Chapters Octaves of Time by KodyMcQ
The tears vibrated as they graced the poplar wood siding of the Cello. Octavia didn't care, as she wept, playing her most sorrowful tune. It was Hearts and Hooves day again in Ponyville, and she was yet again without a Partner. She wiped a tear off of her gray cheek with her bow, then proceeded to gracefully bring it down and around the bow and onto the strings, then quickly strung them off of the Cello. This produced a horrible screech sound, one Octavia knew to be her 'Hearts And Hooves, You're Kidding” chord. She spent hours playing the tunes she knew by heart, as the golden sun slowly rose through the window, to light up the small room, with the gray pony casually standing and playing.
BANG BANG. Octavia dropped her bow, and turned. She waited.
She continued playing, a rendition called “Smile” made by the annoying pink pony she met at the Gala. That pony was horrid. Although I did want to join in on the Pony Pokey, that Gala was no time or place to play such a song. She thought, ranting off in her mind. But if I'm to perform at her 'Hearts and Hooves Celebration' I guess I'll have to perk up. Maybe I'll meet a nice colt there. She grinned at the last thought. Admittedly, this song did seem to cheer up Octavia no matter what her mood, or what day. Clock, 8:30. Perform, 10:00. I have a bit. Maybe I can go get some apples for after. Or ma-
Her thought process interrupted when she heard something. She wasn't sure, but it sounded like a French Horn. She was often interested in the instrument, amazed by the skill a pony needs with their ears to play the thing. I've gotta say, this pony is good at it. Where's it coming from? Then she recognized the tune. She could almost hear the lyrics in her head. I'm gonna make you smile, and I, will brighten up your day.
There was another pony playing Smile.
A sudden strike of nerves hit, and Octavia quickly caught on, and played along to the French Horn. Her low deep sound mended with the bright mellow sound perfectly, as they played. She wasn't sure if the mysterious Horn player knew of her playing along, but if they did, they certainly didn't give a buck. They jammed out, almost reaching the end of the piece, when Octavia noticed something. She was now playing alone.
She stopped and listened, determined to find an answer as to why her Duet partner bailed out. She pressed her ears against the walls, and heard nothing. OCTAVIA! What are you doing? You don't live in that trashy old Canterlot apartement anymore, you live in a wonderful Ponyville home. There is no French Horn playing Pony across from your wall, and there is no need to be listening! Get your mind in the game! She furiously smacked herself in the face with her hoof, and returned to her original task. Clock, 9:00. Performance, 10:00. I wasted a good 30 minutes. I need to get the hoof out of here.
Octavia gently placed her cello in the brown case, laced with pink edges and golden buckles. She grabbed the pink and gold strap coming from behind and laid the Cello against the wall. What am I going to wear? This is a solo performance, so it can't be anything too drab, yet this is not a formal party, therefore no need for the dresses...
There goes that door again.
Laying on her desk, on top of the soft green fabric, was a white rose, bright as can be, on top of a folded white dress, with a heart shaped jade beside it. On a small piece of parchment, was the words:
Octavia my dear, master of the Music,
My heart soars with every note you grace.
Do not change, for perfection should not be altered,
Octavia my dear, master of the Music.
-Sugarcube corner, 10:00
Octavia's face was shaded the same color as her eyes. She had just received her first Secret Admirer, and her mind soared with possibilities of who it could be. Then it hit her.
Sugarcube corner, 10:00, that's when my performance is!
Octavia quickly slipped on the dress, which was a vivid white, with an emerald lace, topped off with a collar that extended up her neck like Dracula's cape from some vampire movie she cared too less about to remember. It seemed too good to be true, somepony must've gone through a lot of trouble to get it, most likely from Canterlot. She stuck the rose in her hair, and did a quick mirror check. Perfect. She grabbed her Cello and quickly sprung out the door, prancing down the dirt paths with a silly grin on her face.
When she arrived at SugarCube Corner, Pinkie Pie was already waiting for her. As usual, she was popping out of random stuff and giving people suggestions.
“Hiya Octavia! Nice look!” She beamed, somehow bursting out Octavia's Cello case.
“Thanks. Say, happen to see any Colts about yet?” She asked the pink pony, a small stream of hope bleeding into her voice. They entered the doorway, and Pinkie disappeared.
“EEEENNOOPPEE!” Pinkie returned, as she jumped out of a vase beside Octavia, “But I'll leave you be, seems like you've got some stuff on your mind.”
And poof, Pinkie was gone. Octavia shrugged off the encounter, seeing as it was just Pinkie being Pinkie. She set her Cello case down beside the door, leaving the strap wrapped around the base, and took a look around. Pink streamers arched above, while the floor was a soft fuzzy pink carpet. There was so much pink it made her want to puke. Pink hearts, pink cupcakes, pink tables and cups, pink... Hot sauce? She didn't ask. She picked up the Cello and proceeded to a pink stage off in the corner, with two lights beaming from above. What color? PINK.
Octavia rolled her eyes. Although she was still excited to meet whatever Colt wanted her here, she was getting tired of the Hearts and Hooves day commotion. It was a normal day to Octavia, not much different, considering happy couples are everywhere, all the time. She played a few harmonic fifths, and a few dissonants to get her mind off the pink. A~ F~ C~. D~ Bb~ G. E~ F~ Ab~.
The room was slowly being cluttered by ponies. Taking a glance up, Octavia looked for any competition for her Special Colt. There was Soarin’, standing off in a corner, but he was soon joined by Spitfire. Too bad, She thought. There was Caramel, who was then joined by Applejack. What. she almost fell over. That was too funny to her, she couldn’t help but chuckle. Get your mind off the Colts, Octavia. You need to focuse on the songs. Remember, Smile, Wrap, Pet, Ar~no. Smile, Warp, Pet, Special Somepony. She corrected herself. The Aria was a sad piece, definitely not fit for the party at hand. She cleared her throat, and took one last glance. Pinkie appeared from a bowl of pink punch nearby, giving her a thumbs up, and then dissappearing, probably to go break the fourth wall somewhere.
Octavia played a C. Decently tuned, she decided to bear with it and start. She plucked her strings a few time for tempo, then got a few annoyed glances. No more stalling I guess. Right into Smile. And that she did. Ponies slowly got back to their conversations, as Octavia played her last-minute memorized pieces. Smile, Wrap, Pet, Special Somepony. Smile, Wrap, Pet, Special Somepony. The process continued for what felt like hours to her, but in reality was only Thirty minutes. 10:30, off stage. Now I get to go meet my Colt. She thought. She finished her song, which was currently Special Somepony, and strutted off stage in a dignified manner. Everypony clapped for her, and she took a small last second bow before dropping off the small raised stage.
She took her Cello and hid it behind the counter, where nopony could step on it, and then began to mingle. She met a few Colts, who were decent, but knew nothing of her. She desperately scanned the room when she saw it. In the corner, through all the chaos, was a brown Colt, with darker hair and an hourglass cutie mark. She was instantly attracted, and shoved through crowds to get to him. As she got closer she could see a small bit of annoyance rise up on his face, as if he was waiting for someone who had not showed up.
This is him this is him this is him! She was now racing across the room. And then, just as soon as she recognized him, she heard a large, booming THUNK. And before anypony could ask, the room went black. There were a few terrified screams, and then confused murmurs. Octavia found herself tripping over, and falling flat on her face, for what she guessed was inches from the Colt. She crawled over, where she thought the corner was, and ran into a pair of black hooves. They had small round holes in them.
Confused, Octavia looked up. And instead of seeing her Colt, she saw a changeling.
Which then morphed into her Colt, and gave a wicked smile.
The Day Equestria Went Poof
Octavia started to scream. As did many other ponies around her. And then; Nothing. Nopony screamed, nopony moved, except Octavia. Birds were frozen mid air outside the window, and Lyra was almost done spilling her pink Punch. Octavia took the chance to whip her deep black hair in the face of a Changeling, then smack it across the face with her hoof. That'll show it, She thought. Feeling disoriented, she thought it was just a dream, and stumbled over to her Cello. She grabbed the strap, and dragged it out the door.
Only once she was out the door did she realize the thunderous rumbling coming from the direction of Canterlot. She could feel the motionless earth shaking beneath her, adding the the quaking and disorientating nausea. Then she saw it. A flash of white. No, an explosion of white. Coming from Canterlot, completely removing everything it touched.
“HEY! Octavia! Come on, hurry up!” A colt's voice came from behind her.
“Come on, Octavia, no time to lose!” A female voice shouted. Octavia turned around, to see her Colt and a mare with peach cream skin and a rose red mane running towards her. The thundering was getting louder, and she could hear tormenting, twisted, out of tune screams coming from the White Explosion.
