The Gospel According to Cupcakes
The door to the blue box opened and a colt stuck his head out of the box. His fur was a light, chestnut brown and his mane was a bit of a darker version of his fur's hue. He was clad in a purple suit coat and a formal tie. The colt moved his head back and forth and was finally greeted by the four ponies that had been sitting in the middle of the room looking at him in complete shock and awe.
"Oh," the colt stepped out of the box, leaving the door open and revealing an hour glass cutie mark on his rump, he spoke in a very thick Trottingham accent, "Hello there."
Vinyl shot up, and the other ponies followed suit. Rainbow was the first one to speak, "Who are you?"
"Me?", the colt gestured toward himself, "I'm the Doctor."
All four of the ponies' mouths dropped to the floor.
"What?" Pinkie asked in sheer amazement.
Out of the open door of the box, trotted out a crossed-eyed, gray pegasus with an angry expression on her face.
"Doctor!" Derpy said, "Where have you-" She turned to meet her friends, "Oh, hey guys."
Vinyl's glasses fell straight off of her face, landing on the floor.
"WHAT?" All four ponies said in unison.
"I'm the Doctor," the colt repeated, he turned toward Derpy, "Are these friends of yours?"
"Yes," Derpy was almost blushing, "Doctor, this is Vinyl, Octavia, Pinkie, and Rainbow." Derpy made the according gestures with her hoof, "Everyone, this is the Doctor."
The Doctor waved, "Hello."
"Vinyl!" Pinkie whispered loudly.
"Yeah?" Vinyl was still staring at the Doctor.
"He's REAL!" Pinkie was still whispering in her loud tone.
"Well, of course I'm real. I am standing right here, after all. Although materializing in the middle of someone's living room has never been a good way to make a first impression." The Doctor blurted out.
"How did you even do that?" Rainbow knew that the answer to her question couldn't be a good one, but it was just kind of obvious.
The Doctor walked over and leaned on the closed door of the box, "It's just what the TARDIS here does."
"The what?" Rainbow asked.
"TARDIS. T-A-R-D-I-S. Time And Relative Dimension In Space."
"And it just shows up places?" Vinyl picked her sunglasses off the floor.
"Yes." The doctor smiled, then shook his head, "No. It's hard to explain. Basically, it's in one place, I pull some levers, turn some knobs, be absolutely brilliant the way I am and poof, here we are. In short, disappeared where we were and reappeared here."
"And where were you exactly?" Octavia asked when she finally gained the composure to understand the situation.
"We were just in Canterlot having a spot of tea after helping Celestia with the Nightmare Moon incident." The Doctor answered.
"The Nightmare Moon incident?" Pinkie asked, "Oh no, did Luna turn bad again?"
"No," The Doctor answered, "Not at all. We were dealing with the first one."
One would think ti impossible for the four ponies mouth's to drop even further, but they did.
"Oh, did I also mention that this travels in time? That's what the T in TARDIS stands for, Time." The Doctor explained.
"That doesn't look like a very comfortable time machine," Rainbow said, "It's so little."
The doctor smiled a brilliant smile, "Oh, you haven't seen the best part yet," He ran into the TARDIS, only keeping his head out to say, "Come on in." Derpy followed the Doctor into the Call Box.
The first one to follow was Pinkie Pie, who went in with a normal pace, but once she was in, a gasp erupted form inside the box and Pinkie Pie flew out. She started to circle the TARDIS back and forth, carefully inspecting it.
"What's wrong, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked, corncerned.
"You are never going to believe it." Pinkie ran into the TARDIS, only keeping her head out to say, "Come on in."
Shrugging, Vinyl followed her, and Octavia followed Vinyl, and Rainbow followed Octavia.
When they were all inside, their mouths dropped agate even further. On the inside of the tiny, blue telephone box, was a giant room, even bigger than the one they were previously standing in. Stair cases led in every single direction and just in front of the door was a small stair case that led to a large circular platform. Strange, rigid support beams surrounded a strange dashboard covered in mechanisms and buttons and levers and complicating moving objects, even a typewriter was visible on one side, in the center of the dashboard was a glass tube with a large object suspended in the middle of it. From this platform were only more staircases that led in more directions. The whole room seemed to glow a strange yellowish green while most of the components where coated light metallic brown
"IT'S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE!!" Pinkie yelled, jumping up and down near the dashboard, with Derpy and The Doctor standing near her.
"Oh, I love it wen they say that" The Doctor muttered, "Yes, Pinkie, bigger on the inside; smaller on the outside, whichever way you want to describe it." The Doctor started to run around the console in the middle of the room, turning various buttons and pulling various levers. The door shut quickly and the humming started again, this time it was muffled and it moved in unison with the large object in the glass tube moving up and down.
