Turn Left, Turn Right, Turn Around
by Alesiopdv
Chapters
Chapter 1
Time and relative dimension in space.
It´s a curious term for a house but it fits such a curious pony. Most of Ponyville residents only known Timeturner as one of the many assistants of the Mayor, one who helps her settle her schedule and who always arrives in time, never a minute late. But a selected group of ponies know another side of him, a side that is always on the run, the side that hides a deep sadness behind a gentle smile.
The sadness of the last specimen of his kind and not even that anymore. Changed forever for the flames of time, he was now a stranger in an even stranger land. A pony with two hearts, none of them beating for a home. A lone traveller, a silent protector, a force feared across the space. Some calls him Professor, some Clockwork, many more The Doctor; but as far as he is concerned, he is content with not being called at all, just a simple wave as he moves into his next adventure.
And this adventure begins with fire...
"Crikey! That´s one way to roast a marshmallow!" The Doctor patted the little flame bird. "It is handy having a phoenix around. Celestia does know how to pick her pets."
The Doctor shared one of the marshmallows with the phoenix and gulped the rest.
"She´ll be thrilled to meet you. A blue phoenix! You´re quite an unique specimen my little friend. Literally speaking since now that your planet is destroyed, you are all alone," he realized too late he was hurting the bird with those words. "I know how you feel, all alone. But you´ll make several new friends in Equestria so don´t be that blue...blue! Hahahaha!"
The phoenix didn´t share his laughs so his voice echoed in the impossibly large room.
"Oh, I can still make myself laugh. What was I saying? Oh yes, you´ll make many friends once we arrive in Ponyville. Starting with Derpy, she is my best friend and she will love you. Wish I could have brought her to this adventure, she will have enjoyed it. And what an adventure we had! I admit, I got a little worried once that dragon ate us but old girl here resisted."
The Doctor patted the console of the machine. It was a kind gesture, filled with memories. The bird tilted its headed, curious.
"You´re a good listener. I might keep you around. But you´ll need a name...how about Copernicus?" The bird moved its head. "No? Amadeus? Arthur? Jamie? Carl?" None of the names satsified the exotic bird. "All right then, we´ll leave the name to Derpy. She´s good with those. Now, I´ll just pull this lever here and in one second we´ll be in sunny, quiet Ponyvi-"
The entire structure trembled, tossing the Doctor and the blue phoenix around. The TARDIS was like a snowflake in a snowball being shaken by an impetuous child, shaking up and down. After a full minute of turbulence, it stopped.
"...well, they do said that about any good landing being a landing where you end in one piece. I never understood that saying. Wonder what happened. All the monitors seem fine." The Doctor pondered for a few seconds but was unable to reach an answer. "Maybe we just hit a storm in the way back. Come on little friend, let´s go see the sun."
The phoenix flew onto his back and they left outside. To the casual looker, it seemed like the Doctor and his friend have come out from inside a blue blox, but that was an illusion caused by the camouflage circuits of the TARDIS that, once it arrived at Equestria, changed to look like a simple wooden box with barn doors.
"Ah Ponyville, there isn´t a more quaint and pacific town in all the universes. Maybe that little village in Wales. Oh, look over there Philip! No, that one either? All right then, that´s the house of my good friend. See those curta...something is wrong."
Once again, the bird tilted its head as the Doctor stopped mid-sentence. The Doctor galloped to the door and stood there, looking at the green door like it was some sort of terrible hissing creature. To the bird it was nothing but a door but the Doctor kept looking at it, staring at the door.
Suddenly, the door opened and a mare almost bumped into the Doctor.
"Oh! Doctor, you´re here!" The mare pulled the Doctor for a hug and almost inmediatly pushed him back away. "You dissapeared, again! You know Doc, when you named me your companion I was expecting to, you know, accompanying you or something."
"What are you doing here?" he coldly responded.
"Standing in the doorway?" she tried to sound funny but his harsh tone took her by surprise.
"I asked what are you doing in Derpy´s house, Lyra!"
"Ca-calm down! Derpy? Who´s that?"
The Doctor grabbed her hooves all of a sudden, causing the bird to flew away scared.
"Who´s Derpy? Who´s Derpy? She is the mare who lives in the house you usurped. The house you changed the curtains and painted the door and changed the flowers!"
"Stop! You´re hurting me!"
"Why did you do that? Where´s Derpy?"
"What are you talking about? This is my house! I moved here a year ago after I got the job in the moving company!" she yelled.
"Moving company? You don´t work there, you help BonBon in her store, you work with her." the Doctor said, looking confused and a little scared.
"No, I don´t. I do deliveries. That´s what I do. Granted, I´m not very good at it. But, what can they expect from a unicorn? I can´t fly! I have to deliver the packages on foot!"
"No, that´s wrong, you´re not...you don´t..." Having lost the ability to form words, the Doctor let go of Lyra and fell to the ground. "Who are you?"
"I´m Lyra. I´m your assistant. Remember? We met in the outskirts of the Everfree. You didn´t know anything about Ponyville or Equestria for that matter. Remember how we travelled to the times of Starswirl? Meeting the sea-ponies? Doctor?"
"No, that wasn´t you. That was Derpy. You´re Lyra. You´re that laid-back girl from the candy shop, the one who plays music in the park, the girl that always has a smile on her face and it´s generous and serene," he mumbled.
"Well, thank you but I think I´m not that serene. I do tend to lost my temper, burst like bubbles you call it?"
It was then that the Doctor finally realized what was really wrong. It wasn´t the curtains, it wasn´t the paint, it wasn´t even the fact that Lyra was in Derpy´s house. It was a set of bubbles that rested in a mint flank.
"Lyra."
"Yes, Doctor?"
"What happened to your Cutie Mark?"
"What do you mean? This is my Cutie Mark. This has always been my Cutie Mark."
Chapter 2
“Parallel dimension. Different time-line. Body swapping...” the Doctor trotted across town, pondering all possibilities out loud. He wasn´t even looking where he was going and two moving ponies had to lift a couch to let him pass, his bird friend leaving his head before he got hit.
“Doctor, where are you going?” Lyra asked.
“Maybe it´s an illusion. I´m being mind-controlled by some sort of parasite that it´s feeding in my emotions. No, that can´t be...”
“Doctor!”
“What? I´m trying to think here!”
“Where are we going?”
“We´re going to the BonBon´s shop so I can prove you once and for all that you work there and that you´re not my assistant! Now, why are all the streets so different? Can´t recognize half of the stores. Then again if this is a parallel dimension...”
“The stores changed because you have been missing for two weeks. Yes, he is an old grump,” Lyra said, nuzzling the blue bird.
“Even if I was gone for two weeks the Snowball Store should still be in the corner, can´t believe it went out of business. And I´m not grump and why are you talking to the bird?”
“What? He´s lovely. Aren´t you, cute Jay-Jay?” The phoenix chirped, happy to be nuzzled some more.
“I call him more picky than cute and Jay-Jay?”
“He reminds me of a bluejay but it´s not a bluejay so Jay-Jay!”
The Doctor considered arguing her logic but he ultimately gave up. After turning right in yet another store he didn´t recognize, they finally reached their destination, Candy Bucket.
“There we go. Finally we´ll get some answers. Excuse me BonBo-”
“Wazzzzzzzup?! Welcome to Candy Bucket, the sweetest and friendly store this side of Fillydelphia!”
“...DJ-PON3?”
The unicorn behind the counter tilted her head, confused.