“Well congratulations Octavia, you got to see the end of Equestria.” The Colt said, dashing towards a strange blue phone box. “Not like it's a great achievement, but hey, I feel for you. Had to sit back and watch my Civilization die too.” That Colt just did not stop talking! “Come on~ we've gotta get moving Octavia!”
Octavia broke out of her trance and followed the Colt. How the buck is this small Police Phone Booth going to hold all three of us? Are these ponies MAD? Octavia was now in full blown temper mode. She wanted answers. And when she broke through the doors of the police phone booth, she got them.
“Welcome to the TARDIS Octavia! Small on the outside, bigger on the inside. Quite a roomy place, don't you think?” The Colt said, waving his Hourglass cutie mark around. It was true, the small aging blue box on the outside was a huge, golden, steampunk feel-inside, with a glass platform in the middle, and in the middle of that a control center. The walls rose up in a slight dome shape, with small round indents inside and four flights of stairs leading off of the glass platform.
“Doctor! Calm yourself. This pony just witnessed our civilization die. She needs answers.” The rose pony exclaimed, almost insulted by his attitude.
“Alright, alright. Octavia, this is going to be hard to understand, but I need you to listen. Equestria no longer exists. Wiped from the universe – Poof. I've watched it happen 72 times now, each time more confusing than the first. So I left that note on your doorstep, the one which complimented you and told you to go to that party. In all the other 71 times I watched this place poof, you never showed up at that party, and we couldn't find you. There's something about you, Octavia, something that didn't freeze you in time when the rest did.” He explained everything so calmly and smoothly, as if he was an old man talking to a kindergarten student.
“You see, a while ago, before the return of Discord, the Changelings had discovered an ancient technology, called Weeping Angels. These statues- Okay, not statues, creatures, are living pegasus-like beings who can only move when you're not looking. They will cover their eyes, to protect eachother from seeing one another. And when they catch you oh when they catch you, they will send you back in time to before you were born to quite literally, live to death. They are the only psycopaths to kill you nicely. But the Changelings had no effect on them, and vice versa. Therefore the two species worked together in revenge to take over Equestria.
Sadly, they created a paradox. This paradox was huge, as in 2 Princess Celestias. These 2 Princesses met together and tried to fight one another, in belief that the other was the false Celestia and... Poof. There went Equestria.”
Octavia stared with her mouth wide open. It made no sense to her, yet the emotion in his voice entitled her to believe him. She slowly nodded, without saying anything.
Finally, the creme colored pony piped in, “That's why we're here. My name is Rose, and this is the Doctor.” She said with a quick point to each. “The Doctor is a Time Colt, a species similar to earth ponies, but has the ability to regenerate their body should they be close to dying. I am a simple earth pony like you.”
“O-okay. Can-Can I sleep for a bit?” Octavia asked. She felt incredibly nautious, and the news of Equestria's -Poof- as the Doctor said, didn't help.
“Go up those stairs and to the right. Not the swimming pool, but the next.” The Doctor said, fumbling with controls on the main dashboard in the center. Rose followed Octavia up, and took the room across.
“Goodnight Rose. When should I wake up, around what time?” Octavia asked, half asleep.
“Octavia dear, there's no such thing as time in the TARDIS. Goodnight.” Rose said, slamming the door halfway through her goodnight.
Octavia waltzed into her room and gingerly laid on the bed. She took a look around the room, and suddenly it morphed to exactly what she wanted it to be. Just like home, bleach white walls with a window on the left side of the bed, and an oak nightstand beside the bed, with gold covers over the pillows and matress. The only thing that was missing was the Cello laying beside her. This can't be happening. Equestria's gone. But they want ME to bring it all back? I can barely catch a decent Colt. And what's a TARDIS?
She fell asleep in an awkward position, with her hooves wrapped behind her back. But to her, it was just as comfy as home.
Octavia woke in the morning to some celery sticks and custard lying in a bucket on her nightstand. Her first reaction: What. Her second reaction: This looks bucking delicious. And for the first time in however-long-it-is-when-you're-not-affected-by-time, she ate. The celery had a very fresh taste, and was warm-ish, the way she likes all her veggies.. The custard was mildly cold, just the way she liked it. And every time she finished one, another would pop up on the plate.
After pigging out for an undeterminable ammount of time, Octavia finally left her room, and trotted to the control room, where the Doctor was furiously playing with the controls.
“Ah, Octavia! Good to see you. I hope you slept well?” He asked, not even looking at her or breaking his pace.
“Yes, it was great. Especially the celery and custard.” She said, as she came down the steps. There were still so many questions about where she was, what he was, what the plan was, but she thought it better not to ask.
But she did anyways. “What's the plan, Doctor?” Leaning over to look down at some cords hanging under the glass platform.
“Well, I've got us locked in time the morning of the Day Equestria Dissappeared. Whenever you decide to take a step outside I'll unlock us and let you go free. The TARDIS will automatically find you and stick you back inside when Equestria goes poof, so don't worry. Oh, and avoid yourself.” He said, still not looking at her or breaking his pace.
“Alright, seems easy. But what am I looking for?” She asked, sprinting up a flight of stairs, to see that there was in fact a wardrobe room. And she tried on EVERYTHING.
“You see, that's why you're out there. You're going to look for what you need to look for, so we can look for what we need to look for.” His last words were cut off by a clunk, and he pulled down a lever. The TARDIS stopped making some noise, and seemed to step into an Idle mode. He finally backed away and leaned on a railing.
“Doctor, you make no sense. Do we know ANYTHING about what I need to look for?” She asked, coming out in a pink bowtie and a small blue hat.
“Nah, not your color, try blue and blue. And yes, there is. Changelings and Weeping Angels. Watch out for them.” He said, adjusting his bowtie.
Wait, bowtie? Since when did he wear bowties? And since when was he wearing that bowtie?She thought, completely mystified by the magical appearing red bowtie. She came out in a blue sunhat, that flopped over the corners, and some blue earrings that drooped to her shoulders. She liked it, seemed very incognito, considering her depressive social attitude.
“Perfect Octavia! Are you ready to go?” He asked. He trotted over to the door, and pulled them in.
“I guess. So you'll reel me in when Equestria goes Poof?” She asked, because well, she didn't want to go poof with Equestria. She'd rather stay non-poofed.
“Absolutely. Go get it, kid. Tell me what you find. Anything.” He answered with a Wink.
Octavia took a deep breath of air. The area smelt of roses, and grass, and from the corner of her eye she saw 2 fillies playing in the trees. She was definitely by the park in Ponyville, where ponies were sitting on wooden benches and cuddling, or throwing frisbees and chasing each other. Even the Fillies and Colts were getting into the Hearts and Hooves mood, but that didn’t phase Octavia. The Colts are not the main thing right now, right now I’m supposed to be avoiding myself, changelings, weeping angels and everyone else, she thought. And as if just on cue, Lyra Heartstrings trotted up behind her and gave her a playful nudge in the side.
“Hey there Tavi! Meeting up with a special Colt? You seem all dressed up for it!” Lyra said, trotting around Octavia playfully. “I know I am! He’s really nice, you might know him, he’s Star Hunter?”
“Never heard of the guy. Listen, I’m busy. Can we talk at the party later?” Octavia asked, looking around nervously for any Equestria-Poofers.
“Tavi, you alright? You seem really dis-THERE HE IS!” And Lyra dashed away fast enough to cause a small boom behind her. Back to the job at hand, no time to lose, Octavia, the nagging voice in her head was unstoppable!
Octavia managed to find herself by SugarCube Corner, around the time she would be finding the package on her step. Wait, if I’m over there getting the bow on my doorstep, does that mean there’s two of me who are coming to this party? How do I avoid contact like that? How do I even- Octavia’s thoughts were cut short. She saw the Changeling Doctor waltz through the door, and decided to follow, close quarters.
The Changeling Doctor didn’t do much at the pink party, just sat there in the corner and waited with a wicked smile. There’s something I’m missing. This Changeling didn’t poof Equestria. Octavia thought. Clock; 9:45. I’ll get here in 5 minutes. Guess it’s time to return to the TARDIS.
And with that, Octavia simply returned to the TARDIS as she said. She felt the rumbling as she got to it. There’s me, The Doctor and Rose, escaping, somewhere by sugarcube Corner. 2 Doctors, 2 TARDIS’es. This hurts to think of. She thought as she pushed in the door to the TARDIS, to the surprised eyes of the Doctor.
“Back so soon? Didn’t find anything I suppose.” He asked, turning from the console, giving her a concerned look. “Want to try again? We can do this as much as we want.”
