Author's Notes:

Disclaimer. Big Ben isn't really the name of the clock tower. That would be the Elizabeth tower. Big Ben is actually the nickname of the big bell inside the Elizabeth tower.

The last two chapters were where the Romance tag became apparent. This chapter, however, is where a whole new level of touchiness gets reached.

I am sad to confess that this version of Equestria had some seemingly dumb wars going on. All I can say to my defense, however, is that most of this violence was due to outside influence. I can't say much more than that without risking to spoil anything. Let's just say that the Hooded Pony (man, that name sucks...) isn't the only character working unseen currents.

Ponies are a minor part of this world. They're one of the more peaceful species. Essentially, herbivores.
There are carnivores here, and carnivore societies. And those aren't even the worst things to ever grace this world.

There are things that make dragons look like cute little puppies. Things that go bump in the night, and things that make those latter things seem like minor nuisances. There are also things that enslave your soul, or drive you insane just by gracing you with their presence... Remember my mentioning a place called Dagon Fel? You get three tries to guess who fell there.

Shit, I already said too much... On an unrelated note, yes, I used another mental link. Sorry, was not my intention to make a cop out. It was initially just the most logical thing that happened. Doc's a powerful psychic, Ditzy has questions, it was less something I intended and more the logical outcome. What happened in Foal Necromancer was a complete coincidence. I promise never to use this sort of thing again.

Regarding the Mare Do Well episode, which was the only episode in which an electric dam appeared, I strongly support that that episode was not canon, given how bad it was. I'd rather think it was just the result of Cutie Mark Crusaders' attempt at gaining writer/publisher marks. Foal of the Forest's Moguera had the right idea. Anyway, taking that into consideration and remembering that this story has the "alternate universe" tag checked, one can argue that I'm in my right to believe that this world doesn't have electricity, or any explicit technology beyond the steam engine, or the eprouvette.

It was nearing midnight. The two ponies upstairs were sound asleep, it seemed. It was a good thing, thought the other two downstairs, preferring either not to be caught in such an intimate circumstance, or not to have such a delicate procedure interrupted. Ditzy and the Doctor were facing each other, forehead to forehead, eyes closed, trying to manage a 'conversation'. The Doctor owed her a few explanations, and since they've found such a convenient means of sharing information, why not use it?

To answer that question, there's the matter of the personal nature of what they were doing. There was a reason why the Time Lord didn't make a habit of resorting to this means of communication.

It wasn't an urgent reason that convinced him to make a compromise, just a combination of convenience and common courtesy. He owed Ditzy a few answers. Where he was from to ever explain why he was such an odd person, why and how he came to arriving on this world, what he really was... Ditzy barely knew the superficial explanation, and she didn't like it. She'd had enough and wasn't about to take no for an answer. That was just the kind of person she was, something which the Doctor had learned to recognize and admire by now.

She knew nothing short of him being an alien from beyond this world. It wasn't a satisfactory answer by far, only a means of coming to the agreement that the tale would've just been too long and nuanced to be given justice with forced answers. But now? Well, now she was offered a chance she couldn't pass off. She was more than a little curious about the eccentric alien she'd let take residence in her house, especially now that she saw what he used to look like before.

Also, there actually was another thing that only happened recently which was now pressing on her. What he had said in Zecora's hut, what was he talking about? He led to the downfall of another race? He couldn't be serious, could he?

Nah, it was probably just another one of his alien oddities. He couldn't possibly have meant it...

She could force him to make her understand now. Not that she believed that he could hurt anyone, just... she just wanted to make sure. After all, she did have that possibility. She could find out pretty much anything she wanted. The mere thought made the mailmare feel as anxious as a filly on Heart's Warming. She was just simply giddy, and the position she was in was not helping.

Ditzy burst into laughter. Again. She couldn't help it, the situation was just so awkward that it was long since beyond simply feeling embarrassed. She would've needed to be either incredibly stupid or prudish to not find it all amusing, especially since the Doctor was actually trying his best to behave seriously for a change.

"Oh, come now. Bear with me for just a few more seconds, will you?"

Reverting a calm person into a meditative state, then visiting her mind is something a Time Lord can do relatively easily. Arranging his own complex mind so it can support visitors without risking to give them brain damage is something pretty different. First off, the integration process might take a few moments, as he scans and adapts his mental state to accommodate. Secondly it presents a little difficulty when the person (or pony) in question is not, in fact, that psychically advanced. He had to revert his own mind into a secure, passive state, which meant disabling some of his natural defensive systems and sorting his more dangerous memories out of reach. Then he had to guide Ditzy into actually taking the initiative herself. Manageable, if only a bit tricky. Regardless, it was the only way he could finally get it all over with.

