TARDIS Academy for Gifted Tots

by Smart Mouth

First published 2nd of September, 2019

Doctor Whooves turns his TARDIS into a school to teach children with odd manifestations of magical power how to control their gifts. First he needs to get the school in order & recruit himself some students. Saga 0 of My Little Galaxy

Cover art made by:
Mix-Up
https://www.fimfiction.net/user/195663/Mix-up

Restructure of my ideas for this fic. In the hope of making it a more enjoyable read and not just a run down of how the universe works. This might be my true Passion Project but I realized I need to put more effort into making the fic flow as a fic instead of just telling everyone about the awesome universe I created.

The world of Equus flourished after the Changeling Global War. Together the various races advanced quickly in Magic & Technology. Now entering the Space Age, Doctor Whooves sees a looming threat but can't interfer himself, so he gathers a new generation of heroes...

Doctor Whooves turns his TARDIS into a school to teach children with odd manifestations of magical power how to control their gifts. First he needs to get the school in order & recruit himself some students.

Only then can he be a responsible adult and take 1st graders on adventures through time and space.

Among them student body is a young hybrid Pegasus / Kitsune, the children of the Mane 6, Foals from the show, Brony reviewers, & Sentient Monster OCs.

They are gathered together, as a result of their strange powers, and taught control while receiving the best education in the Galaxy from none other then The 6 Pillars, Stygian, the Background 6, and a reformed Sombra, with Doctor Whooves as their headmaster.

---

Part of the My Little Galaxy series,
This Fic takes place in the Main universe.

Fics that take place in other dimensions of this universe are:

> Jelly Brains
/story/427155/jelly-brains

> Time Tots
/story/435281/time-tots

> Star Trotter Verse
/story/381432/my-little-galaxy-star-trotter-verse

---

Current Saga

● Saga 0:
TARDIS Academy for Gifted Tots

Collab with:
LtMajorDude
https://www.fimfiction.net/user/51982/LtMajorDude

&

MadHatBat
https://www.fimfiction.net/user/357409/Madhatbat

---

Planned Sagas

Each Saga is a separate fic that follows a specific story act, well going through several plotline acts.

Example:

● Saga 1: Beyond Equus

MAIN PLOT:
Mon Tournament:
The crew start their adventure by being signed up for a Tournament to try to improve diplomatic relations with the rest of the Star Cluster. This is an interplanetary tournament held on stations between solar systems throughout the Star Cluster. There are 3 Tournaments going on. One for monsters, one for Pokemon, and one for Digimon. The crew needs to sail between stations to participate in different parts of the Tournament, exploring the Star Cluster as they do so. Each station has a different artificial environment for a different type of Mon. Each Tournament uses a different type of capture item. Monsters require cards etched with Lyrium to catch them. Pokemon requires Pokeballs. Digimon requires a Digivice. Each Tournament involves batting the specific type of mon, using magical cards with legally approved spells to assist in the battles.

Arcs:

> Predator:
Alien races unite and declare war against the Yautja. Equestria is a neutral party, trying to solve the conflict peacefully, well using the crew of superteens to sabotage Yautja efforts and secretly help the other races.

> Restless Dead:
An ancient Lich leads an army of undead to attack the Sector. Crew are sent out to search for the Lich's phylactery in order to kill it.

> Dragon Civil War:
Dragon Lord Ember is overthrown by Garble and war breaks out across the Sector between the various dragon species with the rest of the planets in the crossfire. The crew must help Ember regain her throne and end the war.

> Cybernetic Uprising:
Synthetic lifeforms rebel and attack their organic masters. This causes a civil war for the Clockwork Ponies, as some join the robots and others fight for the organics.

> War of Man:
Humans are spreading throughout the Sector, harvesting other worlds for resources regardless if they are already inhabited.

> Galactic Leyline:
Long before the events of the Anime "Outlaw Star" the Galactic Leyline was located within the Villam Sector. The party goes on an adventure to find it for themselves, battling factions from every world that want the Leyline for themselves.

Crew
The teams of the crew are based on the Cliques that the children had while at TARDIS Academy.

>Clique
● (Name)
(Race)
(Class)
(Parents)

>Loner
Eventually becomes friends with later but starts out with no friends at all
● Smart Mouth
Pegasus / Kitsune Hanyou
Cleric: Necromancer

>Misfits
● Screwball
Earth Pony / Demigod
No Class
● Spike
Equus Dragon
Arcane Warrior
● Rumble
Pegasus
Rogue: Bard
● Button Mash
Earth Pony
Rogue: Technomancer
● Dinky Whooves
Time Pony Unicorn
Mage: Time Agent

>Popular Kids
● Flutter Might
Pegasus
Fluttershy + Snowflake
Cleric: Ranger
● Cheese Cake
Earth Pony
Warrior: Toon
Pinkie Pie + Cheese Sandwich
● Illusion
Draconequus / Celestial
Celestia + Discord
no class, learning control
Kilalaaa's Character
● Bookhorse
Unicorn
Starlight Glimmer + Sunburst
Arcane Warrior
● Crystal Cider
Unicorn
Applejack + Rarity
Mage: Druid
● Fanatic "Fangirl" Streak
Pegasus
Rainbow Dash + Quibble Pants
Warrior: Speedster

>Jocks
● Sea Star
Sea Pony
Warrior: Monk
● Patches
Giraffe
Warrior: Knight
● Roche
Changeling
Cleric: Templar of Harmony
● Zorc
Zebra
Warrior: Speedster
● Brawny Buck
Pegasus
Warrior: Monk

>Outcast
● Icy Flames
Kirin / Nirik (Kirin transforms whem angry into fire monsters called the Nirik)
Mage: Druid
● Silver Quill
Hippogriff
Rogue: Toon
● Doctor Wolf
Wolf Yokai
Cleric: Empath
● Exposition Application / App
Clockwork (Pony Android, with artificial brain created through Alchemy)
Warrior: Solar
● Frost Bite
Wendigo
Cleric: Cleric of Discord
● Pipsqueak
Earth Pony
Rogue: Gunslinger

>Preps
● Klygran
Centaur
Mage: Ranger
● Qrox
Kobold
Mage: Toy Master
● Cosmic
Equestrian Deer
Mage: Druid
● Nelis
Yaun-ti
Mage: Alchemist

>Bullies
● Sparkling Flare
Earth Pony
Twilight Sparkle + Flash Sentry
Arcane Warrior
● Insanely Rich
Unicorn
Diamond Tiara + Gold Bonds (OC)
Rich Brat's twin sister
Arcane Shinobi
● Rich Brat
Unicorn
Diamond Tiara + Gold Bonds (OC)
Battle Shinobi

###

The following Sagas will be turned into new fics as they are published and linked below:

● Saga 1: Beyond Equus

● Saga 2: Greater Galaxy

● Saga 3: TARDIS Days

● Saga 4: Midgard

● Saga 5: Reapers

● Saga 6: Planet Normandy

● Saga 7: Humanoid Sector

● Saga 8: Verse 42

● Saga 9: Epilogue

Saga 0: First Steps

Equus. The homeworld to over a dozen quadrupedal races. A simple world to some simple races, found at the very edge of the Solar System. Yet holding a special spark of peace and cooperation rarely found in lifeforms competing for resources.

The world of Pathfinder was more typical to such planets. Frequent wars and closed minded species inhabited the planet closest to the sun. As if in direct contrast with Equus, Pathfinder was a world made up of various bipedal creatures.

What was interesting was both worlds were filled with lifeforms straight out of Earth's mythology. Yet Earth was not even in the same Star Cluster, let alone system. The planets seemed neatly organized specifically on how many legs the creatures had. Of course, the Yokai knew why.

The Yokai. The third planetary inhabitants of the system, despite the fact that they actually lived in an asteroid belt in the middle of the system and not an actual planet. They thought that one of Doctor Whooves' past lives had brought all life to this system...well, most life. The Yokai came later, attracted to a system whose very planets were made up of Refugee races saved by their god, the Doctor himself.

The Yokai believed the Doctor was a god, who could reincarnate himself even without the need of a mother or father. Of course, by god they did not mean God with a capital G. The term God with a capital G pissed off the Doctor more than pears. They thought of the Doctor along the lines of Zeus or Odin. An extremely powerful immortal, but still a living breathing person.

And, unlike the others, this god actually gave a damn about the little people.

He created this system. Not by sculpting it out of clay or some such but by fairing refugee lifeforms to it. He had done this for countless other civilizations that lost their homes during a great war between godly races. A war that never happened. A war that erased entire planets from existence, to the point they never existed at all. Yet left the odd starship, full of sentient creatures, behind. People that had no home to evolve on, yet still existed themselves.

This was known as the Time War.

The Doctor was a general of the good gods and helped vanished a race of evil gods. Unfortunately this still left many races homeless. So the Doctor found them homes, organizing them based on culture and appearance. He trusted them to live together, in harmony.

The Yokai decided to take it upon themselves to ensure that peace... although being a largely violent race themselves, it was no surprise that they struggled to maintain the concept. At the very least, they ensured the various races survival.

Yokai moved to the various refugee systems the Doctor had created, usually staying on that planet directly but when there were multiple planets in the system they made an easier way to travel to them.

The Yokai are an interdimensional species, but they, to, were saved by the Doctor.

Their entire dimension was saved from being cut off the universe and destroyed by other gods who deemed it unworthy of continuing. The Yokai later showed their gratitude by using their understanding of interdimensional physics to come to this dimension. They made their homes in systems filled with lifeforms the Doctor saved during the time war, and act as protectors over those civilizations.

Even taking on the role of guides, when the inhabitants of Pathfinder and Equus discovered space travel... before that they used portals to hop between worlds. Yet even though the planet bound races had a slow start, once they got into space they proved, at least as far as the ponies are concerned, that the Yokai had just as much to gain from them.

It had been near 13 years after Twilight ascended to the throne of Equestria. Three years since the ponies discovered light speed travel, due to their magics causing them to skip a few steps when it comes to space travel.

It was clear to the Yokai that the lonely god favored this system, in particular, the pony race. Not as much as he did the flawed humans of Earth, but he clearly cared a great deal for the ponies of Equus. A god walked this system, decided to make it a home, gave them secrets of technology and advancement... these ponies were his chosen people. The ones he had the most faith in... the ones he believed could save the Cosmos. The other races of the system were just a long for the ride.

The Yokai made sure to keep their eyes on the ponies as they quickly developed their magics into greater feats. Terraforming nearly all planets and moons of their system into homes for the various races that lived there. Their combined racial magics making that a relatively simple task when compared to other lifeforms Terraforming methods.

As the ponies prepared themselves to leave the system and explore the rest of the Star Cluster, their knowledge grew quickly... perhaps too quickly. Three years of space travel was a bit soon to already be working on faster than light travel. "Working on" being the key words.

It would be several more years before they perfected the magics required, but they would easily have it in time for the next Generation to reach adulthood. A generation born into an area of peace between all races of the system. A Generation simply known as "Bronies".

All sentient beings have magic, it merely comes out in different ways unique to their species. However sometimes magic comes out in strange unexpected ways. What causes this is unknown but sometimes individuals have powers Atypical to their race. These powers can be seperated into categories called Classes.

This is a story about the Doctor's chosen disciples. Individuals with Classes that the Doctor helped nurture.

Those he trusted, and personally trained from a young age, to save the Galaxy from a terrible evil on par with the Time War itself.

It will take them a while to get to that final battle. Facing against their own personal conflicts and various obstacles in their way. With each of their adventures and assignments preparing them for just that.

Preparing them... for this little galaxy...

...If only the Doctor wasn't such an idiot we might have hope of this plan actually working! This coming from a childish moron who chokes on Jelly Babies more than an actual infant...

Author's Notes:

Saga 0 will go into detail about the world and the Characters.

Saga 1 will be when the Doctor's Students start exploring the rest of the Star Cluster.

Saga 2 will have them making their mark on the Greater Galaxy

Act 1 - Ep1, Ch1: Planning for the Future

The Equus calendar measures the movements of each Star Cluster as they orbit the center of the Galaxy. Remarkably at the same speed... well it would be remarkable if the Galaxy wasn't artificially created but that was besides the point!

At the center of each Star Cluster is a massive ring with an artificial environment, which generates it's own cycle of artificial light.

Luna, through the invention of the most powerful telescope ever created, discovered this. After her banishment, Celestia implemented her discoveries as the official pony calendar. Even going so far as to move the Sun and the moon around Equus according to these measurements. It was later discovered this was the same calendar all space fairing civilizations use.

A day on the Rings lasted 30 hours, with 20 hours of daylight and 10 hours of night.

It takes the Star Clusters exactly 1095 days for the rings to orbit the center of the Galaxy. Everything in the universe is synchronized to that timetable. It's how long it took everything and everyone, with magic, to age a single year.

There are 12 months in a year, with each months lasting either 80 or 90 days on the dot. Each month measures a single season on the Rings.

For Example: October was the last Summer of the year, November was the last Fall, and December was the final Winter.

However this means there are 3.6 Earth years compressed in this single years. As a result the Celestia has to have 3 sets of seasons on Equus, to keep up with the demands of nature.

The fact the Lunar cycles on the rings are far faster then any planet should have doesn't exactly help this.

There are 8 to 9 Lunar cycles a month on the rings, making for a total of 100 Lunar Cycles in a year. These cycles are frequently called "Moons" or "Weeks" and used as time measurements themselves.

That effectively means there are 10 days in a week. These days of the week are known as:

New Moon, Waxing crescent, First quarter, Waxing gibbous, Full moon, Blood moon, Harvest moon, Waning gibbous, Last quarter, and Waning crescent

However, knowing all this, with his vast understanding of the delicate tick of the cosmos to such a degree... could not help him from the horrific nightmares that could be unleashed by none other then!-

His fussy toddler...

“Aww...Dad, do I really have to go?”

“Come on Sweetie, your mom will have my head if I-”

“What if I dooooo- THIS!”

“Nice try sweetie, but after you're mommy's vicious training I have developed immunity to puppy faces. You convinced me to give you cookies before dinner one to many times for her liking."

Dinky Hooves let out an annoyed huff as she crossed her forelegs. Normally, The Doctor would respond by chuckling a bit while ruffling his daughter’s mane but this was a different situation.

“Listen, pumpkin.” The Doctor whispered softly as he gave Dinky a gentle hug. “Pre school isn’t that bad. Your mom dealt with it even with her eye condition and she managed to survive! You’ll be fine, trust me.”

“But the thing is…” Dinky muttered as she gently broke the hug and stared at her father’s eyes. “What if the kids make fun of me?... For being, no offense, like you.”

“Hmm?” The Doctor asked with a raised eyebrow. “Like me?”

“For my freaky time powers!” Dinky angrily blurted out before eeping and covering her mouth. “Um, yeah.”

“Ah, I see.” The Doctor responded as realization began to form in his mind like the frown forming on his face. “I suppose you do have a point.”

Upon seeing Dinky grow more worried, The Doctor let out a weak smile as he hugged her once more. “There, there, pumpkin. Your mother and I raised you to be tough so these kids shouldn’t be a problem. Come on, where’s that smile of yours?”

Dinky continued to sulk until a pair of hooves began to tickle her side, causing her to crumble into hysterical laughter. “Dad! Stop!” She panted between laughs.

Eventually, The Doctor ceased his tickling and was soon met with another hug from Dinky. “Thanks Dad.” Dinky sweetly said as she beamed up to her father.

“Anytime, sweetie pie.” The Doctor responded as he patted her head. “Now go help out your mother. Daddy’s got to do some tinkering.”

Dinky nodded and trotted away with a smile on her face, leaving the "lab" (AKA the "Basement"). The Doctor smiled at her as she walked away. When Dinky was out of sight, however, The Doctor’s smile crumbled into a concerned frown as he turned around and walked in front of a large police phone box. The TARDIS, seemingly there the entire time. He lightly touched it with his hoof.

“Can’t blame the dear.” The Doctor hummed to himself. “She’s definitely different than the others. They all have normal fathers, after all.”

Looking around, tempted to open the doors, but shook his head. “Darn that Ditzy. Why’d she made me promise to stop using you, Sexy? She knows how important sailing the Time Vortex is to us. I’m sure Dinky wouldn’t think of this as a bad influence”

He looked back at the TARDIS, at his sexy time machine, and he slowly grew more serious. He normally blocked out the future, after all it was much more fun to experience the universe like a 3 dimensional being... but he had been cut off for so long. Who knows how much suffering has occurred since then... or how much better the universe was without him.

He closed his eyes and removed his mental block... Equestria was entering the space age. They already had light speed ships and forged alliances with the other races of this system... so much life... but he wanted to know what would happen to it.

Unfortunately, the future that he focused on was not what he had expected. Granted he had long since learned that not everything was sunshine and rainbows, with a dash of flower petals in the case of the ponies. He understood that there would be some suffering along the way. But this… this made The Doctor’s stomach churn. He saw what he could only describe as an extinction level event. To properly go in detail over what he had just witnessed would simply be an impossible feat. And yet he was fortunate enough to know who or what was responsible for this future.

The Doctor’s teeth clenched in frustration as he slowly whispered the words that burned his hearts with utter fury.

“Reapers…” He shook his head and looked at his TARDIS, speaking to the vessel and knowing she could hear him, "The two of us have been fighting them for so long... every one of my faces does a little more to turn the war in our favor... and it is never enough. Still they claim so many worlds... so many lives lost to them... and now we can't even do anything to stop them. Those stupid Q and the other would-be-gods refuse to let an 'ascended being' interfere with wars between civilizations at equal stages of development. Of course they consider a caveman fighting against a gun as fair! There has to be a way around that... there has to be,"

He tried to think of a plan but he hadn't closed off his mind from time. He could still see into all the possible futures of the universe... and the history of futures-yet-to-be showed him what he wanted.

Much to his surprise, he witnessed a different future to this pony apocalypse. This one… this future was entirely different. The bitter death he had witnessed was no longer there and the mass extinction was no more. This one seemed more easy to describe in detail, yet this vision just puzzled him to no end. Equus still stood, countless worlds that were once lost now thrived in this possible outcome. But how? Why? What? Where? When? His head would have popped if it was not for the next glimpse of this benevolent future.

He saw himself. Looking almighty but still dumb as ever (in his own opinion anyway) in front of these… who were they? They looked more heroic and brave than himself. Were they...champions? He gathered an army. No not gathered... trained.... raised... He saw children that would grow into soldiers... and use their gifts to save them all. Could he really do that? The ethics of training an army from childhood was questionable enough... he supposed, if he gave them a choice to help after they were trained, it would be no different than a military school...

School? Now there was an idea. Unfortunately, his vision ceased, as apparently he was trying to look into his own future. There were some things even Time Lords couldn't do, even ones with a Time Agent Class... even ones that long since left their mortal limitations.

The Doctor found himself panting a bit, as just getting a glimpse of his soldiers pushed his limits a bit too far. He didn't see their faces, or even their species, but still he saw more than he should have.

The Doctor shook his head as he glanced back to his TARDIS. He could feel her reestablishing his mental blocks, to protect him from his visions, "Thanks love," He let out a sigh as he trotted back to his wife and daughter. “Well then, looks like I’m gonna have to save Equestria. But first, dinner. I hope Ditzy remembered to buy the fish fingers and custard again... maybe we will have Jelly Babies for dessert?" He hoped. This face of his was quite nostalgic after all.

Act 1 - Ep1, Ch2: Clockwork

A/N:
This chapter takes place after the Doctor is newly regenerated into his pony form. Long before he met Derpy, had a daughter with her, or made plans to open his school.

###

Year 800 of Celestial Rule

Gods, there are many entities that mortals like to label their "divine creators". Despite most of them having nothing to do with the actual act of creation.

There is, of course, the spirit of the Universe itself. The conciousness behind the myth. She is nothing more then a living organism, a truly massive organism, trillions of years old, but an organism all the same. She is merely more aware of the organisms that make up her body then most lifeforms. From galaxies to single celled organisms. Although rumor has it sentient lifeforms are her favorite.

Then there are "Spirits", not common ghost but rather physical conciousness of the forces that hold the universe together. Some cultures would call them "Elder Gods" as they were the first.

These entities come in pairs, as one cannot exist without their opposite half. Harmony and Chaos, Time and Space, Life and Death, Reality and Magic, and finally Soul and Mind. These spirits don't typically take physical form, yet are bond to gem stones called "Infinity Gems". 5 Gems, each reflecting the two sides of a force binding the Universe together. However this does not mean a Spirit can't take a more physical form. Or, in the case of Discord, be given form.

A good few leaps below that are Deities, AKA sapient white blood cells for the Universe. These are beings such as Odin or Zeus. Beings with cosmic power that look after the well being of the universe.

In that same bracket of power are "God-Killers". These are mortal beings of advanced power. They typically have lifespans so long they might as well not be mortal, most living 10s of thousands if not billions of years, but can still die. These are entities like dragons and living planets (like the two sisters). They are powerful enough to compete with deities but still bound to mortality. Even the few that can't die of old age, can still die through injuries or disease.

Next we have Celestials. Mortals that ascended into beings of pure conciousness and capable of interacting with the world to a Cosmic degree. They have reached a state of "True Enlightenment". Not to be confused with "Self Enlightenment", which merely allows mortals a deeper understanding of one's own self and by extension their magic. Both give massive power boost but with "Self Enlightenment" they are still very much mortals. They might have a longer lifespan but they are still bound by their mortal body. For ponies these are beings like Alicorns.

Meanwhile, True Enlightenment comes with a single moment of clarity. An understanding of exactly how the universe works. A look into the Universe's soul. Deities are just Celestials that have been around for a few billion years.

Some Celestials unlock their status by force, either by sheer power or technology... like what happened to the Doctor.

He was once a mortal... and he missed those days. He would run around, saving planets as a time traveling adventurer. Really not bad for a mortal, but... if he was honest... he always tended to cause just as many problems as he solved... maybe more so...

The Doctor's head was spinning. He was newly regenerated. A skill Time Lords have to cheat death, although his worked a bit differently now that he left mortal limitations.

Regeneration usually works much like a Phoenix's ability to restructure their body into a new one whenever they get close to death. However a Time Lord is more... limited in this. Typically Time Lords have 12 regenerations, that's 13 lives to live if you count the original. Each life comes with a completely new body. New face, new height, new organs. However, Time Lord's usually stay with a humanoid form. As they were one of the first races to evolve after the Engineers seeded the Galaxy with their DNA.

Once the Doctor ascended into a Celestial, he started regenerating into other alien lifeforms, as he had a higher connection to the universe itself. Even more so then most Time Lords.

The Time Lord's planet of Gallifrey got caught in a rift in time early into it's development. This allowed their species to evolve as 4th dimensional beings. They could see the passage of time as if it all happened simultaneously. All the possible roads the past and future could take were as easy for their eyes to see as the two suns in their sky.

The Doctor was... a bit more special then that. He was born with a Time Agent class. Meaning he could alter the fabric of time to a minor degree. Still Time Lord's put a lot of stock in this random manifestation of magic.

All Time Lords can do magic, with the use of an Arcane focus, but usually studying it was something reserved for holy men of Rassillion, the god king of the planet. Though he preferred "Lord President".

In addition to typical classes for Time Tots, the Doctor was expected to study magic that way he could be a priest when he was older.

The Doctor did well enough in school, though that might just be him being modest. By 12 he had earned the highest degree in every field of study known to Time Lords... except medicine, BUT HE DID QUALIFY AS A FIELD MEDIC!!!

However his mother never saw these accomplishments. She died when he was 7 and the Doctor was forced into an orphanage. There he learned why his mother had been so poor. Why she never talked about her family, and why she tended to be so overprotective...

Most of all, he learned why so many of his teachers spoke of their amazement at his advancement "despite his disadvantage"... the Doctor's father... was human, a primitive creature without magic and thereby not recognized as sentient by most "civilized" civilizations.

Apparently his mother had gone through her heat well visiting a backwater planet called Earth and mated with some human king. It wasn't her fault, heats are hard to resist jumping the first willing partner. No that wasn't the problem... the problem came later... when her parents learned she was going to keep the baby that resulted from the union... they kicked her out. Her entire clan disowned.

Then she died when the Doctor was 7...

She didn't even get to see the Doctor choose his title

"To never be Cruel or Cowardly,
To never give up,
Never give in"

That is what Doctor means on Gallifrey. That is what it meant to be the Doctor... but that name came to mean other things. After he left Gallifrey, other lifeforms began developing their own meanings to the word "Doctor". Most came to know it as "Healer" or "Wise man", but others... some civilizations come to associate the title with "Mighty Warrior"... or even... "Predator"...

That could not be allowed to stand. While the Doctor had good intentions fact was he was doing more harm then good at this point.

Waking up with a new face can be confusing, not to mention the experience of regenerating is basically bursting into golden flames which change the body at a cellular level. Even the Time Lord's brain changed. As a result they remember everything about all their lives with fresh eyes... and this new pony face saw it as one big mistake.

When he was 12, the Doctor fell down into the catacomb archives of Gallifrey. There the Collective conciousness of all Time Lords that ever lived was stored in a computer mainframe. Their collective wisdom guiding the Council of Gallifrey... they told the Doctor that he would be responsible for the destruction of the universe. That he would burn all of reality... so the boy ran, left his home, went to live with his mortal father on Earth and fell in love with the planet.

There were many close calls, many incidences where he nearly followed through with the prophecy. He tried to save as many lives as he could, devoted his life to saving planets and eventually entire dimensions... but at his heart he had long since forgotten what "mercy" was. He was too old, lived too many lives. He couldn't relate to mortal creatures anymore... all he could do was inspire them to die in his name... like so many thousands had.

In his heart he was far from a good man... and he knew... the prophecy was still out there, waiting for him. Just knowing your destiny can insure it happens. He couldn't stand for this. He still had one gambit to play. He would stop being a coward running away from his own nature...

He was going to fix this...

The Doctor looked up at the 'Princess' on her throne of gold and cushions. She had a deep aversion to Queens, thanks to the Alicorn Dynasty some thousand years ago.

"You owe me a favor." The Doctor calmly informed, staring down the avatar of a living planet, Celestia, herself.

Starswirl chose her name to relate to a planetary body well also playing up the "Divine" nature of a god-killer. Though this Avatar was much weaker then her real body, it was still very powerful.

Celestia simply raised an amused eyebrow at the true Celestial entity.

"I plan to live as a mortal and I need you to hide me and keep me in check." The Doctor pulled out a fog watch, "My mind, and my power, will be trapped in here. Never open it unless the situation is truly dire."

Celestia gave a teasing smile, "And I should agree to this because?- You have many enemies Doctor. Just attempting to hide you could draw them here."

The Doctor lower the watch and glared, "You're a living planet. This pony shell of yours may have become weak, from spending too long away from your true body, but if you wanted, your sun could blast a fleet from the sky long before it reached the planet." That was a lie, Celestia couldn't handle a fleet like the one coming for him. However, it was unlikely they would think to look for him here. He prefered to let his Refugee planets develop naturally, without his interference, "Besides, you owe me. I saved you, and your sister, from certain death during the Time War! I'm calling that in."

Celestia stiffened, her face becoming serious, "That's a rather large favor to cash in."

"I realize that. What I'm asking for is equal payment."

"How long do you plan to stay?"

"... Until I die,"

Celestia tried to contain her shock, "You... wish to die..."

"I want to live one final life. A real life. I'm tired of living forever, of constantly making a mess of things... I want to take my place on the great wheel. See this life to it's proper end..."

"You will just go back to being a Celestial once you die." The living star tried to reason, "It will be a temporary break at best."

"Not if you never open this watch... if I die in mortal form, with the godly power locked away in here... I will die permanently. Will even get reincarnated as something new eventually, with no memories of my previous life, just like the rest of you... just so long as you never open this watch... please... I need this."

###

A/N:
The Doctor currently has his mind trapped in a Fog Watch. He has been living with Celestia for 200 years as a pony named Clockwork, with no idea to his true identity.

Feel free to skip this Chapter if you have already read "My Little Galaxy: First Steps" Chapter Two.

● Celestia's Castle
Morning Before the 1000th Grand Galloping Gala

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!!!!

"Bloody useless doohickey." Why did he ever invent such a horrible thing!? Clockwork grumbled internally as he clenched the blanket with his hooves. His teeth gritted against each other as the agonizing sound of the clock pierced through his ears.

It was not his fault that his bed was surprisingly comfortable. When he was a foal his old bed made his nights restless and eager for the morning to arise, along with the need to reunite with a tall piping mug of coffee... okay so he snuck coffee as a child, other foals did worse!

Nowadays Auntie Celestia kept giving him more and more comfy beds, rotating them frequently as the centuries passed.

His birthday was just last week and of course, among his many presents, was a new bed. Not just the mattress but with a fancy new frame and everything. An even comfier bed then ever before, like all the ones before. What was with Celestia and beds? As comfy as this bed was, it meant what ever wake him up had to be extra annoying.

"Be quiet, you screeching banshee!" The earth pony hissed, as overdramatically as possible, before slamming his hoof on the clock, finally silencing the annoying ringing. Maybe he needed a new clock? Or stop using the bed, as it made him sleep more than ever. Or better yet, stop staying up late to work on his daily routine of slapping together junk.

The latter would be impossible. After all, it is in his blood to slap junk together, or "spend productive time inventing instruments to better ponykind," as he preferred to call it... nah, slapping junk together sounded better.

Jumping out from his bed, Clockwork trotted to the calendar on the wall to refresh his mind on the schedule for today. Glancing at the calendar, he spotted the words: Year 1001 of Celestial Rule. It really has been a while, hasn't it?

He let in a breath of fresh air, finally having his mind refreshed. The thing was that it was not for the schedule for today, but rather for his life so far.

Not many ponies know this, but he was one of the orphans Celestia took in since the incident with Nightmare Moon. His birth mother was only a teenager when she got pregnant. Although her high class family was willing to forgive that. She was an important noble of a high-class unicorn family. They expected so much of her, wanting her to continue their upper-class legacy and their sophisticated bloodline. She failed to meet their expectations the second she met a certain lower class Earth pony. What started from a small fling led to her pregnancy. Her parents disowned her when they saw with their eyes that their grandchild was an Earth pony and not a unicorn.

His mother was alone; no parents, no family, not even the lover she had met. The only bloodline left was now her son. She raised him the best she could until Clockwork was 19, when an accident took her away. He was alone, no one to look after him. Seeing as ponies aren't legally adults until they turn 30 he couldn't exactly live on his own.

