Adventures in the TARDIS

Those left behind in the white room after Commander Viraxis departed are silent for almost half a minute but their minds thaw when they notice Daring Do trot forward and search the walls for something very carefully.

“What are you searching for?” Margret checks while strongly suspecting what the answer is.

“A seam to a door or any kind of mechanism I can operate,” Daring Do answers.

“You’re not going to find one,” Doctor Kelly confidently assures. “This room isn’t like any of the dungeons you explored in the past . . . or I suppose the future from the perspective of this era. These walls are made of holographic energy and force fields. They don't need a seam to them until the right user wills them to open. To do that, you have to access the system that governs this room digitally.”

Daring sighs in frustration then looks over her right shoulder at Doctor Kelly before saying, “I figured that was the case. I just wanted to check to be sure.”

“Do you want to go out?” Margret inquires.

“I wanted to check if we have the ability to do so,” Daring replies then knocks on the wall. “Because if we can’t, it means we’re prisoners for the moment.” She grins. “Now there is something I am accustomed to. Lots of dungeon masters tried to do that to me, and some of them temporarily succeeded sometimes.” She looks back at the wall. “Usually, when I explore some ancient ruins, there is always a way through, even if there wasn’t by original design. Time erodes everything, you see, so new passageways can grow where there weren’t any before. Conversely, old passageways can collapse over time too.”

Daring sighs again then spins about to face the rest of her companions as she asks, “In that case, I have to ask; do any of you have a way through this?”

“I can teleport myself and the rest of you,” Doctor Kelly proposes. “But, other than that, I’m afraid not, and I’d rather not resort to the teleport option either if I have no line of sight where we are going. While I can do it technically, our next destination might be inside a solid wall or outside of this ship where we might be in for a very long fall.”

“But all of us can fly,” Derpy reminds gently. “Or glide with style at least.”

“This ship can even ascend into space,” Margret adds. “So yeah. I would not recommend blind teleportation.”

Daring nods in acknowledgement then decides, “Then we’ll consider that an emergency option. This room would have to be filling with snakes, poisonous gas, lava or the like to really make us consider that option. In the meantime, do we have any other method at our disposal?” When she finished her latest question, she looks at Margret in particular since she is a native of this society.

“Wow!” Margret exclaims at Daring with wide eyes. “You must have a pretty interesting life to have come up with all of those examples off the top of your head.”

Daring smiles slightly as she says, “Oh yeah! You have no idea. I encounter nasty traps like that in various dungeons all the time.”

“And you survived all of them so far? Then wow! You really are a credit to your name, Miss,” Margret commends.

Daring’s smile drops as she repeats at Margret, “I repeat, do we have any reliable and safe method to open these doors/walls? Some way through?”

“I do not, or at least I don’t think I do,” Margret answers then checks something. A holographic window suddenly materializes in front of her that has a bunch of text that none here other than Doctor Kelly can read. Feather, for his part, suspects there might be an additional layer to the message since some of it might be buried in the equivalent of magic tongue.

After a while, Margret shakes her head no, the transparent screen vanishes, and she focuses her gaze back at Daring as she says, “As I suspected, I don’t have clearance to access this system. I lack the right passwords and such. I figured that was the case since I don’t have military clearance. Even if I was such personnel, I might need to be of the right rank.”

“Which means we are prisoners here for the moment,” Feather concludes then regards Daring. “What is the plan now? I assume you had one before you entered this trap.”

Daring blushes in embarrassment and rubs the back of her neck as she confesses, “Maybe if I was the Doctor, but I must confess, a lot of my plans are flown off the seat of my pants.” The hoof that originally rubbed the back of her neck returns to the floor. “And that is because many of my adventures require me to improvise from moment to moment, and usually there is always something or someone I can access to bypass every trap. Some creature I can fight, some hidden lever I can pull, or some hidden entrance I can crawl through. Since every situation varies so widely, there isn’t much of a point making multi-layered plans in advance. I have to be there and investigate what is currently relevant to each situation before it becomes worth making plans and seeking a bypass. With this place, though,” she gestures around her, “I’m way out of my element because operating my way through this situation requires me to have abilities and equipment that I completely lack.” She gestures back and forth between Doctor Kelly and Margret. “You two were, and still are, my greatest hope to come up with a bypass.”

