we know, is that it is a duplicate. Who knows what happens if we touch it!” “Ah don’t wanna be a bother but, hurry up!” spoke Applejack to them. She never lost the Angel out of her eyes. She was getting more terrified with every passing second. “Quiet you!” the Doctor replied before he turned his attention back to Twilight. “You don’t understand, if that is my horn, then how can it be still on top of my head!?” And with one yank had she freed herself from the stallion's hold. Before the Doctor could do anything, she had walked down into the pit. The Doctor feared for everything in existence when she went down. He couldn't bare the looks of it, but decided to keep watching. Twilight just trailed around the object. Watching it with a keen eye as her mind made up the craziest of theories. Even the Doctor couldn't give a proper explanation to the situation and that was what made her grew desperate. But above all: the powerful unicorn got scared. Scared as a little filly. “Hallo?” was all of the sudden spoken in a voice rather familiar to Twilight. But the origin of the voice was of a place rather unusual. “What..?” Applejack said. She wanted to look to see where the voice could have come from. Though she made the decision to keep her attention to the statue. “Well all,” the Doctor said while Twilight just looked up to the stallion. He reached inside of his jacket and took out his sonic screwdriver, only to meet it with a flashing, red light. “I got a message? On this? How bored was I when I made that feature into it?” “Answer it!” Twilight spoke as she had placed the voice in her mind. And there was no doubt of just who it was, that spoke to them. “Alright, alright, give me a moment,” the Doctor returned in an annoyed tone. Then he pressed a button upon the device. “The Doctor for the mysterious talker, do you copy me?” the stallion spoke into it. He then released the button again, almost as if it was a walkie talkie. “Loud and clear, sir,” the voice spoke up again, fractions of a second after the Doctor spoke. “Now, cut the chit chat and straight to business. Who are you and why are contacting me on my, screwdriver? Still pretty amazed by that feature. Just, just forget that and focus,” the Doctor rambled as he started to rise on his two hind legs. Twilight crawled out of the pit with a confused look on her face. She awaited the reply to come. “Doesn't this remind you of someplace else, Doctor? Remember that time you threw us all through that crack in space and time?” the voice spoke again, indeed reminding the stallion. “Angel Bob? But, that crack was supposed to destroy you all!” said the Doctor. It was in that moment that he became scared himself. The memories of what happened inside the Byzantium were still a bit too fresh in his mind. “Oh, no, no, no!” Though all of his words weren't spoken through the screwdriver so the Angel couldn't hear them. As his free hoof went through his mane, it was Applejack who nudged Twilight to keep looking at the creature. The unicorn nodded and they relieved one another from duty. Whether it was the smartest decision had to be discovered. The Doctor pressed the button to talk again. Though hesitation filled him at first. He wasn’t so sure just what he had to say. “It, it’s a replay of the Byzantium, isn't it? Though do tell me this, who on earth are you? Because you don’t sound like Angel Bob, I know how he sounds like. But what about that horn? Those currents of energy, what is with all of that?” “That, Doctor, is what kept us alive. The horn is the source, the gems just amplify the power of it. It’s basic but it's helping us a lot,” was spoken over the open channel of the screw driver. “Helping you to tear down this world, you mean. Whose voice did took over?” If that question would be answered, the mind of Twilight was about to be shattered even more. Further than it already was with the made discoveries.
The time of ponies and AngelsTwilight had started to dart around. All the way up to the point she was chasing her own tail for all she cared. All while the cowgirl kept an eye on the Angel in the room. The upcoming answer of the Angel was something the unicorn didn't want to hear but she never dared to interfere with the Doctor’s affairs. The places and names she had heard went even far above her own expertise. It was rather obvious to her that the Doctor was the highest authority in their situation and she just had to deal with that fact. And thus hear the relieving or crushing words. Applejack on the other end noticed just how bad Twilight was doing. She patted a spot next to her for her to sit down. Twilight kept turning around on her spot before she finally got the silent sign. The unicorn knew that she needed some comfort. Just the sheer thought alone was crushing and with the silence growing all the more present, it seemed like they were playing a game. When Twilight took position next to Applejack, the cowgirl placed her hoof over both of the shoulders of the insecure unicorn. She began to hum some comforting notes as she would have done for her little sister. The soothing tones had some effect upon the mulberry