Sadly he was too old for an orphanage and didn't have money for an apprenticeship. He did something truly desperate. He knew Celestia had a habit of taking care of orphans and according to his mother he was actually related to her... so he got a private audience with her. She was a benevolent matriarch and never considered herself to high and mighty to talk with the peasants... it wasn't a dirty word back then. Anypony could get an audience with the princess.

He went to her, told her who he was, and asked her for help... he didn't expect her to adopt him. She took him in and began spoiling the hell out of him.

He was 221 now, almost middle age, and still living in the castle as a pampered prince. Only the staff and more nosy nobles knew who he was. It wasn't like he advertised himself the way Blue Blood did.

Glancing at the calendar once more, Clockwork soon regained the motivation for today as he headed for his second favorite room, beside his bedroom, his workshop. Everything in there made his mouth turn into a grin. The devices lying around the floor, the blueprints scattered across the environment, even the smell caused his creativity to hustle.

From his early childhood, he was always fascinated with creation and inventions. Unfortunately Celestia had him apprentice as a chef, learning a useful skill for a stallion growing up in the 800s, but he was never really passionate about it.

He loved to tinker, to invent. Tartarus he even loved to just sit around and think. He was always coming up with ideas and theories that were written into mountains of notes. It was at his discretion that this occupation was not widely known.

Things are different now, but growing up back then was hard for stallions. Stallions were... sheltered, to put it nicely. There were far more mares than stallions, 6 to 1. With so few Stallions being born the population hardly rose, sometimes even falling, and there was the constant fear that the next generation could be the last. So to preserve the species, mares believed they had to keep Stallions at home, sheltered and protected, so that they could give their wives as many babies as possible. This eventually led to Mares denying Stallions basic rights when Equestria was originally founded.

Stallions were expected to stay home, cook, clean, and raise the foals. A stallion with a paying job was looked down on, as Stallions just weren't thought of as equals. This meant mares didn't hold much stock in a Stallion's opinions or, even, scientific theories, no matter how right they were.

Clockwork was very clever, along with being Celestia's adoptive son, but he was still just stallion in the eyes of the scientific community. An impertinent one, that seriously needed to learn his place. So all of his scientific theories were published under the pen name Time Turner, allowing the masses to believe he was a she.

In addition, he was quick to decline any public interviews or any events that require him to show himself in front of others. As far as everypony knew, aside from himself and Celestia, this certain inventor was a mare.

And what a brilliant inventor "she" was.

One of his earliest and most useful creations was the bullet trains that run solely on lyrium crystals, magic compressed into a physical mineral. He had an idea for a steam engine first but never bothered building any after coming up with the bullet train idea.

After so many nights of constant note-taking and multiple tests with a pot of coffee at hoof, Clockwork was finally finished and proceeded to present the designs to Celestia. His hope was that she will fund a free public train network throughout Equestria, paid by the sales tax that was increasing at the time. After all, it was illegal for any of Equestria's city states to issue federal or state taxes, only sales and business taxes were applicable.

Despite the initial begging that Clockwork gave to his mother, Celestia tried to talk him out of the idea. Of course, Clockwork would not have a simple no as an answer and insisted that just because he was a stallion doesn't mean that he can't contribute to society.

Celestia had just sighed and said that wasn't it. She had long since fought the senate hoof and tooth to give equal rights to stallions, but when she restructured the Equestrian government she gave the Senate the right to veto her. It was meant to insure she wouldn't fall to corruption, and to give the ponies a say in her rule, but it also meant progress she thought was necessary couldn't be done if the Senate was opposed to it.

Celestia said he needed to keep his head down for different reasons, but refused to say what those reasons were... eventually he was able to whine and guilt her to get what he wanted. He was just a little boy back then, a genius but still very much a child. Clockwork was rather embarrassed thinking back on his behavior but if it wasn't for his literal tantrum Equestria wouldn't be nearly as prosperous.

His inventions, in that first year after becoming Celestia's ward, lead ponies from the intellectual dark ages into an age of enlightenment. He was known in scholarly circles as the "Father of the Industrial Age", but only by modern scholars, nopony else. He stayed hidden for his greatest achievements, why he was so little known now, but he was responsible for practically every invention made in that year. Back when Clockwork was a child ponies only had basic, medieval level, technology.

Ponies lived so long, over 500 years, so they didn't really feel any sense of urgency to leave their mark. As a result ponies didn't really... invent... things.

Magic covered all they needed so they saw no reason to improve. It was sad but true. Ponies didn't feel father time creeping on them... but Clockwork did. It's the reason he chose the alias "Time Turner". He... felt... time... every second, every microsecond, he felt them passing him by and was compelled to give his life meaning. Even if the world didn't know who he was, he had done more for it then anypony could ever claim.

Equestria still utilized many of his early inventions. His creations started the film industry, with instant film cameras and film projectors. These lead to film movies in monochrome pictures with sound. He created factory machines and medical equipment to further help the worker ponies. He convinced Celestia to build state funded hospitals in each city, armed with his equipment. They were completely free to the public.

Transportation was later improved with his blimps, airships, and helicopters. These were more luxury transports though and their patent helped fund the national treasury

To this day, most ponies, unfortunately, do not know the true identity of the pony who caused the world to skip over the natural development of technology.

After a brief period of reflection, Clockwork began working on one of his projects, fueled by his love of inventions and the hope that someday ponies would recognize him as the pony who forged the way of a new era of technology.

... Unfortunately it wasn't long before Celestia found him. She lightly scolded him for getting covered in engine grease when he should be getting ready for the Gala, Maker did he hate the gala.

###

"I hate the gala," Clockwork muttered for the tenth time that day as he walked into the ballroom of the castle.

His fur all cleaned and nicely brushed well he wore a horse of a suit specifically designed to ruin said fur. Oh, how he wanted to be in his workshop with his toys and machines. Not dressed up like some stuck-up snob when he could be dressed up in engine grease like a mechanic.

Another reason Celestia wanted him at the gala was the fact he was almost middle age and still didn't really have any friends outside of family. She wanted him to go out and socialize. Clockwork was never really good at the whole... talking... thing... He tended to ramble gibberish and annoy ponies.

True ponies are, by their nature, herd animals, but he always felt... odd well trying to chitchat. He didn't have much in common with ponies and had very weird values when compared to them. He was always suffering from the common "hoof in mouth" disorder that plagued so many brilliant minds.

Shaking his head, Clockwork decided to at least make an attempt, as he does every year. He just knows, despite himself, that he will most definitely do something to embarrass his adoptive mother. Then she'll send him off to his room and pretend not to notice that he actually sneaked into his workshop. That's how these nights usually go.

Looking around, he found his foster brother, well cousin... it's complicated. Anyway he was flirting with some pretty unicorn mare. Clockwork did not bother to resist his laughter as he saw said unicorn levitate her drink towards the stallion, splashing him in the face with red wine as she trotted away with a sour mood on her face. Clockwork walked over to his cousin, who stood there with a blank expression welp dripping wine.

"You always did have a special kind of charm with the ladies, Blue Blood." Clockwork quipped as he hooved over a handkerchief towards the white unicorn.

"Oh, pish-posh." Blue Blood muttered as he kindly levitated the cloth and began to wipe off the liquid from his face. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your room spending productive time making advancements for ponykind?"

"You know, mother." Clockwork replied as he crossed his forelegs with a peeved frown. "She doesn't want me interacting with machines, only ponies. And I prefer the term, 'slapping junk together,' thank you very much." he snarked.

He turned and saw the same unicorn that Blue Blood had interacted, still in the same sour mood as when he saw her talking with Blue Blood. "So what was wrong with her?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Blue Blood answered as he put his hoof on his chin. "I cannot differentiate what I hated about her the most. Her stuck up, beyond all belief, attitude or perhaps she did not find my topics interesting unless money was involved."

"What makes her so different than the other ones you dated?"

"It's SOOOOO obvious that she has kids and is middle age, but nooooooo. She thinks putting on too much makeup and doing some wrinkle magic will fix everything."

Clockwork put a hoof on his cousin's shoulder. "But you have to admit, it looks good on her."

"Clockwork, you know full well I was never interested in mares in the first place." He paused to let out a blush and a dreamy sigh. "But what I wouldn't give to go out on a date with that masseur I met last week."

"Yes yes, so strong and muscular. He's like an angel from the heavens. You rambled about it enough." Clockwork rolled his eyes as he placed a hoof on the side of his head. "Have mercy on me."

Blue Blood grunted as he looked down. "I wish Auntie Celestia wouldn't force me to entertain these mares. She says it is what is expected of me, after all."

"Look on the bright side," Clockwork responded with a smile on his face. "Seeing you torment those bucking gold diggers is much better than the cinema nowadays."

The two stallions shared a chuckle before they quietly glanced at the gala, seeing the ponies mingle or dance with one another. Clockwork could see a special kind of joy coming from those on the floor and began to ponder dancing just for the experience. Auntie had made him take dancing lessons daily for the best 200 year, might as well get some use out of them.

"Blue Blood," Clockwork asked as he turned to the prince. "You're been around mares and such. Know anything about asking a mare to dance?"

Blue Blood let out a tiny gasp as he shook his head. "Dear cousin, that's a terrible idea," he harshly whispered as if the very fact he asked was scandalous, "You should wait for mares to ask YOU. It's just not gentlecoltly to approach a mare. You'd think you would know that with the number of scandals you've forced on our Mother," Blue Blood rolled his eyes, "Honestly if I did half the things you did I'd never be allowed out in public again!" He exclaimed at the injustice of it all before sighing.

A teasing smile appeared on Blue Blood's face as he said, "Now then, if you'll excuse me, our youngest brother asked if I could entertain a friend of his and I plan to make him regret that request," Blue Blood gave a mischievous grin as he imagined torturing the young dragon's friend. Spike was really asking for it after all. He knew how much Blue Blood hated how their mother forced him into this role, "Try to spice up your daily routine, act like a noble instead of a street urchin, okay cousin?" Blue Blood said as he gently punched Clockwork on the shoulder as a form of motivation, "You'll find you can still have plenty of fun,"

"Yeah, have a blast," Clockwork muttered as he trotted away from Blue Blood with his head down a bit.

The not so young Earth Pony sighed and wandered out of the hall. Eventually he was all alone, finding himself trekking through the gardens of the palace. The loneliness did not bother him. It just gave him plenty of time to reflect back to his conversation with Blue Blood.

What his younger brother had meant was rather obvious... Clockwork had created a number of scandals that burdened Celestia. He had a habit of having "low standards" for whom he brought to his bed, caring little for things like gender and species. Mainly the barely grown children of exotic dignitaries from distant lands... those were somewhat of a favorite of his. He was just fascinated by different things.

The fight for male equality was won but not without flaws, as they were still considered the weaker of the sexes. Although it was a matter of common sense for mares to couple, with how few stallions there were, stallions doing so just wasn't done in high society... at least not publicly. Mare commoners had some kind of exotic fantasy about Stallions coupling... strange as most of those Stallions just weren't interested in them. Unfortunately nobles were much more... traditional... That's why Blue Blood has to keep his interest secret.

Clockwork involuntarily sat on a bench that had a better view of the garden. He stared into it but not to marvel at its exotic features. Tears began to gently drip from his eyes as more thoughts entered his mind.

Clockwork wishes he could be more like Blue Blood. The blonde prince is respected and obedient, doing his best not to shame their adoptive mother... where Clockwork has always had such a hard time not to be an embarrassment by his mere existence. True, Blue Blood has done some things to humiliate his aunt from time to time, but they were usually minor and didn't retain the levels of what Clockwork has committed. It would be nice to be like his cousin from time to time. Be known by other ponies instead of relying on a pen name or never having to embarrass Celestia... She had taken him in, was his mother for over 200 years... and all he did was bring her shame.

"Hi."

Clockwork looked up and saw a gray fur with a blond mane, dressed in a simple light blue dress, looking at him with a shy smile on her face. He quickly wiped the tears from his face, hoping that she hadn't seen them.

Speaking of seeing, her eyes were looking in multiple directions, moving about randomly like a lizards. He found it... exotic... he loved new and different things even though it was likely nothing more than a birth defect.

She looked at the bench Clockwork was sitting on and, understanding the subtle gesture, Clockwork quietly moved a bit to make room on the bench. The mare silently sat down and calmly looked at the garden. Clockwork did not know what to make of this; a mare sitting next to him at her own request. The only thing he could do was to copy what the mare was doing: looking at the garden silently.

After approximately 32 seconds, Clockwork was good with time after all, the mare decided that somepony had to do something about the silence and it looked like it was up to her. "Nice garden."

In Clockwork's opinion, it was alright. Or, in a more honest opinion, it looked like any dang garden he'd ever seen. "Uh, I guess it seems...lovely?"

She coughed a bit as she shot him an apologetic frown. "Sorry, I was just making conversation. The silence was getting to me."

After his discomfort melted into sympathy, Clockwork let out a small smile. "It's alright. I may have ended up being the pony to break it anyway. Probably would have mentioned something random like custard or muffins."

"Ooooh, I love muffins!" The mare cooed as she clapped her hooves.

"Well, glad to have something in common then," Clockwork responded with a chuckle. After all, he had a sweet tooth for honey bran muffins. "My name is...Clockwork."

Clockwork extended a hoof for a hoofshake. The mare returned the gesture. "My name is, Ditzy Do."

"So what brings you to the gala? A date?"

Clockwork's question was initially met with a blush before an answer was told. "Oh no, I won a ticket through a contest."

"You must have stupendous luck, Miss Do." Clockwork commented.

"Yeah. I don't even remember entering the contest." Ditzy giggled. "And you can call me Ditzy."

Clockwork smirked back, "Alright, Ditzy."

"I think I got the ticket by accident." She said as her hoof was placed on her chin. "I think one of the tickets got into my mail or something. I don't really know. I'm a mail mare in Ponyville."

"Ah, Ponyville. I've heard so many things about it."

"Like?"

Clockwork crossed his hind legs together as he began reflecting back to the nobles' opinions.

"How it's too boring and nothing to do. No potential there. Nothing there but ponies doing pointless things. Of course, this is what I heard nobles say and I take their opinions with a grain of salt. My youngest brother is currently living in Ponyville and he seems to like it well enough," Blushing over how much he went on, but the mare seemed interested.

"Ooooh, You have a little brother? Probably 2 since you called him the 'Youngest'," she reasoned.

Clockwork just smiled brightly at her, she was clever to, "That's right. The middle child is already in his early 50s, working as a diplomat already despite his youth, but the youngest is only ten. Mother has him apprenticing as a scribe,"

"Apprenticing as a 10 year old must be hard," Ditzy realized.

"He loves it," Clockwork smiled well shaking his head. Clockwork redirected the conversation before it went any further into his family. Ponies tended to flip when they found out just who his mother was. "So, about the ticket thing?"

"Oh yeah. Well, it was weird how I just got this ticket, but I decided to come anyway. I wasn't doing anything important and I thought it would be fun."

Clockwork can sense some of the tension inside Ditzy as she bit her lip lightly.

"I guess I heard too much from the mares who always squeal about going to these kinds of parties. Everypony here is sooooo stuck up!" Ditzy started to chuckle a bit as Clockwork cracked a grin at her, "You're probably the only one here who isn't like that. And yet you dress the part. I, sure as Tartarus, couldn't afford a getup like that,"

Clockwork looked down at his suit and rolled his eyes. "I hate this thing." he muttered, "It will take hours to brush the matts out of my fur after this,"

"Tell me about it," Ditzy muttered as she looked at her dress. "The girls at the Ponyville Spa said that this is the latest craze but I'd rather wear my mail carrier digs."

"Looks like we have a lot more in common, Ditzy," Clockwork admitted before jumping from the bench. "Tell you what. Let's spend the last hours of the gala together. Just you and me."

"Oh, I dunno. I don't want to be a bother." Ditzy grumbled as she twirled around with her hair a bit before Clockwork grabbed her hoof gently.

"Nonsense, love!" Clockwork shouted as he pulled her from the bench, causing the mare to giggle heartily. "The night is still young and we must take advantage of it! Now then, I saw an orange mare selling apple snacks. How about we check for any apple muffins?"

Ditzy let out a toothy smile. "Lead the way, Clockwork!" She responded as the stallion ran through the garden with Ditzy at tow and full of glee. Clockwork smiled back at her as they carelessly ran through the garden.

"What a charming mare." Clockwork thought to himself. "I hope to see her more in the future..."

Act 1 - Ep1, Ch3: End of a Dream (Open the Watch)

● Gallifrey
41 faces ago.

A woman, or what appeared to be a 2 legged humanoid at least, sat outside her home. Her hand resting on her pregnant belly. She could feel the little one kick. Already making incomprehensible demands of her.

The house was nothing more then a small Sphere on a square platform. No bigger then 3 meters tall. Not leaving much room but inside was a whole nother world... or at the very least a large manor. "Bigger on the inside" as her mate would say.

This was a house of wealth. Peasants could only afford buildings of ordinary construction. The Master's father gave her this house on the family estate, after the trial of course. It was fortunate her father took her back in after all the trouble she caused. Even better that he took in her mate.

The Doctor, her mate, had made a bargain with the High Council of Gallifrey. He would plead guilty and condemn his own actions in exchange for a full pardon for the Master...

The punishment? Forced Regeneration and 6 months in a rehabilitation facility. Provided they got the Doctor to give a public statement condemning his actions...

For all their flaws, Time Lords didn't have a death penalty. Forced regeneration was their harshest, legal, punishment. Only done when the Time Lord in question was thought to be irredeemable. It was the hope the next face would be different as regeneration caused Time Lords to perceive their actions of their previous lives differently.

The young woman had spent the last thousand years trampling their civilizations primary principles. A non interference policy with the passage of time. Her mate could claim it was all his idea but truth was she had wanted to do it... they even picked up a pet.

A less evolved humanoid, so primitive the species actually called themselves "humans". Not realizing that was an animal Kingdom, a classification of species, rather then an actual race.

Still The Doctor had been insistent they go to Earth and when the little critter snuck onboard the Doctor felt an instant connection to it... the Doctor, being half human himself, got rather mad at The Master's view that the creature was their pet. He believed the thing should be treated like an equal, or else how could the Master claim to call the Doctor a friend.

It was simple. The Doctor had gone through gene therapy at birth. He had all his Time Lord traits brought to the surface. Yes he had a few unsavory genes but those were vastly diluted to the point a causal medical scan wouldn't pick them up. The Doctor might have a human father but he was less human then he liked to admit.

"Koschei?" The Master flinched and glared up at the voice that dare speak his name. The Master was no child! How dare anyone address him by anything but his chosen name!

The Master glared at the "old" man that now stood before her. She sighed. She was still getting used to his new face. Time Lords can't really tell age by looking at someone. Their soul feels for the soul of another Time Lord. That is how, even with his new face, she could recognize him.

"Honestly Alexandermacedon," The Master glared, speaking the Doctor's own birth name in an attempt to shame him. As the Doctor felt no shame in even the most embarrassing circumstances, it proved ineffective. Still, the Master scolded, "Show some tact. We're in public!"

"How is your family estate public?" The Doctor grinned as he took a seat next too her.

The Master sighed, "Behave." She gently slapped his arm.

They sat in silence as they watched the two suns set in the orange sky.

###

● 2000 Years Later

War had erupted on Gallifrey, not the Time War or anything so flashy, but the Doctor's first taste of a real war. Fought with weapons a good deal more advanced then the swords and spears, like he was used to.

A civil war for the soul of their planet... one that it was looking less and less likely the good guys could win.

"But I want to help!" A young Ginger woman glared at her father.

The Doctor huffed, "Are you so eager to go back onto the front lines? You already snuck out there once, against my orders, might I add. How did that work out for you, young Lady?"

The woman glared, "DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!"

The Doctor shrugged, "Have you looked in a mirror? You're a woman now!"

"DOESN'T MEAN I WANT TO BE ADDRESSED AS ONE!!!" She snapped.

"You're lucky they didn't stop both your hearts." The Master glared as she stepped into the room, "Honestly, stop being so selfish!"

"SELFISH!!! For wanting to help!" The woman screamed.

"Thetatropolousvsgholtazsr Sigmaakronosvexsithkada!" The Master snapped out the woman's full name, "You have a new born daughter who now has two mums. Think of her and stop this fantasy!"

"Our planet has erupted into civil war! A civil war that is not only your doing but you're LEADING!!!" She glared at her parents. "If I don't do something my daughter will HAVE no Mums! She will grow up in a world of oppression and poverty! I will not stand by and do NOTHING!!! You raised me to stand up for what is right!'

The Doctor rested a hand on her shoulder, "Please. Don't go out there again. If you want to help, help here. We need officers to discuss strategies."

"YOU LEAD FROM THE FRONT LINES!!!"

"Yes well, I'm stupid," the Doctor smirked.

The Master shrughed, "You know I don't approve of lying to children,"

"I'M NOT A CHILD!!!" Theta roared, "I haven't been a child for two thousand years! You need to stop treating me like one and realize I have something to offer!"

The Doctor glared, "Enough of this, I'm putting my foot down. You will not leave the safety of this compound again."

Theta "gah-ed" and stormed deeper into the room. Acting very much a child.

The Doctor sighed and put a hand to his head.

"It's not like you to be so short with her," The Master observed.

"He reminds me too much of myself to not make myself clear on the matter." The Doctor sighed.

"She." The master smirked.

"Must you push his buttons like that?" The Doctor eyed.

"It's your mutt blood that confuses her." The Master insisted.

###

● 16 Years Later

The Master was hugging their daughter's lifeless body as she laid on the metal slab. Her wife was nearby, on a nearby table. The Doctor walked into the morgue, knowing what was about to happen.

"You could have prevented this..." The Master accused. "You and those ridiculous ideals you poured into her hearts. She just wanted to be like you... that's all she wanted... I followed you... against my better judgment, I let you lead half the world into a war they couldn't win!... but why did you have to drag our daughter into it to?"

The Doctor said nothing. He couldn't find the words.

"I've called the High Council." The Master informed, "They should be on their way now..."

"... I know..."

"I'll give you a head start but know if I ever see you again... I'll kill you myself..."

"... I know..."

"You called the Council?" The both turned to see their 16 year old granddaughter. She looked accusingly at the Master.

"Susan," The Master tried. Speaking the girl's chosen name

"After everything father did? After everything he believed in? Your last act of 'love' is to betray everything he stood for!" Susan yelled, "Father died to protect our dream of a free Gallifrey! You shame that!" Susan took the Doctor's hand and pulled him away, "Come Grandfather. We have to evacuate!"

The Doctor lingered a moment. It was clear by the Master's broken expression that he blamed him for Susan's feelings as well. He sighed and left the room with his Granddaughter, sounding the alarm on their way out.

###

A/N:
The Doctor currently has his mind trapped in a Fog Watch. He has been living with Celestia for 200 years as a pony named Clockwork, with no idea to his true identity

Feel free to skip this Chapter if you have already read "My Little Galaxy: First Steps" Chapter Two.

● Castle of Friendship
Back with Clockwork
Year 4 of Twilight's Rule

"My goodness, has it been that long?" Clockwork thought to himself with his forehoof around his wife's shoulder.

It must have been around 3 years since he married Ditzy Do. 10 since he fell in love with her during that fateful encounter at the gala.

Rather than taking her last name of Do (Clockwork Do sounded too bizarre, even for his tastes), he took up her childhood nickname: Derpy Hooves.

At first, it was meant to be a teasing name that bullies made up as a mockery for her eyes. They thought they were being clever calling her a "Derp". It used to hurt her a lot. But thankfully, she had a certain rainbow-maned pegasus to be a loyal friend. She was taught to embrace the name and make it her own, finally standing up to the bullies who mocked her.

For a shy pegasus, Ditzy was certainly brave and determined. Both of which Clockwork found... exotic.

Clockwork arrived with Ditzy at the castle entrance. Princess Twilight Sparkle was throwing her annual Nightmare Night party, with the help of a certain pink party pony.

It had caused a bit if a scandal when Twilight moved the capital to Ponyville, but she said it was a better place to represent the union of all ponies.

Clockwork wasn't fooled. She just didn't want to leave her friends. Still Clockwork enjoyed going to these parties. They were much less stuffy then the Gala.

As if to prove that, Ditzy dressed up as a black cat. Clockwork, himself, simply had a piece of notebook paper taped to his chest with the phrase, "I lost my super duper awesome costume for Nightmare Night," written in marker. He made it himself.

Upon entering, they witnessed the sight of almost everypony in Ponyville, all dressed up for the occasion. Clockwork's grin widens when he found somepony he was hoping to see.

"Mother!" He squealed as he galloped to Celestia, who was dressed as a phoenix. Ditzy laughed as she saw her husband pounce on the Princess, smothering her affectionately. Celestia chuckled as she nuzzled him back.

Celestia was living on the sun now, only coming down a few times a year, for events like this. However her Avatar was still very weak in comparison to what it used to be. These trips didn't exactly help her recovery but she still wanted to interact with ponies from time to time.

So she wouldn't be so lonely, Dragon Lord Ember settled a colony on the Sun, with Celestia's permission of course. It was by no means as hot as a real star, being a living planet and all, so the various dragon races were quite comfortable up there.

"I'm glad to see you, Clocky." She cooed, her teasing name for her son caused him to blush but still smile idiotically. "And it's wonderful to see my daughter-in-law." She added as she also shared a hug with Ditzy.

"So good to see you, Celestia." She responded; calling her by her name instead of Princess due to them being technically related now. Celestia was rather insistent on it. She might not be ruling Equestria anymore, but she was still treasured by the various creatures of the world.

There actually quite a few leaders of other nations here, with their families and friends. Twilight turned Nightmare night into a kinda formal informal party. A chance to celebrate with all other races and get to know each other better. It made political sense, given the CUC (Council of United Creatures) that she formed shortly after the Changeling Wars. Strangely that war created a new era of cooperation between all races.

Clockwork shook his head, as per usual thinking a billion thoughts in a single moment.

Derpy and his adoptive mother were just now letting go of each other, and they hadn't been hugging for very long at all.

Celestia smiled, "So how have you two been? Think about having any kids lately?"

Clockwork's eyes widen and his cheeks flushed crimson. "MoOoOoOoOoOom! Are you seriously asking that NOW?!"

"Oh right, like it's my fault that I want a granddaughter to pamper~"

Ditzy couldn't stop herself from giggling. "Don't worry Celestia. Give me a few more weeks. I'll get to work on it."

"Oh, not you too!" Clockwork whined in a fake agitated tone, yet his very amused smile was still present. Clockwork knew Derpy was just teasing. Derpy and he had talked at length about having kids but they agreed to wait on it for a couple decades... no sense telling Mother that. "You girls are impossible, you know that right?"

"But you've been married for so long and you still haven't had any children!" Celestia retorted as she pinched Clockwork's cheeks. "Maybe some kids will give you some responsibilities and an excuse to go outside?"

"Mother, please. What did I tell you about the pinching thing around Ditzy!?"

"Oh, I don't mind it."

"See? She doesn't mind it."

Despite the embarrassment, Clockwork still loved it. After all, how could he say no to affectionate love from his mother and the adorable giggles of his beloved wife? He truly was in paradise...

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The music from the DJ table and the friendly chatter immediately came to a halt. Celestia dropped her loving mood and quickly adapted her cautious posture, as everything eerily came to a silence. At instinct, Clockwork wrapped his forelegs around his wife, protecting her from what may occur right at this second. He could feel his wife's heart pounding from fear, yet for some reason, his own heart pounded much harder.

"Everypony stay here." Twilight Sparkle instructed the ponies as she and five other ponies followed her to the front door. Clockwork couldn't help himself as he slowly moved his head a bit to take a peek at what is going outside. Twilight nodded at her friends as she carefully opened the door. What she saw caused her to fill with complete fear as the door slowly opened. Her friends saw what she saw and were filled with the same horror. The ponies of Ponyville witnessed what was happening and were struck with terror.

Ditzy hugged her husband tighter as Celestia looked on solemnly at the sight. Clockwork felt absolute fear in his heart. Yet it felt like the fear had always been tugging there for a long time...

A large army stood just outside.

A certain portion of the army was strange looking statues. They resembled the old human myth but with wings and long stone dresses. They covered their faces with their hands and looked like they were weeping.

Another portion was gray cyborgs in a humanoid structure, with no emotions on their metallic faces. The remaining parts of the army were cyborg aliens that resemble 6 foot tall pepper pots. Finally, one stallion stood in front of the army. A ginger unicorn with gears for a Cutie Mark.

Twilight Sparkle looked on with discomfort but proceeded to venture outside, the cool wind blowing across her face as she glanced at the tremendous size of the army. As her friends slowly walked up next to her, Twilight finally found her voice and spoke up. "W-who are you?"

The ginger unicorn slowly looked up to stare at the newly crowned Queen of Equestria. Celestia was able to get a good look at him and felt her breathing cease. "Clockwork." She whispered at her adoptive son. "Take your wife and hide."

"But moth-"

She grabbed his shoulders and gave him an angry look. "Do it."

Not wanting to argue any further, he grabbed Ditzy and ran deeper into the crowd, choosing to hide under a table with a cloth.

Twilight Sparkle did not receive an answer, so after taking another step, she repeated her question with some courage returning. "I said, who ar-"

"I am the Master. Now then, where is he?"

The unicorn's response caught Twilight off guard for a quick moment before she regained her senses. "Where is who?"

The Master's eye twisted in an unspeakable rage yet his expression remained bored. "Where. Is. The. Doctor?"

Twilight looked at her friends with a confused look on her face. She quickly saw how they were more confused than herself. Twilight even turned back to the townsponies and saw how they did not understand what was going on or who was this "Doctor."

"Where...is...THE DOCTOR!?" The Master roared, his last two words were followed by the army charging.

From his hiding spot, Clockwork could peek out and see what was going on. And what he saw caused his eyes to widen in disgust. He could see the destruction, smell the ashes, and hear the chaos. He saw the unspeakable aliens devastate anypony that stood in their paths.

Even with Twilight Sparkle's, with her impressive magic and power of the other Elements of Harmony, couldn't fully contain the annihilation that was occurring in the town. In the heart of the devastation, he could see his foster mother fighting against the same ginger unicorn from before.

Celestia felt rage engulf her as she glared at the calm unicorn. Her horn began to glow as she spoke gravely to The Master. "You will not harm these innocent ponies."

"Useless." The Master muttered as he nonchalantly shook his head. "Just plain useless."

"What do you want?"

"Are you ponies deaf? I come for The Doctor."

"Which doctor?" Celestia toyed, but she obviously knew.

"Just bloody useless!" The Master hissed as he shot a beam of green light at Celestia, causing her to fall down to the ground. The sight of his mother nearly being killed caused Clockwork to almost run out of his hiding spot, had not his wife held him back for their safety.