"I don't understand," Octavia said, "How can you do this, is it magic?"
"Can't be magic," The Doctor stopped to look at Octavia and then gesture toward his forehead, "Under this fringe, I haven't got a horn to speak of." He began to walk toward the group, "This, my little ponies, is completely technology and science."
"But it can't be anything Equestrian. Nothing on this planet can do something like this." Octavia stated.
"That's cause it isn't." The Doctor explained.
"So, this thing is alien?" Rainbow Dash asked.
The Doctor nodded.
"And you know how to pilot it?" Vinyl asked.
The Doctor nodded.
"So you're an Alien?" Octavia asked.
The Doctor nodded, "I am a Time Lord. I live for a very long time. Over my 900 years of existence, I have save every planet in the known universe a minimum of 27 times. Well, every planet in my known universe, anyway. Still getting used to being here."
"Wait, if you're an Alien, how can you be a Doctor? What are you a Doctor of? Do you have a degree in anything?" Pinkie asked excitedly.
"Degrees, actually." The Doctor answered.
"In what?" Octavia asked.
"Medicine, Computer Sciences, Time Travel, Musical Theory, Physics, Astrology, Biology, Psychology, Melonology (Yes, that exists. Melonology; The Study of Melons), Agriculture and Cheese Making. You know, the basic stuff." The doctor answered very quickly.
"Wow." Octavia said.
"Eeyup. So, where do you guys want to go?" The Doctor ran back to the console and started turning mechanisms, "I'm thinking Appaloosa in about 300 years. It actually goes through an industrial revolution and went to war with the land of the Griffins, but they do have really nice coffee there."
"I'll personally pass on the war zone." Vinyl said
"Fine, be like that." The Doctor continued to work the console, "You don't know what you're missing, the pies are flying. Where d you want to go, Vinyl?"
"How about 20 years ago?" Vinyl suggested.
A brilliant, knowing smile came onto the Doctor's face, "Fantastic. You get to see what Ponyville was like before you lived here, that should be an interesting trip." The Doctor began to type on the typewriter while pulling a pushing a mechanism with his teeth.
"So, you're from a different universe? What was it like?" Vinyl asked.
The Doctor let go of the mechanism and began to walk around the console, "Oh, it was brilliant. I used to look like a human, but now for whatever reason I look like a pony. Hey," The Doctor looked around him, "Where did Pinkie go?" The Doctor shrugged, "Anyway, those were the days. I used to have opposable fingers and thumbs instead of hooves, that was very convenient for things like, oh, say, pulling this lever." The Doctor pulled a level on the console and the whole room shook, causing everypony to fall to the floor.
The Doctor got up with a knowing smile again on his face, "Brilliant."
"Doctor, what did you just do? What was that?" Derpy asked.
The Doctor's mouth opened, but he was cut off by a voice coming from the back of the room, "That was the break."
Everypony looked in the direction from which the voice was coming to find Pinkie. She had walked into the room wearing a multicolored scarf, though it gave a very distinct impression of tan and green, which was spun around her neck twice and dangling just so the bottom of each half was just barely grazing the floor. Atop her poofy, pink mane was a worn in, brown fedora, with many cuts, burns and scratches on it.
"How did you know that?" The Doctor asked.
"Well, it did stop the TARDIS after all." Pinkie answered with a smirk on her face.
"You're wearing my hat." The Doctor said.
"Yes." Pinkie answered.
"You're wearing my scarf."
"Yes."
"I think I'm going to like you." The doctor was grinning a mad grin, and Pinkie smiled her Pinkie Pie smile. But there was a hint of sadness in Derpy's eyes if you looked closely.
"Alright, lovelies." The Doctor began to walk toward the door of the TARDIS, "Let us depart." He left through the blue door and the other ponies following suit, Rainbow Dash walking next to Pinkie Pie.
"Where'd you get that get up?" Rainbow asked.
"I found it. Why, do you not like it?" Pinkie said.
"No. It suits you. It's just that the scarf is kinda long."
"It's twelve feet long."
"What does one mare do with 12 feet of scarf?"
"I have no idea, but you never know."
"Okay, Pinkie. Whatever you say." Rainbow put her arm around the party pony as they left the TARDIS.
The group walked out of the blue call box to find they had moved to an alley in Ponyville between two houses. The sky was more gray as the clouds were suspected to be bringing rain. Main Street was bustling with busy ponies as the day flowed in it's normal flow.
The Doctor was the first to step out, "Welcome to Ponyville. Twenty years in your past."
"Everything looks kinda the same." Vinyl observed, "How do we know you haven't just taken us outside?"
