It was the beginning of yet another sunny day in the lazy little Equestrian town of Ponyville. Another day, another boring morning...

”What cha reading?” a feminine voice rang groggily from the right side of his bed.

Another boring morning, but he could certainly imagine worse circumstances.

The Doctor met his landlady’s sleepy eyes with a smile. ”Morning, dear. I’m reading about the dilemma of a certain famous figure from your history. You know about Star Swirl?”

”I’ve heard of him.” She affirmed as she stretched, then coddled closer. ”Supposedly he had quite the impressive beard.”

”Leaving aside his outstanding facial hair, apparently he was also quite the savant. The greatest mind of his time, possibly of his era. He even tutored Celestia and Luna. Apparently they might’ve looked up to him.”

”Really?”

”According to this book, at least. And considering who wrote it, I can only assume that it’s true.” He popped the stiffness out of his neck, then propped his head against his left hoof. ”Which only leaves a few odd holes in your Hearts Warming Eve story. That is, more holes than there were already.”

”Oh, no! So they’re lying to us?” Ditzy gasped in mock shock. ”Should we start a coup because they probably just missed a few details during transcription?”

”Well, to be fair, I wouldn’t be surprised if Celestia would’ve preferred it if certain personal details were left out.”

”...Like her having a little sister which she was forced to banish to the moon?”

”Or anything that puts her in any kind of light beside divine. For a while I thought you folk were worshipping your leaders and just making stuff up about them in order to further your propaganda... Thanks again for the clarifications, by the by.”

”What would you do without me?”

”I dunno. Probably be locked up in a mental ward, or prison. Until I got out. That is, of course, unless I didn't just get eaten by wolves in my first few minutes since my arrival. Or I could’ve just sold some of my possessions at a pawn shop and jumpstarted life as a vagabond. It would've certainly been harder to get anything done that way...”

”Count to think of it, why didn’t you leave? If all your tales are anything to go by, you're not one to stick around one place for long. Not that I’m complaining, but...”

He set aside his book and laid back in bed, one arm behind his head while the other slipped under his companion. ”I dunno,” he answered. “I just thought I’d be careful for once. Maybe take it easy and get used to the local customs before heading headlong into an entirely different world that I’ve never heard of. I guess I just didn’t feel like doing anything brash if I didn’t have to.”

”Sounds reasonable enough.”

”Yeah. Me. Reasonable. What is the Multiverse coming to?”

He chuckled alone, while Ditzy remained a tad too quiet for his liking.

A pause, then she asked him, ”Was it because of what happened right before you got here? With the reality bomb?”

”...Maybe.”

She shifted her head to better face him, concern etched on her features. ”Wanna talk about it?”

He smiled sadly. ”Maybe some other time,” as he held her tight.

”Whenever you’re ready,” she gave back tenderly.

It was a normal morning. Dinky was chowing down merrily on the pancakes her aunt had made. Dotes was throwing a mischievous smile their way from time to time, having heard what had happened yesterday and also, commending them for keeping it down last night.

Today Dinky didn’t have school. Luckily for Cheerilee, there weren't that many different generations she needed to teach, the kids only arriving in a range of three to four years difference. There would also be the occasional child conceived outside... mating season, but those were few and far in between. Dinky didn't have that issue. She was in the sixth grade, but only because she managed to impress the teacher enough to earn entering the first generation, and oldest class.(*)

Which meant extra work for the filly. Work which she wasn't entirely keen on getting to. She was hoping she could spend some time with the Doctor today instead. Of course, Ditzy wasn't very keen on letting the child and manchild run off unsupervised, not like she had anything better to do today. She took the day off. She could do that. As long as she pulled her due by the end of the month, it was okay.

The three left for the post office to check for materials which the Doc would need to order, should he want to actually see that clock shop idea of his finally touching water at any point in the future. Vinyl accepted him as a business partner and allowed him to make a few clocks in their now shared lab with their now shared equipment, but he still needs glass, metal for cogs and springs, etcetera. Also, they can’t really earn anything until they present some project worth funding to her college, so he’d need to find some alternate means of gaining money in the meantime. After all, he’d rather not meddle with this world’s technological advancements too much. He’d just hate to deny this Universe’s version of Tesla the chance to actually discover his coil. For now, he just wanted to invent some kind of magic-powered alarm clock. No one really cares who invented the alarm clock in our universe anyway.

”...Ugh, where was I?” the Doctor asks the mother and child beside him.

”Long story short, you still need to get that clock shop running.” She answered, recapping again what the two were discussing.

”Right, right...” as the filly giggled. ”Wait, you actually followed me through my rant that time?”

”I’m starting to get used to keeping up with you.” She smiled as he pulled her in for an embrace and a kiss on her cheek, much to both the child’s and the author’s expressed dismay at witnessing the display of affection.

