Life Among the Distant Stars

by Tarkana262

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Crossover, Doctor Whooves, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 17470

Six ponies. One Doctor. A universe to explore. (Sequel to The Emotional Illness)

Sequel to The Emotional Illness. The Doctor takes the mane cast on an adventure unlike any they've had before. Thrills! Chills! Ponies!

Published 2012-04-25 02:44:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-05-27 23:40:19 UTC

Fallout

As the TARDIS touched down, the noises associated with time travel died down, giving way to the moans of ponies.

“Isn’t there a less…jarring way for us to travel?” Rarity asked, tidying her mane.

“I like it!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly. “It’s like a rollercoaster, but with more bumps and noise and shaking!”

“That’s precisely what I’m talking about.”

“Oh, trust me, you’ll grow to love it,” said the Doctor. He jumped up and grabbed his brown coat from the floor.
“Right, here we are: Ponyville, Equestria, in the year…well, I don’t know what year it is – I don’t even know what year we left – but I’m pretty sure it’s sometime in your future. Hmm, I’d better look into your dating system; it’ll probably help with avoiding paradoxes and such. Anyway!” He threw open the door. “Welcome to the future of…Ponyville…”

The seven ponies were met with a wasteland. The ground was scorched by fires long dead and riddles with old craters. What remained of the buildings they knew so well were grey, unrecognizable piles of rubble and ash. Worst of all, along the paths were hundreds gravestones, leaving no doubt what had happened here.

“Oh my Celestia…” Twilight breathed. Fluttershy began to cry in Rarity’s soft embrace; Applejack held her hat to her heart solemnly; Rainbow Dash simply stood, her mouth hanging open in shock.

The Doctor walked over to a nearby sign – the only unmarred thing in the ruins, besides the gravestones – and read aloud:

“HISTORICAL SITE: PONYVILLE

In the 1563rd year of Celestia’s reign, our planet was attacked by the Twelfth Sontaran Battle Fleet. Several cities, including Manehatten, Canterlot, and Fillydelphia, were hit by their orbital bombardments. In this time Ponyville was destroyed, taking the lives of the nearly 300 colts and mares that called the town home.

Thankfully, the 5th Fleet of the Earth Empire had been following the Sontarans, and defeated their fleet before any further attacks were made. Princess Celestia decreed that the former site of Ponyville would remain as it now is, in memory of the thousands of ponies lost across Equestria.”

The Doctor knelt and touched his hoof to the sign. “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…”

He remained there silently before ushering the mares back into the TARDIS. “Let’s go; there’s nothing we can do.”

“Wait,” said Twilight. “I want to see Celestia.”

“Twilight, I don’t think – ”

“Take me to see her!” she demanded “I want – I want to see if she’s okay.”

The Doctor held her gaze, then walked to the console and started up the TARDIS.

Twilight was shocked to see the new Canterlot. The city was crowded with more homeless ponies than she had ever seen. As they walked to the castle, she saw that every house had two or more families living in them, often in houses meant only for one. There were even several blocks lined with tents, covered wagons, and other forms of temporary housing – and still the streets were packed with ponies with nowhere to go.

The castle itself had more guards present than Twilight remembered, likely due to the potential threat of rioting. The Doctor showed his psychic paper to all who asked for ID – another addition to security – though he showed them that the paper gave their real names rather than aliases. When they reached the throne room, the guard gave them a look of disappointment. “Finally decided to show up, huh?” he grunted as he opened the door. “Luna’s in Manehatten to assist the recovery, but Celestia will see you now.”

The first thing Twilight noticed about her former mentor was how old and tired she looked. Her rainbow mane had faded no longer flowed on its own accord. Bags had formed under her eyes, along with wrinkles around her mouth. Her jewelry was tarnished, as if they hadn’t been tended to in months. Even those purple eyes Twilight knew so well had lost some of their motherly shine.

The Princess looked up wearily, but her eyes widened when she saw the group. “Twilight…is that you?”

It was too much for Twilight to take in. She ran to the princess and threw her front legs around her, tears streaming from her face.

“Shhh…” Celestia wrapped her wings around her and stroked her mane softly. “It is good to see you again, my faithful student.”

No one dared to interrupt the heartfelt reunion of teacher and student. It had only been a few hours for Twilight, but to see every year of separation in her mentor’s eyes was heartbreaking.

“Celestia…”she said, wiping her eyes. “What happened?”

The Sun Princess did not answer for a moment.

“When you came home from your travels with the Doctor, you wasted no time telling any pony who would listen of your adventures. You told them of the vastness of the universe, of all its wonders…and horrors.

“As I listened, I came to realize how small we truly were, how utterly defenseless we would be if any of the aliens you spoke of were to come. And so, in the interest of our own protection, I began the Equestrian Space Initiative.

“I gathered all the scientific minds from across the planet to work together to establish a credible space defense. But compared to the rest of the universe, we are a primitive civilization. Even after years of constant research and the technology and techniques you brought back with you, we were hundreds of years behind the other races.

“It is likely that those efforts are what alerted the Sontarans to our planet. We were a fledgling race in their eyes, an easy conquest to be taken advantage of before we grew stronger. They would have destroyed us, were it not for the Human Empire.” She looked out the room’s great windows to her healing kingdom. “Equestria has not seen war for thousands of years. If the humans hadn’t gifted us with their terraforming technology and agreed to trade, I fear we would never have even begun to recover.”

Celestia sighed. “Even so, many, many ponies died that day; more in the days following. It’s the most horrible thing to ever happen to Equestria. Nightmare Moon was stopped before any harm was done. But after this, I doubt we will ever truly recover.”

“But…we can fix it!” Twilight said suddenly. She ran to the Doctor. “You have a time machine; We can go back! We can warn them, or stop the Sontarans before they get here, or – ”

“I can’t, Twilight.”

The purple mare stared in disbelief. “What?”

“I can’t save them,” the Doctor said gravely. “Not this time.”

Twilight stepped back, a look of horror coming across her face. Her mouth hung open for a moment before she finally found words.

“What kind of pony are you?!”

She ran after that. She ran blind, eyes filled with tears once again.

How could he?

She ran until she found herself in the library. Navigated the shelves and piles of books, she reached a quiet corner she had often visited during long hours of study. She sat there in its familiar embrace, and let her tears flow freely.

How could he?

She didn’t know how long she sat there, huddled among the dusty mounds of literature, before she heard her friends walking towards her.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Twilight, darling…” she began slowly, “Why don’t you come out of there? All that dust can’t be good for your mane.”

Twilight said nothing. Rarity looked to the others and motioned them to assist her.

Applejack sighed. “Listen, Twi. I know as well as any of us that all that the Doctor says don’t always make sense – ”

“That’s an understatement.” Rainbow whispered.

The farmer shot a glance at her before continuing. “But I also know that he don’t do anythin’ without a good reason. Maybe you should jus’ ask him why he…”she trailed off not wanting to finish the sentence.

Twilight’s eyes opened, filled with rage unlike any they had seen in the librarian. “Yes, let’s ask him,” she said, approaching the Doctor. “Let’s ask him who he thinks he is. Let’s ask him how truly ‘sorry’ he is about everyone in Ponyville. Let’s ask him why he thinks he can sit idly by when he has the means to avert the BIGGEST DISASTER EQUESTRIA HAS EVER KNOWN!!!”

Her eyes were brimmed with tears as she breathed heavily, but her intense gaze never left the colt’s eyes. As she searched them, she only saw sadness…directed at her.

“It’s not my choice, Twilight,” he said quietly. “If I could I wouldn’t hesitate to save every last one of them. But…”His eyes turned down for a moment, then met hers again. “There are rules. Rules of time, things you can and can’t do. One says that some points in time are in flux, and they can be changed, but others are fixed. Fixed Points in time have to stay the way they happened. They can’t be changed, or something far worse will happen. I checked while we were in the TARDIS; I’m sorry, but the attack is fixed. Even though I want to help them, I can’t.”

Twilight’s face softened slightly as he spoke. She was silent for a moment. “…how do you know?”

The Doctor kneeled in front of her. “I can show you, but I need you to trust me. Can you do that, just for a moment?”

Her remaining anger screamed no, but Twilight sat and hesitantly nodded.

“Close your eyes.”

She obeyed, and felt the Doctor’s hooves on the sides of her head. She tensed at the contact, but then relaxed. An odd sensation appeared in the back of her head, which then spread forward and stopped at her eyes.

“Alright…you can look now.”

The mare opened her eyes, and she saw.

She saw Time. She saw it everywhere, in each of her friends, in everything around her down to the last book. She saw it flow in its majestic motion. She saw it in the Doctor, saw how it poured through him more than the others, a being so wonderfully and strangely existing in so many places and times at once. She saw it move forward, and how slow it suddenly seemed.

She saw Time, its wonders, its intricacies, every secret of its workings laid bare.

And she screamed.

The Doctor removed his hooves, and she fell to the floor, gasping for breath. The experience had been indescribable. So amazing, but for a moment, for just as quickly it became agonizingly horrible. So much input, her senses so suddenly heightened and overloaded. So much information, that it had nearly driven her mad.
And all that from half a second.

She looked up at the Doctor, but now she couldn’t meet his eyes. Where she once held anger towards him now was filled with shame.

“That’s the burden of the Time Lord,” he said softly. “I can see everything I can change…and everything I can’t.”
Twilight’s voice caught in her throat. “Doctor, I – I’m sorry…”

The Doctor shook his head. “It’s a hard lesson for anyone to learn; believe me; I’ve struggled with it myself. Come on now, Celestia’s waiting.”

They spent the next few hours with the princess, helping her as she travelled around the city to assist relief efforts. The whole group pitched in: Rarity gave out hand-made blankets and clothing; Rainbow Dash ran supplies to the various building projects; Applejack organized a communal soup dinner; Pinkie Pie put on a puppet show for the young foals and fillies; Fluttershy attended to medical needs to both ponies and animals; and Twilight spearheaded their efforts and made plans for the town to follow after they left. The Doctor went between the six, helping out wherever he was needed.

Celestia stopped Twilight before she entered the TARDIS at the end of the day. “Twilight, before you go…did you learn anything about friendship today?”

“I did, Princess,” she said happily. “I learned that in friendship and in life, you can’t predict what will happen to you or others. Sometimes, good things happen, sometimes bad things do. But you also can’t change what happened or will happen. What’s left is that you have to do everything you can to help others with the time that you do have, rather than wait for someone else.”

Celestia smiled. “It’s good to hear that a second time. Now go, your friends are waiting.”

But as soon as the TARDIS disappeared, Celestia’s smile fell.

“Take care of them, Doctor,” she whispered. “For my past is their future, and I know what dangers await them.”

