“Looks like Twi' missed out on a lot, didn't she?” Applejack nudged Fluttershy with her elbow.

“Oh, yes. I wish she could have come with us.” Fluttershy responded as she trotted alongside Applejack towards the library. “She told us she'd catch up, I wonder why she didn't.”

Applejack chuckled. “Probably readin' all those new books she's got this year.”

“That's a shame... It's what she likes though, I would have stayed at the cottage forever if you didn't remind me we had to be back so early.” Fluttershy blushed.

“And I guess we should be lucky that Apple-buckin' season's over.” Applejack added.

The two continued to canter along the road. Unsurprisingly, nothing big happened over the course of the year. The same pegasi on the weather team, the same ponies, the same turquoise unicorn sitting on the same park bench, in the same odd way she usually did. Ponyville's library came into view, and the two mares approached it quickly at their pace. Applejack opened the thick wooden door, and saw Twilight inside.

“Howdy Twilight.” Applejack entered the library. There was no response. Twilight Sparkle sat on her haunches, staring at a bookshelf.

Fluttershy walked behind Applejack, asking, “I-Is she alright?”

The earth-pony trotted over to Twilight. “Not sure.” She gently prodded Twilight's shoulder with her hoof. “Hey Twilight, is everything fine?”

A small bead of drool slipped from the unicorn's mouth. Applejack quickly wiped it away for her. Eww, gross.

“Twilight?” Fluttershy slowly walked towards her. “Applejack, what's happening?”

Applejack didn't answer right away, inhaling deeply. “Equestria to Twilight!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. Fluttershy quickly scampered away from the loud noise. Twilight's eye's widened, as she seemingly brought herself back to the plane of reality. “I'm a genius, ain't I?”

“Oh, uh... Sorry girls.” Twilight said. “Hey, how long were you two here?”

“We just came in, what's wrong Twi'?” Applejack asked.

“I really don't want to talk about it, if that's okay.” Twilight looked away, only to see Fluttershy curled up into a ball under the table. “What happened to her?”

Applejack's nervously chuckled. “That was my fault, sorry Fluttershy.”

The pegasus slowly started to unfurl herself, accidentally bumping her head against the bottom of the table as she rose back to her hooves. “I'm okay. Twilight, do you want to see the animals? Angel's gotten a lot bigger this year!” she excitedly said.

“Don't think we got the time for that.” Applejack stated. “We've kept the doctor waitin' long enough.”

“Ugh, alright. What an enjoyable trip to the future this was for me!” Twilight rolled her eyes.

Applejack put a hoof around Twilight's shoulder. “Well don't you worry none sugarcube, you'll get to see the rest of this year sometime.”

“Oh really?” Twilight asked. “When?”

“In a year.” Applejack grinned.

---

Twilight lead the two other mares back to mysterious blue box, conveniently located in an alleyway. Opening the door, they all entered the large room, ignoring the confusion brought by the fact that it was larger on the inside than it was on the outside.

“Is this how time normally passes?” Doctor Whooves asked. “Really slowly, and in the right order...”

“Sorry we're late.” Twilight said. “I got a bit caught up.”

“Well, that's alright. I guess time-travel isn't easy to get used to.” The doctor responded. “You want to go back to your time?”

Fluttershy meekly nodded. “Yes, please.”

“So, UR-3, Hooftember the 17th?” he asked.

“That's right.” Applejack said.

“Great, here we go.” The doctor started operating the console in the center of the room. The odd noises didn't seem to unnerve any of the three mares, this being the third time they've heard it.

After the wild shaking stopped, Applejack turned to open the door. There were only trees, and in the distance, just more trees. “Any real reason why we're down here?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. The machine's been acting up on me lately. It's the same reason you three saw me in the forest.” He kicked the console with his rear leg, the creaking of metal emanated from it.

“W-was that sound bad?” Fluttershy asked.

“It could be, sometimes it's good.” The doctor said. “It's usually bad though. Anyway, I'll show you all the way. I've been through these forests plenty of times.” He stepped out of the box, trotting aimlessly into the forest as the girls followed him.

A few minutes passed, with nothing but darkness and plants, like the rest of the forest. “You sure you know where your goin'?” Applejack asked.

Doctor Whooves stopped to bring a hoof to his chin. “I think I do.”

Applejack was not amused. “You think, you do?”

“Oh, cheer up.” The doctor said, slowly navigating around another one of the many trees in the forest.