mare. She did became a lot calmer, though Applejack could feel the heart racing and beating within the throat. For the first time since they had defeated Nightmare Moon, Applejack felt the fear she had within her body clear. She just irradiated it like it was nothing. And she couldn't blame her given the situation they were in. “So the Angels from the Byzantium were sucked through the crack in space and time, that would mean they entered into the Void, but,” the Doctor grumbled to himself at a normal tone. “Void? Ya mean the Void of Darkness?” Applejack interrupted to his words. “What?” The stallion turned himself over to the cowgirl. Though he had to make sure to keep the angel within his eye. Only through that could Applejack talk to him. “What Void of Darkness?” “Yeah, the void where all the hatred originates from. It’s said it ya listen closely to yar shadow, ya can hear it. A thing created by Nightmare Moon herself,” explained Applejack to the best of her abilities. She could explain it as down to earth as possible but he just didn't get it. Though what he did know was the fact that the two voids were different from one another. “Sounds like the Vashta Nerada to me. But not the void I meant, and could you please just hold your mouth for a bit, so I can think? Thank you in advance,” he replied to her. Then he started to chase his own tail, so to speak. Applejack was a little bit discouraged by the words and thus returned to calm down Twilight. Who only grew more in the fear that she had. Everything was about to fall. “Hey Twi, it’s gonna be alright,” the orange mare tried to reassure her. “I hope, I hope you’re right Applejack,” managed Twilight to let go. “Send to the Void but end up here. How did you guys even manage do that!? Oh don’t tell me you are like the Daleks, now are you?!” the Doctor suddenly shouted up through the room. “Doctor? Are you there?” was eventually and all of the sudden spoken through the device. With caution him to press the button that would open his link to the channel. In the end, it granted him the ability to communicate with the Angel again. With a lowered and bit insecure voice, the Doctor spoke his word. “The Doctor is here, care to tell us who you are?” He released the button in order to receive any incoming messages and hoped for the best while his eyes stared at the time locked Angels in the hallway. “That lock is not going to keep them out forever,” he mumbled just before his eyes widened up as if he had made a shocking revelation. “No...” Though much further he couldn't think as the message returned. “I’m the Angel within the room you are standing. Our forms changed when we fell through the crack but just as what we did to Bob, we did to a stallion here. White coated, blue maned. Captain,” the voice from the device said. “Cut the chit chat and tell us, your, name!” the Doctor said in frustration. “Shining, Armor.” With those two words, that name which caused the heart of Twilight shattered into nearly millions of pieces. Her own flesh and blood had fallen victim to the statues they were looking at. The unicorn couldn't hold herself any longer. She just erupted out in tears and sobbed loud within seconds. Everything on the journey had become all too much for her. Yet the Doctor didn't understood just why she was crying. It was Applejack who caught it in the corner of her eye. It was up to her to tell the history behind the two. “Shining Armor, was Twi's brother,” she said to him, answering the unasked question. That struck the Doctor a lot. He didn't know just what to say or do other than a couple little words. A couple meaningless words. “I’m sorry... I, I truly am,” was all that he could say in response. Deep within Twilight did his words worked as a patch over the bleeding heart. Though the damage done was something far too much. “I will, destroy, every, stinking, last, of you!” the mare suddenly shouted in all of her anger. “All of you shall pay, for what you did!” She was blinded by her sadness and fueled with her rage, it was a dangerous combination to mess with. But to prevent things from escalating any further, Applejack wrapped both of her forehooves tight around Twilight and hugged nearly the life out of her just to keep her in that one position. “No ya don’t. Yar gonna stay with me, Twilight. Calm and peaceful.” The words probably didn't mean nothing, but they made her keep her mouth shut and thus giving the Doctor the opportunity to talk to the Angel. “So, Angel Armor is it then? Quite the interesting name. Now tell me your plan,” he spoke through the screwdriver and the waiting game started once more. --- Their situation was only getting more grim the more time was waited out. The time lock appeared to be losing itself in strength. Not to forget that Angel Armor just loved to take his time with his words. Yet after nearly three minutes of a complete silence, with the only sounds being their heart beats, breathing and sobbing of Twilight, the response was finally given to them. “Our plan is to succeed there where we first failed, Doctor. We want our army to be awaken and this place is perfect for it. The horn of the most powerful unicorn, the gems used as power conductors,” it spoke to them. