The First of Many

by Mudkipman98

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Spike, Adventure, Crossover, Doctor Whooves
Length: 5624

Twilight and the Doctor, with the fore baring a new body and personality, continue their adventure through space-time in an attempt to learn more about the alicorns and their relation with the time lords.

Shortly after Twilight's regeneration, the Doctor and her leave to adventure through time and space once again. This time, however, they're faced with an even greater task: discover the secret of the alicorns. How exactly does a unicorn become a god with immortality? How did Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence become so powerful that they could survive beyond death and become something greater? These questions nag at the Doctor as he and his faithful companion continue their adventures through time and space, saving lives and ending wars before they can begin.

Published 2014-01-22 07:10:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-02-01 04:09:06 UTC

Chapter 1

Warning:Thar be spoilers ahead! This chapter conains spoilers for the BBC series, Doctor Who. If you haven't seen "The Name of the Doctor", "The Day of the Doctor", or "The Time of the Doctor", I suggest watching those first before reading on. Otherwise, you'll have quite a lot spoiled for you in only three sentences. You've been warned!

"Oh," said Twilight, using the same voice of 'old Twilight'. "I'm alive. Well what do ya know? Hey Doctor, let's go to the space carnival. I bet they've got great cotton candy! You know what, never mind that. What about the moon?! I've always wanted to go there! Oh! I've got a horn. And wings! That's fascinating! I should write an essay about it!"

As Twilight went into a mad rave about how she had completely obvious body parts that she and everyone else could see (such as legs, hair, a tale, etc.), Spike asked the Doctor, "What happened to her? Is she okay?"

"Oh, Spike!" exclaimed the seemingly crazy Twilight. "You're here! And so's everypony else. What're you all doing here? Oh, that's right. I regenerated 'cause I died! That's it. So you all came to watch me die? Wow, you guys sure are weird. To each their own I suppose."

The Doctor was marveling at Twilight's incomprehensible rave before he was punched to the ground by Applejack. "I said, what in tarnation did you do to her?!"

The time lord stood up, rubbing his cheek. "Ow," he groaned as the feeling came back to his jaw. "You didn't have to do that. Besides, I didn't do anything. This was always going to happen to her at one point or another."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Rarity, concerned that her friend was going insane.

"Traveling with me is... dangerous," he began. "And my companions don't always... survive." He began thinking about Amy and Rory before he snapped back to reality.

"So she was..." said Fluttershy, trailing off because she didn't want to say what all of Twilight's friends feared.

The Doctor lowered his head before nodding to them. Fluttershy broke into tears and ran while Rarity chased after her. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were stunned, and Pinkie Pie simply shut her eyes and frowned, too shocked to cry. "I'm sorry," he said. "We were running for our lives--isn't that always the case with me?--when she was shot. By a Dalek 'death laser' as they call it. There was nothing I could do, but it seems that fate may have played a lucky hand in all this."

"I left you all for nearly fifty years. I learned everything about your world, including your rulers. I know why they're alicorns and where they came from. As it happens, they're much like my race," he said, allowing himself a slight chuckle while the remaining three ponies continued to listen. Meanwhile, Twilight was bouncing around excitedly near the fireplace. "When a time lord dies, we don't."

"What?" asked Applejack in confusion. "You don't 'what'?"

"Die," continued the Doctor. "Instead, we regenerate. The person, or pony, that we were dies while our bodies live on. We still have our memories and our souls, but we change our face and become someone, or somepony, new."

"So Twilight isn't Twilight anymore?" asked Rainbow Dash sadly.

"No, she's still Twilight, just not the one you know. It's funny. Before you all met me, I regenerated 14 times.(1) I'm such a different man, I shouldn't even be called 'Doctor' anymore. Once, I renounced that name. But that was a long time ago. The point is, she's still Twilight, but she's changed. She's not the same mare that you all befriended on her first visit to Ponyville, or the mare that helped you all stop Discord. That mare is gone, and now this new Twilight will take her place."