“Hey Vinyl,” Lyra said, walking into the store.
“Hey Lyra, good to see you girl! Aww, look at that cute little thing? How´s it called?”
“This is Jay-Jay!” The bird chirped once more as Vinyl scratched him.
“So what bring ya to the store? Ran out of those licorice ones?” she asked.
“No, the Docto-umh, I mean Mr. Time Turner brought me here. You remember him, right?” Lyra said, waving at the Doctor that was just staring into space.
“Yeah remember him. Remember you two hanging around during Hearts and Hooves Day. What´sup with that?” Vinyl teased her.
“Hey, cut it out! We´re just friends, right Doc euh Time Turner?”
The Doctor was still in shock.
“Umh Doc?”
“DJ-PON3. DJ-PON3 is in the candy store. She runs the candy store and she has BonBon´s Cutie Mark. I can see her Cutie Mark through the counter, she has three candies. She is the candy-maker.” Vinyl looked at Lyra, silently asking if he was all right. Lyra just shrugged. “Of course she is. Obviously, it makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't she be here? Could somepony please slap me? Just, one slap. Right here in the muzzle.”
Both mares looked at each other. Since the Doctor never specified who should do it, they both did it. Simultaneously.
“...thank you. Now DJ-PO-”
“Look pal, name is Vinyl. DJ...that, sounds cool and all but it ain´t my name.” she replied.
“Yeah, figures. I´m just gonna pretend like any of this is normal in any form, I´m just going to do this.” The Doctor then grabbed Vinyl by her cheeks and looked straight into her red eyes.
Lyra watched him hold still of Vinyl that tried to get free from his grisp. Her initial frustration at the the Doctor was over, now she was getting worried. He was looking at the unicorn with a stern, intensive stare,a stare that seemed to go straight into Vinyl´s soul. Usually Lyra just thought of the Doctor as a weird, eccentric pony but occasionally he would do or say something that remind her that he wasn´t a normal, that he wasn´t a pony at all if his stories were half true. He was something else and that scared her.
The Doctor then let go of Vinyl. “Nothing. Nothing at all. No traces of mind control or personality transference. Nothing. You´re perfectly normal.”
“Yeah, thanks dude. I think...” Vinyl said, rubbing her sore cheeks.
“Doctor, are you all right?” Lyra asked, Jay-Jay leaving her shoulder to gently poke at the stallion.
“You´re a doctor?” Vinyl asked.
“Oh Celestia, not that joke again. Vinyl, I know that I said I laugh at everything but I wasn´t that literall,” a voice said from the backstore. BonBon came out, carrying a trail with several candies on her back.
“It wasn´t a joke, I was just asking...”
“Oh hi Lyra and Mr. Time Turner, right?” BonBon kept her usual smile but once she took a good look, she realized how tense the ambient was. “Is everything okay?”
“Umh yes, hey BonBon quick question. How long have you been working in this store?” Lyra asked.
“About a year, maybe? I used to do just simple chores for the town but when VInyl moved here we became friends, I helped her raise the store and kind of decided to work here since,” she answered.
“And you came from Canterlot, Vinyl?” Lyra asked again. She took a quick look at the Doctor, who seemed surprise she was acting like she was believing him, even if only a little.
“Yeah, born and raised there,” Vinyl said.
“And why did you leave Canterlot?”
“No reason really. All of my friends got jobs and I wasn´t sure what to do. I came here for the last Summer SUn Celebration and I guess never feel going back home,” she admitted,s catching her back.
“And your Cutie Mark, what´s the story?”
“This thing? Oh nothing, it´s not that great of a story. It just pop in the day I realized I liked to make candies and stuff. Funny story actually, I originally didn´t want to make candies.”
“You didn´t?” BonBon asked, curious since she had never heard the story of how her friend got her Mark.
“Well, I actually studied music when I was filly. Wanted to be a big musician but I guess it wasn´t my call. I had a friend back then, my best friend. Uh my best friend from there, you´re my PBFF now BonBon!” Vinyl said, blushing. BonBon smiled and put a hoof on her shoulder.
“What happened to her?” Lyra asked.
“Well, she got her musical mark. Fun thing is that she didn´t looked to happy with it. Maybe ´cause she was more into classical but after getting her mark she got a gig as a party musician.”
“Like a disc-jockey?” Lyra asked.
“Yeah, pretty much. haven´t talked to her in a while, wonder how she´s doing?” BonBon patted her friend, comforting her.
“Sound likes a great friend. Hope I get to meet her one day,” Lyra said, Jay-Jay back on her shoulder.
“She´ll be hard to find. Octi never really stood up in a crowd.”
“Octi?” BonBon asked.
“Short for Octavia.”
“Shouldn´t that be something like Tavi?”
“Hay no, Octi sounds more cute!”
The three mares laughed. Behind them, the gears in the ancient mind of the Doctor finally began to move. “I know her.”
“Sorry Doc, what was that?” Lyra asked him.
“I know her. And I know you too, BonBon. And you and you! All of you have been in the TARDIS before!”
“Tar-what?” Vinyl asked while Lyra gestured the Doctor to keep quiet, his identity was supposed to be a secret after all.
“Yes, all of you, at some point, have been aboard the TARDIS. That´s the connection! I couldn´t figure out what was the common link between the five of you but now I know it! I know it!” He lifted Lyra and hugged her, scaring the blue phoenix away. “Oh this is wonderful!”
“Good...to...hear,” Lyra said, as best as she could considering her ribs were cracking.
“Now all we need is gather all of you back into the TARDIS, conduct some little tests...”
“Test? As in medical test?” Vinyl asked, somehow turning whiter. Knowing her friend hated getting shot, BonBon patted her again.
“Not to worry, they won´t be painful, I think, I don´t know, maybe, in fact I don´t evne know what kind of test to make, this has never happened before. But first, we need to get Octavia and Derpy back. To Canterlot!” the Doctor announced.
“To Canterlot? Why are we going there?” Lyra asked him.
“Simply process of elimination. If you have Derpy´s mark and BonBon got yours and VInly here got hers; that obviously means Derpy got Octavia´s mark and she must performing for an audience in Canterlot. Oh that´s one performance I´m not anxious to hear. Now, let´s not waste any more time. Into the TARDIS! Wait! Wait wait wait, we can´t. We can´t use the TARDIS, I can´t risk making this situation worse.”
“So...train?” Lyra suggested.
“Train it is,” and he left the store, followed by the mint unicorn and the phoenix.
“Wait, we´re supposed to go too?” BonBon asked.
*****
One quick journey, the group was in the capital city of Equestria.
“What´s up with all these ponies?” Vinyl asked, trying to make her way across a crowd of hundreds of ponies.
“I think I heard they were announcing the new princess,” BonBon said, pushing some unicorns aside.
“That explains all the flags!” Vinyl replied.
“Doctor, is that´s the case, Derpy and Octavia could probably be performing at palace!” Lyra screamed, kicking some ponies away.
“Excellent idea, Lyra! You could actually work as an assistant!”
“Thanks, I think...”
“Now, let´s move on! Palace is this way! Come along Lyra! That doesn´t sound right...” the Doctor mumbled, getting lost into the sea of ponies.
“Wait, Doctor!” Lyra got squished between two rows of onlookers. Jay-Jay flew off her and scanned the crowd, searchign for the Doctor. Once he spotted, he chirped outloud. “Girls, follow Jay-Jay!” Lyra ordered.
“Jay-Jay?” BonBon asked.