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get that part, but what about that horn?” the Doctor asked further. “Taken from the head of a princess,” Angel Armor replied almost in an instant. It was either a fool's luck or their ignorance, but both of the mares didn't caught the last set of spoken words. The Doctor turned around to see Twilight. “Foreknowledge is a dangerous thing,” he whispered to himself before he shook his head. Without a warning of any kind given to them there was an explosion and a bright raspberry light the illuminated the area. The Doctor’s attention and the eyes of Applejack would gaze upon it. Yet giving how Twilight was looking against the chest of Applejack meant that none had their eyes upon the Angel in the room. Therefore leaving it free to do as it desired. It was when Applejack turned her head back after nearly a second to look away, that the forehooves of the Angel were reaching for the two ponies and the fangs could be found within its mouth. “Doctor!” she shouted to get his attention. “Keep looking at it Applejack, whatever you do, keep looking!” the stallion replied before he fixed his own eyes upon the entrance. With the light dimming once more, this worst nightmare had come true. “Oh no, the lock is broken and they can move again! We gotta destroy those gems. Applejack, you take Twilight with you and smash those gems, without them, they just crumble out to dust! Hurry!” he said to them He backed away from the entrance, keeping his eyes upon the statue. The stallion knew he was powerless against gems. They were massive and compressed rocks. He had to place his faith in the two mares, which was what he did, but the doubt never truly left him. With Twilight still crying over her brother and the Angels knocking at his door, things didn't look all too bright. “Just why do they have to be Weeping Angels and no Daleks or Cybermen. Would have loved to fight those things. But no, it had to Weeping Angels, good job sending them here, of all places,” he muttered to himself while he passed Angel Armor. He gave a look to the mares. “Go.” Time was running short upon them and both Applejack and the Doctor knew that fact just all too well. But with Twilight being the most powerful, the cowgirl had to set everything on everything to get her back. “This is gonna hurt... Twi, Twi, listen to me. Ya need to keep it together! Your brother may have passed away, but if you don't toughen up, you will join him and none us will live to tell the tale of his actions! You understand me here?” she spoke in a loud and clear tone, hoping it worked. Twilight knew deep in her heart that the words of Applejack were the truth. The truth alone meant that Twilight couldn't do much else than accepting them. She had to return to the game that was being played. She had to join again and make sure, she would win. Her crying and sobbing would have stopped. The mare wiped the tears away and she calmed herself down from the troubles. “Today if possible!” the Doctor shouted to them. He winked one eye after the other in order to have at least one eye still upon the statues. But not even the brilliant Time Lord was able to doing it and had to blink every so often. A thing that resulted in the Angels getting even closer than they originally were. Some had already managed to set their hooves in the cavern opening. “Please!” Their situation was tense and with each passing moment, the very light of the horn could go out and they would be history. Quite literally in their case, the Doctor was the last pony who was wanting that. “Hurry up!” he shouted towards them again. Of course he had the urges to do it himself but then who was going to look after the Angels, he questioned himself. “Let’s do it,” said Twilight in a careful voice. With all the strength in her body did she back stood up. “Applejack, you take the two on the right, I take the three on the left. One good bucked rock should crack them, three should destroy them. Let’s hope I’m right about their structure.” “How do ya know that all?” Applejack asked as she looked up to Twilight. With the unicorn gone, it was only the Angel on her back and that frightened her a bit. Almost as quick as Rainbow Dash had she crawled away from it and for the first time was granted a look upon the put. And thus looked upon the horn. “You weren't kidding,” she said in a soft tone. “Applejack, focus,” said Twilight to her. The unicorn charged up her horn to release a blast. “Yes, yes, sorry,” the cowgirl returned. Her eyes then looked for a couple rocks that were suitable for the incoming destruction. They had to be sharp and sturdy if they wanted to help. “You killed something dear to me, I take something from you. Call it, returning the favor,” Twilight muttered in a tone that was directly aimed for the Angels and released the charge she had been building up. A vibrant raspberry colored beam shot away from her horn and made contact with the gem. Though it did had a small side effect and that was that it fed the captive horn. Yet the incoming