Octavia gave a satisfied nod. She wanted to know WHY Equestria was poofing. This went on for 5 more times, Octavia trying different strategies, even returning to her home at one point while she wasn’t there. But found no information.
“Last try before I turn in for a bit, Doctor.” She told him, walking through the TARDIS doors yet again. And with no response, he simply flicked a switch and back in time they were. Octavia quickly trotted out the doors, and avoided every other circumstance she ran into before. Lyra, Pinkie, even Big Mac, all stopped her at one point. She needed to focus on the task at hand.
On the path from her house to Sugarcube Corner, she found it. A changeling, trotting by, and then morphed itself into the Doctor. This is it! I’ll just tackle the changeling and then see what happens. She thought, contradicting her thoughts of the Changeling not poofing Equestria.
She tackled the Doctor Changeling, and then pinned it to the ground. Giving a defeated look, the changeling retorted its disguise to reveal its dark, sleek form.
“You’re too late. You’re going to die.” It said in a raspy voice, giving a small wink behind her.
“Hey! What’s going on over there!” An extremely familiar voice cried out from behind her, british accent and all.
Tha-That’s my voice. BUCK! Octavia’s mind was racing. She turned around, and faced herself square in the eye. A rumbling started from under them, and everything froze. Then, just as Octavia saw, in the general direction of Canterlot from SugarCube Corner, was the familiar white explosion. But right under her. Octavia was the cause of the explosion. There were 3 Octavias, she realized in the blanket of white. Her, the one who stopped her, and the one at the party.
Then, all she could see was white. Octavia had ceased to exist.
“Welcome to your subconscious, Octavia” Her voice told her. It resonated in the whiteness, as if it literally came from her Subconscious, and she was literally inside it. “Do not worry, I’ve done this before. I’m your future self. There’s no paradoxes here, the one we’ve caused is enough. You see, I can’t spoil this any more, but we’re stuck in the same place. Us. In our subconscious, and we need to fix that. What I did was think of my Childhood, think of it vividly. Remember Bass Mountain.”
And so she did.
Octavia was suddenly enveloped in grass, laying under a tree, with music beside her. The ground took a sharp turn downwards, under where her tail was frizzy and flowing free. The sheet music beside her had many markings on it, gently swaying in the wind. And in the distance, more mountains, blocked from her by a valley hidden with fog. This was where she spent her childhood in entirety, up on a mountain. She lived there alone, in a log cabin, after her parents abandoned her and her taste of music.
The scenery changed to the day. It was bright and sunny, and her parents were sitting on the porch of a beautiful home in Canterlot. They lived just outside, surrounded by woods and trees, not too far from Bass Mountain. A small gray Filly, with a flowing black mane, came trotting back from the mountain with a Cello, given to her by her friend Lyra. Her parents gave each other a small glance, then a disapproving look at the Filly. She stopped, as she saw something in their eyes. An evil.
Her parents stood up and- Everything froze. There was no more to remember, as she had forced herself to forget the last, and most important part. She metaphorically facehoofed, if it’s possible when you’re nonexisting inside your subconscious. That was probably her key to escaping her subconscious, and she had made sure to forget it.
She was stuck in her own mind.
The Doctor was confused. Sure, it was a little confusing in itself, the amount of paradoxes happening outside, but still, Octavia should’ve returned by now. Equestria had poofed already, so she should’ve been popped back into the TARDIS, had she not walked in. But she didn’t. She never came back. And The Doctor knew exactly what that meant.
“Rose, come on. It’s time to go meet Octavia as a Filly.” The Doctor said, pulling a few switches. He expected no response, as there was no more Rose there. His mind was furiously beating to deal with what he was processing up there, but there was no doubt the Time Colt’s mind could do it. Rose was gone, she never existed.
The Doctor jumped out of the TARDIS, circa 10 years ago. He was in a treeline, probably by the EverFree forest. He strolled out, to be greeted by a face he expected. Old as him, and looking as if it was made of stone, staring directly at him.
“Hello there weeping angel! Great to see you.” He said, as another came up behind him, with eyes wide open. The Doctor quickly ducked out of the way, leaving the angels staring at each other.
He continued by the treeline, and briefly saw a young 8 year old Filly with a bright gray coat and deep black hare dash by.
“Octavia, where are you going in such a rush?” He asked the speeding Filly, who ignored his presence and continued. He was walking in the dark forest for a while, and he felt uneasy. Not only because of the strange sounds of crickets and owls around him, or the strange creatures and leaves brushing his legs, but by the fact he was about to kill Rose.
He strolled by a clearing, where a Filly was explaining to her parents how music was a beautiful thing. But her parents didn’t listen. And The Doctor didn’t want to be anywhere near the scene in 5 minutes, so he started trotting faster. After 5 more minutes of crawling through dying bushes and leaves, he hit his destination.
He was standing on a small edge, above a brown Colt and a cream colored Mare, discussing why they were lost. The doctor prepared a small parchment, inscribed with a few hints on it.
Hey there me! Glad we could talk, well, as close as we can get. We know how it is, I suppose. But listen, Rose is going to die soon, well not die, but cease to exist for a few seconds, but, well, for the good of Equestria’s future. Just go pick her up from the cave when you’re done. She can’t know any of our plans. She’ll just ruin them. Feel free to pick her up when you’re done saving Equestria, she’ll be fine then.
He dropped the note onto the brown Colts head, who read it and nonchalantly chose to try the cave, with the groan of the cream colored pony. The Doctor quickly ran back to the scene, and found Filly Octavia crying over her Cello.
“Come on now, it’s not that bad. Here, I’ll show you where you can live!” He brought the Filly up the mountain to a Log shack, then returned down the mountain to the cottage, where Octavia was standing.
Octavia was bored. She’d re-watched this memory over 20 times, and couldn’t find anything different. She tried the memory before, where she and Lyra were composing music up on Bass Mountain, just before the Memory, but no luck. She began to think of random encounters, her at the Gala, when those crazy 6 ponies ruined everything, or her at the Garden Party, were the same 6 ponies ruined everything again. She also thought to her first Colt-Friend, Big Mac, which gave her happy feelings.
Octavia was getting frustrated, not being able to remember a memory she needed to escape her mind, while being stuck in her own mind. Ironic.
Octavia decided to just continue watching the Memory. And finally, the 25th time was the charm. The thought to try to think of the word “Pause”, which immediately paused the Memory for her to take a closer look. Her parents, standing angrily and her, as a small Filly, cowering behind her Cello. She then noticed something else. A certain brown Colt, watching the scene, then retreating into the woods. THE DOCTOR? She exclaimed out loud in her mind. Why the buck was he there, watching her get-She could remember a small portion. Her parents, well, “Parents” suddenly stared behind her, afraid. Octavia turned, to see 2 statues of ponies, who had not been right behind her 10 seconds before.
These Pony Statues had their eyes covered, and were frozen right behind her. She took a quick blink, and they were right beside her parents. They screamed as she turned, and then they suddenly... Ceased to exist. Everything is just poofing away lately, she thought. As she continued watching the Memory, the Doctor came by and took the young Filly Octavia, up to a shack on Bass Mountain. He gave her a small pink bowtie and told her everything was going to be okay. Then, she forced herself to forget it forever. If I forgot it forever, why can I remember it right now? Oh right, because I don’t exist and I’m currently trapped in my mind, she thought sarcastically. As she observed the scene more carefully she realized that the dress her Mother was wearing, and the bowtie her father was wearing, were the ones given to her at her house, 20 years later. And the White Rose, was growing right beside the steps onto the porch, where her parents died.
Octavia suddenly felt a rush. The white pitch she was growing accustomed to was slowly bleeding black, and she could feel herself becoming very very nauseous. And then, the beautiful white went black.
Octavia woke later on to the friendly room of the TARDIS, and Rose staring right into her face.
“Good morning, and welcome back to life.” Rose said, a hint of sarcasm floating into her voice as she flipped her hair and turned to the Doctor. “Doctor, she’s awake.”
The brown Colt quickly bounced over to her, and began checking her out.
“We need to go back to when I was a Filly. Down somewhere near Bass Mountain. There’s a White Rose there, and a copy of my Mother’s dress.” Octavia said with determination, sitting up on her... plot.
“Alright then, Mare on a Mission. That’s good.” The Doctor replied, flicking a few switches on the console and then giving off a satisfied expression when the TARDIS roared to life. A few seconds later, “Ding we’re here!” He said. “Rose and I will go looking for anything suspicious, meanwhile you go get your Rose and Dress.” And with that, he dragged Rose out of the TARDIS, who gave Octavia a look of regret.