It was all a bit too personal for him. Still, it would've been best to just get it all out of the way. He realized that he was going to need her full support, so it would be in his best interest to not hold back on offering her the answers she needs. It would also be best to make her understand a few certain things about himself. He owed it to her to tell her the kind of place he'd come from, in case his fears of his old life following him into this world would turn out to become a reality.

When they finally established what they intended, it was similar to last time. There were bookcases, a whole lot of them, though they seemed more the kind of furniture you'd find in a laboratory or a shop, rather than a library. Also, among the books were the occasional trinkets and baubles.

It was just as dark as her library. There were no windows, a lot of lamps and candles were necessary to offer light. And there was also something... else. Something reminiscent of the sound of ticking. It was very familiar to a break between a clock's tick-tock, somehow stretched on into an indefinite pause. She was waiting for the sound to start again, but it didn't.

"You like it?" the Doctor asked from beside her, to the slightly lesser surprise of the mailmare this time.

"It's... nice, but what's with the Hearts Warming globes?"

"Too much knowledge, I had to compress some of it by category."

"...Inside crystal globes?"

"Do you have a better design in mind?" He shrugged at her, then walked over to one of said globes. Colorful lights shone from the babule's interior, like an aurora, knitting into images above it that changed too quickly to be perceived. "It's actually very usable technology for me. No need to waste time flipping pages." He then mumbled distractedly as the lights cut off. "No, this isn't the right one..."

He put the globe back and tried another one. Ditzy witnessed what was happening bemusedly, barely even questioning anything anymore. 'Sure, why not.' While her guide was distracted, she tried to pick out the sound of that clock she was only somehow aware was there.

"And what's with that... feeling? It's like looking into a broken clock, trying to figure out what's wrong with it."

He stopped his... scrying, put the odd object back in its place and faced her, concerned. "Oh. You can still pick that up? Sorry about that. I tried putting that little bit of Time Lord consciousness away, but I suppose we're still a bit close to its source here. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a little distracting is all."

He nodded in return. "Well, if you start feeling confused or, say, like you're going insane, be sure to tell me, okay? Let's just try to find someplace safer, nonetheless."

The Doctor took her hoof and led her to a gold and brown doorway. He opened it, then Ditzy's vision was flooded with light. The next thing she knew, she was on a hill overlooking an actual city of bookcases, a lawn table nearby made of the same crystal as the globes. From where they were, with the weird lamps and candles offering for lighting, looking either like rounded, hanging tree branches, or those things she'd heard of. Coral, was it? Colors of tan-brown and deep blue, Ditzy experienced what it was to overlook a city at night, something which she only ever had the chance to see, once...

With Finn, back before what happened to Neigh Orleans...

She snapped her head back to the present.

"Where were we earlier?" Ditzy asked, suspecting she missed something. She was right, and the Doctor smiled at her astuteness.

"The archives. This is the west section of the virtualization of my memories, where we are now. But earlier, we were just looking through the "you are here" section." He offered, walking her to take a seat at the table.

She couldn't help but pick out the major landmarks in the distance. It wasn't something she could ignore although she was trying. A ferris wheel in one place, a spire tower in another distant corner, a glass pyramid behind her, a few windmills in the far distance, and even further away there was a large clock tower. Somehow, that clock caught her eye the most. It seemed...

"Try not to look at the clock tower too much. I'm using it to focalize my connection to the time stream. We should be far enough away to avoid any ill effects, however it was never a good idea to stare directly at the sun."

He trailed off when he saw what she actually found more interesting than the tower of madness. Apparently she was taking exception to the presence of a swimming pool rather close to their location... one of many of its like. She glared at him, only being able to ask him, "...Why?", rather demoralized by the sheer oddity of the sight.

"Why not?" was the Doctor's playful answer, a sly smile on his face. She conceded with a sigh. "Feeling better?" he asked afterwards, a fair bit of concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." she shifted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable at her surroundings despite how amazing it all was. She tried to soldier on, "This place is amazing."

"Thanks. I had it decorated for a more homely atmosphere. Reminds me of my Tardis... well, the base theme anyway. As you might've noticed, there are a few landmarks. They're dedicated to certain places I've been to. Helps me sort my memories out."

