The Timepony’s Journal

The surrounding area was lush and vibrant, the sound of forest animals echoing in the distance. It wasn’t quite a jungle, the air wasn’t as moist and sticky and yet everything was healthy. It was as if the TARDIS had materialised within the Garden of Eden. The environment contained all the beauty and essence of nature without all the downsides like heat, humidity or bloodthirsty mosquitoes. Stepping out of the ship was Petunia, the young orange mare who’d forced her way into the Police Barn mere moments ago. She was in awe of the world around her, picking up a loose flower before sneezing away the petals.

“Wait! You don’t know if it’s safe out there!” Cosmic called out as he rushed to her side.

“You need to be more careful, for all we know the atmosphere could be poisonous.”

“Poisonous? You can drop the act now. Bet you thought I didn’t know, didya? That’s a fun little trick you got there, magic portals and teleportation. Saw the same stage trick in Vanhoover, nearly seamless too.”

“Now wait just a minute, just where do you think you are?”

“Canterlot Gardens, just a few blocks down the street I think. At least you warmed this place up a bit, I was nearly freezing to death.”

“Now wait a moment, don’t wander off. What will you do when you get lost?”

“I’ll take a taxi back.”

“A taxi?!”

Cosmic was dumbstruck, the irony not lost on him. He’d once had the same kind of disbelief and yet here he was on the other side of the coin. While he was still angry with the Doctor, the last thing he wanted was for Petunia to be in harm’s way. Not far behind, the old stallion closed the doors to the ship. The Doctor wasn’t far behind but still maintained his distance. Where the two of them went he went.

He wasn’t sure what to say or do out of fear of making things worse. Cosmic and the Doctor had already parted on bad terms and things only seemed to be getting worse. He’d hardly noticed Petunia sniffling and sneezing while pushing aside the long grass. She stopped when she found the Tree of Harmony, the original heart of Harmony magic. Its crystalline branches sparkled like diamonds while the translucent lavender leaves whistled like wind chimes. It still held various stairways and rooms made of the same elegant material. Petunia had never seen the tree like this before, the rooms growing long after her time.

“Still think we’re in Canterlot, do you?” Cosmic asked snidely.

“Great, now it’ll take me forever to get back. Where did you take me, the Crystal Empire?”

“Now you realise that we’re not on Equus?”

“Of course we’re on Equus. Where else do you find something like this, the moon?”

Cosmic didn’t have much of an answer. The Doctor chuckled to himself though stopped when Cosmic side eyed him. She had a point though, maybe they’d only gone forwards in time instead of space. That’s what he believed until pulling back some more of the tall grass. Off in the distance he could see the skyline of a silvery city, much more advanced than anything he’d ever seen before. Though skyline wasn’t quite the right word given how the sky wasn’t actually real. It was a large lattice of steel girders that illuminated thousands of sky blue quadrants. It felt like a beacon of hope after so much loss.

“Marvellous, absolutely marvellous.”

Cosmic put a hoof on the Doctor’s shoulder and turned him around.

“Oh no you don’t, we’re going straight back into that ship of yours and take us right back where we were.”

“You think I’d endanger you two so carelessly? Curiosity or not I refuse to intentionally endanger the lives of somepony who is travelling with me unwillingly.”

“What about those who were willing? You let us travel with you not knowing whether or not we’d return. I hoped that you’d keep me and…us safe.”

The Doctor wanted to protest but didn’t, the important thing right now was getting Petunia home. Neither of them even noticed that she’d continued wandering off until tripping an alarm. Looking beneath her hoof Petunia saw a black and yellow chequered line that divided the forest and the pavement. Almost immediately several electric karts surrounded them with alien creatures at the wheel. They resembled dragons though were more aquatic with longer limbs, webbed claws and one eye. They each stepped out of their karts brandishing some kind of weapon. Petunia sat down and raised her hooves in the air like she was being arrested. Both Cosmic and the Doctor slowly turned their heads to her, decidedly not amused.

“We’re terribly sorry if we frightened you.” said the Chief Elder Alicorn Sonar.

“Normally only animals enter the perimeter so forgive us for the perceived hostility. How did you say that you arrived again?”