“Oh, and meet Filly me at the Cottage when you’re done. I need you to bring Filly me up to the Log Cabin on Bass Mountain.” Octavia shouted out the door and followed them out, and headed off in the direct direction of the Cottage. It was around before Filly Octavia came home, and she knew that there was a cellar entrance to the home under a patch of grass her parents didn’t see.
Octavia entered the cellar and took a nostalgic look around. The dusty gray cellar was filled with bottles and garbage, and the stairs to the upper floor would’ve been completely hidden to Octavia had she not been here when she was a Filly. She went up the stairs, trying to make them creak as little as possible, an extremely slow and hard process.
When Octavia finally made it up the stairs, she was greeted by a familiar room, with sleek white walls, and blue trim around the bottom. The room was completely void of any type of garbage, which her parents usually kept in the cellar. The brown leather couch was in the exact same place as she remembered it, against the long wall with a painting of her parents above it.
They had no care for me. They had the Weeping Angels coming. They deserved it, she thought in a sorrow tone. She took a peek out the window by the porch, and saw that Filly Octavia was explaining to her parents why Music was so important to her. Octavia grinned sadly and went into a room with an orange door, her parents room. Inside was the same trim and walls as the other room, but much smaller and had a bed in the middle, with a wardrobe on the wall opposite to the bed.
She opened up the wardrobe and took out her Mother’s dress, which was as she found it on her doorstep. She then proceeded outside, just as The Doctor was taking away Filly Octavia. The only thing confusing her was the lack of Rose. She had originally thought that the lack of Rose in her memory was because the cream pony was not important to her, but that was not the case.
She opened the porch door and trotted down, to where the White Rose was growing. She plucked it up with her mouth, and then took a green cloth dotted with apples from the porch table. She was now only missing the heart shaped jade and the note.
The Doctor had now returned, and watched Octavia step off the porch and walk towards her.
“Where’d Rose go?” Octavia asked, looking around confused. She sat in front of the Doctor, wrapping up the Dress and the Rose together.
“Oh, I told myself to keep her in a cave for a bit. Don’t worry, she’s just living to death at the moment.” He replied calmly, giving her a supportive look. But this still shocked Octavia.
“Listen, I’ll be right be back. Well, I won’t, but I will. Just, see you later.” He said, then ran off to the TARDIS, which was by the clearing. She slowly trotted towards it, but it faded away with a strange screeching and yelling noise.
Did... Did the Doctor just abandon me in the past? WHY! I thought he needed me to save Equestria. What the hoof, Octavia thought, slumping down on the grass on top of the dress and the Rose.
“Hey Octavia! Why so sad looking?” The Doctor had appeared behind her, comfortingly patting her shoulder.
“WHAT! But, I, You,TARDIS, What?” She stammered. Only a minute ago she saw The Doctor leave in the TARDIS, yet here he was.
“I won’t but I will. Just, see you later.” She understood now. She saw the Future Doctor, talking about the past Doctor.
“What are you talking about?” He asked, just as confused as she was, but for the wrong reason.
“No reason, let’s get going to the TARDIS.”
As they walked back to the TARDIS, Octavia thought. Octavia was still startled by The Doctor's calmness about leaving Rose behind/Killing Rose. She had only known the brown Colt for... She didn't want to go into specifics with all the time travel. She had only known the brown Colt for a little while now, but even to her this seemed out of character. And she was the depressive, Cello playing Mare, who was normally playing at casual parties, who was now the eccentric companion of The Doctor, who had not once thought of her Cello, and was time traveling left and right. She snapped out temporarily to enter the TARDIS.
Octavia thought of The Memory once again, how her parents were refusing to let her live her life as a Cello Player. How she wanted to just scream at them in glee “LOOK AT WHAT I'VE DONE NOW!” and dance around them. They were parents after all, not heartless soul stealers. They would've been happy for her, pleased to know she was living her life happy, well, as happy as a depressed Cello player could be.
She started to drift off from the sounds of the TARDIS, and think of what life was like if her parents were still here. Would she have been happier? Have found a nice Colt, married him, and had kids? What would the kids be like? Would she still weep when she played her parents lullaby they sang her when she was a Filly? Or would they have died in some other tragic accident? So many questions filled her head. She just simply-
Octavia fell to the glass floor with a THUD. The Doctor, obviously startled by the fact she just smacked herself into the ground without warning, quickly galloped over to her and checked her.
“Phew, someone's just a little tired.” He said, checking her neck for her pulse, and watching her eyelids move around profusely. He picked her up and dragged her over to her room, across from Roses room.
The Doctor thought back on when he had done with Rose in the EverFree Forest.
“Doctor, I have no time for your foolish games.” Rose said, a slither of stuck up arrogance in her voice, “It's time to end the silly game and face your death. Aren't you tired of running?”
The Doctor gave her a worried look, then saw that, slowly, Rose began to change colors, not into a Changeling, but something much more dreadful.
“LET'S GO INTO THE CAVE” He said as loud as he could, yet trying to sound very calm. He galloped into the cave as fast as he could, as the Weeping Angel Changeling Hybrid Rose Thing chased after him. WEACHR for short, he decided. A cream colored shadow, only vaguely visible to those looking for it, pulled a hidden snare from the ground and trapped the WEACHR.
“There you go. I've rid myself of you, whatever you are. I know you've already killed Rose. So it's quite alright with me if you stay here forever.” The Doctor said, welcoming the cream colored shadow from his hiding spot, revealing a tall sleek cream colored Pegasus Colt, with Fiery red hair, yet not so red it's Ginger. His 5 pointed blue star cutie mark shone slightly in the dark cave.
“Meet Starburst, you Weeping Changeling Friend Thing. He's been travelling with me as my companion longer than Rose, and the REAL Rose would've asked where he was while She was on the TARDIS. I'll see you in 10 years, you stupid thing. Once all this Equestria Poof buisness is over.”
“Equestria Poof what?” Starburst asked. He had to admit, it was quite a while since he'd done any travelling with The Doctor. And when they last met, which was around 7 months ago, The Doctor had warned him he'd have to live 10 years in the past for a bit, to be part of a “Bigger Plan”. He had spent enough time with The Doctor to know that it obviously wasn't safe to go back to his own time, so he had agreed with The Doctor. “Explain this to me later, Doctor.”
Starburst had now taken residence of Roses room, and was snoozing away. Meanwhile Octavia was taking a nap in her room across the hallway in the TARDIS. And The Doctor, he never slept. He was busy working on the TARDS, who was refusing to budge.
“Come one now... Sexy.” He looked around before saying the last word. He's been calling it that since his TARDIS came to life in that body on that planet that talked. That was weird. He was tinkering with the Inter-Dimensional Matrix, and mumbling to himself all sorts of Timey-Wimey stuff.
When the two sleeping ponies finally woke up, The Doctor was waiting outside their rooms with a few platters of food. He could tell the two were very very tired, as it took Starburst finishing his food at the table to notice that the other was there.
“Um, Doctor? Who's the fine Mare sitting across from me?” Starburst asked, nudging his head in the direction of a now blushing Octavia.
“Starbust meet Octavia, Octavia meet Starburst. Starbust was my companion before and during Rose, and Octavia is the sole destroyer of Equestria, and the one to save it.” The Doctor said, munching on a stick of Celery behind Starburst.
The ponies locked eyes for a few seconds, then quickly looked away. Starburst was a lot more calm in the situation than Octavia, who just continued eating, while Octavia had a small heart attack inside. And it didn't help her condition when he looked up every now and then to wink at her.
“Oh, alright then. I'll let you two talk. I, need to go find, a paperclip.” The Doctor said, and quickly left the TARDIS, leaving the two ponies to discuss. And discuss they did. It turns out the two ponies had a lot in common, same month of birth, same year, same hometown of Fillydelphia. The two ponies even shared their interests in music, Starburst being a Piano and Trumpet player, and dabbling in the occasional Viola.
The two ponies talked for 2 hours. Then 3. Then they realized The Doctor never came back. 4 Hours. 5 Hours. Finally they got worried.
“Where is he? The Doctor isn't usually late. Of course the fact he has the TARDIS to help makes it easier, but he's never late on his errands.” Starburst said, strutting around the Console in the middle of the TARDIS.
“That must be one damn good Paperclip he's looking for. Taking him this whole time to find it.” Octavia remarked, standing up from her chair to look our the TARDIS door.
Unlike the Cat, The Doctor never came back, the very next day.
