And it's Only the Beginning
The crackling fireplace casts a warm orange glow over the walls of the plush and luxurious room. The Guest rooms here in Saddle Arabia may not have all of the amenities that we have back home in Ponyville, but they have enough to make it feel comfortable. The soft red rug that adorned the middle of the room made for a great place to lie down. The dark hardwood floors spread throughout the suite. The yellow paint on the walls in combination to the flames create a moving mosaic of a sunset. Under Luna’s beautiful moon, I begin to doze off.
The next thing I knew, I was awoken to Celestia's shining Sun.
"Silver Star, time to get up."
My brother was shaking my shoulder. Clockwork was standing over me, a small smirk plastered on his muzzle.
"What are you smiling at?" I asked as I got up from my warm bed.
“You’re drooling,” he said, his smile broadening.
I wiped the saliva from the corner of my mouth and flung it at him.
"Thanks." I giggled at his surprised look.
“You know, you act more like a filly than a 12 year old mare.” Wide eyed, Clockwork just shook his head and wiped the small line of slobber that adorned his black mane.
I rolled my eyes and trotted to my vanity.
"Whoa. My mane is a total mess!" My deep blue mane looked ragged. I definitely had a severe case of bed-head. The thought of me fussing over my mane like Aunt Rarity made me chuckle to myself. Then I remembered the dreams. I tried to hide my face from Clockwork and started to brush out my wavy curls.
“Don’t worry about it too much!” Clockwork said. “You should have seen mom’s mane this morning.” At this, he chuckles that same gruff laugh he always uses. I remembered mom's stories from the past including her mane and sniggered along with him. I will have to dwell about my dreams another time, when there aren’t another set of eyes on me.
"So, should we get to breakfast?" I ask hopefully.
“Look at the clock.” Clockwork points to the small grandfather clock sitting by the corner of the room. 9:45am. “Mom and dad already left to meet with the Saddle Arabian delegates.”
"I forgot about that. I'll just grab something to eat and then sit in boredom." I roll my eyes and laugh a little. I walk to the bathroom with more spring in my step than before.
“No need,” Clockwork said from my room. “Rosaline already made some apple pancakes!” At this, he starts jumping up and down in excitement. He only ever got this way whenever food is involved.
As I turn on the water, I think, 'Sometimes he seems more like a foal than a 15-year-old stallion.'
As if on cue, the smell of freshly made apple pancakes wafted into the bathroom. The sweet smell of that god like fruit reminded me of Sweet Apple Acres and Aunt Applejack. Rosaline often visited Applejack to learn some of her favorite treats. I swear if mom and dad didn’t have Rosaline, Rosaline would have been an Apple for sure. I never got how she earned three hearts for a Cutie Mark. I think it's her compassion for others.
Steam from the shower starts to fog up the mirror, telling me I have been daydreaming long enough. I turn off the water and soak up the droplets from my coat with a fluffy blue towel.
This trip to Saddle Arabia has been nothing but meetings for mom. I guess she thought that staying here in the palace would be a good vacation for the family, but it has just been boring for the rest of us. Dad could just come and go as he pleased. If mom allowed him to bring the TARDIS along, maybe we wouldn’t have to sit in this plain apartment. I guess she didn't want him bailing on us in the middle of vacation. Mom always has her heart in the right place, though.
Mom, being the second youngest alicorn princess in all of equestria, she is often away on official business. Twilight Sparkle was the official Equestrian head of foreign relations, which means she is often visiting other nations all over the world. The TARDIS always comes in handy for that. Dad and his TARDIS had made traveling easy for mom whenever she needed it, although she prefered more natural modes of transportation. Mom was always fascinated with the inner workings of the TARDIS, but she will rarely travel in it. She’s scared of it, or something.
Maybe I've just grown used to it.
I trotted to the vanity in the bedroom and combed out my soggy mane and tail and then headed to the kitchen. Rosaline was standing over the counter slaving away at the stove, frying pan in her hooves.
She smiled and looked me brightly in the eyes. "Good morning, monkey!" she teased me with my nickname. We did our special greeting as my mother and her sister-in-law also did.
"The TARDIS lands, the Sun comes up. All is well, for we just need love!" we exclaimed in unison.
The two of us had lowered our hooves to the ground, spread them outwards, smiled, and then hugged. I nuzzled her affectionately, but then she returned her attention to the pancakes. She looked back to me out of the corner of her eye as a smile spread across her face.
