Chapter One: Feeling Stuck

Star Breeze floated in the empty void of space. She stretched her hooves in every direction around her while quietly relaxing. While floating out there, she sleepily gazed out into vast stretches of space and the ocean of stars that swam around her. It was mind boggling to her how every one of those tiny dots of light may have spent thousands, millions or even billions of years to catch up to her eye. Here they were, all around her, unfiltered by the atmosphere of the planet. Just naked dots of truth which hint at endless potential and possibilities. To think, any one of those stars might have planets of their own. Any one of those planets might have life on it as well. Of those life forms, which one of them might be causing the sun to rise and set every single day and night? What special soul might be dwelling out there, causing light and darkness to rise and set for every other life form on their planet?

For a moment, Star Breeze tried to imagine how she would feel if she was one of those souls out there on some distant, alien world. To imagine something that enormous and important hanging on her shoulders, it felt like a heavy responsibility. Star Breeze wasn't sure if Celestia ever got used to that. Even after nearly a thousand years, had it ever felt totally routine to her while also knowing that every single pony and creature on her entire world depended upon her and this most sacred duty? Maybe Luna once felt like that too before she got trapped on the moon.

(Oh, Luna. Dear, sweet Luna . . . someday you will be free) Star Breeze thought to herself as she steadily closed her eyes. (Just like someday I'll be free to wander the galaxy and explore all of time and space. I can't wait for that! Celestia darn it, I really can't!)

Star Breeze relaxed in the void. Part of her imagined that this was what it might have felt like to float in her own mother's womb at one point in her life, except now she was floating in the womb of the whole universe!

(Well, at least, a mental facsimile of it.)

Star Breeze sighed in a bit of lament at the realization of that. This wasn't really the true void of space. If it were, she would be having a much harder time breathing or staying warm. No, Star Breeze knew that the true void of space would have been far less hospitable to herself and her kind. Despite her black coat speckled with white tiny dots like stars in the sky, which made her seem very akin to the void of black space with its ocean of stars, Star Breeze knew she wasn't truly at home in the middle of space like this.

Nor was her father, whose memory she borrowed this moment from. Her father, Feather Wind, had once traveled all over time and space with the legendary Time Lord, the Doctor. Even then, she knew her father could never pull this off without the air-shield around the TARDIS. He needed protection, too, in order to float out in the void of space like this. When he did, he claimed he later stored the ecstasy of that memory into the Red Crystal, the last true remnant of Sombra, who now calls himself Crystal Sage within this crystal and its subsequent mental zone. Ever since Star Breeze learned to attune herself to this crystal as well, she had since learned to pull her mind into the Crystal as well and exist as a mere mental projection of herself in a virtual environment. By default, the first virtual environment created within the Red Crystal was the Crystal Empire itself, but other memories had been added to the Crystal ever since then. Moments like this, when Feather Wind floated out in the void of space. Star Breeze took that memory and since modified it by simply deleting the mental facsimile of the TARDIS and all who had once dwelt within it. As a result, it left her all alone in the vast emptiness of space in privacy.

Star Breeze had since loved to come back here for a visit many times to simply take a private moment to think and relax. She always had a special connection to the stars and space. It always felt like that was her true home, and that her home world was just a pit stop to help prepare her for a much larger journey ahead of her in her life. Within the Red Crystal, getting time for that private moment was easy to do. Time was subjective here in the Red Crystal. She could spend as long or as short of a moment as she wanted and not even one second would pass outside in the real world, or she could make it so that one second in here equals a thousand or more years out there. All of that was under her control. In here, time itself was her toy. That felt good to her. It felt right because, deep down, that was the way she always felt. Like time and space was always supposed to be objective. Things like the TARDIS was where she felt like she belonged, like such things were her true home. Everywhere and everywhen . . . absolute freedom of movement through both time and space. Endless possibilities. Endless adventures.

She couldn't wait to get started on that journey but, for the moment, she was forced too, and that felt frustrating.

Thinking of that, Star Breeze grunted in frustration then made a mental facsimile of the book, “Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn” suddenly appear before her, the very same book that Discord had once created and claimed that someone else wrote about. Because of his interest in the tittle due to it sharing the same tittle as his first poetry written in his life, her father requested to borrow of that book for a few seconds and since copied it into the Red Crystal. That copy was what floated in front of Star Breeze. By act of will alone, she had the book open itself and flip through it to the very last two pages of it, to the section of the story that the book called, “The Epilogue”. This was the only chapter that Star Breeze was actually interested in, because this was the only event that had not occurred for her yet. It claimed that the TARDIS will eventually swing by and pick her up, but only when she felt emotionally ready for it. That chapter, and indeed the entire book, never did mention her age straight on so she was left guessing when this event would actually take place. As a result, she had no idea when this event will occur, but lately she felt eager for it to show up already.

At that moment, while floating out in the middle of simulated space, she couldn't tell if she fully felt ready for this journey or not. The only thing she knew was the fact that she wanted to feel ready because, apparently, that would be the moment the TARDIS finally does show up and pick her up. Star Breeze felt eager to get on with it. She was tired of waiting! She hated it! Hated-hated-hated-hated-hated-hated-hated-hated-it. Star Breeze never was a really patient mare, but that was simply because she was so excited to get on with her own adventures. To long had she spent merely imagining the possibilities. Too long had she eagerly waited to gallivant across time and space and be both a heroine and explorer herself. To do otherwise felt like it defied her nature. Star Breeze knew in her heart that she was born to be one with the stars, and space, and space-time. She was a very strong mare physically, mentally, emotionally . . . perhaps spiritually, and that strength felt wasted if she wasn't meant for this destiny. Why would life give her so many special gifts if she wasn't meant to actually do something important with it?

According to the epilogue of that book floating in front of her, it certainly hinted that such things would eventually be her destiny someday, but only when she felt ready, but now she was thinking, (Ah, come on, heart! Feel ready for this, already! Why isn't it now? Or now? How about now? Now? Damn it, get on with it!

(And why am I hesitating?) Star Breeze wondered as the book vanished in front of her. (Is it because I'm not fully an adult yet? Is it because I feel I could be even stronger when I grow up? But . . . I'm already so very strong as it is. I'm the first spellcasting pegasus for crying out loud! True, it's only borrowing from Crystal Sage's potential using this Red Crystal. I haven't found my own true horn yet, but still . . . I can cast spells nonetheless. I'm also healthy and strong. I can fly, I can lift huge amounts of weight. I'm brave. I'm adventurous. How much stronger do I have to be to finally feel ready? Will the adventures of space and time really be that challenging? Will it be so hard that even I'm not ready yet despite how strong I already am? If so, what about all the others who stepped into the TARDIS? Were they really ready when they did it?

(Take Derpy Hooves, for example. A.k.a., Miss Ditsy Doo. She's sweet and innocent. She seems more foal-like than even I am, despite her actually being older. I haven't really met her yet, but Father did have many stored memories of her within this Red Crystal. After reviewing it so many times, I feel like I've already gotten to know her. It's enough to realize that even she probably never really felt ready to set a hoof into the TARDIS, and yet she handled the journey just fine. If someone that innocent and timid could do it, why can't I? What am I really missing here?)

The main thing Star Breeze could think of was the Doctor's preference not to invite young foals into the journey. Maybe that was true no matter how strong they were. Star Breeze had to admit, if the situation were reversed and she was the captain of the TARDIS instead of the Doctor, how would she feel about inviting a young foal to her journey? Doing so meant inviting the young foal into potentially very serious danger, and her companion would be her responsibility.

The thought of such a dear friend dying in her watch was just too painful to bear. Her mind just automatically shunted that thought. While inwardly examining that reaction, she would well sympathize with the Doctor for facing the same decision.

It takes far more than mere physical or mental strength to handle the rigors of adventures. Growing up means attaining a certain level of emotional maturity too. Derpy seemed a lot younger than she was, or at least that was how she acted, but there was strength deep in her eyes if she needed to summon it. No doubt the journey had fortified her. She must have endured a lot of painful experiences and came out on top to get that look in her eyes.

Upon further reflection, Star Breeze was forced to ask herself if she really had that level of inner, moral courage? If not, how was it possible to get that kind of strength before going on such a journey?

Star Breeze was already accustomed to being a traveler. All of her life, she was raised on an airship as their home which moved back and forth all across Equestria. During that time, she had seen all kinds of ponies and a few other species as well get ferried back and forth across Equestria. Star Breeze was very accustomed to dealing with strangers. So much so that it was the familiar that felt a little stranger to her.

Star Breeze loved to listen to stories of those passengers too as long as they were willing to share it. Of them, it was often very older ponies who were the ones most willing to share their story, which was great since Star Breeze was so eager to listen to them. Not only that, they tended to have the most stories to share which makes sense since they had lived longer lives. They stared at her and smiled that someone so young could look up to them and admired them so much for the story of their life.

Star Breeze, in turn, felt strengthened by their stories. She felt like this was a necessary step to prepare her for her own much larger journey. Before embarking on her own adventures, she felt it was important to listen to those who trotted the long road before her. The tips they could offer as fellow travelers on the road helped her to prepare for the challenges ahead. For every problem they faced and innovative solution they mentioned on how they conquered those problems, it gave Star Breeze ideas on how she could deal with it if she ever faced similar problems in her own future.

That had always felt important to her. This incredibly powerful urge to be ready for something. Whatever it was, it was probably something epic. Some incredible danger, likely with a great deal at stake.

Maybe, one day, she'll regret rushing ahead. One day maybe she'll long for the calm days of rest again. Maybe someday her journey will burn her out, but right now she didn't know what that felt like. She tried many times to imagine it, to simply imagine being bored of adventure and longing for some peace and quiet, but too often she failed to imagine it. She's just too much of a foal for that. Too much of her life was ahead of her, and that was precisely the problem. Too much potential and not enough fruition or action. She spent far too much time wishing she had precious memories to cherish rather than dwelling on it.