Derpy frowns as she says, “If the Doctor were here, I’m sure he could come up with a bypass method using his cunning wits, universal knowledge, and his sonic screwdriver. Even if he was unfamiliar with the tech he is hacking, he’s usually brilliant enough to figure it out eventually. For example,” she regards Doctor Kelly, “such a thing happened in your world none too long ago. He was unfamiliar with the energy signature of that planet but he eventually figured it out enough to hack into your digital system to do some snooping and manipulating.”

“Yeah? Well the Doctor isn’t here right now so we need to come up with another strategy relative to the resources we do have,” Daring reminds. “Any ideas?”

Doctor Kelly sighs as she creates a wedged sphere behind her, using her magic, to act as a seat then proceeds to sit on it. When she does, she leans back into it as it floats slightly further off the ground. She taps her right forehoof on the right edge of the wedge thoughtfully before declaring, “I had considered deploying a warp stone along the outer border of The Tribe’s village before we entered the Commander’s ship. It had occurred to me, back then, that such an emergency option might come in hoofy.”

“But I take it you didn’t because you figured The Tribe would consider that rude if they discovered it?” Stern Wing figures.

Doctor Kelly collects her forehooves in the front of her muzzle and peers over them sharply as she says, “That honestly is the only reason I hesitated, and ultimately rejected, that option. I almost went with it anyway because I could use the other warp stones to recall any of the ones I deployed just in case I didn’t need it, but it is so taboo to their culture that I went against that idea in the end.” She shrugs. “Aside from that, I was being observed by the Commander at the time, and if not by him, there could have been others watching us too at that moment.”

“Very likely,” Margret agrees. “If there is one thing I do know about the Commander, it is he likes to be thorough whenever he can.”

“And now we know why,” Stern Wing adds. “He’s a pony bucking Time Lord!”

“Not just that, but a War Commander of his race during a desperate time of the Time War,” Feather adds further. “So we’re not talking about an average citizen here but a straight up war veteran. One who has likely been through so much conflict and trauma that his sanity might be questionable now.” When he says that, he looks at Doctor Kelly to see if she confirms or denies that theory.

Noticing Feather’s look to her, Doctor Kelly says, “Based on what I can tell from my limited encounters with him, he seems to be of relatively sound mind and makes reasonable judgements under the circumstances. Perhaps Time Lord’s psychology can hoofle more stress than the average pony, or especially the leaders of their society.” She shakes her head. “I have no doubt that he’s endured some severely stressful battles by this point of the war, but he’s likely been very well trained for that and actual combat can harden a pony’s heart, or hearts in this case, when necessary. There are many possible options one can resort to during stressful situations and not all of them are cataclysmic. Sometimes they can even build one’s character instead.” She nods. “That said, I would have recommended a vacation for him if I was his doctor while fully realizing that is not always an option during war time.”

“Especially in a war he considers himself on the losing side,” Feather adds grimly. “That is if he was telling us the truth.”

When Feather gave that last statement, he also gave a meaningful look to every pony here that was part of The Tribe’s ceremony. Because of that, they have been empowered with empathic abilities, albeit likely temporarily. Even now it is slowly fading. As a result, they are more psychically attuned to those around them and that includes the Commander. That ability has informed them that the Commander seemed mostly honest but he is still holding something back. Just like before, it seems as if the Commander doesn’t consider this group ready for all of his secrets yet but he was willing to reveal more compared to before. That same empathic sense also revealed that he is desperate and very much interested to get this group on his side after everything else he has seen.

Beneath all that, he is very much an emotionally weary and wounded war soldier who feels burdened with many regrets that he honestly does wish to atone for, but now isn’t the right time for it because more critical priorities are taking its place instead. “For the greater good” is very likely the main theme of his life lately. That alone is likely enough for him to temporarily feel justified in making any atrocity that he deems is a necessary evil.