"Well, everything seems to be a bit more bricky." The Doctor answered, he turned his head and pointed at a construction site, "Look, the new town hall hasn't even been built yet."
"Alright. Whatever." Vinyl stepped out of the alley, right into the crowd. All six ponies began to get puched and shoved around as they tried to migrate through the busy street.
"Doctor?" Derpy asked, "Where are we going?"
"I have no idea. SugarCube Corner. I'm in the mode for a good cupcake." The Doctor answered.
"I agree with Doc." Rainbow Dash stated.
As she made her way through the crowd, following the others, Vinyl turned her head to see a couple walking towards them. The colt was looking down at the mare, and the mare was looking down at a baby who had been wrapped in a blanket, slung over the mother's shoulder. Very visible white ears and a chaotic, electric blue mane were on the head of the foal. Vinyl smiled.
Octavia noticed Vinyl looking at something else, "What is it?"
Snapping back to reality, Vinyl continued forward and looked at Octavia, "Oh, just something you don't see every day."
"What's something you don't see every day?" Octavia asked.
"The back of your own head." Vinyl answered.
The Doctor, as well as the rest of the group seemed to fall into SugarCube Corner. The interior of which was only slightly less crowded than Main Street was. The room was bustling with conversation and ponies dancing to loud music which was coming form a record player in the back of the room. While most of the tables were occupied, the group did seem to stumble across a table that was empty and each pony took up a chair and sat down around it.
"Well, I do say, SugarCube Corner is bustling now." Octavia exclaimed.
"Yeah." Pinkie said, "Mrs. Cake used to tell me stories about how SugarCube corner always had big business back when I first showed up. Then again, that won't be for another fifteen or so years, right Doctor?"
The colt in question was sitting next to Derpy, looking behind him, very intrigued in what seemed to be nothing, "Pretty much." The Doctor answered.
Just then, a young mare with a mane that resembled pink toothpaste and wearing a very frilly baker's apron walked next to the table. On her back, she was carrying a pyramid of trays. She looked exhausted and was panting as she said, "How can I help you all?"
In order to leave the mare back to her work, Pinkie answered, "We need another minute."
Panting, the blue waitress said, "Alright, I'll come back."
She started to walk away when she was stopped by a brown hoof in a purple sleeve, "Excuse me, Mrs. Cake." The Doctor said, "but what do you use your basement for?"
"Storage mostly," Mrs. Cake tried to answer the best she could, the question being as off topic as it was, "Why do you ask? And how do you know my name?"
The Doctor, still staring in the direction of what appeared to be a door leading to the basement, held up a badge, "I'm health inspector Smith, I just wanted to have a look around."
At the mere mention of The Doctor's title, Mrs. Cake quickly adjusted her posture to an almost militant stance, "Oh. Yes, go right ahead." The baker then left as quickly as possible, still balance the trays on her back."
The Doctor got up and walked slowly toward the door. Derpy followed The Doctor, and Vinyl followed Derpy, and Octavia followed Vinyl, and Pinkie followed Octavia, and Rainbow followed Pinkie. A line was formed, all heading toward the door. The door opened with ease, revealing a staircase and an awfully musty smell. All the ponies covered their noses except for Pinkie and the Doctor.
"Pinkie," Rainbow said, "How do you live here?"
"Eh." Pinkie answered, "You get used to it."
When they all reached the bottom of the staircase, there was a small room made of cement with different boxes piled near the wall.
"That's weird," Pinkie stated, "There's usually more supplies down here."
"Yeah, but, like you said, SugarCube Corner is this busy every day. Surely they're going to run out faster." Rainbow pointed out.
"But if they were to run out faster, they would think to supply faster." Pinkie said.
"Yes," The Doctor said, pulling out a white, black and gold pen-like object out of his coat pocket. He held it in the cleft of his hoof and started to wave it around while it made a buzzing noise and the tip glowed green. The device finally led him to a door on the side of the room, which didn't seem very significant. The Doctor whipped the pen thing down and claws protruded from the tip. He examined the tip closely.
"Very strange indeed." The Doctor said, "There seems to be a lot of artron energy emitting from that door." The doctor pointed his hoof toward the door, "Pinkie?"
"Yeah?" Pinkie responded.
"What do you usually use this door for?" The Doctor asked.
"We keep all the non-perishable ingredients in there." Pinkie answered.
"Fascinating." The Doctor said, stepping closer to the door. He pushed the door open with his hoof and the whole group walked into the room, ignoring the Doctor's now scared expression, "Oh no."
"Oh no what?" Rainbow Dash asked, "It's just a punch of statues."