Interlude: Clothes Make the Colt

The Doctor was strolling through the TARDIS, humming some 25th Century show tune he couldn't remember the words to, when he heard Rarity grumbling in his wardrobe.

It wasn't a wardrobe as in "a large, tall cabinet in which clothes may be hung or stored," but more of a walk-in closet the size of the TARDIS' control room. Clothes racks curved upward around a spiral staircase, holding all kinds of outfits from various times and planets.

"Oh, there you are, Doctor!" Rarity sighed. "I can hardly believe this room! So many outfits, and so few of them fashionably viable!"

"Well, I'll admit some of these aren't really the kind of thing I'd wear on a normal day, but – "

The fashionista grabbed his hoof and dragged him to the far wall. There, a podium stood, showcasing the trademark outfits of his previous regenerations.

"And these nine in particular – oh, where do I begin? I can hardly believe a colt such as you even dared to wear these!"

Looking at the podium, the Doctor realized that all the clothing in his wardrobe had become pony-sized, probably around the same time he had become one. Peculiar, he thought, but Rarity kept him from his musings.

"These first two aren't horrible," Rarity began, "but these styles simply don't fit you. They belong on someone much older-looking than you.

"The third gives the impression of a senator, diplomat, or lord – of which you are obviously none."

"Oi! I was knighted by Queen – "

This one is one of your better choices in fashion," the mare continued, "A sensible winter coat, hat and scarf, but these earthy colors are just so dull.

"The fifth one isn't terribly bad, but these cream colors are – what's this?" She raised an eyebrow. "Celery, Doctor?"

"There's a very, very good reason for that," the Doctor said defensively. "I was dealing with a Praxis gas allergy – "

"Well, you at least could have kept it in your pocket or somewhere else out of sight. The lapel is for flowers, not vegetables." She sighed as she looked at the sixth outfit. "Oh, this one's just awful. All these gaudy colors – ugh! And this next one's no better; plaid pants? Sweater vest? An umbrella cane? And all of them covered in question marks!"

"I'll admit, that was a bit of an…odd phase for me." The colt said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rarity stopped between the last two outfits. "These two are definitely better than the others – not that that's saying much at all. This one is reminiscent of your first two, but it pulls off the look much better than they did. And this last one is odd, compared to the ones previous – it's so simple. All these subdued colors; were you going through a – oh, what's the word the foals use – 'emo' phase?"

"You…could say that," the Doctor replied.

"And now we come to your current attire," Rarity said, turning to the colt. "And I must say, it is the best of them all. A blue, red pinstriped suit, and its brown counterpart, completed with the accompanying tie and overcoat. Simple, yet dashing."

The Doctor grinned. At least she approved of his current fashion sense.

"But I'm confused, Doctor," she continued, turning back to the racks of clothing, "For someone as outgoing as yourself, you must have several more of those suits, but I can't find them anywhere."

"Oh, that's because there aren't any."

Rarity's eyes grew noticeably smaller. "There…aren't?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I just switch between the brown and the blue every now and then."

The mare sighed in relief. "Ah, good. That gives you time to wash the other." She paused. "You do wash them, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" the colt replied indignantly. "Well, a few times a month, anyway. At least twice. Usually."

It took Rarity a full five seconds of eye twitching for her to finally faint.

The Doctor sighed. "Note to self: never invite any more fashion designers on the TARDIS."

A Visit to Martha's

Martha Jones' heart skipped a beat when she heard the phone.

Martha was not the kind of person to assign a unique ringtone to all her contacts, but the Doctor was a unique case. It was a simple, unobnoxious tune; a song she hadn't heard for nearly a year.

She flipped the phone open and looked at the display. A picture of the Doctor gazed back, flashing a smile at her. She grinned as memories of their travels came back. The last time they met, she had joined his current companion, Donna Noble, Captain Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith, and Rose Tyler and her mother to help him stop the Dalek armada from destroying all of reality. It had been a very long and memorable day.

She pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Martha Jones!" the jovial voice she knew so well answered.

She gave an inward sigh of relief; from what she could tell, he hadn't regenerated yet. "Doctor! How have you been?"

"Oh, I'm managing. As good as a nine-hundred-and-five-year-old time traveler can, anyway. How about you?"

"I'm doing fine," she replied. "And you'll be happy to know I've quit UNIT. Mickey and I have gone into freelancing."

"Really? Good old Mickey the Idiot, I can always count on him. Anyway, the reason I'm calling is that I'm bringing some off-world companions to Earth for the first time, and I thought, 'You know, I should take them to Martha's, I haven't seen her in a while.'"

"Calling ahead, Doctor? This is a first."

"Well, there's a first time for everything. You see, these...companions of mine are all vegetarians, so if you could hide all your meat and put out a nice vegetable platter, that would be fantastic. Oh, and apples! Lots of apples."

"Veggies and apples - got it."

"Brilliant, Martha. We're coming in a few seconds; don't go anywhere, I've got a surprise for you."

Martha was puzzled by the last bit as he hung up. Surprise? What more surprises could he have than dropping in like this – and actually telling her beforehand, no less?
She had just finished preparing the platter when she heard the distinctive noise of the TARDIS. With a smile, she ran outside to the blue box and threw open the doors –
– and was met by a brown miniature horse with gigantic blue eyes wearing the Doctor's clothes.

"Surprise!" said the horse. "I'm a pony now!"

*~*

Despite all that she had seen in her days with the Doctor and serving in UNIT, Martha Jones found it very hard to accept that the Doctor was currently a three-foot-tall horse (or rather, pony - he had corrected her several times on the distinction.)

"You humans," he said, shaking his head, "Take them around the universe and suddenly a planet full of sentient ponies is harder to believe than murderous angels statues."

While it was an odd experience for Martha, she could only imagine what it was like for the Doctor's six companions. From what she gathered from their conversations, their technology was generally behind their by several years, with a few appliances he said were powered by magic (exactly what he meant by that, she wasn't sure). They had entered her house wide-eyed, blown away by everything within it. She gave them permission to explore her house, which quickly went downhill, thanks to Pinkie Pie. Martha still had no idea how the pink pony managed to get her microwave to self-destruct.

When they finally settled down in the living room, Twilight positioned herself next to the bookshelf, switching between the conversation at hand and a book on world history. Rarity wasted no time taking notes on a few fashion magazines she had found, talking animatedly with Martha about what she found. Rainbow Dash attempted to take a nap on one side of the couch, her efforts thwarted by a bouncing Pinkie on the opposite end. Applejack opted to stand up, allowing Fluttershy to curl up on the recliner. The farmer pony's questions centered on earth agriculture and why their apples tasted so different, while Fluttershy, unable to speak up quick enough to bring up a new subject, simply commented on whatever conversation was at hand. The Doctor himself walked all around the living room and kitchen, experimenting with all kinds of objects to see what he could and couldn't do with hooves (which, disappointingly, included peel bananas; he assumed that earth and Pegasus ponies had some other method of doing it and resolved to ask Twilight later.)

"I don't understand, Doctor," Martha said at one point, "How does a Time Lord end up as a pony?"

The other six ponies all looked at the Doctor expectantly; he had not explained it to them, either.

The colt swallowed a piece of celery. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I only have a theory about that, but I'll tell you anyway.

"I actually ended up in equestrian by accident. I was in transit to go to the first Beatles concert - it's an earth band; you'd like them, Rarity - when something pulled the TARDIS off course."

"Something pulled it?" Twilight asked. "What could possibly do that to the TARDIS?"

"Happens a lot more often than you'd think..." the Doctor muttered. "But my theory is that what pulled me was, in fact you six – through the Elements of Harmony."

"That doesn't make a lick o' sense," said Applejack. "We hadn't worn them for months before you arrived."

"Yes, but you are still psychically linked to them! You lot are the only ponies who can use them that we know of. Not only did they protect you from the empathivores, but they also sent out a psychic distress beacon, which the TARDIS picked up on."

"That still doesn't explain why you're a pony," Rainbow pointed out.

"Well, suddenly changing course in the middle of the Time Vortex like that isn't the kind of thing you'd normally do. I think the internal rematerialization circuits - the things that put us back together when we land, Dash - might have got a little damaged. Either that, or she's playing tricks on me again." Upon noticing the worry in the mares' faces, he added, "Don't worry! I am almost very 90% sure that it won't affect you. Mostly."

A nervous chuckle was shared as Rainbow Dash glanced at the clock. "Hey, Doc. You wanted me to tell you when it was five-thirty?"

"Yes!" The Doctor stood up and made his way to the door. "We'd better be going, or we will be late for the first Summer Sun Festival!"

"Wait a second!" Applejack yelled. "How in tarnation are we going to be late for somethin' that's already happened?"

"Exactly!" the Doctor shouted back.

The six mares filed into the TARDIS, but the Doctor remained within the threshold. "The invitation is still open, you know."

Martha gave him a sad smile. "I'd love to, Doctor, but you know why we can't travel together anymore. I've just started to move on, and I've a job here, with Mickey. Besides," she added with a laugh, "you look like you've got your hands full, yourself."

"Hooves," the Doctor corrected. "Speaking of which, what do you think of them?"

"You've always had a knack for meeting the odd ones, that's for sure. But...they're good people, probably the kindest I'll ever have the pleasure of meeting. The world could definitely use more like them."

"So could every world."

"But they're so innocent," Martha continued. "They haven't seen the darker parts of the universe yet, and travelling with you will put them right into it. So, whatever happens...be careful, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled warmly. "Always, Martha. Always."

He closed the door behind him and gave a happy sigh. It was good to see an old companion again...

His smile widened as he was hit with an idea. "Change of plans, girls," he said, already working on the console. "One more stop before we go…"

*~*

The first thing Captain Jack Harkness saw after leaving the Torchwood Hub was a collection of seven pastel-colored ponies.

"You have got to be kidding me..."

Interlude: Midnight Visitation

At the top of the tallest tower in the Canterlot castle, the royal sisters' bedchambers glow at night. And on the northern side of the tower, a balcony extends from the room, designed to give a perfect vantage point for observing both the ponies living on the land below and the movement of the sun and moon in the skies above. And on many nights, a single alicorn can be seen there, dark as the night itself with a mane composed of a unique sea of stars.

It felt odd to Luna to stand on this balcony, to live in this castle. All her memories of royal life before were of the old castle in what was now the Everfree Forest; she hadn't been here when her residual magic changed that place into the cursed wood it was today, or when Celestia had commissioned the construction of the new castle. She was supposed to feel at home here, but it was all so…foreign. As if she was taking something that did not belong to her.

She shook her head. This is your home, she told herself, You are meant to be here.