“With my ship, the TARDIS. Forgive me if I sound strange but we really are travellers from another time. We know nothing of your laws or civilization.”

“Oh I never doubted it. Equestrians dabbled with time experiments in the fifty second century, long before us though.”

“Have they now? Quite extraordinary.”

The Doctor was somewhat surprised by his reaction. The three of them had been welcomed into Sanctuary City, an entire ecosystem floating amongst the stars. There were several other Chief Elders, people chosen to be leaders of each respected race that once lived on Equus. After millions of years Equus was facing not only over-population but was also at risk of both magical and otherworldly threats on a near monthly basis. This ship was a contingency, an escape plan. The entirety of Equus was finally united at last after trials and tribulation, after wars and destruction. For once there was nopony pointing a gun in his face, trying to rule the world or both.

After being picked up from the forest’s edge they’d been given the express guided tour. They had ended in the master control room after seeing the magnificent wonders at the peak of Equus’s society. The control room was massive, screens the size of billboards curving around the silver ovaloid room. Each and everyone was displaying several metrics about their journey. They’d only just started their long journey ahead of them.

“How much longer do you have to go?” Cosmic asked.

“We will reach our new homeworld, Refusis II, in about seven hundred years time. It’s the closest world to Equus with the same living conditions.”

“Do you know what it’s like down there?”

“No, we only have the radio scans to off of.”

“That’s a very long time. How do you feed everypony for so long?” Petunia chimed in.

“Simple, we don’t. Not everypony at least. Ninety eight percent of the residents on this ship are shrunk down to a centimetre in size and kept in cryogenic stasis.”

“Woah…”

“Yes, that’s amazing and all, but we really should get going.” Cosmic huffed, his words oozing irritation.

“Awww, but I wanted to see the statue they were working on. I thought it was pretty gear.”

“It’s really no trouble. We’re building it with the methods of the ancients, a joint effort of the generations that will be finished once we reach Refusis II.”

“No, we really need to get going. Back to the Tardis.”

“Very well. Now where did you Monoid driver go off to?”

Returning back to the kart the alien, the Monoid, that drove them to the city was exactly where they’d left him. It was slumped over in its seat unresponsive. Sonar lightly tapped it on the shoulder and it fell over dead. The entire room gasped, the frenzied chatter becoming worse when Petunia sneezed again. The Doctor quickly moved into the center of the crowd to ease the tension.

“Now, now, there’s no need to panic. My er, companion, Petunia, here simply has a bit of a cold.” the Doctor said.

“What is this… cold you speak of?”

The Doctor was really nervous now. He’d accidentally brought an ancient disease from the past to a civilization that didn’t even have the words for it anymore. While Petunia’s body naturally had the right antibodies they had absolutely none. Even a simple cold such as this could prove to be as fatal as the Black Plague to not only the population who hadn't shrunk down, but to all of those in stasis as well. Sonar ordered them to be quarantined immediately, the Doctor having nothing more to say. For just a moment something was off about Sonar. While the signs were minute, to the Doctor it was obvious that Sonar was already infected.

Cosmic paced around the cell absolutely fuming. The Doctor had given Petunia a handkerchief to blow her nose with. Her sniffles were becoming fewer and further in between as she adjusted to the warmth of the city.

“Oh, this is all my fault. I don’t know what’s going on but I never should’ve left your magic box.”

“No, no my dear. If anything, this blunder is my responsibility and my responsibility alone. I have a duty of care for you both and I’ve failed you. Normally all of my companions are in good health when we travel, the ship makes sure of it. However you were already inflicted and there wasn’t enough time. It’s up to me to solve this.”

There was a screen in their room displaying their trial. An attendant came in, requesting that one of them come in for questioning on the stand. Cosmic looked back at the two of them without a second thought.

“I’ll go.”

The Doctor looked up at him in surprise.

“You’re absolutely certain?”

“Yes. I don’t think they’ll listen as much to either of you. Petunia has the cold and you brought it here, I’m just a third party along for the ride. And I know…I know that I shouldn’t be so harsh on you. It wasn’t your fault what happened back on Kembel, I was just in the heat of the moment.”

“I…thank you, Cosmic.”