(Well, I take that back. I already have many precious memories to cherish. Indeed, too many, sometimes. It already feels like I can spend too much time dwelling on and appreciating the journey I've already had.

(I don't know why, after traveling back and forth across Equestria so many times, why do I feel so stagnant?)

“It's because you are comparing it to the adventures to come,” a familiar voice spoke out in the void and somewhere nearby her. She looked and saw her father materialize nearby her then subsequently floating out in space along with her. His light blue coat and puffy white mane, so much like a cloud, was unmistakable to her. Along with that, he also wore his familiar looking Mist Cloak, the cloak he always wore which was made of condensed cloud always leaking down mist and occasionally flashed with lightning.

Star Breeze regarded him fondly, recalling the time, several years ago, when she accompanied him to a tall cliff and he told her about the story of his life which helped to inspire her. Back then she was still smaller than him, but now it was she who had the upper hoof. That still wasn't saying much. Her father was unusually short.

Except, in a way, this wasn't her father. This was a copy of him preserved in the Red Crystal. He spent years attuning himself to the Red Crystal. Doing so imbued a copy of his soul into this gem, much like it did for Crystal Sage just before his physical death almost a thousand years ago.

In a way, this was a glimpse into Star Breeze's future as well. As her own connection to the Red Crystal deepened, it slowly imbued her own essence into the gem as well. One day that essence will awaken to its own independent intelligence. Maybe someday it will be her turn to guide the next bearer of the gem until it gathers enough positive energy to fulfill its ultimate purpose.

So this version of her father was stuck inside the gem as well, along with Crystal Sage, until it fulfills its ultimate purpose. Her “real” father was still outside of this gem doing . . . whatever.

To avoid confusion, Star Breeze started calling this version of her father, “Crystal Wind”, to which Crystal Wind gave an innocent shrug and said she could call him whatever she'd like. Certainly he was the last pony who would want to impinge upon her sense of inner freedom unless he felt it was necessary to protect her from serious danger. Since he was such a free spirit himself, he shared those benefits with others as much as he could.

“Hello, Father,” Star Breeze said in pleasant greeting.

“I hope I'm not intruding,” Crystal Wind said in polite caution. “Do I have your permission to join you?”

“Of course!” Star Breeze said in a very light, happy tone. “You're always welcome to join me, Father.”

Crystal Wind shifted his face a bit to the side and gazed at her with one eye with a squint as he said in a cautious tone, “I doubt that I would always be welcome with you in your most private moments, but rest assured that I'm not taking your statement too literally.” He focused both eyes back at her with a calmer look. “I know what you meant.”

Star Breeze gazed ahead of her blankly at nothing with a spacey look while gazing out into empty space. “I think I know what you mean as well. You think I feel my current journey is too inadequate next to the journey I'm imagining which will be ahead in my life.”

“At least you do have the time to dwell on this now,” Crystal Wind said with a grin. “Trust me, you'll think this is a luxury later on. Whatever you are imagining about your own future with the Doctor, trust me when I say you will feel grossly unprepared. Both because you imagined too much and also because you didn't imagine enough. There are colors and sounds out there in the universe you never heard of or seen on this world, so you have no way of imagining it at this moment. Combine that with so many unexpected situations.

“Many times I have wanted to just sit and dwell on the possibilities that might come just to help me feel more prepared for my journey with the Doctor, but usually my mind can't even open those amazing doors of his on the TARDIS. The reason for that is that I've learned that, no matter what I try to imagine, I'll never get it quite right. Anything can happen so I've learned to adjust and reorient myself outside my comfort zone. I was forced to confront the unknown instead of imagining it far too often. I had to learn to take things as they were and use that information to figure out the next step.

“When it comes to your time to be on the TARDIS, analyze everything, Sweet Pea. It's all important. It's all connected. The will of the TARDIS is sentient and alive. It knows where you need to be rather than when you want to be. Always keep that frame of reference in your mind when you travel in the TARDIS someday. Wherever you go and whatever you do, know that somepony in that time and place will need rescuing.”

Crystal Wind gave a hard look to his right direction with a look of regret on his face. “When you do face that situation, you might not always succeed in your mission. Watching others suffer and/or die on your watch is very painful, at least for me.”

Star Breeze regarded her father sympathetically. He shook his head. “I could never adjust to that,” he went on. “I could never get my heart cold enough to just blindly accept that. Every wound I witnessed pained me. It all mattered to me.”

Crystal Wind looked back at his daughter. “Life is a gift, Star Breeze. Cherish it, and protect it whenever you can. Indeed you are strong, and I've known plenty out there in the universe who are in dire need of that strength. As thrilling as it can feel out there, remember to cherish these quiet moments too. You'll need these memories of peace and contentment to help you cope with the stress out there.

“And with that in mind, I got a tip for you. You'll need a least a few minutes to pull this off, depending on your connection to the Red Crystal, but most of the time you can always sink your mind into the Red Crystal and create more time for yourself whenever you need it. There may come a time when you'll need this luxury. For my part, I've usually spent this time to myself writing poetry, usually about the adventure I've just experienced. It's my own way of keeping track of my journey. When your turn comes, what will you do to keep track of your journey?”

“I'm not sure.” Star Breeze folded her forehooves behind her neck as they continued to float out in space. “I'll think of something.”

“Until you do, it might be another layer that is keeping you from feeling ready for your own journey, I think,” Crystal Wind said with a knowing, slightly squinted look to his right eye. “Several years ago, I thought you said you were interested to write poetry like I do. What happened?”

“Life happened,” Star Breeze answered quickly, then shrugged. “I don't know. Lately I haven't felt inspired to do so. Instead, all I can think about is the journey I haven't taken yet. I don't feel ready for it and yet I want to feel ready.

“Isn't that odd? I'm eager to get started, yet part of me hesitates. Part of me feels afraid, and yet I'm also thinking . . . when has anypony ever been totally ready for the journey of the TARDIS? With that many endless possibilities potentially landing on one's plate, it almost feels arrogant to say to one self, 'I feel ready.'” She shook her head. “How can anypony possibly be ready for something that huge? It almost feels impossible.”

“You might be surprised how much you have in common with the Doctor,” Crystal Wind said with a loving grin to his daughter. “At one point of his life, the Doctor was a young child as well, gazing up at the stars with wonder. In his heart, he knew he was an explorer too. He promised himself that, one day, he'd go up there and see it all.” Crystal Wind gazed out at the stars around them with wonder. “He swore to himself that he would be acquainted with every star and planet in the universe. Obviously a goal that large would take a great deal of time, but nopony could possibly complete a journey like that without taking one hoof step at a time.”

“Is that something you learned in the TARDIS's hidden library?” Star Breeze guessed as she looked at her floating father. Even as she slowly rotated in space, he matched her alignment so he remained right-side-up to her.

“That, and other things,” Crystal Wind answered calmly as he looked back at her with gentle eyes full of wisdom and compassion. In fact, it was actually more wisdom than Star Breeze had seen on her real father outside. She had to remind herself that time was subjective here in the Red Crystal. This version of her father could potentially be millions of years old in here.

Then she thought to herself that her father had many opportunities to take these “time-outs” within the Red Crystal, potentially many times throughout his life as he grew up and grew more attuned to the Crystal. Maybe that was one of the reasons he acted far older than he was physically. Maybe that was what it would be like for her when she grew up. With all this extra time she spent in here, she might be both mentally and emotionally twenty-six when she physically turns twenty. That might also account for another reason why she feels so impatient for her “real” journey to start. By spending extra time here and virtually pausing time outside of the gem, she's only delaying her destiny even further . . . unless this experience counts towards building her up to making her inwardly “feel” ready to start her journey. Maybe it does?

“You know, in a way you don't have to wait for your journey to start,” Crystal Wind reminded. “You are an adventurer right now, and you are a pegasus. You can just take off into the sky and fly wherever you want. Send a wind message to your father outside. Tell him that you're going for a fly and you'll be back whenever you feel like it. Since I know your father pretty darn well, I have to say that he'd most likely not object unless he gains a specific reason to object, like learning through another wind message to him that there is an emergency in the direction you happen to be flying off to. In that case, he would at least wish to pass on a warning to you.

“Remember, Star Breeze, I have personally met your future self in my past. I already know that you will start your journey among the stars someday, but right now my priority is helping you to prepare for that. You are part of the reason why I chose to live in an airship and ferry passengers and cargo across Equestria. I factored you into the equation. I knew you were meant to be an adventurer. I knew you were going to choose this lifestyle. I gave this gift to you in the hopes to make you happy. That's all I ever wanted for you, Sweet Pea. I love you.”

“Thanks, Dad. I love you too,” Star Breeze said with a mild grin. She heard that too many times in her life to always get rocked by that statement every single time it's spoken to her, but she also knew it was always spoken from his heart. If she needed more proof of that, she could simply review many of the messages stored within the Red Crystal to verify, and indeed experience, the intensity of his love towards her.

He was always like that. That was something she always loved about him. He was always intensely genuine with her.

There was something he said that made her curious, though.

“What was she like?” Star Breeze wondered wistfully. “My future self, that is. What was her personality like?” Right after she asked that, she already predicted how he would answer.

“She was like you, Sweet,” Crystal Wind answered. “Every feeling, action and word spoken by her will be up for you to decide. I won't take that choice away from you.”

“There had to be more than that,” Star Breeze decided. “She was me, but an older version of me. A version that had been on the journey longer. A version of me that probably feels fulfilled to finally start her journey instead of simply looking forward to it all the time. I keep wondering if it will be everything I am imagining, or if it's more.”