“A paperclip. That's all I came for. A paperclip. Why is it taking me so long to find the TARDIS? Am I lost? No. The Doctor doesn't get lost. But then again, The Doctor always has his TARDIS. I always have my TARDIS. Where am I anyways? The EverFree Forest?” The Doctor was thinking out loud. He wasn't one for thinking in his head, that's for sure. The one thing he couldn't stop thinking of was the fact that he had left two hopeless ponies stuck in his poor TARDIS.
His brain was hammering away at the paradox issue, of the multiple Octavias in Equestria at one time, and was actually surprised that the ammount of them wasn't the issue. The issue was her looking into her own eyes. The Doctor took a seat to think.
Think of the Octavias that matter, not the 13 useless ones of her rammering away in Equestria with no interaction. Was rammering a word? Bah. One Octavia, Octavia1, Woke in the morning, and prepared for the Party. Then Equestria ended. Two Octavia, Octavia2, spoke with Lyra then went to the Party. Three Octavia, Octavia3, tackled the Changeling. But there's one thing missing. Octavia4, who looked into the eyes of Octavia3 and poofed Equestria, had not happened yet.
But that was exactly it.
The Doctor finally had it. He wasn't sure what he had, but he had it. He needed an energy pulse, one that would need to be the TARDIS mixed with the destruction of a World, to be able to completely pull back the universe, and only those knowledgeable of the happening would remember it, but only as a dream. He had it. He quickly set off to find wherever his TARDIS was, but was stopped by a screeching of stone on stone in front of him. He recognized it very well.
Cream colored, rose hair. Breath cold as stone in a winters night, and metamorphosis abilities of a changeling.
“Hello, Doctor. It didn't take me very long to escape your little trap. Now escape mine.” It said, breathing down his mane as its form turned into something he knew very closely. He closed his eyes tight, and when he opened them, he whimpered in fear.
He was standing face to face with himself, and surrounded by Changelings.
Living In The Past With a Dead Colt
Starburst and Octavia wandered through the EverFree Forest looking for The Doctor. The two Ponies walked flank-to-flank, as if they were already a couple. Octavia considered they were, and she found the whole situation just that much more awkward.
He's taller, he's handsome, and he knows more about the TARDIS than me. He's perfect. Those lines continued running through the gray Mares head, until she finally broke the silence between them walking and the leaves crunching.
“Where do you think he went?” She asked Starburst, turning her face slightly towards him. She had trouble walking like this, her head facing one way, walking the other, but she managed.
“This is The Doctor we're talking about. He could be kidnapped by Tribbles or be frolicking in some field chasing butterflies for all we know. We just have to keep looking.” Starburst replied calmly.
“Dear god boy, are you always this calm?” Octavia exclaimed, surprised by how cool headed he can be.
“No,”, He replied, crunching a branch under his foot, “I just expect it. At the Young Fliers Competition, remember when that lady's wings burn up and she fell?”
“Um, yeah. Rarity's her name.”
“Yeah, Me and The Doctor had already seen that coming. As well as the RainBoom after it. The Rainboom was our signal that the Changelings had found the Weeping Angels. We didn't expect it to destroy Equestria.”
Octavia thought on this for a while. The Young Fliers Competition was a long time ago, and this Colt had been travelling and helping The Doctor for much more. She then realized the look of worry in his eyes, how much The Doctor must've meant to him. She nuzzled her head into his neck comfortingly, making the Colt slow down.
“We'll find him, don't worry. He's probably off chasing some Butterflies somewhere.” She told him. Although she didn't sound too reassuring herself, he let it slide and nuzzled back.
“STARBURST! OCTAVIA!” A voice cried.
The two ponies instantly recognized it and galloped in the direction of the voice. They galloped for about 2 minutes, and then they came across the scene. There were hundreds of Doctors, surrounding a body triumphantly. Starburst and Octavia quickly ducked into the bushes, as Rose walked on to the scene.
“Well done, minions. You've killed the Doctor.” She said, poking the Doctor's body a few times with her hoof. “Now, go find his TARDIS. He must not be allowed to bring back Equestria, no matter what. And kill all those who oppose you.”
With a roar of battle cries and high pitched squeals, the herd of Changelings and Weeping Angels transformed into a group of random ponies. Octavia had spotted Lyra in the bunch, as well as Snowflake, the Steroids Pony. It was quite obvious they were on some reconaissance mission, and didn't want their cover spoiled.
Then she realized it, and Starburst must've as well, because they noticed that they had left The Doctor laying on the ground, while the herd left. The pony duo waited around 3 minutes after everyone was gone, before running over to the corpse of The Doctor.
“He said he could Regenerate. Why didn't he regenerate! He could've saved himself!” Octavia managed to spit out, weeping over the body.
“When a Time Colt is struck once, he regenerates. But if he is struck while he's regenerating, he dies. It was only a matter of time, I guess.” Starburst said quietly, the calm pony finally letting out some steam and letting the tears flow.
They sat in silence as they stared at the dead body. The Doctor, they knew and loved. They sat there, for hours. When sunset finally came, Starburst finally stood up, and slowly brought Octavia up with him.
Octavia's suddenly happy personality disappeared into her usual depressed, suicidal figure. She didn't want any more ponies dying for her. Her parents, The Doctor, she didn't want anypony dying for her. She didn't deserve it. They stared at the body.
“Wh-what do we do with Him?” She managed to say.
“I remember him talking about some Traditional Gallifreyan Burial thing, but I can't remember what it was. I guess the only thing to do is bring him to The TARDIS. It's not like they could've found it, in the leaves we left it in.” Starburst said, slowly picking up the body and keeping it steady on his back with his wings.
The two ponies walked back to the TARDIS in silence. Not even any cuddling or flank-to-flank trotting. Just silence. Octavia distanced herself from Starburst, unwilling to let anypony love her. Her constant thoughts raced through her head.
'Nopony loves me. I will not let anypony love me. Nopony deserves to die for me. I don't deserve to live.' She thought, staring down at the leaves under her feet.
Starburst figured Octavia would be pretty sad about The Doctor's death, but not this sad. The once happy, energetic, loving Mare he knew before was now this depressive, probably suicidal pony. He had to wonder if she lived her whole life in this state, before meeting The Doctor. He figured that was why he had such an impact on her.
When they finally entered the TARDIS, they set The Doctor down on the glass platform in the middle. The Time Colt looked graceful, sitting in his dying position. Then he remembered something, from long ago, when He and The Doctor first met.
“I will never stop existing, as long as you Remember Me.” Starburst mumbled quietly. Octavia gave him a confused look, before giving him a solemn nod.
They had to wait 10 years, for the End of Equestria, to bring back The Doctor.
-5 Years Later-
Starbust and Octavia had been living together for a while now, in a small cottage, up in the mountains. Since neither Octavia nor Starburst had ever gone to the Mountains, with the exception of Bass Mountain on the other side of Equestria, across from a lake where there were no towns or ponies.
They had kept the TARDIS with them, and had managed to bring it up the mountain to their cottage, with The Doctor inside. They had no choice, as neither pony could fly the thing, but to wait for the End of Equestria. Starburst had even managed to set a timer, when 5 minutes to Equestria's End came, they would drag the Body out and let it be deleted from The Universe.
They had discussed this theory over countless years, living together for 5 already. They had even had a Child up on the mountain, whom they dubbed Vinyl Scratch. Vinyl had long flowing black hair, like her mother, but extremely pale, probably from a mix of her Father and Mother. Her eyes were also a deep magenta, from her Mother. They had already known, not knowing it at the time, but once they had named her, that Vinyl was going to be a succsessful DJ in their time.
Today was Vinyl's 5th Birthday, the day they decided to sit Vinyl down and explain everything to her. Their origins, the story, and what would happen when she turned 10. Vinyl understood it fairly well, being very mature for her age. She also understood that at some point she'd be travelling with a man called The Doctor, to age her to their age, so they didn't cause any more Universe Corruption.
They kept The TARDIS outside behind their log cottage, just barely hidden by the roof. It's not like the tall blue Police Phone Booth was very easy to hide, in itself. But they kept it there, locked, for when the Day Came.
Starburst wandered the Family Orchard, where they were growing fresh apples, pears, and any kinds of fruits or veggies you could think of. They never had to make a trip into town, except for the one time Octavia went in and bought a Cello, made of sedar wood and lined with a Gold Trim. She kept this in the TARDIS, an easy memory, so she didn't forget anything.
-5 Years Later of the 5 Years Later-
“Vinyl come on! Tomorrow's the day, and we can't wait any longer!” Starburst cried out in the house, and they needed to dye Vinyl's hair a bright blue, as she had begged for for 2 years. The effect of living by the TARDIS for so long had aged all 3 ponies by an added 5 years, making two 33 year olds and one 15 Year old Vinyl.
