Let's Kill King Sombra!

Chapters

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 1

Part 2

“Doctor, are you sure we haven’t turned evil?”

The Time Lord looked up from the cape he was trying to iron and sighed. Apparently capes were the current fashion trend in the Crystal Empire and the royal tailor had brought the Doctor and his family elegant ones to wear at dinner. “Yes Derpy, I am sure.”

Derpy’s wings fluttered in agitation. “But are you kinda sure or not really sure or ‘Bwahahaha, I am lying and we are really evil!’ sure?”

“I am sure sure.”

“… is sure-sure a kind of evil…”

“Derpy,” the Doctor said. The pegasus managed a weak smile at the way he seemed to linger over every letter of her name; the Doctor only did that when he thought she was being especially silly. “We are not evil.”

“But it feels like we are evil,” Derpy stated. “We are having dinner with King Sombra.”

“Yes, Derpy, I understand-“

“Of course, I don’t remember Rainbow Dash or Princess Twilight ever mentioning King Sombra being so polite and articulate. They said he sounded more like Batstallion with a mouth full of candy. You know, “Mwahahahahaha! Garble garble garble!”. This Sombra sounds much better.” Derpy pursed her lips in thought. “Do you think when he attacked the Crystal Empire he had a head cold? Those things can really make you sound silly.”

“Yeah!” Dinky said, trotting into the room wearing a blue cap and, of all things, a fake mustache. “You sounded really weird when you got your head cold, Doctor! Remember, when Applebloom made you buy all those apples? You didn’t have your accent!”

“At least they weren’t pears,” the Doctor muttered. “Why are you wearing that?”

“You told me we had to wear the capes,” Dinky said. “All royal guests wear capes when attending royal dinners. You told me that, Doctor!”

“Not the cape,” the Time Lord said, “the mustache.”

“Oh!” Dinky said with a grin. “Because we’re evil now!” Dinky reached up and twirled the fake facial hair. “Bwahahahaha! I will tie you to the railroad tracks as part of an old-timey way of defeating you, innocent mare who is no match for me!” She paused, tilting her head in confusion. “Are there railroads in the Crystal Empire?”

“I’ll go check!” Derpy said happily, only for the Doctor to spin her away from the door. “Or I will continue getting dressed!” Derpy walked over to the makeup mirror and began to apply some lipstick, making fishy-faces as she did so.

“I understand how awkward this is, but we don’t have all the facts.” The Doctor walked over to a full-body mirror and adjusted his tie. He nodded towards Dinky and the filly trotted over to him, sitting down so he could try and tame the unruly hair she’d inherited from her mother. “Yes, this king is named Sombra, but there have been five King Sombras in the history of the Crystal Empire. There was Sombra the First, also known as Sombra the Great who while loved in his time historians now view as the weakest of them all. Then there is Sombra the Second or Sombra the Lesser who is anything but and is hailed as the greatest by the Empire. Titles are funny, aren’t they? Did you know that the Daleks call me the Oncoming Storm?”

“And they call me ‘No, not you, aarrgh I’m burning alive!’,” Derpy said, flailing her forelegs about as if trying to shield herself from an invisible attack.

“That isn’t a title.”

“Then why do they scream it every time they see me?”

Dinky giggled. “Mama has a point.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Fine fine, whatever you to say. Now then, after the Greater and the Lesser who should have their titles reversed there was Sombra the Young who actually had a proper title since he was made king on his 8th birthday. Then there is Sombra the Fourth who has no titles because, quite honestly, there is nothing rather impressive about him. Kind of the plain cake donut of the dynasty. And the last is King Sombra the Fifth…”

“The Dark,” Derpy said, trotting over to Dinky and looking down at her neatly combed hair. “Oh, you’ve messed it up!” She began to tousle the mane, trying to get it all wild again.

“Yes, the Dark.” The Doctor gave up trying to tame Dinky’s mane while Derpy tried to untame it and set about pacing back and forth. “The one that nearly destroyed the Crystal Empire… twice.” The Doctor bobbed his head from side to side. “That’s actually impressive, when you think of it. How many villains can say they almost destroyed the same Empire twice? Usually you get defeated the first time and that is it; turned to stone or made good again or transformed into grape pudding. Actually no, I take it back, not that impressive at all. You know what would be impressive? Actually destroying the Empire you are trying to destroy. I mean, think of how sad that is! You try and do something, fail to do it, wait around a few centuries, give or take, and then do it again and what happens? You get defeated by some bloke tossing his girl off a balcony? That has to be disappointing… imagine the knock to the old self-confidence Sombra must have taken after that. I mean yeah, he was probably more concerned with being atomized but if atoms had feelings his would probably felt very sad.”

“Doctor?” Derpy asked, kissing Dinky on the forehead and giving the filly’s mane one final tousle.

“Yes?”

“Which Sombra are we dealing with?”

The Time Lord looked up at the ceiling, nodding his head. “Well, let’s think this through, ya? Can’t be Sombra the Great since the Crystal Palace wasn’t built when he was alive. Funny thing, really, the Crystal Palace was actually built to be Sombra the Great’s tomb but in a rare bout of intelligence the simple folk realized that having a giant building in the middle of your capital city only act as a tomb was rather silly so they threw his casket into a ditch. Then the intelligence ran out and they just made it the royal estate. I would have made it a squash court but that’s me. Love squash, both the game and the veggie.”

“Sombra the Lesser than?” Derpy asked.

The Doctor waved her off. “No no, that’s impossible. They didn’t have those cobbled roads during Lesser’s time or the Young’s, now that I think of it. That narrows it down then!”

Dinky scrunched her nose. “He’s Sombra the Dark, isn’t he?”

“Of course he isn’t!” The Doctor laughed. “I mean yes, that bubble trap only came into existence 4 years before the 5th was born so that kinda rules out the 4th so… yes… yes.” The Doctor looked at the two nervously. “We are dealing with Sombra the Dark.”

Derpy nodded. “Ok, standard ‘we need to get out of here’ protocol.”

“I’ll go steal some towels!” Dinky said, making a beeline for the bathroom.

“Oi! No stealing! We don’t steal in this family.”

“You stole the TARDIS!” Dinky called out from the bathroom.

“I borrowed her and I am going to give her back…” under his breath he muttered, “despite what she says.” He wagged his hoof at the bathroom door. “But that doesn’t matter! We can’t go off on a panic!”

“Why not?” Derpy asked, tilting her head. “We do that best! We won a medal for it!”

“That was a joke and we aren’t doing that because we don’t know if we are in trouble yet. Yes, this is King Sombra the Fifth, but we don’t know where in his history we are. This could easily be the beginning of his reign, before he went mad and power hungry! Or maybe we’ve all gotten it horribly wrong all these years and it wasn’t really King Sombra that attacked the Crystal Empire.”

“What could have done all that then?” Dinky asked, dragging several bathroom towels and stuffing them into an empty pillow case.

“Oh, plenty of things! A Ganger that gained sentience, a Teselecta… maybe something happened like with the windigos and Clover the Clever or he was possessed by some sort of brain slug. On Gallopfrey we even had stories about this weird thing that could take on the identity of other beings, copying their abilities and then attempting to steal their lives. Admittedly we told those stories at Time Lord Summer Camp… ok, back to the point, back to the point! We have no idea if this Sombra is evil or not and even if he is it won’t hurt to have dinner with him. I try and be a bit open minded, give even the most cruel a chance to be friendly.”

“So… what do we do then?” Dinky asked, jumping on the pillowcase in an attempt to get all the towels scrunched down. “Oh! Can we tie him up and tickle him till he admits the truth? And then get cookies because I like cookies.”

“No to the tying up but yes to the cookies if we can find some,” the Doctor said. “We need to just act normal, have a lovely dinner, and they decide if we stay the night or head back to the TARDIS.”

Derpy frowned. “Our normal or every other pony’s normal?”

“Haven’t found any yet!” Dinky called out, her parents looking up to find the filly dangling from the crystal light fixture. “Cookies! Where are you?”

“… other pony’s,” the Doctor said.

~DH~DH~DH~

“My King, my Princess,” the butler declared, “May I present the Doctor, her lady ‘No, not you, aarrgh I’m burning alive!’ Derpy Hooves, and their daughter, Dinky.”

The Doctor glared at his wife, who merely smiled.

The grand dining hall of the Crystal Palace was considered even in modern Equestria to be one of the greatest wonders in the world. In its prime though the hall had no other rival. It was tall enough that a good size dragon could have stood upon his hind legs and not even brushed his head against the great chandeliers made of gleaming sapphires. The walls were the finest marble with the history of the empire carved into their surface and lined with veins of emeralds and rubies. At each corner of the hall there was a fountain nearly 8 feet tall with water enchanted to change colors depending on the hour of the day. The floor was made up of interlocking tiles of various shades of gray and black that seemed to shift and move if one stared at it too long; the royal family had seen more than one visitor become entranced by the pattern and become lost to the world.

The Doctor, Derpy, and Dinky sat at the majestic white wood table, looking at the wide array of dishes set out before them: crystal berries, north grass salad, maple bread, rose petal stew, and artichoke heart steak. Beside each of the guests and the two royals stood a unicorn servant who, without even blinking an eye, began to use their magic to levitate bits of food towards their mouths.

“I must say, I’ve never quite dined this way,” the Doctor said, leaning forward to take a small bite of the maple bread that hovered in front of him.

“I have always found it quite unfair to the pegasi and earth ponies that they are forced to root around their plates like pigs seeking out truffles while unicorns use their magic.” King Sombra paused, sipping a spoonful of soup before continuing. “I am of course not looking down upon either of you. 90% of my subjects lack wings or a horn and they are, in my opinion, the greatest ponies on this world. I merely find it unfair. You do not see earth ponies forcing their guests to compete in feats of strength to earn their meals or pegasi hanging plates from the ceiling. And yet we with magic flaunt our skills all the time in front of the rest of you, then sneer at your ‘poor manners’?” Sombra scoffed. “Pitiful. That is why I have hired these ponies, to help all who eat at my table.”

“It does not matter if you have magic or not,” Princess Solsra said politely, sensing the question Dinky was about to ask, “all are treated fairly.”

“As long as they hover cookies towards me, I’m good.” At the princess’ raised eyebrow Dinky stated, “I was promised cookies.”

“Hmmm,” Solsra said with sly wink, “if I had know I could have gotten cookies by holding out I wouldn’t have agreed so quickly to come here.”

“I’ll share,” Dinky said happily.

“Thank you.”

King Sombra smiled as he watched Solsra and Dinky chat. He took a long sip of his wine before turning his attention towards the Doctor. “I must admit that I am intrigued by you, Doctor. You are clearly not from my kingdom or from the south… where do you call home?”