Finally, Rainbow Dash lost it. "But I don't want this 'new Twilight', I want my friend back!" She charged into the Doctor, slamming him into the wall before punching him as hard as she could across the jaw. "Bring her back!" she repeatedly yelled as she continued to assault him. After nearly ten strikes, she lost heart and began whimpering, "Bring her back..." before she gave up and relaxed. This allowed the Doctor to drop to the library floor. He spat out some blood before standing up again.

"Don't you realize I want her back too?!" he yelled, filled with anger. "You know I never quite understood what it was like for my companions to watch me change, to watch me become some other man; to watch me die! But now I do, and it makes me sick. You're not the only ones who've lost someone you care about today!"

He stopped yelling when he saw all three of the ponies and Spike staring to his left. He slowly turned to see Twilight, sitting on the floor with her wings and head drooping. "Do you all really not want me?" she asked with sadness in her voice. "All of you? Do you just want your friend back instead of me?"

All the Doctor could do was walk over to her and embrace her as he said, "Of course I want you. You're still my companion, and I'm not gonna leave you behind just because you changed a little bit."

They sat together for a few minutes before the Doctor felt Twilight go limp. He slowly stood up, setting her down on the floor carefully before turning to her remaining friends. "She's not completely done yet," he said to them. "She's still regenerating, hence the stark raving mad outburst from a few minutes ago. Get her upstairs into bed. She should be fine in a couple of days."

"Days?" asked Pinkie Pie, still without enthusiasm. "How sick is she, Doctor?"

"Yeah," agreed Rainbow Dash. "You're a doctor after all, so tell us what's wrong with her."

"I just got done saying she's still regenerating. First, your body heals, and then your mind. That's why she's so crazy. She's marveling at the fact that she's just been born. Give her time, and I promise you she'll be back up and active in a few days."

"You'd better not be lyin' to me, Doctor," said Applejack. With that, the three remaining ponies carried Twilight upstairs and put her in bed before departing, leaving Spike and the Doctor alone.

"So Twilight's really gone?" asked the baby dragon, holding back tears.

"I'm afraid so, Spike. I'm sorry." That was too much for Spike. He cried as he ran away upstairs, unable to take that the mare who he'd considered a sister was dead.

So now, the Doctor stood alone in the library's main room, the only light being that of the several wax candles and weak light fixture in the ceiling. He hung his head in shame. Through his inability to protect his companion, he'd not only cost Twilight her life, but the lives of her friends. A large part of them had died with her, forever lost with their dear friend.

And now, for the first time in a long time, the Doctor felt loneliness again. Even when he had traveled for fifty years without Twilight, he knew he could always return to her and she'd be waiting for him like nothing had changed whatsoever. But now, she was gone. He had to prepare for another Twilight to take her place. Though of course, no one could replace that fun loving, excitable, intelligent mare he used to know.

Was this what Rose had felt like when he regenerated after the Bad Wolf broadcasting system had been defeated and the Daleks with them? What about when Clara watched him die? Had they felt the emptiness he felt now?

He was shaken from his thoughts when he heard Rarity calling out to him. "Where's Twilight?" she asked worriedly. She had been standing in the doorway with Fluttershy behind her every since she caught up to the pegasus, still crying slightly.

"She's upstairs resting," he said back. "She's not completely done regenerating yet, so she'll need to sleep for a couple of days."

"And she'll be alright afterwards?" asked Fluttershy through sniffles.

"Yes, she'll be alright," said the Doctor, doing his best to smile through the pain in his heart.

That's when they all suddenly heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs. They all turned their heads to see a purple alicorn with navy blue hair and a pink stripe running through it stepping down the stairs, her wings folded to her sides. She stopped at the top before saying, "Ow, my head. Doctor? What happened? Why are we back at the library?"

"What?" exclaimed the Doctor.

"What's going on?" asked Twilight.

"B- Bu- What?"

"Why are we back in Ponyville?"

"What?"

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"What?!"