blast was big enough to shatter the gem into a million pieces. “One down, two to go.” With a couple moans from Applejack were the rocks sent flying against the gem and Twilight was right. One hit cracked them were three caused it to shatter. “Make that two, partner.” “Don’t keep score! Just do it!” the Doctor shouted to them when He caught the counting. --- With the smoke that came off of Twilight’s horn and the panting of Applejack. Though the mares had done it. They had destroyed the conduction ports of the magic used by the captive horn and the two smiled to one another. Knowing they were done, the Doctor had started to smile himself. He waited for the very moment the Weeping Angels would just crumble to dust. “It really is a replay of the Byzantium, you get defeated once again!” he spoke up in a happy voice that was followed up by a loud ‘ha!’ Though his relief was gone like snow in the sun when he heard an almost deafening screech travel through the cavern. A screech of an Angel and it was angry as it could be. Little did they knew, but that sound originated from Angel Armor. The one Angel that stood within the room with them. With the screwdriver still in his hooves and him standing bipedal, the voice of the Shining Armor spoke once more through the device. “You think you have defeated us, Doctor?! The truth is that we learned from our mistakes. And you know why we decided to build here?” he asked of him. Terrified by the voice that was filled with anger, the Doctor pressed the button to speak to the Angel again. His eyes kept going between the Angel in the room and those wanting to enter. “Oh don’t you dare to pull such a thing on me. We defeated you fair and square, it seems like you can’t take your loses, can you?” he spoke against the Angel, hoping they were good sports. He then released the button, awaiting the reply. One that came almost in an instant. Fractions later did he got a reply from the Angel. A reply spoken in a sinister tone. “Time’s up.” The stallion rose an eyebrow in response to the words and looked at the tip of his screwdriver. It was green again and thus indicated that the function had been cancelled out by one of the parties. “Time’s up, what could he mean by that? Think, think, think, oh no, no, no, no!” He wanted to turn himself around so badly but that would give the angels a free game to enter. Applejack and Twilight both found themselves standing upon the edge of the pit and looked over the horn. As calming as it was levitated within its prison as dangerous it looked. But something was also warning them as they heard the words spoken. To make matters worse, there was something that tried to escape out of the orb where the horn was in. With a rumble and a tear did the currents of magic shot out of the orb. They went straight into a new set of gems. There it would have continued like it never stopped. Almost as if it had a minor malfunction within its systems. The two mares were shocked by the events and they turned around to face the Doctor. A stallion who wasn’t happy with the results he saw. “Oh come on!” the stallion shouted towards the invading Angles. He then aimed his screwdriver towards them. The whirring sounds of it did their turn through the cavern. The looks in his face turned sour. He was done with it. He thought to have defeated the Angels again. “Now what?” Twilight asked with terror in her voice. Despite she stopped crying, the streams of tears could still be seen upon her cheeks. “I don’t, know,” the stallion simply stated. He continued to aim his screwdriver to the statues. “Who knows just how many Angels are down here, ready to invade upon the land above... I just, don’t know...” He moved the screwdriver away from the Angels and looked upon the reading the beings irradiated. The chance was small, but perhaps he would get to know things about them. While it was true that the creatures could turn into solid stone when being observed, the sonic screwdriver was perhaps the only device known in all of the universes that could read through the rock. Therefore enabling it to watch the actual biology of a Weeping Angel. “Just as I thought,” the stallion spoke with a deep sigh through his nose, “we’re too late. They’re at full power...” “Maybe, there is one last thing, we can try before we die,” Twilight spoke in desperation. It were those words that caught the attention of the stallion and the cowgirl. Both of them gave a look to Twilight in utmost confusion before they turned back. Yet with their eyes on Twilight, they lost the Angels and they crawled back further inside the room. One of them was pointing its hoof to the horn in the pit. Almost as if it wanted to suck out the light or electricity. Or even worse, the very magic it contained. The Doctor went over all of the chances they had to possibly get out but would always come down to the number nopony had the desire for to hear. And that number was zero. He had to place his full trust upon a creature he didn't even knew that could exist, yet through everything that happened, proved her strength both mentally and physically. “Whatever it is, just do it!” --- The