“Oh, sorry Silver, don’t want burnt pancakes now do we?” Rosaline said with a playful tone that made me smile back. It’s impossible not to love her sing song voice.
A certain grumbling broke my train of thought.
"Do you two have to do that silly dance EVERY morning?! Some of us are trying to enjoy some peace and quiet!" Clockwork just came from his room, mane still wet from the shower.
I sniggered, “Sorry, Clocky.”
At this, ‘Clocky’ scowled, a deep scary scowl etched onto his muzzle, teeth slightly showing out of the corner of his mouth. But, after looking at my reaction, his face softened into a smile. Eventually, the slightly scared look on my face had him on his back laughing.
Clockwork, always cracking himself up. Still such a colt.
"Apple pancakes, coming up!" Rosaline had finished cooking them and the smell overtook my nose.
Clockwork, regaining control of his legs, stands back up beaming in anticipation. “We got any maple syrup?”
“Nope,” Rosaline said shaking her head. “No maple trees in Saddle Arabia. We probably should’ve brought some from home.”
I muttered, "If Mom hadn't been so paranoid then we would have the TARDIS to get supplies from."
“You know how Mom feels about having the TARDIS around.” Clockwork said, suddenly growing serious. “She doesn't even let dad keep it in the castle!”
"I know!" I screamed.
“Stop fighting you two.” Rosaline’s voice grew stern. She pronounced every consonant with sharp precision. Her words cut like knives. “You guys gotta stop taking sides with mom and dad. All it leads to is the two of you bickering like foals.” After Rosaline finished, the silence that followed dragged on. Tensions grew while we waited for somepony to break the silence.
“Well if she wasn't such a daddy's filly—” Clockwork mumbled under his breath.
"If Clockwork didn't act like such a mommy's colt—" I mumbled.
"GUYS!" Rosaline slammed her hooves down on the counter. She had never done that before. Usually my older sister is always cheerful, but she has gotten stern before. Just never THIS stern.
“Do I smell apple pancakes?”
Suddenly, Dad is standing in the open doorway. He was wearing his usual white collar and aqua neck tie. His messy mane sits unkempt atop his head. After quickly glancing at our faces, he swaps his cheerful smile to a look of concern.
“What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly.
"Fighting," Rosaline replied flatly. She had no cheerfulness in her voice anymore and her usual smile was a deep scowl.
Dad looks to Clockwork and I, his face hardening. His deep blue eyes already searching for an answer in ours. His glance wasn’t cold, but it was stern enough. He knew that Clockwork and I always had our disagreements, but he rarely ever got involved. He left that mostly to Rosaline. “About what? If it is alright for me to ask.”
I looked away from his face. I always hated disappointing him. Dad has always seemed lonely whenever Mom had to leave him. Not to mention that he had no clue how to handle these kinds of arguments. No matter where they were, Mom and Dad always seemed out of place whenever they were separated.
I mumbled, “About you and Mom....”
Dad looks at me knowingly. He looks to Clockwork for confirmation. Clockwork only nodded. Silence continued
“I see…” He finally said after a few moments of awkward silence. (I swear, I heard crickets!)
I shuffle my front hooves and looked down at the tiles, studying the shaving work. I just need anything to keep from looking into dad’s eyes.
“Alrighty then!” A sudden enthusiasm floods Dad’s voice.
“Umm… Dad?” Clockwork looks back to Dad, a puzzled look on his face. Rosaline's face breaks into a smile and she chuckles.
“We’ll discuss this later. But for now… PANCAKES!” Dad’s face broke into that same giant, goofy grin that he occasionally gets. Clockwork may usually side with Mom, but he definitely has Dad’s love for food.
"It's always Dad to break the silence. Now plenty of butter, right?" Rosaline winked. I looked at Dad and laughed a bit. Dad just nodded his head faster than a hummingbird can beat it’s wings. Rosaline scraped half of the butter onto a pancake on a plate, then hoofed it to Dad.
We all are laughing now. Dad always had a way of lightening the mood to any situation.
After eating, Mom trotted in and smiled brightly. "I hope I'm not too late for breakfast!"
The look on Dad’s face was priceless. He looks to his plate that was covered in butter, and small crumbs of pancake.
“Umm… Well you see Twi…”
Mom saw his plate and starts laughing. I jump up to greet her and squeeze her tightly in a big ursa hug.
