The Doctor was looking at the Chameleon Arch, wondering exactly how he was planning on using it this time

"The measures I go to help me friends" the Doctor sighed, "Even if they don't know me anymore."

He put the Arch on his head, it was time to take a chance

[…]

The princess of Equestria was sitting at her throne, looking over the documents for her group of elite ponies for something strange

She was expecting three ponies to show up, it needed to be small and versatile to work, but before the assigned time there was a knock at her door

The guards opened the throne room, a brown earth stallion trotted in, he wore a red necktie and his cutie mark was an hourglass, Celestia could swear she knew him, but she wasn't sure how

"Who are you?" the princess asked as he bowed in respect, "You aren't here on the list."

"Ah yes" the strange pony said, "I'm Doctor Time Turner, your sister added me, here's my invite."

The Doctor flipped the psychic paper, Celestia looked perplexed as she slowly nodded her head

"If Luna trusts you then so do I" Celestia said, "I'm happy to have you on board Doctor Turner."

Then the doors opened to reveal the first of the invited guests

It was Spitfire, the leader of the wonderbolts and one of the best fliers in Equestria

Next there was The great and powerful Trixie, a unicorn with an ego that was bigger than the TARDIS was on the inside

Third and last was a pegasus named Daring Do, this pony was ideal for dangerous situations

The ponies lined up in front of the princess, as she briefed them

"In your recent mission you discovered a strange ruin" Celestia said to Daring Do, "However I thought you would do better with a team."

"Trixie would do fine without any of these others." Trixie scoffed

"You'd do better with them" Celestia said, "Each of you has a talent that will assist on this mission."

Trixie eyed the Doctor, "What about him?"

"Doctor Time Turner was invited by Luna for this mission" Celestia answered, "I trust her judgment."

"Daring Do is here for her amazing ability with ruins I think" Spitfire said

"And Spitfire is here for her flight abilities" Daring Do smirked slightly

"You are to retrieve information on these ruins, they could be highly valuable to this country" Celestia ordered

The Doctor was itching to get a word in, but he couldn't risk anyone here questioning him, then came the matter of him not being very adept with hooves

This would be a tough one, but these ruins were important, and he was going to be there

His mind turned back to the fob watch he had in his back pocket, once he opened that he could return to his normal body, hopefully it also saved his outfit with those new settings he put in

"There's a sky chariot waiting for you outside of the castle" Celestia said, "It has all the supplies you'll need."

Each of the ponies looked at each other, then went outside to get on board or fly their way there

Before the Doctor could leave, Celestia stopped him

"I don't know who you are but if you do anything to harm my subjects" She warned

"You have nothing to worry about your highness" the Doctor said

"I should expect so"

The Doctor exited the room, climbing on the back of the chariot

[…]

The flight was uneventful, perfect situation for the Doctor to be stuck in, and the timelord reflected on his decision to disguise as a pony

It was something he still wasn't sure about, but being on his own in this situation always seemed to end badly so he chose to go with a team

And the princess would never trust him if he was still on two legs

So he settled in as best he could and waited for the ride to be over

[…]

It was at least another hour before the chariot set down, the guard apologized that this was as close as they were permitted to land

The Doctor was the first to hop out, he had practiced inside the TARDIS so he would seem capable of actually doing anything with his hooves

Trixie and Daring Do were next, finally Spitfire

"Okay" Daring Do laid out a map, "The ruins are about five miles into the forest."

"Well that far and a brisk pace we could be there by sundown" the Doctor noted

"Trixie would not like to be in that ruin at night" Trixie stated,

"The canopy would be too thick for a decent flyby" Spitfire thought about it, "And the Everfree is messy on the inside, we'd have to be careful."

"We'll be fine" the Doctor said, "After all, we're in this together."

"Right" Darning Do stowed the map in her hat

"Lead the way" the Doctor said

[…]

The Doctor was looking around as they went through the forest, he had heard that this place was dangerous but he never got a good look

Daring Do was in front, Spitfire was second followed by Trixie, then the Doctor was in the back

There were mythological creatures absolutely everywhere, it was quite astonishing, even though the Doctor knew this universe so well

It was several hours before they had to set up camp, there were still no signs of the ruins

"Trixie believes that we are lost." Trixie said as she looked disgusted at her sleeping bag

"We're not lost" the Doctor asserted, "Can't you smell it?"

"Smell direction?" Spitfire laughed, "That's a new one."

"I meant the musty old smell" the Doctor said, "The one that differentiates from the rest of the forest."

"I was thinking the same thing" Daring Do said as she settled in, "I usually know what ruins smell like, so I can tell if they're nearby."

"So Doctor Turner" Spitfire looked to the Doctor, "Care to explain who you are?"

"I'm a watchmaker" the Doctor thought quickly, "Just a watchmaker from Ponyville."

"Wouldn't your mark be a grandfather clock then?" Daring Do inquired

"Not really, I didn't even choose the mark." the Doctor smiled, "The marks choose you."