Cosmic slightly smiled back at him. He was a bit surprised by the change of heart though he was right, he was still grieving too. Things would never be the same, but they would be better. The screen began to show the death toll once Cosmic left the room. Five Monoid deaths so far, all just innocent creatures caught in the crossfire. That hurt even more, they weren’t malicious, the Monoids even volunteered to help the Equusians in exchange for refuge as their home planet was lost in a war. Petunia gasped and leaned into the Doctor’s shoulder as the first Equusian death was announced. They both held hooves in comfort, but it was too late now. Finally Cosmic was brought up to the stand to testify.

“State your name for the record, please.”

“Cosmic Storm. Where’s your leader Sonar?”

“He’s fallen ill, just like the several other of us who are tasked with guarding the future of the colony. I, the Commander in Chief, stand in his place. My contention is that it was no mere accident that this disaster happened. Not only I but many others believe that you came here intentionally to spread the disease.”

“But that’s nonsense. I mean, can you-”

“It is believed that you are agents of the planet Refusis, towards which this spaceship is proceeding. That you came here to destroy us intentionally.”

“But why? We’re ponies, Equusians just like yourselves. Why should we?”

“There’s the crux of the matter. Do you expect us to believe this nonsense? That you managed, in that ridiculous machine called the Tardis, to travel through time? Guardians, Monoids, these beings whatever they are, place a heavy strain on our credulity.”

“Well that’s not very difficult! If your medical records are anything to go by, this era of time is far from being the most advanced in knowledge. In fact I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the worst!”

“We can cope with everything from the fifty seventh segment of Equus life, but not with strange diseases brought by you as agents of the planet Refusis!”

“Are you still on about that? I told you before, we know nothing of that planet!”

“My instinct, every fibre of my being tells me differently.”

“And that, unfortunately, tells me only one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“That the nature of ponies, Equusians even in this day and age hasn’t altered at all. You still fear the unknown, like everypony before you.”

“That won’t stop me from coping with it.”

“How, by destroying us? By ejecting us into space?”

“If that is the voting of this hearing then yes. Cosmic, prove to us your good faith. Would your friend the Doctor have any knowledge on how to deal with this fever?”

“Yes, he probably would if you let him out of that cell and gave him the chance to experiment.”

“And we’d assist you, but how could we know that you wouldn’t spread the disease further?”

The jury broke out into a quiet murmur amongst one another. Meanwhile Cosmic wasn’t doing too hot, quite the opposite in fact. He was sweating bullets and not due to nerves.

“Is Cosmic going to be alright?” Petunia asked as she watched the broadcast.

“I hope so, my dear. I hope so. It’s possible that he may have a fever as well. I had assumed that he’d be somewhat immune but it’s worse than I suspected.”

The Commander in Chief slammed his gavel down to silence the jury.

“Listen. The Doctor and his companions have not denied that they brought the fever amongst us. They say that it was an accident, and perhaps I believe them. Put simply, if they were agents of the Refusisans then they wouldn’t admit guilt on the matter. However I am not convinced that they should be bereft of punishment. I will now leave a vote for you to decide the proper course of action.”

Several minutes went by as each member of the jury submitted their decisions. It was close, but a small margin agreed to expulsion. As the Monoids were the first to be struck by the virus it was they who would carry out the execution. It was then that Cosmic collapsed at the podium. The jury simply stared as two new guards were summoned in protective hazmat gear. Rather than being ejected immediately he was carried off back to the cell. At least they still believed in some kind of mercy. They were giving each other a chance to say goodbye before execution.

“How do you expect a fair trial when the defendant was ill, hmm? This trial’s legitimacy should be called into question, I demand it!” the Doctor spat angrily.

The computer monitor from before switched on, the Commander in Chief addressing him directly.

“The outcome of that trial was still determined that you should face some form of punishment. While a close margin preferred expulsion from the station, an overwhelming majority wished for some form of retribution.”

“Are you aware that you might be committing your entire community to a slow extinction? Trust me! Allow me, help me to find a new cure for this ailment of yours.”

The Commander in Chief sat in silence as he mulled over his options. The Doctor could only hope that he made the right decision. Before giving his final verdict, Sonar joined in the call from his quarantine quarters. He was clearly ill, barely even mustering the strength to speak.