“Doctor, don't you think you should be a bit more concerned?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “You should be... We're in the Everfree Forest.”

“I know where we are,” he chuckled, trotting on top of loose twigs as if he only did so to hear the noises they made. “You just need to make light out of every situation given to you.” The stallion said, purposely stepping over another pile of loose twigs.

Applejack bit her lip before speaking. “Not easy to make light out of getting eaten by one a' them manticores.”

“If we keep going in this direction, good things will happen. I would know.” He continued to trot. It wasn't very long until he spotted a grove in the distance. “You see? The doctor was right all along, like always.”

“Yeah, yer' always right.” Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Hey, is that Zecora?” Twilight focused her eyes on the figure moving amongst the flowers.

“I think it is. What's she doing in this place again?” Fluttershy quickened her pace as the rest followed suit.

Applejack nodded as she trotted. “Yeah. Thought she said this place was dangerous?”

The four ponies hid in the trees, watching Zecora as she hummed melodically amongst the grove. She bent down and picked up a few of the Acanti flowers, abundant in this area of the forest. Moving past the small patch of flowers, she picked up different herbs, almost completely unaware of her surroundings.

“She shouldn't be here...” Twilight whispered.

Doctor Whooves spoke quietly. “She shouldn't?”

“No... She said it was dangerous.” Fluttershy said.

Zecora didn't notice anything. Not the ponies hidden in the trees, and not the odd chirping of foreign birds. She approached a group of leafy green plants, placing some in her rough, gray saddlebag. She spoke after spitting some of the plant into her bag, “Tonight, I reach the state of nirvana, as now I have all this marij...” the rest, the ponies couldn't hear, as the zebra practically laughed out her words. Zecora turned, and as she did, a doll seemed to hang slightly outside of the bag.

“Hey, isn't that Smarty Pants?” Twilight asked nopony in particular.

“Looks that way.” Applejack whispered.

“I thought she said she lost it.” Fluttershy said.

“Maybe she's a liar. Liar's aren't good.” Doctor Whooves sighed. He watched Zecora gather some more herbs in the grove, she was easily visible from the mysterious glow emanating from the flowers. After deeply inhaling, the doctor let out a mighty, “Oogity-boogity-boo!”

Zecora let out a startled yelp, and quickly ran away from the grove. A doll just barely fell out of her saddlebag as the zebra took to her hooves as if she were being chased by the Royal Guard for possession of something that the Princesses didn't like.

“Doctor?” Twilight asked. “Why would you do that? She's been scared out of her mind!”

He shrugged. “You said she shouldn't be here, and now she isn't.”

Twilight groaned, throwing a hoof against her face. “That's not what I meant.”

“Hey.” Applejack called out, after flipping the doll over. “Ah think this doll is yours Twi'.”

“Oh, thanks a lot Applejack.” Twilight cheerfully brought the doll onto her back with her magic. “I guess that's all we need now.”

“Twilight?” Fluttershy quietly spoke. “What if we were just watching Zecora drop the doll yesterday?”

Applejack brought two hooves to her head, trying to 'fix' it in some way, if that were possible. “Well that just don't make no sense, the doctor brought us to today, not yesterday.”

“You never know, the TARDIS has been acting up on me and all,” the doctor reasoned.

“Still though.” Twilight said. “Zecora dropped the doll because she ran from the sound of a monster yesterday. She didn't have the doll with her today, and thus we went to the grove, finding you, doctor. After that, we went back to today and...” Twilight didn't continue, only offering a frustrated groan.

“Exactly.” The doctor smiled. “Your zebra friend panicked today, making it so that you girls came with me tomorrow so we could make her panic today. This would make it so that you girls would come with me tomorrow, so we could make her panic today. This would make it so that you-”

“That's more than enough, yer' startin' to get on my nerves.” Applejack said. “All this fancy mathematics is muddyin' the issue.”

“Chronology, actually.” Twilight offered, inciting a nod of approval from the doctor.

The farmer pony rolled her eyes, exhaling in distress as she did so. “Well, alright.. We got the doll though, let's get back to Ponyville.”

The doctor shook his head. “You can't do that, we're a day behind, if you remember. Looks like you'll have to stick around with me for a bit longer.”

It was going to be a long day for Applejack.

---

The endless expanse of trees greeted the four ponies again. Fluttershy could hear the sound of birds in the distance, she wanted to see them. She wanted to speak to them, but it wouldn't be a good idea. Not with all the other menacing creatures in the forest. Applejack and Twilight shared the same type of fear, but not the doctor. He trotted onwards without a care in Equestria, devoid of trepidation, and possibly common sense.