"Don't toy with me, pony." The Master said as he glared at a coughing Celestia. "I know you are aware of The Doctor's location. Now be a good pony and tell me where he is..."

Celestia just spat on the ground as she smirked at The Master. "You'll have to kill me if you want to know."

The Master's horn began to glow as he stared evilly at the fallen pony. "Then I have no choice but to oblige your request..."

"NOOOOOOO!!!"

Clockwork did not know how, but he somehow managed to appear in front of Celestia, standing on his back legs with his forelegs spread out. Celestia looked up in amazement as she stared at her panting foster son, letting out beads of sweat from his forehead while shakily glaring at the ginger unicorn.

The Master did not seem to be bothered by the intrusion of this pony. Yet deep down, this pony felt...odd. He did not say a word as he quietly examined Clockwork whilst in deep thought. Clockwork and Celestia could feel their hearts violently pumping out from their chests yet did not act out as The Master continued his observations.

Finally, after 66.6 seconds, The Master's face soon changed. He let out a triumphant smile as he spoke to Clockwork. "I finally found you."

Clockwork shook his head as he stared at this lunatic. "W-what on Earth are you t-talking about..?"

"Oh, of course, you do not understand. I will admit, it is hard for me to recognize you the mortal way." The Master replied, "Eyes don't really take in everything there is too a person, do they?"

Using his magic to levitate something from Celestia. Clockwork got a good look on what The Master had obtained: a strange looking pocket watch. It looked old, too old. Watches didn't even exist long enough to be so old. The Master casually tossed the watch into Clockwork's hooves.

"Open it." The Master demanded before lifting up Celestia by the throat with his magic. "Or she dies."

His magic soon tightened around Celestia's throat, almost choking her. Despite her current predicament, she expressed grave concern for her son. "Clockwork! Please! Don't!"

Clockwork stared at his mother, on the verge of death, before glancing at the nonchalant unicorn. Clockwork felt numbness. He could not feel the stinging cold from the cool wind. He could not feel the tears that were staining his face. He could not feel the agonizing emotions that were plaguing his body.

His mother had done all she could do for him. There was nothing he could do to greatly express his appreciation and thanks for all she gave him. Yet he caused her problems with his own problems. She begged him not to do it. But she suffered enough. Suffered for his own sake.

With his teeth nearly bleeding from the deep frown and gritted teeth, he finally opened the watch.

Golden light erupted from the watch and poured into the Earth Pony's pores. The next thing Clockwork knew, he fell down to the ground as the watch dropped from his hooves. He almost felt his head go on fast forward before hitting stop.

He gasped as his head shot up in the air. It was all coming back...

He is The Doctor, an alien, a Time Lord, who, through sheer power and experience, ascended into godhood. Something that brought him nothing but misery ever since.

He never wanted to be a god and often struggled to maintain his mortal limitations. He wasn't nearly on Discord's level, as he was far too young for that, only half a million years old he guessed.

This was his 42nd Regeneration. Like the Phoenix he could restructure his body on his death and rejuvenate. Unlike the Phoenix he could end up regenerating into any sentient creature in the universe. It was sorta like reincarnation but he remembered everything from his past lives and usually didn't have to worry about going through puberty again.

Unfortunately, as it is like reincarnation, every Regeneration views his past lives in a different way. He is still the same person at his core but thinks a little differently due to having a new brain chemistry.

Sometimes he sees himself as a savior or a common wanderer. Other times he saw himself as the villain.

This Regeneration was one of those. He looked back on his life and saw a monster, a demon. He spent his first night in his life counting the lives he's taken. The number was in the trillions and he was certain he had forgotten far more... how could you forget something like that? When did taking a life became so second nature you didn't bother to remember?

Those weren't even counting the people who died from his indirect actions, or the people he just failed to save... most of his loved ones fell into both of those categories... friends... family... his child... WHY THE HELL WOULD ANYONE WHAT TO REMEMBER THIS!?

This face realized something... he was the problem. For all his eagerness to help he has done far more damage to the universe as a whole. Everything he touches, it rots away. Complete oblivion. All he wanted to do is do good, yet every time he does makes so many suffer as a result. He is the cause of it and, worst of all, was nothing he could do to stop it. The final straw was the alliance. All of his worst enemies had allied themselves with each other, forming a fleet dedicated to The Doctor's demise.

At that moment, The Doctor believed there was only one thing to do to stop the ashes from burning, abandon it all. He went into hiding, on a little backwards planet that his face came from, Equus.

He went to the local Celestial, the living spirit of a dwarf star. True her shell was weak from being away from her real body for being too long, but she understood a little something about being a god wanting to connect with mortals.

He asked her to watch him, make sure he didn't do anything too terrible as a mortal. Then he used an old machine he hadn't used in millions of years. It wiped his mind and rearranged his biology... it turned him into a normal everyday mortal, with memories of a mortal life loosely based on his own but made to fit into this world.

He was able to start a new life to abandon the guilt his real life has caused. Using the fob watch, his memories were locked away. With his memories washed away seemingly forever, Celestia adopted him... that had not been part of the plan.

The Doctor was gone. Thus Clockwork was born.

Until now.

After his mind was refreshed, The Doctor calmly got up from the ground before dusting himself. He took off the ridiculous Post-it note and tossed it to the floor. He quietly turned to Celestia, who was too injured to stand up properly. He did not look at her with pity like before. He looked at her with disgust.

"So, was it worth it?" He asked with sarcasm in his tone. "Having me around just for some technical knowledge?"

The comment alone caused Celestia's pain to burn further. She looked up to the pony she once called her son with heartbroken eyes. She spoke to him, "It...it made you happy. Remember?"

The Doctor just growled before turning away from her with shame building up in his body. "If you wanted to you could have tried harder to stop me. This world has skipped right over the last thousand years of industrial advancement! It's a miracle you didn't kill yourself with the trinkets I gave you... it's likely how the alliance was able to track me here,"

"Please...Clock-"

"MY NAME IS NOT CLOCKWORK!"

His fury-driven yell caused Celestia to shrink back a bit and The Master to raise an eyebrow in amusement.

"It never was my name in the first place..." The Doctor quietly mumbled as he closed his eyes. Celestia watched him with shame and pity, knowing that he was right.

With nothing else to say, Celestia ignored the pain and got up to solemnly walk away. Before she left The Doctor's sight, she parted with him some final words to say, "The universe needs you. I don't believe that all you touch is destroyed. Regardless of what happens, I want you to know this: You may not have been my son by blood, but that does not mean that I will not miss you. Goodbye...my...son..." She soon left his sight with fresh tears staining her eyes.

The Doctor did not bother her with a response or retort.

He looked at The Master. The Doctor's mortal enemy... and best friend.

They used to play together under the orange sky of Gallifrey, the Time Lord's homeworld.

As children they went to the Academy together, learning how to be time travelers... they had done so much... become so much to each other... they even shared their heat together... had a daughter... who died in a civil war the Doctor started...

The Master never forgave him. If anything he made it his mission to kill the Doctor for leading their child to ruin... but there was no question... the master was, and would always be, the Doctor's best friend.

No one knew him better, no one cared more about him... even after all they had been through. The Doctor would die for the Master... and the Master would laugh at the selfless act.

The master died some few million years ago, when his younger self killed his last regeneration... because she, as she had regenerated into a girl, had finally forgiven the Doctor... her past self was disgusted by the very thought and they ended up killing each other.

This master seemed a good deal younger then that.

The Master spoke with a smirk on his face, "We've met before, remember? You know me from my past and your future."

"Right..." The Doctor added as he glared at The Master. "You're an early Regeneration yourself." he began walking around the master, observing his soul, "I'd say before Saxon or even Professor Yana," he touch his head and heard the ginger's thoughts, "The drums are still quiet, you're not yet a threat,"

The Master had a signal attached to his brain, a distress call from the Time War that drove him mad long before he could figure it out. However the signal was quiet right now. Probably just a gentle ringing in his ears... he really wasn't a threat at this stage.

The master looked offended at that but moved on, "You know about my tick already?"

The doctor distracted him with, "Why do you always get the cool regenerations. A bloody ginger unicorn, so unfair," The Doctor childishly pouted, "So how did you find me? I hope you're not with the army."

The Master smirked, "You were actually the one to find me, just not yet. Time Travel, am I right, even gives a Time Lord a headache. You were even kind enough to let me travel with you." The Master added before laughing. "You know, since I'm the one who woke you that means YOU always knew who I was. You really are a good friend to help an advisory in need. So consider us even."

The Master paused a bit to marvel at the destruction from the aliens and ponies battling against each other. "The moment you found me and took me in," The Master explained, "was the moment you knew who you truly were."

The Doctor turned around, seeing the battle that was still striking the town. He let out a scowl at The Master. "This is exactly what I wanted to avoid."

The Master shook his head but still devilishly smiled, "Have you forgotten? You're the monster here. Hell, we're both the monsters. Whatever footsteps we make, death will fill them. Anything you look at, you can even see its inevitable destruction."

He stepped forward to place a hoof on The Doctor's shoulder.

"All this time, you spent it by whining and complaining about it. You know it's about time you embrace it. Or would you prefer that all these ponies around you, these lovely little primitives you befriended, die horrible agonizing deaths? The universe cannot function without someone willing to stain their souls with blood and carnage. Someone that allows the ignorant to play the part of the innocents."

The Doctor simply glared at the smiling Master as he shook off his hoof from his shoulder. Without saying a word, or changing his angry expression, The Doctor left The Master and immediately walked into the heart of the battle.

"I just wanted a happy life." He thought out loud before arriving where the fighting was the most intense. "A happy life as a mortal... How dare you wake me up from this dream and return me into this living nightmare!!!!"

Letting out a loud yell, he stomped his hoof on the ground, creating a wave that struck the nearby aliens. In a mere second, they aged millions of years, causing them to be reduced to dust that blew away with the wind.

After the dust was gone from site, the aliens saw the furious Doctor standing in their way and attacked. The Doctor did not flinch as the laser beams began to slow down in mid-air before finally stopping. While the time around him began to slow down, his own Time Stream was accelerating at an alarming rate.

He walked calmly to each monster, yet to them it seemed that he was blessed with super speed. The Doctor jammed his hoof into each of the Cybermen's bodies one by one, staining his hoof in oil and blood. Occasionally, he ripped out their body parts and jammed them into other Cybermen. As he began to mutilate them, he lost track of the damage and destruction he was causing or how he was causing it. By the time he was done, there was nothing but scraps and parts surrounding the terrifying pony.

As soon as all of the Cybermen were taken care of, he walked up to the large amounts of the Weeping Angels. He stared at them with agonizing malice, confident that the Weeping Angels can sense his presence and enjoyed their potential fear against him. Treading past the hordes of statues, The Doctor clapped his hooves struggled to pull them apart. He ripped a whole in the fabric of time and sucked the army of statues inside, letting the time vortex disintegrate them at a subatomic level. Once every Angel was gone he squeezed his hoofs back together to close the portal.

At long last, he finally stood in front of the Daleks. Each of them began to fire their deadly laser rays yet fail to hit the agile Doctor running towards them. The Doctor ran through a crowd of Daleks that stood in his way, causing a certain amount to shake violently before exploding into pieces.

The Doctor began to pant as he stared at the final horde of the Daleks. Each alien could see the death and violence in the eyes of the Doctor. One of them tried to back away from the Doctor. Unfortunately for it, The Doctor noticed this before spitting on the ground.

Right before the Daleks fired, The Doctor froze time and immediately ran towards the pieces of fallen Daleks and Cybermen. He calmly sat down and spent the next few hours / seconds putting the pieces together into a pile of small grenades.

With time being slowed down, The Doctor can see the massive chemical reaction as the Daleks guns heated up. He calmly walked to each Dalek and crammed a grenade into the barrel.

He could see the laser impact itself on the homemade bomb, ready for its devastating combustion. The grenades went off and each of the Daleks blew up.

Finally all but one Dalek remained, one out of an army of billions.

"MER-CY!!!" The Dalek cried. A creature of pure hate and rage, engineered to feel nothing else, coward before the Doctor.

"I gave you mercy," The Doctor informed as he slowly walked up to it, "You think I left out of some sense of self preservation? I left out of pity for you. I allowed you to live and you spat in my face for the kindness. I have no mercy left,"

The Doctor raised his hoof, as it glowed with yellow energy, and slowly turned it, causing the Dalek to age and scream until he was reduced to dust.

Finally, The Doctor returned back to look at the ponies around him.

The townsponies of Ponyville were nearly blinded and deafened by the tremendous explosion where the Daleks once stood. When they looked up, they saw nothing but ruins and piles of pieces spread across the entire area. All that stood was the pony they once called Clockwork. But they did not see Clockwork. They saw a savior somehow more cruel then the monsters that attacked.

The Stallion did not care at all what anypony thought of this situation. All he cared that his happiness was dead and he delivered payback to the ones who were responsible. He looked around for the ginger unicorn that he was talking to before but could not find him.

He turned around and finally noticed Ditzy Do standing with a shocked look on her face. His wife...or so he had thought. The Doctor decided not to focus more into that. A loud wheezing groan roared from behind him. Light began to fade in and out as a blue police box materialized into existence. She was still waiting for him after all these years.

The Doctor took one last look at the gray mare before he headed inside the police box.

"Wait!"

All of a sudden, Ditzy appeared in front of him, her fear from what she witnessed not leaving her face but was rather masked by determination. The Doctor simply scoffed at her.

"Move."

"No."

The Doctor just narrowed his eyes at the gray mare. How annoying. "There is nothing for you. Your husband is dead. No. He didn't even exist in the first place."

He stepped into the TARDIS with a stoic look on his face. He did not look back at Ditzy as he continued, "Your husband is no more." He finished as he heard the door close automatically.

"You're wrong."

He quickly turned and saw Ditzy step into the TARDIS with tears on her face but gritted teeth that signaled her courage as she stared deeply into the Doctor's eyes. "You're wrong! He is still alive! He still exists!"

"...All I have to do is find him," She laid a hoof on his chest, "In here," she insisted, "I heard what you said to Celestia, and what that red unicorn said to you. I know, somewhere in here my Clockwork is buried. All that, the Stallion I loved, couldn't have come from nothing!" She stepped around him, deeper into the TARDIS, "I'm going to find him, and you're going to help me."

The Doctor did not say a word. He didn't have to. He continued to look at the mare before him, the mare who witnessed what the Doctor had done yet did not back down. Determined to find the pony whom she loves and will swear to die by his side.

For a shy pegasus, Ditzy was certainly brave and determined. Both of which The Doctor found... exotic.

Act 1 - Ep1, Ch4: TARDIS Academy

● Years Later,
6 Years into the Equestrian Space age.

The Rift, an air pocket in space. An entire asteroid belt with good old diluted Oxygen. Most of the Asteroids had been chiselled into islands. Then given a stronger, Earth Norm, field of gravity despite most being only big enough for a large building, yet the moment you step off the island you float through the void with just enough gravity to steer. This whole place was teeming with magic. As it should, for it was constructed, by a civilization of sentient animals called "Yokai". They constructed this place to escape the harsh nature of their own dimension. The Yokai had settled this belt 10s of thousands of years ago, meaning most of it was converted to their needs.

For centuries they used it as a port, using portals they constructed to travel to every habitable planet in the system. Now, with the native species able to travel through the solar system and all the worlds of it terraformed for each species, the Rift had become the center of trade for the system. It just made sense. The Yokai built each city (not just major cities) their own portal to the largest island in their system. That place looked much like a 21st century Earth Airport... only the gates were portals to other worlds. Yokai were masters of inter dimensional travel so setting up links to places in the same universe were easy. This made it faster to just come here before going to another city (even the ones on the same planet).

Once the ponies found this place and negotiated proper trade and travel rights, the Rift flourished. The Yokai even began allowing other civilians to build on their floating Islands. A proper space dock was even constructed at the edge of the air bubble, to promote themselves as the center of trade for even the larger shipments between planets.

Eventually, within the past year, the Rift became where all the planetary governments of the system gathered together and discussed system wide laws. Each world had their own independence well agreeing to obey the laws of the system. Even establishing the Inter Planetary Fleet to protect all worlds.

Equestria had only lead their world into the stars 6 years ago and had accomplished so much with hardly a conflict. Of course terraforming all the planets and giving them to each species for nothing buys you a lot of good will... though the Doctor doubted they even thought of that. Ponies might be easily frightened but unlike other species they don't lash out when afraid. They were so innocent and kind that it infected other species. Conquest through genuine compassion and a desire to... befriend every lifeform they met.

The Doctor might feel more at home on Earth but ponies had never once made him question why he was helping them.

“I sure love Jelly Babies.” The Doctor mumbled as he grabbed a hoof-full of the sweet candy and then dumped them into his mouth. “They’re so tart and irresistabl-ugh!”

He coughed a bit while patting his own back, making a mental note to never try to talk with his mouth full of candy. Ah what the hell, he’ll just ignore it as usual. He stood next to the TARDIS as he continued to chew his snack while staring at the Rift with a calm look on his face. After all, he needed some time to kill while he waited for…

*FLASH!*

“Speak of the devil…” The Doctor mumbled with a smirk as the white light died out, revealing seven figures.

One of them was a pegasus dressed in ancient combat armor. Another was a tannish pegasus dressed in what the Doctor would call “Egyptian” clothes. Next to her was a bearded Earth pony, nearly as tall as Celestia, who looked capable of crushing mountains with ease. Beside him was a lanky unicorn almost riddled with wrinkles. To her left was a blue Earth pony with a tall hairdo carrying a mask in her hooves. In front of them all were two important looking ponies. One was a unicorn dressed in magician robes, complete with pointy hat. He reminded the Doctor much of his "Merlin" regeneration. Next to him was a unicorn dressed in what the Doctor would call beggar’s clothes, not that’s a bad thing to begin with.

“Ladies and chums! Long time no see!” The Doctor happily greeted with a mouth full of Jelly Babies. He quickly swallowed the candy before speaking again. “Glad that you could all make it.”

He was suddenly met with a strong hoof around his neck as the bearded pony, Rockhoof, chuckled. “Aw lad! We wouldn’t miss it for the world! I hadn’t seen ye in a while! How’s ya kid and love?”

“Ach! Can’t breathe!” The Doctor choked before Rockhoof bashfully let him go. “Ah, they’re doing fine. How are you pals though?”

“We have been well, thank you for asking, Doctor.” The pony in beggar’s clothes, Stygian, responded with a kind smile. “We are glad that you have personally invited us to your TARDIS.”

One of the pegasi, Flash Magnus, stared at the TARDIS with a perplexed look on his face. “I don’t remember seeing your little blue friend being so…”

“Big?” The Doctor chuckled as he stared up at the TARDIS. No longer the size of an ordinary phone booth, the TARDIS was nearly the size of a skyscraper as it seemed to stretch on throughout the rift. In fact, the TARDIS itself was now occupying one of the rock-like islands floating throughout the Rift. He already got permission from the Yokai to park it here. “Yeah I think it grew a few inches. I just can't seem to find my ruler anywhere so I dunno how long it is now.”

“You’re gonna need more than a measly ruler.” The blue earth pony, Mage Meadowbrook, muttered as she gazed upon the TARDIS.

“You’re right. I need to find a meter stick but I think I lost that to.” The Doctor grumbled before he stood at the entrance of the TARDIS. Looking back at the 6 Pillars, and Stygian, the Doctor confessed, "I anchored her. It makes it so she is fixed to this spot until I release her, and let me tell you SHE WAS NOT HAPPY, but she came around after I explained I couldn't risk her taking the whole school with her next time she is in the mood for adventuring. I love the old girl but she is about as reliable as a fish finger, particularly the ones covered in Custard. Tasty but not very good for your health."

The Pillars just stared at his ramblings that was supposed to be an explanation, but it was Stygian that was able to piece something out, "School?"

The Doctor smiled brightly, “C’mon then! It’s better if we talk inside.”

The Doctor proceeded to open the entrance and stood by the side as he watched each of the Pillars, along with Stygian, walk inside the TARDIS. As The Doctor closed the door, he couldn’t help but chuckle at their amazed looks on their faces as they marvel at the spacious exterior of the TARDIS. After all, it was always bigger than it looked outside.

He turned around and blinked for a moment, noticing the ponies' faces did not look amazed. Instead, they looked freaked out. For a brief second, he wondered what made them look so horrified but as soon as he turned to where they were looking, his thoughts were put to ease.

Standing near the control console was a grayish unicorn with a red robe on his back. He looked up to give a respectful nod to the Doctor but paused upon seeing the Pillars stare at him with various looks of horror on their faces. Neither of them seemed to be pleasant. At that point, the gray unicorn coughed uncomfortably as he stared back at the brown pony.

The Doctor almost slapped himself in the face, feeling silly that he didn’t warn the Pillars and Stygian about…

“Sombra!” The Doctor cheered as he trotted to said pony. “Sorry for the wait. The Pillars and Stygian are here. Uh...”

He quickly turned to the ponies and back to Sombra with a sheepish and toothy grin on his face. “Want me to explain or you’re okay with telling them?”

“Tell us what?”

The Doctor let out a gentle sigh as he put on a serious look on his face. “Sombra’s...not like his past self.” He explained. “He went through some good ol’ friendship teachings and a good outlook on life thanks to, ugh, Celestia… and the Mane 6.”

"As I recall," Sombra eyed him, "It was you who convinced me to reformed."

"Oh I just laid the ground word," The Doctor waved off.

The tannish pony and wrinkled pony, Somnambula and Mistmane respectively, looked at each other before looking back at Sombra, who seemed uncomfortable with their uncertain stares. They saw him groan a bit as he walked towards them carefully.

“I understand the hostility you all have against me.” He said with a frown on his face. “What I have done is unforgivable and I am aware saying a simple sorry will not do.”

The Pillars stared at him without saying a single word, causing a silence that almost killed both Sombra and the Doctor. Finally, the brown pony jumped next to Sombra and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

“C’mon guys, it’s not like he’s going to do anything stupid like destroy the Tree of Harmony or brainwash all of Equestria to invade Canterlot or kidnap…”

“Doctor, please stop talking.” Sombra muttered with a massively uneasy expression on his face.

“Yeah… that’s a good idea.” Doctor responded with a red and sheepish face.

The magician, Star-Swirled the Bearded, let out a sigh before he let out a small smile. “Well, there is no denying the good work the Elements of Harmony and Cele-”

“Just the Elements of Harmony, Star-Swirled.” The Doctor bluntly interrupted. “Please don’t mention...her. Thanks.”

“Uh, noted.” Star-Swirled muttered before coughing a bit. “So it looks like we shall trust you for now.”

He looked back at the other Pillars and Stygian, all who shared uncertain frowns. Regardless, they shrugged and offered small smiles to Sombra, giving him some relief.

“Well now that is taken care of.” The Doctor muttered as he let out a stupid smile, obviously embarrassed at what just happened. “Sombra is here to help me out.”

“Help you with what?” Star-Swirled asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Imagine this.” The Doctor began as the Pillars begin to stand near the meeting table. “I’m thinking, no, PLANNING on making the TARDIS into a giant school.”

“A school?” Mistmane asked in curiosity.

“Yup. Help the lil’ ones know more about their odd manifestations of magic. Teach them how to control these Classes and such.” The Doctor continued as he walked around, glancing at the TARDIS interior. “Of course, who knows the Classes more than the Pillars, the humble Stygian, and my pal Sombra.”

Everypony else glanced at the silent Sombra before turning to The Doctor, giving them their undivided attention as he continued on.

“If I recall, each and every one of you has a class of your own. Well except for you Stygian, but we like you anyway." The Doctor still had trouble understanding when he was being rude, "Magic does come out in all sorts of interesting ways, doesn't it? You all have tried your hands, errr hooves (still can't get that right), at teaching these confused children yourselves. It is hard to be imbued with such power and not have the slightest clue where it comes from. They are often shunned and misunderstood. Ponies misunderstanding of Sombra's shadow bending is what turned him to a life of evil."

The ponies looked back at Sombra, who was conveniently looking somewhere else.

The Doctor went on, "We need to save these children from such a fate. You are told you're a monster long enough and you start believing it, right Sombra?"

Sombra just groaned in exacerbation.

"My school will not only help these kids learn control, but it will also show them they are not alone well raising awareness in the public," The Doctor explained, oddly serious for a moment, "That way none will ever again go through what we did. Then, if the children so desire, they can put their gifts to use defending all those born without their gifts. Or they can live a simple life as civilians, helping in their own just as special ways.

"I realize you had a school of your own, along time ago, and though short lived I see how much good it did for your world. I believe, with my resources and confidence, this school will thrive for countless generations. We will show the Galaxy itself Classes are not something to be feared."

The Doctor looked around, seeing their determined faces, “I wish to hire you all. Starswirl here will be the Deputy Headmaster and Stygian will be the Head Counselor. The rest of you will all be the first teachers when this place opens up.”

The Pillars began to whisper to each other upon hearing this before The Doctor changed his tone. “I understand this will be some darn hard work, and it’s going to take a lot of years just to get approval from the Senate for an interplanetary school and set everything up. Believe me, I hate doing things the long way, but for this? This will be worth it. I know we can do this. All I need are your approvals. That and students.”

Act 1 - Ep2, Ch1: Smart Mouth

Canterlot,
6 Years into The Space Age

Canterlot looks nice at night. The lights of the big city in the nearby distance, yet here in their suburban home the lights were going out around the neighborhood. All was going quiet, except for the snores of the happy ponies living there. There was a particular colt looking out the window that night–Which is odd because they definitely should have been asleep by now! That colt's name was Smart Mouth and you don’t know it yet, but I think you’re going to grow to like him. Smart Mouth turned from the window and looked at his front paws. They were definitely paws, not hooves like his Daddy had. The 3 year old colt had hooves on his back legs but his front legs had paws and weird looking digits called thumbs. Real ponies could just hold things because of a type of magical static cling but he had to use the short digits and thumbs. His face was that of a pony, although he had a girly snout. He had sharp teeth and fox ears as well as the fluffy tail of a fox. With all that, he also had the wings and the body type of a Pegasus.

He stretched, that bright white underbelly contrasting with his orange fur nicely. Although most of his fur was short and slick like a pony's, he had a puff of white fluff on his chest. The lower half of his legs were black with thick blue squigly lines between the black and orange fur. The colt flicked his tail, the same pattern from his legs showing there as well. Stretch those wings! There were short blue feathers and long white ones, each with black tips. His cheeks and lower jaw were white well the rest of his face was orange. Well except for the large number of black freckles around his large blue eyes.

Gosh! He hated his freckles. They seemed to always invite grownups to pinch his cheeks. At least he was allowed to style his mane how he liked. It was blue, cut in a short spiky boyish style that was popular. His mane kinda naturally stood on end so the adults didn't have to do anything to it but give it a quick brushing in the morning. Honestly, he kept his mane this way more out of laziness then style.

He looked weird. He had the classic pretty colt features, but with odd fox bits added on. It was obvious he wasn't a normal pony. Even so, he was not an abomination–Just not the norm. That didn’t stop other ponies from bullying him though.

It didn't help that he didn't even eat plants like other ponies did. Those tasted really nasty and made him gag–Even gave him a belly ache. Grains, dairy, and pastries were all fine, even good for him, but not straight up plants like vegetables or fruits. Although, what was really good for him scared other ponies. He loved meat; bacon made from pigs instead of hay, burger patties made from chicken instead of tofu or beans, and fish–Lots and lots of fish. He loved seafood. It had no equal.

The meat was all synthetic... kinda, it grew like fruits out of trees imported from the Yokai's home dimension. It was still legitimate organic flesh, with electronic impulses running through it, but it was never really alive. The Earth Ponies grew the plants on some of their farming moons, to help feed carnivores without the need to kill anything. Still, ponies found the organic slabs of flesh disgusting. They were even scared of it on an instinctual level. It's like they thought because he ate a fish that he might eat a pony. He was half pony himself though, the dumbbells! It wasn't so bad. No one really picked on him, but that was because they were scared of him. He was the creepy quiet kid that ate meat. The weird looking half breed.

The young colt kit sighed as he stretched his wings and glided off the top bunk. He passed his older brother on the bottom as he got to the floor. The Unicorn colt kit blinked looking up at him as he played his JoyBoy. "Where are you going?" Asked his brother, Book Smarts.

"I'm thirsty," Smart Mouth declared in a voice that definitely was not a whine.

"You're trying not to drink at bedtime, remember? So you don't wet the bed."

Smart Mouth blushed. "I haven't wet in a week!"

"Because you haven't drunk any water just before bed," Book Smarts glared.

"B-but I'm REALLY thirsty," Smart Mouth insisted.

"Okay, but you better put on your special underpants before you go back to sleep."

Smart Mouth blushed. "But-"

"Everytime you wet it ends up dripping on me," Book Smarts glared, "If you're going to drink then you're going to wear the pants,"

Mouth's blush deepened but begrudgingly agreed. "Fine," he said before walking out of the room.

Book Smarts had been awfully bossy and overprotective ever since their mom died last year. No, it was even before that, but it had gotten worse this past year. He didn't know why. Their mom was pure evil! She was always yelling at daddy and hit them when he wasn't around. He didn't miss her at all; for some reason his chest got all tight as he thought that. He really didn't understand what he was feeling.

Daddy made excuses for mommy–That she was a Kitsune and that she didn't understand pony culture–But Koto Sensei, their tutor, was a Kitsune to and he was really nice. He never raised his voice or hit them so obviously being a Kitsune was no excuse.

When Mommy died Daddy hired Koto Sensei to teach them Kitsune magic. Daddy was a bit overprotective himself and had them learning from a tutor instead of going to school. Koto Sensei was teaching them how to read and write and do math–All the traditional preschool stuff. They watched the Magic School Bus and worked in their self grading textbooks. However, they also learned really cool stuff like how to bend raw energy, called Kai, as well as simple spell casting right out of the Elder Scrolls. Kitsune didn't nearly have the reality bending magic of unicorns, but they could do basic spell casting. The old fox was even teaching them magical crafts like making Runes, Enchantments, and Potions.

Smart Mouth loved the crafting lessons the most and liked to play with his potions set. He only had simple recipes like minor tummy ache soothers but they were a lot of fun to make. Koto Sensei was also teaching him to be sneaky because Kitsune were naturally very light footed. It was an important skill to their survival.

Smart Mouth used those super special sneaking skills to enter the hallway and slink by the adjacent nursery. There his baby sister, Curious Cat, slept. It was her fault mom was dead. Mommy died giving birth to her. Smart Mouth was kinda thankful to her for that but at the same time mad at her; it was weird.