There, in the room, standing in a circle formation around the group, were about seven stone statues. Or what seemed to be stone statues. They were of pegasi with elegant hair and dresses, done like they were going to a wedding, or a funeral. Their wingspans were fully exposed and each of them held their hooves up to their faces, almost as if they were crying.
The Doctor stared blankly at the statues. As Octavia started to turn back at him, he screamed, "Don't move! Don't turn your head! Don't even blink! Blink and it's over!"
"Why not?" Octavia asked.
"Because they move impossibly fast." The Doctor said, "Faster than the naked eye could even comprehend while looking at it. They can only stay still if you keep looking at them!"
Everypony turned to the doctor and asked, "What?"
The Doctor's pupils dilated, "LOOK!"
The statues were now closer, which made the five ponies jump, but convinced them to keep looking at them. Their faces were now revealed. Giving a forlorn stare to the ponies. Almost as if a cry for help. Then, Derpy blinked. And suddenly, one of the statues had it's body wrapped almost entirely around Derpy's. It's mouth was now opened, showing a set of sharp, venomous fangs, and it's brows were furrowed in determination.
Derpy screamed and the Doctor, still looking at every statue, rushed to get her back on her hooves, "Alright everyone. we just need to back away slowly." the group followed the Doctor's orders, going back out through the door, "Keep looking at them. As long as you keep looking at them, they won't harm you. The group went out the door in the same line they came into the basement with. The Doctor was the last one out. He quickly shut the door and shined his pen thing on the lock of the door, which by the clicking noise it made, seemed to have locked it. The Doctor then turned around, leaned toward the door, and fell down into a sitting position.
"What's that?" Octavia asked, pointing toward the pen object.
A smile came to the Doctor's face, "Oh," he held up the pen, "This is my sonic screwdriver. Comes quite handy in certain situations." He put the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket and stood up.
"And what were those?" Rainbow Dash asked, pointing toward the door.
"Those were-" The Doctor started to say, but was cut off by Pinkie Pie. She had a wide, horrified expression.
"Weeping Angels, they only exist in far off galaxies, but somehow they've come here. To Ponyville. To SugarCube Corner."
The Doctor ran toward Pinkie Pie, staring into her face, "How in holy hell do you know that?"
Pinkie broke her concentration to look at the Doctor, "Twilight's library. It was under W."
The Doctor smiled, "Brilliant."
"But why did they come to Ponyville?" Pinkie asked.
"The Angels feed off of potential energy."
"What the hell does that mean?" Vinyl demanded.
"With a single touch they can send you back to before you were born, taking away all the potential from you and feeding off of the remaining artron energy." The Doctor explained.
"Artron energy? You mean, the radiation created by time travel?" Pinkie asked.
"Precisely. Artron energy is their food. And they only get it by sending others back in time. They're probably in SugarCube Corner because it's always bustling with business, at least now." The Doctor seemed to be talking to himself.
"Doctor?" Derpy asked with worry in her voice, "What are you saying?"
"SugarCube Corner has become the Angel's buffet." The Doctor stated.
"But, we're all pretty much back before we were born," Rainbow said, "We should be safe, right?"
"No," The Doctor said with despair, "You've all been in the TARDIS and traveled back here. We all have artron energy in our systems now and me especially, I've been doing this for 700 years. You all are the main entree and I'm the big chocolate cake."
Fear filled everypony's eyes as the Doctor explained their situation, "I'm sorry, but is it just me or is everyone else starving right now?" the Doctor asked.
"I know right?" Pinkie agreed. Dash giggled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group was back up in the lobby of SugarCube Corner. It being the middle of the afternoon, there weren't quite as many ponies, but the room was still filled with murmurs of conversation and music was still playing loudly.
"But why would the Angels come here?" Octavia asked, taking a bite out of a slice of cake.
"Since the Angels, which I guess Weeping Pegasi would be a more suiting name, feed off of potential and no other town has as much potential as Ponyville does right now." The Doctor explained, afterward taking a sip of his tea, "A new town hall is being built, the library is just filling up with valuable information, SugarCube Corner is the hot new store on the block, and in only a few decades, the elements of harmony will all happen to be residing here. The Angles; Pegasi? Whatever. They want to take that all away, and nothing can stop them from doing that."
"Nothing?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Nothing. They're in hiding, and do you really think anyone will believe a colt in a purple suit walking around with a crossed-eyed pegasus, a homeless unicorn, and a retro-fitted pink earth pony."
Vinyl took the cigarette out of her mouth, "Homeless?" She said in a offended tone.
"When he doesn't know what to do he tends to insult ponies." Derpy explained.
"You and your boyfriends, Derpy." Vinyl said, leaning back in her chair.
"Boyfriend?" The Doctor asked, puzzled, "I'm not her boyfriend. We're just traveling."