Yet even months after her return, she still didn't entirely believe herself.

A sound came from the room behind her. Luna weighed the possibilities: Celestia would not have made noise if she had awoken; a guard or servant would have knocked before entering, leaving only one conclusion…

Luna quickly jumped back into the room and faced the intruder. "HALT, FOALISH TRESPASSER! HOW DARE THOU ENTER OUR BEDCHAMBERS WITHOUT OUR CONSENT!"

"Blimey, you can shout!"

Luna's hoof went to her mouth as she threw a quick glance at Celestia's bed; thankfully, the sun princess was still sound asleep.

"Doctor!" she whispered. "My apologies – I did not know it was you!"

The Doctor cleaned one of his ears. "Perfectly alright – I was the one sneaking around. By the way, what was with the shouting and the thou-ing?"

"It is tradition to speak to the common ponies with the Royal Canterlot Voice," Luna replied. "Of course, you are an exception, for very little is common about you."

The colt nodded slowly. "Right…I think you'd better read up on those traditions, your majesty."

"Just Luna, please," she said waving a hoof. "You are more than qualified to use my name."

The Doctor smiled and looked outside. "Beautiful night you've got here," he commented. "And believe me, I've seen a lot of nights, but knowing that you have a direct hand, er, hoof in them makes it look that much better."

"Why…thank you, Doctor," Luna said, smiling. "No one has said anything like that to me in a long time. Well, except Celestia, anyway."

"Well, just because they don't say it doesn't mean they don't think it," the Doctor replied. "I'll bet every one of those ponies down there look up every night and say to themselves, 'Wow! Look at those stars! Look at that moon! Luna's outdone herself tonight.'"

Luna's smile faded. "I appreciate your words, Doctor, but even if they are true, they should be saved for someone more deserving."

"More deserving? You're Princess Luna – co-ruler of Equestria, bringer of night!"

Luna sighed. "Tell me – did Celestia not perform both tasks well enough on her own for a thousand years? And was I not also once Nightmare Moon, the evil mistress of eternal night?"

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Well, yes…"

"Then why do I deserve the praise of my subjects? Not only did I betray them and threaten to effectively destroy the ecosystem out of jealousy, but I am also unnecessary in the government – a proverbial fifth wheel. Nothing I have done merits their admiration."

The alicorn sighed again. "But what would you know about that? You're the Doctor. The Oncoming Storm. Savior of a thousand worlds, past, present and future. You saved our planet within hours of landing here." She turned away and whispered, "What do you know of failure?"

"You seem to know a bit about me," the Doctor noted.

"The stars have much to say to those willing to listen. And I know from them that you have no idea what it is like to live with the guilt of betraying your own people."

The room fell silent. Luna turned back to the Doctor, who looked in her eyes with an intensity she hadn't seen in anyone since Celestia.

He slowly sat on the floor and motioned for her to do the same. He glanced into the night sky and took a deep breath. "There was a war…"

Half an hour later, Luna was crying.

The Doctor had told her everything – the conquest of the Daleks, the horrors of the Last Great Time War, the plan of the Ultimate Sanction. The greatest war the universe had ever known, fought to save all of creation, had turned into mutually assured destruction, with both sides willing to sacrifice anything for victory.

And so, the Doctor had made the ultimate choice.

Luna could hardly comprehend it: destroying your own homeworld for the sake of all life, and then sealing the war from time travel, so nothing could escape from it. Even for magic, it seemed impossible, and yet the Doctor had achieved it.

And not only that; he had chosen to do it.

"How do you cope, Doctor?" she said between tears. "How do you live, knowing you have committed a crime beyond redemption?"

"Only one thing has kept me doing the right thing since then," the Doctor said softly. "My companions. They give me a reason to keep going; to keep exploring the galaxy, looking for adventure; to see the good in people. They bring out the best in me because I don't want them to see me at my worst."

"So what would you have me do?" Luna asked.

"It's simple, really: find someone to care about. Not just your subjects as a whole, that's good, too; but someone specific. Someone who needs a pony to look up to, and you'll want to stay on the right path for; not because you're obligated to, but because you want to."

He took a quick look at the clock. "Well, I've taken enough of your time, Luna, and I need to make sure that Pinkie hasn't taken the TARDIS for a spin, so I'll leave you to – "

"Hold, Doctor," Luna put her hoof on his shoulder. "I…thank you for your words. I will follow your advice. There's a holiday coming up – Nightmare Night. It is based around the Nightmare Moon legend; the tradition is that the children gather candy from their neighbors to give as an offering to me – er, her, so that she will not eat them." She chuckled softly at the notion. "I believe I will visit them then."

"I'm sure it will turn out wonderfully," the Doctor said, smiling.

The colt trotted out of the room, leaving Luna alone in the dying candlelight. She would take the matter up with Celestia tomorrow. Surely she would agree to a public appearance; Celly made so many herself, anyway.

She would make her first appearance on a day centered around her darkest hour - and hopefully, she would finally come out of its shadow.

The Bubble Mare

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is highly recommended that you read the fanfiction Bubbles (Go to Equestria Daily, then add this at the end of the URL: 2011/03/story-bubbles.html) before reading this chapter, or else the full emotional intent of the chapter will not be realized. Manly tears may follow. Or girly tears, if you're female.

..."Girly tears?" Is that even a thing?

The TARDIS' doors opened to a dark forest. The Doctor wasn't sure why she had taken him here – alone, no less – but he wasn't one to turn down a mystery.

The forest, which he assumed was the Everfree, seemed to be unnaturally shadowed, even though it was nightfall. The plants were overgrown from years of desertion, and the Doctor heard many sounds he couldn't identify.

As fascinating a place it was, the colt was still uncertain why the TARDIS has brought him here – until he heard a faint sobbing.

He followed the noise through the trees and bushes until he found the source of the noise: a small grey pegasus filly with blonde hair. When she turned to look at him, he noticed that her right eye lazily pointed up higher than the other.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" the Doctor asked softly. The filly jerked away from him, hiding behind a tree and pointing what appeared to be a bubble wand at him. "Don't be afraid; I'm not going to hurt you. What's your name?"

The filly blinked and sniffled for a few seconds, then spoke with difficulty: "D…D-Dit…z-y…D-Doo."

The Doctor smiled warmly. "Ditzy Doo? Cute name. I'm the Doctor, and I am going to help you. Do you know where your parents are?"

Ditzy shook her head sadly, beginning to cry again.

"Aw, don't do that. Here, it'll be okay." He pulled out a handkerchief and gave it to her. "Let's get out of the dark, alright?"

Ditzy nodded as she dried her eyes. The Doctor placed her on his back and began to navigate the forest back to the TARDIS. Several times on the way, Ditzy would hear a noise and cling tightly to his back and bury her face in his mane. By the time they reached the blue box, however, she was fast asleep.

He took the TARDIS to the Ponyville orphanage and explained the circumstances to the mare in charge, who gladly agreed to take the filly in for as long as necessary.

Back inside the TARDIS, the Doctor couldn't help but be intrigued by Ditzy. Why would a filly be alone in the Everfree Forest? Surely her parents were worried about her. Wouldn't they have organized a search party by now?

The colt stood up and threw a lever. It was time that he got to the bottom of this.

When the Doctor returned to the orphanage the next day, he was visibly stunned.

The first thing he had discovered was that he was actually about ten years in the past from when he met Twilight and the girls. The second, more pressing matter was what preceded his discovery of Ditzy.

As he had guessed from her speech impediment, Ditzy had a mental disability. Even with her permanently crossed eyes, it wasn't terribly severe, as she played like any other child in the days before, but it did separate her from other fillies her age since she didn't do well in crowds or in school.

The week had started nicely. Ditzy's mother was baking muffins (Ditzy's favorite food), her father was at work, and the filly herself was patiently waiting for the muffins to be ready. When they were done, her mother invited her to eat as many as she liked, which Ditzy happily did.

Then it all went horribly wrong.

It didn't take the Doctor long to piece together the circumstances of Ditzy's sudden illness, her father's argument with her mother when he returned home, and the subsequent trip to the emergency room which her mother did not participate in. He wanted to be very, very wrong, but the truth stared at him in the face: Ditzy's mother had tried to kill her.

When the filly was released from the hospital, the family celebrated. Even her mother joined in all day, with games and singing and purple muffins (Ditzy's favorite kind).

Seeing them happy made the Doctor hopeful. Maybe her mother had realized that she didn't actually want Ditzy dead. Maybe things would improve.

But the very next day, she had the nerve to do it again.

Watching her bring Ditzy miles away from home just to abandon her in the Everfree forest, distracted by bubbles, brought the Doctor to his knees. Until then, Equestria had been a utopia of peace and harmony, where evil was unheard of.

And then, in the midst of it all, was this picture of utter cruelty, serving as a reminder that even this planet has its dark side.

More than once, the Doctor had wanted to kick that horrible mare square in the jaw, rant at her selfishness, and drop her in a supernova on the farthest side of the universe. Unfortunately, Ditzy's past was fixed in time.

But if her past couldn't be changed, maybe he could guide her future.

As the Doctor entered the orphanage, the staff told him that Ditzy had been distant all morning. Many of the other foals and fillies had tried to approach her, but she remained silent to all of them.

She looked at the Doctor in surprise when he came to her. "Hello, Ditzy. How are you doing?"

The filly shrugged. "Nobody's been mean to you?"

She shook her head "no." "Are you happy here?"

A pause, then another "no."

"Well, you're just lonely, is all. And I've got a friend for you…"

The colt pulled out a small yellow doll. Ditzy smiled at the sight of it and hugged it tightly, happily squeaking "Sweetie!"

"She's missed you as well," the Doctor laughed, "so I thought I'd bring her to you so you could have a friend."

The Doctor stayed with Ditzy the whole week, playing with her and helping her make friends with the other orphans. The staff was at first puzzled by this; if he cared so much for the pegasus filly, why didn't he just adopt her? When asked, the Doctor simply replied that he didn't have the stable lifestyle she deserved, and he wanted to be sure she was happy before he left her there.

To himself, he admitted there was another reason: despite all that she had been through, despite her mental disability, deep in those crooked eyes, there was an ember of innocence left in her that he couldn't bear to see go out.

On the last day of the week, the Doctor announced that he had hired a therapist to help with Ditzy's condition. "I talked to every doctor from here to Appleloosa," the Doctor explained to her, "This one will help you talk just like everyone else."

Ditzy was very happy, but that joy only lasted until the evening, when the Doctor told that he wouldn't be coming every day anymore.

"It'll be okay, Ditzy," the Doctor said softly as the filly looked at him misty-eyed. "I'll still visit every month, and we can play then." He put a hoof to his chin thoughtfully. "Tell you what: if you promise to be a good little filly while I'm gone, I'll bring purple muffins every time I come. Is that okay?"