The Adult Ponies were 8 when the 10 Years started, and 18 when Equestria ended. But the simple fact that Starburst and Octavia lived those 10 years again, beside the TARDIS, had added 15 years onto their 18 year old bodies.
“Vinyl, dear! What's taking you so long?” Octavia asked, knocking on Vinyl's door. The parents had been waiting for at least an hour, now that time was actually constant. Finally, the perky white Mare came out of her room, wearing her fancy magenta goggles under her Unicorn Horn. Her horn grew in late, at 7 years old she had only started developping it. But it wasn't like she would be picked on, if anything, it'd be hard for her to make friends once she was ejected back into Society.
They spent 2 hours dying the Mare's hair multiple shades of blue, while the Mare looked in the mirror approvingly. Sadly, she knew, she wouldn't be able to see her parents again. She'd know her mom as a friend, a very close friend, but it still saddened her that she wouldn't be able to be close to them. Sure, they'd be able cuddle/nuzzle whenever they wanted, but Vinyl personally couldn't stand the thought of nuzzling her dad or her mom.
Octavia let a few tears out, knowing that Vinyl was the one part of Octavia she couldn't keep. Vinyl shouldn't have existed, if not for The Doctor. You could say that none of them should've existed, if not for the Doctor. And when Time is re-written, they will all be the same age. Even Vinyl, but whether they'd remember eachother as Mom/Daughter, or Friends, was unknown to Octavia.
“Honey, it's getting close. You've got to get to Ponyville.” Starburst said calmly, checking the clock up above the mirror in Vinyl's room. “I'll finish up everything here, you just get to Ponyville. After all, we need you to cause a paradox, hmm?”
This was true. Octavia nuzzled her family before leaving the home, leaving her Sedar Wood Gold Laced Cello in the TARDIS, along with the Dead Doctor. She took off town the path leading off of the jagged mountain as fast as she could, reaching the lake. She trotted around the width of the lake, reaching the other side in an hour. It was 11:00 PM if she had counted right, and she'd be to Ponyville by 1:00 AM, staying in a hotel not too far from Sugarcube Corner. She continued down the path, extremely worn out, until finally 1:00 AM came, and she was sanding in front of the Ponyville Motel.
She signed out a room on the 12th floor, and finally slept. Her family had a detailed schedule of all the things that were to happen, and all she needed was to find a 10 year younger version of herself and look into her own eyes.
Vinyl sat on the porch in front of the cottage, wondering what she'd be doing right now once the Story is set straight. They were all supposed to ejected to the Day The Doctor Died, and then they'd all meet up with The Doctor's body, in the TARDIS sitting behind their house.
“Time and Relative Dimension In Space.” Vinyl said out loud. She knew her parents had journeyed with The Doctor, officially making them Time Travelers as well. She'd have to come up with her own memories, those of a false childhood and then her friends would slowly remember those days as well. She'd then have to think up a cover story, of her going on a buisness trip back to a small village where she was born, up here, in the mountains, while in reality she'd be getting her turn Travelling with The Doctor.
Her family, plus The Doctor, was effectively rewriting Time, and fixing any paradoxes along with it. Kinda like restoring a computer to Factory Settings, she thought, Wipe it clean and nothing should be wrong.
“Vinyl, come eat. Big day tomorrow.” Starburst poked his head out the door and told her. Vinyl sat up and walked in, and ate the delicious feast her Father had made her. She would have to inject thoughts into their heads as well, she figured, to be able to cope with the fact they're her parents. She'd have to imagine fake parents, who were dead, and she'd be the only one with a certain idea that they were her parents, except for, of course, her parents.
Vinyl was basically the key element, the one who'd be able to re-write time. The Doctor better be impressed, seeing as she was concieved near the TARDIS, she was a Time Colt, or Time Mare for the females.
One of the last.
-JUST A NOTE TO KEEP YOU GUYS ON TRACK IF YOU DON'T WATCH DOCTOR WHO-
Vinyl Scratch is the River Song, who was concieved of two companions of The Doctor while inside the TARDIS. River was then born a Time Lady, who can regenerate just like a Time Lord.
And when Equestria ceases to exist, Vinyl is the key element to re-write it, seeing as she's a Time Mare.
There goes all your Octavia/Vinyl Shipping stories. Octavia is Vinyl's mom.
As well, Starburst is an actual background Pony, who was the only one who wasn't surprised by Raritie's wings burning or the Sonic Rainboom.
Starburst knew he'd never see Octavia again. When he told his wife to go to Ponyville, it was out of pure love. The two ponies had grown so close together since The Doctor Died, and now they were going to forget it all. He had lied to Octavia, in effect, The Day Equestria Died was going to be the day they were sent back to, no matter what Vinyl could do about it. The TARDIS was going to pulsate and release it's energy at the same time as Equestria ends, and then time will be re-written to the morning of that day.
Only those conscient of what happened before and why will be able to remember everything, and that was only 3.5 ponies. Starburst, Octavia, Vinyl, and The Dead Doctor. The Dead Doctor only counted for half because he's missed out on a full 10 years. A wonderful 10 years, as Starburst called it.
It was 11:30, Octavia would be a quarter way to Ponyville now. The poor Mare was walking across Equestria in one night, just so she could destroy Equestria. And their Daughter? He knew she was a Time Mare, being born close to the TARDIS. But would she be able to fulfil her duty as a Time Mare, and actually re-write Equestria? She had an active imagination, it wouldn't be hard, but only Octavia has seen what it's like after the death, and from what she's told them, it seems really complicated.
Vinyl had a very distracted feel to her when her and her Father ate their last supper, which was when Starburst finally told her.
“Vinyl dear, I haven't told you everything. Your mother assumed you needed to go with The Doctor to age, but in reality, you don't. The Doctor and you are Time Ponies, so you won't look like you're aging at all. You can stay and DJ in Ponyville for all we care, just, whatever you do, make yourself happy.” He said, putting down his fork and pouring emotion into his words. This was one of the last times he'd be able to talk to his Daughter, he wanted it to count.
“I do dad. I really do. I want to meet The Doctor. I want to escape Equestria's binds, I want to feel some adventure. Sure, for my current life I've been only living up on a mountain, but in my re-written life I have it planned that we are all 3 best friends, and eventually I go off with The Doctor, around The Day Equestria Dies. I've got a stronger mind, dad. I already know we're going to pop out the Morning of The DED, so I won't worry too much. I've told Mom too, she knows you were just trying to reassure her. We all love you.” Vinyl said, tearing up when she mentioned her re-written life. She didn't want to leave this life, it was perfect, but it had to be done.
They both went to bed at 2:00 AM, after hearing of Octavia's success of ariving at the Ponyville Motel. Vinyl dreamed of what Ponyville could look like, while Starburst dreamt of what their future life could be. Octavia dreamed of being a happier pony, as from what Vinyl knew, Octavia was always happy. The Family dreamt happy dreams, as the TARDIS sat in their back yard and thrummed.
All 3 ponies woke up at exactly 10:00, when Octavia was performing at the party, yet tackling the Changeling Doctor in 30 minutes. Vinyl and starburst prepared.
They tied down the TARDIS, knowing how unpredictable it could be, it might fly off and leave The Doctor inside. They waited the next 25 minutes in anticipation, as Explosion drew closer.
Octavia woke up with a boom. She had fallen off of her bed, dreaming of that happy life she will be living in -10 hours. Octavia did up her hair, and did whatever she could to look like the Mare she looked at, which ended Equestria. It was pretty hard to look eighteen when you're thirty three, but Octavia managed, and tied a nice pink bowtie around her neck.
She payed the Ponyville Motel clerk 100 bits for the night, and bid him farewell with a “See you in the afterlife!”
She continued out the door, when she was stopped by a strange sight. She saw The Doctor and Rose, wandering around SugarCube Corner. She galloped up to them, unable to believe it.
“DOCTOR. It has been 10 years since I last saw you. You are supposed to be bucking dead.” Octavia said straight to his face when he turned around.
“I'm sorry what?” He exclaimed, “Who are you? And how do you know me?”
“I'm Octavia. I guess I'm talking to a past version of you. Do you know what's happening today?” She asked, sitting him down on a park bench with her, completely ignoring Faux-Rose's presence.
“Free muffins from Derpy's stall?” He asked. Obviously, Octavia was the one to hint him about Equestria's doomsday. It made pretty good sense. Every paradox was starting to loosen up.