“I am not surprised that you know we are not from your Empire, as I would expect a king like yourself to know all his subjects. How do you know we aren’t from Equestria?” Derpy asked politely, a teasing smile on her face. The Time Lord wondered how the snootier ponies in Canterlot would react to seeing the mare they always looked down upon as being backwards showing poise and grace while dining with a king. While she was most days a fun loving mare that let her mind wander and drift Derpy could, when she wanted to, focus like no other. The Doctor still hadn’t discovered where Derpy had learned the rules of etiquette that she had, but the mare was a natural among the elite… and knew how to get them talking.

King Sombra laughed. “My dear, your question alone proves that you are not from Equestria. My neighbors to the south may try and claim that they are a land of peace and unity but they are not that far removed from their darker, war-like days. The three tribes were at each other’s throats when I was a boy and I have found that it takes more than a few years for a pony to change their ways, let alone a society.” He took a great bite of artichoke, savoring the flavor before continuing. “An earth pony and a pegasus married with a unicorn daughter? I mean no offense but you would never have survive long enough to make it to here had you been from the southern kingdom.”

The Doctor leaned forward, sharing a quick look with Derpy. Dinky was happily chatting with Princess Solsra about their favorite desserts, letting the adults focus on King Sombra and the mystery he posed. “You don’t hold a very high opinion of the southern kingdom.”

“They haven’t done anything to earn it,” Sombra stated. “Equestria is young… a foal among countries, and yet they act like they are some grand realm that should be worshiped. While their three tribes feuded with each other we were breaking bread with all different ponies. Our empire has always been a shining example of harmony in the entire world and I do not appreciate the southerns believing they know better than us because their so-called alicorns managed to defeat a being I am not entirely convinced existed.”

“Discord,” Derpy stated.

“You have heard the legends too, I see,” Sombra said. “The patchwork spirit of chaos… a boogeyman created to frighten the foolish and the naïve. He is a convenient excuse to cover up their sins. They claim the capricorns fell to this ‘spirit of chaos’ defending the princesses; the capricorns’ disgust with Equestria is greater than my own, so why would they do such a thing? It is just enough lie the Equestrians have made to make us feel fear. Most likely the capricorns have merely retreated to their undersea cities… they have done it before, sometimes disappearing for 40 years before returning. They could also be fighting another one of their bloodless wars with the perytons; they are known to do that as well. I highly doubt that some cobbled together chaos bringer turned them to stone! This Discord is no more real that Smooze or changelings.”

“Well, actually…” the Doctor began.

“Of course, it is hard to believe in anything evil here,” Derpy said, interrupting the Doctor before he could continue. “The Crystal Heart is the greatest weapon against enemies of harmony. That is why we traveled from Griffland-“

“So you are from Griffland,” Sombra said with a smirk.

“Are we?” Derpy said, confusion written on her features.

“You just said you were, so no use denying it now.”

“If you say so,” Derpy said. The Doctor forced himself not to drop his jaw and stare at Derpy; only she could mix elite manners with her own brand of teasing confusion in an attempt to trick a king who would one day become a Dark Unicorn… and get it to WORK. “I do wish to see it though before we leave.”

“I am afraid that I must disappoint you, Mrs. Hooves,” Sombra said sadly, sampling another spoonful of soup. “The Crystal Heart is no longer available for public viewing.”

“Father, may Dinky and I be excused?” Solsra asked. “She was promised cookies, it seems.” The filly flashed her most angelic smile while her parents shook their heads. “I am done anyway and you will be able to converse more freely with our guests.”

“If her parents do not mind…” Sombra said, looking towards the Doctor and Derpy.

“Dinky, what is Rule #1?” the Doctor asked.

“Don’t do anything you would do.”

“Yes that’s… wait, what?”

“Good girl,” Derpy said with a smile. “Have fun.”

“Bye mama!” Dinky said happily, rushing away from the table with Solsra fast on her hooves.

“You have a very giving daughter,” the Doctor said, watching as Solsra chased after Dinky.

Sombra smiled sadly. “I am blessed. I wish my dear wife was alive to see the strong, beautiful mare Solsra has become.” The King of the Crystal Empire shook his head. “Everything I do now, I do for her, to keep her safe.”

“What do you mean?” the Time Lord asked. Though the concern in Sombra’s voice seemed genuine, the Doctor remembered well that the stallion before him would, one day, become a threat so great that he nearly destroyed the Crystal Empire and issued in an age of darkness. While many would be unable to connect the Sombra before them with the cackling monster he’d become, the Doctor actually found that this new piece of information, that Sombra had a daughter, made it easier to believe that the cultured, polite king could become the terror he did. Foals changed everything… especially when they were your own.

Sombra looked at the two of them and sighed. “You must have noticed that we are on high alert. There are more guards out in the streets and my poor subjects feel the weight of fear upon them. What happened to you today was not the first time an attempt has been made to kill me.” At the Doctor and Derpy’s confused looks the king shook his head. “I am only telling you this because you became involved and saved my daughter… I owe you the truth. The southern kingdom is trying to kill me.”

“Why would they want to do that?” the Doctor asked.

“They believe I am not worthy to rule, that I am leading the Crystal Empire in the wrong direction, all because they have accepted these so-called alicorns as their rulers.” Sombra let out a barking laugh. “Con artists and tricksters, the two of them. The sun and the moon have moved fine on their own but now that these trumped up mares appear with the celestial bodies tattooed on their flanks and I am expected to give up the throne held by my ancestors? No… no!” Sombra slammed his foreleg down against the table.

“I have caught several southern spies moving about my city, trying to sow insurgence among my subjects. Several of my most trusted advisors have disappeared from their posts; I know one who now serves the southern kingdom. The Crystal Heart itself has been attacked… I can feel its power weakening every day. That is why I moved it to a safe location, so not to frighten my subjects.” He grit his teeth in frustration. “The southerns have tried everything to weak my position, to make me appear feeble and unable to lead. And now that they have failed… they attempt to kill me.

“They have tried poison. They have tried explosives. They have tried traps made to look like common accidents. And now they have involved my daughter… my daughter!” Sombra struggled to gain control of his emotions. “Why wouldn’t they? With my death Solsra will become queen… both of us must be removed so they can claim the throne… so they can place another ‘alicorn’ upon the throne.”

“Oh… I don’t know about that,” the Doctor said awkwardly.

Derpy nodded. “At the very least they definitely wouldn’t pick one married to the captain of the royal guard!”

“I do know… oh yes, I do know this. I have seen it and I will not let it come to pass!” Sombra motioned for more wine, his shoulders slumped. “You wonder why I am telling you this… it is because though I have just met you… I feel you may be the only ponies I can trust.”

“Oh… well that’s… wonderful,” the Doctor managed to say while Derpy let out a choking cough.

~DH~DH~DH~

“I bet you’ve never seen a bedroom this big before,” Solsra said playfully, watching as Dinky trotted around the princess’ quarters. Two stories tall with a living room, small dining area, walk-in closet that led to a balcony that overlooked her bed, and a bathtub that looked more like a small pond, Solsra sometimes found herself in awe of her bedroom.

“Mine’s three times as big!” Dinky giggled, leaping onto the bed and bouncing up and down. “Bouncy bouncy bouncy!”

Solsra looked at the filly, figuring she must be joking. But the way Dinky was just hopping on her mattress, showing none of the normal signs a little one would display when trying to hold onto a silly joke, made the princess raise an eyebrow in confusion. “Really?”

“Uh-huh!” Dinky said happily. “It use to be six times but then the Doctor had to purge some space in order to help Aunt Vastra and Aunt Jenny save Uncle Strax from the Slushies so now my bedroom is under the pool.”

“Your bedroom is… under a pool? Like on the floor below?”

Dinky leapt onto a pillow and laughed. “No, silly, it’s under the pool! I get to swim down each night!” Dinky paused, considering something. “But since the pool doesn’t have water but instead low-grav vapor, does that make it a pool?”

Solsra stared at the happy little filly and latched onto the only thing she could in the entire conversation that wouldn’t cause her brain to explode. “You call your father the Doctor.”

“Yup!” Dinky said. “He’s the Doctor… always will be! Just like I’m the Dinky!” The little unicorn stuck out her tongue several times. “We go on adventures and see all sorts of ponies and griffins and Aunt Jenny and Aunt Vastra and Uncle Strax… and the Brigadier … oh, and the Ponds! I love the Ponds, they’re silly!”

“A pond is silly?” Solsra asked. “Like a pool is above your bed?”

“Not a pond, the Ponds! They babysit me sometimes when mama and the Doctor want to do sexy things.” Dinky made a disgusted look, clearly not liking anything that was ‘sexy’. For her sexy was yucky and stupid. “Mr. Pond takes me to get ice cream and Mrs. Pond plays games with me. We once went to Sweet Apple Acres to get cider… they acted weird when Little Smith… who is no longer that little, I guess… spent the whole time talking to me! They act like they’ve never seen two friends catch up!” Dinky shook her head, erasing that line of thought from her head like clearing an image from an Etch-E-Sketch. “But I like traveling with mama and the Doctor. We’ve been to Zebrica and Tigrasia… we went to Ponpan and met four of their emperors… Griffland is fun too! Aunt Vastra and Jenny and Uncle Strax live in Leodon and we are always running around helping the bobbys catch a criminal or something!”

“You’ve traveled around a lot,” Solsra said with a sad little smile, walking towards her bed.

“What’s wrong?” Dinky said, instantly sensing the princess was feeling down. She trotted over to the crystal unicorn and, standing on the edge of the bed, nuzzled her.

“I… I’ve always… have you ever looked out your window and stared beyond the place you live and wanted to find out what lay beyond the horizon?” Solsra glanced over at Dinky and sighed. “Ok, you haven’t… but I have. Every night I wonder about what is going on outside the empire and what others must be experiencing… not just their adventures but their normal lives. So many ponies think that being a princess must be grand but when that’s all you’ve known it gets quite dull. They dream of crowns and thrones… I dream of running through the fields and stopping at the store for some bread and carrots. I want to experience so much more… but… but I guess I never will.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m a princess… Princess Solsra.” The crystal pony scowled. “I hate that name. It isn’t my real one, you know. When my father became king I became his heir and had to take my ‘royal’ name. It’s so… stupid!” Solsra stomped her hoof, for a moment acting very much like the young mare she truly was. “Princess Solsra who has to always stay tucked away… kept safe and sound… can’t go out, can’t make friends… I can’t even talk to the guards…” Dinky looked down, sniffing slightly. “Oh sweetie, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-“

“I KNOW!” Dinky exclaimed in glee, nearly bowling Solsra over with the bellow. “I’ll be your friend! No, wait!” Dinky began to trot up and down the length of the bed, tapping her chin. “Not friend… friends go away, friends end up on different planets or leave to have babies or have their memories wiped. I’d make you my companion but the Doctor says I can’t have my own companions till my 20 and have stolen my own TARDIS.”