Ditzy smiled and nodded. As the colt stepped through the doorway, she ran under his legs and wrapped her front legs around his neck in a tight hug.

"Don't worry, Ditzy," he whispered. "I will come back, and while I'm gone through all of time and space, I'll be thinking of you."

The Doctor proved better than his word, and came to the orphanage no less than three times a month. Wherever he went, he brought back some exotic souvenir to show Ditzy; eventually, all of the orphans looked forward to the tales of his adventures in time and space.

He watched Ditzy slowly grow older, overcoming more and more of her disability to the point where she nearly acted as if nothing had ever been wrong. The therapist told him that one of the first new words she learned to say was "doctor."

According to the orphanage staff, she had taken their promise to heart; they said she was the nicest, happiest little filly they had ever seen. Even so, there were still times when they would find her curled up in her bed, tearfully asking only for the Doctor.

One of the happiest days they had together was in one bright Summer about a year and a half after they had met. Ditzy had bounded up to him as he arrived, excitedly crying, "Doctor! Doctor! Look – I got my cutie mark!"

She turned and proudly showed off her mark: a collection of seven bubbles.

It had happened the previous day. One of the other fillies had been trying to balance on a rubber ball and had slipped and hurt themselves. In an effort to cheer her up, Ditzy had started making bubbles; the mark appeared soon after the filly started laughing at the strange shapes she made.

"But does that mean my special talent is bubble making?" she asked as she played checkers with the Doctor, "That's a stupid talent."

"It's not that silly," the Doctor replied. "What would the world be without bubble makers? A lot less fun, that's what."

Ditzy laughed. "But I don't think that's your talent, Ditzy," The colt continued. "What I think your talent is, is making other ponies happy."

"Really?"

The Doctor winked. "Hey, thinking of you makes me happy any day."

"But why bubbles as a cutie mark?"

"Well, bubbles make everyone happy, don't they? And yet, they're so simple. Ponies might look at you and think you're nothing special. But you are so unique, because you've got a big old ball of happiness just waiting to be shared right here." He poked her in the chest, causing her to giggle. Smiling mischievously, he began poking her more. "And here, and here, and here…"

Ditzy laughed uncontrollably, and the checkers game was forgotten in favor of the ensuing tickle war.

Though the Doctor would later count the days he spent with Ditzy as some of the best of his on Equestria, he knew that one day, Ditzy would need to learn to live on her own, without him teaching and guiding her. His plan had originally been to leave her with whatever family chose her for adoption, but every year she was overlooked. Well, let's give another year, he told himself many times; a family will choose her eventually.

But seven years passed, and she still occupied the same bed in the orphanage. And so, one rainy evening, he swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and told Ditzy he would not be visiting anymore.

He assumed it was easier since she was older now, but that didn't mean it wasn't hard for the both of them. He had practically raised the filly for years now, and he very much didn't want to leave. Ditzy told him she understood why he had to leave and accepted it, but the intense look in her eyes despite their crooked nature almost convinced him to adopt her then and there.

But in the end, goodbyes were said in the light of a candle on the porch outside the orphanage where the TARDIS was parked. Ditzy encased him in a hug tighter than any she had ever given before while the Doctor emphatically assured her that they would meet again.

And so it was that Ditzy tearfully watched the TARDIS disappear for what she desperately hoped would not be the last time.

Years Later…

As Ditzy walked home from her mail route, she caught sight of a reserved table outside a café. The table itself was not notable, but what was placed on it stood out: a purple muffin and an envelope addressed to her.

Ditzy was certain the café didn't serve purple muffins; even Sugarcube Corner didn't until she had given Pinkie Pie the recipe after the pink mare had seen her eating one while delivering the mail. Picking up the envelope, she noticed it was a very familiar shade of blue.

Intrigued, she opened it and read:

Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy lately, but don't think that I've forgotten you.

Unfortunately, I can't visit just yet; there's some trouble on Raxacoricofallapatorius that needs straightening out. In the meantime, I came across a chap who you should know who's missed you for over ten years now. He should be there shortly.

Thinking of you across time and space,

The Doctor

"Ditzy? Is…is that you?"

Ditzy looked up to see an old grey pegasus colt; yes, she did know this pony…

"…Daddy?"

Immediately, the colt ran to her and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Ditzy, it is you!" He said through is tears. "I've missed you so much, sweetie…"

Ditzy smiled into her father's mane. Thank you, Doctor. Thank you.

Interlude: The Knocking

"Okay!" The Doctor clapped his hooves together and faced the six mares assembled around the TARDIS' control pillar. "We have achieved safe passage into the Time Vortex, the crossroads of time and space. Where to?"

"Well, I've always wanted to see what ancient Equestria was like," Twilight answered. "Maybe we could see some of the great pony scholars. Ooh, we could even meet Star Swirl the Bearded!"

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "C'mon, Twilight, don't be such an egghead all the time. Everyone knows the future is where it's at! And not just fifty or sixty years, I mean really in the future! Like robots and lasers and spaceships in the future!"

"No thanks," said Applejack. "Ah've read too many of them robot-revolution books to want t'go that far."

Rarity raised her brow in surprise. "Applejack, I didn't know you read science fiction."

The orange earth pony coughed. "Well, eh, Ah don't read 'em that often. Only two or three." Her eyes shifted. "A month."

"Of course, dear," Rarity said with a knowing smile. "What about you, Fluttershy? When would you like to go?"

"Oh, I'm fine wherever we go," she replied, "But…personally, I kind of want to see if everypony is okay after…" she gulped. "…what we saw before."

An uncomfortable silence fell on the room. Nopony wanted to address what they had seen in their first journey into the future.

"ANYWAY," The Doctor yelled, "Survey says that opinion are across the board, so I'll just set the TARDIS on random and we'll see where – "

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

The ponies turned towards the TARDIS door. "Who could that be?" Applejack asked.
"No one…" the Doctor answered. "Literally, no one. We're in the Time Vortex – there's nothing out there but artron energy!"

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

The mares could all tell this impossibility was making the Doctor very agitated. But they did not know the true cause of the colt's fear. They did not know the prophecy that had hung over his head ever since he had received it months ago.

He will knock four times, and then you will die.

He very much did not want to face it. He did not want the mares to see him die, even if he would just regenerate. He knew he could turn around, press one button, and send them all away to a private beach on Barcelona, leaving it far behind.

But he also knew, in the end, he could not run from it forever.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

He walked towards the door, the knocks seeming to intensify with every step. Eyes closed, his hoof reached the handle and threw the door open –

"Well, it's about time, Mr. Slowypants!"

The Doctor's eyes shot open. "Pinkie Pie?!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie said brightly, trotting into the room and closing the door behind her. "Didn't I tell you guys that I was gonna run back to Sugarcube Corner to get more sprinkles?"

She dropped her overflowing saddlebags on the floor, several confectionary items falling out. "Well, it started that way, but then I remembered that more sprinkles means more cupcakes, and then I had this weird feeling that just saying the word 'cupcakes' would make a lot of people feel really weird, so I decided to make normal cakes instead. And I even remembered my rubber chicken!"

The Doctor stared at her with a very flabbergasted gaze. "But…but…Time Vortex!"

"Oh, you mean the red and blue swirly-tunnely-thingy? I use that all the time to get places. It's so much more fun than just walking everywhere! But sometimes, there are these ginormous words in there, too, and they whoosh on by like Rainbow Dash when she had coffee that one time. They're like, really weird names. I mean, seriously, who's ever heard of a pony named David Tennant?"

The colt's mouth hung open. "What…what…what?!"

Pinkie squinted at him. "Hmm…you don't look so good, Doccy. Maybe you should go lie down or something. That always helps me when I eat too much fudge."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Y-yes, I'll go do that…"

"Okay. Have fun!" The party pony waved as the colt trotted down the hallway. She was about to bounce off into the kitchen when she noticed the other five mares staring at her similarly to how the Doctor has moments ago.

"Geez, don't tell me you all had too much fudge, too!"

Pinkie’s Odyssey

The control room was filled with all sorts of noises as the Doctor worked underneath the control column. Pinkie Pie sat happily nearby, hooked up to the column with a great tangle of wires.

The other five ponies looked on, knowing and fearing the inevitable outcome.

“Uh, Doc…what are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Science!” the colt yelled back. He emerged from his work, his mane frizzier than before and sonic screwdriver in his mouth. “You girls had better stick around, because I am, once and for all, going to figure out what makes this mare tick!”

His declaration was met with a round of facehooves and groans.

“Listen, sugarcube,” Applejack said, “When you’ve been around Pinkie as long as we have…”

“You discover some mysteries are better left unsolved,” Rarity finished.

“Oh, but that’s no fun!” The Doctor grinned widely. “We are friends with a pony that lives in direct defiance of the basic laws of physics and you me to act as if that’s entirely normal? Well, I suppose that’s technically true in your case…and by extension, mine – but that’s beside the point!”

Twilight shook her head. “Trust me, Doctor. I tried this a couple months ago, and I came back empty-hoofed. There are some things you just have to accept on faith.”

“Ah, but you didn’t have good old Gallifreyan engineering on your side!” The Doctor hopped over to a large lever. “Ready, Pinkie?”

The pink pony grinned. “Okie dokie lokie!”

“Right – now, my dear nay-saying companions, behold!”

With a dramatic swing of his arm, the Doctor threw the lever – and instantly, all the lights went out.

“’Good old Gallifreyan engineering,’ huh?” Rainbow Dash quipped.

The Doctor sighed frustratedly. “Just giver the old girl a second to get back up. It’s probably something simple, like stray artron energy or something.”

The lights returned shortly. The colt began to pull out his screwdriver again when he noticed something.

“Where’s Pinkie?”

The mares looked, and sure enough, the chair where Pinkie had been sitting was now empty, save for the collection of wires she had been wearing just moments before.

“Woah! That was fun!”

Pinkie’s voice echoed through the control room, as if it came from everywhere at once. The six ponies looked everywhere, but found no sign of her.

“I don’t get it,” Applejack said, “Where’s she gone off to?”

“Silly Applejack, I’m right here!” Light flickered as a hologram of the pink pony faded into existence before them.

“Whoa,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, “How’d you do that?”

“Oh, it was easy,” Pinkie answered. “I saw you guys were all worried, so I looked around in the application directory and I saw this hologram projection thingy, and I told to to look like me and here I am!”

“Wait,” the Doctor interjected, “Did you say, ‘application directory?’”