Author's Note

(1) I had to approximate for plot convenience. Sorry.
Bare with me on this first chapter! Trust me, and keep reading. That is, once I get the next chapter up. :twilightsheepish:

Chapter 2

The Doctor stared in awe at Twilight as she stood at the top of the stairs, giving him a look of complete and utter confusion. "Um, Doctor? Are you okay? You look a little bit sick."

"Who are you?" he asked in disbelief.

"What?"

"I said," anger now filling his voice as he made his way to Twilight until he was right in her face, "who are you?! What are you? And why are you using my friend's form?"

"Doctor, you're starting to scare me," said Twilight nervously as she began backing up the stairs.

"Are you a Zygon? Did you somehow make it through like me or the weeping angels? Did the daleks send you after us?" At this point, Twilight had been backed up to the top of the stairs and they were moving back towards her room. "Come on then," he said, holding up his screwdriver with one hoof as if it were a weapon. "Just what are you?!"

"Doctor, what's going on? Why are you doing this? And what the hay is a Zygon?" The Doctor stopped advancing when he had pushed Twilight to the end of the hall up against the wall.

The Doctor activated his sonic screwdriver, using it to scan Twilight before checking its reading. He relaxed when he discovered what it had scanned. "Alicorn," he said in relief. He realized, also, that they were standing next to Twilight's room which was positioned directly to his right. When he looked through the door, he found a strange sight.

The newly regenerated Twilight was still in bed.

When Twilight saw that 'she' was in her bed, looking like a different mare, she recoiled as she said, "Doctor, who is that?"

"That's you," he said slowly. "You died. Don't you remember?"

"I'm dead? But, how can that be? I'm standing right here! How can that be me?"

"I have absolutely no idea," said the Doctor, running a hoof through his mane in thought. "This is a new one on me."

Twilight slowly started walking into her room, trying to approach 'herself'. When the Doctor noticed this, he called after her. "Twilight, get back! Don't touch her," he said frantically as she returned. When she'd gotten close to her alternate self, the golden glow of regeneration had begun growing intensely from the 'new Twilight', nearly filling the room.

When Twilight once again stood in the hall, he rescanned her with the sonic screwdriver. "You're not just an alicorn," he said. "You're pure regeneration energy. You shouldn't even be here. You died."

"Why do you keep saying that?" asked Twilight.

"You really don't remember?"

"Maybe a little bit," she confessed. "I remember being in the TARDIS, and you were talking. And then..." she trailed off after she remembered the rest. "Oh," she said in sadness. "But, I can't be dead," she said as if trying to reassure herself. "I'm standing right here."

The Doctor sighed before saying, "Yes, you are. But if my theory is correct, and they usually are, then you're not." He slowly reached a hoof out to her. When it made contact, it passed straight through, turning gold in the light of regeneration energy. Twilight stared in awe at the fact the Doctor's hoof was where her shoulder should be. "I'm sorry," he said, "but you're not really here." He retracted his hoof before saying, "Well, you are here, but you're not here here." When Twilight gave him a look of puzzlement, he continued.

"You're regeneration energy. I don't know how, but your mind is here in some kind of physical form born from the energy you released when you regenerated." He walked over to the 'new Twilight' and began scanning her with his screwdriver. "Your 'body'--" he paused as he motioned to the bed, "-- is pumping out regeneration energy at an impossible rate. If this keeps up, you're going to burn up in only a few days."

"But you can fix me, right?" ask Twilight skeptically. When she received no reply, she repeated, "Right?"

Finally, the Doctor spoke. "I don't know," he said somberly. "Even if I could do something, you'd still be gone. You'll die, and this one here will fill your place."

"But you can find a way to fix this, can't y-"

"You don't understand!" shouted the Doctor from out of nowhere. "You can't just reverse a regeneration, and I sure as hell can't bring you back! And now, you're gonna die again. But this time, you won't regenerate, no. You will cease to be before you can ever live out the lives that are waiting for you!" He stopped and hung his head.

That's when he noticed the intense glow coming from 'new Twilight'. When he looked back up, he saw Twilight at the foot of the bed, beginning to glow a similar color. "So you're saying... she'll die without me?"

