The Strange Stallion

Chapter 1:

The Strange Stallion

The Number of Impossibilities

By The_Whovian16

.... Our story is a tale of strange coincidences, and alternate timelines. One of unspeakable secrets, and of Higher Intellectual beings. One of strange Boxes, and Mad Stallions. One of Great Beginnings, and Spoiled ends. This is a Story of great things. True- it is no ordinary Adventure, no Epic, no single Tale to be passed on from Generation to Generation. But never the less!- that does not mean it isn’t as hearts pounding as one, as jaw dropping- or as “Awesome” as one might think. This is the tale of the missed chances, being taken instead, and seeing new perspectives. A chance at the things that could have been. For once....

Turning Left may not be such a bad Idea.

======(LINE)======

Twilight ran quickly, after the stallion who was fading in the distance of the tree’s. By Celestia’s bear, this stallion was fast! “Hey! You Didn’t Answer my Question!” She shouted chasing after him.

“Doctor! Doctor!!” She shouted, quickly chasing after him. He may have been faster but she was far lighter. That and she had Magic at her aid. As she was about to teleport, when the Stallion turned left quickly, at a big oak, and pulled out a key from his tie, it seemed. He quickly turned it with both hooves before seeming to walk into something.

She expected him to walk around the other edge of the big Oak but he never did. Once again her curiosity got the better of her, and she quickly trotted over to the big tree to investigate. However... She wasn’t expecting to see some Big Blue Box sitting behind it. “What in the name of Equestria....” She looks at the box, studying it for a moment. “Police... Public... Call Box...” She said out loud, looking at the top of the box. Well... I highly doubt he’s a Police Pony... He didn’t have a badge or Uniform or anything too obvious.... Darn it Twilight! This is why you need to take better notes! So you can quickly take note of the Not so Obvious things- Hold on.... His eyes... I remember something about his eyes-

She was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. She looked up suddenly to see the stallion at the door, looking at her for a moment, curiously. “Eh- Sorry to interrupt your thoughts Miss Sparkle, but uh... Why exactly did you follow me?”

She was a bit confused by the question herself. Why HAD she just chased him down again? “Uh... W-Well...” It slowly came back to her but eventually she was able to explain her reasoning in a single sentence. “I chased you because... because you didn’t answer my question!” She said looking at him a bit defiantly. She hated being wrong, but she hated not knowing an answer even more. That’s why she always asked for the answer when she was wrong.... Which she honestly couldn’t remember the last time she was wrong up until this point.

“Hmm?” He looked at her confused, thinking back for a moment “Question, question, question, question.... Nope. Sorry. Not ringing any bells. Would you mind asking it again?”

She sighed, and shook her head, hanging her neck “Why am I even out here?....”

“Because you were curious.” He said smiling. “That’s the thing about you Ponies. Just like Humans- Always Curious! You just can’t leave a question unanswered can you? You just HAD to follow me!” He asked her a bit excitedly. He chuckled, and sighed a bit. “Anyway... What’s your REAL Question?”

Twilight looked at him for a moment more. She was certain she had heard of as stallion fitting his description before. “..... Your name... What is your REAL Name?”

“Oh. Thought I already told you. Guess not though- Anyway, hello! I’m the Doctor.” He said holding out his hoof again, as if they hadn’t already met. “and YOU are a one, Miss Twilight Sparkle.”

“ Nonono... I’m mean what is your REAL name? Because your name isn’t obviously “The Doctor.” So then Who are you?”

“The Doctor-”

“Yes but... Doctor WHO?” She asked taking a step towards him, which made him take a step back amazingly.

“.... I’m just THE DOCTOR.... Nothing else.” He said seriously.

“What? No. You can’t be- “JUST THE DOCTOR” That’s impossible. No can be named a Title.”

“Well I am. There a Problem with that?- Good then! I was hoping you would-”

“YES! Yes there is a VERY BIG Problem with that!” She said as if it were a matter of life and death

. He sighed deeply. “Honestly... I thought we were past this?- Look, if you want a name then.... Then call me Clock Smith! It isn’t my name, but it’s a name I use on occasion.”

“What- wait! ... Why would you need an Alias?” She said looking at him studyingly. The more this stallion said the more he sparked her curiosity.