He just knew he didn't want to wake her. She screamed whenever she was woken up and demanded that if she was awake then everypony else had to be. She was an Earth pony and fox hybrid. Daddy liked to joke that he had a full set now: Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth pony. It was a full house to him–At least that’s how he made it seem.

Although Daddy was a unicorn, like Auntie and so many others of their family, he was descended from all three tribes like a lot of families were nowadays.The Smart family was a wealthy line of mostly unicorns. They perfected computers during the industrial age, created the first Android-type phones they called "Smart phones", and created the magical Wi-Fi network which stretched across the planet. Later, after ponies started exploring the solar system and the other races moved off onto less high maintenance planets, Celestia extended the Wi-Fi spell to cover the entire solar system, allowing everypony free access to the Internet no matter where they were.

Ponies might not have invented whatever a "television" was, but they did have shows that were posted by season in the form of Apps. Each Studio had its own App where you could watch the entire series of shows they made for free. You just had to sit through a few commercials during the beginning and middle.

Most shows and movies were stuff that the Yokai added on their own Apps. That mouse Yokai, that owned something called "Disney", was rather popular with ponies

However, most ponies prefered Audio Dramas over shows still. Radio stations used to be played through actual radio but now each station was an App, the most popular being an App that came with Smartphones called the Smart Tunes Station. The music was organized by genre but you could search by artist and listen to them and similar artists.

Like all stations in the Equus System, the app didn't have commercials as record companies would pay the station to play the music as advertisements to buy the album. The closest thing to a commercial radio stations had was the song giving its name, the band, and the album as it played. On the Smart Tunes Station you could buy the song directly as it played, or follow a link to the album and buy songs from it individually or the entire album. The point was that once you purchased it you could listen to it whenever from your library, even putting it into a custom playlist.

The App also had a bunch of Audio dramas separated by genre, which you could search by series and even rate like a channel app but with no commercials. It only had one season at a time and posted the episodes weekly instead of all at once, but that meant there was a lot more new content. The current season was always free to listen to for a year, a new episode being posted every week.

Mouthy's favorite Audio Drama had to be "Classic Doctor Who". It was about the early adventures of the lesser god, back when he was still mortal, as he flew around in his time machine, protecting the universe. There was a whole "Doctor Who" studio app, with the main cartoon and tons of spin offs. Koto Sensei insisted Mouthy watch it, because the Doctor was the favored god of the Yokai and it was important to honor him. The only god Mouthy knew of beforehoof was Discord, a fact which really really upset Koto Sensei. The nine tailed fox insisted that Mouthy's "ignorance" wasn't his fault but rather his mother's.

The main cartoon was over 50 seasons long, at 500 Episodes a piece! That was a whole lot of homework, but it didn't feel like it. It was just so awesome! Mouthy had only been learning from Koto Sensei for a few moons and he had already finished season one.

The Yokai added lots of stuff to the Wifi network, even sold their own videogame devices and toys... which the Smart Family owned lots of. Book Smart refered his Joyboy over the Nintendo Switch, cuz it was what all his pony friends had, but the older boy still owned both. Mouthy was too young to own a JoyBoy, cuz it was so delicate, but he did own a Switch. Yokai put a lot of effort into it to make that sturdy. It had a magic battery which recharged itself after playing it. The battery even lasted like 20 hours and only took 1 to recharge to full power. It could even magically connect to any Television, which the species from Pathfinder liked... but was kinda useless to most ponies. No, what Mouthy loved the most was it could pull him into the game world like an enchanted comic book.

Thinking of comics, Mouthy's mind wandered to Stan Lee. He owned "Detective Marvel Comics", but he wasn't a Yokai. He was a demigod of some kind of race of deities called "Watchers". He sold his enchanted comics in the Yokai dimension, who in turn sold them to the Refugee planets the Doctor made.

Those comics were AWESOME!!! Mouthy loved reading them but especially playing in their worlds.

Worlds like:
Naruto, Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho, Avatar the last Airbender, Junjou Romantica, Gravitation, Fruits Basket, Pirates of the Caribbean, WALL-E, Robots, I ROBOT, Mass Effect, Outlaw Star, Star Wars, Star Trek, Halo, Ben 10, Farscape, Dragon Ball Z, , Doctor Who, Mister Peabody and Sherman, Predator / Alien, Harry Potter, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Marvel Comics, Judge Dredd, DC Comics, Hancock, Astro Boy, Megamind, Danny Phantom, One Punch Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Watchmen, Push, Sky High, and more.

Koto Sensei said all of these worlds and characters really existed, but that they happened in other Dimensions. Who knows maybe these people do exist in this one to, or will exist someday... it was a pretty epic thought.

Shaking his head, and getting his mind back on track, Mouthy continued his journey. His brain tended to wander way too much. It just jumped from topic to topic. The colt kit slowly sneaked by the nursery and looked around the lit hallway. Daddy kept the hallway light on at night so the children's rooms wouldn't be so dark. Taking the turn Mouthy got to the living room and was a little shocked to see daddy awake and drinking Cider with a special guest.

"Auntie Computer Wiz!" Smart Mouth grinned spotting his favorite Aunt on the couch. He ran over to her excitedly but frowned when he saw she was all misty eyed.

"Hi Sweetie," The normal unicorn mare reached out and ruffled his mane as she forced her eyes to dry and showed a clearly fake smile.

It looked like she was still upset about losing her husband. Know It All Senior died in a shuttle accident about the same time Mom died in childbirth. Soon after, Auntie gave birth to a colt she named him Know It All Junior. She'd been visiting a lot since then, getting help from Daddy.

Uncle Know It All had been a nice stallion but honestly Smart Mouth didn't know him very well. Before he died Smart Mouth rarely got to see Auntie so the foal didn't know him very well.

"Buddy," Daddy got his attention, looking strangely serious, "It's well past your bedtime."

"But I'm thirsty," Smart Mouth whined. He just wanted to stay with Auntie.

Daddy sighed. He walked over to the kitchen which was directly connected to the living room and separated only by a long counter. He pulled out a sippy cup from the dish washer and poured some water into it from the faucet. He quickly screwed on the lid and brought the cup to the colt kit. That was good enough to send Mouthy away, but really he was practically begging to be eavesdropped on. So Smart Mouth, being a good little colt, sat in the hallway drinking his sippy.

"Sorry about that," Daddy said to Auntie.

"It's okay," said Auntie, "You've got a house filled with foals, it's bound to happen... Stealthy... do... do you think we're cursed?"

Daddy didn't answer.

"Your mother, my sister, your wife... My husband... So many ponies lost..."

"It really does feel like it sometimes..." Daddy admitted taking a sip of his own drink, "It's the reason I refuse to let what happened to my wife affect my daughter. When my own mother died giving birth to me... Father couldn't even stand the sight of me. I spent my foalhood bouncing from house to house as he pawned me off on other family members. I always told myself I'd be a good father if something like that happened to me... I just... Never thought it would.” Daddy sighed unhappily and took a sip of his cider. “Still... I love my daughter and will raise her with all the love she could ever hope to have...

Auntie stared up at the ceiling for a moment, as Daddy continued, “You know, I think we are cursed but–But that's why we need to spit in the face of whatever asshole deity keeps bucking with us! Why we need to cling to what we have…” Auntie stared off into the distance. “You know I'm not very good at the whole comforting thing but... I worry about you. With Celestia transferring me over to Ponyville you won't have any more support out here in Canterlot... Please... Come with us."

"I don't know..." Auntie sighed, "I have a good job out here working for the family business... And it was hard getting Junior in the Celestial Daycare. Ever since my sister passed I've been having to look after my niece too. She's so distraught she actually dropped out of her apprenticeship.

"I know.” Daddy hummed thoughtfully. “Bring her too,"

Auntie sighed, "I can't just drop everything, and I couldn't burden you like that,"

Daddy thought for a moment. "We might be distant cousins but we were raised together a good portion of the time. There's a reason my children call you 'Auntie'. I consider you a sister! Please, stay with me instead. I might not be much help but at least this way we can mourn together–And stop each other from doing anything stupid too. Plus, since I'm working as an Archer for the Princess of Friendship's Royal Guard, I can probably get Princess Twilight to enroll your foals in her school and daycare free of charge as a member of my household."

"Really living up to your name eh, 'Stealthy Intellect'," Auntie chuckled, "Trying to bribe me?"

"You know it’s a good idea. Besides Street Smart, is getting to be a real hoof full–And like you said Smart Alec needs help. In her state of mind she's willing to destroy her future and neither of us want that.”

“My son and our niece could use help I suppose…”

“They could both do with some time under the guidance of the Council of Friendship... please Wiz, stay with me. You can work still here on the family business. It isn't even that long of a commute from Ponyville. I need you just as much as you need me right now."

Auntie needed some time to think that over. To be honest, both ponies were sad and frightened, even though each one didn’t want to show it. Auntie would be giving up Celestia’s position and Daddy had a lot of things going on in Ponyville. What would each do?

Deep down, they both knew they needed each other. If they were together they’d stay strong through the pain. Maybe that was worth it. Auntie finished thinking and sighed, "Alright..."

"Woo-hoo!" Smart Mouth cheered.

"Smart Mouth!" Daddy scolded, "Go. To. Bed,"

"Sorry Daddy!" The colt grinned before running off to give his brother the good news.

###

3 Years Later:
Ponyville

In the following years the family got settled into a routine in the Ponyville Barracks. They were near the Ever Free Forest; that way the Soldiers could react quickly, and hopefully prevent monsters from getting into the town. The barracks was actually made up of 5 rows of apartment units, following the perimeter of the Ever Free Forest.

Each family was assigned one of these units; not just a condo but the entire unit. That’s where Mouthy found himself that morning. He got out of bed as usual, his brother still had the bottom bunk. The room was filled with toys and the odds and ends of two boys growing up. Of note, in the corner was hanging a police box and some styrofoam planets. There was also a connected bathroom and walk-in closet. All of the bedrooms in the unit had that general layout.

Mouthy headed out into the sitting room connected to his room. Each unit was arranged much like this, with two bedrooms connected to a sitting room in the center. The sitting room for Mouthy was a brilliant playroom, with a TV and a comfy couch. Even in the barracks, they still managed to live rather well. His sister’s room was next to his, down a hallway.

Outside the sitting room was an arch, leading to another hallway, which connected to three more condos that looked exactly like this one. There were no doors on any of them and the children were allowed into any of them. Across from Smartie’s condo was his daddy’s. Daddy had a bedroom and made his other bedroom into an office. Smart Mouth wasn’t allowed in there; daddy was afraid he’d get into trouble with the weapons hung on the wall (or at least, that’s what daddy said to keep Smartie out). Daddy’s sitting room was a large library filled to the brim with books as well as a comfy chair on which to read them. The library was mostly fictional stories and plenty of enchanted books, as Daddy wasn't big on reference guides. There was a small section for references–A few history books but mostly monster manuals for work.

Down the hall immediately next to dad's, was Auntie's condo, which she had all to herself as well. Her extra bedroom was a workshop, for her techno magic stuff. Smartie wasn’t really allowed in there as there were so many delicate objects that could break. Computers, gizmos, magic contraptions–Things auntie didn’t want in pieces on the floor. Her sitting room was just a regular sitting room. It had a few bookshelves on the walls, some comfy chairs, a desk in the corner–All the things she used regularly.

Her kids shared the condo across from her. Know It All Junior had a nursery all to himself in the smaller bedroom. Then Street Smart and Smart Alec shared a bedroom, separated by a large screen Auntie had installed. Their sitting area was a more teen appropriate play room. It had an Arcade box with thousands of different classic games on it. There was also a low to the ground table with cubbies built underneath that stored more advanced puzzles. There was even an illusionary table to play O&O. That table created Illusions of what the player and Dungeon master were describing and let the players see the rooms their characters were in.

Connected to this hallway was a lobby with a laundry room, a kitchen (they had the latest technology in the stove), and a large living room. Connected to this was a door to the storage room underneath. A garage door allowed ponies to park their wagons in the storage room. Behind this room was the boiler (a huge tank which cycled, purified, and replenished all the water in the house using technology to disintegrate bacteria), the heater and air conditioner, and everything else the house needed to be self sufficient.

There was a patio on the main level too. Nice!

Even with all these ponies living here it didn't feel crowded. Sure, the kids could be awfully nosy. It was nothing the adults couldn’t shoo away when it got too bothersome. Smart Mouth also really preferred having a playroom. Even at the impressive age of 6 he was still scared to sleep by himself.

This is where the family lived and spent their lives together.

###

Both the older kids were doing much better through frequent exposure to the Bearers of Harmony. The teenagers were apprenticing at Twilight's school of friendship. Although it was technically a school to train world leaders, diplomats, and politicians the school taught a little bit of everything. The teens had eagerly soaked up all that they could. Now they were in their Senior year and eager to move beyond it to study under a legitimate master of their desired trades.

For the past three years, Mouthy and Book accompanied their Auntie on her morning commute to Canterlot. The train ride only took about 30 minutes, but it was still hard for such young boys to sit still for that long. The commute was worth it in Auntie's eyes. She had been promoted to Vice President of her department at the tech company run by the Smart Family.

She would drop the boys off with Koto Sensei on her way to work. Curious Cat had just joined them to a few months ago. After they finished studying and power training, Koto Sensei would bring the kids to the Ponyville Royal Daycare at the Castle of Friendship.

It was a pretty easy trip for the old kitsune. He would rip open a portal, with the ease of scratching the air, and just casually walk them through it. The kids would be in Canterlot one second and Ponyville the next. Koto Sensei would usually stop to flirt with the daycare receptionist, then walk back through his portal. It would then close completely when he left.

Mouthy couldn't wait until he learned that spell. Dimensional manipulation was one of the Yokai's signature fields of magic. Unfortunately, however fun learning from Koto Sensei was, their time at the castle was boring. His siblings loved it but Mouthy tended to stay away from the other kids. He just had trouble understanding them and they kept claiming he was weird. Typical little monster crap.

One day, after Daddy picked up all the kids, they got a very special visitor when they got back home. Doctor Clockwork Whooves, Princess Twilight's head Wizard, and the Time Lord god himself... He was just standing there, by the stairs of their unit waiting for them.

Daddy was amazed that someone so powerful and special would just be there. “Good day, Doctor!” Daddy looked at the Doctor then back at his children. “Please come in?” The Doctor nodded at him and they ascended the stairs together. “Kids, please go play. We are going to talk.” The children slowly made their way out of the room.

The Doctor spoke up. “Smart Mouth? Could you please stay here with us?” Mouthy would rather be playing. Daddy looked slightly worried about this. Koto Sensei would lecture him about what an honor it was that the Doctor wanted to speak with him, but there were lots of gods hanging around Ponyville these days. Discord was here at least once a week. Besides, although he knew and loved the cartoons and Audio Dramas, the Doctor himself was kinda scary.

Daddy pinned his ears back in a slightly frightened manner. “What would you want with Smart Mouth, sir?”

“Relax.” The doctor smiled. “I actually want Smart Mouth to go to my new school.”

"You want Mouthy to go to your school," Stealthy blinked as he looked at his middle child sitting next to him on the couch. The 6 year old was busy playing with his Smart Phone but looked up at the word 'School', a little nervous as well as excited by the concept. The Coltkit was technically old enough to start at a real school but Stealthy still had the little hanyous tutored privately, "I heard you were opening up a magic school. He's still a bit young for that, though."

The Doctor smiled, "My school teaches academics alongside magic, but it's probably a different kind of magic then you're expecting.” The doctor waved a hoof majestically. “Magic is in all of us–Even Earth ponies and Griffins. However, sometimes it comes out in strange ways. What causes this is unknown but I have found a noticeable pattern! Certain powers tend to appear in specific groupings. I call these 'Classifications of Atypical Magical Manifestations', or rather 'Classes'. I want to teach these gifted children how to control these rare powers.”

Daddy nodded, understanding this but not understanding how this related to his son. “Are you saying my son is gifted?”

“Yes,” the Doctor nodded, "and Princess Twilight has been fascinated by Classes ever since she learned her friend Pinkie Pie had one. When she learned they were real and not just a myth, well, she's been funding my research into them ever since! So when I told her I wanted to open up a school to actually help these people, she was all for it,"

"People?" Mouthy blinked.

The Doctor explained, "That's what you call any creature aware of mind and magic. Not everyone is a pony after all–As I'm sure you know,"

The little Colt kit nodded, knowing all too well.

Daddy eyed, "I know what your school is... But I haven't seen Mouthy show any signs of... a Class."

"That's because it's subtle," explained the Doctor, "You know all those 'imaginary friends' of his?”

Daddy nodded. “He has a very active imagination.”

The doctor shook his hoof. “Well they aren't imaginary. They're ghosts!"

Daddy paused. If it had been anyone else he would think they were high, but this was the Doctor. He was literally a god. He also had a wealth of technology and information that would have led him here. “I had no idea.”

"Your son has great potential. The speed and dexterity of a Pegasus, the natural stealth and magic of a Kitsune, and the healing powers and divine magic of a Cleric–Not to mention the vast variety of powers of a Necromancer. He has the potential to become a very powerful master of the craft!"

"Necromancer!?" Daddy gaped. "Are you telling me my son is a Corpse Stealer!?" The little colt kit shrank at that. Whatever a 'corpse stealer’ was, it did not sound good.

The Doctor sighed, "I thought you would be more sensitive to the misconceptions that come with classes."

Daddy blushed and hugged his son, as if to protect him from his own corpse stealing ways. "How can you be sure?"

"Well, first the way he moves and the stiffness of his joints indicates a higher bone density–A clear sign of Necromancers is a result of their ability to manipulate their own bones. Although the more obvious sign is his friends. They are phantoms. I might not be able to hear them but as a trained wizard, I have the means to detect them.”

The doctor continued. "My school will be able to help him control these gifts and use them for the betterment of Equestria. It doesn't just teach how Classes work though. My students receive the best education, both magical and academic. There, children will learn at their own pace from computers with breaks for class participation activities such as labs and story time. I'll also take them on weekly Field Trips to expand their worldview. I'll make sure they eat and have their naps. All expenses and board is included.”

Stealthy nibbled his bottom lip. "I think my cousin has a class... Ponies with such things don't exactly have the best recommendations. No matter how useful they can be."

The Doctor interjected, "And Necromancers have an even worse reputation, as you yourself demonstrated. Most, however, are as honorable as people can be. They are rather obsessed with helping the dead rest and are more benevolent than what films might have you believe... Sadly I can't protect your son from such prejudice but I can give him a place to belong. A place with other kids like him. They'll grow up together and learn to master their powers in a safe environment.” The Doctor pointed at daddy. “Isn't that something you would have liked when you were a foal?"

Daddy thought hard. "What's the catch?"

"Hummm?" The Doctor blinked

"You're telling me a government sponsored school for children with... Classes–Of all things! Isn't hoping to get something out of this?"

The Doctor sighed, "I was getting to that. You see–And this is purely voluntary after graduation–The students have an automatic acceptance into a special program. They will be given a lot of freedom to live... But will receive the occasional missions. They could, if they choose, become government agents. A mix between Celestia's monster hunters and the Equestria Interplanetary Fleet; charged with exploration and defense throughout the Star Cluster."

The Doctor walked towards the picture window and looked out at the sky. "We are hoping to have the Mass Effect drive done by their graduation so that they can use the technology on a ship to explore the rest of the Star Cluster. They will have more free range than the Fleet and will be accountable only to the United Council. They would not be above the spirit of the law but they would have permission to act outside it."

"So you want my son to be some kind of Secret Agent?" Daddy eyed.

"Not so secret, he would be asked to directly represent the Equus System to other planets. A champion of Equus!” The Doctor turned back to Daddy hopefully. “Think of this as going to military school. He will receive the training but it is up to him if he actually joins when he graduates."

"What about his apprenticeship?"

"I'm afraid since this is the first generation of this program he won't have a proper apprenticeship if he chooses to enter the program, as there is no one to learn from. However he will receive the proper training during his school days in a safe environment and will have the support of not only his fellow students but the Castle of Friendship after graduation."

"Kids are just barely teenagers after they graduate from school," Daddy pointed out, "Are you really telling me you expect 16 year olds to prance around the galaxy unsupervised?"

"Prince Spike will be there to guide them, so they won't be totally unsupervised."

"Don't give me that," Daddy waved that off, "Spike is very much a child, himself, by dragon standards."

"Yes, but he does have experience. Besides, you can be rest assured that when the time comes to pick a captain, we will find someone qualified. I also said this program is optional. All my students will be encouraged to join, but not forced to."

Daddy looked thoughtful for a moment. The thought immediately came to him. "It's a boarding school, isn't it?"

The Doctor sighed, "I'm afraid it is. Like any form of magic, Classes can be unstable during learning. They need constant supervision as they learn their art. It would be dangerous otherwise. However you can come visit him on family day every weekend and he will return home for the holidays."

Daddy looked down at Smart Mouth who had been staring at the Doctor while listening. Neither was entirely certain, but they both intrinsically knew the gravity of what they were hearing. Daddy sighed and looked into the distance. He could hear the jeers of Smart Mouth’s classmates in a regular school. Necromancy was massively understood! Daddy knew that Smart Mouth would have an even tougher time understanding himself–That is, if he didn’t have a proper teacher. Daddy knew Koto Sensei was a smart kitsune, but this was out of his league. Maybe having the Doctor turn his son into a champion of Equus wasn’t such a bad idea given the circumstances. "Alright... I'll let him go to your school."

Author's Notes:

I got a new collab partner in:

MadHatBat
https://www.fimfiction.net/user/357409/Madhatbat

She suggested that I move the chapters around a bit and devote Episode 2 to introducing the main Characters, that way you know who your dealing with.

Please check her out. She is hoping on doing more commission work.

Act 1 - Ep2, Ch2: Screwball

In 1969, somewhere in the heart of San Francisco, a man named Hagbard Celine founded a pagan sect that worshiped Eris, the Greek god of discord. He did so by writing the principia discordia. His exploits went down in infamy in the Illuminatus trilogy, where he toured the universe in a golden submarine. For what it’s worth, this has absolutely nothing to do with this story, except that Hagbard Celine’s golden submarine briefly appeared over the discombobulated landscape of Ponyville for a split second and then phased out of existence again.

Yes, the spirit of disharmony reigned supreme in Ponyville for the short amount of time Discord was in power.

He had such fun taking apart the landscape and “refreshing it” in new and conflicting ways. The streets became ice and soap, chocolate milk rained, and the world became weird and fun–At least to Discord. Ah, what fun indeed!

Somewhere deep in his jellies, he knew that this wouldn’t last. He knew deep down that there was always a chance someone would reunite the elements of harmony and give him the Han Solo treatment. Discord needed some kind of backup plan for if that ever happened. The literal gears in his head turned and questioned the puzzle. He needed something that could act independently from himself–Or maybe somepony.

In those days, it was frowned on for Gods to create life from nothing, but deep down that was one of Discord’s secret powers. After all, the primordial soup from which life on Earth was created was nothing but a disharmonious mix of chemicals–And yet here we are as humans, having sprung from the chaos billions of years ago. That’s the power of chaos; it’s that air of creativity from which beautiful things flow. All you need is that spark.

The last time he had created life was when he created the Draconequus, but they wanted nothing to do with him now. How unfun! Yet, maybe this time things would go differently. Discord was definitely a fan of the “let’s give it a try” concept and giggled with delight at the possibilities.

He snapped his fingers and a pedestal appeared in front of him with a block of clay sitting on it, ready and waiting. He whacked the block with his paw and began to shape it as it spun. It quickly took the image of a child, an Earth Pony filly no older than 6. A plain and ordinary looking girl to blend into pony culture. Still it needed a bit of a kick so he could recognize her as his. He drew spirals in its eyes instead of pupils. There much better! He doubted the ponies would notice that. After all, mortals could be such dull creatures.

He summoned a cotton candy cloud and had it rain chocolate milk on the wet clay. He sucked in a breath and blew on the sculpture. A white gas seeping from his mouth and into the statue–A bit of his soul filling the clay.

The chocolate milk began to wash away the clay and beneath it was revealed to be something of flesh and blood. A coat of light purple fur and a darker purple mane with white spirals in the curls. He did love how wavy hair had the occasional random curl.

The world is a chaotic place of weirdness and amazement. The universe is naught but a dust of chemicals floating in an endless space. We are stardust; we are golden. All of this flooded into the filly’s mind for a split second as life shot into every part of her body. The beauty of that big bang and getting to watch it as it unfurled in the sky. The filly quietly opened her eyes and took her first breath. Gosh, it’s good to be alive!!!

The cloud above her shot lightening bolts. This was not Discord’s handiwork though, and he grinned happily as the filly flexed her powers for the first time. Her clothes changed to a mad scientist outfit and she took the voice of Frankenstein’s master as she screamed, "It's alive! It’s alive!!!"

"Oh I'm going to like you," Discord chuckled.

"I should hope so, daddy." The filly grinned giving him an unexpected hug as her outfit vanished. Discord's eyes shot wide, not knowing what to do. The concept of fatherhood wasn’t really crossing his mind when he created her. That random concept did seem charming for one reason or another. "Happy Birthday," she muttered to herself as she hugged him.

"Birthday..." Discord rolled the word over his tongue, literally chewing the letters a bit before swallowing them. "Right, birthday! You need a present!" He pulled her off him and held out his paw. In a flash of white light appeared a little propeller hat. "Happy birthday, my little abomination!" There was surprisingly more affection then he intended.

"Wow, cool daddy! Can I fly with it!?"

"What kind of propeller can't fly?" Discord stated with a smile.

She put it on her head and spun the blade, strangely her butt rose into the air, allowing her to float. She giggled with delight at the strangeness. "Thanks daddy!"

"Don't mention it sweetie. Now why don't you go and enjoy the rest of your birthday and find some ponies to play with?"

"REALLY!? Thank you so much daddy!" She was so excited! Exploring the world around her? Cool! So she spun her propeller and out the window she went.

Discord walked to the window, that was suddenly just floating outside with him (again not his doing) and watched her go. Fatherhood. He rather liked that concept! It’s a shame it wasn’t going to last very long. He couldn’t possibly guess what her behavior was going to be like. The concept of creating a backup plan probably wasn’t going to go how he intended it, but such is life! Discord turned back to his work fixing all the pesky order in Ponyville as his filly went to begin her life.

###

The filly flew through the sky with gleeful determination. Oops, have to watch out for that passing cumulo-cute-us cloud. It was raining adorable forest animals onto a bed of pillows. The disharmony in the landscape all around pleased her.

She flew until she spotted a group of foals. They were running around a baseball field in the patches of chocolate rain and splashing in the chocolate puddles. The little girl giggled with delight before disappearing in a flash of white light and reappearing on the field. "Can I play?!" She demanded more then asked as the ponies yelped in surprise.

"Er... Sure?" Replied a gray Unicorn filly. With the strangeness of today, a filly appearing out of nowhere was hardly the weirdest thing they saw. Even a filly with bizarro eyes. "We do have an odd number right now, and not nearly enough players for a full team, but do you know how?"

"I know lots of things!" The little abomination grinned. She really did! She didn't know how but she knew a lot. Reading, Writing, advanced calculus, how to write ‘boobies’ on a calculator, and especially games. She knew it all, or rather she knew everything her daddy wanted her to know. "Can I be the pitcher!?"

"But I'm the pitcher!" Whined a colt.

The grayish filly rolled her eyes. "You can be a pitcher for my team, but we're batting right now."

"Kay!" The bugaboo eagerly ran to the end of the batting line.

The game was a disaster, but the fun kind of disaster. She was really bad at this. Balancing on your hind legs while swinging a bat was really hard. Pitching was more fun though as she was actually really good at that. The ball kept spiraling through the air and dodging the bat. Her teammates all cheered as the raining sun shined over the field. The rain was turning rainbow colors too; pretty!

They didn't keep score. They just kept playing with the loosest of rules, only switching positions when somepony declared they were bored. The only thing they really insisted on was that the gray filly hold the bat like everypony else and not cheat with her Unicorn magic. The abomination took that to mean she shouldn't use her magic either, although none of the kids told her that directly. For some reason, the filly decided that this would be okay. Discord hadn’t put much of a moral compass in her, but for some reason she wanted to play fair.

"Look!" One of the fillies cried with excitement as she pointed at the abomination's flank. "You got your cutie mark!"

"I did?" She looked down to see the tattoo like image on her butt. It was a baseball and a screw. "Ball screw?" She blinked looking at it. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Not ball screw." One of the Colts snickered, "Screwball, you know like that crazy pitch of yours! You're supposed to be a professional pitcher! That's so cool!"

The other pitcher pouted. "That's not fair! I've been pitching all day too! Where's my mark!?"

"Now don't spoil this for her." The gray Unicorn glared. "We need to celebrate!" She hopped up and down. "Hey Rocket!" She looked over at a Pegasus colt. "Those clouds are made of Cotton candy, right? Go get us one! We'll have our own private party!"

The kids all cheered and began snacking on their lunch of chocolate milk and cotton candy. They laughed and celebrated until they were exhausted and nursing their bellies on the wet grass.

###

For a moment, Tay Zonday’s chocolate rain played in the background, faded out, and was replaced by a rain of flower petals. The group had so much fun that day, but it was far from over.

"Hey!" One of the Colts stood up after the sugar high kicked in. "Let's play freeze tag!"

"Cool!" The filly snapped up. Finally, a game with magic! That’s how it’s played after all, right? "I'll be it!" She hopped on the spot with an eager grin. She reached out and touched the colt, playing by the rules her dad gave her.

The colt cried out as his body was coated in warm ice. He became frozen like a statue as his eyes darted about behind the ice. He was breathing normally but completely frightened as he didn't understand what was going on–No more than she did anyway.

The little abomination grinned excitedly, not understanding the implications of what she had just done. She just looked at her new friends, eager to start the game. "This is the part where you run!"

She played exactly as her daddy taught her. She didn't understand these weren't the proper rules to freeze tag. She thought they were having fun too. They were running around screaming their heads off, looked like lots of fun! The filly couldn't wait until it was her turn to run away, but for some reason one of the kids called a timeout. Oops, that’s definitely something she had to stop for. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Unfreeze our friends!”

“That’s not how you play!!!”

Another kid bounced up. “Go away! You’re insane!”

The filly whined. That hurt! They wouldn't let her play with them anymore. She didn't understand what she had done wrong. They must be sore losers! “Fine! Be that way!” So she unfroze the other kids and floated off to find other things to do.