royals of Canterlot had made their way out of Cloudsdale. They soared through the skies like the free mares they desired to be from time to time. While it was true they had a chariot to carry them through the skies, the both of them just preferred it to fly through the skies on their own powers. But after a small flight, they were descending already and Luna could make up the Canterlot statue garden below the clouds. With a graceful landing had the two alicorns made it back unto their home turf. Celestia pointed to the three statues of the Weeping Angels. Luna tucked her wings back against her body and looked over the stone creatures. It still crept her out for one reason or another. “Sister, how could you have placed such nasty looking statues in a garden like this? They are looking far better on a cemetery if you ask me,” the alicorn of the night said to her, clearly showing her disgust for them. “Luna, Luna, Luna, I thought you come to that chapter in history by now. Those statutes have been around for ages, even within the time of the Old Kingdoms. They were used by the pegasi for good luck. Sounds odd, but it is true. Its near impossible to find ones in this perfect state from what I have gathered during my research to them,” explained Celestia to her. What Celestia didn't know –nor Luna for that matter– was the fact that she had confirmed the fact that the race of the Weeping Angels had been in Equestria before. Long before the formation of the land itself did they dwell the surface. If the Doctor would knew it, would scare him to death. “But just, why?” Luna would have asked. Yet a response she never would have received on it. For all that her sister did was giving a smile upon the sight. Then her wings spread themselves again, ready to take off. Back to the castle, back to the throne room. --- “So you sure this spell can work? This, override?” the Doctor asked to her. Time was up but yet still found time to chat against one another deep in the Canterlot Caverns. “Yes, yes I can very certain that it will work,” replied Twilight to him with certainty. “Twi, overcasting your own magic like this, might have ya end up dead as well. Just, don’t ya think the cost is bigger? Ah mean, its yar life that’s at stake here,” Applejack spoke in a manner of trying to bring the unicorn on other thoughts. But Twilight was determined to do it. She wanted to play it her way. She knew the risks at hoof, but didn't care about them for one bit. “If it destroys them, then so be it. I rather give my own life than needing to live in a world filled with living, statues,” the unicorn spoke in her defense. Both the stallion and mare knew there wasn't anything they could do against it. She was a stubborn little pony when it came to magic and the situation proved it again. “Though I should warn you both, the spell will knock me out in the end. When it happens and the statues are reduced to rubble, bring me to a hospital as soon as possible, please.” “Will do,” the both of them spoke in a tone of compassion. Twilight gave the both of them a smile as she walked back past them and to the pit where the elder horn was kept prisoner. Soon enough there were the charging sounds of Twilight’s horn. The sheer humming of power reminded the Doctor of his TARDIS materializing into existence. They had something in common when it came to sound. Yet he couldn't put his hoof on it. While the brilliant raspberry color just filled the area, the two of them kept their eyes on the Angels. Who on their turn had little plans on their own. The agenda of the creatures turned to stopping Twilight, once and for all. For the Angel that was pointing was indeed sucking the power out of it. The light created by both horns flickered and even faded for a couple times. Making the Angels come to life and move a step or two. Yet where the Doctor was wise enough to take a step back into the direction of the pit, Applejack was either foolish or brave enough to stay in her position. The lights went out again as the Doctor stood near the edge of the pit leading to the horn. “Applejack!” he shouted out to her and then the lights returned again. But in that near second the lights went out there was something that managed to get a hold of the cowgirl. The sound of stone being moved through the darkness could be heard clear as day. It was when the lights went on again that the horror was revealed. The horror for a captured Applejack. Knowing he couldn't do anything for the poor cowgirl, the Doctor looked her ever so deeply in the green rimmed eyes. And she looked back in them as her position was turned, whether it was due to the Angel or she did it before the statue caught her remained a mystery. Without words spoken from either pony, they knew what they meant to say to one another and the mare released a sigh of hope into the air. The lips of the Doctor curled up into a smile. The stallion placed the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket and lowered himself all four hooves again. And it was then that he spoke the final words. “It’s now or never Twilight, do it!” Upon the command given, Twilight released