"Let's get some shuteye" Spitfire then promptly went to sleep

[…]

The next morning the small group of ponies reached the ruins, the Doctor and Daring Do looked for any sort of entrance

"I can't see much, can you?" Daring Do called to the Doctor

"Nothing, just a solid mossy wall." the Doctor called back

"What about this?" Spitfire pointed to a mass of strange writing on the wall

The Doctor looked it over, it was text from a far off planet, clearly they left more than a few research notes

But once the Doctor read into it more, he could tell it was a hint to the puzzle

All four, each prepared in one way. One will stay behind, three will advance, to open the doors you will need a touch from the heart.

"Touch from the heart?" the Doctor asked aloud, "Interesting."

"What do you mean 'Touch from the heart'?" Spitfire asked, "That's just gibberish."

"Maybe to you not to me" the Doctor said, "I'm an expert with languages."

"Well, what is commonly considered from the heart?" the Doctor asked the group

"Your destiny?" Daring Do suggested

"Brilliant, one of us has to do what we were doing when we got our marks." the Doctor attempted to snap before realizing he had no fingers

"I'd need to swipe treasure from ancient ruins" Daring Do shrugged

"Trixie is able to use her talent right here" Trixie said, "Prepare to be dazzled."

Trixie then used her magic, creating fireworks and small displays. The doors to the ruins opened, and the Doctor felt his pulse quicken.

They entered, but before Trixie could enter the doors shut right in front of her

"Trixie demands entry!" Trixie shouted angrily at the doors

"Wait here, we'll keep going!" Spitfire shouted through the doors

"No turning back now" Daring Do looked down the musty and dank corridor

"That's almost as bad as 'what could possibly go wrong'." the Doctor muttered

Daring Do ignored him and rolled a ball bearing down the hallway, nothing reacted

However this did not prevent the trio of remaining ponies to proceed cautiously, as the Doctor kept his eyes out for any signs of what he was looking for

It wasn't even really solid that he went on this expedition, but there was something that told him that he needed to be there when they discovered whatever they found down here

Something was important, and he intended to find out what it was

Once the light level became too low to see, the Doctor handed Daring Do a torch to light

The torchlight was making a bit more difficult to see than sunlight would, but it was the best they had

The small group of ponies discovered a small chamber, but it was completely empty

"Did we come here for nothing?" Spitfire asked, annoyed

"I can almost guarantee that this isn't it." the Doctor said

Daring Do put the torch up on an empty holder, there was a silent click

several switches appeared, each one marked with a letter above it. Text also appeared, a small message

The one who vanished, the one who returns. He always returns, believing he can save them all. He loses everything, and it fades to black. Who is he?

"Cryptic" Daring Do commented, "What do you two think?"

Spitfire shrugged, "What's a word for that riddle?"

"Doctor" the Doctor said

"What?" Daring Do asked

"Just put it in" the Doctor began to work the switches

First D, then O, following with the rest of the letters of his name

Then a small rumble came, and a panel opened on the wall

"A seal, wonder what's in there." Daring Do straightened her hat

"Or a trapdoor" the Doctor said, "Either way, we're going in."

[…]

Trixie was beginning to get bored with simply sitting outside waiting for the others to return. What was that spell the Sparkle had used? A blink?

She stood up, if Twilight could do it, why couldn't she?

The periwinkle unicorn began to concentrate, but before she could blink inside the building something changed. And the island shifted.

It was strange, once Trixie realized that it wasn't moving, but being assaulted by something she couldn't make out

They appeared like shadows, but they held a coherent form that wasn't being cast by anything

Trixie stepped away from the ruins, she wasn't sure what they were but she certainly didn't want them anywhere near her

Then a few turned their heads towards her

[…]

The Doctor took the lead into the antechamber, unsure of what he would uncover here with the others

They came into a room, no treasures or great bounties awaited, neither were there any sort of threats waiting to dispatch them

Instead, on the wall was a carving, it depicted a battle of a pegasus and great shadows, with the form of a unicorn head at the end, in between them was a heart

'Touch from the heart...' the Doctor thought to himself

Underneath the picture of the pegasus was another picture, it showed the heart shattering into several shards, those shards fading out of existence, then there was a strange form of writing underneath that

The Doctor waited expectantly, but the strange text didn't translate, but the TARDIS translated almost anything, which meant that this text was old. Impossibly old.

"What do you make of it Doctor?" Daring Do asked

"Basically?" the Doctor scratched the back of his head, "No idea."

"Great, now what do we do-!" Spitfire was cut off by the sound of several loud bangs on the outside of the temple

"What was that?" Daring Do looked to the Doctor

"We have information" the Doctor said, "And whatever is outside wants it."

He promptly took a vase that was in the corner and smashed the wall, doing so several time so that the depictions and writing were gone

"There has to be an escape route" the Doctor said, looking around

Spitfire looked for another of those panels that had lead into the antechamber, she saw one in the wall leading deeper underground

"Alright then!" the Doctor helped pry off the seal, "We run."

Then they proceeded to run into the tunnels