The Doctor hesitated before responding. "Yes. She'll die without you. Even now, you're draining up all the energy she has just by existing. In a matter of days, she'll burn up along with you." He noticed Twilight move around the bed and hold up her hoof, going for 'new Twilight's' chest. "Twilight, wait," commanded the Doctor.

"If I'm here, that means I must still be inside her somewhere inside that great, big head of hers," she snapped, not taking a moment to look away from her goal. "If I'm in there somewhere, then you can bring me out." She looked away, back up to the Doctor. "So come on then you mad pony in a box," she teased. "Come get me." She stopped and smiled as her hoof connected with 'new Twilight', causing her to explode into regeneration energy and feed back into her sleeping other.

In a moment, Twilight sat up in bed. "Did you wake me up?" she said to the Doctor. "Because I was having this great dream. Besides, I'm still regenerating! You of all people should know that you shouldn't interrupt a pony in their regeneration cycle, silly. Wait, how do I know you're people? Oh yeah! You told me so! That was ages ago! Years in fact. Well, what can you do?" she shrugged. "If that's all, goodnight!" she finished as she fell back onto her pillow, immediately drifting back into her regenerative sleep.

The Doctor chuckled to himself a little bit. He remembered being that crazy a few times. It was plenty of fun, but it always left him with a headache afterwards. He decided to get some aspirin ready for his companion for when she woke up in a few days.

He made his way back downstairs to find Fluttershy and Rarity sitting at the table in the center of the room. "What is going on, Doctor?" asked Rarity.

"Is Twilight going to be okay," asked Fluttershy softly.

"I'm not sure," he said back, frowning. "There shouldn't be any of who she was left. But somehow, she's locked herself away and she's waiting for me to find her. For me to help her. So as long as she's in there, I'm going to get her out."

The two ponies frowned as the Doctor approached them. "There's still a chance I can save her," he said. "The old her, not the new one. Though, if my luck holds out for a bit longer, I might be able to save them both."

"What do you mean 'save them both'?!" asked Rarity in shock. "That thing stole our friend! And you want to save her?!"

The Doctor quickly got right in Rarity's face before saying, "She's not a thing! She's a living pony just like you and me, and she has a right to live just the same!" He back away from Rarity before walking back to the stairs. "I'm going to go back up and stay with her until she recovers," he said grimly before climbing the steps. "You can either stay here with her, or go home. There's not much you can do here, and worrying about her won't help anyone." As he reached Twilight's room a few moments later, he heard the front door shut, signalling that Rarity and Fluttershy had left.

He opened the door and walked in, setting a floor cushion down next to her bed before sitting down on it, waiting for her to recover like so many had waited for him in the past. And now, Twilight was waiting for him, trapped in the labyrinth of her own mind and only wishing to come back to reality. "I'll save you, Twilight Sparkle," he said, "one way or another." Had Twilight been facing him, he might have seen a small smile on her face.

Author's Note

These first chapters are pretty short, but they'll get longer later on. Also, you've probably noticed the Doctor's moods shifting very quickly back and forth. Remember that he has lived for a long time, experienced a lot, and that he's afraid. He's afraid of losing Twilight and of failing her when he was just given another chance.

Chapter 3

Several days had passed since Twilight's regeneration, and her condition had improved immensely. She no longer had a fever, and she'd begun stirring, signalling that she would wake up soon.

Every day, the Doctor sat by Twilight's side, monitoring her to make sure that she slept and recovered. On the morning of her waking, the Doctor realized that he hadn't contacted either of the princesses or Twilight's brother. He stood up from his sitting position on the cushion and made his way into the library's main room downstairs. There, Spike was reading some sort of comic book, frowning in sadness as he read.

"Spike, I need you to send a letter," he said flatly.

He looked up from his comic, saying, "And why should I help you, Doctor?" He nearly spat the name.

"Princess Celestia needs to know what happened, and I'm sure Twilight's brother will want to know as well," said the Doctor, not feeding the fire of Spike's hate by keeping his voice level. Spike glared at him for a second before readying a quill, ink, and the parchment he always kept on hand in case Twilight needed an emergency list or some kind of letter sent.