“Lyra´s little blue bird of love,” VInyl said.
“It´s the bluebird of happiness and I´m not in love with him!”
“And yet we´re chasing him across Canterlot in the middle of a coronation,” BonBon replied. Lyra growled at this while Vinyl laughed.
After five more minutes of pushing and kicking they finally catch up with the Doctor. He was standing in the middle of the crowd, a few meters in front of the Royal Balcony.
“Doctor, there you are. Look, we´re not going to get into palace today. What do we said we wiat in a restaurant for the crowd to get smaller?” Lyra asked him.
“I know a place!” Vinyl added.
The Doctor wasn´t paying attention to them though. He was staring at the Royal Balcony, mumbling to himself “This is wrong...this is all wrong.”
“Doc?”
“Look, the Princesses!” BonBon said, pointing up.
They all looked up to see Princess Celestia walkinf front.
“Citizens of Canterlot, mares and colts, I present to you Equestria latest princess...Princess Trixie Lulamoon!”
Chapter 3
“This is a bad idea,” Vinyl said.
BonBon shared her concerns but decided to kept quiet and tried to figure out the situation. Lyra hadn´t really explained things to them since she drag them from Ponyville into Canterlot and now had them in the back of the castle, trying to pick a door to get in.
Or so it seemed they were doing. BonBon had never seen a device like the one Mr. Time Turner was holding in his mouth, It was a stick that glowed a blue light and made a strange buzzing sound. She wondered how exactly that thing was supposed to open a palace door. Even if it was a back door, it probably had the best type of lock you could find in Equestria.
“Doctor, are you done yet?” Lyra asked, looking behind her shoulder for any approaching guards. The little blue phoenix on her shoulder chirped and she hush it.
The Doctor didn´t answered her and kept working at the door.
“Really, this is a bad idea. We should leave,” Vinyl said but none of her partners backed her up. “Are we seriously going to break into palace?” Still no answer. “BonBon, you can't possibly be okay with this.”
“I´m not but that´s because I really don't understand what´s going on.”
“So, why don't we leave?”
“I don't know. I think I just want to see where this is going,” she said.
“Well, I don't and I really want to go now!”
“Would you two be quiet?” Lyra said, a little too loud. She covered her mouth when she noticed a guard walking nearby.
All there mares duck, wondering what was going to happen to them fi they were caught when they heard the sound of the door unlocking. Without saying a word, the Doctor opened the door and went in. Lyra followed her along with BonBon. Vinyl hesitated but she preferred going with them that staying there and let the guard find her.
“Woah...”
This was the first time she ahd step into Palace and it was gorgeous. Even if it was nothing but a corridor that lead to the kitchen, it was still as regal and pristine white as she had imagined.
“This place is...awesome.”
“I hear you,” BonBon said, equally impressed by the furniture.
“Can´t you believe the Princess live in such a place? And this is just a hallway. Can you imagine the actual main hall? Or her bedroom? I bet she has a huge bed with golden curtains and sily sheets and all that. You think so, Lyra?” Vinyl asked.
“Yeah, I bet. Huge bedroom,” she absently minded answered.
“Hey, what gives? Aren't you impressed?”
“Yes, it´s a nice palace, Vinyl. It´s just...I´m not that impressed.”
“Why?” BonBon wanted to know.
“I don't know. It´s like...like I had been in here before.”
“Yeah, right” Vinyl murmured but BonBon ignored her and asked Lyra what she meant.
“It´s like that feeling when you had already done something. What´s it called?”
“Deja-vu,” the Doctor said, not looking back.
“Yeah, something like that.”
Jay-Jay pick at his wings, Vinyl just dismissed Lyra´s word but BonBon pondered, something inside her sharing Lyra´s concerns.
The Doctor suddenly stopped and opened a door, peeking inside. The three mares peek too, the little bird moving atop of Vinyls to be higher. They were looking at another empty hallway.
“What are we waiting for? Vinyl asked but she got no answer.
Lyra looked down at the Doctor, who looked focused, almost angry with the way he narrowed his eyes. Finally the answer came walking in. Equestria latest Princess, Trixie Lulamoon was walking by along with one of her companions.
“Is the Princess,” BonBon said while Vinyl beamed a little.
“Doctor, what do you intend-” Lyra´s question got interrupted by the Doctor suddenly jumping into the hallway.
“You. Explainrightt now. What are you doing here?”
Trixie´s cománion, a brash pegasus, jumped in front of her, protecting her from the strange stallion.
“Answer me. Why are you here?”
“Back off, dude. Nopony talks like that to the Princess!”
“Hey hey, we don't want any troubles!” Vinyl rushed to explain as she and the other two joined the Doctor.
The pegasus growled at them, her wings spread in an attack posture.
“Why are you here?” the Doctor repeated.
The pegasus was moving to attack him but she was stopped by the Princess. “Lightning Dust, wait. Your eyes are very unusual. I can tell.”
Vinyl almost blushed looking at Trixie and even Lyra had to admit she had a regal presence. Trixie was a little taller than them and had her wings spread in an imposing pose.
“Why does a pony so young has such old eyes?” Trixie asked.
“I asked first. Why are you here?”
“I just got crowned, it's only natural that I´m still in palace.”
Vinyl comically agreed with her but Lyra was looking at the Doctor, wondering what he was actually asking.
“If you are wondering how I became a Princess, that´s quite a story. It begins...”
“No. I mean, why you, Trixie and not Twilight?” the Doctor interrupted her.
“Twilight who?” Trixie replied and the Doctor had to contain a smile.
“Twilight Sparkle. You don't even know who that is, do you?”
Trixie looked at Lighting Dust who looked both confused and angry.
“No need to answer. You already gave me plenty,” the Doctor suddenly said and turned around, ignoring the confused looks of all the mares.
“You didn't answered my question, good sir. It is rude to ignore a Princess.”
The Doctor stopped mid track and without turning around, said “Easy. I read too much, that gets the eyes tired. I should better stay away from the library on the third floor.”
“You mean second,” Trixie said.
“Second! See, Vinyl? You got it all wrong!”
“But I...I never said anything...I...”
BonBon patted Vinyl, shaking her head to make her realize it was pointless to argue and they followed Lyra and the Doctor down the hallway.
“Who were those weirdos, Princess?” Lighting Dust asked.
“I´m not sure, Lighting...” Trixie said, her gaze fixed in the little blue bird that followed the group.
****
“Twilight Sparkle! Petite, lavender coat, boyish mane cut, looks pretty with glasses. How come you don't know her either?”
The poor librarian was terrified of this strange stallion that was looming over her desk.
“I´m sorry, I...”
“She must have spent every day of the week in here, reading until the closing hours, never taking even a bathroom break. Granted, she will eventually merge with the background but I have to assume at least the librarian will pay attention to the most avid reader in the room!”
“I'm sorry. I don't recall such a mare,” the librarian said.
“Then we´ll need to watch your records. BonBon, grab them!”
“What? You can't do that! Stop! I'll...I'll call security!” the librarian said, running towards the exit.
“She is serious! What are we gonna do?” Vinyl asked.
“I suggested stop using your mouth to talk and use it to grab the records!” the Doctor shouted.
“You do realize that unlike you guys I can carry stuff with my magic, right?”
“Shut up and run!” Lyra shouted at her, carrying several books with her magic.
Vinyl took a few more and rushed after the group just before the guards bursted in.
******
“No. Not here. Not this one. I can't believe she never retired one single book!”