Stern Wing taps her right forehoof on the ground then brings up, “While we’re on that subject, I’d like to ask you all what do you honestly think of his offer?” She shrugs. “After all, we don’t have many other options to resort to for the moment so we might as well tackle this. Besides that, I really am curious what you all think.”

Those in the room can feel Derpy immediately firming up after that statement, including Doctor Kelly in her own way.

“Let me make myself perfectly clear right here and now,” Derpy says far more firmly and sternly than this group is accustomed to seeing her. “And that is the fact that I will never, ever, betray the Doctor. Wherever he goes, I will follow.” She covers her front chest with her right wing as she says, “I love him and I trust him explicitly. If he says for me to cooperate with Commander Viraxis then I shall do so, and if he says otherwise then I’ll do that instead.” She refolds her wing and shakes her head. “After everything I’ve seen and all that I have seen him go through, I know in the deepest recesses of my soul that the Doctor truly cares for all of us.” She shakes her head. “His plans might not always be perfect but I still know he makes them with the best of intentions. I’ve seen him taking severe risks before in an attempt to save others, sometimes at great personal cost to himself.” She stomps her hoof firmly. “So let me make it perfectly clear that I will be there for him and do my best to support him no matter what. That is my personal choice and I’m sticking to it.”

“And we well respect that, Derpy,” Stern Wing says back to the gray pegasus. “Thank you for making that clear.”

Derpy’s response softens a bit as she replies, “You’re welcome, and hey! You asked so I wanted to be clear.”

“How about the rest of you?” Stern Wing checks with the others.

The group is silent for a moment as each of them looks at the others present to see which one of them would like to speak first. In the end, Doctor Kelly decides to take her turn.

“Well, for my part, I am a very logical and scientific mare,” announces Doctor Kelly. “To that end, I prefer to base my decisions on concrete evidence. I like to gather all the facts first before I make any big and permanent decisions in my life so I will not be blindly swayed by one passionate speech from one of these two Time Lords.

“I will admit, though, he did bring up a lot of valid points, but the Doctor might have reasonable counters to every single one of them and I’d like the chance to hear him out first before I make any firm decisions.

“For the moment, I lean on and support the Doctor by default. He and I seem to have quite the destiny together and, for some reason, I feel like it isn’t only in the future. He’s already familiar to me in a way I can’t explain. In a way that transcends beyond logic and reason for the moment. I’m hoping that will change sometime in the future and I eventually get an explanation for all of my inner feelings towards him.

“But in the meantime, with this particular issue, I’d feel unbalanced until I hear all sides of the argument. After everything I have and probably will be through with the Doctor, I feel I owe him that much at least, plus that would be my personal decision in any case.”

“I respect the sentiment,” Daring Do declares before she shakes her head. “But life isn’t always that clear cut. It can get messy and confusing sometimes. You can’t always gather concrete evidence for everything all the time.”

“True and I’m well aware of that,” Doctor Kelly agrees. “But that is no excuse to block me from trying to gather that evidence. Right now I don’t have evidence that I won’t be able to gather it later on either so I’ll always default to trying to gather it until I either have it or I learn why I can’t gather any more.” She shrugs. “Situations can change in other ways over time, too. By the time I gather all the evidence that I originally sought, it could be over an issue that is no longer relevant for one reason or another. I’ll keep an eye on that, too. That, in turn, will inform me whether further effort to gather that evidence is still worth it or not.”

Daring thinks about that then nods in agreement. That, to her, sounds like a very reasonable decision.

Both Daring, Feather, and Doctor Kelly find it interesting how Derpy and Doctor Kelly’s decision on this issue is prioritized from opposite standpoints. One is highly and almost blindly emotional and the other is logical, but both of them have small ingredients of the other side too.

“For my part, my decision is similar to Doctor Kelly’s,” Feather Wind announces. “I’d prefer to hear all sides of the argument before I make a firm decision, but that said, I emotionally side with the Doctor for the most part because I trust him, his methods, and his motives.” He winces and shakes his head as he adds, “For some reason I grow uncomfortable with others who lean on the adage, ‘For the greater good’ all the time. To me, it sounds like giving up all hope that there is a noble option to solve any particular situation.” He stomps his little blue hoof on the ground. “The Doctor wouldn’t do that. He would never do that.”