"Ready," he said coldly.

"Ok, here goes." He cleared his throat before proceeding. "Dear Princess Celestia, I regret to inform you that Twilight had an... accident. While in my care, she suffered a blow from a Dalek laser. No doubt from our experiences in the past, you know the destructive power of their weapons and sadly, she did not survive. However, there is no need for a funeral. Please come as soon as possible, and bring Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor. Your friend, The Doctor." When he was finished, he turned back to Spike. "Did you get all that?" he asked.

Spike lit the letter on fire, sending it off before saying, "It's on its way." He immediately went back to this comic, ignoring the Doctor in disgust.

Ten minutes later, while the Doctor was cooking some eggs, he heard and felt static fill the library as a massive teleport was made into the central room, bringing with it Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor. He heard hoofsteps coming toward the kitchen and found Princess Celestia standing in the doorway. "Where is she?" she asked with a saddened expression.

"Upstairs," said the Doctor, betraying no emotion whatsoever. He dropped the eggs onto a plate and set them on the counter before going with the princesses up to Twilight's room.

When they arrived and found Twilight sleeping, Shining Armor said softly, "Twili?" When she didn't move, he nearly broke down. Princess Celestia allowed a few tears to flow down her face as she looked on at her fallen student. She moved to Twilight's bed and got a good look at her. When she saw how much she'd changed, she spun back around to the Doctor and glared at him. "What happened to her?" she asked grimly.

"Like I mentioned in the letter, a Dalek happened," he said back, still showing no trace of emotion.

Celestia began walking toward him, gradually picking up the pace as she said, "Just how long ago did this happen?" She was now towering above the Doctor, but he remained unphased and refused move.

"Three days," he said calmly.

"And you didn't contact me sooner?" she asked, feeling slightly betrayed.

"Not at all."

Celestia backed up a little bit before continuing. "Is she dead?"

"Yes," he said back. Before Celestia could speak again, the Doctor said, "but she's someone new now. She's not the same Twilight you knew."

"Why does she look so different?" asked Celestia as she glanced back to Twilight.

"Regeneration."

"But what does that mean?" asked the Princess, becoming impatient and angrier.

"It means she changed," said the Doctor, raising his voice as he too grew impatient.

"Be specific," ordered the Princess as she gritted her teeth.

"Then kill me and you can see for yourself!" yelled the Doctor as he stamped a hoof down, shocking everyone into complete silence.

Neither Celestia nor the Doctor moved an inch. After a few seconds, the Doctor said, "Do you know what you are? Any of you?" He gestured to Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight.

"We're the noble race of alicorn's," responded Celestia. "What more?"

"Time lords," he said back without hesitation.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Celestia.

"Don't act stupid. You heard me. The one thing I can't stand is stupidity," he spat.

This took Celestia back, but she pursued her curiosity. "We're one of you? That doesn't make any sense."

"It makes perfect sense when you've lived as long as I have."

"Enough with these riddles," said Luna from behind him. "Please, tell us Doctor. We're alicorns, but how could we possibly be time lords?"

The Doctor sighed deeply before saying, "I watched you both die. Over 2000 years ago, when your parents' cart lost its driver on that hill and you crashed into that chasm."

"What in Equestria are you talking about?" asked Celestia.

"Oh, don't play stupid again," said the Doctor. "It hasn't even been 60 seconds. Need I remind you how much I hate stupid?"

Both Princess Luna and Celestia backed up even more before they lowered their heads nearly simultaneously. "We were so young..." began Celestia.

I remember we were driving on a rough road. Luna and I kept bouncing in our cradles, and our mother did her best to comfort us. Our father, meanwhile, scolded the driver for 'being reckless with foals on board'.

We hit a large stone and lost our driver. I didn't see what happened, but before I knew it, we were tumbling to the bottom of a pit. A remember a very loud crash and some pain. When I woke up, I found that I'd grown wings. I thought that I might be a princess. Of course, Luna and I had been told stories about them, and we thought we were special. But before I could fantasize further, I saw something horrible.