all of the power she had stored within her horn. She would have fired it directly at the other horn, her elder horn. The beam was powerful enough to cut through the exterior orb and be sent through the horn as a conductor. It did gave the Angels a massive boost in power, so powerful that they ever started to move even in their stone state. But that victory wouldn't last long though. The overload of power became too much for the beings. The gems that acted as conductors began to melt like they were heated. All of the Angels began to cry for help or mercy to the unicorn. But none of them ever spoke in words, they screeched like the monsters they were. Yet the worst fact of it all, was that Twilight wasn't even done. More and more power got added up to the point that both Applejack and the Doctor had to close their eyes and cover their ears from the sounds that echoed, if not boomed, through the cavern they were in. Twilight on the other end, managed to remain calm as she had her eyes closed and concentrated upon the power she was putting out. --- Then it happened, with one large explosion that was followed up by an implosion, the true overload happened. The horn first denied but then absorbed all of the power it had gotten. Which then also sucked the power right out of the Weeping Angels. The power that the horn had been feeding to them, was taken back by a ruthless force and with a lot of interest. Within the pocket of the Doctor’s jacket was it Angel Armor who spoke his dying words through the screeching. “We shall return, Doctor, we shall...” Then the channel went silent before the static came. One by one were each of the Weeping Angels within the room and hallway, reduced to nothing but dust, gravel and pebbles. They crumbled upon themselves. There was nothing they could feed from, there was nothing they could hold their power together with. They were just rock and that was it. While it was true that stone can’t be killed, keep reducing it to nothing more but dust and it becomes rather harmless. But what the other two didn't knew was that Twilight was weakening from the cast spell and she had erupted out in another set of tears about her brother. Hearing his voice on the channel like that for the last time, made her realize he was gone. Truly gone.
Home, sweet home, right?The power of the mulberry unicorn became less and less, the lights she created dimmed until the darkness had taken over the caverns again. The Doctor and Applejack finally removed their hooves from their eyes. Yet in their ears they heard the thud of a body against the stone. They both knew just what to do right away. And that was getting Twilight to safety. --- “She’s waking,” the unicorn could hear faintly in her ears. Then she released a groan of discomfort. With a gentle motion were her eyes opened. The mare was greeted by the blinding light of the sun. Almost right away she just closed her eyes again. It made her moan a bit and she shut her eyes again. “She’s looking better than expected,” a stallion's voice said. Then the eyes opened again, but ever so slightly to constantly adjust themselves to the bright lights. Bit by bit did she came back to her knowledge. Bit by bit she could feel the troubles of her mind and the pain through her body. “Doc, tor,” the mare spoke in a weakened voice as she finally had sight just where she was. Twilight made the discovery that she was laid in a hospital bed with a couple tubes going into her body through her hooves. “Easy there Twilight, you need to take it easy. The, the amounts of power you called within the caves, had a greater side effect than we first had thought,” the stallion said just before he walked up to her and laid his hoof upon hers, starting to stroke it in a comforting manner . “Apple, jack,” said Twilight. The cowgirl knew right away to come. The orange mare continued to stroke the hoof while the smile upon her face was simply astonishing to see. Never in her life had Twilight seen such a smile upon the face of her rough friend. “Ah’m here Twily, Ah’m here,” she spoke in a comforting tone towards the unicorn. “What, happened?” she asked to them both. Her speech might have been shattered up to a point of long recovery, but she just needed the answer for her mind. To ease the gab that had been created. It didn’t matter how terrible it was, she would have to know it. “What happened was, that the Angels managed to get your horn from a far future version of yourself. Yet the strength of the gems was best at this time of age. Heh, and then us three had to come in and ruin their party good,” the Doctor explained to her with a small smile of his own. The unicorn gave a weakened nod to the gotten explanation over the situation but felt her mind slipping away again, sending her back to a much required sleep. Soon there was nothing than the air that was in- and exhaled through the nose of the silent savior. “Sleep well Twily.” Applejack spoke as a single tear went down her cheek. “E-Excuse me, Ah need to talk, talk to a nurse.” Of course it was spoken as a matter of self-defense for she wasn't used to crying at all. “Yeah, yeah you do that. I