“What´s he doing? And who is this Twilight Sparkle he keeps babbling about?” Vinyl asked Lyra.
They were in one of the many plazas, sitting under a lamppost. The Doctor was in a bench, surrounded by all the records while BonBon was feeding Jay-Jay with some seeds.
“I don't know, Vinyl. Half of the time I just nod along and wait for him to make a plan. He always has one,” Lyra answered.
“He does? It looks to me like he just make things up along the way.”
“That too.”
Despite saying that, Lyra was smiling. She found somewhat nostalgic looking at that crazy stallion rummaging through old papers.
“He said we all were there at some point.”
Vinyl and Lyra looked at BonBon, wondering what she meant.
“He called it the TARDIS. What is the TARDIS, Lyra?”
“Umh it´s a little hard to explain,” Lyra said, rubbing her neck.
“Lyra, have we met before?”
“Umh, we know each other for quite some time, NonBon.”
“No, I meant before you moved to Ponyville. Were we friends before that?”
BonBon and Lyra went quiet, looking at eachother in the eye. A strange, awkward silence falling in between them.
“Hey hey, what´s going on in here? I´m feeling some kind of strange vibes in here!” Vinyl jumped in.
“Wha-what?” Lyra asked.
“Is there something between you two?”
“Ugh! No! What are you implying?” Lyra asked, blushing.
Vinyl looked at her and then at BonBon who simply moved her head away, although there was a faint trace of blush on her face.
“A-ha! I found her address! Her two address! I meant three, four. How many times did she moved? This is ridiculous! Well, nevermind that, we'll start with the newest one and move down the line. Allon.sy everpony!”
“Wait, Doctor. What about Derpy?” Lyra asked.
“Derpy! I had completely forgot about her! We need to find Derpy but we first need to find Octavia so she can guide us to Derpy! But we need to find Twilight Sparkle as well and we need to find her first or maybe later, I don't know! I don't know if there's a time limit! I don't know if I have to hurry or not! I hate not having a time-limit! It´s like disarming a bomb that has no clock! Where is the fun in disarming bomb that you never know when it´s going to blow up?”
“Doctor, calm down!”
Lyra managed to get the stallion to stop rambling. She held her face and waited for his breathing to slow down.
“Look, why don't you take BonBon and go look for this Twilight Sparkle? Meanwhile, me and Vinyl will go find her friend and then we'll reunite with you two and go see that Derpy.”
“Oh Lyra Heartstrings, you're brilliant. Simply brilliant.”
She blushed a little but take the compliment.
“You'll make quite an assistant.”
“Technically, I am your assistant.”
“Yes, technically. In a it wasn't supposed to be this way but I'll take what I have way.”
“Thanks, I think...”
“Alright then. BonBon, we're going to the downtown. Vinyl, you take Lyra to where Octavia is. Move along, everypony, we have a universe to set right!”
And the Doctor rushed to the right.
About half a minute later, he came back and headed the right direction this time. BonBon followed him with Jay.Jay flying behind her while Lyra and Vinyl went the opposite direction.
Chapter 4
Vinyl and Lyra stood in front of the rundown records store. “The Broken Record” was labeled. Lyra couldn't decide if the title was supposed to be ironic or it was just a cruel coincidence.
“Are you sure she is in here?” she asked her partner.
“Sure as Celestia´s day,” Vinyl replied.
“Well, looks like she´s doing well.” Right on queue, the second “o” in the sgin feel down. “I thought you said you two studied together.”
“We did and we were actually pretty good. But after Octi got her musical Cutie Marks things went kinda downhill. She lost the touch, she wasn´t able to focus on her music anymore and abandoned school. She tried to keep that job as party musician but she eventually couldn´t play any instrument anymore. Last thing I knew, she opened this record store to saty close to music the only way she could.”
“That´s sad,” Lyra commented and she remembered the Doctor´s word, about how thigns weren't supposed to be this way. Lyra couldn't really understand since she only had one set of memories but something in the back of her mind, some nagging feeling, kept telling her something was off. It was a feeling she often felt at work when she couldn´t find an address or delivered the wrong package. It was an uneasy feeling. “Let´s go, Vinyl.”
“Umh why don't I wait for you out here?”
Lyra looked at Vinyl confused and the other unicorn avoided her look while scratching her leg.
“Is something wrong, Vinyl?”
“I haven't talk to Octavia in a while. I...don't know what to say.”
“...did something happened between you two?”
Vinyl looked at Lyra and noticed the way she was looking at her. “Ugh! Not that way, idiot!”
“You started it...” Lyra murmured, remembering their previous conversation.
“Look, I just...something did happened and I don´t wanna talk about it. But the thing is, I don´t think she will be too thrilled to see me.”
Lyra approached her and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “That may be the case and I don´t know what to say to make you feel better but, right now, the Doctor needs us to walk into that store and talk to that mare, okay?”
Vinyl sighed. She didn't even knew why she was doing this. Running all the way to Canterlot, breaking into palace and looking for a pony she didn´t even knew. But it was too late now to turn back. SHe sighed once more and walked across the street, towards the record store.
****
Meanwhile, in the down part of Canterlot, the Doctor and BonBon kept searching for Twilight Sparkle. Three addresses some far have been a failure, either abandoned or inhabited by some homeless ponies. Nopony knew anything about this Twilight but in each place the Doctor sniffed the air and then moved forward.
BonBon had no idea what the Doctor was doing, why he licked the ground in each corner or kept looking at every lamppost. He was the crazies he had ever know but somehow there was something oddly familiar about him. A feeling of nostalgia, like being homesick. BonBon couldn't shake it off her mind.
“I think. Wait for it...” He stopped and licked the ground again. “Yes. Definitely this is the way. I know I said that the last five corners but this is the one. I can feel it. Come along, BonBon. That almost rhymes...”
“Who are you, Doctor?”
He turned around, curious over the question.
“You look like a pony but don´t talk like one. There´s an air around you, like when standing next to the Princess but different. I feel...uncomfortable when around you. Why is that?”
The Doctor approached her, his expression showing concern for her. “I´m sorry. I´m terribly sorry that you feel this way.”
“You know something is wrong, Since you showed up at the store, since we came here, I had this...feeling, This buzzing sound. Why do I keep hearing it?”
“Earth ponies are more connected to this earth. Is part of their unique type of magic, That´s why you feel so uneasy, you can tell something is wrong with Equestria. Call it sixth sense, intuition or whatever. The point is of the three of them, you´re the only one looking me for what I am,” the Doctor.
BonBon tried to catch her breath again, Jay-Jay pecking at her mane. “I still don´t understand.”
The Doctor circled around a few times, like a colt that couldn´t wait for his Hearth's Warming Eve present. “Oh why couldn't you be like Lyra and just, accept everything?”
He finally gave in and hold BonBon´s face with his hooves, pressing his forehead against hers. There was a moment of silence and then BonBon screamed and the Doctor grunted while Jay-Jay escape from them. She struggle don his hooves for less than a minute and he let her go.
“Oh my Celestia. You are...you are...”
“Yes! I´m the thirteen! Actually, I should be the first since I became a totally different species and I will probably start a new regeneration cycle. You okay?”
BonBon catched her breath again, taking a little longer this time. “So...lonely. You are so lonely. No wonder you´re so desperate to get her back, to recover your companions. It must be...”
The Doctor extended his hoof so she could stand.
“It is. But even so, I must set things right again,” he said.
“Even if it cost you what you desire the most?”
“That´s what this Cutie mark is telling me I must do.”