“Doctor?” Twilight asked, he looked back in return, nearly bumping into a tree in the process. “How can you be so... comfortable, in this place?”

“Yes, it's d-dangerous here.” Fluttershy added.

“It is dangerous, but it'll all be fine. Trust the doctor.” He proudly spoke.

Applejack sighed. “I'm havin' a hard time believin' that all that's happened so far is real.”

“I'm sorry, but how do you know that we'll be fine?” Twilight asked.

“I've seen myself, well, all of us in the future.” Doctor Whooves noted. “Surely that means there's nothing to worry about.” A silence sank in for a while as Fluttershy and Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “I've been through worse before, in the past and the future. Besides, you have what you came for, right?”

“Yes, I do. Thank you for taking us here,” she replied.

“It's not a problem.” The doctor said. “May I ask why you wanted that doll so much?”

“Oh, it's really nothing. It was given to me by my parents when I was a filly, and a lot happened since then. I just didn't want to lose that memory of...” her mouth barely continued moving, but not a word came out.

“Them?” The doctor asked, stopping in his tracks. His question invoked the surprised looks of the three mares, especially Twilight.

“Hey!” Applejack pressed her face against his. “Don't be speakin' like that to Twilight.”

Doctor Whooves remained unfazed, or perhaps he just didn't show it. “It was only a question.”

Applejack didn't move, remaining uncomfortably close to the stallion in front of her. “Some questions are better left to yourself.”

“And I decided that this wasn't one of them.” He briefly withdrew, exhaling loudly. The sounds of his unjustly heavy hoofsteps only seemed to further irritate the mare.

“Maybe you'd think differently if ya'd take the time to consider somepony's feelings before you speak!”

“This is getting ridiculous,” the doctor stated. “What, are you her guardian or something?”

Twilight decided to distance herself away from the rest of the group, quietly moving away for whatever reason. Some things, she didn't want to deal with. No matter how fruitless and easy to deal with as it was. She slipped away behind a few trees, losing awareness in favor of temporary peace.

“No, just better company than you'll ever be.” Applejack retorted.

The doctor chuckled. “Really, really easy to believe. I decide to show you all a spectacle which very few ponies will be able to witness twice, and this is how you react to it. Yes, offering this hospitality makes me horrible to be around.”

“It ain't hospitality. Hospitality's 'bout treating a pony nice. Letting 'em feel a-”

“Isn't that exactly what I'm doing? Tell me. Just tell me what I'm doing wrong!” He gritted his teeth. For the first time, Applejack could see he was showing genuine anger. Something which could be found in all ponies, but something one wouldn't expect from him.

“C-Calm down everypony.” Fluttershy whispered. The sound barely reached the other three ponies.

Applejack glanced at Fluttershy, and brought her gaze back to the doctor. He could see Twilight with her doll, not sure if she was really paying attention to anything around her, despite the commotion. Most of her figure was obscured by the tree she rested against, was she dreaming? Perhaps he could be the same way at times. “Pretty odd, isn't it?” he sighed.

“What?” The farmer pony asked. “What's odd?”

“The fact that we're arguing over this stuff in the first place.” The doctor quickly regained his composure.

Applejack lifted an eyebrow, before glancing away. “Guess yer' right. I'm sorry 'bout losin' myself like that. Listen, just try not to speak about it to Twilight.”

“Y-Yes.” Fluttershy nodded. “It was a really bad time for her...”

“Shouldn't it always be?” he asked. “I truly understand that, but don't you thi-” Applejack quickly put a hoof over his shoulder.

Bringing her mouth to the doctor's ear, she whispered, “She didn't have that many friends back then. Not sure if she even had one.” Applejack pulled herself away from the doctor, but still maintained a low voice. “None of her blood to take care a' her either, you understand, don't you?”

“I could relate, but...” The doctor looked around in particular direction, momentarily losing focus of that around him. “I'm not going to claim that I understand.”

Silence fell upon them in abundance. All three exchanged a few glances, not knowing what to say. Fluttershy set herself to her haunches, almost resting in the silence which she could find serene. The doctor pondered how she could find herself so comfortable in such a place. She wasn't like him, not even close.