It was actually quite the accomplishment on her part. He talked so quickly, as was his usual tendency, that the filly gave up on trying to keep up. By the time he got to ”metal for cogs”, her mind was already overheated and smoking. If it weren’t for her mother’s recaps, she wouldn’t have understood anything at all.

They kept going on and on like that for the rest of the way to the post office, where they all decided that he could stand to tinker with whatever spare materials Vinyl could afford to share for now. Because the bloody things were expensive, and the only way he could make any money would be if he bought in bulk.

”Where to now?” asked the mailmare.

”Can we stop by Sugarcube Corner?” asked the child.

”Sure, sweetie. Why not.”

”Actually, maybe we could stop by the town’s taylor first? I want to check if my coat is done yet.”

”You mean at Rarity’s.”

”Yes, and I’m still a bit troubled by your choices in names.”

”We’ve been over this already, Doctor. Several times.”

”Have we?”

”Yes! And every single time you felt the need to go on this rant, you would offer counter-arguments on your own. You’d just go on about some different planet you’d have been to that was even weirder than this one.” She dwelled on that for a while. ”And oddly enough, every time you’d describe a different planet from the last.” She started again, sounding more accusing that time. Much to the Doctor’s confusion.

”Well, yeah. I did travel a lot.”

”You’ve traveled to fourteen different planets that are weirder than Equestria?”

”I... didn’t really count.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. ’I... guess that is something he’d usually do.’

”...Although I’d rather not call them weird. It sounds offensive. They’re just unique in their own way!”

Her head slumped and left ear twitched in irritation. ’Yeah, that is also something he’d normally say’

”Also, I do believe the planet’s called Feyraltia.”

She rolled her eyes. ’Note to self. Next time you want to question the Doctor’s stories, don’t.’ ”No one really uses that name outside an official environment.”

”So what? You call the entire planet by the name of your own continent?”

”Well... It’s just that the entire planet doesn’t normally come into non-official conversation. Sometimes we make that analogy.”

”Don’t you think that’s just a little pretentious?”

”It’s certainly not as pretentious as the name of the planet...”

”Really? Cause I don’t find it that pretentious. It’s certainly not as pretentious as how cutesy wootsy your names are.”

”...Wow. I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

He chuckled.

”What’s so funny?”

”Bar jokes,” was his overly shortened answer, earning raised eyebrows from the filly and mother.

They arrived at Carousel Boutique. Doc knocked at the door. There was no answer.

”Looks like she’s away,” Ditzy inquired, receiving a thoughtful hum in reply. “We can check back after we visit Sugar Cube Corner,” she spoke again, already turning to leave.

The filly smiled wide at the prospect of receiving sweets. On the other hoof, the Doctor felt a shiver run down his spine at the prospect of risking to befoul his mouth with other pear-flavoured confectionaries. The trio kept themselves busy with talking about homework. The foal was lamenting about history being boring, despite there not being that much of it to begin with, and the Time Lord was promising to fix that issue with a determined smile, eliciting a kiss from the mother.

When they arrived at the bakery, they found an irregularity in the form of the line to the cash register being longer than usual. Quite a bit longer, actually, considering how there were ponies outside waiting to get in.

”Earlier late morning rush?” the Doctor inquired. The mare beside him only shrugged.

“I don’t wanna wait for that long!” the child whined. The Doctor answered.

“You have the right idea, kiddo. Waiting is nothing short of wasting your life little by little.” A scrutinizing look on his face, he put a thoughtful hoof to his mouth. “I could pose as a health inspector.”

“They know who you are, Doctor. They know you’re unemployed,” Ditzy shot him down.

“Ah. Well, how about I actually do cause a health hazard?”

“No, Doctor. No. Look, let’s just go somewhere else…”

“Wait. Look.”

The wally-eyed mare and her filly followed his gaze. Approaching the bakery was the Apple family, minus Applejack. They all looked upset, even their dog. The other ponies noticed them, and gave them space.

“What do you think happened?” asked the mailmare. The Doctor only looked more critically.

“Dunno. Let’s ask them.” He answered, following the family in the bakery just as the other customers filed out with worried looks on their faces. Just as Mr. Cake was about to close the door and flip the ‘open’ sign over, the Time Lord put a hoof in the way.

“Hello, Mister Cake. I hope I’m not intruding.”

“You are, actually,” the baker offered back forcefully.

The Doctor decided to drop the jolly attitude. “Are Pinkie and Applejack missing too?”

The baker faltered, then asked, “Who else is missing?”