“Here-here!” Derpy cheers in agreement.

Feather Wind points at the wall that the Commander stepped through as he says, “And the Commander straight up admitted that he is, and I quote, ‘The lesser of two evils’.” Feather returns his hoof to the ground then goes on to say, “Well the Doctor would call that horse dung. He would never be willing to settle in being the ‘evil’ of any sort. He always tries to solve his problems in a way that benefits all, even his potential opponents. That, to me, aligns and resonates with my heart because if we keep doing that then I don’t have to deal with as much guilt about having to hurt my would-be opponents later. They generally have feelings too and I, for one, care deeply about that. I’d rather turn them into friends if at all possible.” He lifts a hoof. “And I know that is not always reasonable in every situation but I still always default to the sentiment.”

Feather shakes his head. “It is never worth automatically giving up all hope to seek a higher and better solution. One that does take the moral high ground. I say it is always worth at least an attempt, and to me . . . that is the Doctor’s primary strategy.” He shakes his head briefly as he adds, “I have never met another pony that I have agreed with more from a moral standpoint and that is why I trust the Doctor so much. He may not always win the day and perhaps we both are a touch naive to think we can save everypony all the time, but I’d rather try and lose with the Doctor rather than win but live with permanent regrets like the Commander.”

Feather scans among each of his friends present as he asks them, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I sensed that the Commander really does have deep regrets and he truly wants to be redeemed, but what does it ultimately say about his character when he keeps on inventing excuses to do it later? If we follow him, someday he might abandon or betray us, ‘For The Greater Good’.” He squints. “But could you imagine the Doctor even thinking something like that? He’d sooner lay down his own life rather than sacrifice anypony else.”

“And you think that is a good thing?” Doctor Kelly counters. “Say he keeps doing that strategy and, someday, he eventually does it. He dies to save others. He might even succeed with that sacrifice but he’d still be dead. We’d be stuck with the Commander by default in that case because he was more cautious and reasonable in each situation he faces. He’s smart enough to realize that there are smarter sacrifices he could make that might cost him a battle but preserve the chance to win the war.”

Feather Wind sighs then says to Doctor Kelly, “Maybe, but that is why I can definitely say that I am not a warrior. I don’t think in ‘war’ terms. Instead, I’d rather heal and promote the well-being of all. As a doctor yourself who is sworn to do no harm, you should say the same.”

“When it comes to my personal actions then I absolutely agree with that,” Doctor Kelly replies. “But I’m also willing to look at the big picture. That includes weighing everything that is at stake with the situations I face. For the most part, I do lean on and support the Doctor’s decisions, but if he dies or makes some grossly unreasonable decision, all so he could at least claim that he tried to maintain the moral high ground in the end, then it would be stupid of me to refuse, to at least consider, the other options on the table.

“After all, what would the Dalek’s say in each situation? When weighing in every factor of what we face, let’s not forget about the greater of two evils as well.

“In this case, I could be convinced of the possibility that it could be important to win this war at truly any cost, even if some sacrifices have to be made along the way. After all, if the Dalek’s leave no other recourse other than for us all to be exterminated with maximum impunity and prejudice if they win, then I have to take that into consideration too.”

Feather Wind relents a bit as he says, “Well, I see your point, but that is another issue to consider. We are not seeing the Dalek’s side of the story either. What if they are more innocent than these Time Lords’ claim? They could be lying to us on purpose for the sake of personal prejudice. Conversely, they might really believe what they say but ultimately be wrong anyway.”

“I object!” cries out Derpy. “Sure, it might be possible that they are wrong about the Daleks. I don’t know that for sure. I have never met them, but one thing I do know is that the Doctor would never lie to me and he makes very similar claims that the Commander does.” She squints as she asks Feather Wind, “Do you really think that they are both lying or are flat out wrong about the Daleks?”