###

Maybe grown ups would be more fun to play with. She floated to the edge of the discord’s influence and found three rugged adventurers on their way to help. There was Grimley, the earth pony fighter; the Stallion who had fended off a pack of Timber Wolves. There was Errorgorn, the pegasus knight; the Stallion who had united the jackalopes. Finally, there was Randolf, the unicorn wizard; the Stallion who had faced demons and lived to tell the tale.

Those folks looked like they’d be fun to play with, or so thought the filly. Maybe they’d like to see some of her daddy’s pets from the Ever Free Forest! So in a white flash, she summoned the Kitty Scorpion. All deadly on one end and cute and adorable on the other. Not surprisingly, the adventurers immediately took it to be hostile.

“Celestia! A Manticore!” Cried Errorgorn. “Randolf! Help! It’s coming at us!”

“It just wants to be your friend!” Mused the filly, floating nearby.

The Kitty roared and slashed at the ponies with his scorpion tail, eager to play. However the ponies slashed at it with swords. Screwball gasped as they drew blood from the poor kitty.

Randolf summoned a giant cage which fell around the kitty scorpion. The magic of the cage put it to an eternal sleep. “Take that, foul beast!”

The filly was livid. “He just wanted love!”

Grimley barked at the filly. “We’ll be coming for ye next if you keep up your dark magic!”

“Dark magic?”

Randolf stepped forward. “Begone, demon! You vex reality with your existence!”

The filly sort of understood that. Ow! Those words hurt a lot. “You’re mean, I hate you!” She childishly screamed before disappearing in a flash

She reappeared miles away under an apple tree. No pony was getting hurt but they were acting like they were in fear for their lives. They were afraid of her! Some even tried to hurt her. What’s wrong with them? She was just playing! It perplexed her why the other ponies were so mean. Why did they have to hate her?

Suddenly the beauty of the world disappeared for something more orderly and less colorful. A part of her just knew, felt it deep inside her bones, something was wrong with daddy.

She felt something pull her, telling her where to go. She vanished in a white flash and followed it. She found herself in Canterlot, in a garden late at night Staring at a statue with the screaming face of her father. It looked like he was trying to shield himself from something.

"D-Daddy," She tried to reach the statue's foot but it was too high up. “Daddy please!!" She begged him to answer. She spun her propeller and floated up to his face. "Wake up Daddy! Please wake up! I don't like this game!" She touched his stone face with her hoof but nothing happened.

"What am I supposed to do?" She landed on his shoulder and hugged his neck. "This has been a horrible birthday... All the ponies were mean to me. I just wanted to play... Daddy?... I don't think you made me right." She clung to the statue as tightly as she could.

"Halt!" Somepony yelled as they ran over. It was a Stallion dressed in golden armor. He blinked when he realized what was on the statue wasn't one of Discord's hell monsters but a child. He couldn't see her well in the dark, "Get down from there kid!" He urged. "If you accidentally break the statue you'll release him all over again!"

"I will!?" She gaped, "Thanks for telling me!" She pulled her body in the opposite direction well still clinging to the stone. She pulled with all her might to make the statue fall over but her tiny body couldn't make it budge.

"What are you doing!?" The guard yelled, "Are you insane!?" He ran over to her to get her off but she raised her hoof and he was lifted into the air by an invisible force.

He gave a yelp of shock before pulling out a whistle from around his neck and giving it a harsh blow. More guards quickly poured out from the castle. “Not so fast!” She warped the plants around them and grabbed at them with the roots before she began frantically punching the statue with her hoof.

"Kill it!" Somepony screamed, "It's one of Discord's monsters! Just look at it's eyes!"

“You won’t stop me!” The little filly waved her hands. Suddenly many of the guards found themselves encased in living ice.

“Just have to break this rock!” The filly stared up at the stone, calling all the magic in her body into her. “I’ll call the mightiest thunderbolt to destroy this once and for all!” Dark clouds began appearing above the statue.

The guards spat back. “A demon! She’s a demon!” The guards readied their bows.

The little abomination had that twinkle in her eye as the arrows glinted in the moonlight. “I just wanted to play. I just want my daddy.” She raised her hooves. “I’ll show all of you!”

"Enough!" A mighty voice echoed across the garden. A white Alicorn appeared in between the abomination and the guards.

The filly gasped as a yellow beam hit her storm, instantly dispelling it. Screwball went limp, as she didn't have it in her to summon another. It had taken everything she had. She began to fall from the sky, but was encased in yellow energy. However, unlike the ponies it felt... warm... kinda... kind... the energy gently laid her on the ground before dissipating.

She weakly looked over to see a giant horse. Definitely not a pony... her soul felt... big... The Majestic white horse was beyond beautiful, and while she looked like a pony... she felt... different... her aura wasn't pony like at all. Screwball didn't know what it was supposed to be.

This was the first creature besides her daddy that had ever been nice to her on her birthday. Even if she wanted her daddy back some part of her really wanted to hear what this powerful mare had to say.

“That’s enough." The tall mare scolded her guards. "What is wrong with you!" She demanded, "This is a child!"

"She's one of Discord's monsters," One of the guards insisted, "She was trying to release Discord.”

“Even if she was trying to release all the monsters in TARTARUS, how dare you ATTACK a child with spears and arrows. Regardless of her power she is clearly attempting to show you mercy." Her warn glowed yellow again and all the guards were released from their frozen prisons. Revealing all were completely fine.

The guards looked around, many becoming shame faced when they realized what she said was true. Their friends were merely put in some kind of stasis spell, not dead as they feared.

The Alicorn gave one last glare at her guards before turning kinder eyes on the child. "Are you alright?" The filly backed away from her, panting heavily from the exhaustion of summoning such a mighty storm. “I won't hurt you," the Alicorn promised.

"Liar!!!" The filly whined, "You turned my daddy into a statue!"

"Your daddy?" the Alicorn puzzled, sparing a glance at Discord, "I see..." looking back to her. "You're a Demigod." She took a single step forward and the filly tried to scamper away. The girl ended up falling down and couldn't stand back up. "Easy," the Alicorn picked her up with one arm. "You're suffering from magical exhaustion. It fatigues the body," she explained.

"I know what it does!" The filly snapped but was too weak to struggle.

"My name is Celestia," Said the Alicorn. "What's yours?"

"I..." The filly looked annoyed before the realization hit her. "I... I don't have a name..." Her ears drooped sadly. "Daddy forgot to give me one."

Celestia turned a glare at Discord's Statue. "I see." She turned a far more compassionate eye back to the filly. "Well let's fix that shall we? You have a very distinctive Cutie Mark for such a young filly. Did your daddy give you that?"

"No..." The filly reluctantly admitted. "I earned it playing baseball. I was a pitcher,"

"So young to earn your cutie mark! You must be an extra special filly." Celestia smiled. "How about 'Screwball' for a name?"

The filly looked down and shrugged. "I guess..." Some part of her didn’t like it because it reminded her of the foals that had chased her off. Still she didn't have it in her enough to complain as she was lost in her thoughts. Why hadn't her daddy given her a name?

"Well come on Screwball." Celestia smiled, "It's late and your obviously tired. I'll put you to bed in Spike's old nursery. He's my adopted son but he's off to live with his big sister in Ponyville. I'm sure you'll meet him soon. You can stay with me for as long as you need."

"What about Daddy?" Screwball whined, "Are you going to leave him like that?"

Celestia looked back at the statue. "I'll see what I can do. Your father was very hard on the ponies living in Ponyville. What he did was a very bad thing and we are afraid he’ll do it again if he comes out of the statue."

“But…”

“But.” Celestia smiled. “There may just be hope for him someday. We’ll see what happens, okay?”

Screwball sighed and nodded. “Okay.” She was willing to be patient. Maybe Celestia would be good to her after all. They went into the castle and that was that.

###

Screwball’s time at the castle was very boring indeed. The world around them was so ordered and carefully maintained. Celestia and the other guards didn’t seem to like when Screwball would change things, making the whole experience that much more boring. The bottom line was that she was a total outsider with powers that made everyone mad–Just like her dear old dad.

Screwball found herself at her dad’s statue a lot. Even if he was just a statue he was literally the only one that understood what it was like to be different like that. She’d sit by the statue and tell it about her day, much to the disapproval of the glaring guards in the garden. When she’d come, she always seemed to be bored and unhappy.

What she didn’t know was that Discord was still in there, listening to every word. In the early days, he was simply reminded of how his little abomination had failed to be an appropriate backup plan. Some part of him was touched at how she would come every day without fail and look up at that statue as a father. Some part of him was almost guilty for having mistreated her. Almost.

In another part of him, he was reminded of how he’d been as a child. She’d come and say things like “I don’t think you made me right,” and “I wish I wasn’t so different”–Things he’d felt when interacting with mortals when he was young. It was all happening again. He wondered if he’d doomed another creature to live the same life over again.

That would definitely be a horrible thing to do–A horrible thing that actually hit too close to home. That feeling stuck with him. It was what later ended up making him wonder if reforming might actually be something he’d be interested in–Anything to be a living breathing thing again! Maybe he could right the wrongs that he’d seen in his youth.

Screwball found herself one day staring up at the statue in the rain. “Hello Daddy.” She was getting all wet and looked miserable. “I didn’t have a very good day today.” She sat down in front of the statue unhappily. “I turned all the apples in the castle into confetti and the cook looked like he nearly wanted to kill me.” She stared down in a guilty fashion. “Not that I could help it. They looked festive.”

Discord wanted to respond. “Oh how awful. I’m sure they would have made good party decorations.” He couldn’t though. He couldn’t console this poor miserable creature. It almost made him feel pity.

“Celestia might be better then the ponies but she really doesn't like when I do that. She just shuffles me from one room to another.” She sighed. “There are spells everywhere in the castle that clean up anything I do."

Discord wanted to get angry. He’d been in that position once. He’d been cast out, spit on, made miserable, chained, moved from place to place. How dare they tell a demigod what to do. “I wasn’t made to be a statue. I wasn’t born to be controlled.” To him, neither was Screwball.

Then the girl admitted, "Most of it is an accident... weird stuff just... happens... around me... then I get yelled at for it... I don't mean to be strange but the ponies don't care...

"Celestia is more understanding... but I learned today... she's not really a pony at all... apparently she is a living planet. She just likes using a pony Avatar to interact with them... I don't get why ponies are so mean but she likes them and insist I 'play nice' but I don't know how... some of the staff has kids but Celestia keeps me away from them cuz ponies are 'fragile'... I heard the staff talking about how they asked Celestia to keep me away from their kids... While I didn't want to play with then anyway... I don't need them... I don't..."

The rain kept falling. The girl kept crying. Nothing ended up being at all how it was supposed to. Some part of them wondered if that was just how chaos worked sometimes.

###

Screwball found herself stuck at the castle more often than not. Celestia, while helpful and nice, was at a loss for how to teach Screwball to control her powers. It wasn't like she could keep her in a gilded cage forever. The world was more complicated and planet Equus was changing. Things were moving in a direction Celestia could predict but could not control. Screwball seemed like she could help with that, if only she could control her powers better–Like her father could.

So one day, Celestia told Screwball she had a surprise for her.

"A surprise?"

"Yes. I feel you'll like it."

They came to a big white door. Celestia waved a hoof at it. “Open it; your surprise is on the other side.”

Screwball waved a hoof and the door burst into a cloud of butterflies which opened much like a door normally would. It was the conservatory of the castle, plants and berries in neat planters all around the room. Standing there among the greenery, Discord was waiting. He looked immediately happy on seeing Screwball. “Hello!”

Screwball recognized her father and ran in to hug him. “Daddy!!!” They shared a gentle hug. Screwball looked down unhappily remembering things. “I was sad that you didn’t even give me a name.”

Discord sighed. “Celestia tells me you have the name Screwball now.” He pet her mane gently. “I have been reformed now, thanks to a lovely little pony named Fluttershy."

Although originally he planned to con the Mare... she had a way about her... she asked Discord questions about things no pony ever bothered with and actually enjoyed the occasional display of his power... while teaching him that although it was fun to do what he wanted you can't have things your away all the time if you have friends... yet somehow... the trade off was worth it.

He could confide in her and she actually listened and offered support, especially where Screwball was concerned. Discord was able to work out the strange feelings he had for Screwball and realized he actually wanted to be her daddy.

Discord flashed his little abomination a smile, "I plan to be around for good.” unlike other gods, that largely just ignored their children until they had need of them. It seemed only natural Discord would break away from that and actually take a more active role with his child. He wasn't one for rules, even the unwritten ones of his fellow gods.

“But why didn’t you make me right when you started on me?” She whined. “Why wasn’t I given a name?” She had tears in her eyes. “Why do I have to be different?”

“Screwball.” The draconequus had a hand appear out of a void below the filly to gently pull her face back up to lock eyes with her. “You are just right even as odd as you are. I’m going to try and show you that.” Discord smiled. “I have learned… A bit.” He muttered, “Enough to know how not to get turned to stone again.” He winked.

Some part of Screwball felt that was an acceptable answer. She always knew that her daddy was the only one that understood what it was like. Maybe he was right? “Good!” Screwball raised her hooves and the plants in the room burst into flowers.

“Wow!” Discord laughed. “You’ve learned a lot since I was gone!”

“I sure did!” She laughed and waved a hoof and her face jumbled like a Mrs. Potato head. “Look, I’m Picaso!”

Discord snapped his fingers and all of his body parts jumbled up too. “I definitely was a fan of your cubist period.”

Celestia cleared her throat. “Now.” She walked up to them. “You’re reunited. Maybe you can do something for me?”

Discord turned his neo-cubist body to regard Celestia. “That’s right. Screwball will come to live with me and get a good idea of how to use chaos magic.” He muttered. “For good, obviously.”

Celestia nodded. “You’re released then. You can go as you wish.”

Discord grinned. “Excellent!” Discord and Screwball were slowly morphing into lava lamps as they talked. “Would you like to come see your new home then?”

“Would I!” The filly hopped about as ooey gooey wax lava and the plants and various flowers danced with her. What a mess.

Discord snapped his fingers and they both disappeared in a flash. Celestia rolled her eyes at the mess in the conservatory. “Discord!!!” A hand appeared out of a void then, snapped the conservatory back into an ordered looking place, gave a thumbs up, then disappeared.

###

So, in the end Celestia kept her word. She freed Screwball's daddy but it took her several moons before she tried. Even then it was on the condition that Discord change his ways and bend to mortal law. Ponies were so arrogant they thought even gods should obey their social norms. Pah, what a trying concept!

Screwball found herself in the chaos dimension living with her daddy. She had a room that floated about the dimension, but which always seemed to connect back to Discord’s house somehow. It would morph and change in creative ways; that was her daddy’s gift to her. She was finally comfortable in her own space.

As she lived there, she learned more about her powers and the world of the chaos dimension. She met the other draconequus there as well. They were an entire race of mischievous and reality warping misfits. Still their abilities to bend reality were only on par with a Unicorn who had gotten a cutie mark in magic.

They weren't even immortal. Well they kinda were but not really. They couldn't die of old age, and were immune to things like disease. Even if they did die of unnatural causes (likely a ponies doing, Screwball was sure), they turned into Wisp like creatures. Other creatures, such as Asgardians and some of the higher born dragon races, could do that to. As Wisp, they were very powerful, but it took a lot of effort to talk and they were vulnerable while doing so. If they tried hard enough. The Wisp could make a physical body around itself and turn it into solid, and quite real, flesh. However it took some effort to learn and many Wisp just took the easy way and merged with an egg to reincarnate themselves.

Draconequus didn't exactly lay eggs... or really had Genders unless they wanted to (but that took a lot of effort and Discord refused to tell Screwball why they would want to do that). Traditionally they reproduced by, well, a lesser version of the ritual that created Screwball. Two Draconequus would pour their magic together and blend it together into an orb that would harden into an egg. The egg had a hard shell but was still filled with energy that slowly shaped itself inside the egg and became flesh.

Sometimes a stray Wisp would merge with the energy in the egg. The extra magic would help it take physical shape and hatch with a flesh and blood body. It was considered good luck to have a Wisp merge with an egg, as the child would be more powerful and generally was better at minding their parents.

However they would be like any other Draconequus child (a "Cute Little Abomination" as Daddy called them) with no memory of their past life. They would slowly remember their other lives as they grew up, but as they were unlocked the children would perceive the memories differently, due to their soul having the added shards of their parents' own life force. While they couldn't remember their parents lives, it still affected their perception of the world and slightly altered their personality.

Draconequus don't even age like mortals. The more powerful they get the older they get, with time having no effect on them. That meant that adult Draconequus kinda... deage a bit as they permanently sacrificed a portion of their magic to create a child, which is why they needed another to help them as creating a child with a sole parent required ALOT of magic. Although to feed the child they only needed to use the excess magic created by their magical pathways. Basically the magic that could replenish itself over time was enough to feed the child... but the child needed to eat a lot of magic so they needed at least two parents.

Draconequus liked to pour their magic into a bottle because they thought it was funny and eventually it just became a cultural norm.

Screwball saw some of the parents feeding their infants out of bottles.

Screwball aged like Draconequus did, by increasing in magical power, and like them it was a slow process. In the decades that passed, she only aged a few months. Which was typical for Draconequus children no longer nursing.

The other Draconequus children looked a lot like pony children... well if you ignore the limbs being random animal parts, but they had the basic body type. Their middle didn't start getting longer until they had enough magic to be considered adults.

Adult Draconequus were all spell casters and archers. Their limited power might be exceptional by mortal standards but they were physically very weak. They preferred to fight from a distance, casting spells or shooting arrows when their magic reserves ran low.

They were fragile things and just as fearful as mortals. Daddy, Screwball learned, was not kind to them when he first created then. He tormented them as he did countless other races. He was their god and they were terrified of him–And so they were terrified of her. Certainly, it helped that her daddy had reformed, but it didn’t appear to have much of an effect on how they treated them.

As such, Daddy was always trying to get her to follow him on his visits to the mortal plane. He wanted her to make friends, but she knew exactly what other ponies were like. Even Celestia had kept her sealed in the castle hidden away from the world. Screwball saw the true face of pony kind and couldn't understand how her daddy could love them. They were monsters to them and she always felt like an outsider.

Hiding from ponies in her daddy's chaos dimension meant she never did get to meet Spike. While she did meet him the one time in person, during a ceremony after his molt. Screwball was all proud of herself for leaving the safety of the Chaos realm to see Spike on such an important day... but she had been terrified the entire time, waiting for the ponies to strike.

But long before that, Celestia was kind enough to give her an enchanted book. Whatever she wrote in it appeared in it's sister journal. She used it to talk with the young dragon. They became pen pals, dimensions apart, but still friends–Her only friend. In a way it mirrored Discord’s friendship with Fluttershy.

Time passed. Equestria and the planet of Equus marched forward into the future. Even gods face that march of the universe. Except for one. Who, as it would happen, ended up visiting the chaos dimension some time after the coronation of Queen Twilight Sparkle.

The Doctor knocked on the door to Discord’s house. It ended up melting into the ceiling and Discord smiled. “My my! A visitor, and an auspicious one!”

The doctor narrowed his eyes at seeing Discord again for the first time in many moons. “Discord.”

“Come in, come in.” Discord moved aside and walked into his house, he snapped his fingers and made some old clocks appear to float around the house. “You must forgive me, I haven’t had time to clean up.” One of the coo-coo clocks went off and booped the doctor on the nose. “Maybe you could gift me some sometime.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Oh, you’re no fun.” Discord floated by and lounged about. “For a God you certainly don’t like to shake things up.”

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and huffed. “Can I see your daughter, please?”

Discord sighed. “All business...” He looked to the side knowing that the Doctor was here for a purpose and that he was being a bad host. “Before I call her I wanted to tell you something.”

“Yes…?”

“When I worked at the Q, weighing the integrity of pocket dimensions connected to the universe... Well, I was a very different person back then. I wanted to say–” An alarm clock went off, buzzing and ringing until Discord banged on it until it fell apart into gears and marbles. “Sorry about that. Yes, sorry. Exactly what I wanted to say. I’m sorry about those times.”

“You are?” The Doctor looked a tad shocked before becoming angry, "You're 'sorry' for sentencing TRILLIONS of entire dimension to die! Each with billions of trillions of lifeforms! All DEAD!!!"

"I nevet took part in the deed itself." Discord waved off.

"No you just played the role of judge!" The Doctor glared. "And your still doing it! My counterparts are still at war with your counterparts across the multiverse!!!"

"Where do you think my Draconequus come from?" Discord asked leaning back against a wall that wasn't there a moment ago. "My race is made up of the souls of every creature that died in those dimensions before they were cut off. I save all I can."

"THAT'S NOT ENOUGH!!!"

Discord sighed, "Regardless. I have no control of what my counterparts in those dimensions do. They believe, as I do, that the lose of a few dimensions, already doomed to destruction, is necessary to insure they don't turn cancerous and harm the main body of the universe. Then EVERYONE would die. It might not be pleasant work but it is necessary."

"I thought you said you were sorry." The Doctor dangerously growled.

Discord looked at him, strangely serious, "I'm sorry it's necessary."

The Doctor scuffed.

"I truly am... you still cling to mortal values but I was never mortal. I am a manifestation of chaos itself. I am a fundamental law of the universe given conciousness. My point is. I NEVER had mortal values. I think about the good of the whole... though my friendship with the ponies has caused me to think more about... the individuals needs. Which is why I look after the souls of all the lifeforms that would normally be lost and reincarnate them as my Draconequus."

"And you think that makes everything all right."

Discord waved a hand. "Your young, give it a few trillion years and you'll understand it is more important to look after souls and the Universe herself. Regardless, I believed you wanted to see my daughter,” A rope fell beside Discord and he pulled on it, which made a bizarre farting sound. With a snap Discord disappeared and Screwball appeared.

The Doctor tried to calm himself. Not wanting to take the sins of the father out on the child.

Screwball interrupted the Doctor’s thoughts. “Oh hello. You must be the Doctor?”

The Doctor adopted his goofy grin. “Oh, yes. Hello, I was almost expecting someone else to appear instead of you.”

“That wouldn’t be uncommon around here.” Screwball giggled. A floating pair of crochet needles floated by them, quickly knitting an ugly Yule sweater.

“My daddy respects you, though.”

“Does he?”

Screwball grinned and bounced a but, "He told me all about his work and called you 'a worthy adversary'. He even likes to watch those 'Doctor Who' cartoons with me, and weirdly cheers you on when your trying to save a dimension he's sentenced to doom."

The Doctor frowned, thinking on that. Then forced his goofy grin to return. That was something to consider for later.

“So what can I do for you?” Screwball smiled back, clearly awed to be in the Doctor's presence.

“I’m here to invite you to a school I’m creating.” The Doctor eagerly hopped in place, before looking down at the child, “I know you are struggling with control and while your powers aren't our specialty, I know a think or two about reigning in demigods. You would make a fine addition to my first class of students.”

“A school?” Screwball looked slightly nervous. “You mean with other ponies?”

“Not just ponies but races from all over the Equus system. Even a certain Equus dragon."

“Equus dragons?” Screwball dreamed for a moment. “You mean like Prince Spike?”

“Prince Spike will be in attendance actually.”

Screwball blinked. The fact that she might actually get to see her only friend in the world again, had already settled in her head that she was very interested in attending. However that was more a fantasy, she knew, for the Draconequus filly doubted she could handle being around all those mortals. Even if Spike was there to watch her back.

“But more to the point." The Doctor went on, not realizing the filly already made up her mind, "You’ll be learning magic and academics. The catch is that at the end of the program you’ll be offered the opportunity to be one of the first generation of Equus citizens to leave the system. You’d be able to represent Equus to other space faring races.” Screwball was still off dreaming of meeting her friend. “Obviously the program is voluntary, but you’d be trained to do it if you wanted to.”

Screwball bit her lip, however awesome it would be to see Spike again... she just couldn't. When she was about to say "No thanks"

Discord suddenly appeared behind the Doctor, "I think that is a lovely idea."

The Doctor turned to look at him and Screwball started waving her hooves and shaking her head. However Discord ignored her. "I believe it be good for her."

“Well...I suppose it’s settled then;" the Doctor eyed the Spirit of Chaos, "I’ll just need some signatures and-"

"Why do mortals have to be so bucking obsessed with paperwork." Discord exclaimed, just as another Discord appeared beside Screwball and covered her ears. Glaring at his duplicate for using such horrible language around a child.

Strangely the Doctor could sympathize with Discord over his hatred of paperwork. Even when he was a mortal, himself, he had issues with that. Unfortunately it was necessary for a mortal school. The Doctor sighed, as Discord rambled as if he was talking with an old friend instead of an arch nemesis.

Act 1 - Ep2, Ch3: Spike

● 3 Months after the Episode "The Molt Down"

"I can't do this." Spike panicked when they got to the door of the great hall. This was such a big moment for him. He knew there was a crowd of creatures on the other side of that door. The ceremony was pretty scary; he had been preparing for so long and now that he was here it was almost too much.

Twilight Velvet smiled at her son, the little boy's new wings were fluttering nervously. I suppose it depends on your definition of new, however, they were a few months old now. Regardless, Velvet attempted to ease the boy's concerns, "That's not the 'courageous hero' I know and love." She smiled an easy smile. “Don't get cold feet now!”

"What if I mess it up!?" Spike whined.

"That sounds more like him." Night Light grinned teasingly, "Worrying about every minor thing, just like your brother and sister. I honestly don't know where you foals get it."

Velvet glared at her husband as if to say, 'I blame you.'

Night Light didn't notice. He was too focused on his son, "But just like them, I know you could never let a little thing like a room full to the brim with creatures expecting you to perform will stop you from realizing your potential. You have faced things far worse than this."

Spike gulped. He was pretty anxious. That speech hadn't really helped very much.

Now it was Celestia's turn. She smiled, pulling the dragon over to her with a wing. Then leaving it there in a tight side hug. "Did I ever tell you how I came across your egg?" Spike looked up at her. "I bought it in bulk from a magical creatures' breeder. You were supposed to be a Couatl, a type of winged serpent that can only hatch from high exposure to magic. Normally the parents will collect crystals and use them to build a nest, but Unicorn magic works even better. After my potential students hatch the egg they get to keep the Couatl as a familiar.”

Celestia gently poked Spike with a hoof. "With you, no one had any idea how a dragon egg got mixed up with the others but it was undoubtedly the best thing that ever happened to me! Over the Millenia I have raised many orphans, including your older brothers Blue Blood and Clockwork, but you were my first real surprise.” Spike blushed a little. He remembered a little about those days. Celestia had made a wonderful mother and he was always surrounded by amazing magic and friendly ponies.
"I will admit, I was sad to give you over to your parents when they informed me they wished to adopt you…” Spike remembered that moment well. It was hard leaving Celestia, but his new parents were so nice to him. He remembered meeting them for the first time and feeling the happiness that family life can bring. “Though I stayed as your mentor and was thrilled that your parents allowed me to share such a title with you. And you kept calling me 'mummy' as a baby. I couldn’t ask for a more special student.”

"Still for all my efforts. I had no idea how dragons raise their young. I didn't even know Equus Dragons don't actually mature to be any bigger than myself. That their size is a result of a magical ability to grow. I knew so little about your people, but still I tried to teach you.” Spike remembered having been sad not to know more about his people. Ponies barely had any books about dragons that weren't complete fictions or pictures in his comics. He never even learned his roots. “I even fed you lots of protein and gems, as I knew Dragons need such a diet. I'm sad to say what I thought would be an appropriate meat substitute didn't cut it. It’s the specific kind of magic found in meat your body needs... not the protein... I failed you in that regard."

The very fact Equus dragons usually have this ceremony at 15, but Spike's wings hadn't grown in until he was 17 was another failure on her part. He had been a late bloomer because he was suffering from malnutrition.

Spike's eyes began to water, before they hardened with determination fitting a dragon, "You didn't fail me. You taught me as much as you could about my people! You were a great teacher--” And for a moment he choked on a word. “--Mummy!" He blushed as the childish title passed his lips. He hadn't called her that since he was a hatchling. It was embarrassing, but fitting. Still by the bright smile on Celestia's face, it was clear she still treasured the word. Maybe he should call her that more often?

"You've grown up knowing little about your nature as a result, but since dragons opened their borders to us we’ve all learned much.” Spike remembered his first trip to the dragon homelands. It was so different from what he’d grown up with. He sometimes wondered what life would have been like if he hadn’t been born in Equestria. Would it have been any better? Looking around at his family--All those bright and colorful faces--For a moment, he couldn’t have asked for a more perfect way to have lived.

Celestia continued, “The celebration after completing the molt is an important day in a young Dragon's life. It is not something I can deny you. You have been denied so many things about your race--It's not about if you get the ceremony right, but about your friends and family celebrating you in their lives. It means a lot to dragons, and I know it will mean a lot to you when you grow up. It already means a lot to me." Celestia nuzzled the little dragon. "Don't be nervous or embarrassed, it's not possible to fail."

That was exactly the speech Spike needed right now. All the memories of his life were in order. Everything had led up to this one moment where he was to move from infancy to childhood. It was important to everyone--It was important to him. Everyone he knew would know who he was now. Spike hugged her snout and sighed, feeling the anxiety slightly lifted. "Thanks Mummy,"

"Are you ready?" Velvet asked.

"Y-yeah." Spike took a deep breath and opened the door.

Heavenly music was played from strange instruments by many adult dragons as they sang in their native tongue. Spike didn’t know it, but it was a common song for this kind of ceremony about a dragon coming of age. The aggressive roars and growls contradicted the divine melody, yet somehow worked with it.

Oh he understood the words... somehow... All dragons are born knowing how to communicate in Draconic as it was a magical language. Much like the ponies own abilities to understand any spoken language from the moment they are born... dragons are more limited in that regard, as they could only understand Draconic at first.

As Spike was thinking about the differences between Dragon and Pony languages, Celestia, Velvet, and Night Light walked behind him as they passed row after row of benches. All of his friends and family were present--Even several nobles of each nation. Spike parted ways with his parents once they got to the front row. He continued onto the stage with adult dragons, in all their glorious hugeness, awaiting him.

Celestia took her seat beside Twilight in the front row, right next to the rest of Spike's family. The little dragon didn’t have a very orthodox family--a dragon raised by ponies was strange enough--but Spike technically had two families.

There was the Sparkle Family, Velvet and Night Light's children and sole grandchild. Their Grandfoal, Flurry Heart, was still very much a foal after so many years. She was just so small. Alicorns age slower then ponies and Flurry was no exception despite being born one. She was the daughter of Shining Armor, the oldest of Velvet's children, and Cadence, one of the orphans Celestia adopted. Cadence was an Alicorn who ascended at a young age with no guidance. She unlocked the secrets of self enlightenment by herself, without any formal training. Celestia had decided to take her in and train her to be a more just leader than the Alicorns of old. She even gave her a job foalsitting the children of Celestia's employees, all to teach her patience and compassion.