******
“Hello? Is anypony home? The door was open!” Lyra called into the darkness.
The store was deserted. It seemed like nopony had bought a record in weeks. You could even see the cobwebs between the records.
“Seems she isn´t here after all, let´s go.”
Lyra slammed the door magically to stop Vinyl for leaving. She then noticed a tiny bell in the counter. She levitated it and made it sound, smiling like a filly for her number while Vinyl rolled her eyes.
“We´re wasting our time, Lyra. Let´s go back.”
“No, we´re not leaving untilt we find her. I told you, the Doctor needs her. Mrs. Octavia Melody, are you in he-”
“No need to yell. I heard you the first time.”
A grey coated mare walked from the storage room. Lyra thought she was the most depressing pony she had ever seen.
“Hi there. Sorry for the noise,” Lyra said.
Octavia ignored her and turned her attention to Vinyl.
“Hello.”
“Hey Octi, long time no see, right?”
Octavia merely nodded and moved to her records, putting them in the right order. Lyra noticed how strange and depressing the whole scene was so she took the word.
“My name is Lyra Heartstrings. You obviously know Vinyl.”
“We´re acquaintances, yes.”
The air was so thick that Lyra felt her own horn cutting the tension.
“Can I help you?”
“Well, yes. Herés the thing we're looking for a pony, her name is Derpy Hooves.”
“Never heard of her but if you're looking for newer artist, the store at the corner has all the latest hits, “ Octavia respond in a monotone tone.
“No, I don´t think she is any famous. She was an old acquaintances of you,” Lyra explained.
“I don't recall any Derpy Hooves. Sorry.”
“Grey coat, blonde mane, mismatched eyes...” Which each description Lyra transmitted from the Doctor to Octavia, all that happened was that Octavia shook her head. “She has a musical note Cutie Mark. A purple treble clef.”
At the mention of the mark, Octavia almost dropped a record. “A good mark. She must be very talented.”
“Your Cutie Mark is also a good one,” Vinyl Scratch commented, scratching her leg.
“It didn´t help me at all. Too extravagant, too arabesque. I wasn't fit for the philharmonic so I went to the clubs. Too soft, too classy. I didn't fit there either. I don't fit anywhere, except here with these old, dusty records.”
Lyra kept quiet, she didn't know what could she possibly answer to that. Vinyl bit her lip almost to the point of making blood come out.
“I´m sorry I can´t help yo. Maybe you should try wit somepony who´s more into the latest trends. I know someone who can put you in contact with Hoity Toity, the fashion pony,” Octavia said.
“You stopped playing,” Vinyl said, all of a sudden. “You just...dropped all your instruments. You abandoned everything.”
“Why are you angry? You did the same thing. The second those candies appeared in your flank you gave up on music.”
“Because it wasn´t my destiny! But music is yours! Just a different type of music!”
“Music come from the heart. If I don't feel it, how can you tell it´s my destiny?”
“Enough you two!” Both mares turned to look at Lyra, who seemed very upset. “I know how you feel. Trust me. That feeling inside, that something is wrong. But is precisely because of that, that we must help the Doctor. He´s the only that can take this uncertainty we´re feeling. And we need to find this Derpy to help him.”
Vinyl and Octavia remained silent for a moment.
“You know, maybe she isn't a commercial artist and that´s why I never heard of her,” Octavia said.
“Makes sense. Maybe if she´s feeling as usuelles as we do, she never took off with her music,” Lyra said.
“Then, I think I know where we can find her...”
*****
The Doctor and BonBon entered the last building in the list, a dark, unwelcoming store in a alleyway in the slums of Canterlot. The store was filled with poisons, zebra skulls and several other items that obviously weren't acquired by any legitimate means.
“Welcome, travelers. Are you looking for something in particular?”
BonBon startled at the sudden voice, Jay-Jay flapping in response. From behind the counter, a bespectacled figure with an oriental outfit greeted them.
“Actually, we´re looking for a one of a kind object...” the Doctor said.
“And what could that be?”
The Doctor approached the corner and took off the hat from the store clerk, revealing a purple horn.
“A Twilight Sparkle.”
Chapter 5
“Doctor who?”
“Ha! haven´t heard that one in a long while.”
Twilight levitated a glass and a bottle of booze. She didn´t even asked the Doctor or BonBon if they wanted some, she just gulped it down and gave herself another shot.
“Twilight Sparkle. Or should I say the Great and Powerful Twilight?” the Doctor asked.
“Not funny, Doctor.”
“You two know each other?” BonBon asked.
“I think the right question will be if you know who she is. Ever heard of her, BonBon?”
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle. She was Celestia´s student, I think.”
“And have you ever met her before?” the Doctor insisted.
“No, this is our first time meeting. I think...I´m not sure. I have this feeling, like we already had this conversation before or something.”
“That´s due to the overlapping memories. Your brain is trying to reconcile two different sets of memories. It will go away, eventually…” Twilight stop in the mid of her explanation when she noticed the Doctor grinning. “You did something to her.”
“Nothing that could actually change things but at least now she won´t bother me with anymore questions,” the Doctor explained.
“That was selfish of you, Doctor.”
“You´re one to talk…”
“Stop that!” BonBon yelled. “Stop doing that.”
The Doctor and Twilight looked at each other, wondering what they have done wrong.
“Talk like I wasn´t in the room. The way you talk, it´s like you two know something I don´t and I don´t like it.”
“...I´m sorry, BonBon. But to be honest, I do know something but I can´t say it. Twilight here has to say it.”
“If you already know the answer what´s the point asking?” Twilight say, walking back to the store with the glass floating next to her.
“Oh no no no, that´s not how it works. No spoilers, Twilight. I hate those. The second it´s say what happened, it´s the second this will end. And it´s up to you to say it, Twilight Sparkle.”
BonBon had no idea what the Doctor was talking about. He seemed to be threatening Twilight somehow but if he was, the mare wasn´t giving in. She finished her drink and turned around, ignoring the Doctor.
The stallion growled out loud, prancing around the room.
“I don´t get it. If you know what happened, why don´t you jsut say it?” BonBon asked.
“It doesn´t work like that! If I say it, I´ll give it power, I´ll make it happen! It will become a fixed point in time!”
“What´s that?”
“It´s something that happened and it can´t be changed. Like a checkpoint, a point in the time stream that can´t be altered. Right now, that moment is not still settled, it can be changed. But if we acknowledge it then it will happen and it will become fixed. Do you understand?”
“Not at all!” BonBon yelled.
“A blue phoenix? What a curious creature. It doesn´t exist in Equestria and yet, there are several myths about them,” Twilight said, caressing the little blue bird.
“Yes, a lovely creature. Even when it doesn´t like any of my name suggestions. Now Twilight, we need to talk about something. Your wings.”
“What about them?”
“You don´t have them anymore!”
“She had them?” BonBon asked. She never consider the pony in front of them was supposed to be an alicorn.
“Yes, she had them. And they shouldn't be gone. I remember you had them which means that the thing that we will not get into details, happened after you got them.”
“And your point is, Doctor?” Twilight asked.
“Now Trixie has them. And that means something went wrong.”
“Nothing went wrong, Doctor. Trixie figured the spell to fix swapped Cutie Marks. She created a new type of magic, one that can protect other ponies destinies. She earned those wings,” Twilight explained in a somber tone.
“Then how do you explain BonBon?” the Doctor asked, making Twilight look at the earth mare. “You can accept your changed destiny, Twilight. But let me ask you this, is it fair her destiny changed as well?”