“I admit, that is a very, very remote possibility,” Feather Wind confesses. “Both of these stallions likely have very firm reasons why they make the claims that they do, and if these two stallions, who can’t see eye to eye on most things but they do agree on this one point, it lends further credit to their story.” Feather Wind shakes his head. “Nevertheless, I haven’t met a Dalek, that I know of, either, so I don’t think it is fair to judge them yet. There’s always a chance that there is more to this story than either one of these Time Lords are aware of.” He taps his hoof on the ground. “Even if they are completely correct about the Daleks, though, that doesn't mean there is no possibility for a peaceful solution with them. Again, I might be totally naive on this point and I’m willing to fully acknowledge that, but we’re working with a time machine on our hooves. That could potentially rewrite all of reality.

“For example, what if we went back in time and tried to befriend the scientists who originally invented the Daleks in the first place? If we redeem him then it's possible we could undo any of the damage the Daleks ever did before this conflict even started.”

“You don’t think the Time Lords already tried that?” Daring Do asks with a suspicious squint. “If the Commander was telling the truth, his side is losing this war. I would think a race as intelligent and resourceful as his would consider an option like that long ago. They have time machines and the Time Lords knew that long before this war even started.

“The Daleks, and probably this scientist as well, were also aware of that too. My guess is, for this war to have expanded as far as it did, both sides are probably trying to outdo the other using the same or similar kind of technology. Each side is trying to attack and defend various points of history in an attempt to erase or modify all of reality.”

Daring squints and shakes her head in disgust as she says, “Which I personally find this whole prospect to be distasteful. In my eyes, there should only be one version of a timeline and that needs to be protected and preserved. What’s the point in trying to learn from our past if it keeps changing on us?

“As such, I’m gladly willing to align myself with the Knights of the Hourglass as long as they fight to preserve history from being tampered with. That’s why I am here. Exploiting history to recover an extinct cure is about as far as I’m willing to go with this because taking that one flower isn’t as likely to rewrite all of reality. I limit my tampering to small things if I can help it and I fiercely oppose anypony who tries to severely abuse and rewrite history on purpose.”

“Taking one flower, which can be a miracle cure for pretty much anything, might have a more far reaching effect than you might think,” Doctor Kelly warns. “After all, if we hadn’t taken it, it could have been available for somepony else and that, too, could have a ripple effect in history.”

“I’m aware of that,” Daring says with a slight frown. “And I know that might make me sound a bit of a hypocrite but I honestly try not to think about that too much. I’m here now and I’m making the best of things as I would in any situation.” Daring Do shakes her head. “That’s one of the reasons why I hadn’t traveled with the Doctor in his TARDIS before even though I so deeply respect him. I don’t like to meddle with history but the issue I was facing was gravely important, and I couldn’t verify if the cure existed in the future instead. From my time period, I don’t have access to that kind of information so I did the best I could.”

Doctor Kelly lifts a placating hoof as she reassures, “I know. Believe me, I’m not judging you and I’m well aware of the situation you faced. I’m simply pointing out that the situation we face isn’t so cut and dry. There are pros and cons to pretty much everything.”

“What about you, Stern Wing?” Feather Wind broaches with his foalhood friend. “What do you think of the Commander’s offer?”

Stern Wing sighs as she looks down. She even closes her eyes and has a guilty look on her face as she says, “I hate to admit it, but I think the Commander did bring up a lot of valid points.” She opens her eyes and looks back at Feather. “I deeply respect, trust, and admire the Doctor for so many reasons, but in the end, I do question whether he could make the tough calls if it becomes necessary. Sometimes the situation, or the opponents we face, could leave us with no more morally high choices. Sometimes those opponents might push for that on purpose, too. Maybe they’d try to isolate every possible option until only the evil ones are left.

“If it really came down to that then I think only the Commander has the conviction and courage to do what he feels is necessary even if it also personally wounds him. To me, that is the true mark of a good leader and I might even be willing to call that heroic. A pony who is willing to weigh all sides of a situation and strong enough to make those tough calls.

