After consulting Animak on what was okay for his seminars, beings Animak is THE authority on self-assertion, such as when it was okay or when it wasn't. Iron Will wrote out a new stage plan and went on the road for his next show, planning to run a circuit around the country. This pleased the Twins greatly, as it both promoted Animak's ideals, and also promoted the prevention of abusing the Will of Others.

Vinyl got some new sound samples from the goat DJ, whom she learned from Iron's rough translations was named Skim, brother of Milk, son of Curdle and Malt. She instantly made use of them with credit to Skim, because she loved the beats he provided her, and she shared some of her own material with him. Artists co-operating was always inspiring.

Aside from all that, Fluttershy and Big Mac seemed to grow even closer. It was rare to see them apart nowadays, she even regularly visited the farm to help tend their animals. Everypony was worried she was starting to leave her cottage and usual animal friends neglected, but they seemed happy enough.

Today was a lazy day to be honest. Nobody in the “treebrary” as their friends had taken to calling Golden Oaks, felt like leaving today. Not even Animak who was laying next to Blitz, and Kamina was on his other side, sandwiching the thestral between them as the three read another Daring Do novel. Blitz was trying incredibly hard to remain calm, and not blush, get wingboners, or a real boner from how the two giant, sexual beasts next to him shifted and pressed on him. He was enjoying the book though.

All was peaceful. Everyone was going about their own activity. Zecora was upstairs brewing her potions, Trixie was out back, practicing her spells in the firing range, and Twilight was reading yet another giant book she'd yet to complete when-. *FLASH! BOOM!*

A blindingly bright light literally exploded into the center of the library, making the four occupants inside at the time yelp in pain as their eyes and ears stung, and they tried to clear the spots from their vision, and the ringing from their ears. When they came to their senses, they gawked at the sight of another Twilight Sparkle. Only, she was wearing a torn and burned black spandex stealth suit, her fiery purple mane was flowing upwards and back rather than lazily licking about as it usually did, her right eye was covered in an eye-patch, and she seemed frantic.

Both Kamina and Animak's wings instantly exploded with a “pomf” as wingboners graced them. “Twilight! You have to listen to me! No interruptions!” The new Twilight shouted at the Twilight they're familiar with, who had her ears back in shock, and confusion. “Whatever you do! DON'T! PANIC! Things are going to go crazy soon, just take it as it comes; do NOT obsess over it!” She then turned to Animak and Kamina. “Kamina! When you return Cerberus don't-!” Suddenly, the new Twilight was gone in a flash just as soon as she came, leaving them all to blink the spots out of their eyes again.

“What...just happened?” Blitz asked in bafflement.

“Twilight, bedroom, now. Skinsuit and eye-patch in the bottom drawer.” The Twins sprang up, about to dart up the stairs to fulfill a sudden fantasy.

“WAIT! Now?! No! That...that must have been me from the future! I came back to tell me not to panic, and...Kamina not to do something when she returns Cerberus! But Cerberus is the gate guard to Tartarus! What else is going to happen?!” Twilight was on the verge of freaking out, only for Animak to gently backhand her to snap her out of it. “Thanks. Forgot she said not to panic. Okay. Calm down. I...am in control of the situation.” Deep breath. “I, am a calm, focused mare.” Breathe out. “I will not let the situation overcome me.” Breathe in. “I will face it responsibly like the adult I am.” Breathe out. “Ah...much better.”

“What has made our tree home shake? Disturbed my latest potion was by this quake.” Zecora called down from the top of the stairs as Trixie burst into the tree from the back door, her horn alight and ready to fight, only to drop it at seeing everyone okay.

“What just happened? Trixie was distracted from her practice by an obnoxious explosion.” Trixie looked around and noted the singed floor where Future Twilight appeared and then the second one where she disappeared.