"Yeah," Derpy said, trying to maintain the Doctor's tone, "Exactly. There is nothing there."
The Doctor looked at Derpy. He knew she was hiding something.
"So how's everything going here?" Suddenly, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were standing next to the table.
"It's fine." The Doctor answered, turning toward them.
"Oh, did you find anything in the basement?" Mr. Cake asked, clearly anxious.
"Actually, we did. We found something bad. Very, very bad." The Doctor said in a flat tone.
"Oh dear." Mrs. Cake got closer to Mr. Cake, "What is it?"
"All I can say is that if something isn't done about it, the lives of everyone in this bakery, including you both is at stake." The Doctor answered.
"Will you have to shut us down?" Mr. Cake asked.
"No, not at all. You just have to close shop for a day or two. Also, if you feel the need to use the non-perishable ingredients, guess what, you don't. I locked that door, so leave it locked. Me and my entourage will stay here and we'll try to get rid of the problem."
"Oh, alright then. We have a loft upstairs. You may have to squeeze in a bit to fit six ponies in it, but I think it'll do." Mr. Cake said optimistically.
"Oh, it's not that small." Pinkie Pie said. The group around the table looked at her in fear.
"What makes you say that, dearie?" Mrs. Cake asked.
Pinkie's eyes dilated, realizing what she had just said, "Just assuming. But, you do know what happens when you assume things." There was a pause at the table, and with that pause came a blanket of dread among the six travelers. Then, Mr. and Mrs. Cake started laughing.
"Oh, that's grand," Mrs. Cake said, still hysterically laughing, "and what's your name, dearie?"
Pinkie clenched up, she couldn't thing of anything. She couldn't use her real name, so she said the first name that came into her head, "Icing," Pinkie leaned forward, "Icing Swirl."
"Well," Mrs. Cake extended a hoof, "Nice to meet you, Icing Swirl. We're the Cakes."
Pinkie shook Mrs. Cake's hoof, "Yeah, I know. Nice to meet you too."
"You know Icing here is actually a baker like you two." Rainbow pointed out, a smile on her face.
"Really?" Mrs. Cake asked.
"Well," Pinkie wore a cocky smirk, "I dabble."
"I would love to see you at work if you want to come back to the kitchen." Mrs. Cake said.
"Really?" Pinkie looked like she was about to explode from excitement.
"Sure, dearie." Mrs. Cake said, she turned around and pointed her hoof towards the door behind the counter, "The kitchen's right back there." She then turned and pointed her hoof to a staircase, "And the loft is just up those stairs for everyone else."
All the ponies got up from their seats and started toward the stairway, Pinkie was bouncing toward the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the loft on the top floor of SugarCube Corner there were only two small, cheap cots. The loft itself was painted a faint sky blue with white borders. The whole loft seemed abandoned, but to those who knew, it was just waiting for the right tenant. Sleeping in the left cot was Vinyl and Octavia, the former holding the ladder, and in the right cot was a lone Rainbow Dash, desperately trying to stay awake. In between the two cots were The Doctor and Derpy sleeping on the floor. Rainbow Dash was about to drift off into sleep when the door opened, and in walked Pinkie Pie. Her scarf was lazily draw across her neck, a quarter of it dragging across the floor, and her hat was sideways. Her entire body was covered in flour and Icing, and she was wearing satisfied grin on her face.
Pinkie looked at Rainbow, "Hello, sweetie." Pinkie walked over and threw herself onto the bed, Rainbow wrapping her arm around her.
"How did the baking go?" Rainbow asked.
"It was great." Pinkie answered, adjusting her hat.
"That's good."
Pinkie giggled, "Yeah."
"What's so funny?"
Pinkie adjusted her position so that she was looking straight into Rainbow's eyes, "When I first came to SugarCube Corner, I was 14. I came here to learn how to actually make baked goods. When I threw my first party, my cupcakes tasted like dirt and sugarwater. Well, they pretty much were dirt and sugarwater." Rainbow chuckled at this, "Anyway, The first thing that Mrs. Cake taught me how to make was the most delicious thing I've ever tasted."
"What was it?"
"It was a strawberry cupcake. After she taught me how to make it, she told me how she learned how to make it."
"How?"
"She said that one day, a pink earth pony, in a fancy hat, and a funny scarf, came in and baked it. She learned how to bake it by watching her. She said part of the reason she brought me in was that I reminded her of that pony."
"So." Rainbow looked amazed.
"She brought me in because I reminded her of me."
"Pinkie Pie, you never cease to amaze me." Rainbow wrapped her arms around Pinkie's neck.