“I hate bullies, Feather. You know that, but these Daleks sound so much worse than that. A bully might abuse you physically, emotionally and mentally in order to exploit you for something. As long as you're alive, they can bully you again for some selfish gain.” She raises a large brown wing in objection as she goes on to say, “But these Daleks sound very different. They straight up exterminate everything they see indiscriminately aside from themselves. To them, they don’t care what resources you have or what they might personally gain from you. To them, your death is their only objective and it sounds like no amount of begging or pleading would cause them to hesitate. If they truly are incapable of breaking their own programming then there is only one result we can count on in every situation when we face them.”

Stern refolds her wing.

“It bothers me to face a race that is so closed off with every other possible option,” Stern goes on. “To me, they actually do sound absolutely and completely irredeemable.

“That is, of course, if the information we’ve been given so far is accurate.” She shakes her head. “And there has got to be a reason why both Time Lords we know are so firm on this one issue even though they don’t see eye to eye on much else. They must have gathered some very strong evidence indeed to convince them to this degree.”

Stern Wing frowns at Feather Wind sadly as she says, “Fairy-tale happy endings are not always possible in every situation. I admire and deeply love you for the fact you’re willing to fight so hard to try to achieve those ends, but as we all know here, your head is up in the clouds while mine is solidly planted on the ground metaphorically, even when I’m in the air. As such, I have to be willing to take a realistic approach and perspective in life. Previous challenges I faced have also taught me that sometimes there are no morally high choices, so one has to be willing to carefully weigh all the options that are left.”

She again raises a wing in objection as she says, “Now don’t get me wrong. I’m quite loyal to the Doctor too and, from a moral as well as trustworthy standpoint, I side with the Doctor far more.” She refolds her wings. “But I also realize sometimes conflict and war is inevitable. In that case, a deeper examination of these two stallions is very important. One is a hero and a healer and the other is a warrior in a very grim and important war. In the end, which of these two really would lead to the greater good?”

Stern Wing squints in discomfort as she admits, “I hate to admit it, but the Commander might be the best option in the end. He’d be willing to kill and thus permanently put an end to whatever threat we face while the other Time Lord might simply put the threat in jail or feel pity for the opponent and try to give them a chance to redeem themselves, but that opponent might use that opportunity to cause more harm instead. Another life dies because he made the mistake of being merciful to the wrong target.” She shakes her head. “And sometimes a mistake like that one can’t recover from. My personal priority is the protection of the innocent. That is always the goal I will have in mind, but in this case, I’m forced to question which of these two could be more successful with that. I love the Doctor, but he might actually be too noble for his own good.”

“I’ve had similar concerns as well,” Doctor Kelly agrees. “And if the rest of you are truly honest with yourselves then you’ll admit that you have those concerns too.”

“Certainly,” Derpy agrees. “I’ve had those concerns many times over, but that is why I chose to travel with him. When he tries to push himself too far, I’m there for him to help pull him back. His priority is and was the protection of the innocent too but he sometimes goes too far with that. That’s why he needs his companions to save him just as he would do for us.” She looks among those gathered here with her wall eyes. “I’m not the only one to feel that way, right?”

“Right,” Feather also agrees. “If we do face a dangerous situation solo we can have very restricted options sometimes. If one is determined to save others at all costs then it can cost you everything to do that.

“If, however, one isn’t alone . . .” here he pauses for a moment to give a very emphatic look to Daring Do then continues while addressing them all again “. . . then it can expand our options considerably. There is a risk to everything, but if a pony has others there to watch their backs and honestly care for their partners, then that can be enough to pull the threatened pony back from the brink while still resulting in the success of their mission. With friends at our sides, we can achieve the best of both worlds.”

“Here-here!” Derpy enthusiastically cheers with a thrusted raise of a hoof.

“What about you, Miss Do?” Feather checks with Daring.