“Of course it will be more than you can imagine,” Crystal Wind assured. “Life is always like that, no matter where you go or what you decide to do. The future is filled with too many possibilities for you to see it all coming.

“For now, the most accurate prediction I can offer you is to decide now what you will do. The future is always your choice, just as your present is.”

“My present?” Star Breeze reflected. “Is that enough? Am I doing enough now to prepare for that future? I feel so stagnant right now. I've been wondering and exploring all of my life, and yet it doesn't feel like enough anymore.”

Crystal Wind sighed briefly, then decided to switch up his tactics. “Okay. Since that is the reality you are choosing to live with right now, what do you think it will take to get you out of this rut? I love you, Sweet, so I always want what's best for you and for you to be happy. What would that take at this very moment?”

“Um,” Stat Breeze shrugged, “what I'm doing right now is all I can think of at this precise moment. I've been spending my time here doing exactly that, contemplating my next move. It's frustrating for me to not 'feel' ready for this journey. According to the epilogue of the “Sky Dancer” book, my true journey won't begin until that condition is met first, so I've been floating here and contemplating exactly that. What would it take for me to feel ready?”

“Feel ready for what? An adventure?” Crystal Wind checked. “Is that what you want?”

“I guess,” Star Breeze decided lamely. “Maybe not the full scope of the adventure in the TARDIS, but at the same time something more than I have now. Right now I have Equestria, but that doesn't feel like enough anymore.” Her eyes focused on her father. “I say this because I have to consider what's ahead of me, too. To prepare me for something that big, what would it take? Something less than the TARDIS, but more than Equestria.” Star Breeze shrugged. “Right now, I don't know what that should be.”

Crystal Wind gave a knowing grin. “So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you want a chance to practice your life in the TARDIS. Does this sound accurate?”

“YES!” Star Breeze exploded brightly and excitedly. “That's exactly what I want!” Star Breeze beamed, then cooled down a bit as she went on. “But it also has to be meaningful. I want my adventure to actually accomplish something. No more virtual environments like this here.” She gestured to the stars all around here. “No more practicing or simply 'viewing' your adventures through your memories stored in the Red Crystal.” She gestured to her chest with her own hoof. “If I'm to add any meaningful feelings into this crystal so that those feelings could later bring back the real Crystal Empire, I need a fair chance to feel included in something more real.

“I love my life, I love my family, I love my many, many friends, I love being a girl, I love being a pegasus, I love being a pony in Equestria, I love being your very special daughter, but I'm also meant to do something more. Something that's truly important, and right now I don't feel ready for that role fully but I want to feel ready. Does this make sense?”

Crystal Wind nodded. “Absolutely, and I have some ideas to that effect. Do you mind if I make a few suggestions?”

Star Breeze nodded eagerly. “Please, do!” Star Breeze invited eagerly.

“But, for my plan to work,” he said with a sidewards glance, “I'll have to get another person involved.” He focused back at her. “Do you mind if I do so?”

“Huh?” Star Breeze looked confused. “But . . . you and I are the only ones attuned to the Crystal enough to do anything in here, unless . . .” Star Breeze realized that he might be referring to Crystal Sage, and he had plenty of past experience to draw upon. Lately that pony has been more and more reclusive, but if her father knew some way to encourage that old grump to get more involved with her life, then so much, the better, so she beamed as she said, “Sure, Dad. Invite away.”

Crystal Wind bowed to her out in the middle of space as he said, “Sure, Honey. Thank you for your permission.” Then he called aloud. “DISCORD! Discord, please come. I have need of you again. I need your help in spreading a little chaos.”

Star Breeze's eyes exploded widely. “DISCORD?!” She had not even thought of that draconequus. Also, she had never met the Lord of Chaos before other than a hoofful of memories from her father stored in the Red Crystal.

And potentially the real author of the book, “Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn”. The jury was still out on that one, but the writing style doesn't seem to match the Lord of Chaos, though. The way the plot points build with obvious structure, that does not seem to be his modus operandi, as far as she could tell.

Star Breeze's heart skipped a beat when she actually saw an eagle talon appear and seem to shred a piece of reality, causing a hole to appear in existence. After the tear, the talon shifted back and forth to widen the hole in reality. Shortly later a very mixed up racial individual snaked his way out of the hole and rose up in front of Crystal Wind.

“Oh, you've finally found need to call upon my majestic majesty again?” Discord asked with pleasant excitement as he gestured to himself with his lion paw while regarding Crystal Wind. “It's about time you've called upon me and my services. I've been eagerly awaiting for you to say that you were actually looking forward to spreading a little chaos with me!” He tapped his eagle talon and lion paw together as he grew a trollish grin. “Please tell me you plan to involve your wife in this devious little scheme of ours! I do know how much she adores me!” He gave an evil snicker.

“DISCORD!!!” Star Breeze exclaimed with positive, shocking intensity like beholding a famous celebrity. She launched at him then wrapped all four of her hooves tightly around him. By now she was big enough to do so to his thin, serpentine like body.

“WHAT IN THE WORLD?!” Discord exclaimed with shock, noticing Star Breeze for the first time. She didn't give him much of a choice, actually. As he asked, he looked down in surprise at the moderately sized filly hugging him tightly. “Who in the hell are . . . wait a second.” He narrowed his eyes with mismatched sized eye pupils at the filly. “You look awfully familiar. Black hide,” a black chalkboard materialized beside him, “white dotes,” he went on, then the black chalkboard quickly gained many tiny white dotes in the space of a few seconds, “and sunset color mane,” he added, then a yellow base rainbow streaked across the background of the chalkboard which was followed by red, then deep purple, then ended in black. A tiny trollface image of Angle Bunny was quickly drawn a few seconds later beside that rainbow. “Don't tell me!” He pointed back and forth between himself and her. “This is the moment when we first met each other?”

“I've so eagerly wanted to meet you!” Star Breeze cried out excitedly, then she shrieked in explosive excitement.

That shriek caused Discord to wince in pain. During that time, his eyes cracked like glass. He held that expression as he stared straight forward at the readers of this story for four blank seconds before he blinked his eyes and regarded her again. When his eyes blinked, it instantly repaired the damage to his eyes. He then chuckled, split himself apart in the middle of his serpentine body which caused her to clasp upon nothing anymore, floated back a few feet then gently pat Star Breeze on top of her head with his lion paw as his body reassembled. After that, he said, “Oh-ho-ho! That's adorable! It's always nice to meet another one of my many adoring fans.”

“Please by my friend!” Star Breeze cried up at him eagerly while giving him very wide, hopeful puppy-dog like expression.

“Why, my dear, when have I ever given you the impression that we weren't already?” Discord asked with a dramatic wave to himself with his lion paw and bowed to her. “Consider thy request granted.”

“Oh THANK YOU!” Star Breeze was about to launch at Discord again for another hug but Discord stilled her by pressing a talon finger into her lips with squeaking sound.

“Ah! But first . . . why don't we get a little more acquainted with each other before we get on hugging terms again,” Discord recommended a little insistently.

Star Breeze barely cooperated. Her whole body shook, especially her head, and steam spewed out of ears as she struggled to contain herself from launching at the mighty Discord again.

“I assume you had a plan in mind?” Discord asked Crystal Wind, temporarily ignoring Star Breeze for the moment. “You often do have some of those disgusting things.”

Crystal Wind shrugged. “More like a goal, and a few ideas how to accomplish it. You see, my daughter has been feeling stagnant lately so I was thinking that . . .”

“Say no more!” Discord commanded as he held up his lion paw in a stop gesture and a red octagonal stop sign appeared beside him for a brief moment while he closed his eyes for two seconds. “Dispelling boredom is my specialty. That would have been my cutie mark if it already wasn't the sign of the Lord of Chaos and Disharmony. See?” He lifted his torso up to Crystal Wind which had a new image on it, much like a cutie mark. The image, in this case, was simply his face with a wide open, smiling mouth with one long fang hanging down and his eyes wide open in delight. “This here,” he paused in silence for a second pointed as his “cutie mark”, then went on to say, “represents one thing about me. It is a symbol expressing how utterly awesome I am. Huzzah!” There was an explosion of party confetti and fireworks going on behind him as he started blowing kisses with both his eagle talon and lions paw out at some invisible but not inaudible audience that was clapping, cheering, and whistling at him ecstatically. “Thank you! Thank you all, my wonderful adoring fans! You're welcome!”

“Well, true. That is the basic idea I have in mind,” Crystal Wind admitted. “Keep her age in mind, however. This version of my daughter is not as mature as the one you've worked with before. I did invite you here to put a little chaos in her life, but,” he lifted a hoof up high then slowly scaled it down as he said, “in this case, you'll need to scale it down just a little bit. Keep it G-Rated, okay?”

“Eh.” Discord suddenly looked a bit bored as he shrugged while regarding Crystal Wind. During that time, the cheering crowd, party confetti and fireworks in the background disappeared. “That won't be as fun, but trust me when I say I've had plenty of experience guest starring in a certain children's cartoon show. Your wish,” he bowed to Crystal Wind while placing his right limb to the center of his serpentine body just where he bent it, “is my command.” When he straightened himself, he then rubbed his lion paw and eagle talon against each other as he regained his evil, scheming look. “Now then . . . what sort of chaos and disharmony adventure did you have in mind?”

“First,” Crystal Wind lifted a hoof to halt Discord for a moment, then regarded his daughter as he lowered that hoof again, “I need to explain something to you, and this is important so pay attention!” Crystal Wind finished that sentence in a rare demanding tone to his daughter which helped to shake her out of her stupor of regarding Discord excitedly and instead regarded her father. Once he had her attention, he resumed. “It's important that you understand something when it comes to relying upon Discord for any favors. It may be true that he can do anything in reality, but never forget the fact that he is the Lord of Chaos and Disharmony. He is rarely here to solve your problems. Instead, he shows up to specifically cause your problems, but that is his own way of granting you a favor. Also, it's important to remember never to abuse his friendship. If he does you a favor then it is important to remember that it is exactly that. Just because he can do anything easily, doesn't mean his services should be taken for granted or never returned. Discord is not my bellhop.”