“No. Listen. Me-Past me, I guess. Past and Future me are going to end Equestria, by past me tackling a changeling version of you and future me looking at her.. Whatever you do, make sure to pick up Octavia-me, from the party at Sugarcube Corner. Take me to the TARDIS, and help me figure out how to stop Equestria from Ending. It's good to see you Doctor, but please, don't tell me what happens. Don't want to create more paradoxes.” She said, with a “Good to see you, and stay alive until you die!”
The Doctor was startled. Rose came over, and sat beside him. She didn't bother asking what she told him, as Faux-Rose knew what was going to happen.
The Doctor's mind raced. He tried to understand what that pony was talking about.
So. One pony, named Octavia, is going to a party. Then Equestria ends. I take this pony and help this pony stop Equestria from Ending. A Second pony, also Octavia, but a future version, is trying to stop Equestria from ending, by tackling a Changeling version of me. Scary. Then, a much much older looking version, is going to talk to that version of her, both Octavias, and they're going to end Equestria. And somehow that is supposed to stop Equestria from ending?
The doctor now understood. 'Stay alive until you die.' The Doctor Died in the past, and he assumed Octavia had to relive the past in a desolate location to avoid creating an infinite paradox. Eventually that Octavia wound up here, ready to end Equestria, and is most likely in posession of the TARDIS, which will reboot Equestria should my dead body be with it. I'm just a Doctor in an alternate universe, while the real Doctor is dead. And the real Octavia is performing at a party. Fascinating!
“Rose, we're going to a party.” He said, standing up and trotting to Sugarcube Corner.
Octavia's heart raced. She couldn't find where she had tackled the Changeling, 10 years ago. Her thirty three year old mind couldn't remember much of what she had for Breakfast, let alone 10 years ago. And it might've been the fact she knows what's going to happen, or the fact she's been hanging around her Husband for too long, but she was surprisingly calm.
She found her home, and double checked that nopony was in there. She darted around the side, as a past version of her trying to solve the mystery darted into her home. Octavia wandered down the path, from her house to Sugarcube corner, where she saw The Doctor Changeling.
'This is it Octavia, you're getting closer.' She told herself, remaining calm and hiding in a bush. Slowly, an Octavia wandered over to The Doctor Changeling and started following it, eventually tackling it to the ground. 'NOW!'
Vinyl was watering the plants when she felt a small rumbling. The TARDIS then emitted a loud, high frequency BEEP BEEP BEEP.
Then the doors of Vinyl's childhood hero opened up. The TARDIS had revealed it's inner wonders to her, as well as the Dead Doctor.
“DAD DAD DAD! Dad, the TARDIS is open! The TARDIS is open!” Vinyl ran into the house as fast as she could, but was stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the scene that was going on inside.
Starburst was facing three weeping angels, who all had the slight look of The Doctor. They then morphed, and looked like statues of Vinyl.
“Sweetie, stare at them for a minute for me, will you? I need to blink.” He asked her, worry seeping into his normally calm voice.
Vinyl uttered an Mhmm then proceeded to stare at the Weeping Angels. The horrifying figures were at least 2 feet away from her Father, and she wasn't about to let them get hold of him. Not at this important time.
Starbust proceeded to leave the scene, worrying Vinyl.
“Dad, where are you going!” She asked, panicked and still staring at the Weeping Angels.
“It's okay Vinyl, just keep staring.” He said, his voice now coming from behind the back door. She almost took a look, had she not remembered she was up against some Weeping Angels.
It took Vinyl a minute or two, but she realized what was going on. Vinyl was wearing her goggles, and could blink whenever she wanted, as long as she continued to stare at the Angels. They didn't know she was blinking under those goggles, and she wanted to keep it that way.
Starburst proceeded to drag out The Doctor's body, still in well shape and form, not rotting or anything. The TARDIS kept it in a time lock, and it was preserved as it was the Day The Doctor Died. He took out the body and laid it in front of the pulsating TARDIS, which was now giving off slow beams of energy, enough to push Starburst over a little.
Starburst then pulled out his Wife's Gold Laced Cello, and a heart shaped jade. He laid them beside the Doctor, whom he had known and loved. It was hard on him, to be destroying his body like this, but it was worth it.
“Still alright in there Vinyl?” He shouted, hoping his daughter the Time Mare wasn't eaten by Weeping Angels.
“Yup! Good as always, Dad. How much longer do we have?” He heard her voice follow out the Door.
“About a minute. Are you ready?” He asked, not caring the worry was seeping into his voice. He was usually calm, he admitted, but it's pretty hard to be calm when your whole universe is about to be re-written by your daughter, and your family, who shouldn't even exist, only knows about it because a Time Colt died for them.
Starburst prepared himself. He walked back into the room, and patted Vinyl on the shoulder, then continued to stare at the Weeping Angels. Vinyl left the room, a few tears leaving her eyes, as she wished her dad farewell.
“Bye dad, I'll always remember you, no matter what. You will always be my dad. And Mom will always be my mom.” She said, and then stepped into the TARDIS. She felt the ground begin to vibrate and thrum, as a deep bass sound began to resonate around Equestria.
Equestria was ending, for the final time.
Octavia watched herself tackle the changeling Doctor, then darted out of the bushes.
Acting innocent, she cried out “Hey! What's going on over there!” Then galloped and stood right behind herself. Past Octavia stopped everything she was doing, then slowly turned around and faced herself square in the eye. Octavia smiled sadly. Then, everything paused, and the blanket of white covered the old mare and her past self.
The low sound was getting louder and louder as Vinyl waited in the TARDIS.
“Hang in there Dad! Only about 30 more seconds!” She cried out. She knew how much her dad liked to blink, so when he was left in the house against 3 weeping angels, she got worried.
There was no answer. 'Buck dad, I need you to stay alive!'
“Y-yeah Vinyl. I'm hanging in.” His voice slowly fluttered out of the house to the TARDIS. Vinyl sighed with relief, and looked to the direction of Ponyville. Vinyl finally saw it, what her mother had hoped to destroy, yet hoped to cause. The blanket of white film, that was slowly ending Equestria, mile by mile.
“Dad?” Vinyl shouted over the low sound that was still getting louder.
“Yes Vinyl?” He asked. The white film was now at the edge of the Lake.
“I love you.” Vinyl said. Then her head started to hurt from the sound of the low boom. And then, it all stopped. Vinyl could only see white. Vinyl assumed she was in her Mind. Hooray. Now what? She decided it was time to implement all the fake memories she needed to, then all she had to do was remember the word TARDIS.
Octavia recognized the familiar sight of being in her mind. She welcomed it, and decided it was time to give her past self something to think about here.
Welcome to your subconscious, Octavia” She said, knowing that it would be resonating through her younger self's mind. “Do not worry, I’ve done this before. I’m your future self. There’s no paradoxes here, the one we’ve caused is enough. You see, I can’t spoil this any more, but we’re stuck in the same place. Us. In our subconscious, and we need to fix that. What I did was think of my Childhood, think of it vividly. Remember Bass Mountain.”
She knew after saying that her past self would be remembering the Mountain, how the grass dropped steeply off the cliff, into the valley, while the other mountains rose up from the other side of the foggy depths. But this was not what Octavia needed to remember. She needed to remember the TARDIS. The Doctor. Vinyl. Starburst. She thought of every memory they had together, implanting new ones of not their family, but Vinyl, the friendly DJ Pony, and Starburst, her Colt Fiancee.
Starburst was confused by the white milky depths. He'd never been there before, and he could see why Octavia was so startled by it. Slowly, he remembered his wife telling him what to do in here, and he could see the memory vivid as day while he thought ofit.
“Remember Starbust and Vinyl, when you get into your mind, remember that Vinyl is the DJ, and only we know she's a Time Mare, and remember that Me and Starburst are engaged. Remember it, implant new memories, what we remember is what the rest of Equestria will. But most importantly, remember The Doctor.” She said, 2 nights before Equestria Died, at the dinner table for supper. The dark candle light on her face.
Vinyl had relative ease with making up all these memories, not only because she was a Time Mare, or because she was basing them off of her current experience, but because of her wild imagination. She figured she got it from her happy hyper mom, and she liked it. She wanted to keep Octavia happy. Octavia was now her friend, and all she really needed to know was that Octavia was the real woman to give birth to Vinyl. And Starburst was her dad. And the Doctor, she didn't have much to remember of. So she didn't spend much time on him.
Vinyl fabricated childhood stories, of how her, Lyra, and Tavi would go up to Bass Mountain together to play music, back in the days when Vinyl played French Horn. She remembered the day she heard her first Bass Drop, when Octavia accidentally played a low note at a performance at the wrong time, and Vinyl fell in love with it.