“I suppose we should get going then...” The doctor said, facing the ground beneath him. The two other mares nodded. Fluttershy gently glided off towards Twilight, getting her attention in the calmest way possible. Applejack was just glad to know that this discomfort would soon be forgotten.

---

“Alright, back in the malfunctioning box!” The doctor pulled the doors open, holding them open for the three mares. “So, anything else you want to see?”

“Hmm...” Applejack put a hoof to her chin. “Nah.”

“No, I think we've seen enough.” Twilight said. Fluttershy meekly nodded.

The doctor sighed. “Very well then, maybe we'll meet some other time.” He approached the console and gave it a light kick with his foreleg. “Ugh, says we're still in Hooftember 17th. Guess I'll just set it for the 18th. Dumb digital calender.” He started operating it, speaking as he pushed various buttons. “Well, goodbye. It's a shame I don't show anypony else this more often.”

The machine started shaking erratically, perhaps more than it usually did. The ominous whirring was not only louder, but lasted even longer. Fluttershy held onto Twilight for support, hiding her face in the unicorn's mane. The doctor looked towards the console and then to Applejack, looking just as confused as she did. Finally, it stopped, and everypony breathed a sigh of relief.

Twilight turned to approach the door, not noticing Fluttershy fall off of her as she did so. Opening it with her magic, she could see a marble floor, and some wrecked ivory pillars. Windows were shattered, and chunks of stone littered their crumbling surroundings. “I-I think everypony should see this.”

Applejack immediately galloped out of the door, followed by Fluttershy and the Doctor. Their mouths stood agape. The doctor was the first to realize, “This is the Royal Canterlot Palace. This must be from a time before the castle was rebuilt after Nightmare Moon's rampage.”

“We're here?” I thought you said you were takin' us back!” Applejack's eyes widened.

“I did!” The doctor tried to explain. “At least, I tried to. I'm really not sure what's happening ri-” His speech was soon interrupted by the wild, booming cackling which filled their ears.

The four ponies rushed to the noise, reaching the end of the balcony they were on. The voice must have come from below.

“P-Princess!” Twilight attempted to shout, but it sounded more like a whimper. The four ponies saw a white-coated alicorn, lying battered on the ground. Her hair was a solid pink, like the Doctor had seen a few times before. It was dull though, more lifeless than he'd ever witnessed. Her coat was bruised, a few smudges of red amongst it.

“Princess Celestia, sister.” A dark figure trotted around the castle grounds aimlessly, breaking eye contact with her victim. “Sister,” she repeated. “It pains me to call you that, even moreso now.”

“I'm not mad at you,” the princess choked out.

“Lies, each one more twisted than the next! Is there no end to your irreverence?”

“Nightmare... Moon. I-It's her.” Fluttershy whispered from atop the balcony.

“That can't be right.” Applejack spoke the same way, as to not reveal their position. “You sayin' we're a thousand years behind?”

“Yes, I think we are.” The doctor said. “We're obviously in the wrong place, let's go.”

“No!” Twilight harshly grated. “We can't just leave her like this.”

Applejack nodded, “She's got a point.”

“Alright, we'll stay, but you've got to start planning something then.”

“- Thinking that you were ever fit to be a ruler.” Nightmare Moon continued, black wings, flapping themselves in excitement. “Think not of yourself as a ruler anymore, but as a pony as lowly as you've thought of us. You will be even lesser soon, a bitter memory to join all the others in our mind.”

Princess Celestia closed her eyes, deeply inhaling. “Not once, have I ever proclaimed myself superior to anypony. You're deluding yourself, sister.”

“Dead words recit'd from the deceitful tongue! A delusion, as if our judgment was not of any significance. Defend yourself. Perhaps your lack of respect for us has been averted to what's left of your blind egotism.”

The princess didn't speak, she only struggled to use what was left of her magic, gathering necklaces with unique emblems. “Those are the Elements of Harmony.” the doctor noted. “I don't think anypony embodied them at the time.”

“Great. That's just the way she defeated Nightmare Moon.” Applejack smiled. Fluttershy and Twilight followed suit, feeling a sense of relief wash over them.

“Oh, you amuse me so, sister. Who knows, perhaps it will work!” Nightmare Moon mocked maliciously. Celestia gathered now had three elements in her side, curling up against her heavily breathing body. Honesty, Loyalty, and Kindness. She pulled in the element of Laughter, now glowing as it lifelessly dragged itself across the floor.