Ditzy could only offer him a sheepish grin in return. "Uh huh... Sorry, I'm sure this was important, but what was the Tardis again? I remember you explaining it to me before but..."

"The Tardis." He cut her off longingly. "My Tardis. Stands for Time And Relative Dimension in Space. It's my ship... and my home. It's the blue police box I would sometimes mention from time to time."

"Oh right, the police box!"

"I'll show it to you tonight... together with a few other things." he explained, looking ahead.

"Yeah, which reminds me. I hope this won't last too long, I have work to get to in the morning."

"Don't worry, we have plenty of time."

The mailmare rose an eyebrow at him accusingly. The Time Lord relented and rubbed his chin in thought. "Do you know how time flows slower when you're dreaming? No? Well, it does. While we're in this meditative state, it's pretty much the same thing. Essentially, your mind is actually able to process a lot faster than reality usually allows. It's actually so fast that you don't even have time to sort everything into your memory. Luckily you also have me to help you along, if only as far as making sure you don't forget anything, like one would do with most dreams and dream-like states. An hour spent here equals to a few seconds in normal time. So... it's not going to be a matter of running out of time, but a matter of fatiguing from the connection instead."

She'd yet to fully shed her doubt, if her still persisting glare was anything to go by.

"Not buying it?"

"Nope."

"You should. I'm in the time business after all. Plus, I don't recall ever lying to you."

"Of course you don't..." she sighed.

"Anyway, here we are. We have all of my memories to pick from. What should we start with? We don't have to make due with just storytelling anymore, we can jump in the event itself! How's that sound?"

He dragged his hooves across the crystal table, and a colorful projection emerged from its center. Above appeared a slideshow of blurry pictures, which he cycled through faster than Ditzy could make anything of them. "I've got so many memories, it's hard sorting through them sometimes. How about this." He stopped at a particular picture which enlarged to engulf the mare's vision. Her surroundings changed to those of a spectacular scene. She could feel the light blue sand under her hooves and the glistening clear water beating across it, she could hear the beautiful, alien creatures in the distance. "What do you think? The blue beaches of Selena 5?" Then her surroundings changed again. "Or maybe the Floating Islands of Valora?" and again, "...The Medusa Cascade...?"

Ditzy was trying pretty hard to hold her mouth from falling open. The name of the last one was fitting, in a way. The cloud giants were so beautiful you couldn't move, you were practically stone as you greedily took in the many details of the view. Focusing and living the image, wanting nothing more than to keep looking for just a few more moments.

This time, she expected the Time Lord to be beside her, just out of sight again. She faced him, just a tad emotional from the sights. "...Those all look great, Doctor. Maybe we'll visit them some other time. But right now, I wanted to know a little more about the alien living in my guests' room, not vacation resorts. So... How about your home?"

He shifted awkwardly in place. "Well..."

"Come on, Doctor. I'm sure your home is wonderful."

"Oh, but it was... It's just that, well..."

'Was?' Ditzy's eyes widened, then saddened.

He didn't really know what to say. It wasn't any problem at all to actually bring out the pictures from his dusty old album, but it hurt. It hurt every time he remembered his old home. The kind of melancholy he felt was like his hearts were about to give out at any moment. And to actually see it, through the eyes of the mind...

"Doctor?... You don't have to show me if you really don't want to."

"A trade." he offered suddenly.

"...Huh?"

"I'll show you how it was. My home. My first home. The place that I tried to leave behind. In exchange, I want to know about the Last War."

"...Seriously?"

"Yeah. What do you say?"

As always, either he failed to notice when he said something wrong, or he noticed too late and just kept charging in full-speed. Ditzy didn't really care much for him attempt to save face.

"Look. I know that right now, it's in your best interest to learn as much as possible about this world. And given that the local library offers next to nothing on what you're looking for, you need to go looking for alternative sources. But asking to go into someone else's mind just for what? For this?! Were you actually planning on this?"

"What? No!"

She disappeared before he even finished.

Back to reality, she picked herself back up out of bed and started towards the door.

"Ditzy, wait. Just let me explain!"

She snapped back at him, irate over the situation. "Look. When I asked you and you said it was alright for me to go poking in your mind, all I wanted was to know who you are! You don't want to remember your home, I get that. I don't like remembering about Neigh Orleans either, but I'm sure as Tartarus not going to use my own memories as bargaining chips!"