The moment Crystal Wind said that, Discord suddenly gained a bellhop outfit but he continued to regard Crystal Wind as if oblivious to the fact that he suddenly gained that outfit. That action seemed to have not point other than to disprove Crystal Winds words.

Glancing at him for a second, Crystal Wind chuckled to himself for a few seconds then went on, once again addressed his daughter. “Instead, he is first and foremost my friend, and I'll never allow myself to forget that fact. I advise you to keep that in mind as well. If he does do you a favor, then he does it as a friend and appreciate it accordingly.”

“Um, sure but . . .” Star Breeze regarded Discord with a little it of fear, “. . . he's going to cause me problems on purpose? How is that doing me a favor?”

“Well you said you wanted an adventure, didn't you?” Discord reminded as he finally looked back at Star Breeze. At the same time, his bellhop outfit suddenly disappeared. “What great adventure lacks risk? Besides, you don't have to worry.” He waved her off. “I'll be sure to scale the adventure appropriate to your skill level. One should never throw a level twenty dungeon at a level one novice.

“Well,” he glanced to his side with a troll grin which showed his teeth a bit, “I do it sometimes as the dungeon master but my players learn to expect the unexpected when it comes to my fantasies.”

Discord looked back at her as his expression returned to normal. “But you are my friend too, and I shan't overwhelm you unnecessarily, at least not on purpose. That said, my magic always has at least a little chaos in it.” He gestured to himself and closed his eyes for a second as he gained a brief arrogant expression. “I am the Lord of Chaos, after all. Whenever I use my powers, not even I can completely predict what will happen. That's just my nature.” He opened his eyes at Star Breeze again and lowered his limb from his chest. “So keep that in mind whenever I use my powers around you. There will always be a surprise built in there somewhere, but that is the nature of life in general, my dear.”

Discord closed his eyes again and lifted his lion paw upward in a dramatic gesture. “Chaos . . . is a wonderful, wonderful thing,” he opened his eyes at Star Breeze again and lowered his limb, again, “and it shouldn't be taken for granted.”

“Ultimately,” Crystal Wind added, “the purpose of the journey is to strengthen you. Take this as you would regard anything else in life. Right now we're asking the Lord of Chaos for a favor so that basically means we want to be surprised, but that happens every single day anyway. Every time you wake up in the morning, you'll never know what you'll encounter until you encounter it.”

Discord lifted a talon finger as he said to Star Breeze, “Which is why I argue that chaos is the ultimate determinate of all things within the perspective of a single, fixed reality.”

“Oh wow!” Star Breeze widened her eyes. “My father said that you said that to him years ago.”

“But of course! It's still true, my dear.” Discord said matter-of-factly as he folded his limbs behind his back under his mismatched wings. “What is and was shall forever be.”

Discord then regarded Crystal Wind again. “But we're getting side-tracked here.” Just after he said that, train tracks appeared under Discord and Crystal Wind, and it was the same fixed track, but two seconds later the tracks shifted two feet to their side. Right after that, the tracks vanished as suddenly as they appeared before he went on to his next sentence. “You said you invited me to spread a little chaos, and I'm eagerly awaiting the specifics of that request.” He waved Crystal Wind off. “Rest assured I shall make my games passable and fair, and age appropriate in this case, but did you have something more specific in mind?”

“I do, but the specifics are up to my daughter.” Crystal Wind looked at her. “You are welcome to accept suggestions, but this is your adventure. I want to remind you that you are the one who must trot it, and you will always be in control of your journey. Same as it always was, and same as it ever shall be.”

“Well,” Star Breeze began as she looked at her father, “right now I choose to listen to a little advice. If you have something specific in mind, I'm all ears.”

“So am I!” Discord agreed and, for a few moments, he turned into one giant ear which was aimed at Crystal Wind. He then said in a conniving sort of way, “I'm listening!”

Crystal Wind thought back as he looked off to his side. “During the many adventures I had with my extended family in the TARDIS, which occasionally included you, Discord,” he said with a brief nod to the draconequus, who promptly nodded back, “I remember there was one time and place he continuously brought us back to in order to rest and recover.” He looked at Star Breeze. “Since it was so new to me, your mother and Vision, it was still an adventure, but a tamer one. In consideration of your age and your desire to explore a small piece of the many wonderful locations of all of time and space, how about you start with Ponyville from the future? How about it? Are you still curious about that place? I recall you used to ask me a lot of questions about it before.”

Right after Crystal Wind asked that question, the opening of the giant ear of Discord's current form aimed at Star Breeze.

“Sounds perfect!” Star Breeze cheered. “I always wanted to see the future of Ponyville and what will happen to Sweet Apple Acres. By now I have seen the version of it in this time, but I've longed to see for years what will become of it later and how successful it will be.”

“Eh.” Discord suddenly turned into his “normal” mixed-up self while waving Star Breeze off with a bored expression. “It's just a normal apple farm, like a thousand others, with the exception of the Zap Apple trees. I tried to spruce the place up a bit at one point but my efforts weren't too appreciated so,” he shrugged, “I had to change it back. Personally, I felt it could use a little more flair, but I guess when you have friends, you can't always have things your way. It's a give-take situation.”

“That's true,” Star Breeze agreed as she looked at Discord. “I have lots of friends spread out all over Equestria. Mostly we're just pen pals, though.”

“Oh!” Discord's eyes lit up with delight, then seemed to disappear for a moment except he appeared again at the same time much closer to Star Breeze, only this time he was shaped as a tiny black pen with Discord's face on it which was directed at Star Breeze. “We could do that too!” Discord proposed to Star Breeze, then gave her a mischievous look while still looking pen-like. “Actually, I have a wonderful idea what we could do about that.

“Here is my proposition. Take me and write a letter to Princess Celestia. You must begin each letter with the phrase, 'Dear Princess Celestia', then proceed to write whatever you want, except with a twist.” He paused a moment as he snickered, then went on. “Whatever you write in that letter, it is a fate that will come true in her castle, no matter how outlandish is. This includes your spelling and grammar errors. No matter what you write down, it will come true. How about it? Want to become the new author of this reality, like the author of “Sky Dancer” was?”

“You might be disappointed,” Crystal Wind warned. “I taught my daughter very good spelling and grammar, just as my father once drilled into me . . . and no! Please don't demonstrate that by putting an actual drill to my head. That would give me vivid recollections of Puppet Master.”

“Oh my Celestia, your proposition sounds so fun!” Star Breeze said excitedly, sorely tempted. “That would basically put your powers into my hooves!”

Somehow Discord's pen form actually shrugged, then he said, “Which I don't mind, as long as you solemnly swear that you'll be up to no good.”

“No,” came Crystal Wind's flat and firm statement. “You know I'm normally very lax with your pranks, Discord, but this is my daughter we're talking about and I'll not have you corrupt her innocence too much.”

“But you called upon me!” Discord objected as the face of the pen turned to Crystal Wind. “You promised me that there would be chaos. What's wrong with a little harmless fun? You do trust your daughter not to be too naughty with my powers, don't you?”

“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I may allow you to make that offer again when she's older and more mature, but for as long as she is under my care, I won't allow you to let my daughter rewrite the fabric of all reality.” He looked to his side. “Dang. I didn't expect I'd need to say that sentence today, but I suppose I should have known better when inviting the likes of Discord.”

Discord sighed in lament. “Oh, very well.” The pen version of him disappeared and he reappeared as his normal draconequus self beside them. As his “normal” self, he gently pat Star Breeze. “For as long as you are under your father's authority, I must respect it because I have too much respect for him to do otherwise. Perhaps later.” He twisted his head to the side, leaned his head towards her and put the back of his lion paw beside his mouth as he whispered at Star Breeze in a conspiratory way, “And if you ever need a little chaos in your life as well, you let me know.”

“Will do!” Star Breeze promised with a mischievous wink.

“Ooo!” Discord looked giddy as he leaned back and shook his upper limbs near his face with a slight “squee” sound. “A girl after my own heart. I'd better be careful.” He regarded Crystal Wind as he said to her, “You didn't warn me that this one is such a charmer.”

“Well she is smart, and knows a golden opportunity when she sees one,” Crystal Wind agreed. “Anyway, it sounds like she agreed to my proposal, but there is one little twist that I'd like to propose. She wanted to get to know the crew of the TARDIS too, and most especially me.” Crystal Wind gave a mischievous wink. “Think you can arrange that?”

For a moment Discord looked confused instead, because he caught Crystal Wind's subtle message but couldn't translate it for a short while. Then he recalled something that put this situation in perspective. After that he gained a very devious smile which made Star Breeze nervous to observe. After that he said with a dramatic wave of his a limb, “Your wish . . . is my command!” Above his head, his snapped his lions paw. A brief white flash assailed all of Star Breeze's reality, then she noticed she was somewhere else.

Chapter Two: Not What I Had In Mind

The last thing Star Breeze remembered was Discord snapping the fingers of his lion paw above his head then a brilliant white flash erupted all around her, but that “whiteness” didn't fade away nearly as fast as she expected it would. Honestly, aside from the stories she heard from her father and the memories she viewed through the Red Crystal of Discord, Star Breeze had only personally met Discord very recently but that was long enough to realize that his reality bending powers could literally alter things in a “flash”. He did it over and over again so it was something she came to expect. The pattern shows that when he does make some change, it occurs pretty much instantly.