Pinkie put her forehooves around Rainbow's torso, "I am brilliant like that." Pinkie the leaned in, her eyes closed, tilting her head a bit. Rainbow returned the gesture and the two ponies' lips collided in a passionate kiss. They continued while Rainbow took off Pinkie's hat and threw it onto the floor and Pinkie did the same to her scarf. Rainbow's head slowly started to move down Pinkie's chest, when suddenly-
"You know, if you are going to get to the sexy times, you should wait until there aren't others around to hear and feel every thrust of your steamy activity." The Doctor's voice could be heard coming from between the two cots. Pinkie and Dash looked over and Derpy was wrapped around the Doctor, who had been leaning against the wall with his hooves crossed and a cocky smirk plastered on his face.
"I know you're an alien, but do you even sleep?" Pinkie asked.
"Only on special occasions." The Doctor's eyes were still closed.
"So you've been listening in on us..." Rainbow started.
"The whole, entire, complete time." The Doctor finished, "Now get to bed, you two lovebirds. Even Vinyl and Octavia had the courtesy to go to the bathroom."
Shaking their heads and rolling their eyes, Pinkie and Dash moved into a cuddling position and fell asleep.
"To think, now I'm travelling in time with a group of lesbians." The Doctor stated.
If you looked closely, you could see that Derpy's eyes weren't moving. And that those eyes showed pain. Derpy was awake too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over the past month, the Cakes realized that they couldn't run such a bustling business as SugarCube Corner alone, so they hired some work. The work was a deep blue pegasus colt by the name of Cloud Spark. His mane was a deep green and his cutie mark resembled a storm cloud. He thought that meant he would be captain of the weather team one day. He was so dedicated to this idea that he wore a pendant of his cutie mark around his neck as a good luck charm. He had a good work ethic, always did what he was told. And that worked marvelously for the busy Cakes. This night, when the Doctor and his entourage were soundly sleeping upstairs. Cloud Spark was moving boxes up the stairs from the basement to the kitchen for the next day's cooking.
Mrs. Cake looked through the doorway of the staircase to see Cloud Spark flying up the stairs, carrying a crate labeled "Sugar" in his teeth. Once he got up the stairs, he slowly laid the crate down next to an arrangement of different ingredients he had helped bring up.
"Thank you so much for helping us out, Spark." Mrs. Cake said, "It really means a lot."
"No problem, Mrs. C." Cloud Spark spoke with a bit of a Manehattan drawl, "Whatever I can do to help."
"Well," Mrs. Cake turned toward the counter, where a stack of freshly baked cupcakes was sitting, "In return, I give you this." She picked up one of the cupcakes and gave it to Cloud Spark, "It's a new recipe. A pink mare with a silly scarf showed me it. It tastes quite delicious."
Cloud Spark took a large bite out of the cupcake and smiled in admiration, "Is that strawberry?"
"It certainly is."
"What's this mare's name?"
"Why, are you thinking about setting up a date with her."
"Maybe. Just tell me."
"Her name is Icing Swirl. But I wouldn't get my hopes up. She seems to have," Mrs. Cake looked up, "other affairs going on."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. It's not important. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow then." Mrs. Cake patted Cloud on the back.
"Same time as always. I just need to get my coat out of the basement."
"Alright. Good night, Cloud."
"Good night Mrs. C." With that, Cloud Spark floated down to the basement to retrieve his jacket, after putting it on, he felt something coming from the other room. That door he never seemed to go into in the basement. He slowly walked over and tried to open it. Realizing that is was locked, he retrieved a keychain from his pocket and unlocked the door. He walked in to find strange statues formed in a circle around him. They were dressed beautifully, and held their hooves up as if they were crying. Cloud Spark giggled as he started toward one and examined it.
"What is this?" He moved his head up and down the one he was looking at, "A joke from Mr. C?"
He turned around to find the statues circled around him closer and he jumped, "What the hell?"
He turned around to fine the statue he was examining placed as if it were trying to attack him. It's face looked as if it were going into battle, and by further examination, one could find real saliva dripping from it's fangs.
"Alright," Cloud Spark said, frozen, looking at the statue, "Alright, Mr. C. This isn't funny anymore."
Then, Cloud Spark blinked, and a pendant in the shape of a storm cloud dropped to the floor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pinkie Pie awoke in Rainbow Dash's arms. Her hat and scarf were place back on her body, clean. Although, her fur was still coated in baking materials. She looked around and was finally greeted by the Doctor and Derpy standing in the doorway of the loft.
"You up yet?" The Doctor asked.
"Yeah. Why? Is there something important happening?" Pinkie asked, wiping her eyes.
"Oh, not really. I did have one of those strawberry cupcakes you invented yesterday, and I have to say they were simply brilliant."
"Thanks." Pinkie blushed.