Her voice managed to remain low this time, her eyes focused for every and any small detail. She wasn't letting her bad disposition take hold of her, she was using it to bore holes in her antagonist's skull.

She continued, "I didn't think it would be that big of a deal! It just seemed so convenient; just conversing in private, showing things we can't just describe with words, or fail to understand... and for once we didn't have to worry whether the other was telling the truth or not!"

She took a short break to gather her thoughts. "...Look. You're a nice guy. Really. It's just that, I've just now learned that there's actually a lot more to you than I had originally thought. Besides the whole doomsday scenario prophecy, despite what you really are... You're incredible, but I've only realized today how much you haven't told me. "

"What I wanted..." he eventually managed to interrupt, "...was to pay you back for what you did for me until now. Which I've yet to be able to fully compensate. It's not that I feel indebted, or that I don't want you to think I don't appreciate your support. It's just that, you bared with me all the way. You took me in, suffered my eccentricities, and by all means you deserved to know more about me. My offer might've been a bit unsavory, but I give you my word that there were no hidden agendas. You were free to decline, I just thought that it would've been easier that way... As things are now, any knowledge would, indeed, be useful to me. So, what I wanted was for you to have access to the same courtesy that I received. I just thought it would be fair this way."

She was past being angry with him now. She was just weary, like the first time they'd met. Which was appropriate, since she felt she didn't even know him anymore. "...I don't want to know about your war. Mine was more than enough."

"Very well. But I still insist on showing you a few other sights... "

"I'm not finished talking. What I wanted to say was, that I really don't want to know about your war. But I do still need to know what you meant outside Zecora's hut. What you said was that you caused the downfall of another race. So... what exactly was your role in your war? Is there something I should know?"

A new day, a new sunrise. The teapot was whistling downstairs, calling everyone to breakfast. Dinky and her aunt were going to try to find out what happened the day before. However, it seems that by the time everyone else woke up, the Doctor was already gone. Oh well, no matter. They knew better than to try to force something out of the Doctor anyway. Every time they'd ask anything he didn't want to talk about, he'd manage to evade quite effectively. Dinky seemed willing to overlook this, but Dotes' ability to tolerate him slowly wore down.

They just decided they'd only ask Ditzy instead. For some reason, though, the mailmare wasn't really in a talkative mood either. She managed to convince Dinky there wasn't anything to worry about, that it was just a long and dull day and they were both very tired. She didn't convince Dotes, though. After her niece went to school, she confronted her sister again.

"Good job keeping her from worrying. You were more convincing that time." the younger sibling offered pensively, her head on her hooves on the table, not-so-vaguely reminiscent of a pouncing position.

"And I guess you're still expecting an explanation, right?"

Dotes got up. "You pretty much stormed out of the house yesterday. You left us to worry all day and only arrived after sunset!" she glared.

The mailmare's ears drooped. She looked around the room, trying to figure out what to say to her sister.

Dotes resumed, laying her head back forlornly as she looked away, "I was just lucky Dinky didn't know how worried she was supposed to be, otherwise I would've probably needed to convince her all day that you both were still okay. And then, when you finally came back home, it seems you did it right after a few drinks... Honestly, Ditzy, what were you thinking?"

At this point, Dosey looked of a slight red tint in her cheeks. She kept this inside over the night, waiting for her niece to leave for school. So, of course she might've been a little upset when she said these things. She was going to confront the so-called Doctor as well, just to see what kind of person he was under pressure.

"Well?"

"Well, I guess you do need to hear what happened yesterday after all."

"Well, gee, I don't know. I certainly don't think I need to know everything. Just, of course, maybe what you were thinking. Last night. In his room... Yelling his name."

The mailmare went a shade crimson, but didn't have time to say anything as her younger sibling continued, "And honestly, I didn't think you'd be that violent, sis! No wonder the Doctor ran away this morning."

"Wait, what? NO! It wasn't like that!... Wait. He ran away?"

"Yeah, he did. Probably like the last guy that..." She stopped short. She realized what she was saying a bit too late. It wasn't even like that, why did she even bring it up?

Ditzy got up and walked into another room. She didn't need to hear that.

"Oh Celestia... Me and my big snout. Ditzy, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it..." She followed after.

"Dosey, nothing happened last night. Honest!"

"Okay then, what did?"