*****
The way Octavia talked about this night scene of independent musicians, Lyra supposed it was something hip and lively. Instead they seemed more like beggars who formed a band.
Lyra looked at all the musicians, all scattered on the plaza, looking like they have lost all their creative impulse. They toyed with their instruments, not really playing them.
“Well, this is a bummer,” Vinyl summarized the situation.
“This is wrong, Vinyl.”
“I agree, these poor fellas look like they need a little cheer up. Maybe we should call Pinkie Pie. You know her?”
“Do you?”
“What? Of course I do. She is an old friend. I think…” Vinyl scratched her head. “Weird. I know we´re friends but I can´t remember when we wet. Why can´t I remember.”
“I don´t know but the same thing is happening to me. I remember stuff but they seem wrong. Ever since the Doctor told me that I wasn´t her assistant, I have this feeling. Like something out of the corner of my eye. Maybe the Doctor is right, maybe this isn´t how things are supposed to be.”
“Then how are they supposed to be? I´m confused Lyra, but this is the only life that I know. I´m a candy maker, that´s what my Cutie Mark tells me. If that isn´t right, then what is?” Vinyl asked.
Lyra however had no answers to give.
“Girls!”
Lyra looked at Octavia waving at them. She was as confused as Vinyl, even more because she had memories of the Doctor showing her the mysteries of the universe. What if nothing of that happened? What if her life of adventure was nothing but a dream? Lyra didn´t want, she didn´t want to lose those memories but at the same thing, she felt like those memories didn´t belong to her. And maybe she needed to give it back to their rightful owner.
“Come on Vinyl, let´s met Derpy Hooves.”
Derpy Hooves. During the trip to Canterlot the Doctor spent hours describing her. She was clumsy and loud. She made mistakes and got confused. She got scared easily and made monsters chase them all the time. She loved muffins and dancing. She laughed at the sillies jokes. She was loyal and struggled to get better. She was always at his side, no matter how big and scary was the monster. She listened to him. She saved him almost as often as she put him in danger. She made him smile everytime.
She was his companion.
Octavia shook hooves but a musician pony and he pointed at a corner of the plaza. Octavia told Lyra and Vinyl to follow her and they turned right on a statue. While they walked, they heard the sound of double bass. A sad, melancholic tune.
Lyra took a deep breath and made the final turn, coming face to face with the musician.
“Derpy Hooves?” Octavia asked.
The mare stop playing her instrument. She was a blond pegasus with a grey coat and a musical note Cutie Mark. She was wearing purple shades that hid her golden eyes. She was everything the Doctor had described.
With just one look Lyra knew it.
This was the mare with the bubbles Cutie Mark.
*****
“So you´re saying that you changed your Cutie Mark?” Twilight asked, lifting BonBon´s tail while taking a good look at her flank.
“No! This is the only mark i remember having, but the Doctor keeps saying this isn´t my mark,” BonBon explained, slapping Twilight´s hoof off and blushing.
“That´s weird. That was not supposed to happen,” Twilight murmured.
“So you admit it!” the Doctor shouted.
“I´m not admitting anything, Doctor.”
The Doctor growled once more, holding his head in frustration.
“I still have no idea what you´re talking about,” BonBon said in a deadpan tone.
“The Doctor is convinced that I did something in the past and that´s why I´m the only pony who remembered him,” Twilight said.
“And you do?” BonBon asked.
Twilight nodded. “That´s why I keep moving from place to place.”
“Why?”
“Because Twilight is the trigger. Her memories of me can cause others to remember me. That´s why she can´t talk to anypony who has been in contact with me or heard of me. Poor thing, no wonder you moved into such a slum. My fame dates as back as the times of Starswirl the Bearded! Unbearable fellow, he was as sour as lemon. Although he had a good singing voice,” the Doctor ranted, circling around.
“You were not supposed to return,” Twilight said.
“Well, it´s a good thing that I did! Who knows what else has changed?”
“Nothing was supposed to change. What should have chang-”
“But it did! Everything changed,” The Doctor interrupted her. “This is what happen when you play with time like a foal does with her toys, Twilight Sparkle! There are consequences! Time is fragile. Time is a house of cards, a play of jenga. If you change one piece, you have to be extremely careful and know exactly where that piece will go. Otherwise, everything crumbles!”
Twilight kept quiet, taking in the angry stallion´s reclaims.
“Twilight, you made this? You changed everything?” BonBon asked.
“No. And that´s what the Doctor got wrong. I´m not the one responsible.”
“Oh please! It has to be you! You´re the only one with a reason to do this! The only one who is willing to take the risk. I mean, look at you. You willing let go off all your friends, just to keep me away!” the Doctor shouted. “Who else will have any reasons to do this?”
“Who else indeed,” Twilight said.
This made the Doctor stop and blink. He fell down on his haunches, like if the answer to his questions was a heavy rock that fell on his head.
“Oh…”
That was all he said. He lowered his head and ignored the two mares in the room.
BonBon was completely lost. She had no idea what was going on but was afraid to make anymore questions. The answers only made things even more confusing. One thing she was sure of was that Jay-Jay chirping and flapping its wings was not a good sign.
But before she could say anything, the store door burst open and Princess Trixie Lulamoon stormed in with a few guards.
BonBon panicked and looked at the Doctor but he was still looking at the floor, ignoring everything else.
“Arrest them,” Trixie coldy ordered.
The guards walked and grab BonBon and the Doctor. She tried to fight but the stallions were too strong for her. The Doctor didn´t offer any resistance, he just let the guards drag him outside. Say guards ignored Twilight who stayed in the middle of the room, watching the whole thing unfold.
Trixie gave Twilight an icey glare and then turned around, leaving the unicorn alone with her memories, the only company she had.
*****
Derpy sat on her double bass case and crossed her hind legs.
“So, that´s the story. Crazy, uh?” Vinyl said.
The past twenty minutes she had been retelling today´s adventure to both Derpy and Octavia, who wasn´t quite up to date. Both grey mares didn't seemed too sure about the veracity of the tale. Vinyl poked Lyra, trying to get her to add more details but since she set eyes on Derpy, Lyra had kept her mouth tight shut.
“So, if this Doctor fella is right, we need to get our right Cutie Marks,” Vinyl said to Derpy.
“And how is he exactly going to do that?” Octavia asked.
“Well, we need to take Derpy with him first. Haven´t you been paying attention?” Vinyl retorted, a little offended since she thought she had explained things properly.
“No, I mean after we bring Derpy yo him. What would he do then?”
“Well, he...umh there this thing called the TARDIS...Lyra, say something!”
Lyra ignored her, still staring at Derpy.
“If you ask me, this story makes absolutely no sense,” Cotavia said.
“Nopony asked you, Octi.”
“Can I ask a question?” Derpy suddenly said. She wasn't talking to Vinyl thought, she was matching Lyra´s stare.
“Only if I can ask you a question too,” Lyra said.
Derpy shrugged and let Lyra made her question.
“Why aren´t your eyes unbalanced?”
“Why would they?”
“He said your eyes never got quite straight. But that´s not true,” Lyra said, looking through the purple shades at those golden eyes.
“I have no idea. Now it´s my turn. This Doctor...how do you feel about him? And be honest.”
Lyra kept quiet, letting the questions sink. Vinyl leaned closer to her, curious to know the answer. Much to her chagrin, Octavia was doing the same. Derpy was the only one completely serious.