Luna and I were both dead. I saw our bodies and those of our parents, but I didn't know what it meant. And that's when we first met you, Doctor. You came to rescue us with a group of hikers that were in the area. You led them to us, and took us back to Canterlot.

"But I don't see what that has to do with us being related to your people," finished Celestia.

"I studied you all for a very long time after your deaths. Even you, Princess Cadence," said the Doctor, looking over at Twilight's sister-in-law.

"Me?" she asked, surprised. "But I'm not dead. I never died."

"I know that's what you believe, but you're wrong. When your mother was 11 months pregnant with you, she had a miscarriage. You died before you could be born. But when you were removed, you suddenly sprung to life. And with wings no less. Haven't you ever wondered why you're... built differently from other ponies? Why you're so much more slender?"

"No..." muttered Cadence. "That can't be right. It just can't be!"

"But it is," said the Doctor flatly. "I know because I was there in the operating room. I witnessed the conception of all of you, except for Twilight. I still need to know exactly what conditions led to her transformation. I need to learn everything I can about the Elements of Harmony and her 'birth'."

"Huh," came a voice from behind the Doctor and Princess Celestia. "So that's how it works. Who'd have thought?"

Slowly, the Doctor turned around to look at the bed. When he looked, he saw Twilight sitting up, smiling at everyone. "So, what'd I miss?"

"Twili!" shouted Shining Armor. He ran to his little sister and tackled her in a huge hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," he said as he nearly cried.

"Of course I'm okay," she said back. "It's not like I'm dead or anything. Well, not really. Old me is dead, but she had her time. Now it's my turn!" she said excitedly.

Shining Armor backed off to give Twilight some room. Princess Celestia spoke next. "Hello, Twilight," she said as if she was meeting someone brand new. In a sense, she was.

"Hiya, Princess," she said enthusiastically. "What are you all doing here? Did something happen?"

Princess Luna said, "No. We were just meeting someone new."

"Really?" asked Twilight. "Who was that?"

"Let's just say you're very close," said Cadence. Every pony was glad that Twilight was alright and awake, though they had become curious about the Doctor's discoveries as well.

"I thought I knew everyone in Ponyville. Who else is new?" she asked. Instead of answering, the Doctor gave her a big hug.

"It's good to have you back, Twilight Sparkle," he said.

"Did I do something to deserve all these hugs?" she asked happily.

After about a half hour of getting up, and talking for a bit with everyone (who were overjoyed to have her back) Twilight asked the Doctor, "After regenerating, I'm a bit hungry. You wouldn't have happened to make breakfast would you?"

"Well, I did make some eggs, but they're probably a bit cold now. Sorry about that," he said.

"That's okay," said Twilight. "I'll see if I can get Spike to help me make something for every pony."

"Oh!" exclaimed the Doctor. "He doesn't know you're okay! He's still thinks I killed you. And your friends are gonna want to know you're okay, too!" He turned to Princess Luna before asking, "Princess, would you be willing to visit each of Twilight's friends and bring them here?"

"It would be my honor," she replied. In a flash, she teleported out of the room to gather the others.

The Doctor turned to Twilight and said, "You should go down and say something to him. He's been really worried about you."

"Sure," said Twilight. She walked passed everyone and down the stairs. From the room, they could all here Spike's cry of happiness when he saw Twilight was alright. The Doctor chuckled to himself before leading everyone downstairs.

After about ten minutes, Twilight and Spike had started breakfast while the Doctor continued speaking with the others in the main room.

"Doctor," began Cadence, "you said that you all witnessed our conception; our transformation into alicorns. But how does one become an alicorn?"

"I'm still curious about that, too," said Celestia. "I know that it has to do with a unicorn's inner magic capabilities, but I'm clueless as to how the process works exactly."

"You're all very magically adept," began the Doctor. "Princess Celestia, you and Luna can control the sun and moon. Princess Cadence, you can control a pony's emotions. Twilight seems to be a different breed, no pun intended. She seems to have mastery over nearly every magic with more than just a basic understanding of it all. It seems that her strong suit is manipulation over space, hence her knack for teleportation spells and control over her environment. But why can she do that? Why do any of you have the extraordinary magical capabilities that you do in the first place?"