He took another few steps into his box, and she also followed. When he was just a head sticking out he just looked at her. “Look, I’m nothing alright. Just a Hermit. Nothi-”

“A hermit who likes to talk to pretty mares, after knocking them over?~” She said, laying on her girlish charm. Ponies said she was a very cute pony, although she never did have to much time for relationships to really find out anyway. She couldn’t really call what she was doing “flirting”... more like manipulating really. It sounded bad- she knew that, but she was just curious... and she REFUSED to leave one of her questions unanswered.

He just blushed before pulling his head back in, and closing the door a bit too slowly. “-Look I really need to go. I hav-”

She pushed the doors open, and stuck herself inside halfway. “Go? Go where?! You’re in a tiny... police.... Box....” She said realizing their surroundings. “..... Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...” She thought for a moment, before walking back outside slowly, and walking around the box, dragging her hoof along it, to make sure she wasn’t just going crazy. She stuck her head back in, then out looking to the back of the box. Then in- then out- then in- then out again- (long story short she repeated this process a good number of times. “B-b-b-b-b-but... T-t-t-t-that’s i-... -im-p-possible! No kind of magic is capable of something on this scale yet! T-The amount of magic required would have to be even more than Star-Swirld’s belt of Gemini! W-Which went missing a little more than a century ago.... b-but Still!” She said in utter disbelief. She began dispersing random fact’s when she was nervous, or mentally stressed. Usually it was on the subject before her. Not usually was it that it ever happened.

The Doctor looked to the belt in his tool box, which was currently holding his tools... which he never really used on any of it. “Oh... So that’s what that was....” He said looking at the Diamond encrusted Belt, with Diamonds the size of softballs on it. They were apparently filled with an ambient supply of Magical Energy- Which also seem to make the belt Magnetic, which the Doctor thought was the actual purpose of the belt. He quietly kicked his toolbox to the side, the lid shutting, it sliding under the console.

Twilight wasn’t even paying attention to him though. She was still gawking spurting out random facts of the impossibilities in front of her. He chuckled at this slightly, because of how cute it was, which got a direct stare at him. He quieted himself almost instantly, but she didn’t stop glaring at him. Instead she walked up to him and sat before him. “.... First of all... What kind of Magic IS this?! Earth Ponies can’t cast their own magic! I mean- .... Not to any extent that I know of! So HOW did YOU do it?!” She asked him “This takes Magic COMPLETELY beyond what even the Princess can do! So how can you- an Earth Stallion- perform such Magic?” She asked him scrutinously.

The Doctor sighed, face-hoofing a bit. “.... Why must everyone assume it is Magic?” He said, before dragging his hoof down and off of his face, stretching it a bit. He looked at her “This isn’t a Magic Police Box.” He said simply. “This is my TARDIS, and I can assure you that no magic was used in it’s creation. The TARDIS is entirely technologically based. It is full of Energy, but I assure you none of it is magical.... Well at least to my knowledge of the TARDIS - which is every square inch of it!” He said defensively.

“Wait wait wait wait! There is no Technology Advanced enough in Equestria that is capable of this! I mean- The only other explanation is that you are some form of Alien! And this is would all have to be Alien technology!” She said in disbelief. “Which is completely impossible!- So stop lying, and tell me how you did this!?” She squee’s a bit. “Ohhh! My teacher is going to LOVE this!”

He sighed again, his hoof meeting his face "..... Ow...." He sighed a bit trying to think of something to say to make her believe him.... Suddenly a light bulb went off over his head, and smiled deviously. "Alright. Then I'm an Alien. I'm an Alien, and THIS box is more than just bigger on the inside! It's a time machine too!- And It travels through space as well!" He said, waving his hooves exaggeratingly, as he walked up to the console. He chuckled slightly, as if he had been joking around, as he began to press buttons on the console in the center of the room. The Box began to whir to life slowly, and silently

Twilight looked at him confused, as she followed him up to the console. “You’re an alien? Yeah Right! Look- I may be a bookworm, but I’m not Stupid!” She huffed a bit. “and this Box Can’t travel through space- Let alone TIME....” She looked away. “If you’re not going to tell me what spell you used then fine... You don’t need to lie-” She began to see the lights slowly flickering on under her hooves through the grated floors. Then her ears flickered as she heard the whirring of Mechanisms and machines begin to start up. “Hey... Do you hear tha- Hey! What are you doing?!” She asked, the floor beginning to vibrate beneath her hooves.