“Your father… wants you to have… more than one ‘companion’?” Solsra asked.

“Uh huh! He said I should have at least one stallion and one mare and maybe an alien but we’ll have to wait.” Dinky’s eyes lit up. “I got it! I got it!” She began to bounce up and down once more. “I’ll be your sister and you can be mine! Sisters are worth 20 friends or 5 companions!”

Solsra watched the filly jump up and down and couldn’t help but help but join in laughing with her. Dinky’s simple joy warmed her heart and made it all so much easier to smile… especially since, this time, she wasn’t having to fake it.

“Is that a yes?” Dinky asked, tilting her head.

“Yes… yes it is.”

“YAY!” Dinky squealed, leaping at the princess who quickly caught her and spun her around, cradling her in her forelegs. “And you know what would make this better?”

“What?”

“Cookies!”

Solsra let out another laugh, setting Dinky back onto the bed. “Ok, ok… I think you’ve been denied long enough. Wait right here… big sister will get you some cookies.”

Dinky grinned as Solsra trotted out of the room. The filly plopped down on the bed, looking about at all the shiny precious things and beautiful pieces of priceless art. And as she saw it all, she found there was only one thing to say.

“Huh… bored now.”

With those words, Dinky did what any good Time Lord, even a little one, would do: explore. She began to open up drawers and peak under the bed to look at the royal dust bunnies. She peaked her head in the cabinets to look at the princess’ mugs and bowls and opened the closet to stare at all the wonderful capes and shoes that lay within. And when she was done with that Dinky began to inspect the walls and the floor, tapping them and testing them till she found the secret latch, the one she had known to be there because all castles had secrets. She happily pulled on it to open up Solsra’s hidden little hidey hole, which was full of interesting things. Things like maps and books and poisons and letters to assassins and magical explosive crystals and harmful totems and security orbs like the ones that had trapped her family earlier that day and secret plans that all described how the princess could murder her own father and cover up the crime…

“I wish you hadn’t found that,” Solsra set, setting the plate of cookies she’d brought down. She began to walk towards the filly, eyes narrowed. “Oh Dinky… I really wish you-“

WHAM!

Solsra fell to the ground, knocked out cold, a lump forming on her forehead.

“Mama taught me that,” Dinky said, grabbing a cookie and munching on it.

Part 3

“So,” the Doctor said, trotting around Princess Solsra’s limp form, “I want to make sure I have this correct.”

“Ok!” Dinky said happily. She was sitting on a stool, looking about the room with wide, happy eyes. “You try and break me, copper, I won’t budge!”

The Time Lord frowned. “Dinky… this isn’t an intero-“

“Ok, it was me; I’m the one that gave Miss Pie that coffee! I didn’t know it would make her do that dance! You can’t blame me! I want a lawyer! I want a better lawyer! Attica! Attica!”

“Attica! Attica!” Derpy chimed in, stomping the floor. When the Doctor stared at her the mare trailed off, blushing. “Sorry. I love a good chant.”

The Doctor rubbed his temple, hoping that might help him ease away the headache he could feel coming. He loved his girls with all his heart; without them he might still be running about. They had given him a reason to slow down, to settle down, to step out of his box and actually interact with the world instead of just darting about it. Still, there was times when his dear wife and child were so… like him… that if gave him brain a thrumming.

“Dinky, this is not an interrogation. I just want to know why you knocked out Princess Solsra.”

“Oh,” Dinky said, shaking out of her prisoner-gloom. “That’s simple, Doctor.”

“Glad to hear.”

“She is plotting the assassination of her father and discovered that I had learned of her plans. So, before she could attack me, I took her out.”

“…what?”

“That’s my girl!” Derpy said happily giving Dinky a hug. “Well done, muffin!”

“Thanks mama!”

“No, no, not well done!” the Doctor exclaimed, glaring at the two. Mother and daughter, however, were use to the Doctor trying to dampen their good moods and just kept on hugging. “How did I end up the straight pony? I am never the straight pony!” The two gray ponies began to giggle and the Doctor just rolled his eyes. “I don’t mean like that.”

Derpy kissed Dinky on the forehead. “Well, you might not be happy but I am thrilled. Good job, sweetie.”

“How can you be happy about this?” The Doctor exclaimed. “She knocked out a princess!”

“First, I always think royalty needs a few good knocks on the head. Keeps them humble.” Derpy spread her wings and began to lazily fly about the room. “Second, did you miss the part where the little shiny mare on the bed tried to murder her father? Third… Dinky was discovered and instead of letting herself become a victim like so many of your companions, she did what you or I would do: knocked… the bitch… out.”

The Doctor pursed his lips. “Well, when you put it like that.” He ruffled Dinky’s hair, earning a grin from the filly. “Still… would it hurt you to let yourself get kidnapped every once and a while? I miss rescuing my companions… kept me in great shape. Better than swimming, which is after all the best exercise…”

“Mu… wha…” Solsra mumbled.

“She’s waking up,” Derpy said.

“I got it!” Dinky said, prepping to deliver another bucking. The Doctor, however, quickly grabbed the filly and spun her away. “WWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Dinky giggled as she spun across the floor. She flew into the bathroom and her parents winced when there was a mighty crash. “Again, again!” Dinky screamed in delight.

“Alright, time to focus!” The Doctor said, tapping his forehead and closing his eyes. “Crystal Empire. King Sombra. Previously unknown princess named Solsra. Death traps. Threats from the South. Missing Crystal Heart. Assassins. Fratricide. Check that, attempted and failed Fratricide. Discovered by Time Lord filly. Nargles, this is complex. I wonder why Supermare vs. Batstallion was delayed. No, need to focus. Solsra taken down by Time Lord filly. Princess waking up on bed.” The Doctor nodded. “Right, all caught up.”

“Oh, and I also ate some cookies!” Dinky said happily, emerging from the bathroom.

The Doctor’s shoulders slumped. “Well, that just ruined everything!”

“It did?” Dinky said nervously.

“No, it didn’t.” The Doctor trotted over to her and touched her nose. “That’s for being silly. Derpy!”

“On it!” Derpy said, snatching a curtain and zooming around Solsra with speed that would make Rainbow Dash jealous. She landed next to her daughter and nodded, pleased with the bindings and knowing they would hold the princess nice and tight. “Snug as a rug in a bug!”

“Very good,” the Doctor said, walking over to Solsra. “Now then… I think it is time we had some light shed on this mystery.” He thrashed his head forward and his sonic screwdriver leapt from his mane and into his mouth. The sonic’s head rotated several times before pointing directly at Solsra’s face. “Now, normally the sonic would be rubbish when it came to actually affecting living beings in this situation but having a wife that likes to sleep in I learned a few things… like how to set its alarm setting.” The sonic let out a loud bell chime and Solsra’s eyes popped open. “There we are! Was wondering when you’d wake up!” The Doctor returned the sonic screwdriver to his mane before focusing his attention on the princess. “Well then… I suppose we have a lot to talk about.”

“What… what have you…” Solsra struggled against her bonds. “You-“

“Don’t bother. Derpy is an expert at tying knots.”

“And you don’t know the safe word!” Derpy said with a grin.

“ You’ll never get out of that binding… well, until we let you that is.” Solsra’s eyes flared in anger at the Doctor’s comment. “I’m betting the next words out of your mouth will be something along the lines of ‘All I have to do is scream and you will be thrown in the dungeon!’.”

Derpy smiled. “And the Doctor’s next words will be ‘Cor, I’ll bloody well show them your plans, that’s for true!’.”

“Well, I won’t say it like that but you get the idea” The Doctor did a little spin, a smile on his lips. “Of course, you’re response would be ‘I’ll tell them they were yours!’.”

Derpy nodded quickly. “And the Doctor will counter with, ‘Is that a risk you are willing to take? Bob’s your uncle. What you call soccer I call football!’.”

“Again, not like that but pretty close.”

“And I will ask for milk to go with my cookies!” Dinky replied. “I’ll also point out that you seem really nice and I hope you aren’t really mean because I’d kinda like my big sister not to be mean.” She looked up with wide, watery eyes. “Please?”

Solsra swallowed hard, trying to retain her icy demeanor. Dinky merely took a step closer, her large, glistening eyes locking onto the crystal pony’s. She glanced over at Derpy, who shrugged, as if asking ‘what, you think I can stop her?’

“I don’t think you want to be mean.” The Doctor tilted his head, studying the princess. “And I think you don’t want to harm anypony… not really. There is something though… something that drove you to think these horrible things. Something that made you not just willing to kill your own father… but something that made you believe that his death is so important that you would contemplate killing us as well.” The Time Lord marched forward, his nose nearly touching Solsra’s. “I know a bit about that… about wanting to be good… wanting to save all the crying foals and the innocent families. It eats you up, to see them, to watch them… so you decide to try and help. And after you help a little you find it easy to help a lot. But then there comes a time… a time when you are forced to do something you never thought you could do but you have to because the alternative is so, so far worse.” Solsra tilted her head away, no longer able to meet the Doctor’s eyes. “So you do it… and that is all it takes because once a line is crossed it becomes all the more easier to cross it again and again, like breaking through a bush to continue along a path. And if you are willing to cross one line why not the next? Or the next? Soon you are just smashing through the lines, not even bothering to see what happens when you do so because you have to save them, you know you can save them and yes you have to do bad things but it is better if you do bad than let the bad touch them. Until finally… until finally…”

The Doctor lowered his head, his eyes half shut as he focused on breathing… in and out… in and out.

“Until finally realize you’ve forgotten yourself and become something else entirely… something more... yet something less. Yes… yes… I know a bit about that.” The Doctor gently lifted her head up, forcing her to look him in the eye. “I do not know what drove you to these actions but I do know that they were not without reason…. perhaps even the greatest of reasons. What we need to know now is what those reasons are.”

Solsra swallowed hard, her lips quivering as she struggled to deal with the feelings the Doctor had drudged up. She looked at the little family and suddenly found Derpy guiding her onto a chaise longue, the room spinning about her. She realized, only belatedly, that Derpy had freed her from her bonds. “I… I’ve been at this for so long… so very, very long… but I’ve never forgotten why I began doing it.”

“Then tell us,” Derpy said gently.

Solsra nodded. “My father… is a large stallion. Not just physically. You sensed it tonight, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” the Doctor said. “There is something… grand about him. Something that draws your attention.”

Solsra looked down at her hooves. “Doctor, have you met many stallions like my father?” Before he could answer, the princess continued. “I have. In the beginning, when my father was merely the crowned prince, the Crystal Empire, while still isolated, was more open than it has been under my father’s rule. My grandfather, King Mombra, played host to dignitaries from Griffland, Reinssia, the Mareatine and the Tropic of Capricorn, Ponpan, Prance, Iponia, Zebrica, Saddle Arabia, Draxico, Tigasia… so many formal dinners and grand balls.”