“Wait. This is your commander speaking… I order you to release the travellers immediately. Allow them to fix their mistakes.”

Sonar then broke into a long coughing . Before his subordinate could respond he raised a hoof before continuing his appeal.

“Is it not in our nature to forgive? For ages our society has been built upon the principles of friendship and compassion. Is it not within those values to forgive? Do not make the same mistakes that our forefathers did by shutting the strangers out. Let the Doctor mend his mistake, that is all.”

Sonar then disconnected, leaving the Commander in Chief speechless. He took a moment to regain his composure before responding.

“You will be given full access to our facilities for research. However your friend, Cosmic Storm, must be used as the test subject to prevent further risk and maintain peace amongst the masses. That is all.”

The call was cut off and the screen returned to its original display.

“At last we are near the solution! Now, no time must be wasted. Apply a cold compress to the forehead, provide plenty of water and reduce the temperature of this room by about ten degrees.” the Doctor said, ordering the two attendants that were initially the guards to his cell.

The Doctor rapidly scribbled a list onto a pocket notebook he pulled from his jacket, tearing off a page and handing it to Petunia.

“Here, go out and gather samples from these specimens. Somepony out there should be able to show you the way. The elements present within these samples should be enough for a drug to assist in curing the illness, a vaccine of sorts if you will.”

Petunia silently nodded before leaving with the list. Over the course of the next hour the Doctor worked tirelessly on both examining Cosmic and stabilising his condition. A monoid came in with the requested resources alongside Petunia, helping to continue his research. The Monoids were actually quite intelligent though they didn’t express it through words. Apparently the cure had been lost nearly 40 million years ago in the primal wars of the 10th segment of time. Moving back to Cosmic the Doctor applied the medical patch, Cosmic’s condition improving after mere minutes.

“Don’t you need to inject the vaccine into his foreleg?” Petunia asked.

‘With a hypodermic needle? Gracious no, those went out a long time ago. Terribly inefficient. Now, we must administer the cure to all the others.”

“But what about Cosmic?”

“You can stay with him if you like, however I cannot simply sit by and waste valuable time now can I? He’s much stronger than the others as well. This shouldn’t take long at all.”

Petunia stayed behind while the Doctor helped to administer the vaccine. Eventually all of those who were afflicted, as well as those who were at risk, were given the proper immunities to fight the virus off. Already the conditions were improving by the time he finished. The Doctor happily trotted back into the main control room with confidence. He was positively exhausted but it was all with it. Today nopony else would die from his blunder. He took his time to apologise and reassure the others though there was still some resentment against him. Once Cosmic was in good enough health the three of them hopped back on an electric kart back to the ship.

“So will everyone be alright?” Petunia asked.

“Hopefully so. But no worries, we’ll get you back exactly where you need to be. I'm terribly sorry about this situation Cosmic, you didn’t deserve it.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it. You made it right and that’s what matters.”

The three of them got into the ship and flew away, however it wasn’t all over yet. The TARDIS rematerialized back in the jungle again as if they’d never even left. However something had to have changed, he didn’t need the ship’s systems to tell him that he’d moved to some degree. Clearly being so far in the future must have had a negative impact on the temporal flight path. The Doctor poked his head out first, confused as to why he wasn’t back in 966. He’d even used the Fast Return switch again just in case the navigation systems were unreliable. Nothing appeared to have gone wrong, so what was different?

“We home yet?” Petunia asked, poking her head out of the TARDIS too.

The Doctor hmmed as he took a good look at the surrounding area.

“Most peculiar, most peculiar indeed.”

“Doctor, look, over here!”

“What is it, my dear?”

“It’s the statue, they’ve finished the statue.”

Looking up the regal statue towered over part of the forest canopy. It was of every sentient species on Equus standing tall, hoof in wing in claw. Only instead their heads were replaced with those of the Monoids. This was wrong, this was very wrong. He had very little knowledge of this era, however he could feel it. He’d changed the course of history and it was entirely his fault. Such a thing was supposed to be impossible on this scale, like making a river flow in the wrong direction.

“What have we done?” Cosmic asked in horror.