"Oh, and there was one other thing." The Doctor held up a shining pendant with his hoof.
"What's that?" Pinkie asked, worried.
"It's a pendant." The Doctor explained, "Mrs. Cake said it belonged to a pegasus name Cloud Spark. Worked for her, was leaving and there was no word from him today. I went to the basement to find this and the door to the room the Angels were in open."
Pinkie shot up, somehow not waking up Dash, "Did the Angels escape?!"
"No, I locked the door. Although the statues were formed in a circle near the pendant. A circle about the size of a pony."
"So now what?"
"Now." The Doctor looked out the window, "Now," He threw Pinkie the necklace, "The Doctor's checking in."
The Doctor and Derpy left the room and Pinkie followed, adjusting her hat.
"I still don't understand why we're going to the hospital." Derpy said. Her, The Doctor and Pinkie were walking throuh Main Street, which was now almost vacant, due to it being early morning. The sun was just shining.
"When the Angels send you back, you still get to live life, but not the way you intended. You usually end up dying in your new life the day they sent you back, or around there. If we're lucky. Cloud Spark should be in a bed here, dying of old age or something else." The Doctor stood in front of the Green Moon Hospital, looking in through the front doors, "Some things never change, no matter what universe you're in."
"What?" Pinkie asked.
"Nevermind. Let's go." The Doctor walked into the hospital with the two others following.
They entered the lobby of the hospital to find many empty waiting room chairs and a tired looking nurse reading a magazine at the counter. The Doctor approached her.
"Hello. We're here to see a mister Cloud Spark, if you have him checked in." The Doctor greeted.
"I'm sorry," the nurse yawned, "but visiting hours don't start for another three hours."
"Then what are you doing working the counter?"
"In case a medical emergency breaks out, sir."
"So you do have a Cloud Spark checked in, don't you?"
"That's none of your business."
"Yes it is so my business."
"Then who are you?"
"I'm the Doctor."
"Doctor who?"
The Doctor pulled out his badge again, "Doctor John Smith. Freelancer. Called by the family of Mr. Cloud Spark to check in on him, see how he's doing." The Doctor put the badge down, "Any questions?"
The nurse seemed embarrassed at not knowing who the Doctor was, "Oh, of course not. I'm so sorry, Doctor Smith. Cloud Spark is in room 37. Just down the hall and, well, I think the numbers will explain the rest."
"Thank you very much." The Doctor turned around, "Pinkie, Derpy, Allons-y." He then started down the hallway. Pinkie looked at Derpy, who shrugged and both of them followed the Doctor.
"How do you do that?" Pinkie asked.
The Doctor pulled out his badge and showed it to Pinkie, it was switching between different labels and text blurbs that ll had the Doctor's face on it, "Psychic Paper. Shows ponies whatever I want them to see. Clever isn't it?"
At room 37, The Doctor held up a hoof to stop the two and then opened the door, letting himself in.
There, in the room was a cot, surrounded by a curtain, and on the cot was a very old pegasus colt. His hair was grey and he wore a rusted pendant, in the shape of a storm cloud. The Doctor walked over to the bed and sat in the chair next to it.
"Hello, Cloud Spark." The Doctor greeted. "How are you feeling?"
Cloud Spark started to cough, but then the coughing morphed itself into laughter, "I'm feeling old."
The Doctor chuckled and held up the pendant in front of Cloud Spark.
"My pendant." Cloud looked amazed, "It's the same as the day I-"
"The same as the day you left. Which just so happens to be yesterday." The Doctor explained.
"Was it only yesterday?" Cloud seemed amazed, "Time moves so strangely when you're trying to co- Wait, how did you know?"
The Doctor chuckled again, "I have my resources. The point is, those things that sent you back. They're still in SugarCube Corner, and I swear on everything I've ever known that I will not let them do what they did to you to anyone else. I'm so, so sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry about, Doctor." Cloud Spark said, "I led a good life. I even became captain of the weather team when Ponyville was first starting. That's what I always wanted, I- I'm sorry, but who are you all?"
"I'm the Doctor, that's Derpy Hooves, and that's Icing Swirl."
"Icing Swirl? The one that Mrs. C was talking about?" Cloud asked.
"Yes?" Pinkie stepped forward.
"You know, it's funny." Cloud started to chuckle.
"What is?" Pinkie asked.
"Over the past 50 years, I always dreamed of meeting you. That strange pink mare with the silly scarf." Cloud said, "You're just as beautiful as I always imagined."
Pinkie blushed, "Well, thank you."
"You're-" Cloud started to cough hysterically, the Doctor held his hoof in a tight grip. The coughing stopped, and Cloud looked toward the Doctor, "Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"You said you could stop the things that sent me back?"