They all sat in puzzlement for a moment before a rapid knocking came on the front door. Every pony looked up for a second and exchanged a glance of curiosity before realizing that it must be Princess Luna and the others. So, the Doctor got up and made his way to the door. He stood slightly off to the side and very quickly hit the latch before sidestepping, allowing the door to swing open and bring an avalanche of ponies with it. Twilight's friends landed in a heap on the other side of the door before picking themselves up.

"Where's Twilight?" asked Pinkie Pie excitedly. "Is she really okay this time? Is she done with her nap?" She grabbed the Doctor by the shoulders and shook him vigorously as she said, "Somepony say something!"

The Doctor struggled away before saying, "Yes, everyone. She's alright. Right now, she's in the kitchen with Spike making some breakfast. You can go and see her if you like." That was all Twilight's friends needed to hear. They rushed to the kitchen and tackled Twilight to the floor in excitement.

Meanwhile, Princess Luna stepped in the room through the front door. "It's a good thing I walked behind them all," she said, amused by their excitement.

"A good thing indeed," chuckled Princess Celestia. "Now, Doctor, why do you think we have such strong magic?"

"I don't know," he said bluntly. "We need to find a connection between you all. But even after fifty years, I only know so much. Argh! What am I missing?" He started pounding his head with a hoof. "Think, Doctor, think!"

Princess Celestia interrupted his train of thought. "Doctor, I may have something. Come meet us in Canterlot when you're ready." At this time, Twilight and her friends walked out of the kitchen carrying food for everyone.

"I hope ya'll are ready to eat yer fill," said Applejack, "'cause Twilight and Spike made a bit too much."

"Actually," said Princess Cadence, "we were just getting ready to go back to Canterlot. We need to find out if there's a connection between all of us," she finished as she motioned to the other princesses. "So I'm sorry, but we can't stay."

"Oh, come on," said Twilight. "You can't even stay for one egg?"

"I'm afraid not," said Princess Celestia. "We must travel there as soon as possible so that I can prepare to present my theory to the Doctor. As much as I would love to stay here with you for a little while, this is where we must part ways."

"Actually," said the Doctor, "we need to know more about Twilight as well. She should come with us."

"Really?!" asked Twilight excitedly, almost like a child would when they heard they were going to an ice cream shop.

"Yes, really," said the Doctor. "If you want, we can take my TARDIS to get there sooner."

"Good idea," said Princess Celestia.

"What's a TARDIS?" asked Princess Cadence.

"Time And Relative Dimensions In Space," said Twilight. "It's basically a time machine."

"That's dumbing it down a bit, don't you think?" asked the Doctor. Twilight chuckled slightly. "Anyway, she's right. It's a 'time machine' that can travel in space. Well, to be honest, it's a space machine that can travel through time, but I suppose they're interchangeable."

"A time machine?" questioned Shining Armor. "There's no way."

"Oh, but there is," said Princess Luna. "Where is your TARDIS parked, Doctor?"

"I moved it out back while Twilight was resting," he said. He began walking toward the back door as he said, "Come along then, everyone."

Twilight turned to follow him, and when no one else followed, she added jokingly, "That means now, slowpokes."

Their entire party followed the Doctor and Twilight out, including Spike and Twilight's friends. The TARDIS sat in the middle of the back yard, it's light from the inside glowing slightly to give it a ghostly appearance, even in broad daylight.

As the others caught up, the Doctor said, "Everyone, inside. We'll be in Canterlot momentarily."

"Oh, I love the TARDIS!" said Twilight excitedly. "It's so BIG on the inside!"

"I will never get tired of that," he mumbled to himself. After everyone had filed in (bringing with them the inevitable 'It's bigger on the inside' from Cadence and Shining Armor), the Doctor approached the console, punched in the correct coordinates, and added, "We're off!" as the TARDIS whirred to life.