Solsra smiled, a true smile, not the forced one she wore when out in public. She began to sway a bit, the phantom music of a long last age playing through her head. She could see the waltzing nobility, smell the fresh-cut flowers upon the lapels of the gentlecolts and braided in the manes of so many beautiful mares. She could taste the food upon her lips and feel the dance floor under her hooves.

And then she was back in the present, the past left little more than a distant memory that tickled the back of her mind.

“During those events, I met so many beings of strength and power. The dukes who called Leodon home, the Czar of Reinssia, princes of Saddle Arabia dressed in silk and robes… I even talked to the great Lord Tydal himself, before he and his kind were rendered into stone by Discord. They all had this… aura about them; the same that my father has. And all of them were the same, including my father: they were all dangerous in their own way. That aura… that energy… that draw… it is the mark of one of great power; the mark of one that has the potential to do great good… or evil.”

“But that doesn’t mean your father is evil,” Dinky said, tilting her head in confusion.

“She has a point… the potential to do great evil is not the same as doing great evil.”

“No… but it was my first warning.” Solsra pulled herself up off the chaise longue and began to pace up and down the length of the room. There was a nervous energy about her that demanded release of some kind, lest it explode. “My father has locked us away from the rest of the world.”

“The Empire has always isolated itself,” the Doctor stated. “That is why there are so few crystal unicorns and pegasi.”

“There is a difference between isolation and complete removal. Under the kings and queens of old the Empire remained neutral in wars and was strict with their borders, yes… but that is not what my father is doing. He’s refused to allow any travelers into the city. Not just citizens of Equestria but any pony… even our own subjects who left if only for a day or so. They have been driven away, denied entry, out of my father’s misguided belief that they have been… corrupted.”

“Corrupted?”

“Yes. By disease or Equestrian values… it doesn’t matter to him. My father has grown paranoid, seeing enemies wherever he goes.”

The Doctor frowned. “You haven’t helped that, I imagine, what with you trying to kill him.”

“My moves against him began 6 months ago. His madness existed long before that.” Solsra turned, looking the family over. “Did you not think it odd that my father would throw a dinner in your honor and only have you three be in attendance?” She shook her head slightly. “It wasn’t an honor, even though he dressed it up as such. My father wanted you here, in the palace, because you are the first three ponies to enter the Crystal Empire without his knowledge in over 2 and a half years. He wanted to observe you, to study you.”

“Why not just kill us then?” the Doctor asked.

Derpy, however, knew the answer. “If he is truly as paranoid as Solsra is suggesting, he would want to observe us, to see his worries confirmed. Killing us wouldn’t destroy his fears… it would only make him wonder more.”

“Yes,” Solsra whispered, tears in her eyes. “During dinner, did he tell you of all the troubles we have faced?”

“He said there had been spies from Equestria sowing dissent among your subjects and spies sent by the princesses to find ways to usurp him,” the Doctor stated.

“Delusions,” Solsra stated. “Or it was, for a time. Equestria does want my father off the throne, but only now that word has reached them of how he has used them and the princesses as an excuse to terrorize his own subjects.” The princess violently shuddered. “So many innocent ponies have been captured and tortured because my father saw them as a threat. Any that dared to speak out against him, to claim that he was in the wrong… he has seen their actions through a polluted lens and twisted their words and motives to be something different. He claims he is the greatest protector of the Crystal Empire… but I tell you he is the greatest threat.”

“You are sure of this?” Derpy asked.

“Of course. He claims there are spies in this very city, trying to start revolts. And yet he has closed our borders and lets no one in or out. You are the first… I still don’t understand how you managed to make it so deep into the city… in such a very long time. How can there be spies when my father has laid out so many traps and barriers to prevent them from entering? The answer is there aren’t!”

The Doctor glanced at Derpy, worry shining in his eyes. While knowledge of the future could be a dangerous thing for a time traveler is also allowed one insight to look at events and signs and see the importance they would one day hold. Some might have listened to Princess Solsra and wondered if the same paranoia she claimed her father had did not color her own actions. Yet the Hooves family knew of King Sombra’s final fate… of what he did and how it affected the Crystal Empire. For them, the city’s future was their past.

Solsra continued on, the floodgates opened as she poured out to the Hooves all the things she had kept bottled up inside, unable to share with anyone. All the concerns and worries that she whispered to herself in the darkness and solitude of her room were at last being laid out to bare.

“My father does so many things, claiming they are for the good of his subjects. He doesn’t see that his actions are causing the very things he is trying to prevent.” She looked at each of them, her eyes pleading with them to listen and believe. “He says that the guards he continues to station all about this city are to prevent our subjects from feeling fear… but those very guards INSTILL fear into the masses! He sets up traps to stop invaders, never seeing that they end up hurting the crystal ponies instead!”

“What about the Crystal Heart thingie?” Dinky asked. “Why did your daddy say mama couldn’t see it?”

Solsra glanced towards the wall. Once there had been a window there that allowed her to see out upon the city. Her father had used his magic to seal it away, fearing that an open window would give the imaginary assassins a way to infiltrate the castle. “The Crystal Heart responds to the crystal ponies… and it responds the most to the king. It times of danger the ruler of the Empire could call upon the magic within the Heart to drive away invaders. My father sought out to use the Heart to do this but failed to take into account something very important.”

“And that is?” the Doctor asked.

“The Crystal Heart is alive. It is a sentient weapon, one with a conscience. The rulers do not control it as much as they request its aid and seek permission from it. The Crystal Heart… denied my father. It has viewed him as unworthy and refused his demands. In his mental state he took this to mean that the Heart had been corrupted and tampered with and had it locked away. He experiments on it day and night, trying to get it to react to his demands… and fears that another will arise, strong enough to use the Heart against him.”

“Why does the Heart not defend itself?” Derpy asked. “if it is alive couldn’t it move against your father?”

“Who says it hasn’t? Who says it hasn’t already found a way to defend itself, to protect itself… to SAVE itself?” the Doctor said, moving towards Solsra. The mare refused to back away, even though it was clear she wanted to. “YOU are the Crystal Heart… aren’t you?”

“…yes,” Solsra whispered. “And no.” She looked down at the ground, scuffing her hoof against the tile floor. “I have lived 20 years… and countless millennia. I am young and old… flesh and stone.”

“Doctor, I don’t understand…” Derpy said softly.

The Time Lord smiled. “Two souls merged into one. Princess Solsra and the Crystal Heart’s living conscience merged together, creating one being… fantastic.”

Solsra began to cry. “I was in so much pain… the King was hurting me and my subjects cried out for aid and I couldn’t help them. Then I came and saved me and I and me worked with me and I and-“

The Doctor gripped Solsra’s checks and forced her to stop. “Breathe! Breathe! You’ve gone this long as one being, don’t separate now! Just breathe! Breathe!”

Solsra swallowed, giving the Doctor a watery smile. “T-thank you… normally I’m able to avoid the… separation. When I focus it on it that is when we split apart. I’m ok now.”

Dinky instantly ran over and hugged the trembling mare. “You better be! I don’t want my big sister hurting!”

The Princess looked down at the little filly. “You… you still want me as your big sister?”

“Of course!” Dinky exclaimed. “Why wouldn’t I?” Before the crystal mare could answer Dinky continued to ramble on. “I’m half pony and half time lord! I know what it’s like to be two halves shoved together! Sometimes I feel bad that I am going to live for thousands of years and all my friends are going to die… probably before I even regenerate for the first time. But I manage a-ok and just keep moving and you need to do the same!”

Solsra smiled and hugged Dinky back. “Thank you.” She looked up at the Doctor and Derpy. “Do you understand why I’ve done all this? My father… King Sombra… he has done so much to the Crystal Empire and its ponies. He cannot be allowed to continue on! If there were any other choice I would take it but this is the only way! We have to kill King Sombra!”

“No… you don’t.”

Dinky found herself shoved behind Solsra, the crystal mare’s horn glowing as she faced down her father who stood in the doorway, watching them with green-tinted eyes. All of them could feel the dark magic rolling along his body, coating his flesh like heavy black smoke. A pulse of energy seemed to run through the air as he stepped forward, demanding their attention, and all of them fought against the unnatural pull he was exuding.

“Oh, my dear daughter…” Sombra said with a sad smile, “what have those Equestrians done to you?”

“We have done nothing,” the Doctor said sternly, pulling out his screwdriver.

Derpy just stared at him. “Love, unless he’s a loose cupboard door that isn’t going to do much.”

King Sombra looked at the Doctor in confusion. “Of course you did nothing… oh, those damn princesses! Even now they use their magic to deflect blame! They make you believe my anger is at you instead of at them!”

“Ok, maybe it will work since he has a screw loose,” Derpy muttered.

“Look at what those usurpers have done to my daughter… turning her into an instrument of destruction and pointed her at me!” Sombra reached out and touched Solsra’s cheek. “My dear, they have filled your head with lies… dreams of living stone and destinies that are not your own. Listen to your father… none of what you think is real. They are not your thoughts.”

“Yes they are!” Solsra snapped, shoving her father’s forehoof away. “You attacked your own kingdom and have harmed your subjects… and forced me to move against you!”

“You have moved against me, yes,” Sombra said, “but not of your own free will. Do not worry, my dear… soon your mind will be your own.”

“What are you talking about?” Solsra demanded. “What-“

The entire palace trembled, nearly pitching the ponies off their hooves. Derpy quickly grabbed Dinky and held her tight, taking to the air in hopes that would help protect her little girl if the walls of the Crystal Palace began crashing down upon them. The Doctor was the first to regain his footing and turned his attention to Sombra. “What was that?”

“I have always had a plan… a plan to save the Crystal Empire. We must be separated completely from the world that threatens us if we have any hope for survival.” The mad king smiled benevolently. “I have researched the spell for months, tapping into magic the southerners would call ‘dark’. We will be removed from the world, allowed to exist on our own, without their interference or their manipulative ways!”

“You… you fool!” Solsra screamed, it clear that the Crystal Heart was in the driver’s seat. “You have abandoned all sense of sanity! You will kill us all!”

“I will save us all!” Sombra shouted with a crazed laugh.

Solsra leapt at him, grinding her hoof into her father’s throat. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you and stop this madness!”

“It… it doesn’t matter now!” Sombra shoved her away, the mare crashing at the Doctor’s hooves. “You are too late… I performed the spell an hour ago. Within minutes it will finalize… and we will have peace.”

“Doctor…” Derpy said nervously.

The Time Lord swallowed. “This is it, Derpy… the last day of the Crystal Empire.”