"Hmm?~ What are you talking about?~ I’m not doing anything! After all- if this box can’t fly through space and time- Like you say it can’t- then I really am doing nothing at all." He said, smirking a bit, spinning a few cogs by hoof, turning a knob for a faucet, his hoof holding onto the lever- “Oh- and you might want to hang onto something” He said, before pulling down on the lever. The TARDIS Banged loudly, making a strange organic, yet metallic, and machine like noise. Something the Lavender mare had never heard before. A truly Alien noise. The doors to the TARDIS shut themselves, locking silently, as the Box rumbled, and shook. He smirked a bit, playing around on the console, pressing buttons here and there, pulling things, hitting things, twisting other things, and pushing in others.

Twilight squeaked, and clung to the Mad-Stallion for dear life. She couldn’t say anything, because she was too busy closing her eyes, fearing for the worst. Then... it all just... stopped...

=====(LINE)=====

The TARDIS slowly quieted down, the rumbling and vibrating coming to a halt. The Doctor smiled a bit looking around the TARDIS, then looked to the mare clinging to him like a life raft. “... You can let go now Miss Sparkle.... We’ve arrived.” He said chuckling lightly

Twilight Slowly loosened her grip on the Doctor but not completely letting go of him. She looked around, listen to the quiet “Gong” the TARDIS made on occasion.

“... W-What? W-what do you mean “We’ve arrived”? We couldn’t have gone anywhere....” She said, before becoming quiet, as she began to second guess herself.

“Oh? Alright then.... Hehe. Then why don’t you go and open the doors?” He said motioning to them. “I bet you a million bits- Well when I come into a million bits- That you won’t see any park outside.” He said, very confidently at that.

Twilight just looks at him and then to the doors, starting to believe- No! .... Get a hold of yourself Twilight. We are still in the Park. It is COMPLETELY impossible for this box to have moved! Completely! She shook her head clear of her doubts, and walked up to the door, then opened it quickly. “See! We’re still in.... the.... Park....” She said, her jaw almost hitting the floor. This.... She wasn’t expecting this. She wasn’t expecting to see a giant glass dome over their heads, or white grass growing on the moon in front of her, or the alien trees that seemed to be in bloom- (at least that’s what she thought from the look of them.) She quickly backtracked it, before tripping and landing on her rump. “B-bb-b-b-b-bb-b-b-but-but-but.... That’s... that’s just Impossible!” She said looking out over the landscape again. It seemed they were in some kind of Garden, or Lunar Park.... She just stared in complete shock for a few moments, as he walked up beside her, looking out to the Garden of Shadows.

“Oh bugger! I landed in the Lunar Park!” He sighed. “Welp. Looks like I owe you One Million bits now Miss Sparkle. I’m a stallion of my word.” he said walking back to the console.

She just continued gawking for a moment, He head slowly turning to look to him. She slowly closed her mouth and sat down beside him, still trying to figure out how to speak. “.... H-.... How did.... I mean it’s just.... What did...?” She just looks at him seeming extremely confused. “.... How did it move?! And how are we on the Moon?!” She yelled almost extremely angrily.

He chuckled a bit. “Oh you know... Magic~” He said teasingly, before chuckling more, as he began to pilot the TARDIS back again. This time they had a far smoother take off, then before. So smooth that Twilight didn’t even know they HAD taken off again. She was still far too focused on the Doctor to worry about that weird noise.

She just looked at him for a moment more glaring at him. “.... How...” She said almost deathly stern- Yet the stallion continued laughing.

Once he had calmed down quite a bit, he looked at her and smirked “Like you said Miss Sparkle. This technology was far more advanced than your own. So how would I even BEGIN to explain to you how this all works?” He asked her.

She was really starting to hate when this stallion had a point. She sighed and looked around, resting her head on a hoof. “Nice going Twilight... You walked right into a time traveling space-ship....” She said sighing a bit more, before looking up at the console. She just stared at it for a moment, unintentionally leaning her head against the Doctor’s shoulder. However he didn’t mind much. But he did smile, just at how cute she was at that moment, being confused, and frustrated at the same time.

=====(LINE)=====

He decided to just let her go, as he landed the TARDIS back in the park, smiling a bit. “So then. Do you still believe me now Miss Sparkle?” He asked her, smiling a bit. “Or do you still believe I’m some amazing Earth stallion, who can perform magical feats, that are impossible, and are undoable by the student of Celestia, and possibly the Princess herself?” He asked her jokingly.