"I think you're starting to get Pinkie's strength in hugs!" Mom manages to say between gasps for air.
I let her go and apologized. "Sorry." I smiled sheepishly at her. Aunt Pinkie may be getting older, but she still acts like she was still in her twenties according to Mom.
"Hey Mom!" Rosaline hugged Mom more gently than me. “How was the meeting?”
Mom smiled and answered, "Just fine. We all came to an agreement finally, and the rest of it went smoothly."
“So no more testing new magic on animals?” Clockwork said expectantly, his ears perked.
"Not one bug." All five ponies in the kitchen had a happy feeling about them.
Mom and Dad looked to each other and smiled. It’s is incredible that the two of them love each other because of their many differences. Not to mention the long periods of time where they are occasionally apart. I remember one thing that Mom and Dad had never told us. How they met. I always put the question off, but now seems like a better time than ever to ask.
I cleared my throat and got everypony's attention. "Mom, Dad, how did you meet?" I asked.
Mom and dad shared a quick glance. Dad looked back to me.
“You know, that is a story that we don’t usually talk about often,” Dad said. He put a hoof up to his chin. Twisting his face into a face of contemplation. After a quick second of this, he spoke again. “I’ll tell you tonight before bed how about that?”
My siblings and I all shared a look and nodded in agreement.
It had been a long day, but we all were back in the apartment. I started a fire with my magic and a feeling of warmth spread through me. I walk up to Mom who was sitting close by on the rug leaning against Dad. I lay down next to her and in an instant, her purple wing wraps around me, and pulls me in close.
“Now about that story," I looked to dad expectantly. Clockwork looked rather impatient. Even if he’d never admit it, he has been waiting to hear this story too. Rosaline stood in the doorway smiling. She had heard the story before, but joined us to hear it again.
Dad looked from Clockwork, then to me.
“Well, If we’re all settled, then lets begin.”
The ding from a microwave rang throughout the suite. Mom’s horn shined that familiar purple aura as the sound of the microwave door opening filled the room with the smell of a cinema. A big bag of popcorn floated into the room followed by a stack of small bowls that settled at the hooves of each of the children.
“Ready!” Mom exclaims with a wide grin on her face. I giggled, earning back my foalish stature. I snuggle even closer to mom in anticipation for Dad’s story.
Dad took a deep breath and began. “It 'twas the night before Hearth’s Warming and all through the house, not a creature was stirring. Not even a mouse.”
“Dad! Wrong story!" I pointed out, obviously.
Dad made a face. “Oopsie! I made quite the mistake, didn't I?”
We all laughed, rolling our eyes. He has the biggest sarcastic smirk on his face. After the laughter died down he continued, “You know, I wanted to tell you this story earlier. Mom over there wanted for me to wait 'til you were older.’”
She gave him a look. “You see, our meeting isn't as nice as I would’ve liked it to be.”
Dad said, “Now, where was I...oh, yes!”
The Doctor was by the console of the TARDIS. It was flying out of control and about to crash land. Rushing back and forth around the console pulling levers, the TARDIS continued to shake violently as the machine flew erratically through the time vortex.
“Come on old girl.” Doctor said hopefully “Just land already!”
She groaned as she controlled her landing. As If on cue the shaking suddenly stopped with a thud.
"Where have we landed now?"
With a spring in his step, the doctor trotted to the door. Upon opening the door he found himself in way over his head. The room he was in was dark, but with enough light to barely make out the corners of the room. Six large crystal thrones and another smaller one sat in a circle around where the TARDIS had landed. The room seemed to be made entirely of crystal. The architecture was absolutely fascinating. Arching high into the room, the ceiling was easily fifty hooves high. But as he looked around, the doctor saw a familiar, yet unwanted, figure barely visible behind one of the thrones.
Just barely in view was a stone statue. A pegasus statue no less, with wings so un-proportionally large, they seemed to be as large as the body itself. Standing on it’s hind legs, the statue was easily larger than the doctor. But, what sealed the doctors fears was the way the statue’s forehooves covered it’s eyes.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
The Doctor kept his eyes trained on it, making sure it stayed still. Being careful not to stare directly at it, he always kept it within his sight. He knew what this was. A weeping angel. A perfectly evolved creature that removed itself from reality whenever there was someone looking at it. Whenever somepony is looking at it, it seems to turn to stone. The minute you look away, you might as well be dead.
He then heard hoofsteps coming up from behind him. He dared not look away from the Angel.