Pinkie’s head bobbed happily. “You wouldn’t believe all the cool stuff that’s in there! There the room generator, and a star map, and a universal timeline, and the wibbly and wobbily modulators, and…”

As the party pony continued her list, the Doctor’s pupils became progressively smaller. “No…no, no, no…no no nononononono!”

“Uh-oh,” Rainbow whispered, “The only time he does that is when something’s really messed up.”

“Pinkie!” the colt shouted at the hologram. “Listen very carefully – you are now inside the TARDIS. Not just in a room, but inside its mainframe that controls everything. I don’t how, I don’t know why, but whatever you do, don’t – ”

“Ooh! Ooh! You mean I can make it go whoosh! All right! Let’s go on an adventure!”

Switches on the console flipped themselves and the TARDIS was thrown into action. The room shook even more than it did when the Doctor was in control.

“Where are you taking us?!” The Doctor demanded.

Pinkie giggled. “It’s a secret!”

The TARDIS’ abrupt landing threw the six corporal ponies to the floor.

“Ow – is…everypont alright?” Twilight grunted.

“I believe so,” Rarity said, “though I wish the same could be said about my mane. And I just got a new perm, too…”

The Doctor dusted off his coat. “Right, Pinkie, where have you taken us?”

“Well, I opened the star map and I closed my eyes and pointed at the map and said, ‘Ooh! Griffoth!’ That sounds like fun!”

“Wait, Griffoth?!”

A dull, repeating thumping noise rang through the room. It started slowly, but quickly picked up speed and force. Soon, the entire TARDIS began to shake.

“Doc, what’s goin’ on?!” Applejack asked.

“It’s the Graske,” the colt said, “They’re the natives, little lizard-like guys who invade planets on their free time. And they really, really don’t like me.”

“Are there any species that actually like you, Doctor?” Rarity asked.

The Doctor paused. “That’s not important!” he said, then turned back to the control column. “Pinkie, I need you to get us out of here, now.”

“Awwww, but this planet’s name is so much fun to say!” Pinkie whined. “Griffoth, Griffoth, Griffoth! It’s like Griffon, but with – ”

“PINKIE PIE!”

“Ugh, fine! You don’t need to be a bossy-flossy.”

Celestia sighed when the sound of a quill scratching paper reached her ears. “Luna,” she called into her sister’s bedroom, “I’m going for a walk in the garden. Would you like to come with me?”

She received no answer. When she entered the room, she saw Luna on her bed, surrounded by books and scrolls and writing furiously.

The moon princess jumped slightly when Celestia cleared her throat. “Oh, my apologies, sister. I did not hear you come in.”

“It is alright, Luna.” Celestia replied. “It looks like you’ve been working hard today. Why don’t you take a break and come walk in the garden with me? The Heart’s Desires are starting to bloom.”

Luna shook her head. “I’m sorry, Celly, but I’m in the middle of a project. I can’t just stop now.”

The sun princess frowned, remembering how many times she heard those same words from a certain faithful student of hers. As the filly had grown older, Celestia had to use more inventive ways to get her to stop studying even for a moment.

Her frown turned to a smile when she recalled a specific method she had often employed.

“Why Luna, I think there’s something on your fur!”

Luna looked down. “What? Where – ”

“Here!” Luna found herself underneath Celestia, the white alicorn tickling her belly. Their combined laughter grew as the playful assault continued –

CRASH!

The alicorns’ heads turned towards a very familiar blue box that had unceremoniously wedged itself in the outer wall. Smoke billowed out the open door, along with a dazed Doctor.

“Blimey, that’s the second time this has happened! I’m very sorry, your magesties – ”

The colt’s eyes fell on the bed, where Princess Celestia was on top of Princess Luna, both of whom were looking slightly exhausted.

“Weeeelllll…” The Doctor’s face slowly turned red. “I’m very sorry for barging in like this, but we’ll be leaving NOW PINKIE!”

He stumbled back into the TARDIS as fast as he could as it slowly faded away.

The two princesses looked at each other for a full second before bursting out in laughter.

“Where are we going now?!” Twilight cried.

Pinkie laughed. “I have no idea!”

Currently, the TARDIS was in the closest a time machine could get to a tail spin in the Time Vortex. The six passengers felt the full force of physics as they gripped on to whatever they could.

“Doctor!” Rarity maneuvered next to him and gave him a deadly serious glare. “My mane and tail are in the most unimaginable disarray I have ever had the displeasure of seeing. It will take hours to set it back as it is, and the longer we are like this, it only get worse. If you do not stop Pinkie now, I will personally shave off all your hair and use your teeth as a hairbrush! Understand?”

The Doctor nodded with a nervous gulp and turned to the control pillar.

“Pinkie! Listen to me. The Heart of the TARDIS is still inside there, and eventually, it will take back control and kick you out of there. I don’t quite know what will happen then, but there is a large chance that you will be jettisoned out into oblivion, and when that happens, there will be no cakes, no random songs, and no more parties! The only way to stop that from happening is to take us back to Ponyville, NOW!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the TARDIS came to a sudden stop. The door opened, and the familiar sounds of the Ponyville marketplace drifted in. As the ponies ventured out, they saw they were indeed back home at the exact moment they left.

Rainbow gleefully threw herself to the ground and began to kiss it. “Oh, I never thought I’d miss you!”

“But…what about Pinkie?” Twilight asked.

“What about me?”

They turned around, and there in the TARDIS doorway, stood a flesh-and-blood Pinkie Pie.

“But…but how?!” the Doctor demanded.

“Pinkie shrugged. “Oh, I just put us in reverse, and when we got home I gave the keys back to the girl in charge and thanked her for letting me drive.”

“Wait,” the colt said, eyes narrowing, “She…let you take control?”

“Yep! She’s a very nice lady, you should talk to her more. She let me in after I promised to bake her a cake.” Pinkie’s eyes widened as she gasped. “CAKE!” she cried, and dashed off to the bakery.

“But…but…but…” the Doctor tried his best to make sense of what had happened, but his mind came up blank. Left with no better option, he simply collapsed to the ground.

“Confound you ponies…”

Interlude: Future Mark

"Well? Are you going to touch it?"

"No way I'm touching it! Apple Bloom, you do it!"

"Nuh-uh! Sweetie Belle's the oldest, she should do it!"

"I'm not even a year older than you, that doesn't count!"

"Well, somebody's gotta do it, and it's not gonna be me!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders stood before the blue box just outside of Ponyville. They had heard stories of the Doctor for weeks now, and they had finally decided to meet the colt himself.

A plan that had already hit a snag.

"Maybe we should just wait until he comes out," Sweetie Belle suggested.

"But that could take hours," Scootaloo groaned. "He could leave without ever coming out!"

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Well, if we're not going to knock, then we should just call him."

The three fillies took deep breaths and yelled in unison: "DOCTOR!! ARE YOU IN THERE?!"

"You know, if you're going to yell at me, you might as well yell at me."

They faced the Doctor, who wore an amused smile on his face and saddlebags full of groceries on his back. "And no, I'm not in there. I was just out shopping to restock my fridge with some of your marvelous fruits. It's brilliant – you ponies somehow managed to make pears taste good, and I hate - "

"So, you're really the Doctor?" Scootaloo asked, eyes widening.

The Doctor flashed a grin. "Yep, that's me! And you must be those kids the girls are always talking about – that's Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, right?"

"That's us!" Sweetie confirmed.

"We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Apple Bloom announced, posing with her friends. "We're on a quest to find our cutie marks!"

"Ah yes, those little pictures on your rumps. Funny things, those. The most impossible combination of biology and your own native magic, and you see it as naturally occurring! I've always wanted to find out how they work, but cadavers just won't do for the tests I have in mind, and I'm not too keen on testing live ponies, so – "

The Doctor noticed the three fillies looking expectantly at him. After a moment's pause, he sighed.

"Let me guess: you girls want to go in the TARDIS, don't you?"

"Yes!" they said together.

"And you probably also want to travel through time, don't you?"

"Yes!"

"And you're not going to leave me alone until I agree, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Oh, alright then," the colt said, rolling his eyes, "I suppose there's no way out of it now."

Gasping excitedly, the three fillies high-hooved and chanted, "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER TIME TRAVELLERS! YEAH!"

The Doctor winced. "I swear, you ponies are going to be the death of me."

*~*

After watching yet another rendition of the "TARDIS Dance" (his name for the act of walking in the TARDIS for the first time, staring at the interior, walking a lap outside it, walking back in and out any number of times, and finally ending with his favorite sentence in the universe), the Doctor had asked the Cutie Mark Crusaders where and when they wanted to go. They held a short, hushed discussion among themselves (with frequent glances back at him), they gave their best "No-we're-not-planning-anything-why-do-you-ask" smiles and said they wanted to see Ponyville ten years in the future.

They were obviously hiding something, the Doctor knew, but given the generally peaceful disposition of the ponies he had met, he figured there was nothing to worry.

The fillies took surprisingly well to the TARDIS in motion. Granted, they assumed the normal first-time-companion routine after a few minutes, but at least in Scootaloo's case it was done in excitement rather than fear.

They landed in a Ponyville nearly identical to their own. There were key differences, of course: some buildings were newer and some were older, and there were new faces mingling among the familiar. But what mattered was that it was still Ponyville, and the girls –

The girls were gone.

In a panic, the Doctor ran through the town square, looking down every alley and road for the three fillies. But soon, it became clear to him that he may have potentially doomed all of Equestria.

*~*

The shop's bell rand as Scootaloo entered. "Hey, Apple Bloom – Sweetie Belle! What're you doing here?"

The two mares looked up from their conversation. "Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle said, rising to hug her childhood friend. "It's been much too long!"

"Sweetie's stoppin' nearby on her tour an' decided to visit," Apple Bloom replied. "We were just about to go find you."

"Guess you're lucky I'm so fast, or we'd have missed each other," Scootaloo laughed. "That reminds me; you done with it yet, Apple Bloom?"

"Sure am!" the earth pony ducked underneath the counter and came back up with a well-loved orange skateboard. "Here you are, good as new – or as close as I could get it, anyway. You really ought to get a new one, ya know."

"Are you kidding?" the pegasus scoffed. "I had this thing made from the scooter I had when we were fillies – and by you, no less. I'm giving this thing up until it catches fire while I'm riding it!"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Sweetie Belle said. "We don't want you on fire in the middle of a show."

"Ah, you worry too much. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Ah-HA!"

The three mares turned their heads to the front of the store and saw…themselves. Their younger selves.

"Woah, Sweetie," Young Scootaloo said. "I gotta say, you look good when you're older."

"Are you saying I don't look good now?" the young unicorn asked.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Apple Bloom stepped forward. "You're us from the future, right?"