Part 4

“What have you done?” The Doctor and Derpy held Solsra back, the mare screaming in outrage at her father. King Sombra just looked upon her dully; not showing even the slightest sign that all her yelling was affecting him. The royal mare struggled against the other ponies’ forelegs, trying desperately to break free so she could ring her father’s neck. Her horn cracked and her eyes took on the same cold, stony structure as the artifact that had once held half of her merged soul. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?”

“What needed to be done,” Sombra said coolly. “What I have done… I have done without choice… in the name of peace and sanity.”

The Doctor glowered at that. “The worst actions in history have been justified by those exact words, Sombra.”

“That doesn’t mean that they aren’t true, Doctor.” The onyx unicorn began to pace about the room, his emerald eyes flickering like enchanted flames as he spoke. “You have seen many things, haven’t you? We crystal ponies are natural empaths; your mind might be closed off but your heart, Doctor, your heart is an open book. You are so old and have seen so many things… surely you understand the great truth of the world.”

“And that is?” the Doctor asked, only to nearly lose his footing when the palace trembled. Bits of stone fell from the high ceiling and Dinky let out a scream when one large chunk nearly struck her. The filly quickly hid under her mother, Derpy clenching her wings tight to her body as she stared nervously up at the high stone that was cracking overhead. One of the walls trembled and the stone and plaster that had been used to cover up Solsra’s main bedroom window crashed to the ground, revealing the Empire to them all.

Sombra pushed away some fallen debris like a food critic might banish a plate from his table. “That ponies do the right thing for the wrong reason… and the wrong thing for the right reason.” The king shrugged. “I am a student of history, Doctor, and I think I’d prefer to let it be the judge of me, rather than you. History is so less emotional… so less tethered down by the morals of the current day.”

“Says the empath,” Derpy muttered.

“And how do you think history will judge you, Sombra?” the Doctor said, hissing the king’s name out like it was a curse. Solsra had, thankfully, stopped trying to break free; the Doctor feared that if she tried at this moment he’d let her go at the onyx unicorn.

“How else?” Sombra said with a smile. “As a hero. The Savior of the Crystal Ponies!” The king reared back and let out a deep, throaty laugh that had the hairs on all the other ponies’ necks standing straight on end. “You will see soon enough… a golden age is about to arrive for the Empire… an age of true freedom!”

Dinky looked out the window nervously. Pillars made of volcanic glass were bursting out of the ground, slowly at first but picking up speed. The first cries of fear and panic were beginning to drift up to the occupants of the room and the little filly gulped as watched the cracks in the palace grow larger. “Isn’t this when the P-Princesses arrive and banish him?”

The Doctor pursed his lips. “What is the first Rule?”

“The Doctor lies,” Derpy said.

“And Rule 2?” The Doctor shook his head in annoyance. “So does everyone else. Have you seen the Crystal Ponies in chains with King Sombra lording over them? Do you remember a Princess Solsra in the tales? What we’ve been told is a lie… this, Dinky… this is the truth.”

Sombra snarled in frustration. “Of course it’s the truth. Why would I ever put my subjects in chains? They are not my slaves! What I am doing now is for them! It isn’t to hurt them, it is to save them!”

“Save them from what?!” Solsra screamed, the cries of her ponies tearing at her twin souls. The part of her that was the Crystal Heart desired so greatly to go out and comfort them… but she knew that she’d never be able to do that. King Sombra had locked away her original form and Solsra would never be able to escape with her father watching. They were all trapped in her bedroom, forced to listen to his rantings.

“From the world, my daughter… from the world. If we are to survive we must barricade ourselves from the barbarians that gather at the gates! It is the only way!” Sombra waved his hoof at window. “Look out there!” The ponies, almost against their will, gazed out the window as the black glass shards grew more numerous, rising from the ground and nearly destroying buildings and ponies. “The world outside our empire is a world of mistrust and egotism. They all believe they know best and do not see that their actions bring about not harmony but destruction! They are so consumed by their own beliefs in what is right and what should be done that they do not understand that they do more harm than good!”

He turned to them and for a moment his eyes did not hold rage and frustration but desperation. “Can you not see why I am doing this? Can you not understand? My entire life… I have been trained to protect the Empire. It is my sole pursue! And today I take the final step to see it fully protected!” The pleading ended and an almost maniac gleam flickered in the corners of his emerald eyes. Raw dark magic began to slowly ooze from them, so thick that it was visible to even the least magically inclined pony. “I have studied the ancient tomes, looking through scrolls long thought lost and examined forces that many would call sinister. I have done terrible things, perhaps, but all in the name of protecting the Empire!

“That is why I took the Crystal Heart… to learn its secrets! And I have, my friends, I have! The marvels that wondrous bauble showed me… you cannot comprehend what I now know.” He looked upon the black obsidian shards that were surrounding his beloved city and smiled like a stallion laying eyes upon his newborn foal. “I have used the power of the heart to fuel my spell and soon, oh so soon, the Empire will be encased in a magic so strong nothing will ever harm us again! We will stay here, free as the world descends into chaos, living on till the end of time.” He whipped around and laughed once more. “Do you not see now?”

“I see,” Dinky said simply. “You’re crazy pants!”

“My daughter’s right,” the Doctor said coolly. “You are mad, Sombra… and that madness has doomed you all.”

“Doomed? Saved… I have saved us! I have-“

“The Crystal Heart is incomplete!” the Doctor bellowed, Sombra cowering suddenly at the sheer force of the cry. “If you truly were in your right mind you would sense it! You would see that the Crystal Heart now exist as two: the physical shell and the soul… the soul that now dwells within your daughter.”

“…and you think I’m crazy?” Sombra asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Derpy said, suddenly lashing out and striking a wall with her back hooves. The ceiling rumbled and a large section of Solsra’s bedroom collapsed upon Sombra, pinning him to the floor. The Hooves family did not have time to celebrate, as the quakes that were ripping through the city were growing stronger and the black glass pillars were beginning to glow with a sinister light. “Doctor…”

“The fool,” the Doctor grunted. “He performed a spell without checking his ingredients.”

Solsra gulped. “He thought he was using the full Heart… this is-“

“Do NOT finish that sentence!” the Doctor commanded. “The blame for this lies with your father! He didn’t think and now his spell has become a thing of chaos. It could destroy us or transform us-“

“Or banish us for a thousand years only to reappear with our memories erased and our emotions locked away?” Dinky reminded him.

The Time Lord’s eyes grew wide. “Or that. Ok then… run.” The Doctor nodded. “Yes… run. RUN!”

~DH~DH~DH~

This was the last day.

The last day the Crystal Empire would stand.

It would return, of course. The Doctor and his family knew this. But it would never be the same. Something would be lost and something would be gained. The mental scars of being trapped in pocket dimension in a single moment while centuries went by in the blink of an eye… one did not recover quickly from such things. Yes, the Empire would one day thrive again, but its Golden Age was dying this very day.

And the Hooves family was caught right in the middle of it.

“Come on!” the Doctor shouted, hurrying down a side street. He forced himself to ignore the cries and screams of the frightened ponies around him. He did not look at their coats, which were rapidly loosing their luster. He did not stop to give them comfort, even though he wanted to. The Time Lord knew that they would be ok in the end, that none would die this day and that waiting for them was a new life; a different life yes, but that didn’t mean it was a bad one.

Still… that didn’t make it any better.

“Where are we going?” Solsra shouted, her horn glowing as she created a dome of energy to protect the family from falling debris. The Obsidian spikes were shattering now, unable to hold form as the magic that was suppose to turn them into focal points for Sombra’s barrier ran through them. Any pony that touched the spikes found themselves winking out of existence, entering the pocket dimension the Doctor theorized would be the Crystal Empire’s resting place for the next thousand years until the spell finally gave out and shunted them back into this reality.

The Doctor had tried to get Solsra to remain in the palace but the mare had refused; she still blamed herself for all that was happening and didn’t want to leave the Hooves to try and find their way out of the city on their own. The Time Lord had finally relented, even as a little voice in his head whispered, “No Solsra was found when the Empire returned”.

“We have to get to my TARDIS!” the Doctor shouted. “It is just outside of the city’s limits! We get there and we’ll be safe!”

“What about the others?” Solsra yelled, leaping over the broken remains of a cart. Derpy flared out her wings and flew just about them, Dinky clinging to her mother’s back.

“They’ll be safe just… just a different kind of safe! Trust me!” The Doctor let out a sigh of relief when they made it past the final black spire. The heating and warming charms that wrapped the northern kingdom in forever-spring dissipated the moment they crossed the invisible line and the Time Lord shivered as he hoofed it through the deep snow. “There she is!” He nodded towards the familiar blue police box. “Here we come, old girl!”

“Doctor, slow down!” Derpy called out, forced to land. The icy winds were making her feathers freeze and the pegasus mare landed in a heap, Dinky flying off her back and ending up with a face full of snow.

“Can’t slow down!” the Doctor stated, turning and quickly helping his wife up. “We might be out of the city but a spell like that is going to pack a doozy of a backlash! No idea what will happen if we are caught in it! Might get sucked into the pocket universe, might be just fine... or we might get atomized or worse! We need to get in the TARDIS and get out of-“

“SOLSRA!”

The four ponies turned just as a dark shape slammed down into the snow several yards from them. The great stallion looked at them with blazing eyes of green flames, his teeth clenched as he pawed the ground. His horn flared and dark magic bolts rocketed at them, forcing the family to dodge out of the way.

“SOLSRA!”

“Oh look, King Sombra,” Derpy said dryly. “That’s new.”

Solsra looked down at Dinky, then back at her father, then once more at the little filly. “Run.”

“What?” Dinky whispered.

“I said run,” Solsra said, charging up her horn. “I’ll cover you. Get to your… box… and get your family out of here!”

Derpy grabbed a protesting Dinky and hurried into the TARDIS. The Doctor paused at the door, watching as Sombra’s own horn began to charge with dark magic. “Solsra… Solsra you can’t stay here! The backlash-“

“Doctor, you know more than you let on… so tell me one thing.” The brave mare swallowed down her fear. “After all of this… after all this bad… Do my subjects live? Are they happy?”

The Doctor nodded. “Yes.”

The Princess squared her shoulder and smiled a coy little smile. “Then run you clever boy… and remember me.” And with that Princess Solsra leapt at her father, firing blasting of blue magic at the deranged king. Sombra screamed and bellowed, his words lost amongst the cacophony of his spell’s final stages. Dark and light magic clashed as father and daughter battled each other, both screaming at the other to come to their senses. Solsra sobbed even as she smiled, satisfied that even if she fell here at least her ponies would be safe… and that one family would be saved by her actions.