"H-hello? Anypony there?" Somepony asked. It was a mare whispering from behind. The feeble voice grew silent, but the hoofsteps just kept coming closer.
“Stay back!” the Doctor yelled. He held a hoof out to the side, motioning for the mare not to come any closer. An audible yelp came from behind the doctor. More hoof steps were heard along with hers.
Multiple voices called out, "Fluttershy? Where the hay are you?"
“Is that your name?” The doctor said rather flatly, making sure not to alter his gaze.
A soft whimper that sounded like a yes came from the mare behind him. Then several echoes came from the hallway from behind them all calling out in unison.
“Fluttershy!”
A group of ponies galloped towards the mare behind the doctor, but stopped suddenly. Probably because of the doctor and the TARDIS.
An elegant accent came from one of the ponies, "Oh, dear, Fluttershy! Thank Celestia we found you! Have you seen Twilight, though? We can't seem to find her!"
Then a rougher voice asked, "Who the hay is this?!"
“No time to explain.” The doctor said, silencing the mares. “Tell me, when did this all happen?”
“Wha’ in tarnation?” A heavily influenced southern accent said from behind the Doctor. “are you talkin’ abou-.” The mare cut her sentence short. “What- what is that thing?”
“What in Equestria are you talking about my dear?” One of the other mares asked. The quick inhale that followed made it obvious that the other mare saw the angel as well.
“They are called Weeping Angels. Do not look directly at it.” The doctor cautioned. “Have any of you ponies seen any more of these statue anywhere else?”
“No.”
“No sir.”
“I haven’t seen anything like it!”
“Nopitty nope nope!” A new loud singsong voice startled the doctor, forcing him to blink.
When the doctor opened his eyes, the angel was looming over the ponies. Towering over the doctor, the statue was now placed in the center of the room, eyes still covered.
“Woah, it moved!” One of the mares exclaimed.
“There ain’t a way, even magic, that it could’ve moved that fast.”
One of the mares was audibly shivering, teeth chattering and all.
I cut the story short.
"Wait, wait, wait. What in the wide world of Equestria does this have to do with you and Mom?!" I questioned.
"Just be patient," Mom commanded.
A shriek was heard from down another hallway.
"Was tha' Twilight?!" the southerner asked.
"Must be!" the energetic mare agreed.
The sound of hooves echoed once more along the crystal and heavy breathing was heard.
The group spoke in unison again, "Twilight!"
Assuming that he was the only one still looking at the angel, the doctor looks unblinking in it’s direction. But, as his vision becomes more clear, he sees a small army of similar statutes encircling the far end of the room. At least thirty angels in total.
“We gotta move.” he said loud enough for the mares behind him to hear. “It’s not safe here. Not anymore.”
Slowly, the doctor backs up, making sure not to lose sight of any of the stone statues. Hoofstep after hoofstep. Inch by inch. The silence besides his soft clip clop of his hooves was unnerving, heralding the terrifying events soon to come. ‘But they had one advantage,’ he figured ‘at least i know how these things operate’.
Twilight looked up, finally seeing with her own eyes the threat that loomed before her and her friends. Instantly realizing the danger, Twilight does exactly the same as the doctor, practically mirroring every move he made.
“What the hay are you two worried about?” In an instant, a light blue pegasus mare with a rainbow colored mane bolted in front of the doctor. “It’s just a statue!”
The blue mare's scowl threatened a sudden burst of anger.
“Get out of the way!” The doctor placed a firm hoof on the Pegasus' chest and pushed her out of the way in order to keep a visual on the angel. “That is no ordinary statute.” The doctor says, slowly backing away. “It is a creature that moves only when you’re not looking at it. If it get’s to you., it will kill you...”
A collective gasp rang out from all the mares except the pegasus that still insisted on getting in the doctor’s face.
“Yeah right, like I believe that!” The rainbow maned mare exclaimed. “You all are just trying to scare me!”
On that note, the blue pegasus flew up to the statue, placing a hoof on it’s stone wings.
"Ah wouldn't do tha' Dash..." A mare with an orange coat, yellow mane, and stetson hat motioned for her to move away.
Rainbow rolled her eyes and looked at them all with a smirk.
"Nice try, AJ." Then with a flash of light the blue pegasus disappeared.
The five other mares stood in shock with pure horror plastered on their faces.
I stopped Dad once again.
"What happened to Aunt Rainbow Dash?!"