just, stay with her for a bit more,” the Doctor said as the cowgirl left the room as a whole. After she had left, the Doctor sat down on the bed itself. He would have continued to stroke the hoof in a calm manner. His eyes never seemed to be able to take themselves off of her while he spoke his words. Words that came from the both of his hearts and just aimed towards her. “When we first met, you asked me who I was. A question understandable, but to one the answer was lied upon. I’m a Time Lord of the planet of Gallifrey. Not a pony, like you or Applejack. Though, if I hadn't met the two of you a couple days ago, I don’t know what could have happened. You were brilliant, Twilight, fantastic even. That cowgirl as well. I know you can hear me, girl, and there is just one advice I can give you, keep living your life. For it is amazing the way it is,” he said to her. With his words spoken against her there was a nod before he moved up to the face of the sleeping Twilight and gave her a small kiss upon the forehead. And then there was a little tiny tear that streamed out of his own eyes. “You were just, just the best I have ever seen.” He released a small sniffle and finally stood up from the bed again. That was their goodbye. Just right after the events he would be going again. It was hard, even for him to leave such a wonder of life behind him. --- With a sigh he closed the door that was leading up to her room. He looked through the hallway of the hospital. None would believe just what they had been saved from. But then there was a smile upon his face, for the future of Twilight had been foreshadowed by the Angels. They had proved themselves once more as the most kind killers in the universe. A sick concept, even for him. In his eyes he caught the cowgirl who was talking to the nurse. There was just one last tease that came to him. With his mind set back to zero, he just darted over to the cowgirl and took her hat clean off her head. “Hey!” she spoke up to him before she excused and thanked the nurse. “What?” the Doctor replied before he set the hat upon his own. “Stetsons are cool remember.” He gave her a wide smile and the earth pony couldn't do much else then erupting out in laughter just from the sheer silly look he had. “Okay, okay, okay,” the mare spoke up after her laughter had died off. “In all seriousness, what’s gonna become of her, and them for that matter?” “Twilight should be back to her normal self in just a couple of days, she needs a lot of rest. That power output was nearly impossible. No, it was not, it was highly unlikely. Anyway, rest, got that? Just some rest and she’s fine. As for them, I don’t think we will be hearing from them for a long time. Let’s say, fifty million years,” the Doctor explained to her with a massive grin of joy. “Ah see. Shouldn't be the biggest of troubles. But what 'bout yourself?” the mare then asked. That shocked the Doctor a bit. For he never would have expected such a question to be asked towards him. Especially since how he treated Applejack like the third wheel on the wagon. It made him think about the answer for some time before he finally got one. “I’m, not sure really. Guess I keep on traveling, like I always did. Going to places through space and time, see where I end up next time. As I have for over nine hundred years.” That was the best plan he could come up with. “Wonderful life is yar ask me,” the cowgirl replied with a smile. “Yup, you get used to it eventually. It’s hard at times but, what can you do about it?” the Doctor said with a mixed tone. Then he reached inside his jacket and saluted Applejack with the horn of the elder unicorn. After the salute he placed the horn back in the jacket and gave her a wink. Applejack looked confused at him and then he was just gone. Off running off as always. Except he still had her hat. “Hey!” she spoke up and started the chase after him. --- Applejack followed the stallion through street and alleyway until she found him leaning against the blue box he was first seen with. His back leaned against it as he stood bipedal and the forehooves were closed over one another. His head looked down and the eyes were covered by the hat itself. “Howdy, partner,” he spoke with a slight smirk created by his lips. “All fun and games Doc, all fun and games. Can I have mah hat back? Ah’m rather attached to it,” she said to him. Then her hoof stretched itself to take it. The Doctor flicked his head back up and looked up to the earth pony. “You mean this?” he said just before his own hoof pointed to the hat. “Yes.” “Very well,” he said. He took off the hat and gave it to the cowgirl herself. The mare placed it back upon her own head and smiled towards him. “Thanks Doctor,” she spoke with a tip of the hat given to him. “Well, guess this is our goodbye,” the stallion said to her. “Been an amazing tale to me.” Despite them not having started at the most of friendly grounds, the adventure through the caverns had led to a wonderful friendship, even if the two of them wouldn't admit it opening to one another. “Last hug?” “You got it partner,” said Applejack with a smile. The two just embraced