“I came from the future to warn us about something! I...I mean; Future Twilight, came back in time to tell me not to panic, and tried to tell Kamina not to do something when she returns Cerberus to Tartarus.” Twilight calmly explained, and began to slowly pace. “She said not to panic, just take it as it comes. I can do that. But I can't not worry about Kamina now. This involves Tartarus, not some harmless random location.”

“Don't worry Twi. I'll be with Kamina whenever this happens.” Animak stated, and Blitz saluted.

“I'll be wherever I'm needed! You can count on me!” Blitz stated with a serious face. He'd actually been taking some training from the local Guard station that was recently added to the town square in place of the original location of Rich's Barnyard Bargains. Rich was of course compensated for having to move his store to a less sales-efficient location on Market Street, as it wasn't central, and pretty much everypony went to RBB. Regardless, the Guards were added since Ponyville attracted trouble like honey does flies, and Spike requisitioned the garrison using money saved up from the town's taxes.

“Thanks Blitz. Knowing my Loyal friend is at my side will make facing whatever is coming to be much easier.” Twilight replied with a smile, and sighed contently. “Okay then, everyone back to normal. Just take it as it comes.” Twilight returned to her book, and the Twins blinked, before having a brilliant idea.

“Sorry Blitz, but we're cutting our session short.” Kamina nuzzled the stallion in affectionate apology before the Twins moved to the front door. “We know just who to ask about this situation. Don't worry, we're not going to do anything crazy.”

===//////>

“This is crazy!” The Twins screamed as they gawked at the inside of a solid blue steel phone booth. “It's WAY bigger on the inside!”

Doctor Hooves, who looked exactly like time Turner, smiled genuinely and chuckled. “That's what they all say, but not usually with the “way” added.”

The Twins took their heads out of the box, and looked at The Doctor incredulously. “Doc; we're special someponies with Twilight Sparkle and Trixie Lulamoon. They're maybe two of the most magically gifted and powerful non-alicorn ponies in the world. An Undetectable Extension Charm is foal's play for them. The only reason the whole library isn't charmed with it is because Twilight doesn't want to lose things in such a massive space. Hard enough to find things as it is.” The Twins explained, and looked back inside. “This though; this isn't a UEC. This space IS this big, this box just seems to be the physical entrance to this space.”

“Exactly! Not many understand that. It doesn't change the fact that the connection between them is solid enough, that anything affecting this access point affects the rest of the ship as well.” The Doctor led them into the large ship, yet the two massive hippogriffs had issue with the tight spaces caused by all the consoles. “Mind yourselves. Any slight fiddle with any of these consoles could fling us across all time and space.”

“Thanks for the warning....” The Twins nervously replied as they clenched their wings and tails tighter, wishing they could change their shape whenever they wanted and not just on a surge of whim, inspiration or hard focus and practice, otherwise they'd shrink down to being normal ponies to avoid messing with all these delicate instruments.

“Now. You say Twilight traveled to about half an hour ago, from an undisclosed distance into the future, yet was clearly near in the future considering that Future Twilight wasn't much older than current Twilight?” The Doctor idly asked as he expertly moved knobs, levers, and pressed keys on massive interfaces with a fluidity of complete familiarity.

“Yes.” They confirmed, and watched the brown on brown earth pony go about his work. “Um...say, Doctor, what's going on with you, Derpy and Time Turner?”

The Doctor blushed brightly as he looked to his hoof, and smiled lovingly at the gold band on his left fetlock, and more specifically; who it represented. “Well...see...it's an...odd thing.” Doctor stalled as he continued his calculations. “Well...I AM Time Turner, yet I'm not.” Doctor said, making the twins blink in confusion. “Let me clarify. I am The Doctor, but I am also Time Turner. I'm not originally from this universe, and because I did not fit the laws of it, I was forced to take the shape required of me through Regeneration. I won't bother you with the finer details of that messy business, but my form was one that already existed in the local-space/time. So in order to avoid an existence-ending paradox...we fused. It's rather discombobulating, but in order for me to time travel, Time Turner; my exact existential copy, must remain in local time.”