That’s all the Doctor needed to know, as he invited himself in despite the baker’s better judgement, followed by the mare and child, and regarded everyone else in the room as he approached the staircase. “…Well, Rarity’s boutique was closed, Fluttershy would usually be busy buying groceries and Rainbow would usually be napping around the area of the bakery at around this hour. They’re both missing, and looking by the clouds, someone’s been missing from the weather team. Your bakery also seemed to have been missing a worker this morning, and by the worried looks on everyone’s faces here, I’d say neither Pinkie nor Applejack left notes before they left in the middle of the night?”

“…How did you-”

“Just playing the odds. I need to look like I know what I’m talking about if you’re going to let me go check Pinkie’s room for anything out of the ordinary. Ditzy, could you and Dinky wait here?”

No one had any time to say anything else as he started heading for the stairway. The Doctor didn’t get far, however, as Big Mac cut his way, looking down at him ominously.

The look on the farmer’s face told the Time Lord that he was one explanation away from being bucked out of the establishment.

Luckily, before he had the chance to say anything typically insensitive and stupid, Ditzy piped in to calm the spirits, “Uhm, Doctor? Maybe you should explain why they should give you the time of day right now?”

“An excellent point, dear. You see, everyone,” as he rounded around back to the other occupants of the room, “I’m the Doctor. I deal with problems of the dangerous variety, and if you ask me, six girls that are known to deal with dangerous situations, are very likely to attract more danger to themselves. It is my belief that their sudden disappearance in the middle of the night, without leaving as much as a note, is something to be taken seriously. I also believe that it’s in your best interest to let me see if I can help.”

Everyone else looked at him sceptically. Big Mac spoke up in a booming voice, “And why’s that?” The senior got her aching body from her seat and walked over to look the Doctor in the eye.

The Time Lord only looked her way for an instant, without reservation or hiding, before quickly putting his cocky façade back on and turning back to Big Mac. It was merely within the grace period of a moment of shock, so the older mare would be left asking herself what she just saw, rather than getting a heart attack. She stopped in the spot, as the Doctor intended.

“Because, Big Macintosh, I’m giving you my word that you’d rather not have anyone else trying to help you than me. You can send me off now if you want, but that won’t stop me from making sure the girls are safe.”

The farmer stared him down for a few more moments longer, before chuckling. “You got brass, Doc. Ah’ll give ya that. Alright, fine. You can help.”

“Excellent. Now if you’d just-” The Doctor didn’t have time to take more than three steps around the stallion towards the stairway before he felt a hoof bear down on his shoulder like lead.

“But you better not make me regret it. Fer yer own good.”

The Doctor turned to see him from the corner of his eye, his cocky smile only increasing. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Pinkie’s room looked just about the way you’d expect the pink party pony would decorate it. It looked like a tornado had done a few strategic strikes upon a few children’s birthday parties, then arrived in here and exploded. Twice.

The Doctor gave the room a cursory look. He was accompanied by Big Mac, Ditzy and Mr. Cake. He asked the baker, “I assume her room is usually this well organized?”

“Well, no. Sometimes she forgets to tidy up.”

The Doctor didn’t answer the joke. Instead, he walked over to the bed and studied it intently. ”That’s odd...”

”What is?” the mailmare asked.

”Nothing certain... It’s just odd how the bed sheets were left. It doesn’t look like anyone threw them to the side to get out. Rather, how it would look like when someone just vanished from underneath them. Could be a coincidence, though...”

He walked away from the bed and looked around the room again. He ignored the party decorations on the ceiling and party toys all over the floor, and went straight for the window.

”Big Macintosh. Do you remember if the window in Applejack’s room was open?” as he creaked it wider to study it more thoroughly, and sniff it.

”Yeah, it was. Why?”

”Oh, no reason.”

The Doctor would’ve used his screwdriver over the window if he had it. He’d have to remember to bring it with him when he goes to check the other girls’ houses.

"Did you find anything?" Ditzy inquired, being the only one not entirely left in the dark.

"Nothing certain. A lot of ideas, but I need my screwdriver to make sure. Does either of you remember either of the girls acting strangely last evening in any way?"

"Applejack was acting just fine. She was a might tired from workin' all day yesterday, but other n' that, well... not really."

"What about Pinkie?"

Mr. Cake looked at him funny for a moment before relenting. "Pinkie has always been odd. That aside, no. She didn't give off any reason for worry."

"Was there anything out of the ordinary that happened yesterday? Anything at all?"

The two shook their heads.

"Very well." he sighed. "Thank you for your time. I'll just check around the room one more time to make sure I didn't miss anything. You can go down and have some tea."

The two went down the stairs silently, leaving the Doctor and Ditzy alone.

”So, what do you think?”

”So far? It could be anything. The windows were open, but they weren’t forced open. They might’ve been forced magically, but then whoever did that needed to want to get through the window, so they’d need to either fly in, or use a ladder. But it was more likely that a unicorn was just riding on a pegasus’ back…”

“So you’re not even sure if Pinkie was really foalnapped?”