For a moment, the mares were speechless. Sweetie Belle was the first to recover. "Um…yes?"

"And you've got your cutie marks now, right?" Young Scootaloo leaned to the side to get a better look at her future self's flank, but it was covered by her saddlebag.

"Well, yes. We – you – get your cutie marks eventually." Future Apple Bloom answered.

"Really? What do they look like?"

"What's our special talents?"

"How do we get them?"

"C'MON, TELL US!!"

The mares shared a look, and Scootaloo cleared her throat. "Well, you see – "

"Ah-HA!!"

The Doctor burst in, gasping for breath as he approached the fillies. "I have been searching all over for you," he said, "asking everyone who would listen and making a complete fool of myself just because you ponies wouldn't stay – "

It was at that moment that he realized exactly who was in the room.

"Oh, no. Ooooh, no. Ooooooh, no, no, no, no, no, no. Oh-ho, NOW you've done it! Now you've gone and found your future selves and tried to break one of the most fundamental rules of time travel. Now we'll have to deal with Reapers and ponies are going to die because – "

"It's okay, Doc," Future Scootaloo said. "We weren't going to tell them anything."

"What?" said the Doctor.

"WHAT?!" said the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Listen, girls," Apple Bloom said, "Finding your special talents is important, but the journey you take getting there is just as important. There'd be nothin' special about it if someone just told you how to find them."

"Besides," Sweetie Belle continued, "You now know that you definitely will get your cutie marks. That's a pretty good discovery, isn't it?"

The fillies thought for a moment. "Ya know…you're right!" Young Apple Bloom said.

"It's not a matter of if we'll get our cutie marks," Young Sweetie Belle said excitedly, "but when we will!"

"Which means we don't have to worry anymore; we'll just keep trying harder!" Scootaloo finished.

The three fillies high-hoofed. "Cutie Mark Crusaders! Yeah!"

"Alright, girls," the Doctor chuckled, "I think your business here is done. Back to the TARDIS, now, and don't touch anything!"

The fillies left, already scheming about what they were going to try once they were back home. The Doctor turned to their future counterparts with a grin. "And you lot already knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"Of course we did," Sweetie Belle answered. "It's not like we would forget something like this."

"We've been prepared for this for years," Apple Bloom said, nodding to their saddlebags. "That's why we all wore our bags today – to keep us from seeing our flanks."

"That's why I love you ponies, so brilliant!" the Doctor said happily. He turned to leave, but stopped. "Ah…since I might not be around when you do get them, do you think I could…"

Scootaloo gave him a sly look. "Spoilers, Doc."

Slowly, the colt grinned back. "I've taught you ponies too well."

As the Doctor left, the three mares thought about the days when they were younger. They remembered the adventures they had, the successes and failures, the triumphs and trials. They remembered how many times, even after they had returned from the future, they had felt their quest was hopeless. And finally they remembered the joy they all shared when, at last, they found their destinies.

It would be a while yet for their past selves, they knew, and they would lose their faith many times before the end. But they also knew that when the day did come, it would all have been worth it.

Equestria Rising, Part 1

Starswirl put down his glasses and rubbed the edge of his nose. The winter was receding – a natural one, thankfully – but it wasn’t helping his sleep any. His position as the Chief Magician of the new nation of Equestria was one that meant many long nights, especially in these early months as the finer points of the government were being nailed out.

At least he still had Clover as his assistant. He smiled, remembering how she had served as Princess Platinum’s aide when he was too sick to attend the summit of the three tribes so long ago. He would never have guessed that she would end up helping to unite them in their new home.

He caught a glimpse of purple in the corner of his eye. “Ah, Clover. Could you find my notes on temporal displacement? I believe I’m close – ”

He turned to see a very excited-looking purple unicorn mare. She looked very much like Clover – a dead ringer, even – but something about her behavior and her magical aura was decidedly different.

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!!” The mare bounced like a schoolfilly. “I’m actually standing in the same room as Starswirl the Bearded! I’ve read all your books: The Tapestry of Time, Supernaturals, Practical Potions for Punctual Ponies – oh, wait, you haven’t written those yet, silly me! – oh, it’s just so good to meet you!”

Starswirl simply stared at the mare. “…who are you?”

“You’ll have to forgive her, she’s…like that sometimes.” A brown suit-clad colt strode into the room. “You promised me you wouldn’t do that.”

“I promised I wouldn’t act like, and I quote, ‘a pre-teen girl at a Justin Bieber concert.’ I have no idea what that means!”

The colt shrugged. “Well, now you do.”

To add to Starswirl’s confusion, five more ponies entered – another Unicorn, two Pegasi, and two Earth Ponies. At first, he thought he was confused by what had already happened, but somehow, these ponies all looked exactly like -

“Seriously, Twilight,” the blue Pegasus laughed, interrupting his thoughts, “You were like a filly in a candy store. Priceless!”

“What’s going on here?!” Starswirl demanded. “You’ve brought Pegasi and Earth Ponies in this district? Five of them? You’ll be arrested for sure!”

“Now that’s interesting,” said the colt, browsing the shelves before selecting a book and opening it to random page. “You’re implying that Canterlot has been segregated between the three types of ponies, and that breaking that is a strict offense. I thought you had sorted out your differences by now. What happened, I wonder - ”

Starsiwrl snatched the book from the colt’s hooves. “If you insist on invading my study, risk the arrest of yourselves, as well as me by association, by bringing Earth Ponies and Pegasi with you, ask strange questions and read my books, you may as well have the courtesy to tell me what this is all about!”

The colt held his gaze firmly before removing his glasses. “Fair enough. I’m the Doctor, and these are Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. We’re time travelers.”

Starswirl frowned as his horn glowed and a small orb of magic appeared, flying around each pony individually. It focused the longest on the Doctor before returning to the tip of Starswirl’s horn and disappearing.

His brows furrowed even further. “Such a high magical trace on you six, even the non-unicorns. But your chronoton signatures - that’s not possible!” He faced the Doctor. “Especially you! What in the world have you been doing?”

“Well – ”

“The chronotons are so agitated,” Starswirl continued as if the Doctor had never spoken, “It would indicate direct manipulation, but to remain stable this long…no. It can’t be, that’s impossible…” He turned back to the group, eyes wide. “You are time travelers.”

The Doctor sighed. “Yes. Yes we are. From the future. Time travelers.”

“The future?” Starswirl gasped, realizing the implications. “Please, tell me! Does Equestria survive? Well, obviously, it does, if you’re here together, but I need to hear it from you – do we make it out of this intact?”

“What are you talkin’ about?” Applejack asked. “Get out of what?”

“You mean…this was not recorded?” Starswirl said.

Twilight shook her head. “From what I’ve read of Equestrian history – And I’ve read a lot – there’s no major conflicts for over a hundred years after the crowning of the princesses.”

“Then your history books are flawed to forget something as important as this,” Starswirl said. “For the first few months after the Unification, efforts to establish the new government went smoothly. But our old grudges were not easily forgotten. As the quarrels grew more violent, Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Commander Hurricane ruled that Canterlot would be split into three districts, one for each tribe. Taking after that decree, entire cities began to cordon themselves and only allow one species – Cloudsdale was built specifically for that purpose. Even the council isn’t immune to the hostile feelings between us.” He sighed. “Personally, I think it’s all foolishness. Can’t they see the only way to have peace is to unite as we intended?”

“But what about the Windigoes?” Rainbow Dash asked. “They should’ve frozen this place a dozen times by now!”

Starswirl shook his head. “The Unicorns developed a spell to ward them off soon after Canterlot was built. It was one of the first things we did for the nation. Only now do any of us realize it was a double-edged sword.”

“The council should be telling everyone to be nice,” Fluttershy piped in, “not yelling at each other.”

“I agree, but…well, see for yourselves.” Starswirl’s cast a spell, causing a magical window to appear before them. “I use this to watch their meetings when I am unable to attend. They should already be in session.”

The window cleared to show three ponies sitting around a table, each looking very displeased with her neighbors. And all of them looked frighteningly familiar…

“Doctor!” Rarity whispered. “They look just like us! Or we look like them – whatever. How is this possible?”

“Well, even a species as genetically diverse as yours can only have so many combinations,” The Doctor explained. “Add over a thousand years in between, and anything’s possible.”

The room fell silent, save for the voices from the image before them.

“I am not asking for much,” Princess Platinum said, voice level, “All I want id for the Earth Ponies to live up to our agreement and give us the food we need to restock our reserves.”

(“They even sound like us!” Rarity hissed, only to be shushed by Pinkie, who was happily munching on a box of popcorn.)

Chancellor Puddinghead frowned in a way that would have seemed comical in any other atmosphere. “Hah! As if you haven’t taken enough! With all the food you and the Pegasi have gobbled up, we barely have enough to fill our own bellies!”

“I dunno,” Commander Hurricane said skeptically, “You’re looking pretty pudgy to me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Puddinghead demanded.

Hurricane shrugged lazily. “I’m just saying, that maybe you’ve been holding out on us, Chancellor.”

The earth pony gasped. “How dare you! How could we even do that with what little rain you’ve been sending us?”

“Pegasi don’t give rain to liars,” Hurricane said.

“And you!” Puddinghead turned to Platinum. “You promised you’d get us some enchanted seeds to make the plants grow faster. Well, I don’t see any super speedy seeds, do you?”

“Research is slow,” Platinum replied, boredly examining her hoof. “It doesn’t help that it takes our best magicians to raise the sun and moon every day.”

“Speaking of which,” Hurricane said, “I could’ve sworn the sun came up a little later this morning.”

Platinum scoffed. “I’m appalled, Commander! We unicorns strive for perfection in everything we do – a philosophy both of your tribes would do well to copy.”

“At least we pegasi would clean up after ourselves when we attack our allies.”

The room froze. “What are you talking about?” Platinum asked.

Hurricane grinned as if she had revealed a winning Poker hand. “A week ago, a building in the Pegasi district was burned down. Eyewitnesses confirmed it was done by unicorns – ”

“Platinum, how could you!” Puddinghead interrupted. “The Pegasi may be a bunch of old meanie heads, but that doesn’t mean you can burn down – ”

“ – and earth ponies.”

“What?!” the Chancellor gasped.

“Are you suggesting we formed an alliance against you?” Platinum asked.

“I’m not suggesting,” Hurricane said, “I’m flat out saying it! You two planned this together!”

Puddinghead scowled. “Well, how about this? Five days ago, the Earth Pony District was attacked, too – by pegasi and unicorns!”

“Huh?! That’s impossible!” the pegasi countered. “We would never team up with those snooty unicorns!”