The Doctor shut the door to the TARDIS, his eyes on the ground as he began to walk towards the console. He couldn’t look at Dinky’s tear stained face as she screamed for Solsra, nor could he bring himself to look at Derpy and see the sadness and pity in her eyes. The Time Lord merely went to the controls of his blue box and began to move several levers, the engine letting loose the familiar grinding whine.

“You… you aren’t going to leave her, right? You're going to go back, right? You’re not going to leave her to… do…” Dinky sobbed. The Doctor lowered his head and his daughter's eyes went wide. “NO!” Dinky scrambled towards the door, only for Derpy to grab her and hug her tight. “No! Please Doctor… please! She’ll die!”

The Doctor couldn’t help but believe in fate. He might not want to but it couldn’t be helped. After all he had seen, all the seemingly random little events and lucky breaks that had allowed the impossible to happen, how could he not? For the most part the Doctor treated fate as something in the background, like a chair you no longer liked but can't muster the energy to get rid of. But every once and a while, fate made itself known to him. Every once and a while it stood before him and gave him an impossible choice. It showed him the cute little baby or the innocent family or the sweet mare that just wanted to do good and told him he had to watch them fail, fall... die. It told him there was nothing that he could do, that he had to let this happen, that it was demanded. It told him to give up, to step aside, to walk away, to take the easy path.

And when the Doctor is faced with this choice, he answers fate one way... the only way he can... as he always does and always will.

“We… we can still make this right!” King Sombra roared. He’d managed to pin his daughter to the ground, his hooves pressed against the thrashing mare’s throat. Solsra looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear; not for her death but for the thought that her father would find a way to use her and succeed. Death would be so much better than that. Tears rolled down her checks as she remembered at this moment, at her very end, that this had once been her father. “We can, my dear, we just-“

“Look at me, I’m a distraction!”

Sombra looked up, his brow knitting in confusion as the Doctor stood just in front of him, standing on his hind legs and waving his forelegs about. The crystal king only had a moment to consider what he was seeing before Solsra bucked him off her body with all her strength, sending her father flailing through the air and into a snowdrift.

“MOVE!” the Doctor shouted, hauling the trembling princess onto his back. He raced towards the TARDIS, which was already beginning to fade in and out, becoming more and more transparent with every passing second. “Going to cut this close… too close too close too close!” With a final leap the Doctor and Solsra lunged through the open door. “GERONIMO!”

King Sombra raised his head up just in time to see the TARDIS dematerialize, leaving behind it nothing more that snow caught in the winds. The onyx stallion looked at the Crystal Empire, his city, his beloved jewel, and could only watch in muted horror as it too faded away, leaving only a black of dark magic that cracked as it hovered in the air. The energy pulsed and the king looked down at his coat, watching as it lost its own luster, becoming a dull gray. He then looked about and upon realizing that Solsra, his own daughter, was gone, just as his kingdom was gone... everything he cared about was gone… a single tear rolled down his cheek.

It was over.

“…ha… hahaha….hahahahahaha!” the stallion laughed, his mind broken as the wave of magic washed over him, ripping away his physical form. He let his mind go, let the magic wipe away all he knew and all he was… better to forget than to remember.

The Doctor had been right… this was the last day… when everything changed.

~DH~DH~DH~

“Don’t you ever do that again!” Derpy shouted, smacking the Doctor across the back of the head. Then, just as quickly, she leaned down and gave him a mane-curling kiss. “You always do that again!”

“Whatever you say,” the Doctor said with a little blush.

Solsra slowly rose to her hooves, eyes wide as she looked about her at the copper walls covered and the great console that lay before her, filled with all manner of strange and wondrous doodads and gizmos. She let out quick, gasping bursts of laughter as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing.

“This… this…”

“It’s called the TARDIS!” Dinky exclaimed in glee, rushing over to Solsra, her tail wagging like a puppy dog’s. “Time and Relative Dimension in Space.” Dinky gave her a naughty little smile. “And its mine.”

“Ours,” the Doctor reminded her.

“I just let you think that!”

“It’s… it’s bigger…”

“Yes,” Derpy said with a smile, moving to stand beside her, placing a wing around the shaking mare. “Isn’t it?”

“How… how is this possible?” Solsra whispered.

“Oh, so many things are possible that you’d think are impossible,” the Doctor said, hurrying over to the console now that he had recovered from his kiss. “We tend to make five impossible things quite possible once a week. Of course, we also end up making something that is quite possible impossible, but those are usually bad possible so I don’t think you will mind. Now then,” the Doctor threw a switch and the TARDIS trembled, nearly sending them all to the floor. “How about a nice impossible for you?” He hurried to the doors of his blue box, only to pause and give the princess a wink. “You might want to take a breath… you won’t be able to in a moment.”

With that the Time Lord threw open the doors of his time machine. Solsra stared out at the city that lay before her and gasped.

“It’s…”

“The Crystal Empire. One thousand plus years later, yes, but for all of them it has only been two.” The Doctor turned to look at the stunned princess, giving her a soft, sad smile. “You got your wish, Solsra. The Crystal Empire saved. Your father returned with it, though sadly without his sanity. The backlash destroyed his mind, turning him into the very monster he feared would destroy all of you. A group of Equestrian mares… and one very brave baby dragon… saved the day.” He gestured towards the city and Solsra watched as crystal ponies milled about, laughing and enjoying the day. Their coats sparkled in the sun and many carried a song in their heart. Solsra bit her lip, a tear trickling down her cheek as she watched them all move about, happy as could be. “A new princess rules over them; the Crystal Heart might lack its soul but Princess Cadance's magic makes up for that. Still, I am sure when she meets you-“

“No,” Solsra said, turning away from the sight.

“What’s wrong?” Dinky asked, placing a little hoof on the older mare’s side. “I thought you’d be happy… its what you wanted!”

“Yes… yes, I am happy,” Solsra whispered. “The Crystal Empire has been saved… but not for me.” Dinky opened her mouth to complain but Solsra merely smiled, silencing her with a look. “I am the daughter of King Sombra… and I am more like him than I wish to admit. My actions were just as wrong as his and led to just as much damage to the Empire. It is easy enough to hear you say it is not my fault, but here,” Solsra touched her heart, “here I can’t believe that… not yet.” She took a long, deep breath. “The crystal ponies have a princess and a crystal heart… what need do they have of more? Especially one from the past and who made so many mistakes.” The mare nodded to herself, smiling slightly as she made her decision. “Yes… yes. Better Princess Solsra disappear, be lost to the ages, than return again and demand that which she is not owed. That is much, much better.”

The Doctor wanted to tell her no, to explain to her that she could find a place in this new Empire. He wanted to tell her that Princess Cadence and Shining Armor would be kind and understanding, that they would find a way to include her in this new age. And yet the stallion said nothing; how could he? Had he not run away as well, all those lifetimes ago?

“What will you do now?” Derpy asked.

Solsra shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. You say this is a time machine, yes? I suppose you could find me a nice little time to live in? I’ve always wanted to see Prance… or Zebrica… or even that new city, Canterlot.” The mare laughed. “Though I suppose it isn’t so new now, is it?”

“You want to see quite a bit, don’t you?” the Doctor asked, sharing a look with Derpy. The pegasus mare raised an eyebrow, nodding towards Dinky who was nodding rapidly.

“Yes… I suppose so.”

“Then why not stay here?” When Solsra looked at him the Time Lord grinned, his wife and child moving to stand beside him. “The TARDIS can show you all of space and time… take you places you’ve always dreamed of and then go beyond those to the dreams within dreams. Adventure, romance, danger, excitement… all of it tucked in a blue box.”

“I…” Solsra whispered. “You mean it?”

“Of course!” Dinky squealed. “You’re my big sister, right? You HAVE to come!”

Derpy chuckled at Dinky as the filly cantered around the crystal princess’ hooves. “You’ve already run away with a mad family and their box… what would it hurt you to stay and see all there is in the universe?”

Solsra smiled at that, leaning down to let Dinky jump onto her back. “How can a mare say no to that?”

“YAY!” Dinky screamed, throwing her forelegs into the air. Her excitement turned to confusion as she looked at Solsra’s mane. “What’s happening to your hair? Its not shiny. Oh no! Are you sad or something? I thought you'd be happy!”

“Oh, that,” Solsra said. “Just putting on a little camouflage.”

“You can do that Solsra?” the Doctor asked, watching as her glittering coat became a creamy pink and her mane a light purple. “I thought that only happened when crystal ponies lost connection with the Crystal Heart.”

“Yes… but I am the Heart, aren’t I? Makes me a bit special. All sorts of nifty little tricks that others don't have.” The Princess pursed her lips. “And please, don’t call me Solsra. As I said… if we are to move on, Solsra must be buried with the past.”

“Oh! Can I name you?” Dinky exclaimed. “You can be Dinky Jr.!”

Derpy tapped her chin. “I like it!”

“Actually,” the princess said with a smile, “Solsra isn’t even my real name. It is a royal one I had to take when my father became king… all heirs to the throne must take on their royal name when their father or mother claims the throne.”

“Then what is your name?” the Doctor asked as he began to imput the commands to take the TARDIS home.

“Sparkler,” the former princess said, looking over her shoulder at Dinky. “My name is Sparkler.”

The End

Let’s Kill King Sombra

Cast

David Tennant………..The Doctor
Hynden Walch………..Derpy Hooves
Claire Corlett…………Dinky Hooves
Jenna Coleman……….Princess Solsra/Sparkler
Idris Elba……………..King Sombra

Next Time on ‘Hooves Family Adventures’

(We see Dinky bouncing on Sparkler’s bed)

Dinky: Wake up! Wake up! It’s my birthday!

Sparkler: So I hear! Where are we going exactly?

Dinky: Someplace… amazing!

(We see a Victorian style house with the TARDIS sitting before it. Dinky rushes out and hugs a squat brown dragon who looks like a chubbier Spike. Behind him stands a Qilin (a pony with a dragon’s head, forelegs that end in claws, and a long dragon tail) and a shy-looking griffon)

Dinky: Uncle Strax!

Strax: Hello little Dinky! Many happy wishes on this the day celebrating your emergence from something other than a cloning pod.

Madame Vastra: Doctor… it is good to see you-

The Doctor: Good to be here.

Vastra: -because we are all in danger.

Dinky:…does that mean no cake?

(as the group talks we see a shot of tough looking griffons gathering together in a junkyard. One at a time they each enter a strange shack, only to scream as sparks fly out)

Vastra: Something is here in Leodon… something dangerous. And if it is not stopped… I fear for the fate of this world.

(We see the Doctor backing up against a wall, a dark shadow looming over him)

Doctor: Of course… what else could it be?