She however looked up at him, staring for a moment. “.... No... But I think you are an amazing Stallion who travels throughout time and space, performing extreme feats, that are impossible to replicate, or can’t be done by any other pony than you....” She said, just looking up  into his eyes.

He blushed a bit from the compliment, and the amount of cuteness she was radiating. “O-Oh... Well thank you....” He said smiling a bit, looking to the Console as she continued to look up at him. The Proximity was becoming a bit much for him. “... Um... Twilight? ... Are you alright?” He asked her looking down again.

She nodded a bit, on his shoulder. “Yeah. Why?”

“Well... Because you’ve been staring at me for a while... It’s a bit too much cute to take in. Hehe...” He said chuckling a bit.

She blushed deeply and stepped away from him. Did he just call her cute? She put her hoof to her muzzle to hide a small smile, before calming herself down a bit. “O-Oh... I see.... Sorry Doctor....” She said looking away a bit.

He only smiled kindly. “Hehe... Alright Miss Sparkle I think I’m done showing off. You can go home now if you want.” He said chuckling a bit.

She looked at him, every confused. Did he just expect her to leave? “W-What?! Why would I leave now?! You’ve just shown me you can go throughout all of time and Space, exploring the Universe!” She exclaimed.

He only smirked a bit more. “Because, I’ve answered your question. You doubted my evidence, so I proved it to you. Therefor- I have answered your question. Now you can say goodbye and continue on your path...” he smiled, and began pulling a few strings, and twisting some knobs, which opened the door to the TARDIS.

Twilight just looked to him astonished for a moment. Why had he just... told her to leave? Surely he wouldn’t have done all of that, just to convince her that he wasn’t lying... He certainly seemed like he was showing off.

“.... I think it’s time to say “Goodbye” for a little while Miss Sparkle. Don’t you?” He said chuckling to himself softly.

She looked at him for a moment more, before realizing his meaning. “... Yes.... I think it is time to say Goodbye...” She said smiling a bit softly. “... But not forever... Only just a short time. Say by tomorrow Morning?” She asked him, smiling a little.

“Oh sooner than that Miss Sparkle. Far sooner than that.” He said chuckling a little.

Suddenly the TARDIS phone rang, and he picked up. “Hello? This is the Doctor- Oh! Yes! Hello you old bearded grump! Yes yes! Everything is fine! Brilliant, in fact! How are things for you? *loud squeaking noises could be heard coming from the phone.* Oh... Oh dear... Oh no- that doesn’t sound good at all..... Yes yes- Of course, of course I’ll be right on my way-” He continued talking into the phone sporadically, rambling on about a few defensive idea’s, waving his arms in the air.

Twilight giggled a bit, watching him, before she walked to the door sticking her head out, and waving around to anyone who could hear her. “GOODBYE~!!! I’LL BE BACK IN A LITTLE WHILE~!!! SEE YOU THEN!” She yelled out.

She smiled and shut the TARDIS Door behind her as she walked back inside. “Welp. I said my Goodbyes Doctor.” She said smiling as she walked back up to the console.

The Doctor smiles a bit as well. “Oh yes... Yes, yes... We are on our way Star Swirl... Right, see you in a few minutes.” He looked to her and smiled. “Welp! Ready to go to a long long lost, and forgotten empire?” He asked her excitedly.

She giggled a bit, and looked at him cautiously. “Wait wait wait.... You mean THE Star Swirl?!” She asked him excitedly. “The most POWERFUL Unicorn to ever Live?!” She said giggling a little more, with excitement.

“WELL... there is one who become far stronger than him, but that’s the future, so- Spoilers~” He said chuckling a bit.

“Oh brother....” She said face hoofing.

“What?!” He asked, laughing a bit. Apparently it became infectious because Twilight started giggling as well. He smiled and winked when he got her to laugh a bit, and ran circles around the console. “Right then! Lets say 953 years ago! The Equestrian Empire- before Luna was Banished, and after the Defeat of Sombra, Discord, and Queen Chrysalis!” He smiled a bit cocking his head to her. “Also known as the age of Celestia’s Rebuild, the most influential Time in all of Equestrian History.... Now let’s go see if we can keep it that way~ ”.He said pulling down on the Lever, sending them off into the Time Vortex.

To Be Continued....