The Doctor looked at her curiously for a moment. “The girls seem to have gone missing. Chances are it wasn’t by their choice. However, there were no signs of a struggle. So, I am a little stumped.” He went to a drawer and opened it, finding a few balloons burst and float out. ”Why don't you go down and see how they others are holding up? I want to think about this for a bit longer.”

"Alright."

As soon as he was certain she couldn't hear him anymore, he spoke out. "Crossroads."

Soon enough, a familiar crawling sensation ran under the skin on his back.

A voice sounded out from behind him. "You rang?"

He turned around to meet the newly appeared cloaked stallion in the middle of the room, looking as idle and emotionless as last they’d met.

"Quite the genie in the bottle, aren't you? I thought you said you'd stop stalking me."

"I did. I can't help it if I've already seen everything that could've ever happened."

The Doctor didn't think he liked what that meant. "So, after I arrived home yesterday..." He was cut off before he needed to explain further.

"Nothing as graphic or perverse as that. It's more rather just an abstract sort of perception that I can translate into an idea."

"Then why did you explicitly say you've seen everything that could've ever possibly happened?"

"It's just a choice of words. You trust your eyes first and foremost, after all. I trust my "sight" even more. How else am I to refer to it? How do you refer to your perception of time?"

"...Okay. Good point." The Time Lord placated, pensively. "Now regarding why I've called you here..."

"I can't help you."

"I certainly can't say you take too long to answer. Why not?"

"Remember when you asked me how come there aren't any reapers hunting me down?"

"Yes?"

"I'm already threading on thin ice. I don't want to risk it breaking for no good reason."

"...You're willing to risk your life?"

"Yes." Cross answered with no reservations.

"So, if I understand correctly, you can pretty much see anything in the future, except for when you'd die?"

"Yes." the cloaked stranger answered again robotically.

The Doctor remained silent, unconvinced. Eventually Crossroads continued again, suddenly and without warning.

"I see every possible outcome. I see every possible 'what if'. I see the colors of resolve, fate and hope. I see nightmares and regrets tailing behind you, and ambition and desire carrying you forward. I see the wonder in your eyes, and the unspeakable horrors that hold them open so widely. And yet..." He took his cloak off his head and his goggles of his face. "...I'm blind."

His hair was alternating in streaks between dusty gold and pale silver. His eyes, however...

The Time Lord hunched over and puked. He tried to comprehend what he saw, what was there on the strange stallion's face, but he couldn't.

Just as he started to worry about what the Cakes would say, he was relieved to see nothing on the floor.

"...I don't think that was a dry heave."

"The only presence I'm allowed in reality is the one that doesn't affect it in any way. You never saw me. You never knew me. Otherwise, it would mean that I belong in this realm."

"And yet, here you are."

"Am I really?"

With a literal blink of the Doctor's eyes, Crossroads vanished. With only the sound of his voice coming from everywhere, and nowhere at the same time.

"Tell me, Doctor. What is a memory?"

He didn't feel sick anymore. "...It's a lot of things, really. Why?”

“Just answer the question.”

”Physically, it’s neural connections arranged elaborately in order to give out a series of electronic impulses which a different part of the brain can decode. The process of remembering is ions going through cables. But I don’t think that’s what you were asking.”

“Our memories are… our presence in the world. It's how we identify ourselves within the world, and how the world identifies us. We perceive reality, and give it meaning."

Silence. He walked back over to the window.

"Is that what you are? A dislocated memory in the tides of time?"

"A revenant of a time that never came. A remnant from a reality that should've never happened. A perversion of hope itself. There are things you wish to find out, but do not want to know, Doctor."

He sighed. "Remind me not to ask next time."

"We may continue this conversation later. For now, there are ponies that are supposed to be safe and sound at home right now. You need to go find them."

"Isn't there anything at all that you can tell me?"

"...Face your fears. Now, if ever."

Author's Notes:

Not my most clever title so far, but what can you do. They're not all going to be gems.

(*) Pretty sure I got the math right.

Tell me if I've gone too far with the theatrics when introducing Crossroads. I know I've gone pretty far, but I don't know if it would qualify as too far.

I know I've said I'd wait until I finished the rest of the arc, but, well... This is finished. And I've already planned out how the rest goes down. And I'm not expecting to come back to this chapter because I've already done everything I could've ever hoped to achieve.

Most importantly, Crossorads reveals his face! Hurray n' stuff...
Much to the Doctor's chagrin, either way. But hey, he asked for it.

"Also, the author has been complaining about me being too mysterious."

Lies! You'll never get me alive, copper! <runs off screaming bloody murder>

"...You want to hear a joke?"

Your jokes are bad, and you should feel bad for suggesting that!

"Hello, pot."

Shut up!