Children like Twilight Sparkle. Twilight became the middle child of Velvet and Night Light after they took Spike in, but for the longest time, she was the youngest. Cadence watched her whenever the foal's parents went on one of their archaeological digs for Celestia, recovering lost and dangerous magical artifacts of old. Twilight eventually became Celestia's personal apprentice after managing a feat as great as hatching a dragon egg, though no pony knew there was a dragon inside it until after she hatched it.

Yes, Celestia and The Sparkle family had been connected long before Spike was in the picture, but they hadn't really grown as close as they had until he arrived. Celestia had hopeful ideals for all her children. She had to, given her station. Blue Blood, the middle child, had lived up to his with flying colors. He was one of the greatest Ambassadors ever put on her staff, and had even managed to learn some humility in recent years. Blue Blood was the last of a great house, descended from one of Celestia's most cherished consorts from near 700 years ago. She loved Blue Blood, and was perhaps a little too hard on him, but only because she saw such great potential.

Right now, Blue Blood was trying his best not to look teary-eyed and hold himself with dignity. He was a good boy as a colt and had grown into a fine stallion. Maybe a little too obsessed with appearances and took far too much glee in tormenting gold diggers, but he was a brilliant diplomat; he was charming beyond all reason when he wanted to be. Celestia had been conned out of many a cookie just before dinner when he was a child, but was always sure to split it with Spike.

Then there was her oldest son, Clockwork, who she hoped would never reach his potential. He was a soon to be middle aged stallion; she spoiled him a great deal--Constantly made excuses for his less than royal behavior, but still she cherished him. He might not behave like stuffy royalty, but he had the heart of a noble stallion. She tried to shelter him; he did not yet know the dangers of his true nature and she hoped her sun grew dim before he found out.

Cadence certainly lived up to her potential, being ruler of a City State that had been lost for a thousand years. She was doing well, easing them into the ways of the 1100st century.

Then there was Spike, himself, the son of two great houses. As far as Celestia was concerned, anyway. He had held up his end of the bargain; he had become the bridge between two races Celestia had hoped for--The ambassador to the Dragon Lands--Respected and loved by both races. Sure there were a few bullies the little dragon had to deal with in the dragon lands, but their leaders loved him.

Twilight often wondered why the Tree of Harmony had given her such a tall ceiling but it was kind of obvious now. It was big enough to let full grown dragons wander the halls and enter all the important rooms. There were even a few dozen large bedrooms with ridiculously sized bathrooms. It was meant for Spike. The castle was designed so Spike could live comfortably in it for the rest of his eternal life.

Yes he would naturally never get any bigger then 7 feet, being an Equus Dragon and all, but many such Dragon prefered to use their size changing magic and stay giants all the time (they were more powerful like that after all). It was a power that required training and practice to get to that point, but this castle would allow for even a giant Spike to wander the halls comfortably if he so chose.

It was one of the reasons she had so much faith in the map. Whatever gave them this castle, it was clearly intelligent and it clearly cared about them. Showing off it's affection in little ways like making sure her family was taken care of.

Spike looked back at his family. He was still as cute as ever, even with his "big boy" wings. He was so proud of them. Celestia didn't even know Equus Dragons don't grow wings until they became fledglings. She had told Spike his lack of Wings was a birth defect... because that is what she thought it was. Poor Spike--He grew up knowing so little about his people. Everything he did know was misinformation Celestia had gathered. At least now he had a connection to his people; one that she hoped was improved by the end of the day.

He was wearing a white robe, as was tradition. Ever since Twilight learned about this little ceremony she had wanted Spike to have it. Celestia was all in agreement. Spike didn't get to experience much of his dragon heritage due to being raised by ponies but this--This was important to them. It was the first step on the road to adulthood. They couldn't deny Spike such an important moment in a dragon's life. It had as much meaning to a dragon as a cute-ceañera did to a pony... and it was already several months late as it was supposed to happen immediately after the dragon returned from their momentary exile.

Equus Dragons went through stages of puberty. With the first instance of their "molt" happening all at once over the course of a day. During this Dragons send their whelps out into the wild to try and survive the night. After their wings sprout they come back home to a massive party in their honor, complemented by this ceremony... Spike should have had this months ago, the moment he came back with wings, but ponies didn't know about it.

Nearly all Equus dragons are taught how to handle themselves during this right of passage ritual from a young age... but Spike never recieved the training. Nor did he know what to do for the Ceremony. So Smolder filled him in and trained him for it well Dragon Lord Ember prepared the Ceremony. They just gave Spike a few months to get ready given his circumstances (Dragons weren't completely heartless after all).

When a dragon grows their wings they go through this ceremony. They stand before a Cleric of Io, the dragon god of peace and balance, the leader of all the dragon gods. There they are baptized in fire and declared a fledgling, the dragon equivalent of a child instead of a baby. They were supposed to go through another molt when they turn 100, which last about a month instead of a couple days. After which they are bigger and stronger and considered a "Rookie" dragon, meaning "teenager"... however much Spike wanted to grow up, he was happy he wouldn't have to suffer through such a long molt for several decades.

For right now, Spike looked nervous enough as he stood before the huge dragon.

"Little dragon," The dragon Cleric spoke once Spike was in front of him, "Are you ready to prove to your family that you aren't a hatchling anymore?"

Spike gulped and hesitantly nodded. The great dragon gently turned Spike around so he was facing the audience. With a soft pushed Spike was guided to the edge of the stage.

Beside Twilight, Shining Armor was already in tears as he yelled out, "You can do it little bro!" his wife, Cadence, eagerly stumped her hooves, and their daughter, Flurry Heart, cheered.

All of Spike's friends were cheering loudly, including Discord who was waving a ridiculous foam finger and wearing a hoofball shirt. Thorax looked nervous and Ember looked proud. It really is amazing just how many friends Spike had gained among all the species of Equestria, and all of them were here. Even his pen pal Screwball. The little Demigod was looking around the audience like they were going to eat her. It meant a lot that she got over her fear enough to actually come to this.

Spike sucked in a breath and let out a "Mighty" roar. Twilight did her best not to snicker about how cute it was. She knew how hard he had been practicing it for days. Twilight couldn't help but feel nostalgic as she remembered how he used to sound like a little colt screaming impudently at the world but now he sounded like a little lion cub. It was absolutely adorable but definitely not a sound a pony could make. Twilight had come to understand that's just how dragons are; it's a part of growing up. Their vocal cords change and allowed them to let out a true roar.

As Spike roared the Cleric allowed a steady stream of flames to burst from his mouth and completely consume the much smaller dragon. The little dragon continued to roar as his robes were burned away. It was a truly impressive sight. The flames continued to burn until the robes were incinerated to nothing. Finally the large Dragon choked them back and Spike continued to burn for a moment longer. When the flames died there Spike stood completely unharmed; His bare scales shined as if freshly polished.

The old dragon smiled and greeted, "Welcome to the world Fledgling,"

Normally the Ceremony would end there but Celestia had asked the Cleric for something special. He pulled out a small crown and put it on Spike's head before bowing to the little dragon, "All hail Solar Spike, Prince of Ponyville,"

Spike found the crown on his head and felt confused. He looked out as the crowd bowed to him. He was completely uncertain of what to do. Even so, to have all the people you care about recognize you for something? It was an amazing feeling.

He would never forget that day.

###

● 21 years later,
9 years into the Space Age
Celestia's Sun

38... Spike was 38... and still a child, still as small as a child... he knew he would regret saying he was grateful his second molt was decades away. He still sounded, and even thought, like a little kid. Why did dragons have to take so long to grow up?

Eventually Spike grew into his life as royalty and as an ambassador to the dragon lands. As he was loved by both ponies and dragons, he found himself smoothing things over much of the time. He was actually the one to convince the Dragons to build a colony here on Celestia's sun, that way the living planet wouldn't be lonely in her retirement / exile.

Their sun was truthfully no hotter then the dragon lands... so long as you avoided the volcanoes shooting out plasma and the lava rivers. While uncomfortable for ponies to live year round, it could support life of all kinds. It was just more suitable for life like the dragons.

That was some years ago, before the invention of space galleys could fiery creatures to the moons, so Celestia and Luna were isolated much of the time. The whole reason the space age got kicked off was because ponies still wanted to see the sisters regularly... without feeling guilty each time they came down for a party when they should be recuperating on their worlds.

The dragons settling on the sisters planets had done a good deal to improve relations with the ponies. As the ponies felt indebted to the dragons for keeping the sisters company.

After ponies discovered Space travel, they built domed cities on the Sun and Moon to withstand the extreme temperatures. Many ponies lived here on the sun with Celestia, while frequently trading with the Equus Dragons for their Alchemy magics... the new races living in such close proximity had resulted in a lot of dragon / pony hybrids being born. They liked to call themselves "Drakehooves" and were developing their own culture on Celestia's sun.

As Spike became more and more immersed in dragon culture, he and his family found the dragon nobles to be more and more... pushy. The Nobles were an entire species of dragons called "True Dragons"... and that name alone should tell you how arrogant they were.

Unlike Equus Dragons "True" Dragons coloring wasn't a fluke gene but rather their direct species. Each color had a different bone structure and different type of flame. They were direct spell casters, unlike Equus Dragons who could only use fire magic and touch based spells... also where Equus Dragons could change their size, True Dragons were naturally dozens of feet tall (some breeds of then were actually over a hundred feet).

As the Dragon Hierarchy was a cast based society judged by race, True Dragons were the nobles of all... and they acted like nobles. They typically did nothing but collect wealth and "allow the other races to serve them"... obviously Spike had some choice words for them the clawful of times they had met... which typically resulted in the huge beast picking him up and... spanking him while telling him to remember his place.

The more it happened the more convinced the nobles became that Spike needed proper schooling instead of what the ponies were providing him.

Spike was still considered very much a child by dragon standards (and would be until he was a hundred), and it was becoming more and more clear to the dragons that pony home schooling wasn't enough. As far as they were concerned he needed a proper education through traditional dragon survival training. If only to gain a better appreciation of the hierarchy.

Ember gave Spike’s parents a run down of how survival training worked and they knew, deep down in their jellies, that Spike wasn’t cut out for that. Dragons were one of the oldest space fairing civilizations, yet because of their appearance (and more often then not the size of many dragon species), Dragons were treated like common monsters. Throughout the galaxy, dragons were robbed of their treasures and even killed for the magical properties of their bodies. They were butchered to become armor and potion ingredients. Survival training was supposed to make Fledglings tough and frightening, while teaching them how to control their powers and use them for defense. However it also gave them an actual education, so far as Draconic history and the nature of the hierarchy was concerned.

Equus Dragons were third in command at the Hierarchy and were specifically responsible for protecting all other races. So their training was particularly harsh... it would not be a good place for Spike, Ember had stressed that.

For starters, Spike's growth had been stunted by a lack of meat. Yes he had been eating a pony approved diet of fish since they became aware of the issue, but the damage was done. That would leave him hurting for a way to physically endure the training. More importantly, the emotional training was similar to boot camp. Ember understood it was a more gentle hand that was for Spike, in order to get him to continue to resonate with pony kind. To be an ambassador to both nations, Spike would have to be tough, but also soft. Ugh, one of those catch 22s.

In the end, Ember felt that instead of intense survival training, it might be better for Spike to be tutored in all things Draconic. That way he could be taught a better respect for the nobles. Yes, Spike showed her plenty of respect, but he didn't know how to act around "True" dragons. They required a lot more pomp and ceremony then even Canterlot unicorn nobility recieved. The True dragons were tired of Spike "disrespecting" them every time they spoke, but were willing to compromise as they understood Spike needed to be relatable to the ponies to play his role as Ambassador.

But who could teach him? A typical dragon tutor would be just as hard as survival training. Smolder? Spike's only dragon playmate had been teaching him what she knew of dragon customs and their powers, but she was just a child herself, only a clawful of years older then Spike. She couldn't be expected to teach him when she was still in school herself.

However there was... one possibility. News and rumors filtered around the system of a new school. A school to teach all races, where the Headmaster actually had an intergalactic Doctorate in Draconic studies... a Stallion... that wasn't a Stallion...

So the family took a shuttle to Celestia's sun, with her letting them stay at her new palace in one of the domed cities. It was so bucking hot on this planet. While the dome made it livable, the world still felt like living in 100 degree weather on a regular basis.

Spike found the temperature pretty relaxing, but his parents were melting.

Velvet and Night Light had let Spike run off to explore the castle while they talked with Celestia (promising him he could play with her after their business was finished). So now they found themselves waiting outside the great hall to see the sun god.

Velvet wondered aloud, “Do you think she can help us?”

Night Light shrugged his shoulders quietly. “It’s worth a shot. I mean Twilight couldn't get an audience with the Doctor, he's been so busy setting up his school, but surely he would come when Celestia summons him. She raised him for crying out loud!"

“Celestia may value family, but the Doctor isn’t part of Spike’s family anymore.”

“If he ever was.” Night Light grumbled. “I liked Clockwork a lot better than the god he ended up turning into.”

Velvet sighed. “So did I…” They looked at each other for a moment before looking off in opposite directions.

“Anyway.” Night Light waved a hoof. “The Doctor has a doctorate in draconic studies. If we could get Spike into that school he’s running, it would be perfect. The Dragon Nobility even agreed to it! We just have to get him to answer our calls and then I'm sure he'd help."

A servent opened the door to the great hall. One of an army of tiny bipedal lizards the Equus dragons had trusted to tend to Celestia. The lizard was small, even when compared to ponies. He was no bigger then a foal, standing just over 2 feet tall. His body was so skinny, he appeared to be nothing but scales and bone. His muzzle was as long as an alligators but much more narrow. Despite all this there was something that screamed "cute" about him. Like an ugly dog that was somehow cuter the uglier it was.

“Celestia will see you now.” said the lizard, what is known as a "Kobold". They were the very lowest of the low in the Draconic Hierarchy. A servant class that was used to tend to the needs of all dragons. They were even lower then the Draconic animals in the hierarchy... yet somehow they were one of the most loved strictly because they served all others... although not respected, other dragons thought of them as pets that do housework (ponies don't have words for things like "slavery", though Kobolds found a great deal of joy in serving the more powerful dragon species. It was more a symbiotic relationship then that word would imply).

However, to give you an idea about how much respect dragons had for hybrid dragons... while Kobolds were far better respected then the Drakehooves. As far as Dragons were concerned Kobolds at least had pure dragon blood.

Dismissing their shock at seeing a kobold answer the door, Velvet and Night Light got themselves together and entered the great hall. The gorgeous stained glass windows shone brightly in the sunlight. Celestia was reading a scroll but quickly put it away as the two ponies entered. “Velvet, Night Light--It’s wonderful to see you again. I appreciate you braving the heat to see me."

That made the ponies feel guilty, as they were strictly here on business.

“Always a pleasure.” Velvet insisted.

Night Light added, "I hope we aren't interrupting anything important?"

Celestia chuckled, "I'm retired from royal business, even here on my sun. I just like reading fan fiction in the throne room for nostalgia's sake."

The ponies smiled at her.

Celestia nodded, getting down to business, “What can I do for you two?”

Night Light bowed his head a bit. “Well, see, it’s not what you can do for us. It’s what you can do for Spike.”

“Oh?”

Velvet nodded. “We were wondering if you could possibly help us get Spike into that new school the Doctor is opening up.”

Celestia hummed thoughtfully. “Do you have a reason for wanting him there?”

Night Light waved a hoof. “Well, we were worried about the dragon survival training. That’s normally where foals, errr hatchlings, his age would go to school. But we all know that Spike isn’t really prepared for that.”

Celestia sighed. “I do know that. I wasn’t certain where he was going to go either. Queen Twilight’s tutelage was helpful but he definitely will need a higher education.”

“That’s right.” Velvet nodded. “And the Doctor has a doctorate in draconic studies. He could teach Spike what it means to be a dragon without having to put him through intense survival training that Spike would end up… You know, broken.”

Celestia sighed. “It would have to be the Doctor’s school. We aren’t exactly on the best terms.”

Night Light pinned his ears back a bit. “I uh--I take it he didn’t leave your family well...”

“Not at all.” Celestia looked off to the right. “But at the same time he hasn’t wondered too far from our planet, or at least, he always comes back. Which is slightly different than he usually behaves, I’m told.”

“Got a soft spot for ponies, huh?” Night Light huffed.

Velvet crossed in front of her husband. “Well I doubt he’d fit in on other planets looking like he does now.”

Celestia raised a hoof. “I’ll talk to him, but I can’t guarantee anything.” She quickly scribbled something on a fresh piece of parchment. Then called the servant back, handing him the letter, “Please have one of the mail dragons send this to the Doctor.” Celestia turned to the family again. “It may take him a few days to get out here. From my understanding he is currently living at the Rift. Would you be willing to wait in the Palace til he arrives."

The Sparkle parents looked at each other. Sending each a private message strictly through facial ticks, as only a couple married for so long could. Well it would be hell to endure this heat for so long, it would be nice to chat with Celestia again. They both silently agreed and looked back at Celestia. The couple bowed before her.

Velvet spoke, "It would be to our delight."

Celestia smiled, standing from her throne, "Excellent! Now let us find Spike."

As The family left the room, Celestia couldn't help but worry how the Doctor would react to seeing her again. With a mental sigh, she thought too herself, “I hope this goes better than last time.”

###

A few days later the Doctor walked through the door to the great hall. Not even waiting for the Kobold to announce him. Celestia decided to hold off summoning the Sparkle family, as to let the Doctor vent privately at her about whatever was hexing him about her this week.

He looked completely disinterested with being there already. “Yes, what is it?”

Celestia sighed quietly at being regarded so harshly. “Thank you for coming.”

“Need me to design some more things for your civilization, hm?!” Geez, what an angry voice. “Want me to make you some fancy new technology to get you ahead of the game?!”

“Please calm down.” Celestia tried to maintain composure.

“Oh yes, I’m going to calm down when you call me. Let me just get right on that.”

“Please.” Celestia was doing her best to keep on an even keel. It’s not easy when someone you treated as a son for so many years bites back like that. He had the face of someone she loved. That child of hers--Taken.

“You used me, now you want to use me again?” The ends of the doctor’s nostrils flared. “Is that it?”

“No, that's not.” Celestia huffed. “You haven’t even heard what I have to say yet.”

The Doctor grumbled at being interrupted. “What--What do you want?”

Celestia choked back tears and raised her head high. She felt better about getting down to business. “It’s about Spike. I wanted to ask you if it would be possible for him to enroll in your special school.”

“Spike?” The Doctor looked to the side. "Has he developed a class? Wouldn't that be one hell of a coincidence." His voice had an almost accusing edge.

"No," Celestia retained her composure, she had managed to smile well negotiating peace after a global war. She could take a few hate filled words from one of her more rebellious children. "He has not developed a class. However, The Dragon nobles have been demanding he be sent through survival training." The Doctor looked alarmed at that. Good, he understood Celestia's concerns. No need to elaborate them. "Dragon Lord Ember believes being under your tutelage will be a livable compromise for them."

The Doctor looked thoughtful, suddenly a lot calmer, “Well, I know he’s got a very important job to the dragons. It isn't very often they get a proper Ambassador to ease relations with 'lesser' species. I imagine they are watching his development very closely..."

“You’re the best suited to teaching him.” Celestia looked away. “He has a lot riding on his shoulders and his schooling needs to be more gentle or he won’t hold sway as an ambassador to both nations.”

The Doctor sighed. He stared out the window for a moment looking forlorn. “I miss the boy sometimes. Blue Blood too.” He turned his head to regard Celestia again. “I wouldn’t mind looking after him at my school.”

“You miss him?”

“I do. The identity fades but the memories don’t.” That hung in the air for a moment between them. Celestia stared at the Doctor and the Doctor stared at Celestia. “Don’t look at me that way.” the Doctor said, as he was the first to break eye contact.

“Sorry.” Celestia looked away as well. “I’ll send for Spike and his parents so you can enroll him.”

“Alright.”

Celestia called for a Kobold to retrieve Spike, Velvet, and Night Light. They entered shortly after. Spike was following his parents, but on seeing the Doctor he paused.

Gosh, it was hard to see that face. Spike thought. That was his big brother’s face. Why did it have to be connected to that soul? He sighed and caught up to his family.

Velvet asked quietly. “Have you two thought about sending Spike to the Doctor’s school?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes.”

The Doctor waved a bashful hoof at Spike, who startled and didn't know what to do for a moment. Spike decided to give a little wave back, as to not be rude... but it was as sure as Tartarus the most awkward wave he had ever given.

“Congratulations! You’ve been accepted.” The Doctor hoofed over some documents to Velvet, “Please sign these documents so I can leave this room.”

Spike blinked. “Wait. I’m going to his school?”

Night Light nodded. “That’s right. It works out a lot better than dragon survival training, don’t you think?”

“I--I... guess?” He thought really hard. “If I wanted to learn about jerks I could get a doctorate there.”

Night Light laughed nervously. “That’s the spirit! Honey?"

Velvet eyed him a moment as she held the papers with her magic. Reading over it as she filled out the document. Part of her wondering if the Doctor would try to hide any less then savory agreements in the school papers, but they all looked in order.

The Doctor awkwardly fiddled with his metal wand, occasionally stealing glances at Spike. Desperately wanting to say something to his baby brother but not finding the words.

Everyone in the room felt unbridaled tension. Nopony there liked the Doctor but everypony there had loved Clockwork--And yet nopony could tell the Doctor off because he could very quickly end their lives if he wanted to. They didn't know the Doctor well enough to know he won't... all the knew of him was the sight of him single hoofedly destroying an army.

Obviously the Doctor understood their reaction... he hadn't been a very good pony until Derpy reminded him what it meant to be "The Doctor". Still having known these people--Their lives, their stories--How was he to judge their displeasure? So everybody edged off into silence until Velvet finished the paperwork and hoofed it back to the Doctor. “There.”

“Alright I’ve got everything I need. You’ll hear from me later. Good day.” The Doctor quickly left. Practically running out the door to get away from them... and imagining this was how Sombra must feel around the pillars... maybe the Doctor shouldn't tease him so much...

Once he was gone, the remaining ponies just stared at the door a moment... as if he would turn around and suddenly be Clockwork again.

“Well…” Celestia sighed, once he was truly gone from sight, “That’s about as well as that could have gone.”

Spike grumbled. “About as well as a trip to the dentist.”

Velvet sighed. “I know it’s going to be hard but please try to focus on your studies at your new school.”

Spike was so very angry, but silently knew he had very few other options. It really was this or boot camp. Why did it have to be with him, though. Why him? Why that face?! “Yeah. Whatever...” Spike walked away and out the door.

Night Light pinned his ears back. “Well, he sure took that well.”

Celestia shook her head. “We did what was best for Spike. He had no other options.”

Night Light grumbled. “It would have to be his school.”

Celestia sighed and waved a hoof. “Now you see why I said that, don’t you?”

Velvet sat down. “We’ll just have to hope for the best. Spike’s a tough little scaled foal. He’s faced worse.”

Celestia nodded. “That’s all we can ever do.”

Act 1 - Ep2, Ch4: Rumble

Do you ever wonder what magic feels like?

Rumble laughed as he ran around the clouds that made up his back yard. All his cousins were running around frantically as they played tag in the sunshine. Their world was full of cheers and laughter. As they played, the grown-ups sat inside the cloud house comparing diaper bags or whatever it is parents do when alone.

His big brother suddenly jumped into the game, tackling Rumble, but things only escalated from there. Somehow this game of tag morphed into a wrestling match.

His brother pinned him to the cloud and demanded, in a stern voice, "Who's the best flyer ever?"

"Me!" Rumble squealed as he wiggled under his brother.

"And don't you forget it!" The teenage Pegasus smiled, ruffling his little brother's mane and letting him up, "Enjoying your birthday party little bro?"

"You bet Thunderlane!" Rumble grinned.

"I bet you can't guess what your present is?" Thunderlane teased.

"A guitar?!" Rumble jumped up eagerly.

Thunderlane huffed, "A guitar costs hundreds of bits. You think our parents can afford to spend that kind of money on a single present?"

The little colt deflated. It didn't help that he heard his cousins laughing at him. "Hey, what's so funny!?" the little colt demanded.

One of his cousins snickered, "He's hiding a guitar behind his back!"

"Bolt!" Thunderlane glared. "Way to go ruining the surprise!" He huffed before bringing out a miniature guitar from his wings. "Happy birthday,"

The tiny 3 year old stared in wonder at the toddler training guitar as if it were one of Vinyl Scratch's 5000 bit electrics. He balanced on his back hooves and gently took it. His face slowly morphing from one of awe to triumph. His hoof gently toyed with the strings. He stuck his tongue out in this adorable way as he concentrated. He used the magical static cling in his hooves to pluck at the strings, hearing the sounds rippling from each.

He could feel them, the vibration moved in him in a way no one else seemed to notice.

"Play us something Rumble!" Bolt begged.

Thunderlane chuckled, "Rumble hasn't even gone to his first lesson yet."

Rumble took that as a challenge. "Just watch me! I'll play the most hardcore song EVER!"

The little colt randomly plucked the strings, getting a feel for it. He shivered as they vibrations moved through him. He started playing, just following his instincts and the sensations the cords gave. He gasped has he felt the music and began directing it with more than his hooves.

His cousins cheered as they heard the music. Thunderlane walked behind him with a confused expression. The little colt was actually playing a complex guitar solo from a song he liked but he'd never had a single lesson. This was beyond natural talent. There was something almost... demonic with how the colt was playing.

You know, it’s usually something like this that happens to ruin a birthday party.

Rumble, so caught up in the feeling, slammed his hoof across the strings. A wave of sound erupted from the guitar. It was as if a tornado was unleashed from the cords, tearing their house apart. The devastation was utter and complete. The house was just gone. The ponies? They were gone too. Everypony except Thunderlane, who was still standing behind him, watching in horror.

The two stared at the train wreck for a moment--Each completely disbelieving of what had just happened. Thunderland approached where the house had been. There was just a hole in the clouds now. “Mom?” He flew a few steps toward the hole and peered in. “Dad?”

Rumble dropped the guitar. “What did I do?”

“I don’t know!”

“I didn’t mean it!”

The teenage pegasus sat down as the horror of what had just happened dawned on him. “They’re… All gone.”

Rumble cried. “Nooo! Where did mommy go?”

Thunderlane pulled his brother over and hugged him. “Don’t look. Just stay with me... I'll protect you..."

###

The days that followed were unpleasant at best for the now tiny family of two. The accident was blamed on a freak weather occurence in the police report, but that didn’t seem to make Rumble feel any less guilty for what he’d done. Suddenly the two found themselves in the adoption system of Cloudsdale, orphaned and homeless. Where would they go? Who would take care of them?

Thunderlane was not yet old enough to claim himself as a guardian for his little brother. The boy was only a few years from being an adult, but not yet legally culpable.

Thunderlane was only 13 and you had to be at least 20 before you could adopt someone yourself... which troubled the boy given you got kicked out of the orphanage at 16.

Pony adulthood was... weird. While legally adults at 16, all that meant was they were able to have sex, drink softer liquors, move out on their own, and work at a real job instead of just an apprenticeship or part time. They couldn't even vote or lick salt yet.

Ponies gain more and more "privileges" as they went through their late teens and 20s. However they didn't become "rights" until a pony was 30. "Privileges" could be dictated by a Parent, or guardian, or legally appointed mentors. 16 year olds were legally adults but still treated as children.

Thunderlane would have to move into a boarding house instead of an orphanage before he was old enough to adopt Rumble... they would undoubtedly become seperated for a few years regardless what they did... it was inevitable.

Thunderlane was too old a child for anypony to want to adopt... and it was hard enough to get anypony interested in adopting more then one foal at a time...

The two boys found themselves in a precarious situation. The one thing they knew was that they had to stay together... for as long as possible... After losing everything, all of their possessions and precious family members, they weren’t going to lose each other either.

Rumble didn’t keep that guitar. After such a traumatic experience, I doubt you would either. Music hurt. Life hurt. Where did mommy and daddy go and why had he done it? Why him? Why now? Why why why?

They ended up in an orphanage run by the city, crammed into a grey dormitory with fifteen other kids. Thunderlane was given the option to continue school, but after something like that he couldn’t concentrate anymore. I doubt you’d have the will to go on if your family suddenly disappeared too. Nothing would ever be the same ever again. The boy was ready to drop out and his legal grounding ended up being shaky. Some people take trauma well. Some don’t. For some it follows them for the rest of their lives. It was obvious that he’d likely become a drifter.

Rumble didn’t fare much better. With no guidance he became problematic. With no emotional connection to anyone he became negative. The boy turned sour and withdrew from reality as much as possible. It was settled in his mind that he was terrible and had caused this to happen. He was a monster so he became that monster in reality. The lad had no heart and no soul.

###

A few years slipped by.

Thunderlane was 15 now... in a few more months he would have to go to a boarding house instead of an orphanage... realistically that time was near a year away... but it was coming far too quickly... he was going to be parted from Rumble.

He considered running away, taking the boy and slipping into the underworld but... what kind of life would that be... begging on the streets, fearful of the day some good Samaritan would call the guards on them to get Rumble sent back to an orphanage and Thunderlane would be forced to a boarding house.

Thunderlane supposed he could get a job peddling his own body... Stallions always got good work in brothels or as black market baby factories... that wasn't very appealing either. With how few Stallions there were, getting paid to get a bunch of mares pregnant... well it paid really well... and was very illegal... he would have to find a pimp to protect him from legal trouble and...

Thunderlane shook his head... he shouldn't be thinking about that as if it was an actual option... especially since the pimp would probably want Rumble to get involved in that when he was older and that would be just unforgivable...

So here he laid, trying to come up with a plan for the brothers to stay together... without ruining their lives even further...

Rumble was curled up next to him, clearly awake as well. Rumble didn't really like the top bunk despite begging for it. The little colt like to cuddle up beside his big brother... unaware they would soon be parted.

They laid awake, staring out the window at the moon. The world outside was asleep and the wind was calm.

“Rumble?”

“What?”

“I hate this place.” Thunderlane sighed. “It never changes.”

“I hate everything.”

“Do you hate me?”

“No.” Rumble looked away from his brother. “We have to stick together, right?”

“That’s all we have in this world.” Thunderlane stared at the ceiling. “You’re all I’ve got.”

“I’m glad I have something.”

"Me too… You know by next year I can get a real job and... I'll figure something out…"

"You always say that." Rumble turned toward his brother. "Maybe we'll get adopted instead?"