Except this time. For once, reality refused to fade in as fast. Instead, it came in gradual steps. First there was whiteness, then there was intense ringing in her ears; then she steadily became aware of the sensation of lying against a stone cold floor. As her mind turned to the physical sensation, she gradually grew aware that she was lying on a physical floor and she also had her gravity back. She felt a bit lighter than she expected, though. Perhaps, wherever and whenever this new world was, gravity was lighter on it.

“. . . ther Win . . .” Star Breeze barely heard through the ringing in her ears. The voice also seemed to echo, too much to make what was said understandable. The voice itself was familiar, though. She listened carefully in case the voice repeated again.

“. . . eh-ther Wind! Come on! Get up!” the mysterious but also familiar voice cried out urgently. Veryurgently! Like, emergency urgently! The voice still echoed, but it was steadily becoming clearer and sharper now. Along with that, a new sensation started to get her attention. She gained the physical sensation of being turned around, the stone cold floor now on her back. After that, she gained the physical sensation of being lifted a bit, then shaken urgently.

“This is no time to be sleeping! Get up!” the voice urged on frantically. At that point Star Breeze could identify that the speaker was female, and also sounded older.

The echo continued to fade away, and Star Breeze's sight started to come into focus. The whiteness around her started to fade, and what replaced that were blurry images. That feeling of being shaken again resumed, but it actually felt quite odd. Kind of like being shaken in very slow motion, probably because that was how fast her brain could register the sensation.

“We have got to go!” another female voice urged, but it sounded a bit more distant and much younger this time. “They are almost here.”

“Darn it! We were almost there!” complained a male voice.

“DESTROY! DESTROY!” cried out a very loud robotic voice around Star Breeze. A robotic voice that sounded very raspy. “EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!” the very raspy, robotic-sounding voices continued.

Suddenly Star Breeze grew very alarmed. That wasthe first time she personally heard those kinds of voices, but she’d heard ofthem before. Her father once warned her that such voices belonged to one of the most hostile races the Doctor and his companions had ever encountered. If her hunch was correct, that would be a Dalek's voice she heard.

(HOLY CELESTIA! If thatis what I heard, then the situation is indeedvery urgent!

(Darn it, Discord! You said you'd go easy on me! Plus, I don't think there are too many Daleks in Ponyville. If I'm wrong about that, then I have been severelymisinformed.)

Due to the potential emergency, Star Breeze fought her way to consciousness. She tried to force her body to function. She shook her head, limbs and body. Apparently that must have gotten her companions attention because they seemed to have noticed.

“That's it! Come back to us!” the nearby feminine voice encouraged.

Just then Star Breeze suddenly realized whom that voice belonged to, and why it was so familiar before.

“Muh . . . mom?!” Star Breeze asked in an attempt to confirm her theory. When she asked, she inwardly winced a bit. Her voice sounded weird.

“What?!” her mother, Stern Wing, exclaimed in shock. “Nah . . . no. Your mother died years ago, remember?”

“We don't have time for this!” the other young feminine voice urged.

“I know!” the male voice said in near panic.

After the voice spoke, Star Breeze heard a weird wavy-sounding noise. It momentarily made Star Breeze more dizzy for a moment, then she heard.

“Of course! Stupid-stupid Doctor!” exclaimed the male voice. “We have those! Vision, let me borrow those glasses for a second!”

“Ah . . . sure, Doctor, but you know I can't see without them.” the young female voice reminded. At that point Star Breeze suspected that the young female voice was Vision, and apparently the foal version of her. The male voice was likely the Doctor.

(Okay, so . . . that accounts for my mother, the Doctor and Vision. Where is my father and Derpy?) Star Breeze wondered to herself.

“I just need them for a few seconds,” the Doctor assured.

“Okay. Here.” Vision said back.

“DESTROY! DESTROY! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! THE DOCTOR AND ALL INTRUDERS MUST BE EXTERMINATED! EXTERMINATED!” the robotic raspy voice (or voices?) cried out, and it (or they?) sounded much closer.

The wavy sound issued again, but it had a much different effect this time. Instead of making Star Breeze feel more dizzy, her senses rapidly recovered instead. The blurriness of her vision faded in seconds, and the sounds around her became crystal sharp. When her reality finally came into focus, she looked around herself. She was being held by her mother who clasped her right in front of her. Hovering above her, she finally saw the Doctor in person, a tan stallion with a deep brown mane who wore a green tie. For a moment he also wore round rimmed glasses that were completely black. Nopony would be able to see through those glasses, which seemed to be the precise point. It informed everypony else who saw them that the wearer of the glasses was blind.

The Doctor lifted up the glasses from his eyes and gazed down at her from below those glasses. At that point he asked, “You alright now, my friend?”

“Feather Wind, use your magic to tear down those pipes around here!” Vision urged nearby who vaguely gestured to large steel pipes above them in a curved hallway. While she asked, the shadows of several tall weird things slowly encroached upon their area. Whatever they were, they had an apparent plunger on one side of the contraption and a straight stick on the other side. If what Star Breeze heard was correct, those straight sticks were actually deadly blasters. On the head area of these contraptions there were two, about five inch longer cylinder things jutting up diagonally on the dome head. In front of that head was a long tube which was especially thick at the end. The long tube thing coming of the head seemed like it should be these alien creatures blasters, but they were actually a way for the creatures within to view the outside world. Now that she heard these things better, she also heard electronic sounds as those contraptions approached them.

“Feather Wind! Where?” Star Breeze exclaimed in surprise. She whipped her head about in an attempt to look for him, but he didn't seem to be anywhere in sight.

Except for the fact that her own voice sounded like her father's.

Star Breeze widened her eyes in shock.

“Oh no! Don't tell me!” Star Breeze realized in horror, then slapped her hoof to her face. “DISCORD! This is NOT what I had in mind!”

“Discord?!” her mother exclaimed in startled and horrified recognition. “Did you say Discord?”

Right after she said that, Star Breeze heard Discord chuckle quite maniacally, much like a sinister villain, except the voice seemed to echo a bit like a telepathic message, followed by the telepathic statement: Oh, you're welcome!The voice said with evil glee. I'd get up soon, if I were you! Those nasty Daleks can be quite sinister, but they are not without some personal charm, I feel.

“We don't have time for this!” Stern Wing exclaimed, then grabbed Star Breeze and thrust her across Stern Wing's back. Star Breeze could feel her mother's wings on both sides of her body. “Let's just go! The Daleks are nearly here, but the TARDIS is not that far either.”

“Right-y, that,” the Doctor agreed then gave the black glasses back to Vision. “Put these back on, and follow my voice!”

“Don't have to tell metwice!” Vision agreed. She galloped after the Doctor while putting the black glasses on which, quite frankly, fit her smaller facial configuration better anyway.

(I can't believe this!) Star Breeze exclaimed in her mind, then mentally called out: Darn it, Discord, when I said I wanted to get to know my father better, I didn't mean to do it ashim!

Discord's only apparent reply was to laugh, but with a mental telepathic echo.

“Where is Derpy? We can't leave her behind!” Star Breeze complained, then winced again. Darn it, it felt was so weird for her to have the wrong vocal cords like this.

“He really doeshave amnesia!” Stern Wing realized, then grunted. “Shoot! Just what we need right now on top of everything else!”

“No,” Vision objected in a spooked tone, sounding like she realized something. “It's something else.”

“Huh?” Stern Wing wondered, glancing back over her left shoulder at Vision for clarification. “You know what's going on?”

“A little less chatting and a little more RUNNING, PLEASE!? THANK YOU!” the Doctor urged.

Blaster sounds issued from within the narrow corridor the intrepid adventurers galloped through. A noise which greatly startled Star Breeze. “She” just couldn't help but billow a shrill scream when the blaster bolt hit a position nearby them which exploded into a shower of sparks.

“CHEESE AND BISCUITS!” Stern Wing exclaimed. “You picked one heckof a time to have amnesia, Feather Wind! You're among the very few among us that could possibly deflect those blaster bolts!”

Dozens of blaster bolts chased after them since more and more Daleks came into proper alignment. Most of Star Breeze's companions just kept on galloping frantically, but Vision actually attempted, and succeeded, to do a little bit of evasive maneuvering as she galloped. It was as if she had a sixth sense for where the blaster fire would be.

“EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! THE DOCTOR AND HIS COMPANIONS MUST BE EXTERMINATED! EXTERMINATED! EXTERMINATED!” That last word just ended up repeated over and over again. The more times it got repeated, the more Daleks joined the chant. While that happened, they continued their blaster fire. Each shot got more and more accurate as the Daleks gained a better and straighter position to aim.

Until Star Breeze's companions suddenly made a left turn. Blaster fire hit and exploded on the corner they just turned from. Several more blasts hit that corner and exploded chunks of concrete off of it.

Very shortly after rounding that corner, Star Breeze noticed the environment and temperature change. She looked around and noticed that she was now in the TARDIS! The sight of this blue box's spacious interior was quite the welcome sight indeed for multiple reasons.

Looking back where they came from, Star Breeze noticed Vision quickly shut the doors to the TARDIS a second before Star Breeze herself was suddenly dropped to the ground after being bucked off her mother's back.

“Sorry!” Stern Wing apologized back to Star Breeze. “You alright?”

Meanwhile the Doctor raced frantically to get to the controls of the center console of the TARDIS. He flipped, twisted and pulled at multiple switches and levers in a hurry. Seconds later Star Breeze felt a jerky motion as the TARDIS groaned to life and probably took off somewhere.

But that initial jerking motion was the worst of it. Gravity seemed to stabilize after that.

“Whew!” the Doctor said with very wide eyes as he brushed a hoof through tightly through his mane. “Well . . . thatwas certainly an adventure!” He looked about at the other occupants in the TARDIS. “Is everyone else here alright?”

“Alright?!” Star Breeze exclaimed incredulously. “Of course we're not alright! Where is Derpy? How could you just leave her behind?!”