“Hmph!” said Princess Platinum. “I was going to try and be the bigger pony and not pin this on you, but circumstances have changed.” She leveled her eyes with the other two ponies. “Two days ago, the Unicorn District was attacked by earth ponies and pegasi.” Her eyes narrowed. “And three of my people were killed.”

(In Starswirl’s room, there was a collective gasp. Fluttershy started crying.)

“This is ridiculous!” the Commander yelled. “None of this would have happened if you two would have held up your end of the bargain.”

“And we would have,” Platinum replied, “if we had any indication that you would honor yours.”

“That’s how you wanna play it?” Hurricane said, baring her teeth. “Fine! From now on, until both of you agree to our deal, we will not deliver any rain anywhere outside of pegasi territory.”

“Oh, yeah?” Puddinghead yelled, “Well, from now on, nopony’s getting any food from us!”

“Very well,” Platinum said, almost resignedly. “You two have forced my hoof.” She stood up, holding herself high. “After tonight, until our demands are met, the unicorns will no longer raise the sun.”

(Another gasp was heard in Starswirl’s study, followed by silence as the gravity of the threats sunk in.)

Commander Hurricane narrowed her eyes. “Where I come from, we’d call that an act of war.”

“It’s only one if you make it,” Platinum replied.

“Then for your treachery,” Commander Hurricane announced, “The pegasi declare war against both the unicorns and the earth ponies!”

“And so do we!” Chancellor Puddinghead, “On the Pegasi and the Unicorns!”

Princess Platinum nodded firmly. “Then when we next meet, it will be on the field of war.”

Twilight was already panicking as the window faded. “How can this be happening? Never in the history of Equestria has there ever been a full civil war! Surely the historians would never skip over something as big as that!”

“Unless…” the Doctor tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Twilight, you said that the next important thing after the princess’ coronation isn’t for another couple hundred years?”

Twilgith nodded. “Yes, but that was nothing to do with a civil war.”

“Oh, but it can!” The colt took out his sonic screwdriver and fiddled with the settings.

“What are you going to do now?” Starswirl asked.

“Now,” the Doctor said, giving him one of his famous smiles, “we go find ourselves some alicorns.”

Equestria Rising, Part 2

"I don't understand," Starswirl said, following the Doctor as he paced around the room. "How is looking for a legend going to help end this conflict?"

The Doctor tapped his screwdriver impatiently before waving it around again. "When you've been around as long as I have, Starswirl, you begin to assume that all myths are true. Trust me, it saves you a lot of unfortunate surprises in the long run."
"And this…stick of yours is supposed to help us find them?"

The brown colt held the screwdriver in front of his face. "This, my wizard friend, is a sonic screwdriver. It can do a while mess of things I won't go into right now, but right now it can get a lock on an energy source – magic, in this case – and lead me to its location." He smacked the device again, frowning. "At least it will, after I isolate Celestia's magic. Oh, why did we have to be in the Unicorn District?"

"Actaully, I think I can help," Twilight offered. "Celestia's guards have a spell they use for locating her in case of an emergency. I learned it while I was studying in Canterlot; I just hope it will work now…"

She closed her eyes in concentration. A beam shot from her horn and raced out, leaving a solid purple trail in its wake. It continued outside, travelling through the city and into the snow-covered mountains.

Starswirl looked at the unicorn in amazement. "Such skill…a perfect combination of classical scrying and pathfinder spells – flawlessly executed! But you're so young…no unicorn has that much power! It's impossible!"

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Trust me, we've made a habit of doing the impossible lately."

The group, collectively covered in hooded cloaks, walked cautiously through the streets of Canterlot. Starswirl had warned them to keep their cloaks up at all times within the city; as long as nopony knew they weren't all of the same tribe, they would have nothing to worry about.

The magician looked behind him and stopped. He roughly pushed Twilight and the others, guiding them into an alley. "Quickly – get in here, all of you!"

"What's goin' one?" Applejack asked.

Starswirl peeked around the corner. "Clover is coming; I'd prefer for her not to be mixed up in all this. Plus, Twilight's identical appearance would be difficult to explain."
The other seven ponies hurried into hiding just as the other unicorn appeared. "Starswirl! Have you heard the news?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Starswirl said, nodding. "As much as it was bound to happen eventually, I was hoping we wouldn't enter a war so quickly."

"I can't believe this is happening," Clover said. "Everything we worked for, coming down right on top of us."

Starswirl threw a quick glance at the alley that held the Doctor and his companions. "Perhaps not yet," he said quietly. "Listen; I believe I may have a lead of a solution. I'm going to the mountains to investigate."

"I'm coming with you!"

"No, Clover. I need you to find Smart Cookie and Private Pansy. The three of you have to talk to the Council and try to convince them what they're doing is folly – or at the very least, try to stall them. If my efforts prove fruitless…"

He fell silent. Clover tilted her head. "What's wrong, Starswirl?"

The mage sighed. "If I fail, I will be called to serve in the Unicorn army." He looked her straight in the eye. "If that happens, I don't want you to come with me."

"What?! I can't just leave you!"

"You can and you will!" Starswirl said, pausing to soften his voice. "Many ponies will die if war does come about. I couldn't bear to put you in directly in danger."

The senior magician lifted Clover's chin. "Please. Don't follow me to death."

After a moment, Clover slowly nodded, eyes moist. "Just…be safe, alright?"

Starswirl smiled sadly. "I will, my love." He leaned in and kissed her, then slowly, she began to walk away.

Starswirl stared after her until she disappeared into the crowds. When he turned around, he was met with the seven ponies all peeking out from their cover, including one red-faced, open-mouthed Twilight Sparkle.

He gave a small grin as he passed her. "I assume that wasn't in your history books, either?"

The journey up the mountain was long yet not difficult, as most of their path lay along the pass created during the original migration to Equestria. The Doctor was finally able to lock on to the magic signal, giving Twilight a much-needed rest before they veered off the pass.

"Is this it?" Starswirl asked as the screwdriver pulsed brightly at cave mouth. "I expected the dwelling of an alicorn to be more…grand."

"Appearances can be deceiving, my dear Starswirl," the Doctor answered. "Look at you ponies, for instance. No one would ever suspect you to be capable of civil war, and, well, here you are."

He stepped into the cave. "Hellooooooooo! Is Celestia in right now? We'd very much like to speak with her, if you don't mind."

"WHO DARES?" a voice. From the shadows emerged an alicorn, but she was different from the one Twilight knew. She was only a few feet taller than her, and her mane and tail were pink rather than flowing rainbow. It was odd to see her like this, Twilight thought, finding it ironic that she had now seen her mentor in both the distant past and far future.

Celestia's eyes widened at the at group. "Ponies? How did you find this place? How do you know my name?"

"We're from the future," the Doctor said. "Well, except for Starswirl here – he's from this time – but that's not important. What is important is that we need your help."

The alicorn frowned. "I am aware of the war brewing in the valley below. Why would you ask for my assistance? Can the ponies not take care of their own problems?"

"This is beyond any of us," Starswirl said, finally overcoming his awe at seeing an alicorn in the flesh. "The Doctor says there is only one way to end this, and it must come at your hooves."

"And I am to believe a madpony who believes himself a time traveler?" Celestia asked. "Your words are hardly compelling."

"Please, you must do something!" Fluttershy pleaded, surprising even herself with the force in her voice. "You can't just watch as they hurt each other!"

"What the ponies do is not my concern. They knew what war details when they made their decision; it is their own fault that they die tonight." She turned away from the group. "Whatever happens, when the dust settles, we will remain."

"'We?'" the Doctor asked. "Oh, so Luna is here! We never get to talk much, she being the Princess of Night and all. Could we see her?"

Celestia slammed her hoof in front of his face. "You will stay away from her!"

"Mmm…big sis?"

Celestia gasped softly as she looked behind her. Peeking out from the depths of the cave was a small blue alicorn filly. She tiredly pushed her light blue mane out of her eyes. "What's goin' on? Who are these ponies?"

Celestia walked calmly over to her and stroked her mane. "It's alright, Luna. These are…guests; they won't be here long. Go back to sleep."

Luna ventured a look at the ponies. The Doctor gave her a playful wink, causing her to giggle slightly before walking back into the cave.

"She's…she's so young." Starswirl said. "What are you two doing in the mountains alone?"

There was a moment of silence, and then the alicorn sighed. "Our mother sent us here. It was very sudden – there may have been trouble in the city, I don't know. But she told us to come here, to remember everything she taught us about harmony and friendship. She said we were to be 'a light in the darkness,'" She shook her head. "She made it sound as if we had some great destiny to find. But here we are, in a cave overlooking a kingdom at war. This is no place to live. This is no place to raise a sister."

The Doctor smiled softly. "Your mother was right, Celestia. You are meant to be a light. But do you think she wanted you to do that hiding in a mountain while a nation destroys itself? Or were you meant to show them what harmony truly means?"

Celestia walked outside the cave, ignoring the biting cold and falling snow. She sat down at the cliff side, staring down upon the gathering armies in the valley. "Why should I?" she asked. "I owe nothing to them."

"Perhaps not," the Doctor admitted, "but are you really so far above them? Maybe they just want their families to be safe. Maybe, if you look hard enough, they're just like you."

The alicorn didn't move for a moment. But when she did face them, no one could deny the resolve in her eyes.

"So. This is it."

Princess Platinum stood with the other two leaders. The sky was unnaturally dark; true to her word, she had commanded her unicorns to not raise the sun. Commander Hurricane wore more armor than usual, yet still retained her natural flexibility. Chancellor Puddinghead, on the other hand, had not changed her clothing, but Platinum noticed that her hair had fallen out of its naturally curly state and instead fell flat over her face.

"Yep," Hurricane affirmed, front legs crossed.

"It sure is," Puddinghead agreed, her voice grating lower than Platinum thought possible for the mare.

"The point of no return," the unicorn continued. "From here on, we will be enemies at war."

The other two agreed again. There was little point to this meeting, they all knew, but Platinum saw the true reason for stalling in their eyes: in these final hours, their uncertainty had come crashing down on them.

She knew because she had felt it, too. The sudden, ever-present doubt: What in Tartarus are we doing?

More than anything, she wanted to say she was sorry. She would give her crown to stop this, to resolve it peacefully, and she was certain they felt the same.

But as she said, it was too late now. They were too far gone on the path they chose and had to follow through.

Her gaze wavered. "Well…I suppose this is goodbye."

The other two returned her farewell. The unspoken meaning wasn't lost to them; this would be the last time they ever gathered as anything other than enemies.

She walked back to her army, composing herself. No matter her personal feelings, she would be strong for her soldiers.

As she mounted her chariot, she saw the looks of hatred in the unicorns' eyes, anger for the other tribes. If she said anything now, they would only think her mad carry on without her.