Hooves Family Adventures

Episode 2

Steelwing

An 8 Part Event

Coming Soon

Part 1

“Alright, ya’ll, let me make sure we got everything ya need.” Applejack looked down at the list she’d laid out on an empty crate, going over it line by line. “Five bushels of apples…” She looked up, concern clearly written on her features. “Ya sure ya’ll are gonna be able to eat’em in time?” She knew that Granny wouldn’t be happy if she talked them out of this sale, but Applejack just couldn’t sit by and watch some honest pony throw their bits away on food they wouldn’t be able to eat. “Apples can go south quick.”

“Not if you put them in a frozen-time cube. Nothing ages, nothing rots, and gives them a nice crisp taste.” The Doctor laughed as he inspected the crates. “Every home should have one, honestly.”

“Alright…” Applejack said, staring at the Doctor like he had gone completely mad. “Two barrels of Apple Family Cider.” She frowned, glancing over at the brown stallion. “How did ya manage to get on the waiting list so quick? I thought Derpy said this trip wasn’t planned.”

“It wasn’t,” the Doctor said, motioning for Big Mac to place the barrels inside the TARDIS. The Hooves family had decided a year ago to let the Elements of Harmony know about the wonderful blue box… mostly to ensure that Twilight didn’t get it into her head that the TARDIS was some sort of strange monster that needed to be defeated. He didn’t know what a blast from the elements would have to the sexy girl but he didn’t want to find out. The six mares and their families had marveled over the time machine and later had come to accept it as just another place in Ponyville, no different than Rarity’s boutique or Rainbow Dash’s cloud ‘house’.

That didn’t mean, of course, that Big Mac didn’t take an awkward first step into the machine, silently praying he managed to emerge unscathed. Just because he accepted that there was a machine that was bigger on the inside didn’t mean he trusted it.

“But then how did ya…?” Applejack began.

“Oh, that. Well, when I decided that I should get some cider for the trip I just popped back to your last cider season and signed up for a few barrels.” The Doctor began to chuckle. “Oh, I did enjoy the antics of the Flim Flam brothers.”

“But… uh…” Applejack scratched her head. While the Doctor and his family had explained all about their little ‘trips’ to her and the rest of her friends, Applejack simply had trouble believing it. Traveling to another country was something that left the mare amazed and was something to get excited about; traveling half-way across the globe was something she might do one day. Traveling to another planet? Mind boggling. Travel backwards and forwards through time? That was something she just couldn’t handle, so Applejack did the only thing she could: she shifted topics to something she did understand. “So, where are ya’ll goin’?”

“Ah, well,” the Doctor began bending down to check his saddlebag one last time, “Dinky heard your sister Apple Bloom and the rest of her friends discussing the Equestrian Games-“

“Yeah, that’s gonna be a big thing. Since Twilight is a princess now an’ everythin’, she’s gonna rope all of us some tickets! Not for the entire thing, mind ya, since we can’t leave the farm on its own for too long, but I’m thinkin’ we can manage ta spend a day or two up in the Crystal Empire watchin’ them do the buckin’ competitions.” Applejack shook her head and laughed. “I tell ya, me and Big Macintosh just get snortin’ when it comes to those; strength for one contest, accuracy for another… a true bucker knows that it has ta be a mixture of both.”

“Yes, I suppose so,” the Doctor said. “Well, we-“

“Ya see, it is all about balancin’ both,” Applejack said, warming up to her topic. “Strength, accuracy, and control. That’s the key! Let’s say I want ta knock ya out nice and quick. In order ta do that, I need ta first figure out how hard of a buck ta give ya.” Applejack turned her back towards an old fencepost that was sticking up out of the ground and gave it a hard kick, shattering the tip right off. “See, too strong and I end up doin’ worse than just knockin’ ya out.”

“Yes, I see that,” the Doctor said nervously, backing away from the mare. He barely got a foot before Applejack bucked again, stopping her hoof just as it hit the fence post. The resulting hit caused a dent to appear in the wood but didn’t make splinters go flying.

“See, next is control. I have ta make sure I stop at the right point, so I don’t hurt my leg on something.”

“Like on my bones,” the Doctor muttered, only to yelp when Applejack threw the bit of wood she’d knocked off the post and then easily kicked it in mid-air, driving the pointy piece of lumber through the Doctor’s legs and into a tree stump 4 yards away. “Eep.”

“See, accuracy. I could nail two apples with a shard of wood from 20 yards out!”

The Doctor began to slowly back into the TARDIS. “Yes, that is quite a nice little hobby you have there and I am not fleeing because of it in the slightest!” The Doctor tossed Applejack her bits and quickly ducked into the TARDIS and slammed the door… only to open it back up and shove Big Mac out. The stallion looked at his sister, blinking before shrugging his shoulders and trotting off towards Sharp Saw’s shop to see if the blacksmith was done with the plow Mac had brought to be resharpened. The Hooves’ order had given them enough to do some repairs on the old equipment and Mac was excited to get things working at tip-top shape.

“I swear that family is stranger than a horde of weevils trapped in a wool sock.” Applejack picked up the bag of bits and, after tossing it into her hat, began to walk away. She had just made it off the Hooves’ lot when she heard a strange “rrrrerrr rrrrerrrr” sound. Turning, the farmpony screwed up her brow when she saw that the blue box was gone, leaving the little lot looking as if it had never been used. “Never gonna get use ta that.”

~DH~DH~DH~

“Doctor, are you ok?” Derpy asked, looking up from the TARDIS’ control panel. “You look awfully pale… Applejack didn’t give you some kind of apple disease, did she? Oh, if she gave you worms I am going to do such horrible things to her muffins!”

“How could she give me an apple disease?” The Doctor asked.

“Well, you like apples and they say you are what you eat…”

The Doctor began to manipulate several levers. “I honestly wish I could tell when you were joking.”

“I wish I could too,” Derpy said with a smile, using her wing to move the zigzag lever. “Have you seen Dinky?”

“I believe she is getting ready in her room-“

“Nope, cuss here I am!” Dinky said happily, rushing into the room wearing a Fillydelphia Flyer’s jersey. “Are we there yet? Are we?”

“Not yet, muffin, but close,” Derpy said, looking at the monitor.

“I’m gonna wait by the door!” Dinky exclaimed happily. “That will make me closer to the outside so I’ll get there before you guys!”

“Well it doesn’t quite…” the Doctor glanced at his daughter, who was staring up at him with big happy eyes, and smiled, “…yes, yes that will work out perfectly.”

For the last two weeks Miss Cheerilee had been teaching the class about the Equestrian Games and their history. From their start in the year 417 BC, when they were matches between the three pony tribes to show off their skills; then the last games in 115 BC, when the tribes had truly split and bitterness and hatred had nearly led to the end of ponykind; to their revival in 910 AD as a response to the Grand Global Games that saw Griffland, Prance, the Mareatine, Beavaria, Renssia and Tigrasia displaying the greatest athletes in their respected nations. Miss Cheerilee had reviewed each of the games and the cities that had hosted them, showing how the Games represented the times they took place in and became, in their own way, a time capsule.

Dinky had become entranced by the Games and had spent many weekends happily playing in the gym the Doctor had gotten his blue box to make just for her. Derpy had watched her little filly for hours play on the balance beam and fling herself about the padded floor, cheering her on. The Doctor had managed to stop by too, when he wasn’t working on the TARDIS, and couldn’t help but laugh at the way the energetic filly flung herself about.

Derpy and the Doctor had finally decided two days earlier that it might be time for another quick trip through time. No grand adventure for them this go, however; instead they had decided to take Dinky back a few years so she could see the Equestria Games in Fillydelphia. The unicorn had squealed in delight, thrilled to bits that she’d get to see the Games live. She’d spent the next two days studying up on the city, wanting to know everything about it before they traveled back there. Dinky, they’d learned early on, had a photographic memory and could remember anything she saw, if only for a second. In 24 hours the young pony knew every street, every restaurant location and all the tourist attractions she wanted to visit. About the only thing she didn’t know was the outcome of the Games; she said that would be cheating and ‘spoilers’.

“This is going to be nice,” Derpy said, trotting over to the Doctor and kissing him on the cheek.

“And very interesting,” the Doctor said. “We’ll only be a small step in the past and so little will have changed that it will feel like a vacation! We can act like a normal family.”

Dinky nodded in delight. “We can watch the games and see the sights and shop for souvenirs!”

“Yes… yes!” The Doctor grinned like the mad stallion he was and began to process of landing the TARDIS. “We will eat foods made with too much sugar and grease, spend too much on products we do not need and stand in line to look at items that we could see at their creation with the TARDIS! Just like a normal family!” The Doctor ran over to the closet and began to dig around. “Now, were is my vuluzala?”

“Yes, completely normal,” Derpy chuckled, the TARDIS’ engines giving off the familiar whirring noise as they landed. She snatched a baseball cap that was sitting on the timeosphere and flipped it onto her head. “We’re here.”

“YAY!” Dinky squealed. “Come on, mama, let’s go! Doctor, Doctor come on!”

“Coming!” the Doctor said, selecting a tan sports coat from the rack of clothing and tugging it on, his sonic screwdriver going in the pocket. “There, should look properly normal now.”

“Why is there a piece of celery pinned to your lapel?” Dinky asked.

The Doctor looked down and blushed. “Yes well… there was this… never mind.” He trotted up to the doors and threw open the TARDIS doors. “Ladies, I give you-“

“The Crystal Empire,” Derpy said, looking up at the familiar palace that dominated the landscape. The TARDIS was just on the outskirts of the city, only a few yards away from the barrier that kept the harsh arctic winds at bay and allowed the Empire to remain forever in spring.

“Nargles,” the Doctor muttered, looking about. He tapped the TARDIS’ doorframe, shaking his head. “Come on, girl, what are you doing? This isn’t even close to Fillydelphia.”

“Who cares?” Dinky said excitedly, trotting out of the blue box. “This is even better! We are in the future… we get to see the games before any other pony!”

“Dinky…” Derpy said softly. “You were so excited about seeing the games in Fillydelphia… wouldn’t you rather do that?”

“We can always do that, mama! The past is the past and is always there! The future changes and may be gone in an instant!”

“She does have a point,” the Doctor said. When the blonde pegasus glared at him the Doctor smirked. “Not that fun when you are the one being double teamed, huh?”

“Future games, future games!” Dinky chanted.

“Future games, future games!” the Doctor said, chiming in.

Derpy smiled at the two of them. “Unlike you, Doctor, I know when to give in and go with the air current. Alright, future Equestria Games it is.”

“Yes!” Dinky exclaimed happily, trotting towards the city. “Come on, we need to go to Diamond Street! Should be about two blocks from here.”

“How do you even know that?” the Doctor asked, locking the TARDIS door behind him.