"We've had so many other kids get adopted before us though… I know it’s hard to adopt out two kids but… We never seem to get lucky."

"You're right." He turned and stared back at the ceiling. "It's stupid to believe we'll have a home again."

Thunderlane turned to stare out the window. "It's not stupid to dream, Rumble…"

"Whatever." Rumble turned away. "Goodnight."

What do you say to someone like that? Thunderlane wasn't a parent. To see his brother just lose hope like that--Gosh, what a cruel world. Thunderlane sighed, turned away, and went to sleep as well.

###

A short time later they found themselves in the orphanage. They were doing chores on a weekend together. Thunderlane seemed to be doing a much better job of pushing clouds on the floor than Rumble was. That was okay though.

Rumble sighed. “This is hard.”

“Its okay bro. We gotta do this or they’ll get mad at us.”

“I hope we can finish soon…”

Just then another boy came barrelling down the hall. It looked like he’d run into the pile of clouds at the end of the hall. Thunderlane called, “Hey! Don’t come this way!!!” The boy ended up pushing all of the clouds back into place though. "Oh noo.”

He stopped afterward. He didn’t seem particularly apologetic. “Oops sorry.”

Thunderlane sighed and facehoofed. Rumble wasn’t standing for it though. He tackled the boy and began pummeling him. Thunderlane noticed a second later. It was all going so fast. “Rumble! Stop!”

It was too late though. The boy ended up with a black eye and several bruises. Who should notice but a nearby adult who came to break up the fight. Thunderlane pulled one boy away and the other adult got Rumble.

The adult looked completely unhappy. “You two, come with me.”

Thunderlane and Rumble looked at each other as they felt gravity come over them. They followed the mare down the hall towards the director’s office. Soon enough they found themselves in a grey office on the other side of an intimidatingly large desk. The director was an older mare with a giant purple pair of glasses. The other mare stood nearby.

“Thunderlane, your brother is not doing well here.”

“I… Guess not. Sorry.” Thunderlane looked sidelong at Rumble who sort of looked dully at the floor uncaringly. Thunderlane himself didn’t know what to say really either.

“He keeps getting into fights like this and--” The director continued to berate them for a few minutes with a list of the things Rumble had done wrong and should be sorry for. They both couldn’t really keep themselves together while it occured and looked away. “What do you have to say about that?”

“I dunno…”

The director sighed. “I think it might be a good idea to send Rumble to the orphanage in Ponyville.”

Thunderlane was aghast. “What? You’re separating us?”

“Ponyville might be better for your brother.”

Thunderlane looked like he could cry. “Please don’t. We can’t take that!”

The director was about to berate them again, but the other mare in the room spoke up. “Miss director? Can I speak to you alone? I feel I have a better idea.”

The director sighed. “You are dismissed.”

Thunderlane and Rumble shuffled out of the room.

###

They ended up down the hall. Thunderlane sighed and banged his head against the wall. He was just so destroyed. How could the adults even suggest that? “Rumble how could you do that?”

“That kid screwed us over. He deserved it.”

“Well now we’re going to get separated. Did you see that coming?”

“I don’t know.”

“You never know. You never think ahead.”

“I’m five.”

“Whatever.” Thunderlane turned his back on his brother. He was so stressed and frustrated. “Maybe it would be better if you transferred away.”

“No!” Rumble cried. “You’re all I have.”

“I…” Thunderlane sighed. “Nevermind.” He turned back. “Maybe we’ll get a better deal?”

Rumble whined. “I hope so.”

Thunderlane held his head for a moment. Did it really matter when they got seperated... it was going to happen anyway... and the Queen of Friendship lived in Ponyville... it might actually be better for Rumble... a life... without his big brother...

“Well…” Thunderlane looked back down the hall at the unfinished job they had left behind. “I can’t do that right now. Come on Rumble, let’s just go.”

They went outside into the open air. The sun was shining brightly that day. That didn’t do much for their gloomy attitude. They went to the play yard in the back and laid in the tubes. Thunderlane wasn’t sure how it would all go. Were they screwed? Was it all over?

“What are we gonna do, Rumble?”

“I dunno.”

“Nobody cares about us… Why are we even alive?”

“I dunno.” Rumble sighed. “Mom and dad cared about us… I did this to us.”

“Don’t blame yourself Rumble. It must have been a cursed instrument or something." Meaning all this was likely Thunderlane's fault... "Nobody could have seen this coming.”

“Whatever.”

Thunderlane sighed. He really believed that, but Rumble didn’t seem to. What a miserable life. “Relax, Rumble.”

Rumble stared at the clouds as some ponies shooed them away. They sat there and dozed off, shirking off all responsibility and any classes they were supposed to be at. It didn’t matter anymore anyway. That night they slept uneasy. Nothing mattered anymore.

###

The next morning, a faceless chaperone greeted them. Thunderlane whined. “We’re getting separated now, aren’t we?”

“No. I have someone I’d like you to meet.” The chaperone stepped aside to reveal an older Stallion. To no ponies surprise, as it was kinda a given here in Cloudsdale, this mystery Stallion was a Pegasus. He had a pale grayish brown coat and a dark brown mane. His eyes were a light cobalt blue. His cutie mark was a bunny peeking out of a magician's hat, with a wand in it's mouth. If Thunderlane had to guess, the boy would say the Stallion was middle aged, in his early 300s.

The man looked at Thunderlane and Rumble and waved a hoof. “Howdy, the name’s Crescent Moon--You must be Thunderlane and Rumble. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Thunderlane was cordial. “It’s--It’s nice to--”

"Is that a wand!" Rumble awed, seeing a wooden stick strapped to the Stallion's right foreleg.

Crescent Moon looked down at the stick, "It would appear so, wouldn't it?" He gave a cheeky grin.

“But you aren’t a unicorn?” Rumble tilted his head with unintended tribalist words.

Still Crescent Moon just smiled. "That doesn’t mean I can’t do magic. Actually, wands are meant to let any magical creature use their own internal energies for spell casting. They're a focus for those who don't have a built in one. Besides haven’t you ever met a magician before?” he put his hooves together. As he pulled one away, a candy bar unsheathed out of the other hoof. While real magic was all well and good, he had started out as a stage magician, using more slight of hoof Illusions then magical ones. He now enjoyed a combination of both.

Crescent Moon handed the candy over to Rumble. “Maybe if you’re good, I’ll teach you how to make real magic--Like a unicorn could only dream of.”

Rumble’s eyes went wide. That candy bar came right out of nowhere! It looked yummy too! “Wow!!!”

“We’re going to be hanging out together today as part of the big brothers project. That cool with you two?” Crescent Moon continued to smile affectionately.

Thunderlane nodded. “That sounds wonderful!”

The Stallion bounced, “We’re going to be going to bubble park. Have you two ever been?”

Rumble betrayed a smile. “My parents used to take us there.”

“Well c’mon kids, let’s fly!”

They walked right out the front door out into the world. Off they went into the sky. The brothers could have gone at any time but never had. After their parents died they pretty much just moped inside for a few years. How much time is that to lose? Feeling the fresh air on their wings again--It was lovely.

###

They arrived at the park in the late morning. This park was special because a single cloud above the park did nothing but rain bubbles. It had been an experiment gone wrong, but the city had turned it into a lovely place to play and be out in the sunshine. It had one of the nicest play structures in all of Cloudsdale. Rumble couldn’t help but run up to the structure to play. Thunderlane went running to keep an eye on his brother too. Crescent Moon made sure to stay close, to catch the foal as he came down the slide or push him on the swing. That was the first time in years that anyone had done that for Rumble.

After playing for most of the morning, they flopped back on the clouds laughing at the bubbles as they fell. Rumble laughed. “Wow that was fun!”

Thunderlane smiled. “I haven’t seen you smile in years, Rumble.”

“I haven’t been to the park in years!!”

Crescent Moon smirked. “You guys are too much.”

“Thanks Crescent Moon.”

Rumble sat up. “Got any other magic for us?”

Crescent Moon quickly rose himself, “Alright, since you asked.” Crescent Moon waved his hooves in front of him--Round in circles really slow. With a wave to the left--Then a wave to the right. Suddenly he reached high into the sky. A fountain of bubbles came out of his hoof and fell all around them. Even more pretty rainbow bubbles for them to play with!

Rumble laughed and got up to run in the bubbles. Thunderlane laughed. “You’re amazing, Crescent Moon!”

Crescent Moon smiled at Thunderlane. “That’s magic, but that’s not the magic I’m best at. Real magic happens in your heart, kid.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, here’s the deal. You keep allowing me to see you and I’ll teach you what magic really feels like.”

Thunderlane grinned. “Sure. Can’t wait!”

Rumble laughed. “I’m getting hungry. Can we go eat?”

Crescent Moon stood up. “Sure can, kiddo. I think I smell apple pie around here somewhere.” They went down the street looking for places to eat.

Thunderlane suddenly gaped as he caught sight of Crescent Moon's flank, "You're cutie mark changed!!!" Now it was a crescent moon.

Crescent Moon gave a sly smile, "There a reason you staring at my rump kid?"

Thunderlane blushed and looked away, not even mentioning when the cutie mark changed to a rainbow when they got to the diner.

Just down the street was an apple pie shop and they stopped in to eat. The inside looked like a classic diner, just with more clouds. It was a pretty comfy place. They stood at one of the standing tables and Crescent Moon ordered. “Three apple pies, please.”

“Coming right up!”

It had been so long since Thunderlane or Rumble had been to a restaurant. They never had any money and Thunderlane was only just barely becoming old enough to work someplace. Thunderlane was in love with the smells. “This place smells so nice.”

“What do they have you eat at the orphanage?” Asked Crescent Moon.

Thunderlane seemed sheepish. “It’s...Okay…”

Rumble grumbled, “If you like eating sponges.” He made an ick face. “I hate it!” He whined. “I miss my mom’s cooking. Tomato sandwiches and soup. They were awesome!”

Crescent Moon laughed. “She sounds like she was a magical lady.”

Thunderlane sighed. “Both of our parents were.”

Rumble whined. “I miss them.”

Crescent Moon put up a hoof. “Easy kids. It’s easy to feel the pain if you dwell on it. Your parents were magical, but your future is amazing too. They would have wanted you to move on and be happy.”

Rumble sighed. “I guess.”

Thunderlane nodded. “The future doesn’t look so bright for us.”

Crescent Moon knew this was a place for some magic. “Here let me show you that the future can come.”

He waved his hands gently to and fro. A little this way. A little that way. Then he snapped his tail and pointed to the left of the table. All of a sudden the party looked up and their waitress had zipped up and arrived with all of their food. “Hey kids. Got your food for you!” She put it down on the table and zipped away.

“See. Things come.”

Thunderlane laughed. “That’s not magic!”

“I dunno.” Rumble bit into his pie. “I’m willing to accept it.”

Crescent Moon laughed. “That’s the spirit, kiddo.” Everybody laughed. Joy had been missing from their lives for so long. It was so nice for things to just work out for a little while. It was an amazing feeling.

###

The boys continued seeing Crescent Moon every four days. They would always go somewhere lovely. It was like having a parent again for a little while. It made them into better ponies in a lot of ways. Old habits do have a way of dying hard though…

Eventually they went to a bustling marketplace in the city. It was full of ponies and products and all kinds of interesting things. There was a musician playing on the corner that Rumble wanted to avoid--Still not quite over that.

Quite early into their trip they went up to a fruit stand. Rumble was so hungry. So he sneaked one of the apples into the crux of his arm. Eventually they moved on and he went to take a bite.

Crescent Moon noticed immediately. “Where’d ya get that, Rumble?”

“Oh...I got it from the fruit stand.” He thought the Stallion wouldn’t notice.

“Did you pay for it?”

“Um… The shopkeep gave it to me?”

“Uh, no. I know what the shopkeep said.” Crescent Moon grabbed Rumble by the hoof and led him straight back to the fruit stand.

“Hey! Let me go!”

“Now give that apple back and say you’re sorry!”

Rumble quietly and with a shaky hoof gave the apple back. “I’m...Sorry.”

“Uh oh.” The shopkeeper looked from the boy to the man. “So I take it I don’t really have to render justice here?”

“Oh no, he’s going to be taught a lesson.”

“Alright. You’re free to go. Make sure he gets what’s coming to him.”

Crescent Moon quietly tugged the boy down a quiet alleyway nearby. “Thunderlane, wait here.”

“Alright Crescent Moon. Don’t be too hard on him…”

Crescent Moon sat down next to a crate and gently tugged Rumble towards it. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Kiddo.” He was more stern looking than Rumble had ever seen him. “I’m going to do this because I care about you. I’m going to teach you that actions have consequences. This is what you get for doing what you did.” Crescent Moon straddled Rumble over the box and, with gentle taps, started spanking him.

“OW!” Rumble started crying “Hey don’t do that!” Whap! “OW OW OW!”

“This is for stealing an apple.”

Whap! “OW! No I’m sorry!”

“This is for lying to me.”

Whap! Rumble cried out and whined. The spanks weren’t really enough to really leave a mark. Just cause some pain. “Pleasee I’m sorry!”

“This is for your own good.”

Whap! “OWwww.”

“Now.” Crescent Moon genty took Rumble off the crate and sat him in a corner. “Sit here for five minutes and think about what you’ve done.”

Rumble sat and sniffled. For a moment he actually did think about what he’d done. It wasn’t right. That fruit didn’t belong to him. More than that, Crescent Moon had actually stopped to correct him. He hated it, but for once in his life--It seemed like someone would do that to him. Just like his mother and father did. That feeling--Maybe he didn’t have to act out for things to feel normal again for a little while.

Eventually Rumble stopped sniffling. Crescent Moon let down his stern face. “Okay. You can come out now.”

Rumble sighed and stood back up. “I’m...I’m sorry.”

“I know you are, Rumble.” Rumble sighed and looked away feeling guilty. “Are you hungry, kid?”

“Yes…”

“C’mon. Let’s go get some food.”

So they went.

###

Rumble and Thunderlane developed over the year into model citizens. Thunderlane was getting better grades in school and Rumble was behaving for the matrons. However, the threat that they might be split up never really ended... next month... Thunderlane turned 16.

Still, they were lonely for the rest of the week when Crescent Moon wasn’t there. They hoped someday their number would come up and they’d be adopted like so many others had been before them. It was obviously harder to find a home for two boys, one of whom was much older than his brother.

One day though…

The matron came to get them and took them to the office in the front. The superintendent smiled at them. “Well, you two have certainly come a long way since you got here.”

Thunderlane nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

“Well, today is your happy day. You were just adopted by a single father.”

Thunderlane was so surprised. He thought it would never happen. “Oh my gosh!”

Rumble was too. “Really!?” He wondered. “Who is it?”

“You can go right out that door and see.”

Thunderlane and Rumble approached the door. “Alright Rumble, our happy family is out there waiting. You ready?”

“Yes!” They both took a breath and opened it.

What they found left them breathless. Down the path they saw their new father. Crescent Moon smiled at them quietly. They went running to him and they all hugged. There were tears in their eyes. As they hugged, the workers of the orphanage came out to see the new family. They all cheered happily from the sidelines.

That one moment. That one family.

Crescent Moon laughed. “I told you I’d teach you what magic feels like!”

They all laughed.

Life is good.

###

"What does your cutie mark REEEEEEEALLY look like?" Rumble dared ask a few moons after Thunderlane turned 16.

Thunderlane's birthday had been a blast, and Crescent Moon even got the boy an apprenticeship at the Junior Wonderbolts Flight Camp. Which he would start come the next school year in January.

You couldn't become even a reserve Wonderbolt until you were 30, it being a military organization and all, but Flight Camp was basically a school run by the Wonderbolts were they eventually recruit most of their members.

The Institute was pretty intense, as it was basically military school, but it taught a lot of advanced flying techniques and aerial combat... in addition to furthering their academic education.

Although Thunderlane would be starting college soon, he still lived with Crescent Moon... the Stallion really liked to spoil both of the colts but he always wasn't one to "Spare the rod" if the boys acted inappropriately. He was stern but fair... and made it very clear to Thunderlane he could live with him and Rumble until his dark coat turned white, if he wanted.

However, if there was one thing that made Crescent Moon uneasy... it was his cutie mark.

The Stallion looked at his boys and suddenly his Cutie Mark shimmered, turning into... an hourglass... that was kinda a let down.

Rumble pouted, "I thought it was going to show you were secretly a pirate or something!"

The Stallion smiled, "No little one, however this mark might mean more then you expect. I use concealment magic to hide it because... because there are very bad creatures that would do very bad things to me if they learned what I was."

The colts' eyes widened.

"See, I am what is known as a 'Time Pony'." Crescent Moon smiled, "We are descendants of a race called 'Time Lords'."

"TIME LORD!!!" Rumble yelped, "Like the Doctor Who Audio dramas!!! Those humanoid Phoenix things!!!"

"We are very similar to them, but we are technically a pony subspecies. And since ponies entered the space age Time Ponies have begun disappearing... you must keep it secret or whatever went after them may come after me."

###

Rumble and Thunderlane adjusted to their new home. Crescent Moon made a wonderful father. They started growing up just like other ponies did. Things were going well for them.

Eventually however, they got a knock on their door.

Thunderlane went over and answered it. There before them stood a god. The Doctor, in the flesh. “Oh gosh! It’s...Such an honor to meet you.”

The Doctor grinned his goofy grin. He looked a lot like Crescent Moon, only the Doctor had a much darker shade of brown coat and appeared to be an Earth Pony “Pleasure’s all mine. Oh is that soup I smell?" The giddy Stallion ran inside, without even asking if it was okay. The formality seeing to slip his mind.

“Um, Crescent Moon... the Doctor's here..." Not really sure what to say.

“Are you kidding me!?" Crescent Moon yelled. There was a clash of dishes and the Stallion came charging into the living room.

Thunderlane had never seen the Stallion this frantic. Crescent Moon looked like he was tempted to bow but caught himself, "It's an honor to have you, Doctor. Is... is there something you need of me?"

The Doctor was the god of the Time Ponies. They only existed as a side effect of one of the Stallion's Adventures with the fabled "Background 6"... he was quite literally their god.

Everypony pretended not to notice as Rumble came running in. Before the colt hid behind a couch to peek at the adults as they talked.

"Actually," The Doctor sat down and motioned for the other Stallions to do the same. “I’m here about your son Rumble.”

“Rumble?” Crescent Moon suddenly paled. He knew Rumble could be a rambunctious colt, but surely he wouldn't do anything to offend a god...

“No he’s not in trouble. He’s actually quite amazing.” The Doctor smiled. “I’m wondering, have you heard of the school I’m opening?”

Crescent Moon's eyes widened, “That school? Who doesn’t know about it!”

"Oh good," The Doctor bounced “That makes things easier. See I have some readings, been tracking their sources from all over the system, of atypical magical manifestations. I followed one here, to little Rumble. I would very much like to teach him control at my school."

“You would?” Crescent Moon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “You think he has, what was it, one of those class things?”

“Yes I do, I happen to know that he’s a bard. He has a special connection to sound waves and can manipulate them through singing or instruments. He can manipulate music for benevolent... or destructive, means."

Crescent Moon blinked. “I didn’t know that, I thought the kid hated music.”

“I do!” Rumble whined. “I don’t want to go to this school.”

Thunderlane sighed. “He… Has history with music, Doctor.”

“Obviously you’ve heard all about my school. It’s completely voluntary, but Rumble.” The Doctor faced him directly. “Don’t you ever want to pick up an instrument and play? You know intrinsically how to use one.”

“I do…” Rumble whined. “But I’ll do something terrible again!!!” He shook his head. “I don’t want to do that.”

The Doctor got up and walked over to the boy, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “Rumble I can teach you how to use your power without hurting anyone.”

“Can you fix me?”

The Doctor hummed. “Well it’s not that you need to be fixed. You just need to be taught.”

“If you can fix me...Then I’ll give it a shot.”

The Doctor sighed. “You agree then?”

“Yes.” Rumble took a double take then. “Wait it won’t make me separate from Thunderlane, will it?”

“You will be elsewhere most of the week, but he, and Crescent Moon, will be able to visit you on Family Day."

“Well… I guess that’s okay then. Just as long as I get to see Thunderlane... and Crescent Moon of course."

Crescent Moon nodded. “Alright, that sounds like it settles things then.”

The Doctor and Crescent Moon settled paperwork and all other important details. Soon Rumble would be in a new school. They’d come so far from that fateful day. The future finally looked bright for Rumble.

Sometimes magic just happens, y’know?

Act 1 - Ep2, Ch5: Button Mash

Author's Notes:

The first lines of Dialogue of this chapter are tongue and cheek humor.

Button is not actually getting molested and it is just a joke at the expense of that corner of the fandom.

It is not ment to insult anyone and not meant to be taken seriously but I get the feeling the reason the chapter has so few views is because people read those couple lines and check out before they realize nothing bad is a actually happening.

"Mommy, it feels weird,"

"Shhhhhhh just relax. You're doing a great job, mommy is very proud. Mommy loves her little colt very much,"

"Ah, that hurt!"

"Just a little more... THERE!" the block on the screen fell between the other blocks and the row blinked out of existence, "YOU DID IT!" Love Tap praised her son as she jumped off the couch, "You've beaten daddy's Tetris record! On your first try too! Oh Mommy is so proud! And just wait til your father gets home."

Button's eyes widened. usually those words meant he was in trouble. However he was quickly put at ease when mommy said, "I'll call him and have him pick you up a cake,"

Button licked his lips as he imagined the tasty treat. Then groaned as the throbbing in his head made itself known. It had been there since he started but he was able to distract himself by doing stuff.

"My head hurts," Button Mash mumbled as he stared at the screen. The arcade box was on the other side of the room. He was just staring at it from his place on the couch, making the blocks move with nothing but his mind.

Mom suddenly looked concerned and rushed over. She felt his forehead and probed him a bit with her hooves, checking his eyes with a tiny flashlight she kept in her pocket. She breathed a sigh of relief, "Pupils aren't dilated and your nose isn't even running, much less bleeding, don't scare me like that Button,"

Button groaned as he rubbed his head, "Sorry... But it really does hurt,"

"I'll get you some tylenol," Mom promised as she walked over to a drawer. Opening it up to reveal it was filled with medicine, "When your dad was a foal, it give him headaches to use his powers too, but as he got better at it they came less and less." She swore, "You just need to keep training and then, one day, you'll look at yourself and be amazed at what you can do,"

"Like What?" Button asked. So far all his powers were good for was playing video games at a distance.

"... I'll tell you when you're older," Love Tap promised, the family had some secrets in the closet. Looking at her son, she smiled, and brought him the tylenol.

Button Mash took a drink of the foul-tasting medicine laid back on the couch, completely drained. “I guess everyone can do this though, so I have to learn.”

“Actually, only people like you and daddy can do what you just did.”

“Really?”

“That’s right. It makes you very very special.”

“Did daddy teach me?”

Love Tap smiled. “It’s something you were born with Mashy. It’s your power. It makes you so special.”

“Am I a superhero?”

“Not exactly, the power itself kind of makes you super in a way.”

Button Mash laid on his stomach. “I’ve seen unicorns use magic like this before. Are they superheroes?”

“Unicorn magic is different from what you do. Nobody knows how your power works or what you can really do with it. Daddy uses his for his business.”

“Well it’s good that I can do stuff I guess.” Button Mash covered his eyes because the light was hurting them.

Love Tap sat down next to her son and pet her hoof through his hair. “It just takes practice, honey. Who’s my strong little colt?”

“I am.” Button Mash sighed and sat up. "I’m ready for more.”

“Alright, let’s try again.”

###

Daddy XP Grinder got home a little later that night. He smiled looking at all the things he had in his house. The best and newest of everything. Most pony houses didn't have near this level if tech in them. They prefered devices powered by magic.

That was exactly why he moved his family to Pathfinder. The place was a Technomancer's dream. Everything here used technology. Even their currency was made up of little plastic cards which recorded how many bits an individual had. It really was paradise for some creature like him... once you got past all the racism...

Love Tap greeted him soon after he walked through the door. “Welcome home honey.”

“Hey sorry I’m a little late. Work.”

“Yes I know how it is.”

“I can always count on you to understand.” XP Grinder moved towards the kitchen down the hall but was interrupted by Button Mash appearing in the doorway to the right.

“Daddy!!!”

“Hey kiddo.” XP Grinder gently patted a hoof on his little tyke’s head, mussing up his hair gently. “How are you?”

“I beat your tetris score!!!”

“Ohhhh I heard. Mommy texted me. Guess what I got for you!” XP Grinder moved down the hall to the kitchen and placed a small box down on the island in the center. Button Mash hopped up on one of the stools and looked down at the box in awe. “Well, go on. Open it!” XP grinned.

Button Mash opened the box and found a delightful cake inside. It was small, just a single pony cake, but that meant it was all for him! It was Button Mash’s favorite flavor to! Chocolate with green frosting. The cake was even in the shape of a Joy Boy. Such an awesome looking cake. Mommy helped Button Mash get a piece, well promising he could have the rest after dinner.

“Congratulations Mashy!” She said happily.

“Good job, son.” XP encouraged.

Button Mash was so happy. He began eating his cake without so much as a pause.

Love Tap hugged her husband. “He beat it without even touching the arcade box.”

“A chip off the ol’ block huh?”

“That’s right.” Love Tap smiled and looked back at Button Mash, who was enjoying his cake. She looked back at her husband and her smile drifted away for a moment as she saw he was transfixed by something out the sliding glass window. Immediately his phone was in his hooves checking the inferred camera feeds of their backyard. There was a tenseness in his face. He wasn’t even touching his phone, but it moved from feed to feed in his mind wirelessly. She whispered to him. “Is something wrong, honey?”

XP Grinder sighed and his smile returned. “No...I must have been seeing the moonlight glint off that silly mirror in the garden again.”

They both sighed with relief. Love Tap went over to the sliding glass door and closed the curtain. “I really ought to get rid of that bauble.”

“Yeah.”

Button Mash looked up from his cake momentarily, and seeing his parents at ease tucked in for more cake. Love Tap gently pet her son’s back. “Gee, you really can eat. You’re inhaling your food like Kirby.”

“I love it!!!” The family laughed quietly together. Just another day in little Button's life, as perfect as any little boy could want.

###

That night, Love Tap and XP Grinder sat awake in bed talking to each other. The master bedroom was large and lovely. The bed had plush sheets and a good mattress. Love Tap sighed. “He really did take after you very well.”

“If it’s as you say, the kid has got a knack for technomancy.”

“I just wonder what people will think of him.”

“It’s not an easy life, but it can definitely be useful.” XP Grinder looked down at his phone, checking the security around the house again for a moment. “I want to teach him the family business.”

Love Tap sighed again. “Taking care of servers is all well and good… But a lot of the stuff you do isn’t really something I’d like him to get into.”

“Hacking pays the bills. It’s not my fault if someone doesn’t secure their account.”

Love Tap smiled slyly. “It is when you take the money out of that account though.”

He laughed. “Best not to think of it that way, honey. I just take a few unnoticed bits from several hundred different accounts at a time. It's not actually putting any undo strain on any creature." Minus the millions of dollars he occasionally stole from companies, but those accounts were insured.

“I know.” She shook her head. “Just… Don’t let Mashy know about that part of your life, please?”

“I’ll probably teach him about it--Eventually--But right now I can’t imagine he’d be able to keep a secret like that.”

“Yeah.”

There was a knock at their door then. Love Tap went to see. “Oh hey Mashy. What’s wrong, honey?”

“I had a bad dream.”

“Aww.” Love Tap looked back at XP Grinder, who got out of bed. “Well maybe me and your daddy can help put you to sleep after that, okay?”

“Okay…” They went down the hall to Button Mash’s room. It was decorated with many posters of Button Mash’s favorite video game characters, such as Mario and Link. Button Mash even had a few drawings up of human versions of the characters.

The Yokai made games for all the Doctor's Refugee planets. While they used the same plot and layout for each game, they also limited themselves by the worlds tech. Their God had some kind of policy about minimal affects on a planet's technology advancement, but didn't really have an issue with then doing cultural exchanges. Somehow, Button's dad had gotten him copies of all the games of all the refugee planets.

Button Mash’s bed even had a headboard shaped like a Joy Boy, with a nightlight of Humdrum (the best sidekick ever) in the corner.

The parents put their boy to bed and gently sang him a lullaby to send him off to sleep. It went like this, put to a very light tone.

“Off now to sleep.
Happy and well.
Games way out there,
Bid you farewell.

Life will waver.
The world falls away.
Know, just in case,
Safe you will stay.

May you play well,
Here and beyond.
In fun little worlds,
Your dreams abscond.

And the chorus went something like this, to a bright tone.

“Mashy in space.
Send you my cheer.
My joy shall trace.
Love you my dear!

Another turn,
Til you’re so near.
Til you return.
Love you my dear!

With that they sent their darling boy off to dreamland with hope he’d play games there too. He fell right asleep and slept soundly for the rest of the night.

###

They whole family slept soundly and ended up having nice dreams the rest of the night. The next morning they came downstairs sleepy eyed and ready for the morning. Mama Love Tap was making pancakes for her family.

“Honey?” Love Tap waved at the air conditioning vents. “It’s kind of hot in here. Can you take care of that.” XP Grinder clapped his hooves together stylishly and the air conditioning turned on. “Thank you dear.”

“Daddy?” Button Mash poked his hooves together. “Do you think I’ll be able to do that someday?”

“I know you will, kiddo. You’re a chip off the old block!” XP Grinder gently mused the boy’s headfluff Button Mash smiled and giggled. He clopped his hooves together too. Suddenly the lights switched on. XP Grinder grinned coyly, “I wonder how that happened!” while knowing full well what caused it, or rather who.

Button Mash looked up at the lights with dreamy eyes. “Wow! Did I do that?!” He giggled. “I’m a chip off the old block!!!”

XP Grinder had finished breakfast. He got up and hugged his wife gently. “Off to grind for gold. Love you honey.”

“Love you dear.” The nuzzled their muzzles together and then parted ways.

Button Mash quietly clapped his hooves together trying to get the light to turn off and on again. Love Tap smiled quietly. “Did you want to go practice on video games some more, sweetie?”

“YES!”

###

Button Mash and Love Tap played games for about an hour or two. It was an average day for the two. They broke for lunch and then came right back to it. The day turned into dusk. Love Tap was constantly cheering for her son. She was a wonderful cheerleader. Her phone went off though. It was ringing with the high importance ringtone. Something made her heart sink momentarily on hearing it. “Hello, this is Love Tap.”

“It’s me.” It was XP Grinder. “I need you and Button Mash to get into the safe room. Now.”