"All we did yesterday was talk. That's all! I'm sorry for making you worry, but we might've made a stop on our way back from Zecora's hut..."

"From WHERE?!"

"...Which, by the way, actually turned out to be a very decent pony, once you bother to know her! We visited her because the Doctor was worried about her! Can you imagine, living all alone in the middle of the forest? And to think that the whole town was treating her like some kind of freak..."

Dotes gave her a suspicious look at first, which gave way to a bit of guilt. "Okay. Fine, but that doesn't explain why the Doctor was having trouble looking me straight in the eye last night. I mean, what did you do? Got him drunk so you could take advantage of him?"

Ditzy burst out into a short fit of laughter. "What? Dosey, we didn't do anything last night!"

"Then why could I hear you shouting at him from his room?"

"Unbelievable... Dosey, do I really give that idea?"

"No, but you're not that far off. For all I know, deep down inside my sister could be a Casaneighva! I can't know, you never go out!"

The mailmare shook her head to the side, a humoring smile on her face. "Dosey, we talked. That's all we did yesterday. I might've stumbled across a few of his memories that I shouldn't have... but I don't think they were enough to have him run away."

"Uh huh..." the younger sister rang off thoughtfully. Her curiosity was piqued, but she didn't want to give anything away. "Care to tell what exactly you've gotten out of him?"

"Well, I guess I could tell you, but there might be a few things you might find a little hard to believe."

"About the Doctor? No way."

Well, what could she do? She deserved an explanation, so might as well have her tell the whole thing. She really needed to talk to someone else about this as well. She needed an objective judge to understand the whole thing, since it was all insane enough anyway. And who else to talk to about it than her dear sister?

She's always been there at her side. They both shared everything, their accomplishments, their troubles, their house... They didn't really have anyone else besides each other and Dinky. She was more than family, she was just simply there for her. And she did her best to be the same for her younger sibling. Unfortunately, it seems she would all too often wind up on the receiving end.

So there she was, our dear wally-eyed mare. She was looking at her little sister, wanting so hard to tell her. But she couldn't.
How could she? It was all just simply insane. She couldn't possibly try her that way.

While she was deliberating, Doseydotes started to worry about what could possibly be heavy enough to deserve this long pause. "...Sis?"

"Oh, well... It's actually a long story. He has a lot he'd wish to forget. From the war."

"That's it? Well, honestly, he might want to wait in line... Either way, shouldn't we go looking for him?"

"...No, I'm sure he's fine. He'll show up eventually, it seems he doesn't really have anywhere else to go anyway."

"Alright, if you say so." Dotes relented. "But just for the record, try not to scare him like that next time, will you? Celestia knows, we could use his rent."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"Not until one of us drops dead."

This is going to be a long day... Fortunately though, it seems she wasn't that tired this morning. Looks like the Doctor was telling the truth about the time flow after all. Fancy that.

This morning, from the Doctor's perspective.

He couldn't sleep last night. He managed a second conversation, they both had found out everything they needed to know. By the end of it all, Ditzy faded out, it seems she fell asleep. The rest of the night, he had to serve the role of a pillow.

"Poor thing, her war took her everything she had."

It's hard to believe what tragedies such peaceful creatures might hide. It seems she lost loved ones.

It wasn't as bad as galactic genocide, but it was bad enough. Neither tales were easy to tell, but they did offer precious insight he needed, as well as apparently offered him respite from her incessant prodding. A whole week he managed to avoid unnecessary subjects, but tonight he let her smell blood. And it wasn't a wonder that she was so compelling. After what she went through, she actually turned out amazingly well.

Some managed to save themselves from the damage more than others. One of them denied any of it ever happened. She is also currently housed in the local hospital, barking like a dog.
Another one picked up drinking. Others got away through other means...
The local librarian, for instance, managed to escape her nightmares by dreaming about the distant lands described in her books. She went on an excursion with a friend, soon followed by her ex husband. None of them were ever heard of again.

Dotes was never the same after that day. Not really.

There were others as well, from two smaller towns and a farm village. Surprisingly, those were apparently a lot less affected. Similarly surprising, the respective survivors were much less prone to manifesting such severe cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It became apparent that Ditzy's bad eye might be a symptom of that, of some sort. Regarding Dotes, however, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about her. Perhaps she would be a bit overbearing at times, or she'd stare at him critically at other times when she thought he didn't notice. But so far, nothing appeared wrong with her.