“Oh! So when Derpy says she's married to Time Turner; you're not in the local space/time, but when she says she's married to you....” The Twins left off, making the Doctor grin as he played along.

“I'm in local space/time. I cannot, at any time, take the place of Time Turner unless I am where I am supposed to be in time. At the moment; I am both Doctor Hooves and Time Turner at once. But, if I were to use the TARDIS to travel, it would just be me, while Time Turner remains to hold down the fort if you will.” The Doctor chuckled to himself. “So to say; Derpy's married to two stallions at once. She knows this, but doesn't really care. She loves us both. That mare is so wonderful....” Doctor paused to sigh happily as he leaned on the console with a hoof on his cheek. “I am so lucky to have her and little Dinky.”

The Twins suddenly had an epiphany...and realized that they'd never made physical contact with Time Turner or The Doctor, and edged closer. The Doctor noticed this, and backed away nervously. “What are you?” They asked in morbid fascination.

“Don't do it! You'll become something far worse than what you're meant to become!” He quickly stuffed a hoof to his mouth. “Forget I said that!”

“What will we become?” They asked seriously. This was something they only occasionally thought about, because it scared them. What would they eventually turn into? Being such a mishmash of so many things, a glorious chimera, and they only had the barest portion of what this world had to offer.

“You are meant to become the ultimate form of sentient life in this universe. You will eventually do so. How you do so...there are few ways things turn out good.” Doctor decided there was no hope of avoiding a confrontation. Their fate was practically set in stone regardless. It wouldn't matter.

“What do you mean? Will we do something horrible? Will we...become like...them?” They asked in scared tones. Of all beings, they feared becoming like the Anti-Spirals more than anything.

“No! No. You don't have to worry about that. But you will have to worry about the Spiral Nemesis coming about eventually. And you will be the only ones to decide whether or not it will come about, saving this universe, or allowing innumerable more to be born of it's destruction.” The Doctor warned them, and circled around them to get back to his console. “Now then, now that we've established a “no touching” rule, I think I can pinpoint this flux in time from the time you specified, to nearly exactly a week from now, in the early morning of next Tuesday.”

“Okay. So Cerberus is supposed to leave the gates of Tartarus within the week. Thanks Doctor.” Animak was about to absently pat Hooves on the back only for Kamina to grab his arm, and them to strain against each other. “Sample...must!” Animak's face was deranged, desperate. Kamina's the same but for different reasons.

“Resist! RESIST!” Kamina pulled Animak away from the calm but worried Doctor, as Kamina practically had to drag her brother away. “We're stronger than this!”

“But not me!” Animak managed to dig his claws into the metal floor, making progress in nearing Hooves, who didn't move. If they did this; it was their own fate to be determined by them. He had no power to alter this. It was destined. One cannot alter a Constant in Time. He'd already tried. They were untouchable.

“NO!” Kamina used her magic to try and pry him off and out, only for him to negate it by using a blanket Null spell. “Ani don't!”

“We must have it!” Animak reached for Doctor's chest, and he sighed as the prince tapped his breast with a finger.

“AH~!” And instantly, the Twins were knocked out in unbridled agony.

===//////>

They awoke later, unsure how long, but they were outside in a pile of hay. Feeling like their bodies were made of lead...or rather, jelly. They were all jelly once, after all. Little jelly eggs in jelly. “Ugh...Ani...no more unknown samples....”

“Sorry...couldn't resist....” Animak hissed as he got up, and shook the hay off of him. “Where are we?”

“Eternity.” They both turned their heads to Hooves, who clicked his tongue at Animak. “Need before greed Time Tot, not the other way around.”

“What did you just call me?” Animak asked in confusion as he massaged his neck, while Kamina was more than happy to keep supine in her hay pile.