The Doctor looked stunned to hear that accusation. Everypony else in the TARDIS seemed the same way.

“But . . . Derpy is right here in the TARDIS,” the Doctor reminded. “Getting her the medicine we needed was precisely whywe invaded that compound!”

“Oh? Really?” Star Breeze looked taken aback.

“Yeah,” the Doctor concurred. “Speaking of which, Vision,” the Doctor tossed her some kind of metallic looking vial. Lead, it seemed, from what Star Breeze could tell from a glance.

In mid flight Stern Wing exclaimed, “DON'T TOSS. . .” she cried out in panic, then sighed in relief when she saw Vision catch the tossed vial. After that she glared at the Doctor. “Celestia darn it, you shouldn't go tossing our cure like that, Doctor! We worked reallyhard to get that cure! Even risked our lives for it!”

“Oh my!” the Doctor exclaimed sarcastically as he gripped his cheeks. “We've neverdone that before!”

Stern Wing grunted a little less. “True. Maybe we havedone it before, but you shouldn't take security risks like that unnecessarily! What if she dropped it? What if we had to go back and get another one?”

“Then we go back and get another one,” the Doctor said matter-of-factly as he landed back on all four hooves. “But I had faith in my companion to catch it. Vision has a 'sixth sense' for such things.” The Doctor focused on Vision. “And she could use the medical practice. Go, and administer the cure.”

“Actually, I think we need to address another serious issue here,” Vision announced, then pointed in Star Breeze's general direction. “This is notFeather Wind.” Vision turned her head towards Star Breeze'ish. “It may look like him, but another personality has taken over his mind.”

“What?!” The Doctor and Stern Wing exclaimed simultaneously. Immediately after that the Doctor stepped off the upraised platform leading up to the TARDIS's center control consoles. Now standing two feet away from Star Breeze, the Doctor reached a hoof out to Vision and demanded, “Vision, I need to borrow your glasses again for a moment.”

“It's not the Dalek virus this time,” Vision assured.

“Are you sure?” the Doctor asked emphatically. “Because Derpy caught it none too long ago. If Feather Wind here has caught the same thing then . . .”

“Yes, I'm sure,” Vision reassured, but also tossed her black glasses at the Doctor. “Scan him yourself if you don't believe me, but I'm telling you . . . it's not the virus this time.”

“Then what is it?” Stern Wing asked with worry. “What's wrong with him?” Stern Wing looked at the Doctor as he proceeded to scan Star Breeze, apparently using the black glasses to pull that off. They didn't quite fit on his larger face, though, so he simply held it near his eyes with a hoof pressing it there. Everypony was silent while the waited for the Doctor with bated breath.

“Okay, confirmed.” The Doctor tossed the glasses back at Vision. Despite her being blind, she caught it like a boss and even put them back on her head with some stylish flair. “He doesn't have the Dalek virus. This is something new.”

“He didmention something about Discord earlier,” Stern Wing reminded. “Maybe this is another one of his sick and twisted little jokes!” Stern Wing said with intense disgust.

To which Star Breeze telepathically heard Discord chuckle with maniacal glee which sent a shiver down Star Breeze's spine. She remained pretty certain that Discord was not really the “bad guy”, but apparently it amused him to pretend to be sometimes.

That also informed her that Discord continued to monitor the situation from some higher dimension, apparently. That assertion Star Breeze privately found reassuring because it informed her that Discord might correct the situation if things got too much out of hoof.

(Come to think of it, maybe he already did) Star Breeze thought privately. (For a few moments there, those Daleks had a straightforward shot at any one of us. Either they are the worst shots in the whole universe, or Discord secretly interfered with their aim.

(I wonder . . . if that's true . . . what would have happened if I had not been here? Would the fact that Discord was not here and secretly not guarding his friends mean they would have died back there? Has my arrival indirectly already saved their lives in this timeline?

(It seems to me this moment is beforethey all saved the world from the Dark Star, too. An event like that would have been so powerful that it would have affected Discord adversely too, so he had a stake in keeping his friends alive, at least until they fulfilled their destiny back in Equestria.

(It feels kind of weird to stand among them all with so much knowledge of their future, and yet possess such startlingly little knowledge of their past, including their recent past. For instance, what is this “Dalek virus” they keep mentioning, and isit contagious?)

“Now thatis a serious possibility,” the Doctor agreed with Stern Wings assertion that whatever might have changed Feather Wind had something to do with Discord. The Doctor looked at Vision. “Let's get to the heart of this issue, literally. Since you, Vision, were the first to notice something is wrong with him then I take it you sensed something wrong with him empathically. Am I correct?”

“Confirmed.” Vision nodded.

“And I take it you sensed the change in him when he regained his consciousness?” the Doctor probed further.

“Confirmed,” Vision agreed again.

“May I also assume that the empathic impression you sense within him is that of a young foal, and a femaleone at that?” the Doctor checked.

“Female?!” Stern Wing exclaimed in shock. “Do you mean to tell me that Discord put the mind of a little girlin the body of my boyfriend?”

“Would you put it past him?” the Doctor reflected to Stern Wing. In response, Stern Wing growled in seething anger.

“Uh . . . confirmed.” This time Vision sounded quite surprised that the Doctor guessed that accurately.

“Okay, then.” The Doctor looked straight at Star Breeze then asked while looking straight into “her” eyes, “Is your name Star Breeze?”

Star Breeze widened her father's eyes with startling intensity.

“I take it, from your reaction, that the answer is yes?” the Doctor checked onward.

Star Breeze barely nodded numbly.

“Uh-huh. Okay, then.” The Doctor wheeled about and headed back to the center control consoles. “Time to change course.”

“Where are you taking us now, Doctor?” Stern Wing asked his retreating form.

“To Ponyville,” the Doctor answered after he arrived at the controls and started fiddling with them. “I'm not escorting yet anotherchild into our hostile adventures. We'll take 'her' someplace safe until we get this new business sorted out. In the meantime, would some pony pleasegive Derpy the injection she needs before she is completely converted into another Dalek? I like to keep my companions clean of any filthy Dalek artificial viruses, thank-you-very-much, and I strongly assume she'll be pleased to pay her hometown another visit once she recovers from this recent ordeal.”

“THE INJECTION! OF COURSE!” Loudly exclaimed Stern Wing. “Poor Derpy! She's been suffering this whole time while we've been busy arguing.”

“Actually, I put her into blissful sleep before we left the TARDIS,” the Doctor informed. “But that does not solve the core problem. I see no useful reason to delay the true solution to her more recent problem now that we finally worked so hard to get that medicine into our hands. Hint-hint!”

“On it.” Vision started to trot out of the room. “I'll see to it she gets the injection, and I foresee a full recovery after that as well as a deepened appreciation for being restored to her old self again.”

“A masterseer indeed,” the Doctor concurred with a gracious bow near the console which was full of flourish.

“Isit Discord who put you up to this?” Stern Wing checked at Star Breeze. When Star Breeze looked back, Stern Wing recalled something that widened her eyes for a moment. “Oh my Celestia! Didn't you call me mothernone to long ago?”

“Ah!” The Doctor raised a hoof in objection. “I wouldn't look too deeply into this if I were you, Stern Wing. Would you reallyfeel comfortable with the prospect of this situation if the answer to that particular question is yes? Believe me, the less you know about your own future, the better.”

“And yet you invited a seer into your journey,” Stern Wing reminded. “Please don't be a hypocrite.”

“Hey! I didn't want to invite her along into danger, remember?” the Doctor objected. “It was all of you that kept begging me to let her tag along, especially Derpy.” The Doctor jabbed a hoof pointing in the direction she was resting. “Besides, what was I supposed to do? Leave her behind so she could get snatched up by Puppet Master or the Dark King? No thank you! You’ve seen for yourself what just one of those magic-wielding psychopaths could do to those guards at her temple.”

Stern Wing looked down in depression at that reminder.

“Sometimes my hands are tied in my adventures,” the Doctor went on. “I do whatever I can do in each and every situation I face. Life is always one giant puzzle to me, and I solve it the best I can with the available pieces that I've discovered, so don't you go accusing meof being a hypocrite! Notice the fact that I changed our course to Ponyville the momentI realized that I was dealing with another child on board my ship. A child who possesses the body of yourboyfriend, by the way, and my friend as well.”

The Doctor looked around the TARDIS and sighed as he leaned one hoof on a rail beside him.

“At the moment it actually doessound like nerves are frayed here so I think a pleasant vacation in a quiet and friendly town is just what the Doctor ordered in the wake of our recent ordeal,” the Doctor added.

“You doknow who she is?” Stern Wing checked while using her head to nod towards the body of her boyfriend. “She isn't a security risk on board this ship? She won't hurt our friend?”

For a moment the Doctor glanced at Stern Wing as she spoke, then glanced at Star Breeze when Stern Wing nodded to “her”, then looked back at Stern Wing with confidence and conviction, “She is most assuredly notan enemy of ours. On the contrary, I think she is in dire need of ourprotection. Someday she'll be old enough to stand on her own four hooves and be a more useful companion in our adventures, but for the moment we're stuck on babysitter duty, compliments of a certain mischievous draconequus.”

Stern Wing growled with hatred at the reminder of Discord's involvement, but her gaze softened considerably when she looked back at Star Breeze.

Gazing back at the past version of her mother, Star Breeze finally had enough time to let the details of this situation sink in. She gazed at her mother in wonder at how much younger her mother appeared. This was before her mother got stuck in ancient Equestria for over ten years. This was her mother beforeStar Breeze herself was born, and this was her mother before raising her as far as she had.