The Doctor thought back to what Ditzy asked Zecora in her hut. Whether her prophecy was describing anything similar to what happened then.

She was crying in her sleep. The Doctor just laid there, on his back. Considering variables.

Letting his mind wander for a while.

He decided he'd had enough at some point, and needed some fresh air. "It seems like the start of a nice day, anyway, if you don't count the few black clouds that gathered. Funny finally seeing storm clouds, I guess even fairy tales have darker days.

He started talking to himself. It wasn't like he could do anything about the fact that he didn't have anyone to listen to him. He just needed to better sort his thoughts.

"I could use a short stop at the local bakery, though I don't have any money on me. Or any pockets.

"Guess I should've gotten a job by now? Yeah, I guess. I don't know why I have so much trouble finding a job, I usually have great social abilities. It's just that everyone here is so skittish. Now, at least, I know why. Even so, it seems my lack of experience in a normal social setting is finally giving me trouble as well.

"Who knew the schedule was so important to keep? It seems I shouldn't be so late for work... For a time traveler, it seems surprisingly hard to arrive on time. Pity, I was looking forward to trying out as a waiter.

"And then there was that time at the flower shop. What is with this body, with such strong cravings for weeds? I didn't even notice as I gulped down half the stock. Poor lad, the manager fainted when he saw what I did.

"Who would've thought. The Doctor, defender of all of time and space; He saved the Universe more times than anyone could count, but he can't keep a bloody job. A normal life never was my thing, not since I started traveling anyway...
I need to find a way to get some pocket change. I need to find something I can actually do for a living. Not easy thinking on an empty stomach, though...

"This grass looks pretty tasty... Oh well, I am a horse, sort of, so I suppose there's no harm in helping myself."

Just as he started (and it was actually rather tasty, you know how food always seems better when you're hungry), he heard a rather high-pitched gasp from inside a nearby bakery. He turned to look, only to see something of a hot pink color dash out the door, straight towards him. It was rather surprising, he felt his hearts stop as it looked as if the pink haze was going to knock right into him, only to stop suddenly in front of him. If that didn't make him fall on his flank, then the tide of words that suddenly erupted right onto him was surely going to change that.

"Ohmygosh! Why are you having grass for breakfast? Is it that you're new here and you don't have enough bits for a decent meal because you couldn't find a decent job yet? Which reminds me, you're not from around here, are you?[...]"

The sheer surge of possibilities, axing around the hyperactive, loud-mouthed pink pony in front of him just made his mane stand on end. Everything about her just screamed of paradoxes and broken laws of physics. How did he not notice this by now?

"[...]likes muffins. Do you like muffins? Oh, but where are my manners, I didn't tell you my name. Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?"

"Uh... The Doctor...?" he manages to give out, despite his massive confusion. He's not used to being confused, but he managed to hold down his typical "what" that he'd ask every one time he felt that way. This instance was a bit overwhelming the way it already was.

"No, silly, I'm Pinkie Pie, not the doctor. Say, if you were looking for a doctor, then I can take you to..."

"No, I meant my name is the Doctor. It's what people call me. I answer to that title... I, uh... am, actually, not from around these parts, so you're right about that. Say, could you talk a bit slower? No offense, I'm quite the talker myself, but you're rather hard to keep up with. (with all the paradox energy around...)"

"Oh, you mean I was talking too fast again? Sorry, I kind of do that whenever I meet someone new. You see, I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville, and whenever i meet somepony new in town, I get really excited like I did now! Anyways, why are you eating grass for breakfast, mister Doctor? Does it have to do with some medicine you prescribed? I suppose eating greens is healthy, but why would you follow a prescription you'd prescribe to somepony else?..."

"It's not a prescription, I was just hungry. And you can prescribe something to yourself. Usually, anyway."

"(dramatic gasp) So I was right! You can't afford a decent breakfast, can you?"

"Well, yes, I guess I can't..."

"That does it then!" she spoke with an extremely determined tone of voice. Then, before he knew it, she managed to pull him all the way back in the bakery, at a table.

"What will it be? We have éclairs, cupcakes, poundcakes, shortcakes, tallcakes, widecakes, whichever-cakes!" she says as she shows him through the menu, as he starts to drool. He didn't even need to know how good the sweets really were, his taste buds were already uprising in his mouth.