Octavia remembered a few different memories, probably being implanted to her by Vinyl. How they would go up Bass Mountain and giggle while playing tunes, Vinyl on the French Horn, Octavia on her Cello, and Lyra on the Lyre. How embarrased Octavia felt when she played the wrong note at the wrong time during a trio performance, and how everyone, including Vinyl, loved it. Octavia metaphorically smiled.
Octavia began to fabricate memories of her and Starburst, of how they met. Octavia was playing at the Grand Galloping Gala, and after the 6 ponies completely trashed the party, Starburst saved her from being stuck under a pedestal. Starburst brought her home, and bought her a new Cello, after hers was destroyed in the incident. They had been in love for 2 years.
Starburst felt a flood of joy when he saw new memories coming in, form Vinyl and Octavia. Specifically, the Gala one. Where he was hanging out with a rare-formal-looking Vinyl, and Lyra watching Octavia perform. Octavia had never really noticed him there until she got trapped under a falling pedestal, and he had bucked it off her and brought her home, buying a new Cello for her to express his feelings for her.
Starburst then fabricated a small memory for himself, buying a lovely white dress, a heart shaped jade, and getting some cloth from Sweet Apple Acres, and having the intention to leave it on Octavia's front door, with a mental checklist to buy a ring for the party.
Vinyl fabricated a few sad stories, of how her parents died. On the train from Canterlot to Ponyville, off to see one of her performances, the train had hit a dragon, who was perfectly fine after, yet took the train with him and dropped it into the ocean. When they finally found the train 2 years later, they had announced that everyone was accounted for, and all dead. Vinyl slowly, yet metaphorically cried at this thought, making it feel so real.
Octavia's memory of her parents was the opposite, with the wish of them wanting to completely get rid of Weeping Angels, her parents were never sent back to live to death. Instead, they finally welcomed Octavia's love of music and watched her perform at every occasion. Her parents were still alive, and had told her 2 days before DED that they would be going to Pinkie's party, and bringing Starburst with them.
Finally, all three metaphorical ponies had their stories set straight. No more paradoxes, no more random adventures, no more weeping angels. Just... Normal. All at once, the ponies sent their ready signals. Vinyl, the memory of a broken disk, Octavia, the memory of a Cello Bow, and Starburst, the memory of a ring. When all 3 signals were recieved, they all thought the same word at once.
“DOCTOR.”
The white bled into black. The nausea striking hard. They were completely re-writing Equestria's history, and bringing the whole population of Equestria back to life, including The Doctor.
Vinyl awoke in the TARDIS, where she last remembered herself.
Octavia found herself in a cheery gold bed, her home being hapilly decorated and pictures of her, Lyra, Vinyl, and Starburst dotted the nightstand beside her.
Starburst woke up in a room in the Ponyville Motel, where he was remembering himself staying for the Hearts and Hooves party.
The Doctor found himself alive. Right beside Vinyl.
Epilogue: Time Lives Onwards
Octavia smiled largely as she played the tunes she needed for the party this afternoon. It was going to be a duet of her and Lyra, playing a few songs Pinkie Pie requested. Specifically, “Smile Smile Smile” and “Pony Pokey”. Octavia didn't mind, her and the perky pink pony were great friends, and they always had a way of being there for eachother. Octavia loved the Pony Pokey at the Gala, and was slightly wiggling her butt to it during the Gala, which is probably what got Starburst's attention. She giggled at the thought.
BANG BANG. Octavia dropped her bow, and turned. She waited.
'Alright, let's see. Clock, 8:30. Perform, 10:00. I have a bit. Maybe I can go get some apples for after. Or maybe go meet Starburst for some food before' She thought, always wanting to squeeze in time with her colt-Friend, especially on hearts and hooves day. Even though, he was coming to the party, she loved having a bit of alone time with him.
Octavia gently placed her cello in the brown case, laced with pink edges and golden buckles. She grabbed the pink and gold strap coming from behind and laid the Cello against the wall. What am I going to wear? This is a solo performance, so it can't be anything too drab, yet this is not a formal party, therefore no need for the dresses...
There goes the door. It was probably Starburst, she figured, the love-sick Colt can never get enough of her. She strolled over to the door and opened it gently. On the steps was a bright green bag, dotted with delicious looking zap-apples. Starburst must've got it from the Sweet Apple Acres, after helping them out with AppleBuckin' Season. She delightedly brought the small package inside and set it on her desk.
Once she opened it, she was dumbfounded. Starburst had outdone himself. Laying on her desk, on top of the soft green fabric, was a white rose, bright as can be, on top of a folded white dress, with a heart shaped jade beside it. On a small piece of parchment, was the words:
Octavia my dear, master of the Music,
My heart soars with every note you grace.
Do not change, for perfection should not be altered,
Octavia my dear, master of the Music.
Octavia turned bright pink and giggled. She quickly threw on the dress and stuck the rose above her ear, and took a close look at the heart shaped jade. She admired the jade, and put it right above her door, where she'd see it every day. She then picked up a quill and some parchment, and decided to write to her 'Extended' daughter.
Dear Vinyl,
I hope everything is going great with The Doctor.
-Octavia, your Mother
Octavia took the letter and folded it into an envelope, and on it she wrong 'DJ-PON3 Studio, Canterlot'. She'd give it to the Mail Pony, Derpy, once she saw her at the Party. After all, Derpy couldn't miss a good party. Ever.
Starburst met up with Octavia's parents at Sugarcube corner for the party. Octavia's parents were caring people, and always wanted the best for Octavia and Starburst. So when he showed them the gold ring, with an hourglass imprinted into an emerald, with white pearls in it for sand, they were ecstatic. The parents gave him a big hug and Octavia's Mother whispered in his ear 'Does that mean I get GrandChildren now?'
Starburst chuckled. If only the aging pony knew, that her first GrandChild was somewhere out in Canterlot, making dubstep music and performing at many different parties. He wondered how Vinyl was doing lately, he hadn't hear much from his Daughter. Probably somewhere out exploring with The Doctor. He hoped Octavia invited them to the party tonight.
Finally the group met up with Octavia, who gave quick hugs and kisses and got up on stage with Lyra. They performed their 2 songs for over half an hour, and gave a quick bow when they were done. Many ponies congratulated them on a good performance, even threw a few roses. Once Octavia was done, she put away her Cello in a corner and met up with the Family.
Starburst gave Octavia a bright pink drink, probably some form of punch, and before Octavia could drink all of it she noticed it made a small “ding” sound when she took it from his hoof. She carefully sucked the glass dry, and found the gold ring at the bottom, Hourglass still in perfect condition, the small pearls inside moving around the hourglass. Her mind stopped.
“Octavia, will you marry me?” He asked her. Octavia was astounded. It was 2 years, and he was proposing!
“YES!”
-15 years later-
“Come on, Pitch! We've gotta get going, or we'll miss your sister's performance!” Octavia shouted up the stairs of a multicolored 3 story home. 5 years after they re-wrote Equestria, Octavia and Starburst had twins. Pitch and Melody, both looking like their father, bright skin and red mane colored Pegasi, Melody playing the Cello, one that her mom gave to her, that was sedar wood and gold laced, and Pitch, who played practically every instrument known to man.
Pitch came zipping down the stairs, probably at a speed rivaling Rainbow Dash, and landed on the couch. Starburst came in from the front door, and kissed his wife on the cheek.
“Melody, are you ready?” He shouted up the stairs. The gentle Pegasi Filly carried her Cello down the stairs, careful not to hit it on anything.
“Is Auntie Vinyl coming to watch us?” She asked, laying the Cello on her lap as she sat on the couch.
“You never know, with her and her Colt-Friend. She could 500 years in the past right now. You just never know.” Octavia said, drifting off and looking out the window behind the couch.
“Doctor, what happened to the TARDIS this time?” Vinyl asked as she tried to start up the TARDIS. In the 5 years since Vinyl retired from DJ'ing, she could spend as much time as she wanted with her Doctor. It was fine for the two to be together, considering they were both Time Ponies. Vinyl had only regenerated once, into an Alicorn, but keeping the pale skin and blue hair. This regeneration forced her into hiding, as Society wouldn't have been able to comprehend having a 4th Alicorn roaming free.
“You know Vinyl, I'm not sure you roaming the Changeling Lands as an Alicorn is such a great idea. Oh, would you look at that, I need another paperclip!” He exclaimed, bounding out the doors of the TARDIS happilly. Vinyl followed him, knowing that as long as they were both Time Ponies they could save eachother. And they bounded off into the streets together, flank-to-flank, in search of a paperclip, in the land of the Changelings.