“Some ponies almost proclaimed you a tyrant. The hoof of a princess, with the mind of a troll. They would prefer my place in the throne.” The armored alicorn spat, receiving no answer. “Do you not speak anymore? Hast thine mouth been sewn shut?” She paused, trotting closer to Celestia, who was now pulling in the element of Generosity, the glow on her horn barely visible. “Then ignore us, like you always would.”

“Your reign is over, sister.” Before the princess could grasp the final element she needed, Nightmare Moon stomped her hoof on the ground. “Praise be to the night!” Her horn glowed for a brief amount of time before a flash of light engulfed them, accompanied by a large crash. The princess didn't scream, grunt, or anything. She just stayed there.

More chunks of stone fell from the shattered walls, yet the Elements of Harmony stayed in place. Smarty Pants fell off of Twilight's back where it rested, and onto the ground beneath them as various pieces of royal furniture whipped around the room. Twilght's mind was not on the doll though, there were more important things to think about.

Celestia turned her eyes towards the balcony, smiling, if only for a second. She spotted four ponies, one stallion, and three mares. She was glad to see some living ponies. Her fate didn't matter.

Nightmare Moon asked, “To what do you pay your gaze?” She received no answer as she telekinetically grasped the element of magic. “The Elements of Harmony. Hope not for them to save you.” She flung it upwards in no particular direction. “Because you never held hope to save us.”

It happened to land directly in front of the doctor, who readied himself as he picked up the element with his mouth. The three mares around him watched as he prepared to prove himself as Equestria's time-traveling savior.

“Again I ask, What is it you stare at?” The mare of the night asked, looking behind her, but not spotting the four ponies for whatever reason.

Doctor Whooves nearly threw himself off the balcony, as he hurled the necklace towards the princess. Through either unimaginable luck, or stringent marksmanship, it happened to land right next to the princess. The elements glowed, lifting the alicorn into the air. She seemed to get an even clearer view of the four ponies, giving a slight nod in her ascent. The doctor slightly winced upon seeing that.

“Wait, no! No!” Nightmare Moon attempted to pry the elements from her, but they wouldn't move. A rainbow formed, and shot itself up into the air, crashing down on Celestia's enemy who helplessly protested her own demise.

“I-I think she saw us.” The doctor noted. “Let's get out, before it's too late.”

“We don't even get to watch the end of it?” Applejack asked, following the doctor as he trotted back into the TARDIS.

Twilight watched the Princess regain her features as she stood in front of her sister on the castle grounds. She quickly left when Fluttershy tapped her shoulder. She followed the pegasus back into the large blue box, where the Doctor was speaking to Applejack.

“Alright, this really isn't good. I think she saw us. The princess.”

“What are you talkin' bout? How can it be bad that she saw us? That just mean's you're a hero, but a thousand years ago!” Applejack ruffled the doctor's hair.

“I could care less about being recognized for that, I've done this stuff plenty of times,” said he. “She's a princess though, and this is a machine that travels through space and time. What's she going to do when she finds us out?”

“Excuse me, doctor?” Fluttershy asked, as Twilight closed the door behind her. “If she knew about it... Wouldn't she have done something already?”

The doctor thought for a moment, and then sighed in relief. “I guess you're right... I have nothing to worry about.” He moved back to the console. “Anyway. I guess I should be taking you girls back home.” He started to operate it, but it only produced a few beeping noises. “Oh, man. This really isn't good.”

“What's wrong?” Twilight asked, but she didn't receive an answer.

“Bad TARDIS! Bad! Bad!” He kicked the console with each word. “Why, won't, you, work?”

She moved closer to the doctor, but not close enough to accidentally get kicked herself. “Are we stuck here?”

“Nope. I hope not.” He brought his forelegs down on the machine, half attempting to operating it, and half smashing it in frustration. It looked different though. There were no lights coming out from it. He pressed a few buttons, but it just stayed that way.

“Doctor?” Fluttershy asked. “The lights are off. Are we going to be stuck here... I-In this time?”

The doctor shrugged. “Again, I'm not that sure. Anything could happen with this thing.” Sure enough, something did happen. That same, mysterious noise reverberated through the room.

“You think hittin' it might have not been that good an idea?” Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Everypony does things that aren't good ideas.” Doctor Whooves said. “Just, stay calm everpony, we'll see where this thing takes us.” The omnipresent whirring grew even louder, it almost hurt to be in the room. Everypony covered their ears, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

Next Chapter: Chapter 4 Estimated time remaining: 17 Minutes