"Yes. Yes I can."
"I want you to do more than just stop them." Cloud grabbed the Doctor's coat, "I want you to give 'em hell." With those words, Cloud Spark fell limp on top of the Doctor. Derpy gasped and covered her mouth. The Doctor slowly and carefully lay the pegasus down on the bed and covered his face with the blanket. He then went out of the room and into the hallway, Derpy and Pinkie following him.
"What do we do know Doctor?" Derpy asked.
"Now, we give the Angels hell." The Doctor said, a mad, determined grin on his face.
The Doctor swiftly opened the door of the loft above SugarCube Corner and started banging on the wall with his hoof, waking up the ponies sleeping in the room.
"Wakey wakey, lovelies." The Doctor shouted, "It's time to make a house call. The Doctor then left the room, heading down the stairs, with Rainbow, Octavia, and Vinyl groggily following him. They then fell in the same line order, with Pinkie Pie waiting for Rainbow.
"Where did you go?" Rainbow asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Hospital." Pinkie answered.
"Why'd you go to the hospital?"
"To see one of the guys that the Angels sent back die, turns out that the Cakes hired a Pinkie Pie before there ever was Pinkie Pie. His name was Cloud Spark. He told me I was beautiful."
"Well, first of all, you are." Rainbow said, smiling.
"Thanks." Pinkie blushed.
"And second of all, did you tell him you were taken?"
"No."
"Why?"
"The guy was dying. I didn't want to pile on."
"Good point."
The group made it to the kitchen, where a tired Mrs. Cake was kneading dough on the counter top.
"Mrs. Cake?" The Doctor asked. Mrs. Cake turned toward him, "Do you happen to have any shovels or sledgehammers around? Really, anything blunt will do."
"No. Why do you ask? Does this have to do with the pest?"
"Oh, you have no idea."
The door in the basement opened. Revealing the Angels, still crying in a circle and a Mrs. Cake gazing in.
"Oh dear." Mrs. Cake exclaimed.
"Yes, it is the oh dearest of the oh dearier. Now the only way to stop them is to destroy them, and the only way to destroy them is by smashing them or with an explosion."
Pinkie poked her head in between them, "Did somepony say 'EXPLOSION'?" She pulled a bomb out of her mane that was ticking down from 10.
The Doctor smiled his mad smile at Pinkie and said, "Throw it!"
On that command, Pinkie Pie launched the bomb in the air, closing the door in the process. In looking back at the Angels. She saw them holding their arms, almost as if trying to avoid the explosion. The three ponies jumped to the floor and the room exploded, sending the door flying toward them with a loud bang. Pinkie looked back, holding her hat on her head and saw only a pile of stone rubble surrounded by damaged crates.
"You pink magnificent bastard, you." The Doctor exclaimed.
"What can I say? Just being brilliant the way I am." Pinkie said with a smile.
The Doctor smiled his mad smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group was making their way out of the shop when Pinkie's scarf was caught on by a hoof. Pinkie turned around to find Mrs. Cake, holding out a cupcake.
"Icing," Mrs. Caked said, "Before you go, I wanted to give you this."
"Thanks," Pinkie took off her hat, took the cupcake and ate it in one bite, "You know what they say. A cupcake says a thousand words."
"And who said that exactly?"
Pinkie swallowed the cupcake, "Me."
Mrs. Cake chuckled, "Where do you live? Can I send you letters? Well, bottom line, will I ever see you again?"
Pinkie put her hat back on, "Trust me," She put her hoof on Mrs. Cake's shoulder, "I'll be around."
"Alright then."
Pinkie looked into Mrs. Cakes eyes, but she didn't see the young baker in front of her. She saw her landlord. She saw her mentor. She saw a mother. She put her hoof down, "Well, I have to go."
"Alright, dearie. Don't trip on your scarf there."
"I won't." Pinkie said as she walked away.
They all lined into the TARDIS, and it hummed as it faded away.
"So, do you all want to travel with us?" The Doctor asked with Derpy next to him and the other four in front of them.
"Is it always this dangerous?" Octavia asked.
With a mad smile on his face, The Doctor nodded
"Is it always this exciting?" Pinkie asked, almost bouncing out of her stance.
The Doctor nodded.
The four ponies looked at each other, then back at the Doctor, and they nodded.
The Doctor's mad grin got even wider, "Fantastic." He started to dash around the TARDIS, turning various switches and knobs, "So where do you all want to go next? How about the year 3096?"
"What happens in 3096?" Vinyl asked.
"I have no idea." The Doctor turned pushed a button and stopped, "But we're about to find out." The Doctor pulled a lever and the whole room shook.
The End
To Be Continued
in
Purple Apocalypse