“I want to make something perfectly clear to you, dear,” Stern Wing began at Star Breeze. “I most certainly amupset at what has happened to you and my boyfriend. In fact, I'm downright lividon what that contemptible draconequus has done to you both . . . butI don't blame youfor that, sweetie. This is not your fault,” Stern Wing said in a reassuring tone.

Ooo! Your mother has suchpassion! No wonder your father fell in love with her! Oh my!Discord telepathically said then snickered. How everam I to handle the wrath of this woman scorned?

Ease off, will ya?Star Breeze mentally requested. That's my mother you’re talking about!

I noticed you have yet to look down upon “yourself.” Afraid your tiny little mind and heart can't handle it?Discord taunted. Oh-ho! I guess I should be careful with my wording, then. In fact you aresmaller now than you have ever been in years, my dear!

If you start making “short” jokes, I swear to Celestia . . .Star Breeze mentally threatened.

Discord snickered for a brief moment, but his tone changed drastically when he mentally spoke next. This time it was far more soothing.

But seriously, don't forget to have a little bit of fun on your trip! You requested an adventure, and an adventure you have received! I think you can take it from here. Ta-ta for now! I'm sure this will be a mosteducational experience for you.

Oh, and by the way . . . YOU'RE WEEEEEELCOMMMMME!

Wait, you're leaving me?Star Breeze asked in frantic fear.

No response. Instead, it was the others that spoke around her that nabbed her attention.

“Star Breeze, are you okay?” Stern Wing checked as she placed a hoof on Star Breeze's shoulder, or rather to say her father's shoulder. “You zoned out there for a second.”

“Oh, uh . . .” Star Breeze shook her head to clear it, then assured, “I'm fine. I'm just . . . processing all of this. I'm here in somepony else's body and I'm here on the TARDIS and traveling with all of you . . . sort of. It's a lot to process.”

“I know, my dear. I know,” Stern Wing said sympathetically. “By the way, just to be clear, just how old areyou, anyway?”

Star Breeze widened her eyes for a moment, then looked down with a thoughtful look.

(Well, this is it. This is the line) she mentally thought. (The book, “Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn” never did cross that line, quite possibly on purpose. The fact that she asked me right now means that this scene is either written in yet another story, or this scene will be skipped in that story, or . . . something or another. Well . . . okay. Finally the moment of truth. My life is notdefined my some book out there that some nameless pony wrote. As my father is quite fond of reminding me, I write my ownstory, thank-you-very-much.)

Star Breeze focused back on the past version of her mother and answered, “I'm twelve. Twelve years old. As in . . . I was born twelve years ago beforeI possessed your boyfriend’s body.”

Stern Wing gained a dull look as she continued to regard Star Breeze. “I know what age means, my dear. I'm notthat much of a dunce.”

Star Breeze widened her eyes in objection, then said, “I never said you were!”

“Calm down!” Stern Wing commanded soothingly. “We'll get through this. Trust me. I've been in plenty of dangerous and odd situations. This is just another day in the TARDIS to me.”

Star Breeze's eyes softened lovingly. “I trust you,” Star Breeze assured warmly, then realized something. “Hey! Mind if I ask you a question?”

“Shoot,” Stern Wing invited.

“And this is just to give me a frame of reference, mind you,” Star Breeze assured, then pointed to herself. “How old is this body I'm possessing? How old am Ifor as long as I stay stuck like this?”

“Oh!” Stern Wing blinked. “That's simple. At the moment, you are . . .”

“And we're here!” the Doctor inadvertently interrupted as the TARDIS materialized at their destination.

Chapter 3: I Write My Own Story

“We're here already? Are you sure?” Star Breeze checked in surprise.

“I know you are not as accustomed to this ship or its crew yet, but if you were, you'd be used to the chaos by now,” the Doctor said as he trotted away from the center console and towards an adjacent room. “I know where I'm going, and I'm quite sure.”

“Then where are you going now?” Stern Wing inquired to the Doctor.

“To check on Derpy and get her to be alright,” the Doctor answered, then paused at the door leading to an adjacent room. From there he looked at Stern Wing and Star Breeze (who was temporarily within her younger father's body at that moment). “Since you've been here once, Stern Wing, you're welcome to escort the young 'lady' out on the town. I assume you'd want to keep an eye on her anyway, I'd wager. Just keep in mind that the citizens of Ponyville won't see her as 'Star Breeze' but as our dear friend 'Feather Wind'. Because of that potential confusion, you might want to stick around her to make sure you are available to smooth things out. Also, I don't think she's ever been to this town before so an escort would be prudent.”

“I was going to do that anyway,” Stern Wing agreed, then gave a nervous glance at Star Breeze, then looked back at the Doctor as she asked him, “but Doctor, what if this is permanent? What if Discord never reverses this alteration? You seem to be more familiar with her further future self. Can you give me any assurance that Feather Wind will return to us, and this young lady will return back where and when she belongs?”

“Unfortunately, there are no guarantees when it comes to Discord,” the Doctor lamented, “but I have it on good authority that things will eventually be straightened out. For the moment I recommend we press forward under the assumption that this is just a little detour for her. It is likely that things will go back to normal soon, such as it is.” The Doctor turned to face Stern Wing further. “Understand that, until she does return to where and when she came from, I not having this ship depart from Ponyville. Not while she is still here, at least. If another emergency crashes upon this town then I might reconsider that stance, but until then I'm holding the TARDIS here by default. Is that understood?”

Stern Wing gave the Doctor a right wing salute. “Not only are you understood, but accepted and appreciated. Surprisingly, Vision has proven that she can hoofle her own, but I'm not eager to invite yet another foal on our adventures. Not when our journey often proves so dangerous to even fully grown adults. Besides, for as long as she's here in my boyfriend's body, Feather Wind is not among us, and it might prove to our detriment if we take off without his help. He's come in hoofy too many times to consider it wise to take off without him.” Stern Wing looked at Star Breeze. “Sort of,” she amended.

“Exactly my thinking,” the Doctor agreed. “So I take it you'll supervise her in the meanwhile?”

Looking back at the Doctor, Stern Wing nodded confidently then said, “You can count on me, Doctor!”

“I never doubted it,” the Doctor assured with a grateful and proud smile to Stern Wing. He then let out a long breath, then said, “Right. If we get separated out there, meet us back at the TARDIS. Until we meet each other again, Talley-ho! Onwards and upwards, my friend.” He nodded at them one final time then departed from the room, but not from the TARDIS itself. Stern Wing and Star Breeze were standing closer to the main exit and entrance instead.

Star Breeze felt a little uncomfortable when she regarded the younger version of her mother, and she dwelt on the fact that was an unusual sensation for her. She knew that she was from the future and knew many things her mother did not know. It was hard to know what was safe to say and not say at that moment. Also there was the fact that she physically looked like her father right now. Actually, not just looked like her father but actually dwelt within his body. Star Breeze was accustomed to getting hugs and kisses from both of her parents, especially when she was younger, but her current situation made the mere idea of that quite awkward.

Both of them stayed still and silent for a long moment. Star Breeze studied her mother’s face. It seemed that Stern Wing was trying to figure something out. Stern Wing stared forward at empty space for a long pause, glanced at Star Breeze for two seconds with her brown eyes only, then resumed looking forward while she either debated something or tried to puzzle something.

Meanwhile, Star Breeze contemplated the fact that usually she could read her mother like an open book, but there was enough difference between both versions of her mother that it put Star Breeze at a greater disadvantage than she was used to. She knew that her mother was a security officer through and through. It was the one thing about her that never changed. All of her thoughts and inbred instincts were bent towards that fact, but for years Star Breeze had only known her mother to be in “mother” mode which meant her being careful with Star Breeze as a mentor in a “I care for you” kind of way. This pony, on the other hoof, was someone younger and perhaps very different from the mare Star Breeze grew up with. This version of her mother was stuck in “adventure” mode instead. That made sense, of course, given their current predicament, but that also made her mother far less predictable to Star Breeze. Star Breeze was far more accustomed to having a very close connection with her mother and that required a level of understanding and honesty which seemed to be lacking in their current predicament. Star Breeze really didn't like that feeling of looking at her mother like she was a true stranger. A familiar stranger to be sure, but still different enough to feel unsettling.

Just before Stern Wing spoke, she shook her head then focused her gaze back at Star Breeze, then said, “I just can't get it out of my head, so I have to know for sure.” Stern Wing turned her head to look at Star Breeze fully instead of merely gazing upon her with her eyes only. “Star Breeze . . . are you really my daughter from the future?”

Star Breeze pursed her father's lips and gazed down with discomfort and uncertainty. Would answering that question potentially jeopardize her very existence, maybe?

“Okay, okay! Forget that question,” Stern Wing decided, changing her mind. “But I do have to know one thing. Has Discord hurt you in any way to get you here?”

“No!” Star Breeze emotionally assured with strong intensity, looking back at her mother in the process. “He most certainly has not hurt me. Well,” she rolled her eyes, “okay, he has teased me and this,” she gestured across herself at her father's body, “was not what I had in mind, but believe me when I say that Discord is merely trying to do me a favor. I was bored and stagnant where I came from. Also I was eager for . . . something.” She looked down. “My parents raised me for years on stories of their grand adventurers together. It made me very excited to grow up and experience things like that myself.” She looked back at her mom. “I've read stories and listened to stories and . . . some other stuff.” Star Breeze didn't feel too confident to admit that she gained a connection with the Red Crystal gem after her father, nor the subsequent stuff she learned from it. Much of the stuff she learned might be in the future of this version of her mother.

“Excuse me, doing you a favor?!” Stern Wing asked with bitter skepticism as she narrowed her eyes at her disguised daughter. “Taking your mind and putting you in the body of another pony in the distant past while we were fleeing from an emergency situation is your definition of a favor?!”