Clockwork sighed. "If you keep on interrupting Dad, you'll never know."
"RAINBOW!" all of them cried out.
Twilight stared at the statues with worry seen as plain as day on her face. "W-w—...." She tried to manage a sentence. "Where did she go?!"
"Well...." the Doctor had no idea how to respond. He had explained this kind of situation plenty of times and yet now he was unable to do it. The mares looked at him intently, and he could feel they're stares press against him as they backed away.
"She's...she's been sent somewhere back in the past." They gasped, except Pinkie Pie as she looked in confusion at the statues with her hair slowly deflating.
She finally managed to reply, "Dashie's....gone?!" The Doctor had backed all the way to the TARDIS and pushed open the door, relying on Twilight and the rest of her friends to watch the Weeping Angels.
"I'm afraid so." He ran straight to the console and tried getting a location on the mare they had called "Rainbow Dash."
As the rest of them had followed them inside they gaped at the size of the inside. Twilight stole a glance behind her while closing the doors with her magic.
"Oh..." the purple maned pony started.
"My..." the pink mare continued.
Twilight finished, "Celestia."
"Oh my goodness!" squeaked Fluttershy.
"AJ" spoke with wide eyes, "Wha' in tarnation?!"
The Doctor waved a hoof. "Yes, yes. Bigger on the inside and etc. Now about your friend...." They got over their shock and started fretting once more.
“What are we gonna do?” The white unicorn said. “Without Rainbow, the elements of harmony are incomplete!”
“We won’ be able to protect Equestria like we used to, thats for sure.” The orange mare replied. “What are we gonna do twilight?”
Now that the doctor was in an environment where he could think clearly, he realized why that name seemed so familiar. Twilight… One look at the purple mare’s horn and wings confirmed his assumption.
“Oh!” The doctor gasped at his rudeness. he bowed down on one foreleg in respect. “Your highness, my apologies for my rude gestures.”
Princess Twilight took a few steps towards the doctor, stopping just out of forelegs reach. The doctor stands up to look the alicorn in the eye.Twilight was eyeing him from head to hoof, sizing the stallion before her. Her face was twisted into a frown of conflicting emotions.
“You’ve seen those things before haven’t you?” The princess asked.
Not the attention of everypony in the TARDIS turned to the doctor. He realized now that there was no escaping this conversation. With a reluctant sigh he got to explaining.
“Yes… I have seen them before, though i try to forget it. They hurt a good friend of mine too. I thought that they were erased from time on multiple occasions, each occasion I have been wrong.” The looks on the faces of the mares said it all. Looks of sympathy adorned each of their faces, understanding how hard it must be to speak of a dark time in his past. “They are truly terrifying creatures whose motive are as unclear as they are ambiguous. They seem only bent on torturing the ones around them.” Looking back to the first time he faced the angels, the doctor shivers. “They could have gotten to my friend. I wasn't able to stop them myself. She saved herself. I always admired her for that.”
A few moment’s passed as all eyes were still glued to the doctor, who was almost on the verge of tears remembering the ordeal.
Realization setting in, the pink mare’s mane and tail straightened. “Dashie's… Dead.” Those were the only two words she could speak. The mare burst into hysterics. Falling to the floor of the TARDIS crying uncontrollably, the earth pony could not get a hold of herself.
Most of the other mares in the room took it upon themselves to try to calm their friend down while battling with their own emotions. Most of the mares also had tears flowing openly, all except Twilight. Twilight just stood there, looking off into the distance.
Bang!
A loud knock shook the TARDIS, silencing the crying.
“They’re trying to get in!” The doctor shouted, mostly out of fear. Running over to the console, the doctor began going to work pulling levers, pressing buttons, twisting knobs, and winding cranks.
“Wha’ in tarnation are ya doin’?” The orange mare screamed over the banging.
“Getting us out of here! This is the TARDIS Time And Relative Dimension In Space! It is a vessel used to-”
“Travel in time and space!” Twilight yelled, her face brightening. “Sir-”
The doctor quickly moved next to the princess. “Please, call me the Doctor.” And just as quickly. he returned to his frantic pulling of mechanisms.
“Doctor, what did you say about Rainbow earlier?” Twilight asked, a knowing smile carving into her face.
Knowing exactly what Twilight was thinking, he matched her grin with his big goofy smile of his own. “She's been sent somewhere back in the past.”
Twilight’s smile grew even more. “She’s not dead!”