“The Doctor...is a hero. He saved me from some crazy mannequins ponies. He held my hoof and told me to run. And we never stop running since then.”
Vinyl and Octavia looked at each other, equally confused but Derpy kept listening.
“He is loud and babbles all the time. He keeps talking about things that I don't understand and gets mad when I ask him to explain. He is always running, even when he doesn´t know where he is supposed to go. He is constantly breaking things or looking goofy when he tries to pick things with his hooves. He is smart, the smartest pony I've ever know. He is never afraid, not of any monster or any pony. He never lets anypony behind, always coming back for even the meanest of creatures. He always listens to me, even when he look like he´s ignoring me. He always asks my opinion on things. He looks at me like I´m the most fascinating thing in the universe. He is the Doctor but I´m not his companion.”
Lyra finished her rant with a sad smile.
However, before anypony could make any comment they heard the whistle of a pegasus guard.
“Oh no,” Vinyl said.
“I suppose this has to do with the part when you break into Palace,” Octavia said.
“We need to get out of here! Let´s run!”
“No,” Derpy said, getting up.
“What?!”
“If we run we´ll get their attention,” Derpy explained, picking up a pair of saddlebags from the floor. “Follow me and act like we´re a band.”
Lyra and Octavia obeyed her commands, taking the double bass case. Vinyl however was panicking, she had nothing to carry and didn't know how to keep a straight face.
“Just act natural,” Derpy said, handing her the pair of shades.
The four mares walked down the plaza in a straight line. It actually looked a little suspicion but crazier stuff had happened in Canterlot. Vinyl hoped none of the guards noticed the four mares walking in perfect formation. They passed next to a pegasus handling a flier to one of the musicians. Vinyl wished to Celestia he wouldn't turn right.
“Hey, you. Wait.”
Not such luck.
“Everypony run!” Vinyl shouted and trot off.
“Honestly, I think she would make a better companion for that Doctor guy that any of you,” Octavia said.
Lyra and Derpy said nothing and followed after VInyl. The guard was now chasing after them and he soon got tired of running, preferring to take flight.
“He is getting closer, “ Octavia mentioned.
“Then keep running!” VInyl shouted.
“I doubt we´ll oturun a Royal guard. They´re the second fastest pegasus after the Wonderbolts.”
“Don't say that!”
“Stop right there!” the guard shouted above their heads.
“We didn´t do anything!” Vinyl shouted but the guard wasn´t listening to reasons.
“Can I say something?” Octavia asked.
“Now? You want to ask a question now?” Vinyl shouted.
“I didn´t want to upset you anymore. that´s why I´m asking.”
“Just say it already!”
“He´s getting backups.”
And they looked behind them to see more pegasus joining the first guard.
“What are we going to do now?” Vinyl asked.
“I have an idea,” Lyra said.
“Are you sure it will work?” Octavia asked.
“I´m not sure.”
“Just do it already!” Vinyl shouted.
Lyra put her hoof on her mouth and whistled. At first nothing happened and Vinyl was about to yell at the other unicorn but then, a roaring sound came with a gust of wind. In front of them, a blue box slowly started to materialize.
“What´s that?” Vinyl asked.
“The TARDIS. Ha, this old trick does work! Quick, get inside!” Lyra ordered.
“A box? You want us to get inside a box?” Vinyl shouted.
“Just do it already!” Octavia shouted back.
Vinyl struggled to get the door open but it didn´t until Derpy pushed it. The four mares got inside, failing to realize they getting inside a large room that physically shouldn't be there. They rested against the door and Lyra made sure to put the lock.
“Are you sure this will keep them away?” octavia asked.
“Don´t worry. The Doctor says that not even the entire army of Genghis Khan could get through that door. I have no idea who that is but with a name like that, I trust the Doctor, “ Lyra explained.
“Woah…” Vinyl said, finally realizing how big the room was.
Octavia was similarly impressed while Lyra sighed, already used to it. Or so she should eel but she soon felt like her memories of the room were fading away. She looked around, unable to recognize certain elements. A chair that wasn´t there, a monitor that seemed out of place. This was the TARDIS, no doubt about it. But Lyra felt like it wasn't the same TARDIS she knew, if she actually knew the TARDIS in the first place.
“It´s..it´s…” Vinyl struggled with the words.
“Bigger on the inside?” Octavia finished.
Derpy was suspiciously quiet, ignoring the other mares. Lyra was about to ask her if she had any memories of this place when the room turned red and a ominous bell rang.
“Is that normal?” VInyl asked.
“No. This is bad. Really bad,” Lyra answered.
*******
Meanwhile, the Doctor and BonBon where in the worst place possible. A prison cell. Or so BonBon through since she had never been even in detention at school. She was panicking, shaking her chain while the Doctor was still quiet and not moving.
BonBon looked at him, wondering where the dashing stallion that rushed to save the day was. She wondered if the memories he gave them were real. Maybe he was secretly a magician, an unicorn that hid his horn with magic or something. considering how crazy the day has been so far, she wouldn't be so surprised. BonBon sighed, ready to admit defeat.
“Well, enough with this!” the Doctor suddenly shouted.
“What are you doing?” aq defeated BonBon asked.
“Trying to...get..these damn pockets...gah! I still missing having fingers. I never got sued to these hooves and having to use my mouth to pick things..:” the Doctor complained, rolling over his head to get something out. “Aha! My trusty Screwdriver! Why don't they ever search through my pockets?”
BonBon still had no idea what he was doing or saying so she just watched as the Doctor used some wand or something to break the chains and then moved to free her.
“Now, I could just break the lock but I doubt the guards at the other side will be too happy. If I could find just one loose bar I could push it with the Sonic. Now, where is it?” the Doctor said, prancing around the room and looking at every barred window.
“I give up,” BonBon said, falling to her haunches.
“Oh come on, BonBon! Don´t be like that! You know they always let a loose bar for emergencies. No wait, that was a cartoon I watched…”
“No, I give up trying to understand any of this. Nothing makes sense. Like, how did Trixie knew where we were? She said she had no idea who Twilight was.”
“Oh that's easy. She lied.”
“But you said she was telling the truth.”
“I lied.”
“Have you lied about something else?”
“No.”
“Was that a lie?”
The Doctor didn´t answered her.
BonBon sighed, figuring she won't get a straight answer from the crazy stallion. Her mood perk up a little when she heard the familiar chirping of a blue bird.
They looked up and saw the blue phoenix picking at one bar.
“Good job, Jay Jay!” the Doctor said and used his Screwdriver to lose the bar. “Excellent work, my child! I still believe the name doesn't suit you but I´m not one to complain.”
The Doctor climbed through the window, escaping the cell. BonBon remained seated and the frustrated Doctor had to peek to tell her to follow him.
“I´m afraid to ask but, now what?” BonBon asked as their rushed through the jail yard.
“Now, we find an exit from this site. Then, we met with Lyra and the other girls. And then...well, to be honest I haven´t thought that far away but something will come out. It always doeAHHH!”
“What´s wrong, Dcotor?”
“The...TARDIS...it´s...it´s...AH!”
And the Doctor fall unconscious. BonBon rushed to pick him up and soon they found surrender by a dozen armed guards and a very angry alicorn Princess.
“Oh no…”
Chapter 6
“You cannot stop me, pony!” the tall Changeling shouted, exposing her fangs to the group of ponies in front of her.