“Maybe not everything worked out as he intended. His inherit nature is chaos, so perhaps some elements of the situation weren't what he predicted,” Star Breeze said in Discord’s defense. “My point is, he did it for benign reasons. He wanted me to grow by being a part of this adventure. He knew we'd end up in Ponyville, too, so this is his way of scaling the adventure down a bit.”

“Listen,” Stern Wing lifted her head high. “I don't know if I have any true authority over you or not, but no daughter of mine is welcome to hang around the likes of Discord! That despicable monster has no right to meddle in the affairs of my family! If you ever see him again, then I order you to stay away from him as much as you can. You hear me, young lady?”

Star Breeze looked down with a pained expression.

“I'm telling you this for your own good,” Stern Wing assured. “That evil spirit is nothing but trouble.”

“What's your problem with him?” Star Breeze asked a little more defensively than she really intended as she looked back at her mother. “Discord is merely trying to be my friend.”

“Really?” Stern Wing cocked her head. “And how can you be sure? How do I know that he didn't pop out out of non-existence just recently? Even if you did exist for twelve years before now, how do I know he didn't force you to say what you just said about him?”

Star Breeze opened her mouth to make a rebuttal, but then shifted her father's eyes to her left when it occurred to her that her mother had a good point. If Discord really could do anything, then perhaps her very existence was a lie until recently.

Which reminded her of her existential crisis about her debate over who wrote the book “Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn”.

“For that matter,” Stern Wing placed a hoof on her own broad and firm brown chest, “how do I know he didn't force me to play the devil’s advocate? Disharmony is in his nature. It would make sense that he would arrange a circumstance like this just to ensure we'd have an argument, and meanwhile he's probably hanging back and having a good laugh at our expense! He toys with our lives and puts our friends in danger purely for the sake of his own amusement. Only a villain takes vicious pleasure at causing other creatures’ suffering like that.

“How do we know if any of us have true freewill while a monster like that floats about and toys with the very fabric of existence? Do you see where I'm coming from, here?”

“Yes, I suppose I do,” Star Breeze admitted as her father's yellow eyes focused back on Stern Wing. “You think like an earth pony and you always have. You want stability in your foundation and core beliefs, and the existence of someone like Discord threatens those beliefs. Security is the most important thing in your life, so a being that could potentially threaten that is unacceptable to you.”

“I'm not just objecting to the degree of his power, I'm objecting to how he uses it!” Stern Wing argued. “Do you want to know what he did the first day we met him? Back then he turned the TARDIS into a dark and creepy amusement park filled with creepy clowns as hosts of the carnival and filled to the brim with apparent deadly games of chance with our lives on the line. He forced the Doctor to solve riddles and puzzles while the rest of us were trapped helplessly in something like a cage with a removable bottom. Below that was an aquatic tank with a shark eagerly swimming about in it, which had a laser attached to its head. During that time he also removed my wings and made the bars slippery!” Stern Wing waved a hoof away. “I don't want to talk about what he put the rest of my friends through. If you know me at all, maybe you can understand why I've had a sour impression of him ever since.

“Later on he tried to reveal how all of these things were far less deadly than they initially appeared, but none of that removes the fact that it was still a sick and deeply twisted cruel joke, or remove the scars of his psychological torture! I never trusted him ever since, and I'll never see what Feather Wind or Vision saw in him ever since then.”

“Vision can look into other creatures hearts quite deeply,” Star Breeze reminded. “If she trusts him, he can't be all bad.”

“Unless he used his powers to force her to sense or believe that,” Stern Wing counter argued. “You can't win this one, Honey. I know exactly why I deeply despise his guts!”

“Nor should you try to convince her otherwise,” Feather Wind mysteriously said beside Star Breeze. When he appeared, time around them seemed to pause. She looked at him in shock. Seeing that, he quickly put a hoof to his mouth and gave her a hushing noise, then said, “I'm not really standing here right now.”

“If you're communicating to me through the Red Crystal, does that mean you're actually Crystal Wind?” Star Breeze checked.

“Indeed,” Crystal Wind confirmed with a grin to Star Breeze. “You're one smart cookie.” He then pointed at the Red Crystal that she still wore around her father's neck. “Right now that version of the Red Crystal comes from the future, or rather to say it is in your time.”

“Did Discord switch our minds?!” Star Breeze asked urgently. “Is my father, Feather Wind, currently dwelling in my body in the future?”

“Huh.” Crystal Wind blinked in surprise as he gazed forward blankly, then admitted, “Surprisingly, no, but that honestly does sound like it should have been his style. Doing that would have evoked more chaos to amuse him. He should have thought of that.” He focused back at her. “Instead of that, my past self is instead asleep within that body you're currently possessing. He had no memory that this was transpiring to him while he was asleep, but don't you worry. I'll record the events of what happened to him while you possessed him, but I won't include your private thoughts. I'll only include what you do and say while you are here. Feather Wind will review those memories later on when he wakes up, which is why I'm aware of it right now.”

“Which means you even recall everything else I will do or say while I am here,” Star Breeze realized in awe as she started straight forward blankly, then looked at her father with a questioning expression. “I take it I shouldn't inform your wife about your presence right now?” Star Breeze checked.

“Right now she's not my wife yet,” Crystal Wind said with a shrug as he regarded the past version of Stern Wing. “The decision in regards to informing her of my presence here is up to you, but that said,” he looked back at Star Breeze, “I wouldn't recommend it.”

“Okay.” Star Breeze acknowledged. “I'll keep this a secret, then.”

“Get ready. Time is about to resume. I'll pause it again when and if you need me too, but you can just as easily communicate to me mentally while time is resuming. So . . . there is that. You ready?”

Star Breeze nodded at Crystal Wind then regarded her mother. “Ready, Dad.”

“Okay, then. Here goes. In the meantime, I'll stay by your side and answer any of your question,” he assured, then waved a hoof and time resumed.

“Um,” Star Breeze began, but forgot what her mother last said.

“She was just telling you how much she hates Discord, and why she doesn't trust him,” Crystal Wind reminded Star Breeze while lovingly regarding the past version of his wife. “Don't concern yourself with her orders about insisting you remain away from Discord, either. This version of her hated his guts with a passion, but she warmed up to him after the favors she saw him do for our friends as we marched our way north to confront the Dark Star. She was especially touched on all the favors she saw Discord do for Fluttershy.”

Unexpectedly, Star Breeze grew a little angry at her mother upon hearing that, then said, “Mother . . .” she looked firmly into her mother’s eyes and noticed her look of shock when Star Breeze confirmed that Stern Wing was her mother. Star Breeze went on. “. . . the parents who raised me, raised me to be a strong and confident filly. They didn't tell me whom to pick for my friends or not. They left that up for me to decide. As my father often tells me, my fate is not written in some book, nor is it any picture on my flank. Instead, I write my own story, because I am the main character of my story. My fate is up for me to decide, and so I shall. Whether I choose to go on an adventure or not, whether I choose to hang out with Discord or not . . . it's my choice because it's my life. Maybe you don't understand that now, but someday you'll grow up too and become the wise and powerful mare who raised me.

“Besides, you are wrong about Discord! If he truly had evil intentions, you would have never escaped that deadly carnival. A being that powerful could have made sure you'd never escape. He would rig every game and riddle so that it was unsolvable, but you did solve it and you did escape it. You did get stronger and grew up a little bit ever since then, whether you choose to accept that fact or not.

“As for our free will, believing that Discord's mere existence and all of his great reality-bending powers invalidates any of our choice is giving him far too much credit. How can you possibly believe that someone like Discord is the author of our story when it's so well written? Do you think a being as foal-like as him could possibly write out so many deeply complex characters, stories and situations? If he really was the true author of our reality, everything would always be a straight-up comedy. Everything would be just one bad joke and pun one after another with an occasional good joke tossed in there by pure random chance, but of course that is a matter of opinion of his audience. Being as purely random as he is, he'd be constantly tossing dice in his head to make random plot points smashed together when they don't really fit. Nothing would ever truly make sense. This would all just be one giant silly dream.”

Star Breeze looked around her, then went on, “But we're standing in TARDIS, a legendary machine capable of pulling off miracles that are well fought for and well earned. There is history and deep structure to every creature that ever set a hoof in this fantastic machine, and that includes us and the Doctor. A story this rich and complex couldn't possibly be written by someone like Discord. If anything, it's more likely to be written by his counterpart, the spirit of Order and Harmony, whomever that is. There is too much structure here to realistically believe otherwise. Too much A that leads to B that caused C which later resulted in D.” She looked back firmly at her mother, who was crying a bit at this point with a proud and happy smile. “So don't question your existence, mother, nor mine. Neither of us deserve that. We,” Star Breeze pounded her father’s chest with a hoof in order to gesture to “her”self, “are the true authors of our own stories. Never lose faith in that. That is what my wise and loving parents taught me, and that is what I choose to believe.”

Crystal Wind also smiled proudly as he said, “Well said. In that case . . . I guess you finally decided to invalidate the 'Discord wrote the book' theory. It's about time you finally realized that.”

I guess I just needed a healthy dose of reality check. Star Breeze mentally decided at the phantom image of her father. See? This is the reason I wanted to go off on adventures. I wanted to grow and learn.

Stern Wing sniffled, gazing at the disguised image of her future daughter with pride, tears watering her eyes. “I can't believe this!” Stern Wing exclaimed. “You're not really even born yet, and already I love you so deeply!”

Hearing that brought tears to Star Breeze's own eyes, and her emotions overwhelmed her. She launched into her mother’s massive chest and got swallowed by it, especially considering her father’s very small stature. Star Breeze tried to reach her father's hooves around Stern Wing's chest, and Stern Wing pressed a hoof across Star Breeze's back as well as enveloped both of her brown wings with black tips around her like hugging a small, plushy toy.

(There she is!) Star Breeze thought to herself cheerfully. (There is the mother I know and love!)