The Whooves Collection Episode One: In the Other's Place

Chapter 1
It's Called the TARDIS

Gaia; Equestria; Ponyville; Twilight's Library; 1002 C.E.

"Do you have any apples?" the stallion asked, "That seems to be all I can think about! Apples! Or is it carrots?"

Twilight and Spike just stared at him in shock.

"Hmm," said the stallion, examining the two "Shock, speechlessness, frightened staring. Something must be wrong! But what?"

Twilight tried speaking, "Wh-what -or who- a-are you?!"

"I'm the Doctor," he said standing erect, or at least as much as he could on four legs. "My, it appears that I have four identical appendages! That's new, too! Let's see," he examined his new body, "four legs, hair, a- TAIL! What?!" He turned in circles to see if this was true. "I'm... I'm a horse?! What is this? Wait a minute!" he pointed a hoof at Twilight, "you just spoke! Ha ha!" The doctor was instantly giddy, "This must be an alternate dimension, or a rift in the fabric of time and space! How did I miss that? No, it's an alternate dimension! That would explain the talking horse, but I'm a horse too and I'm talking, but that's impossible. Nobody can cross through to an alternate dimension anymore!"

"STOP!" Twilight shouted. The Doctor calmly faced her and smiled. Twilight had grown impatient and her horn was glowing a threatening red color. "Who in the hoof are you?!"

"I'm the Doctor, and I am intrigued by your luminescent... horn... thing."

Twilight wasn't sure if she should be insulted upon hearing that comment, so she kept her horn aimed at the Doctor. "I want to know exactly who you are and why there is a flipping box in my library!"

"Ooohhh. So that's why you had shocked expressions, speechlessness, and frightened staring! It was me all along. Why didn't I figure that out sooner?" The Doctor tapped his head, "Horse-like brains must work differently. Oh well, then I guess I'll be going, intruding your house and all. Farewell!" and with that, the Doctor stepped into the box and shut the door.

Twilight stood there confused for a moment. "Hey!" she shouted, "What do you think you're doing?! You can't even fit in there!" She began banging on the doors with her hooves, when the doors swung inward, and she fell inside. She got back to her feet, and she froze. Twilight looked around the massive control room in awe.

"It's bigger on the inside," she breathed.

The Doctor stuck his head around from the other side of the main control panels.

"Really?" he said sarcastically, "I suppose you are quite similar to the people on Earth."

Twilight was too busy gawking to pay attention to his comment. She quickly shook her head to clear her mind. "What... what is this?"

The Doctor examined the controls and answered, "It's the TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space. Quite fitting, I might add. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be out of your hair- er... mane... shortly."

Twilight nodded, still in shock "Of course, um, Doctor." She turned to leave, but the doors had shut themselves behind her. "Um, Doctor? Could you let me out now? Please?!" Twilight added urgently.

"Not a problem Miss..."

"Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle."

The Doctor nodded, "Okay, Ms. Twilight Sparkle." He clapped his hooves together and pointed at the doors.

Nothing happened.

"Was that supposed to do anything?" Twilight asked quizzically.

The Doctor said, "That usually works."

That's when the noise started:

VVRROOMMP! VVRROOMMP! VVRROOMMP!

The TARDIS shuddered violently, the piston in the center began to move, and they were off. Twilight and the Doctor both lost their balance and fell to the floor. Twilight wrapped her forelegs around one of the railings to steady herself, while the Doctor scrambled up to the controls.

"What are you doing?! Now is not the time to be playing games!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Twilight shouted at him.

"I wasn't talking to you!"

Gaia; Equestria; Canterlot; Canterlot Castle; 297 C.E.

VVRROOMMP! VVRROOMMP! VVRROOMMP! VVRROOMMP!

The TARDIS's form flickered until it was fully formed.

On the inside, Twilight and the Doctor were struggling to get to their feet.

"What... was... that?" Twilight demanded an explanation.

"That..." the Doctor answered, "that was the TARDIS, but that's not important right now."

"I know that. I mean, what did it just do?"

"It moved."

"What? Where?"

The Doctor just stood there with a sly expression on his face. "The real question," he began, "is when?"

Twilight just stared at him like he was crazy, "When?! What do you mean when?"

"Well... we just traveled through time."

She continued staring, "Time travel is impossible and requires immense amounts of magic for it to-"

"Magic?!" the Doctor shouted, "That's what you thought that was? Magic? Oh-ho no. Nope, niddo, nadda, noodlie, nippity no! This is most definitely not magic, but that now explains why the cone shaped appendage on you head was glowing. That must mean that you're a unicorn! Ha ha! A real unicorn! Strange, I never thought that I would ever say that in all of my-"

Twilight slapped the Doctor across the face.

"OW! What was that for?!"

"I needed you to stop talking!" Twilight yelled.

The Doctor shook it off and stumbled to the doors, ignoring Twilight and pushing past her. "I'm going to open these doors right now, and all you have to do is just simply wait until I get back. Can you do that?"

"Oh, no," Twilight shook her head insistently, "You're not going anywhere until you get me back home."

The Doctor nodded, "Yes, yes. But let's just see where we are, shall we." He opened the doors...

... and was face to point with half a dozen spears.

"State your name, rank, and intention!" shouted one of the guards, his stone-faced expression barely moving.

"Well, um. The Doctor. Doctor. And I was just leaving."

"All intruders must answer to the Princess or the captain of the Guard."

The Doctor laughed sheepishly. "Um, Ms. Sparkle?" he called over his shoulder, "We may have a minor setback on the 'getting you home' plan."

Gaia; Equestria; Canterlot; Canterlot Castle; Princess Celestia's Private Chambers; 297 C.E.

"Your Majesty," the captain of the Royal Guard addressed Celestia, "we have captured an intruder and his accomplice who were trying to break into the castle."

"Who were they?"

"We are not entirely sure, but the stallion says that he's 'The Doctor.'"

The Princess's eyes grew wide, "and what of the accomplice?"

"She has refused to give her name, but she has a lavender coat with a black and dark pink mane."

"Bring them to me," she ordered, "I wish to speak with this 'Doctor' and his companion."

The guard left the chamber and Celestia closed the doors behind him. She quickly stepped down from her throne and proceeded to a tall, wide object covered with a beige sheet. She removed the cover just so she could see the reflective surface of the mirror. "I must thank you, Your Majesty," began the Princess, "for being more useful than I expected."

On the other side of the mirror's surface, Princess Celestia was beating on the glass. Her banging was muted by the seemingly thick glass. "You'll never get away with this," she screamed, her shout coming out barely louder than a whisper.

The false Celestia just laughed gently, "My dear Princess, I'm not even halfway done."