At this the ears of the other mares still mourning suddenly perked upon hearing this. The mare, Applejack they called her, placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.
“Twi, even if dash just got sent to the past, by now she’s already dead and buried.” Applejack said sorrowfully. Her face was unreadable. Applejack may not be showing it, but she was definitely hit the hardest when realization hit her.
“Did you not hear him?” The cheer never leaving Twilight’s voice. “This weird ‘bigger on the inside’ machine travels in time! We can go get rainbow back! Doctor, is there any way you can track-”
Before twilight could finish, the doctor pulled down a monitor with Rainbow Dash’s picture with the words ‘Trottingham 1894’ underneath. “Track her, yes! In fact, I already found her."
“Wow! You did it that quickly?” Twilight and her friend’s mouths were practically dragging on the floor.
“Yup!” The doctor said proudly, slightly puffing out his chest. He then turned back to the console. “Now, to get us there.” And with the pull of one last lever, a loud whirring sound filled the TARDIS. The entire thing began shaking, forcing everypony to find something to grab on. All except Pinkie Pie, who was simply bouncing around laughing and yelling “WEEEEEEEEEEEE!” She obviously realized that there was hope yet.
Everypony tried hanging onto the banisters, while the Doctor pondered on how Pinkie was still standing. Twilight meanwhile was ursa hugging the large cylinder center console, clearly terrified by the noises and shaking created by the TARDIS.
"Uhhh, Twilight, are you okay?" Pinkie asked, looking at her hanging to the console.
Twilight looked to pinkie, still hopping around. “Um… Yeah. Im fine… never better!” Twilight gave a sheepish grin as her face visibly turned green.
The Time Lord muttered, "I've never had anyone sick on the TARDIS...."
The doctor looked around, the nearest pony was Pinkie, who stopped bouncing and looked at him in confusion.
“Anyone?” Pinkie questioned. “You’ve had creatures other than ponies on this machine?”
He avoided her gaze and said, "Best questions saved for later."
“Pinkie promise?” The energetic mare asked with a grin.
The doctor looked to his hooves. How did this mare know what a pinkie was. She probably has only seen hooves before, not hands.
'Urgh, more on that later. Right now I need to find their friend,' the Doctor thought.
On cue, the lurching stopped suddenly, sending all the ponies to the ground. With a sigh, Twilight slid down the console and landed with a loud thud. The doctor easily got to his hooves, smiled, and trotted to the door.
“Welcome to Trottingham fillies!” The doctor said, toothy grin and all.
“‘Fillies?’”Rarity repeated. She got up, brushed herself off, then tossed her elegantly combed mane while turning her snout to the air.
Applejack and Pinkie shared a giggle. Fluttershy shuffled her hooves awkwardly on the other side of the TARDIS.
Twilight was the first to follow the Doctor and was eager to see if it worked. Suddenly over her sickness, twilight was beaming in anticipation.
"Yay," was Fluttershy's feeble response. Her wings fluttered in excitement.
"Time for the quest of the missing Pegasus!" exclaimed Pinkie in her signature singsong voice. When the doctor opened the door to the TARDIS, they were met with a narrow alleyway between two white brick buildings.
Twilight's eyes widened as she stepped out of the TARDIS, a huge smile slowly spreading across her face.
"Whoa."
"Whoa" did just about sum it up for all five mares.
“It’s a box,” Pinkie yelled excitedly. “How the hay did it move?”
“The old girl confuses everypony doesn't she.” The doctor said, being careful to use everypony instead of everyone.
“Oh my Celestia!” Twilight gasped. She immediately took it upon herself to run all around the TARDIS, inspecting the entire outside of the machine. She paused at every corner, even taking time to inspect the lettering around the top. She took a particular interest in the light on the peak of the roof.
"It is most definitely smaller on the outside," she concurred.
“We all can see that one sugarcube.” Applejack said shaking her head at Twi’s antics.
A small patch of pink appeared at her cheeks as she looked away from everypony's eyes. They had joined her in the alley and looked out to the street. All the ponies that trotted by were wearing clothes. Fancy dresses, top hats, and the like adorned the body of every pony in the city.
“We need to get you mares some clothes.” The doctor said.
He grabbed fluttershy by the hoof and dragged her along back into the TARDIS and into the back room where the doctor stored all the clothes he and his companions collected on his travels. The rest of their group followed behind. Rarity followed next, visibly enthusiastic about the idea of clothing.