“Me?” Daring reflects then goes on to say, “I, for the most part, will be glad to wash my hooves of this whole affair as soon as this mission is done. What I do and the way I do it fills a very important niche in my time and society, and frankly, I consider issues like the Great Time War way above my pay grade. I’m certainly no fan of the Dalek’s objectives if they truly are as brutal as others who encountered them say they are, but I prefer to keep my focus on relatively more simple matters because there is already a lot to hoofle with those issues alone. I consider myself just a guest in the Doctor’s adventures.

“With all of that said, I have very deep respect and affection for the Doctor considering all that he has done for me. For all that he has shown me and awakened me to. I truly wouldn’t be the mare I am today without his help. For that reason, I shall always consider him a very dear friend and I will do whatever I can to support him should the need arise, and I already know for a fact that applies the other way around too.

“In many ways, this adventure has opened my eyes too in addition to a few others I had in my recent past. Because of it, I am willing to reevaluate my stance with some issues. I have to admit that a partner can come in hoofy and sometimes that is exactly what it takes to achieve the best mission results.

“Still, other lessons I have learned in my further past reveals that it would be wise to consider the details of one's partner carefully. For one reason or another, not every pony is fit for an adventurous lifestyle. Even if they are, would they use their talents for the greater good or some selfish end? That is why we have to be careful.”

“Well said,” Stern Wing agrees. “Some might have the ability but no motive to do good in an adventure and others could be the other way around. Either way is very dangerous.”

“I learned that the hard way,” Daring Do warns. “Pray to Celestia that you all don’t have to.”

“I heard that name before,” Margret remarks. “Celestia, I mean. Is she some kind of important political figure in your time?”

“You could say that,” Derpy concurs. “She’s only the sole Princess of Equestria and the one and only alicorn who can raise and lower the sun and the moon until her banished sister returned.”

“Riiiiiiiiight,” Margret replies dryly as she gives Derpy a strange look with an up raised eyebrow.

“There is a lot about our world that can seem strange to you and vice versa,” Feather Wind consoles Margret. “What’s important here, I think, is to learn from our differences. If we do that, we can be more varied and talented. More prepared to face any situation.”

“Five little ponies chart where their loyalties lie,” suddenly comes the echo of a very unexpected but also familiar voice. To their surprise, Trouble fades in between them and seems to lay on an invisible platform again. The snake-headed tail of the creature swishes wistfully behind it. She seems to not have a care in the world, yet the giant creepy grin she has spread across her lips suggest amusement in a way that is highly unsettling. “All, in their own way, strive to maintain their own moral high.”

“You again?!” Stern Wing exclaims in intense surprise and almost outrage.

“Did you all miss me?” Trouble asks in a teasing voice. She also stops her question there. This is a rare example of not giving a follow-up rhyme.

Daring Do brightens and says, “Actually, your arrival here is quite fortuitous. Can you help us get out of here? If you do so then our story, and conflict, can continue. You’ll see more of the game to amuse you.”

Trouble’s gaze snaps back to look at Daring Do over her right shoulder. When she does that, her shifting prismatic, mismatched eyes actually flash for a second. She gives Daring Do a mischievous and cunning grin.

“The pony of adventures considers herself sly. She’s always scheming for a bigger slice of the pie.”

“Of course I am,” Daring agrees as her face firms up. “Are you going to help us or not? If we’re forced to stay here then it’ll be Commander Viraxis guiding our course, and something tells me you’re not fond of that fuddy-duddy.”

“Weeeeeeeeellllll . . .” Trouble pretends to mull it over and rolls her eyes as she tilts her cat-like head back and forth as if that might help weigh her decision. Meanwhile everypony else in the room isn’t as easily fooled. Even Derpy catches on thanks to her new empathic augments. They know that Trouble has an agenda of her own, but she can be random and whimsical about its implementation. That is why Daring dared to give a more specific course of action but leaving the Spirit to decide exactly how to do it.

Daring is actually alarmed when Stern Wing lifts a wing in objection and says, “Actually, before that, I have a question I’d like to ask you.”

Daring gives Stern Wing a wide and very hard, eyes suddenly cracked stare that seems to ask, “What are you doing?!”