"I know!" as she vanishes in a cloud of dust, only to reappear seconds later with a covered plate. "I present to you... (dramatic drum beat in the background, as she uncovers the object in question)... my very own, Patented Pink 'Surprise'!" It was a rather large slice of fruit pie covered with frosting, icing and sprinkles, all pink. If the Doctor could talk past his mouthful, he would. For to his growling stomach's dismay, it looked, it smelled, it virtually existed in such an appetizing way, he could feel his mouth at the brink of bursting. Just then, he'd hear the pink mare say something that seemed to resound in his ears for the longest time. "And it's on the house!"

That slice of pie never stood a chance.

"Wow, you were really hungry, weren't you?" the pink pony offered nonplussed, despite his horrid table manners. Honestly, it looked like a walrus eating a child.

"Yeah... sorry about that. I'm a sucker for jimmies and frosting... But why was it called "Surprise"?"

"Well, that's because I like to throw in a few more surprising ingredients from time to time. In this one, I tried a silly strawberry-pear combo! It's silly because of the silly texture they give the pie, and you're pretty silly too, so I thought wow, I'm sure he'll just LOVE it! It's like that one time when I told..." she went on.

He didn't really catch anything past the word "pear". He never did suffer that fruit, and now he felt he was reverting into another meditation state. He does manage to hear Pinkie stop talking, in a rather concerning way.

"Doc, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay... Uhm, did you just say... pear?"

"Uh... yeah. You didn't like it?"

"Regularly, I'd throw a fit if I accidentally ate a pear, but now... I'm a bit at odds with myself. I mean that pie was delicious... So, yeah. I dunno. I guess I liked it, yeah." He then finally forces a smile, even though he feels as if a part of him had just died.

"You really are silly, Doc!" she offered, her contagious cheerfulness never faltering for a moment.

"Yeah, I suppose I am." he chuckled. "But you. You're quite something as well, aren't you?"

"Well, duh, I can't be nothing, now can I? I have to be something otherwise I wouldn't be anything at all! Then I wouldn't be Pinkie Pie either..."

She's nice. She's very, very... interesting. She's also pretty exhausting, but at least she's not running away from him. He'd love to stay and talk, but right now, he wasn't capable of handling her. He was tired and he needed to gather his thoughts. But he couldn't just up and leave now, could he?

"Thanks for the meal, really appreciate it. It's not often I get pie on the house (even if it was pear...). Anyway, I gotta go now, see ya again sometime."

"Bye! Come by some time when you're not broke anymore, won't ya?"

"You can count on it!" Evidently, we didn't take into consideration the fact that he's the Doctor. He can do anything he wants in a cool and neat fashion. Even defeat fart monsters with a jar of vinegar.

He went through the park, listening to the birds singing. It's nice to listen to Equestrian birds. Like Earth, Equestria has birds. It has a lot of things that Earth has as well, which would lead him to believe that either one of them is a replica of the other (which would be ridiculous), or this is a parallel dimension. No problem, he had absolutely nothing against that particular theory. He was just glad he didn't wind up in the version where the dominant species were still dinosaurs. Or any other bitey creature.

Technically, this wasn't an exact replica of Earth either. For instance, the birds were similar, but not the same. Something in the way they sang... Small differences.

On every planet, in every area they wind up in, the birds had their own song. On Earth, they'd usually sing something stubborn or determined. Here, it was rather jolly in comparison. Of course they'd be influenced by the leading species. It was obvious that they would sing about those more wondrous creatures. It's true, both humans and ponies were each wondrous in their own unique way.

What they were actually saying in that song of theirs...

The Doctor wondered. If he were to ask them, could they possibly know his answers? Did even they know what they were singing about? What their song encompassed. It was meant to describe not only the people that lived here, or the lands they dwelt on. But an all encompassing bird's eye view of the act of living here. The pastel which was on the surface. But maybe they saw a glimpse of whatever was underneath?

There was something he was missing, something grim staring him right in the face... well, something unrelated to what he had figured out that first night. Something different, a chilling hunch which tonight yielded him with his first lead. His instincts were screaming at him that he needed to find that hooded pony, and what attunement he had to the time of this reality felt like it was choking him towards pursuing this urge as well.

There were unseen currents. Things that didn't fit. Truly, war had absolutely no place in this world. Everything about it felt wrong. There had to be something else, some unseen element to make way for the things that happened twelve years ago. Something ugly to allow for such an abomination.

He needed to think this through. Perhaps consider all that he'd learned more objectively, consider something he might've missed.