Dinky grinned as she made her way towards Sapphire Square, the main entrance into the city. Almost every visitor to the Crystal Empire made their way through this square, grabbing necessities from the many shops set up along the west side; there was always something travelers forgot to pack and Sapphire Square let them nab them before heading to one of the inns or hotels in the city, where the prices were ratcheted up to ridiculous levels. There were also tourist booths where one could grab a brochure or a map of the city. “I researched the Crystal Empire last year when it showed up again! Some of the maps were pretty old and worn down but I was able to compare the most complete ones with eyewitness accounts. Then I used Pathway’s Flow Theorem to deal with the inconsistencies and get a pretty detailed map not just of the Crystal Empire’s main streets but also the underground chambers, and the palace layout!”

“When did you do all that?” Derpy asked, looking about Sapphire Street, surprised to find it so empty. At this time of day it should have been full of vendors hawking their wares, including t-shirts, travel mugs, and stuffed Princess Cadence dolls.

“Somewhere between snack time and recess,” Dinky said, stopping to wave at a vendor who was hawking ‘official’ Crystal Empire saddlebags. “Miss Cheerilee was trying to teach Snips how to do divisions and I got bored.” Dinky rolled her eyes. “I mean, you taught me fractions when I was 2!”

“If there are 9 muffins in the TARDIS and all three of us want to share…” Derpy said with a smile, earning a grin from her daughter as the filly remembered their lessons. Derpy stretched her wings, her lips pursing as she looked around. They’d just turned onto Diamond Street and were now heading towards the Emerald Way, the road that led to the Empire’s great sports arena. The gray pegasus loved to pony-watch, which sadly led to many of her accidents when she paid too much attention to an interesting mare or stallion and not what direction she was taking. She just couldn’t help it though… there were just so many interesting things in the world and she hated missing any of them!

Her eyes slid slowly to the right, looking at several ponies that were nibbling on sandwiches at an outdoor café. Derpy crinkled her nose and twisted her head to look back at the way they had come, brow furrowed as she considered what she was seeing.

“What is it, Derpy?” the Doctor asked quietly.

“Doctor, look at the ponies around us,” Derpy whispered. “Look at their coats.”

The Doctor frowned. “They are crystal, Derpy. That’s why it is called the Crystal Empire.”

“But actually LOOK at the coats,” Derpy said. “Look carefully.”

The Doctor stared at a group of ponies that were walking towards them, chatting away about a mare they knew that had just gotten her mane cut. The Time Lord tuned out their prattle and focused on their coats; while he was rather old and well traveled when compared to Derpy he’d learned that the wall-eyed mare tended to have good instincts and it never paid to ignore her warnings. The crystal ponies trotted past them, giving the family a long surprised stare before continuing on their way.

“Do you see now?” Derpy asked.

“Yes,” the Doctor said, taking out his screwdriver and giving the retreating crystal mares a quick bio-scan. “Yes, you are right.”

“Their coats are dull, aren’t they?”

“Very,” the Doctor said. “Not as dull as when they reappeared 2 years ago, but dull none the less. Why though?” He looked about, wanting to get another bio-scan but not wanting to draw attention to himself. “While some minor dulling is to be expected, what with their emotions being reflected in their coats, to have such a dull coat while appearing as carefree as those three doesn’t make sense.”\

“And have you noticed how… empty the city is?”

The Doctor nodded. “Yes. Almost no pegasi in the sky and only a few unicorns.”

“Doctor, mama!” Dinky called out. “Come on!”

“Coming muffin!” Derpy called out. “She has your impatience, you do know that.”

“She has your attitude,” the Doctor said with a smirk.

“What do we do?” Derpy asked her husband, focusing on the task at hand.

“We continue on and observe. Hopefully an answer will present itself soon enough.”

Said answer presented itself in the form of a mare who looked to be made of solid light-amethyst colliding with Dinky just as the little filly turned down a corner she had declared a shortcut. Derpy raced to her little girl, checking her over before looking towards the mare that was now staring down at them.

“I am so sorry!” Derpy told the crystal pony. The amethyst mare was wearing a long black cape trimmed with silver thread and wore a strange coronet upon her head that resembled a spider web. It ran along her forehead and halfway up her horn, the back ending with several delicate strings threaded upon shiny bobbles. “Are you ok? We are trying to get to the arena…” Derpy wondered for a moment if the mare was some visiting dignitary who’d come to the Empire to watch the games. The Hooves family was use to upsetting the elite but Derpy did always try to be as polite as possible during these types of meetings. ‘Let them make the first mistake…’ she always told the Doctor. ‘I feel less bad when they are rude and I destroy them.’

“What…” the mare began. She never got to finish as within seconds a bluish-green orb surrounded her and the family. “No!” she exclaimed in a panic, attacking the translucent orb with a blast of magic. “NO!”

“Doctor…” Dinky said nervously, looking about the orb.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry!” the Doctor said, pulling out his screwdriver. The head rotated once before the blue light locked onto the bubble. “Aha! Just as I figured!” He smiled to himself, tapping the blue-green wall with his hoof. “This is a standard containment orb. Museums have been using them for centuries as a passive security measure against thieves.”

“Are we trapped?” Derpy asked nervously.

“Oh, very much,” the Doctor said politely. “Ah, don’t worry though… we can breathe just find. The walls will not let us out but can let anything in. We’ll be able to breathe just fine, so no need to worry about that. We just need to sit comfortably and wait for a unicorn to come by and release us-“

The orb shifted and the amethyst mare let out a cry the bubble lifted off the ground and began to float, rising steadily in the air.

“Ok… ok, no need to panic,” the Doctor said, taking out his screwdriver and scanning the bubble again. “The walls are very strong, so no chance of us getting popped and plummeting down. We can just sit here and relax… perfectly safe in here.”

“Doctor…” Dinky said quietly. “What if we don’t stop going up?”

The Doctor chewed on his lower lip, puzzling that situation out. “Well, if that is the case then we’ll just keep floating up. Nothing to worry about!”

“Is there air in space now?” Dinky asked, looking up towards the sky. Derpy’s eyes went wide and she looked at her now pale husband.

“…right, maybe you can worry a little.” The Doctor began to scan the bubble in earnest, Derpy reaching over and hugging Dinky while the crystal mare panted in terror. “No no no! Come on, you stupid piece of magical brick-a-brack!” Aiming the sonic at the bubble the Doctor swept it across the entire surface of the bubble, looking for any weak spots. “There must be-NO!” He waved off a lone pegasus that had flown near them. “Touch it and you’ll be dragged along with us! Stay back!”

Derpy narrowed her eyes, looking at the skyline that was rapidly flying down past them. “Dinky, stay with this nice mare, ok?” She lifted her daughter onto the crystal mare’s back. “Protect her no matter what.”

“O-ok,” the mare said as Derpy spread her wings.

“Derpy, what are you-“ the Doctor didn’t get to finish as Derpy rammed into the bubble’s side as hard as she could. She fell to the floor with a thud, shook her head, then rose up and attacked it again. “Derpy, stop that! You can’t pierce the bubble!”

“I’m-“ BLOMP! “-not-” BLOMP! “-trying-“ BLOMP! “-to!” Derpy grit her teeth and sped into the bubble’s wall again. “You said that this bubble captures anything that touches it, right? Will drag whatever it touches with it?”

“Yes, yes,” the Doctor said quickly, looking away from his wife, hoping to see something in the ripple of the bubble’s magic that would show a weak point.

“What if whatever it grabs it too heavy?” Derpy asked after hitting the orb again.

“What do you…oh. OH!” The Doctor laughed and pocketed his screwdriver. “You bloody fantastic genius, I’m going to kiss you when we are out of this!”

“What’s going on?” the amethyst mare asked. “What are you doing? We can’t get out of here, these orbs are designed to resist attacks.”

“We aren’t attacking it,” the Doctor said, joining Derpy in ramming the bubble’s wall. “Just giving it a nudge…” He forced the mare’s head up and she gaped as she saw that the high balcony of the Crystal Palace was now directly overhead. Derpy’s strikes had shifted the orb enough to put them right next to the Palace. “Alright, this is about to get interesting, fillies! On the count of five, leap to your right. One… five!”

The foursome leapt away just as the bubble hit the balcony. The magic orb’s wall shimmered as it brought in the stone balcony and the Doctor snagged Dinky in his teeth and tossed her over the rail while Derpy helped the crystal unicorn up. The Time Lord was the last on and let out a victory cheer as the bubble snapped, its upward movement halted.

“Bloody genius, Derpy, bloody genius! The bubble can let anything in but can’t let it out… and the balcony is rooted firmly to the Palace, which is much too heavy for this stupid little orb to drag up, meaning it has to stay put until Princess Cadence trots over and lets us out.”

“Princess Cadence?” the amethyst mare asked in confusion. “Who is Princess-“

“Solsra!” a deep, noble voice called out. The Hooves family turned and watched as a huge crystal unicorn stallion ran onto the balcony, staring at the crystal mare in shock. His body looked like onyx and a ruby horn jutted out of his forehead. He wore a similar cape as the amethyst mare, who was apparently named Solsra, and his eyes were like emeralds shining from within a deep, dark cave.

“Father!” Solsra called out.

“Do not worry, my dear,” the stallion said firmly. “My master of traps will release you!” A thin, mousy looking pony with a turquoise coat hurried over and, with a blast of his horn, popped the bubble. The stallion pressed his cheek to his daughter’s, closing his eyes. “How did this happen? One minute you were ahead of me the next you had vanished. The guards forced me to retreat here and I was just about to return to the search when I heard your voice.”

“I… I don’t know, father. The security orb malfunctioned and took me and this kind family.” She saw his father’s eyes narrow and quickly sought to calm him. “It wasn’t their fault, father! They were as clueless as me and if it weren’t for them I would have been lost!”

The stallion considered the Hooves for a moment before nodding his head. “My daughter’s words ring true. I sense no lie in your hearts… forgive me for doubting you. I have suffered recently from several attacks but that is no excuse for treating you with such suspicious after you rescued my daughter.” The stallion squared his shoulders. “You will dine with us tonight! I will not hear of any excuse. But first, tell me your names.”

“Ah, of course,” the Doctor said, putting on a pleasant face even though he felt a weird tickle in the back of his brain, warning him he was missing something. “I am called the Doctor. This is my wife, Derpy, and our daughter, Dinky. And you are?”

The onyx stallion laughed. “You are clearly new arrivals to these shores. You saved my daughter, not realizing who she was… truly you are noble ponies.” The stallion smiled, his teeth gleaming like pearls. “I… am King Sombra.”

Dinky gulped. “So… no Equestrian Games then?”

~DH~DH~DH

Hooves Family Adventures

David Tennant

Hynden Walch

Claire Corlett

with

Jenna Coleman as Princess Solsra

and Idris Elba as King Sombra

Let’s Kill King Sombra
by defender2222