Platinum closed her eyes resignedly. "Commence the attack."

A shout went across the lines. Slowly, the army began to move, gaining speed until they came to a thundering gallop. The pegasi and earth ponies charged at them, poised so all three would meet in the middle.

It would be a massacre.

Platinum couldn't hold it in anymore. When the sound of hooves reached their loudest, she cried, "I'm sorry!"

"STOP!"

A bright light flashed just before the armies met. The soldiers stopped in their tracks and looked on with fear and wonder. In an instant, the sun had risen, bathing a flying alicorn in light. As she descended, the armies stepped back to give her room to land.
She cast her eyes over the armies, every pony turning from her gaze.

"Ponies, hear the words of Celestia," she began. "When you came to this valley, you were as one nation. You vowed to remain as friends to one another, to abandon your petty squabbles in the interest of survival. And yet, here you are now: at each other's throats, ready to spill the blood of the ones ypu once called your brothers and sisters.

"Have you forgotten the lessons of your exodus? Do you so easily cast aside the bonds you formed? Did you never learn the values of a prosperous friendship?

"Honesty – to be truthful even when it is difficult. Loyalty – to stand with and for your friends and loved ones in their time of need. Kindness – to overcome evil with good, or else turn the other cheek when wronged. Generosity – the willingness to give unto others even when you will gain nothing in return. Laughter – to find joy in all its forms and bring it to others. Magic - not just as the unicorns know it, but as we all feel it in our lives.

"These are the elements of harmony. These are what will keep your friendships whole and your nation strong. These will be your reminders that you are not earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns – you are ponies, one and all, and you are meant to stand together in harmony and love as long as you live."

Nopony dared to speak after Celestia finished. Then slowly, Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead stood before her, and bowed as one.

And with that, the Equestria's first and final civil war was ended.

*~*

Canterlot was a very different picture than it had been the previous day. Now, ponies from every tribe walked together, rediscovering their lost camaraderie and mending damaged relationships.

"I can hardly believe it, Doctor," Starswirl said, gazing at the scene before him. "You stopped a war before a single blow was made. How do you do it?"

The Doctor smiled sadly. "It dosen't always work out so nicely, Starswirl. Sometimes, there's a lot of death before the victory. But I keep going, trying my absolute best, hoping that this time, this will be the day that nobody dies." He gazed at a group of foals and fillies playing in the snow. "These days are the ones I live for."

Celestia emerged from the crowded streets. "They wish for me to lead the nation, Doctor," she said. "I am honored, but…I'm not sure that I am ready."

"No one's ever truly ready for this kind of thing," the colt replied. "As for you, I think these mares could tell you better than I could."

The alicorn faced Twilight and her friends. "Mares of the future – you have undoubtedly seen my rule and hold me in high regard. Tell me – do you have any wisdom to give?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Celestia," Twilight began, "there are…things in your future that will try to break you. But I can tell you that what you said to the armies was true. Remember the Elements of Harmony – "

"Honesty!"

"Loyalty!"

"Kindness!"

"Generosity!"

"Laughter!"

"And Magic," Twilight finished. "Hold on to them and never let go, and everything will turn out alright."

Starswirl smiled. "The future holds you in favor, Celestia. Personally, I believe you will make a great queen."

"Princess," Celestia corrected. "My mother was a queen, and she will never have an equal."

The Doctor announced it was time for him and his companions to go. Twilight was the last to enter the TARDIS, but stopped in the door. "One more thing," she called to Celestia, "If you happen to have a faithful student in about, oh, a thousand years or so, and she happens to knock over the entire Royal Library her first time there…go easy on her, okay?"

She ducked into the TARDIS as it slowly departed. Once it had disappeared, Celestia turned to the unicorn beside her. "Starswirl. Clover tells me that you are studying the manipulation of time through magic."

"Yes," the unicorn answered. "It's more of a side-project, really, nothing important."
"It is now," said the alicorn. "From this moment forth, your studies will have full funding from the Equstrian government."

Starswirl gaped at her. "Why – my lady, this is – thank you! But – why? I've barely made any progress."

"Twilight said there are still dark times ahead," Celestia explained. "Without the Doctor, our nation would have been destroyed today. He travels through time as if it were a sea to be sailed; if we are to call upon him again, we must understand time as he does." She closed her eyes. "I have seen many things you ponies would never dream of. I pray they will never make it here, but if they do, the Doctor may be our only hope."

Journey's End

The six mares went on many more adventures with the Doctor. They saw the farthest reaches of the universe, met all kinds of new beings, and fought many foes. For a while, it seemed like one great dream from which they never wanted to wake up.
But soon, their love for home, friends and family caught up with them. As wonderful their adventures had been, they agreed it was time to go home.

They arrived a few weeks after they had last left, and were met with open arms. All of Ponyville had gathered to welcome them home; somehow, Pinkie had been able to tell them of their return.

Each of the six mares had something to show for their journey. Twilight Sparkle’s bags were full of new books from other worlds, and her mind was swarming with new research ideas. Rainbow Dash had employed all sorts of new tricks against the monsters they met, and was eager to adapt them into flying tricks. Rarity’s cargo, dutifully transported by the stallions of the village, consisted of several large crates of exotic fabric for new dresses. A cartload of seeds and fertilizer made its way to Sweet Apple Acres as part of a bet between the Doctor and Applejack to see if apples from the future tasted as good as hers. Fluttershy had the least of them all; just a small tea set and some flower seeds to give to Carrot Top and Roseluck.
Pinkie’s loot was meant specifically for that evening.

The “Say-Goodbye-to-the-Doctor-Party” was especially big, even by Pinkie Pie standards, as to “make up for lost time,” as she put it. The entire town was invited, and all night they enjoyed food and song, and gathered around the Doctor to hear his tales of his adventures across time and space.

As was tradition with Pinkie Pie, the party never officially ended. Ponies simply said goodbye when they were tired. Some even managed to stay until morning. After the last guest left, the six mares and the Doctor had their own little party, which consisted of reminiscing over a pot of tea. They talked and laughed and simply enjoyed their friendship, not wanting to end their time together.

Yet on the morning of the third day, they knew normal life had to continue. The weekend was over, and they all had jobs to perform and family to take care of. As much as they hated it, it was time to say goodbye.

“Do you really have to go?” Fluttershy asked.

“Surely you can stay a while longer,” Rarity offered. “If it’s a matter of money, you could always help in the boutique; I’ve been meaning to start a line for stallions for a while, and you would make a fabulous model – ”

Applejack touched the unicorn’s shoulder. “Ah don’t think that’s the problem, Rarity.”

“Trust me,” the Doctor said, “I’ve like to stay, too. But there’s something I’ve been putting off for too long now.” He sighed, then whispered, “I’m going to die soon.”

The group shared a hushed gasp. “D – die?”

“It’s not so bad, really,” the Doctor explained. “Time Lords regenerate, you see. I’ll change a little – a new face, new body, new quirks. But it’s still me, just different.”

“But if all that changes,” Twilight said, “it won’t be you.”

The Doctor sighed again. “Yes, that’s the thing. It’s never easy to let go of that – I would know, I’ve done it nine times already. And I’ve gotten awfully fond of this one.”

The room fell silent before Rainbow Dash spoke up. “…you’ll still remember us, right?”

The Doctor smiled. “Yes.”

“Then you’ll come back, right?”

The colt nodded. “Yes, I will. I Pinkie Promise, even.”

“And you’d better not break it!” Pinkie cried. “Cause if you do, so help me Celestia, I will find you and drag you back here myself!”

The group laughed, pausing again before beginning to say their goodbyes.

“Keep y’self safe, Doc. We still have to settle that bet, ya know.” Applejack dipped her hat. “If ya need it, there’s always room for you at the Apple family table.”

As the Doctor turned away, Pinkie took that opportunity to put her face inches away from his. She held it there for a moment before saying “FOOOREEEVEEERRR,” and then happily bounced away.

Fluttershy slowly walked over. “Well…um…I guess…goodbye.”

The colt hugged her gently. “Goodbye, Fluttershy.”

As he pulled away, he saw the faintest blush on her cheeks before she shuffled away.

The Doctor grinned and turned to the next mare – “Rainbow Dash, are you crying?”

The pegasus quickly sniffed. “W – what? No! Of course not! I’m not sad!” She sniffed again and wiper her eyes. “I’m just, just – just go already!”

Eyebrows raised, the Doctor nodded and walked to Rarity.

“Doctor,” she said simply.

“Rarity,” he replied.

She shifted her weight, as if unsure about something. Then she said, “Oh, fine,” pulled the Doctor’s head and kissed him.
The other mares’ jaws dropped as they gasped. After a few seconds, she released the colt and said, “There. Now I have no regrets.” And she walked off as if that was that.

The Doctor coughed as he futilely tried to fight the intense warmth on his face. “Well, if that’s it, I’ll just be off, then – ”

“Ahem.”

Between him and the TARDIS stood Twilight Sparkle.

“Ah, Twilight, of course! How silly of me to forget. Especially since you were the first pony I met, and – ”

He staggered slightly when the purple unicorn wrapped her arms around his neck. “Please come back,” she whispered.
He smiled and hugged her back. “Don’t worry, Twilight Sparkle. I will.”

She released him and went to stand with the others. The Doctor looked upon the six ponies he had gotten to know so well, all with tears in their eyes (some more than others; Rainbow was still fighting hers, and Rarity looked as if she was going to break down any second.). Wordlessly – as there was nothing to say that hadn’t already been said – he nodded to them and walked into the TARDIS.

As soon as the box was in the Vortex, he let out another sigh. He had discovered a whole new world, with many new species and even its own science. He had seen a nation survive war and treachery to become an utopia of love and harmony.
And he had made six fantastic new friends he would never, ever forget.

The Doctor smiled. Yes, he would definitely visit them again.

THE END

…OR IS IT?

In the city of Canterlot, there is a garden, just outside the castle proper. It is a marvel of nature, filled with flowers and animals from all over the country and the planet. It is also home to a collection of statues of various beasts, even some which have been extinct for centuries.

Of these statues, one in particular stands out. It depicts the strange creature known as the draconequus, of which there is only known to only have been one in all the history of Equestria. This statue shows him in all his chaotic glory, but in a position that shows great shock, almost as if he had been frozen alive.

Unknown to the ponies of the city, underneath their very hooves runs a time rift, from which temporal energy leaks into the world. Most of the time, this energy simply passes through and dissipates in the atmosphere, neither harming nor benefitting anypony. But for some time, the energy has taken a liking to that particular draconequus statue, saturating it but seeming to have no effect.

And then one day, that statue gave a tiny crack.