themselves in a tight and friendly hug. But as their forelegs tightened, they both rose up to a bipedal stance and their noses touched one another. A little thing that caused them both to blush more than they should. “You aren't, you know?” the Doctor stumbled out upon the facial contact. “Nope, just a lucky coincidence,” Applejack claimed upon it. She gave him a little nuzzle though. The action was something that made the stallion blush ever so deeply and he didn't even had the slightest idea of that what he could be doing. Nothing with the exception of just taking it. “Goodbye Doctor, may you travel safe,” she spoke in a whisper. “Goodbye Jackie, may time be kind to you,” the Doctor whispered in return before they separated from the hug. But upon the nickname, it was the cowgirl who had to release a blush as not many ponies called her by the name. “Heheh, go. Your box needs you.” Almost right away he gave one last salute to the cowgirl. “You might want to step back.” The Doctor opened the door of the Tardis and walked inside as he always would. Applejack was given just a glimpse of the wonderful machine that laid behind the door before the door closed again. “Bigger on the inside,” she exclaimed in a whisper. Though she heeded his warning and did a couple steps back. Not even five seconds later did the machine came to life. The metallic thudding and its signature sound went through the air as the light at top flashed a couple times. And right before her, the machine just vanished out of existence. Almost as if it never had been there. “The sound of the universe,” spoke Applejack up when it was completely gone and the silence had taken over again. “Goodbye, Doctor.” Another tear traveled down her cheek in her own silence. --- With the sounds of the TARDIS that made their way into his ears, the machine traveled through the time vortex. Yet the horn of the unicorn was hooked upon many instruments. The sheer levels of power that it irradiated when it was feeding the angels frightened him. Just the combination of the two could have created an army of Weeping Angels, ready to spread over the universe if they liked. “Now let’s see how powerful you really are,” the Doctor said to himself. With one flick of a button did the instruments do their job. The Doctor turned the screen over to his side. The horn laid on the other side of the control panel. It was mostly done out of safety reasons for himself. But the reading he got were even more than he originally would have bargained for. “Six, seven, eight. Nine, nine thousand? Curious...” He took out his sonic screwdriver and stared upon his hoof for a little bit. The twinkle in his eyes alone spoke that something had changed about them. Something that happened in mere milliseconds and without feeling. “What..?” he spoke up as he saw his flesh colored hand again and blinked a couple times in response. “What!?” the Doctor then looked at the rest of his body and took notice that he was normal again. He released a loud laughter at the sight and did a little jump in the air. When he landed, he tossed the screwdriver into the air and caught it back in his hand. The device was aimed at the horn while the signature whirring sounds could be heard. The Doctor proceeded to read the levels from his trusty device. “Most curious...” But in his hearts he had a difficult time accepting the real truth. The truth as it was within the universe that housed the land of Equestria. The Doctor unhooked the horn from all the wires and slid his screwdriver back into his jacket. With a sigh that left through his nose, he picked up the horn and walked down to the sofa. He dropped his body into it and he just looked upon the all-powerful horn. The horn of a unicorn, a mythical creature that shouldn't even have existed, yet the proof was in his hands. But if he had paid attention to his on board navigator, he could have seen that he had last through the same rift as he had entered. “Could it be possible that, in the Void, nah. Nothing can live within there,” he explained to himself. But his beliefs were once again tainted by the fact in his hands. A most curious matter indeed. And one the Doctor himself, might not be able to truly solve. --- Back through the rift, in the magical land of Equestria and, inside of the hospital of Canterlot, Applejack had joined herself with Twilight once again. Then it was her who sat upon the bed. With the light of the moon that shone down upon them both, she confronted the sleeping unicorn with her hooves stroking against one of the forelegs. “Ah’m glad Twily,” Applejack spoke up in a whisper. “Ah’m glad Ah made the decision to go with you to Canterlot, for if Ah didn't, we never would have been on this wonderful adventure sugar cube. Thank you,” she brought out to the unicorn. The cowgirl sat with one of her best friends for a long time in silence until a much more stabilized voice did its turn. A voice that originated from the near unconscious unicorn herself. “H-Hey.” And with all the might she had in her, the mulberry hoof returned the stroking to the cowgirl. A cowgirl who beamed like the sun of happiness.