“Honey?” She would have asked what was wrong but knew that there would be no other reason for her husband to ask that of her. “Mashy, we’re going to go play with your JoyBoy in the safe room. Come with me okay?”

Button Mash blinked and picked up the JoyBoy from off the nearby table. “Okay…”

Button Mash and Love Tap hurried upstairs. Up the stairs and into the master bedroom. They crawled behind a fake wall in the closet and closed it behind them. Love Tap flicked on the light for the reinforced room that would keep them safe. She got back on her phone. “Honey what’s wrong?”

On the other end of the line, XP Grinder was in a dark room in front of nine monitors. On a few of them was a camera feed of different parts of their house. They couldn’t hear it in the safe room but a window broke downstairs. In came a tiny round orb. The orb dropped on the ground and morphed into a changeling. The changeling started wrecking things, searching for something. “There is an intruder. Stay in the safe room.”

“Should we call the police?”

“You know we can’t do that with the work I do. I will handle this.”

“I’m scared.”

“I’m scared too mommy.”

“Stay in the safe room. They won’t find you.” XP Grinder was watching the feeds closely.

The changeling looked through the house into the kitchen, toppling chairs and clanging pots. It was searched in drawers and cupboards. XP Grinder wondered if it was a robber or an operative. He started thinking more robber when the changeling took money out of the family savings drawer.

His house, with it's pricey tech and lack of obvious security systems must be a dream target for robbers. Grinder should be sure to install a fake system to discourage this from happening again.

Grinder gripped his armrest as he heard his wife speak to his son. Love Tap nuzzled Button Mash and whispered. “Be very quiet Mashy. This room is very strong so nothing will happen to us, but just be very quiet.”

XP Grinder muted his family and looked at another feed.

Grinder sent a mental command through the wifi. Suddenly the sprinkler system started to go off as did the fire alarm in the kitchen.

The changeling ran over to the stove that started to smoke, for extra effect, and looked worried. He was about to leave when a spark shot out of the toaster and electrified the floor the changeling screamed as he was roasted alive.

Grinder couldn't help but give a smug grin at it's painful death. He may be a pony, but he wasn't one for forgiveness when others threatened his family. He sent another mental command and switched one of the screens to a Minotaur just as he answered his phone.

“I need a house cleaned. Can you do that Black Out?” Grinder informed, not even waiting for the creature to say "hello".

“I assume the money is already in my account?”

“A hefty advance payment has been made.”

“Excellent. Glad I have my cart already. Where am I going.”

XP Grinder gave the address to his house. Although he did not mention that it was his house.

“Did the owner have trouble with the missus?”

“No. Changeling on the grounds. Looks like a robber.”

“Will the house be ready for cleaning beforehand?”

“Yes."

"Good, on my way then."

“Thank you Black Out.”

XP Grinder unmuted his family. “You’re safe now. But please stay in the safe room a little longer. The robber is gone.”

“It was a robber?”

“Yes. Was.”

Love Tap sighed with relief. “That’s good to know. We’ll stay put until you say so.”

“Please do. Thank you.”

XP Grinder muted his family and checked on Black Out’s feed. He was slowly approaching the house. “ETA?”

“Don’t rush me. You know how this works.”

“Yes. The house is ready.”

“I’ll be around in about five minutes though. I just rounded the bend near the area.”

“Thank you.”

Black Out slowly approached the house. Slowly and carefully. XP Grinder knew that would arouse the least suspicion. Black Out got to the house and quickly got to work inside. Everything was cleaned to look like nothing happened. Every detail was put back in place from the money in the drawer to the chairs in the kitchen. Everything was cleaned. The window was taped over with clear packing tape, ready for someone to come later and replace it. Even an air freshener was hung. “Job’s done. Have you got the rest of my payment?”

“It has been transferred.”

The feed showed Black Out throwing a nondescript sack in his cart, right next to a bunch of other sacks filled with grain. “Pleasure doing business with you. Out.” The feed ended.

XP Grinder sighed with relief as he checked the feeds on his house. The grounds were clear and the house was almost exactly as it had been. He unmuted his family. “You’re safe now. I’ll be home soon.”

“Thank goodness. See you soon honey. We love you.”

XP Grinder sighed and held his head. He took a gulp of coffee and then left the room.

###

Button Mash never really noticed anything about the house was different. The family convened for dinner, but didn’t talk about what had happened. Just that they were safe and that XP Grinder was proud of them for being brave and staying in the safe room. When XP Grinder and Love Tap returned to their room there were definitely words though.

Love Tap sighed. “So we’re really safe now?”

“Yes. There is only a slim possibility it was a coordinated attack.”

“That’s… Good, I guess.” She shook her head. “What if it had been though?”

“Honey. Nobody can find where we live.”

“I hope so.” She sighed again and held her head. “What would we do if Button Mash was kidnapped or something.”

“I’d find him and rescue him.”

“I guess.” She looked like she could cry. “Just… It was so scary.”

“It would have been scarier if I hadn’t protected you. I was able to take care of the situation.”

She looked out a window. “I guess you did. I’m glad nothing bad happened. But can we really expose Button Mash to this kind of life?”

“Someday. He’ll be able to protect us.”

Love Tap looked back at her husband and then at the floor. “He could?”

“Yes. If I train him I can mold him into something truly amazing. I was never taught, I just learned on my own, but if someone teaches him, he could truly excel.”

“I guess. I hope we can provide that kind of life for him.” She nodded and climbed into bed. “I know we can do it, somehow.”

“Just leave it to me. We’ll work it out.”

“Alright.” They went to bed and XP Grinder turned off the light without getting up.

###

The next morning they all came down for breakfast again. A few days passed. The window got replaced and the fear of what happened faded into history. Later on they found themselves doing the same things they had been doing. Button Mash and Love Tap were playing games and XP Grinder was at work.

That is until Love Tap got a call on her high importance phone. With what had happened recently she was definitely afraid immediately. “Yes?”

“Honey, you’re going to get a visitor but I don’t think this one is a robber.”

“A visitor?”

“The Doctor is walking up our front steps.”

“The Doctor?!”

“Yes. The Doctor.”

There was a ring of the doorbell. “What should I do.”

“He usually doesn’t really hurt normal people. We should be fine. I guess see what he wants. Put me on speaker phone.”

Love Tap answered the door. “Good day, Doctor.”

“Gee you sure have a lot of cameras everywhere! I’m probably on TV. Hello world!”

XP Grinder spoke. “They’re for security.”

“Right. I’d expect nothing less of a technomancer family. May I come in?”

XP Grinder felt that most people weren’t supposed to know that, but this was The Doctor after all. He had even more information that XP Grinder did. Love Tap spoke up. “Yes.”

They went into the living room and sat down. Button Mash didn’t stop playing games. “So I’m really here to see your son actually. I’m sure you’ve heard about my school haven’t you?”

XP Grinder spoke affirmatively. “Yes, we had. We were planning to homeschool however.”

“Oh? Pity that. Look he’s playing tetris with his mind.” Button Mash smiled at The Doctor and cleared a line. The Doctor chuffed. “Really good at it too! You really plan to teach him the depth of his powers yourself?”

“As a technomancer I am technically qualified.”

Love Tap spoke up. “Wait honey. The school is supposed to train the next generation of spacefaring ponies. He’d get just as good an education with the doctor as he would with you.”

The Doctor snapped his tail like fingers. “That’s the ticket. I’d say, ‘or better’ myself.”

“Honey I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

The Doctor sighed. “Look if you really want to teach your son ‘your craft’ you can, but he’d be far more useful to society if he joined my school and learned from more positive people.”

“What do you--”

Love Tap interrupted. “I think he’s right, honey. We could have him get a milder education.”

“Honey… I…”

Love Tap continued. “Do you really want your son to learn about everything you do? Think about it. You’d never have to keep secrets with your son.”

XP Grinder went silent. He could see them all there in the feed of his living room. He looked at Button Mash wondering what he could turn into in the future. Somewhere deep in his heart, XP Grinder knew he couldn’t mold his son into a model citizen. He didn’t have to live the same life his father did. At that exact moment, he felt that pang of realizing that he was living vicariously through his son and that it was wrong. He stopped for a moment and spoke up again. “Button Mash, which would you want to do?”

Love Tap explained further. “You’ll get the same education from either pony.”

Button Mash paused the game and looked up momentarily. This was The Doctor. They’d seen movies and TV shows about him. His dad was cool, but he’d heard about the school too. His parents even thought about trying to get in contact with The Doctor to enroll him. His dad was cool and all, but this was the coolest thing that could ever have happened to him. So much cool, “I’d like to go to The Doctor’s school.”

XP Grinder felt a pang of sadness, but at the same time a glimmer of hope. Maybe his son wanted to be an astronaut more than a hacker. He realized that his parents had never let him choose either. “Alright Doctor. We’ll enroll him.”

“Excellent. You won’t regret it. Obviously you already know most of the details?”

“Yes we do. We’ve heard about it.” Love Tap nodded. “A five star education with the teachers being high ranking members of their chosen class.”

“Right. Here is the paperwork. I’ll take a medical scan now.”

The family did the paperwork and The Doctor took his scan. The flurry of activity was over in minutes.

###

Later that night, XP Grinder and Love Tap were in the master bedroom again. XP Grinder sighed. “I guess I won’t be giving him an education after all.”

“I know you wanted to do the ‘like father, like son’ thing.” Love Tap put a hoof on her husbands shoulder. “But it really is for the best. It’s what Mashy wants.”

“I guess.” He looked at the floor. “I guess after a while it’s really not about what I want.”

“Mashy is already starting to live his own life. We have to be supportive.”

“I guess I just didn’t expect it to happen so fast.” XP Grinder pulled out his phone and looked at the feed of his son’s room. He was sleeping soundly in bed, no doubt dreaming about games out in space. “Just a while ago we were still changing diapers.”

Love Tap looked over her husband's shoulder at her son and they both gave a content sigh of pure love for their child. “They grow up so quick.”

“They sure do.”

Love Tap nuzzled her husband’s side. “It’s really for the best. You’ll see.”

“I hope so.” They climbed into bed. XP Grinder stared at the ceiling for a moment. “I’ll be watching him though. You know, for safety.”

“I’d expect nothing less of you.” She smirked. “Goodnight.”

Act 1 - Ep2, Ch6: Dinky Hooves

A tiny filly stared up at the stars through a parting in the trees, yet it wasn't night. They were in the Rift, surrounded by floating islands, in a housing district only a few miles away from the school.

Houses of all kinds and construction were everywhere, even a few appartment complexes on the Bigger islands.

The Doctor had teleported their home from Ponyville over to here, with the Yokai's permission of course. He had to, in order to not disturb the delicate balance of gravity in the Rift... that kept the islands from bumping into each other.

The Doctor even managed to preserve Ditzy's garden in the move. Dinky was grateful for that. She had a secret place, tucked away in the underbrush of a few small fruit trees and berry bushes. A small little clearing, surrounded by nature. Dinky liked to just lay here, looking up through the large gaps in the leaves. At the stars and other islands above them, floating in the distance.

“Dinky Hooves!” Came a call on the wind.

She sighed and rolled over, clearly wanting to stay in the peace a little longer. She slowly found her way out of the bushes and down the brick path towards her mother. Off in the distance she could see their house. The shingles of the roof and the wooden door were painted TARDIS Blue.

She trotted through the gate into the garden. Their garden was so neat and beautiful. The soil was a dark, fertile brown with the bright greens of nature exploding out of them. The plants used some kind of Time Lord magical engineering so that they always had ripe fruit, ready to pick. Plants like this would put many Earth ponies out of work so The Doctor hoarded the knowledge. Ditzy used the plants to make her yummy meals.

“Ya Mum?” Dinky spoke with an odd mix of a Pony and British Humanoid accent.

Ditzy Do smiled at her daughter and kicked over a box of granny smith apples, freshly picked. “Here, these are for you, kiddo.”

Dinky Hooves gaped and immediately hoofed at them; they were her favorite fruit! “Oh my Celestia, thank you!” She hummed in pleasure as she took a bite. The apples were a little tart and sour this time of year, but she liked that. “Where did we get apples? We don’t have an apple tree in the garden.”

“I dunno.” Ditzy Do looked over at the new voice. Just in time for her to spy someone coming over from the back door of the house. “They must have mysteriously appeared or something.” The Doctor smiled quietly.

“Daddy!!!” Dinky Hooves eagerly trotted over to give him a hug, which he was all too happy to oblige.

Dinky rolled her eyes, "Big Mac was kind enough to give me a sample of this month's harvest. A thank you for sharing that apple cinnamon muffin recipe. It's selling well."

Big Mac was paying her a percentage of the profits as well but he was kind to his business partners. Big Mac inherited Sweet Apple Acres after Granny passed. While Applejack was declared the Matriarch of the entire Apple family in the will.

"Nope, appeared by magic." The Doctor insisted, "Happens all the time on the TARDIS!" to emphasize his point he picked up his Daughter, with his mouth, and deposited her onto his back. "Who's up for Time Adventures!!!" and began mimicking the wheezing groaning of his time machines engines.

He trotted up to Ditzy Do. “Sorry honey, I can’t give you a ride. Dinky’s got dibs.”

Ditzy Do laughed and shook her head. “It’s alright. You’ve taken me on enough rides around the universe for me to get enough of it.” She kissed The Doctor’s cheek.

Dinky giggled and stuck her tongue out at the display of affection. “Icky kissies!”

“Oh you want one too?” The Doctor turned a bit so Ditzy could get a wet one on her cheek. “Mwah!”

Dinky laughed and icked, pretending not to like that. “Noooo!”

“I’ve got more if you want them.”

“Noooo! Daddy quick, engage escape thrusters!”

“We’re blasting off!!!” The Doctor wooshed away around the garden again. Eventually he wooshed into the house and in a circle on the tiles of the kitchen. The kitchen had a rather old looking oven, a sink, and an old refrigerator whose compressor sometimes buzzed late at night. Despite their age they were far more advanced then anything any of the races of the Equus system had. Covering much of this room was drawings that Dinky had made, tacked right onto the walls.

Ditzy Do walked in carrying a box of fresh vegetables for a stew on her back. She played along. “Doctor watch out, we’re stuck in a Cybermine field. If you’re not careful you’ll blow us all up.”

“Not to worry dears! The TARDIS knows how to get around the mines!” The Doctor carefully tip-hoofed around the kitchen into the main room as Ditzy got started on dinner. The main room had lamps in two corners and a big, blue, extremely comfy couch in the center. There was a big window looking out at the void of space. Behind this couch was a staircase that went upstairs and a door to the basement--Better known as Daddy’s lab. It was a comfortable little house for a tiny, happy family.

The Doctor wooshed again and eeked. “Oh no Dinky! You seem to have inherited my piloting skills! Not even the TARDIS can compensate! We hit a mine! Hold on!” Dinky held on tight as The Doctor teetered and tottered around the room. “The TARDIS is losing power, hold on, we’re crashing on a nearby planet!” The Doctor gently threw Dinky off his back onto the big comfy couch.

She giggled as she touched down. “Ahhh! Oh nooo!” She bounced up and down on the couch. “This planet has funny gravity!”

The Doctor flopped on his back onto the couch. “Oh no! I took a hit Dinky. I’m not gonna make it.” He pretended to die on the couch.

“No! Daddy! Nooooo!” She crawled over and gently hoofed at his side. “Wake up!”

“Okay I’ve regenerated...But oh no! I’ve turned into a tickle monster from Death's Deal!” The Doctor pulled Dinky over and gently tickled her sides.

The little filly giggled and giggled and cried. “Oh no!!! Not Death Deal!” Dinky gave a squeal as she tried to fight against the tickles... although admittedly she wasn't trying as hard as she could.

Death's Deal was known as the deadliest planet in the universe. It was an ocean world with a landmass made of pure coral. With deadly creatures of all kinds crawling over the surface. While under the surface was filled with deadly crystals that destroyed all organic matter that touched it. However, as far as Dinky was aware, it was a planet of tickle monsters.

Eventually, the tickle monster let up and they laid on the couch together, father and daughter sharing a quiet, sleepy moment together. They didn’t want to sleep so they both just looked out the window as the gentle, windless breeze, rolled across the lush grass of their island. They both gave a content sigh and the room felt like it was supposed to be that way for a little while.

The Doctor tried not to remember things that had happened in the past while sharing this moment. He’d had times like this before. It made him sad to think about people that had come and gone in his life--His children, grandchildren, partners, friends, relatives, all cast to the wind about the universe.

When he thought about all those things, Ditzy Do’s voice came to his head. “Stay with me, Doctor.” Ditzy Do had taught him a little bit about living in the moment. She would always tell him that right now mattered a lot more than what did or could happen. This family made him remember to focus on the present. That’s what his companions always did.

Dinky Hooves was just happy in general. Her life was always so gentle and easygoing. Contentment was around every corner. For what it’s worth, the Doctor had made a loving father so far. He always held her close in his hearts. There was something she was a little worried about though. “Daddy?”

“Yes dear?”

“Am I going to school soon?”

“Yes you are. You’ve been my first student, but there are a lot more people across this system I have to teach.” He sighed remembering what he had seen. It was momentarily painful, but dripped with hope. “The future is coming, dear. We have to be ready.”

“The kids at preschool think I’m weird.”

“Don’t worry too much about them, dear. When you go to my school you’ll fit in fine.” He ran a hoof through Dinky’s mane. “Everyone there will be powerful, just like you are.”

“I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be. I’ll be there if you get scared."

“You promise?”

“I promise, I’ll always be there to help you if you need it, dear.” The Doctor had broken countless promises, making many just to get people to stop arguing and do as he says... with no intention of keeping the promise itself. However, in all his years, he had never broken a promise to his children. “But when you go to my school, you’ll be so strong that you won’t need little ol’ me anymore.”

Dinky smiled quietly and felt better. “I'll always need my Daddy."

The Doctor rested a hoof on Dinky and they both sighed happily again. They were finally ready for a nap so they both slipped away on that lazy afternoon.

###

Ditzy Do gently shook the pair back to the waking world. “C’mon you two. Dinner’s ready!”

The Doctor yawned and helped his daughter back to her hooves. “I smell it! I’m hungry already.”

Dinky skipped over to the table in the kitchen. Her mother and father doled out some delicious looking vegetable stew. It had carrots, celery, potatoes, and pea pods in a garlic infused vegetable broth. It tasted like those vegetables had grown in a gentle breeze on a sunny day. There was a lot of love put into the dish; the love from a mother to her adoring family. It tasted like happy times and easy days.

Ditzy smiled as her daughter just about upended the bowl into her muzzle finishing it off. “Gee, you sure were hungry." Ditzy commented as Dinky got herself seconds, "I hope Daddy's school has a good food budget.”

The Doctor waved a hoof. “Only the best. Interdimensional engineering keeps the kitchen stock full at all times. I kept telling you, you don't need to go grocery shopping."

Ditzy side stepped right passed that. "Kids need somepony to make sure they eat right. You can't just point them at the Kitchen and expect them to fix themselves some grub."

"Didn't Bon Bon tell you?" The Doctor blinked. "She's going to be the lunch lady."

Ditzy blinked, "Really?"

"I had to explain to her about all the various creatures' dietary needs," The Doctor shrugged. "Especially about how too much sugar is bad for most creatures, and how salt doesn't affect the metabolism of most creatures as it does ponies and is considered a necessary seasoning to most. It actually came down to me having to calling in renown dietitians of various planets in the system before she believed me! It's like she thought I was lying to her!!! ME!!! Can you imagine!"

"Aren't you the god of lies?" Dinky absentmindedly shovelled some stew into her mouth.

The Doctor gasped, "Lying is a horrible and damaging affair... which is why it should be left to the professionals!" he puffed up his chest, all proud of himself.

Ditzy sighed in exacerbation, "Honestly Doctor. Imagine, creatures from all over the system are trusting their children to you."

Dinky rolled her eyes, just a little, while smiling. “I’ll be okay mom. Really.”

“Don't worry Derpy," the Doctor assured, "I am taking this very seriously. When I do things, I do them right.” The Doctor suddenly gave her a suspicious eye and a pout. “Or did you expect me to just sort of throw it together last minute?”

Ditzy gave the Doctor a cockeyed look that clearly said ‘I really thought you would based on our adventures together’ but did not vocalize this feeling based on the fact that her daughter was present. “Well, obviously not…”

“Of course daddy is going to take care of things! He knows everything!” Dinky giggled.

The Doctor almost blushed. “Only the vast secrets of the universe, but not even I know their secrets.” The family laughed at that.

###

Eventually Dinky got tired. It was getting close to bedtime anyway. Ditzy and the Doctor walked their tired kiddo to their room for bed. The Doctor gently tucked her into bed. “There you go, love!” He kissed her head. “Dream well, okay?”

“Daddy? Mummy?” Dinky was a little shy to ask this question. “What happens if the other kids don’t like me?”

Ditzy awwed at her daughter. “Honey, I’m sure everyone will love you. We sure do!”

“But I dunno anyone… It’s gonna be scary.”

“Don’t worry, love. It’ll be okay.” The Doctor patted his daughter’s shoulder with a hoof. “All you have to do is be confident. Just like fighting Krafayis, you have to approach the situation with confidence!”

“I guess…” Dinky sighed. “I just wish I knew how it was going to go.”

The Doctor looked at Ditzy quietly then back at Dinky. “Not even a Time Agent can see into their own future. Even I can't see more then a glimpse now and then. Besides, if you really knew what was coming, it would take all the fun out of it."

“I guess…” Dinky nodded. “Thanks Dad.”

“No problem kiddo. Now, sleep well.”

###

Ditzy Do and the Doctor went back to their room and started getting ready for bed. They laid down together and sighed after the day. Ditzy looked out into the room. “Doctor, do you really think Dinky is going to be okay?”

“Yes I do.” The Doctor nodded. “She’s a strong girl.” The Doctor brushed a hoof against his partner. “And she will do great.”

“Do you really see her as a Spacer someday?”

"Like I said. I only get glimpses, vague impressions, when it comes to my future. All I really know is that Dinky will help make it so their is a future. If she chooses."

"She has a choice?" Ditzy looked surprised.

"We all have a choice. Although I would love it if she joined the Equus Interplanetary Fleet... it's ultimately her decision. My problem with Metagamer is that I never gave him a choice... he wanted to be like me... and instead of training him for it, preparing him... I sheltered him. With Dinky I will do my duty as a parent. I will prepare her for the infinite possibilities of her life... then... I will let her choose her own path."

###

Ditzy fell asleep but the Doctor did not. He gently pushed Ditzy’s head back to a pillow and got out of bed. Down to the basement workshop he went. In it's former spot, the TARDIS was no longer their. He had moved it and anchored it to an Island in the Rift some months ago. Putting his hoof on the clean square of the concrete floor... the Doctor spoke to his old friend as if she was still their.

Even if she wasn't physically here, he knew she could hear him. She heard all throughout the universe, every cry and plea. She could hear him, and although they were far, he could feel her.

“I hope work on the school is going well.” He walked up to his workbench and looked down at the paperwork he had been collecting. When the school grounds were finished he’d create a portal that led from his workshop directly to his office. How convenient. “Imagine that.” He sighed. “Me with an office.”

The paperwork seemed so disheveled; the pages were out of order. “I guess it’s a new era for me indeed.” He shook his head. “I never thought I’d just… Build something like this...” He told his TARDIS. “I always wanted to see the universe. I dreamed of it since childhood... it's all I ever wanted... What better way to spend an eternity than adventuring through it?”

The Doctor ruffled the papers gently and sighed. “Am I really cut out for being a teacher?” He looked back at the empty spot that once held the TARDIS. “I know I gave it a try before, a few times actually... and there was always something fulfilling about it." He shook his head. “I just… Never expected this is how it would go for me. A life of Domestic bliss, complete with a real job. Imagine me! A working joe! Helping shape the future, not through adventures, but in a way that really matters. By educating the young... I hope I can do it."

He arranged the paperwork in the way it was best for filing and use. The first day of school would be soon. He felt a little overwhelmed, but at the same time hopeful. He loved this world so much. It would be such a shame to see it fade away. He wasn’t going to let that happen. “I hope we’re ready for this.” He stared up at the stars out the basement window. “I hope the world is ready.”

###

Dinky fell into a deep sleep and found herself appearing in a scattered realm. Geometric shapes floated in the distance and she found herself on a blue pathway, surrounded by an empty void. The world randomly phased in and out, wavering like pebbles thrown in a pond.

Dinky decided to follow this pathway to wherever it might go. It was kind of nice, maybe even a little silly. She continued and eventually got to the end of the road. There she saw another pony, a purplish pink Earth Filly. Just a filly her own age.

“Uh... Hello?” Dinky said approaching. She felt it must be a dream pony of some kind. It was always obvious you were dreaming when somepony else entered your dreams... Dinky had experience with Luna helping her with nightmares (as the former Princess did everypony).

The other pony turned her head. It had swirly eyes. The odd filly immediately backed away a bit, before standing her ground with fierce determination, “Oh, crap! Not again!"

Dinky turned her head slightly. “What’s wrong?”

"Wrong? Wrong? Why would you possibly ask that of a superior lifeform!" The swirling eyes glared... but Dinky could see the hurt in those eyes... they were like her father's eyes... eyes that had seen far too much. "You best stay away from me or I'll smite you with the full force of a god!!!"

"Your a god to?"

The odd filly stopped. Her strange eyes widened in shock the moment Filly said "to". The filly bit her lip but recovered quickly, her mask immediately back in place. "I am a Demigod! So you better-"

"YOUR HALF GOD TO!!!" Dinky grinned running the rest of the way to the filly. "My dad is a lower god, so technically I'm only half Celestial and not a full blown Demigod."

Screwball blinked, "R-really?"

Dinky grinned, "Yep. Dad's a bonafide Celestial, so a 'lower' deity."

"Oh... I suppose that is fine then... just so long as you aren't a pony!"

"What's wrong with ponies?" Dinky blinked, "My mom is a pony!"

Screwball looked away, "Mortals... are not kind... they tried to kill me the very day I was born. I've been hiding out in the Chaos Dimension ever since.... But sometimes my sleeping mind wanders back to this realm. The ponies aren't kind here either... they don't like me 'invading' their dreams. Like I have a choice."

It certainly explained those sad eyes, but the dream walker seemed to have dropped her guard now that she knew Dinky wasn't mortal. The filly honestly seemed kind scared of regular of people, hence the tough attitude.

“Well...I’m sorry I accidentally invaded your dreams.” The spiral eyes looked bashful now.

“Well.” Dinky shrugged. “You don’t seem like an evil demigod so I guess it's cool."

“I should probably just leave. I know I’m not welcome anywhere.”

“No don’t.” Dinky was really curious about this pony. “Tell me your name.”

“It’s…” The pony sighed. “It’s Screwball. I’m really just passing through.”

“You seem nice. I always wanted a friend.” Dinky sighed. “My weird powers make people a bit scared of me.

Screwball raised a brow. “More then 'a bit' in my experience. Normal ponies are pretty easy to scare."

“Well… I'm not exactly normal either." Dinky shuffled her hooves.

Screwball nodded in understanding.

"I would trust you if I met you on the street.”

“Well...Thanks. It would be better if I could control my powers a little better.” Screwball sighed. “I’m really bad at it. They’re so random too. People don’t like it when I screw up something they worked hard to get just perfect.” Screwball waved a hoof and one of the floating diamond shapes turned into a cloud of guitars, floating aimlessly and randomly playing songs. “I wanted it to become a rain of chocolate milk… See it’s just...random.”

“I dunno, I like it.” Dinky giggled and danced a bit to the random music. “You should visit my dreams more! We can play together.”

“I really can’t control which dreams I invade. Tomorrow I might invade some random alien’s dreams. People dream such weird things.”

“Like what?”

Screwball opened her stance a bit and sat down. Maybe she was a little more comfortable now. “Well… One time I invaded some guy’s dream that had nothing but clocks that had snakes for cuckoo birds.” Screwball shrugged. “Something about running out of time or something. He was terrified of it.”

Dinky laughed. “That’s so weird!” She smirked. “I’m not afraid of time. Bring it on!”

Screwball smiled weakly. She wasn’t really as afraid of creatures in their dreams because she knew they usually wouldn’t remember her. They couldn’t hurt her here. This was really the first person that hadn’t been super afraid of her either. “One time I entered some white filly’s dream that did nothing but cut and manage dresses. I ended up turning the dresses into bats and they all flew away. She fell to the ground and rolled around crying for a few minutes. I guess it was a bit of a nightmare for her.”

Dinky giggled like crazy. “Sounds like you have a lot of fun here.” Dinky looked out at her dream world. “Sorry my dream isn’t as interesting for you.”

“I dunno. I kinda like it.” Screwball shrugged. “It’s bigger on the inside.” Screwball noticed all of a sudden a generic schoolhouse appear in the distance. “What’s up with that?”

“Oh… I have to start school soon. I dunno if I’ll fit in.”

“I do too. It’s scary… I feel like everybody's gonna hate me.”

Dinky raised a brow. “Do demigods even go to school?”

"You're part god to, and you have to go to school." Screwball snorted. "Besides it's sorta a special school for powerful entities. It's supposed to teach me control."

"I'm doing something similar at my new school." Dinky admitted. "I dunno how it’s gonna work.” They didn’t quite know that this was going to come up again.

Screwball sighed. “I know we had some fun but it’s sad I’ll probably never meet you again.”

“Aww… Can you... not just come back?”

Screwball shook her head. “It’s random. So when it’s over, it's over. Then tomorrow I’ll probably go somewhere else where the creature hates me.”

“Aww… I wish I knew you in the real world…” Dinky sighed. “You know, if I ever met you there I’d be your friend.”

“Do you really mean that?”

“I do.” Dinky smiled. “So keep an eye out for me… My name is Dinky Hooves.”

“I’ll remember that…” Screwball sighed. “Thanks. I dunno if I’d be brave enough to be your friend… But if we ever meet in dreams again, we’ll definitely play.”

“I’d like that.” Dinky realized that she was slowly disappearing. “Goodbye, Screwball!”

Screwball waved. “Bye bye.”

Dinky woke up in the real world and held her head. It ached gently. Was that real? Probably not. It left her with a feeling that she might actually be able to make friends someday. That felt… Good.

###

Spring drew near. Soon the end of year break would be over and school would begin. Not that you could tell by the lack of weather here in the Rift.

Dinky wondered what might happen. Was she ready? She hoped it would be an amazing journey for her. Maybe it would.

Maybe it would...

Author's Notes:

End of Act 1,
Next chapter will start Act 2.
When the kids are actually at school