“Oh?” Trouble asks as she regards Stern Wing with a languid and bemused expression, both of which seems to be a very common reaction from this creature. What isn’t so common is the fact Trouble actually purrs as she continues to regard Stern Wing.

“I’m sorry, but I have to ask you . . . are you actually innocent of the creation of the Chaos Beasts?” Stern Wing checks with the languidly floating little imp. “You bragged about them before but you also warned us about their arrival and abilities.” While still staring at the creature, Stern also gestures to her small blue friend with a wing as she goes on to say, “And my boyfriend has a point that you did not specifically say that you created those creatures. Now I heard a story that another species might be responsible for them. A species who might be less dangerous than you are but also far more aggressive.”

Trouble’s smile deepens as she answers in her usual enigmatic way, “Stories are as stories go. What you decide is for you to know. There are many sides that one can view. The only way to know is to continue on through.”

“Ah . . . so . . . What you’re saying is just keep going forward and decide for myself?” Stern Wing checks with Trouble.

Trouble’s smile deepens again as she replies, “You are so adorable, my dear. The answers you seek are drawing near.”

Trouble then regards Daring as she offers, “Indeed, I can show you a way, but a devil’s bargain is yours to pay. With every choice, there comes a price. Are you daring enough to roll the dice?”

Daring Do grows a daring grin as she slaps on her hat and asks, “My name is Daring Do. Is it even necessary to ask?” She then gives a softer look to the rest of her companions as she checks, “I assume the rest of you are in as well? The alternative is to remain here at the Commander's mercy, and he has a devil’s bargain of his own.”

“The Doctor taught me to be open and mindful of every opportunity that presents itself,” Derpy announces. “Past experience has also taught me that it can come from highly unexpected sources.” She shakes her head. “I didn’t know exactly what I was getting into when I first joined him on the TARDIS, but now I do. I take risks all the time as I remain by his side. That, alone, doesn’t scare me anymore.” Her expression grows a bit more sheepish as she admits more honestly, “Well, at least as much as it used to.”

“As for me,” Feather chimes in, “I sensed that the Commander was more honest with us in this encounter with him but he’s still holding something back. I have a feeling he’s waiting for a deeper commitment from us before revealing the rest of his hoof but I, for one, don’t wish to agree to anything blindly.” He looks at then nods at Doctor Kelly as he tells her, “Like you said, I think we need to gather more evidence before we can make a firm and definitive decision. Until then, all we really seem to be settling on is our personal and emotional opinions.”

“That’s enough for me to decide,” Derpy reminds firmly. “I will always stay loyal to the Doctor. Always.”

“Mystery is a mist that fades in the dark,” announces Trouble whimsically. “What is discovered therein is good for a lark.”

“Is that supposed to entice us?” Stern Wing asks Trouble in a tone that borders on disgust.

“Make of that as you will,” Trouble invites as she passes Stern a snarky expression. “It’s ever my job to be a pill. With Spirits of Chaos, there’s always a double deal; for anarchy and disorder is ever my meal. While you are busy deciding how you should feel, my zest for your confusion shall be my zeal.”

In other words, Trouble openly admits that she likes keeping ponies off balance. This causes Stern to growl in anger. She suddenly decides that she still doesn’t like this creature. Earlier she felt a bit guilty that Trouble got accused for a crime she might have been innocent of, but something about this creature rubs Stern the wrong way and she just can’t shake it. To know that kind of anger and anguish is provoked on purpose just seals the deal for Stern even further.

Trouble stands up straight on some invisible platform and spreads her claws over her head in an arc. Between those claws, a rainbow is spread which crackles with fireworks around it. Shortly later, that rainbow seems to burst into flames.

“Merry, is our band, as we press on this day. Follow me and I shall show you the way. Where destiny lies is a fate unknown. By pressing on is it ever shown. Of what you’ll see, thy reaction is yours to make. Be brave and wise, for goodness sake.”

With that, Trouble floats to a wall then does a cat-scratch down it with a single long claw. As a result, the wall of a force field peels apart as if it is a zipper that gets unzipped. After that, Trouble backs off to the side and graciously gestures to the new threshold while maintaining an ever impish smile.