“A tot, for that's what you are in terms of my kind's lengthy measure of age. Since you're both now of my kind, however enhanced you are, I must now inform you of certain things.” Hooves cleared his throat. “I am The Doctor, or Doctor Hooves here in my new home. I am a being known as a Time Lord for simplicity's sake. We have extremely long lifespans, measuring up to at most around 130,000 years. Now, that doesn't really matter to you since you're nigh immortal. And now you're even harder to kill.”

“How's that?” Kamina asked as she rolled over.

“Time Lords undergo a process known as Regeneration when they are about to die. It completely reforms the body from every physical aspect, including gender, to even personality, but leaves memory untouched. Time Lords can only do this 13 times before they must certainly face death. So, you now have 12 more lives basically. Only, since you're ageless, you have 12 more evasions of certain death.” Hooves shrugged nonchalantly. “Like I said; something far worse. Especially if you go down some of the darker paths I've seen.”

“We won't be like that.” The Twins stated factually.

“Then you won't.” The Doctor smiled gently at them. “You're both such powerful beings, not just in body, or magic, but your hearts and souls as well. If you will do something, you'll do it. If you won't do something, you won't. What happened earlier was one of the definite outcomes. If I had not revealed myself to you, or evaded contact, you would have never acquired Time Lord DNA. But because you sought me, or Time Turner out for our guidance; it was meant to happen. My trying to dissuade you earlier was from force of habit of trying to prevent the inevitable.” Hooves chuckled darkly and self-depreciating. “Think a few thousand years would have been enough to learn the futility of that.”

The Twins looked at the ancient stallion sadly, and both approached him to hug him on either side. “Hey...it's alright. You have everything now, don't you?”

“Yes.... Derpy and Dinky.” Hooves smiled happily. “We were young...well, Time Turner and Derpy were young. We fell in love...had Dinky a bit soon...but even though we were only 14 at the time, pony society is so much more accepting of things like that. Especially since it was the first year the Cycle hit her, and we were clueless when we ignored our parent's warnings of the upcoming event.” Hooves blushed while the Twins nodded in understanding. “She was so fierce, it was unlike her.”

“Didn't change the fact it was hot.” They nodded sagely in complete understanding.

“Yeah...anyway. I've been living here, with her for the past decade. The only thing that worries me is her and Dinky's eventual short-lived lives ending without me. I still have a good several thousand years to go, if I don't just outright off myself, or get killed too much.” Hooves bemoaned.

“We can fix that.” The Twins answered, and Hooves sighed.

“I know, but this is their decision more than mine. I've already told Derpy what I am, but Dinky is kept in the dark still since she's at the age where little fillies become right hellions even if they don't mean to be.” Hooves blushed as he realized something. “You're still hugging me.”

“And?” They asked slyly.

“...Nothing. It's nice.” Hooves admitted with a smile.

“You're welcome.”

===//////>

After figuring out what happened, the Twins left The Doctor be so he could go pick up Dinky from school on time. Apparently, Time Lords are just so genetically advanced that even their current bodies weren't ready for the sheer pain the transition would cause them, which was why they blacked out and Hooves moved them outside into a couple hay piles so their convulsing wouldn't damage any of the TARDIS controls.

They got back home no worse for wear. “Oh, you're back! Where'd you go?” Twilight asked when she looked up from her book at the sound of the door chime. The book was much further in than earlier. Likely, to help cope with the anxiety, she was reading even more intensely than usual.

“We visited Doctor Hooves. He's an expert in time travel and magic involving it, you can speak to him later if you want. Anyway, he used his equipment to measure the likely point your future self came back here from, and he says around the early morning of next Tuesday.” They dutifully reported to her, and sat down. “Now then...about that skinsuit and eye-patch....”

Twilight blushed, grinned and quickly raced them up the stairs.

Author's Notes:

Yes. Serious business the next few chapters. Been waiting for this~!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5zoeYZNUPY

Ugh...too much spaghetti lately....