I was getting impatient.
"What in Equestria does this have to do with Mom and Dad falling in love?!" Rosaline giggled at me and put a hoof to her lips shushing me.
“If I am going to tell you the story,” Dad said. “I am going to tell you the whole story. What is the fun in half a tale?”
I groaned and put my head on my hooves waiting for a good part.
Twilight tapped her chin remembering studying this century and how they dressed.
"Oh, wait! Nopony can know us during this time! It could probably change things in our times!" Twilight reminded her friends urgently.
“Which it is why it is important that we don’t stand out,” The doctor said while putting on a fez.
“Darling why would you wear such a silly thing!” Rarity said. She immediately levitated the goofy hat off of his head, replacing it with a black silk tophat.
“Awwww, I liked it,” Pinkie said with her hair slightly poofy.
“I’m gonna let you mares get changed.” The doctor said and left the room, tophat bouncing on top of his head.
At the end of the changing session, and a lot of debating between Applejack and Rarity, they were finally ready.
Fluttershy came out with a green ribbon pulling her pink mane into a low ponytail. A simple teal silk dress had a green ribbon wrapped at the waist with holes for her wings.
Pinkie Pie had no hope for her mane and tail, so Rarity held them with navy blue scrunchies. Her body was adorned with a sailor's dress with a pink bow at the waist and hat.
Applejack stepped reluctantly stepped out of the TARDIS dressing room. Without her hat she looked very out of her comfort zone. Her mane had been pulled into a style Applejack's Aunt Orange had done. Her tail had been braided with a red ribbon on the end. The dress seemed a few sizes too small for her muscular frame. It was red, and the style made it look out of place on Applejack.
Rarity herself had dressed in a more elaborate outfit with many gems of a blue that matched her Cutie Mark. The many frills set her royal purple curls nicely. The dress itself was a blue that matched the shade of her eyes.
Twilight finally stepped out, looking more like a Princess than she ever had before. Her dress was a simple cloak that was draped over her wings. The shade of pink matched that in her mane. A set of violet bears were at the base of her throat. Twilight's mane and tail had been curled in a different style than Rarity's, though it had set the dress and accessories perfectly.
To the Doctor, Twilight was the most beautiful mare he has ever seen. The cloak was so simple, but it brought out everything he would have wanted in a mare. The way her mane fit perfectly. The way the dress draped over her wings. Everything about it was perfect. Even the style seemed to complement her personality. It wasn’t hard to see that Twilight was the most studious out of all of her friends. Not to mention she was definitely the most modest. It wasn’t until now that he realized that his jaw was scraping the floor.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you okay?”
“Da, um bah…” The Doctor stammered. Finally collecting himself he put words together. “I’m fine!” A poorly formed smile plastered itself onto his face.
“Would you mind if I butt in for a second, dear?” Mom interrupted. “You know I don't mind you boasting about my beauty, but that is only one side to this part of the story.”
Dad put on a grin so large that it crossed his entire muzzle. Clockwork was cracking up at Dad's smile.
“Absolutely Twi!”
Mom picked up the story where dad left off.
Twilight couldn't help but think the Doctor looked quite handsome in his midnight black blazer and tophat. His smile made her feel a bit weak in the knees and his intelligence was enough to put anypony to shame.
All five of them shared a laugh at the Doctor's jaw drop.
“That barely begins how to describe that moment, but I don't have the time to explain to now,” Mom finished. Rosa and I were sighing at how sweet the story was at the moment. Clockwork couldn’t help but gag.
I mouthed, Buttercream Sundae. He blushed at his almost-marefriend's name, but he still pressed Dad on.
“Come on! Let's get back to the action and adventure of finding Aunt Rainbow!” he exclaimed.
Dad sighed, “Alright, alright! Just be patient.”
When the stallion got a hold of himself they walked into the alleyway once more.
“According to the TARDIS, your Rainbow Dash was caught crashing into a storefront the other day.” Across the street, the doctor pointed to a newspaper describing the incident.
"Imagine where Rainbow Dash could be! She could be arrested and alone in a cold jail cell. Or lost alone and afraid!" Fluttershy fretted anxiously.
“That is actually half true,” the Doctor said, picking up a copy of the newspaper from the paperfoal. “Turns out she was arrested yesterday. The family who owned the store is so distraught that they want Rainbow executed. The damage must have been pretty severe.”