The Doctor didn’t answer, simply running to the edge of the forest. The city didn’t shine the same way, causing him to fear the worst. His friends could barely keep up with him despite being much younger. The alarm didn’t sound as he continued past the black and yellow lines, only more to worry about. The trek back to the city was the worst, seeing so much empty and barely functional. There weren’t cobwebs in the main control room but it was clearly in need of a good dusting. All the displays showed that they were nearly to Refusis.

Seven hundred years had passed since the last time they were here mere minutes ago. The Doctor switched between different feeds on the various monitors. The Monoids, once equals, now reigned over the Equusians with an iron claw. Ponies, Griffons, Yaks and all other races brought to their knees and carried out their every whim. All the while he couldn’t help but feel responsible for all of this. He hadn’t experienced this before, that landing somewhere could cause such dire consequences. Did all of his adventures have adverse effects?

“Uh, Doctor?” Cosmic asked, an electric cattle prod aimed directly at his face.

Turning around, the Doctor also found that the same was occurring for him.

“Take them to the Commander.” said one of the Monoids.

The Doctor was a bit surprised as he and his friends were taken away. The Monoids had barely spoken when he was last around, though the new collars around their necks likely had something to do with it. Instead of Sonar, upon a mighty golden throne sat a Monoid dressed in the regalia of several Equusian leaders.

“So, you are the Doctor our records spoke of.”

“You know who we are?” Petunia asked.

“Yes, while our ancestors were sceptical of your claims to travel through time, it’s hard to avoid the facts in front of me. Video recordings of your trial, alongside images of your barn have been stored in our archives for millennia. You’ve not aged a day since the great incident.”

“Is…that why you’re in power?” Cosmic asked hesitantly.

“In a way, it is. A mutated version of the virus returned and sapped the energy of those we once considered our equals. Their kindness quickly waned as they abused our generosity. Even their children scolded my people for not saving their parents. In response to a generation of animosity, we retaliated.”

“But the values of friendship, surely they can be kind again if you just talk it over.”

“While they may have spawned a great good in the past, they also spawn a terrible evil in their hearts. At least under subjugation their violent tendencies are subdued.”

“But it’s barbaric!”

“As were they. We will be gathering a surveillance party to travel down to the surface of Refusis. If you wish to come, you may, however there is only room for two of you. The last Equusian leader will be joining us, perhaps he and his chosen accomplice will show you their true danger.”

Cosmic was outraged, looking at the Doctor to back him up. He gave no response, a single look enough to silence him. Stepping forwards he felt the weight on his back growing, but he couldn’t wallow in self pity for long. He had work to do.

“We agree to your invitation. Is there truly no convincing you of a peaceful coexistence without subjugation? Cosmic here is right, observe your records. They offered forgiveness to us, could you not do the same for them?” the Doctor pleaded.

“It takes more than an apology to mend what happened, but we’ll see.”

The pod was rather small, only capable of holding six passengers at a time. The Monoid leader and Sonar each brought a plus one with the Doctor and Petunia joining them to the surface below. Both him and Cosmic knew that he could handle himself and not start any trouble. Sonar recognized them but didn’t say anything. He held his head down in shame, the once bright kindness and passion long since faded. Upon touchdown in a large clearing they could hear the cries of alien birds soaring beneath the teal blue sky. It was a serene, perfect paradise.

Looking around though this planet wasn’t quite the blank slate as they expected. They didn’t expect the perfectly sculpted pillars lining the arches of the massive circle. In the center was a much more lush area dotted by sparkly indo and violet flowers. The Doctor placed his hoof on one of the pillars, examining it closely. Clearly some civilization had existed hear ages ago,

“Magnificent, absolutely magnificent. Come here, my foal, come look at this.”

“Why? It’s just a bunch of old pillars.”

“Precisely, my foal! They’re old, potentially ancient, even. But wouldn’t something of such be in severe disrepair? It’s old. Weathered, but not in disrepair.”

“But I thought Refusis was uninhabited.”

“No, they used radio scans to study the conditions of this planet.”

“Then where is everypony?”

The Monoid activated his weapon, Sonar’s companion lying on the ground. The Doctor rushed to him to observe their condition. Besides them was a large broken tool not too dissimilar to a scythe, dropped when he held it.

“Now you know why the Equusians must be subdued. You can’t turn your backs on them without fear of attack.” said the Monoid leader bluntly.