Futtershy broke into tears.
Applejack rolled her eyes, even though she felt worried for Dash. She kept on patting Fluttershy's back gently. "Great going on trying to help her!" Pinkie had bought Jelly Dodgers and brought them back over.
"Has anypony seen Twilight?" Pinkie asked through a mouthful of the cookie, oblivious to what the Time Lord said.
The Doctor, suddenly alert and anxious, started to look frantically for Twilight. “She was right here!”
“Ah think she and Rarity were investigatin’ or somethin’,” replied Applejack. Fluttershy was down to sniffles and used a napkin from Pinkie to dab her eyes.
His eyes darted to Applejack, who was helping Flutter-shy up.
“Did they say where they were going?!” the Time Lord asked. The country mare's face twisted in thought.
Her face relaxed and she said, “Nope.”
The Doctor looked back out to the crowd. Then he saw Pinkie Pie jump up and down throughout the group of ponies with a lot of complaints. Pinkie was waving her forelegs, trying to get his attention.
Pinkie was pointing farther down the street. She probably found where the Twilight and Rarity were. The doctor, followed by Applejack and Fluttershy pushed their way through the crowd. There were a lot of, ‘Excuse me(s)’ , and ‘Pardon(s)’ as the trio made their way down the street.
Once they reached the end of the road, there was nothing. Pinkie was looking very confused, staring at a space of air.
“But they were just here!” Pinkie pie squealed. “I saw them, I’m not lying!”
“What happened to Mom?” Clockwork interrupted.
“Shhhh,” Mom said a small smile creasing her face, knowing what was coming up next. In her eyes, i could see that she was remembering the upcoming events fondly. Dad shook his head then continued.
The doctor eyed pinkie pie suspiciously as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. The three mares behind him looked at the device with curiosity as the sonic screwdriver began emitting its familiar green glow and whirring sound. The doctor waved the small machine on the spot where Pinkie thought she saw Twilight and Rarity. After a few seconds of analyzing the spot, the doctor brought the green light to his eye, decrypting the machine’s results.
“Teleportation magic,” The doctor muttered to himself. “But those spells won’t have been invented for another thirty years by… by whom...” Piecing together everything he knew, there was only one logical answer. The doctor turned back to the rest of the mares. “Fillies, we are dealing with a very powerful unicorn here.”
“A very powerful unicorn? Do we know this pony?” Applejack questioned.
The doctor glumly nodded. “You’ve heard his name. Starswirl the Bearded.” They all gasped, similar to how the ponies in Trottingham would. “Starswirl is the only pony alive at this period of time that has the ability to teleport using magic.”
“How could you possibly know that? Sorry sugarcube, but it all seems like a lot of hooie to me.” Applejack said.
“I have traveled through time longer than you have been alive Applejack.” The doctor explained. “I have had a lot of time to witness these major events first hoofed.”
“Ooh! Ooh! How old does that make you?!” Pinkie asked excitedly.
The doctor chose his next words carefully, and spoke them in a tone in order to prevent any more questions. “Very… Very… Old.” The doctor made his face look stern enough to tell the mares he didn’t want to discuss the topic.
A squeaking sound came from behind them all. Nopony had noticed that Fluttershy was barely moving. She loved her friends very dearly and now had lost three in one day. Grief along with concern began to consume her, causing her to shiver violently.
The doctor turned to Fluttershy, but as he did so, a brilliant white aura surrounded her. And, in an instant, she was gone.
“FLUTTERSHY!” The three remaining ponies yelled in unison.
The doctor and the two other mares stood there silently, staring at the spot where Fluttershy was standing moment’s ago. After a few seconds of staring like this, the doctor looked down to notice that there was a bright white glyph now glowed underneath their hooves. And before they could react, they were pulled into a dark void. The doctor recognized this feeling the familiar pull of teleportation.
With a yawn, Dad stood up from his seat on the rug.
“Alrighty, time for bed, you three. It’s getting late, even for me!” Dad gave a sleepy grin. “At this rate, I'll start snoring before I finish the story.”
“But Dad—” Clockwork and I protested.
Rosaline stood up and stretched her wings. “I'm starting to drift off as well.”
“Your father’s right Star,” Mom said. “It is way past time for me anyways. I have another meeting in the morning.”
“Fine. But I'm not sure if I can sleep a wink tonight!” I proclaimed. Then I muttered under my breath, “And not for the reasons you think.”