“Would you say the same to your ancestors? They retaliated the same as your people once did. You simply fear the worst of them just as they once feared you.”

“This is different.”

Only now did Sonar finally find the courage to speak. Tears welled up in his eyes as centuries of anguish finally broke through.

“How DARE you say that! After all this time I acknowledge that what we did to you was wrong. I’ve been trying to guide them towards the path of acceptance, but we were only at our worst. We were dying, we lost so much. I’m ashamed of what my race has done, that we failed to represent our world. Please, just give us a chance.”

“How can you be forgiven for all that your race has done?! For decades we were nothing but slaves to you. You yourself were there, you could’ve done more!”

“You claim to speak on the behalf of your people, to comment on anguish of which has not been experienced for centuries!”

The Monoid leader tried to strangle Sonar but halted before he could do so. He didn’t do it of his own will, he was thrown to the ground by some kind of invisible force. Sonar opened his eyes, still wincing on instinct.

“That’s quite enough.” said a booming voice around them.

“Ah, the Refusians I take it. Where are you, hmm?” said the Doctor.

“Right in front of you. The Refusians, as you call us, lost our physical forms long ago. Our consciousness is all that survives alongside our abodes. I’ve simply transposed my will to your position.”

“The Equusians and Monoids wish to inhabit this planet, for their own are near inhospitable or gone. What are your intentions, allow them to coexist peacefully or send them on their way?”

“We’re open to new inhabitants, however we do have one condition. We wish to coexist peacefully without war or conflict. While we can influence our surroundings to a degree we cannot build, cannot create. We maintain all that is left of us and wish for no malice to taint our memories.”

“Ah. Now to you few, maybe I am unable to convince you myself, but unless you settle your differences this cycle of rebellion and servitude will continue. To break it you must do one simple thing: make peace with one another. A long time ago, your ancestors accepted responsibility for one another. Though due to my interference you were weak, broken and divided. The Monoids were treated as outcasts and slaves, so it’s no wonder that given the chance they repaid you in kind. You know my dear friend Cosmic told me that you mustn't solely focus on the past follies, but to make up for your mistakes through action.

Build a better future for yourselves and the generations to come, for the follies of your ancestors are not your own. Now, if you’re all willing I believe it’s time to negotiate your eh, living arrangements, eh?”

Fortunately the two of them actually decided to settle things peacefully. They talked for what felt like hours, roaming around the marble halls of the ancient city. He did his best to provide a few ideas though mainly stayed out of the conversation unless prompted. Somehow being here, influencing things with his presence didn’t sit right with him. Did all of his adventures end like this, where the places he saved only got worse instead of better? The TimePonies had protected the web of time for an eternity and here he was, throwing a spanner in the works of it. The trip on the pod back was a bit hazy, as well as the journey back to the TARDIS. It was almost as if in a blink of an eye he was back in the ship sitting in the wicker chair.

“Doctor…? Are you sure that you’re alright?” Petunia asked.

“Hmm? Oh yes, yes of course my foal. Whatever would give you the idea that I’m not?”

“Well…you’ve just been well…distant. Ever since Refusis you’ve hardly spoken a word to either of us.”

It couldn’t have been that long. Sure he’d had a couple of moments like this in the past but it couldn’t be that bad. He was just tired, stressed from the whole ordeal. The Doctor just went back to his controls and got to work on the dematerialization. Their flight path seemed to be smooth sailing, right on course for 966. Cosmic was concerned though Petunia was looking at some of the Doctor’s old knick knacks that he kept in a chest in the lab alcove.

“Oooo, look at this. Looks pretty fab, doesn’t it?” Petunia said, adjusting an old red cap on her head.

Before he could say anything the Doctor sneezed.

“Don’t tell me you’re catching a cold now too, are you? Doctor…?” Cosmic joked before drifting into concern.

“Hmm? Yes, what is it?”

“Doctor… you’ve vanished,” said Petunia.

“What are you talking about? I’m right in front of you.”

“I can’t see you, you’re completely invisible.”

“Then this means one thing and one thing only, the ship is under attack by a force beyond thought, a force beyond comprehension. We are in more danger than we’ve ever been before.”