“Of course I will. I always stop you, any of your kind. Any time a petty, selfish changeling princess like you try to take over a small, pony town like this just to spite her Queen, I´ll be there to stop you!” the brown pony with an hourglass Cutie Mark said.
“You have no rights! You are a stranger in this world! How dare you?”
“Oh, I dare. Watch me dare!” he shouted, making the monster back down. “I dare because I´m not supposed to be here but neither do you! You want to play by the rules? You want to follow the natural order? then fight your way in the Hive, raise from a drone into a Queen and then come face the ponies but, if you want to cheat your way to the crown by using these ponies as your tools then...well, here I am!”
The young, prideful changeling hissed. The brown pony kept his look gazed on the creature and then opened a box in front of him, releasing a storm of snow upon her and her army.
“What´s this?”
“Windigos in a box. Reminds me of an old legend. I guess there´s some sort of irony attached, an old fairy tale bringing the end of a prepubescent dictator. Just...irony.”
“No! Stop this, Doctor! It´s cold...too cold!” the Changeling shouted but the Doctor ignored her and opened the box some more, releasing more snow and wind.
“Doctor!”
The Doctor kept ignoring the pleas even when these pleas came not from the changeling but from a pony behind him.
“Doctor, you´re killing her! Stop!”
He kept looking straight at the Changeling, watching her freeze and crumble. At his back, five ponies stood in terror, covering their mouth with their hooves or trying to look the other way. One pony however watched, she watched with her mismatched eyes at the pony in front of her committing the most despicable act she could think off.
“Doctor, please! You already won! Let her go!”
He kept looking, never taking his gaze away. Not even blinking. Just starting at the fragile wings turn into ice and break, the glowing black horn turn white and the jaw froze in an agony scream.
He kept watching the entire time.
*****
“Is there any way to stop him? Any spell that can reform him?” Derpy Hooves asked the Princess.
“That´s not how the reform spell works, Derpy. It brings forwards the natural good instincts of a creature, removing all the vile magic that could be corrupting it. The Doctor...may be extreme but his heart is in a good place. His two hearts,” Twilight explained.
“He shouldn´t be here. He is no different to the monsters he fights,” Derpy said.
“Derpy, he´s…”
“He must be stop, Princess. You must stop him before...before he…”
Twilight approached Derpy and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I know you´re worried about him, Derpy. He´s a little unpredictable but he´s not a stranger anymore. He belongs here now. He already explained to me why he can´t never change back to a human. He´s forever a pony now, an unusual type of pony. Besides, you don't really want him to go, right?” Twilight said with a smile but Derpy didn´t smiled back.
She kept her head low and when the Princess turned her back, she looked with her two eyes focused to the stand with the Elements of Harmony.
*****
“It´s...magnificent, “ Trixie said, holding the Crown with her hooves.
“Derpy, are you sure about this?” BonBon asked the grey pegasus.
“Yes. It´s for the best,” she answered, handling the candy maker Fluttershy´s Element.
“I believe she was referring to her being here, “ Octavia said, nudging to Trixie while she tried to adjust the balloon shaped necklace to her neck.
“Yeah, why do you bring her when you already have two cool unicorns?” Vinyl said, taking off her glasses.
“Because neither studied at Celestia's academy. Trixie knows how to handle magical items,” Derpy explained.
“Yeah, I remember how well she handled the Alicorn Amulet,” Lyra sarcastically replied.
“Hey, I...I mean, the Great and Apologetic Trixie has been studying a lot since that time. I bet that she can even handle the Alicorn Amulet now!” Trixie said, blushing offended.
“We need her,” Derpy said, putting on Rainbow Dash´s necklace.
Reluctantly, Lyra and Vinyl put on the orange and blue necklaces.
“Aside from Trixie´s questionable talent, there´s a more important point. We´re not the Element Bearers, how are they going to work?” Octavia asked.
“WIth that,” Derpy said, pointing at the blue box in the middle of the field.
By all accounts, it looked like a simple blue box but it was more than that. The way it stood in the field, like a second picture attached to a photograph, sticking out; it wasn't something born in Equestria. It looked like it but it didn´t belong.
“How exactly?” BonBon asked.
“It´s a magic conductor,” Trixie said. “This...box.”
“The TARDIS,” Lyra interrupted her.
“Yes, that. It´s a source of magic, one that I can´t quite identify but it´s powerful. While it´s true the Elements won´t answer to us they're still magic items and they resonate when exposed to a magic source like a spell or this box.”
“The TARDIS,” Lyra and Vinyl said.
“Yes. So when I activate the spell, the Elements will resonate with the box…”
“TARDIS!”
“I get it! I get it! The box will resonate with the Elements and the spell will work!” Trixie yelled.
“What spell?” BonBon asked.
Trixie looked at Derpy who was looking at the closed door of the TARDIS.
“A Cutie Mark removal spell,” she said.
*****
BonBon kept the unconscious Doctor close. She knew she had no chance of stopping the guards but she wasn´t going to go out without a fight. Lighting Dust descended in front of her and she hugged the Doctor closer. Jay-Jay flew over to the pegasus and pick her snout. Lighting Dust was quite obviously angry backed down while Trixie pushed her aside with a wing.
“Move,” she ordered BonBon but the earth pony didn´t move.
Trixie nodded to order the guards to separate both ponies but suddenly a bright, purple flash hit them and Twilight Sparkle materialized in between the alicorn Princess and her prisoners.
“That´s enough, Trixie.”
“How can you remember? You were not supposed to remember!” Trixie yelled.
“I´m a Princess and the Bearer of the Element of Magic. I´m the central focus of the Elements, of course the spell wouldn't affect me,” Twilight explained.
“No, Im a Princess now! And I´m not going to let you take this away from me!”
“You are letting your pride take the best of you again, Trixie. Look around, look at how much the world has changed because of your actions,” Twilight said, pointing at the dark clouds above their heads. “Our actions. I let this happen, thinking it was for the best but I forgot that there are consequences for every action. Like a pebble in a pond, this is what we caused.”
“No, itps..it´s his fault! He shouldn't be here!” Trixie said, pointing at the Doctor. “I took away his Cutie Mark, his destiny. He no longer has a place in here.”
“We made a mistake. His destiny is tied to that magic box…”
“The TARDIS,” BonBon interrupted her.
“Yes, that box and the Doctor are tied, it´s oart of his destiny. The spell tried to expel him but the box refused to let him go, it can't leave. And the effect of its presence here are spreading,” Twilight said.
Lighting Dust and the guards were as confused as BonBon but she was waiting to see what will Twilight or Trixie said next. The winged unicorn sighed and said, “What should we do then? How can we fix this?”
“I don´t think it´s up to us…” Twilight said.
****
“Why is it railing?” Vinyl yelled, trying to get a hold of a railing.
“I believe the correct question is how is it shaking bein a box biggen on the inside and,,.”
“SHut up, Octavia!”
“She´s in pain! Something is hurting her!” Lyra yelled and looked at Derpy, who was pulling levers and pushing buttons on the console.
“I´m sorry,” the pegasus murmured to the console pushing a big red button causing the entire structure to tremble.
“Derpy, what are you doing?”
“Fixing my mistake. The Doctor taught me how to operate the TARDIS and I can sent it away from Equestria. If I remove the connection it has with the Doctor, the spell will finally work and he´ll turn into a common pony. This time it will work,”
“What spell? What is she talking about?” Vinyl asked.
“Well, if you ask me…” Octavia began but then she noticed Vinyl´s expression. “Nevermind.”
“You knew him. You remembered him all along,” Lyra said but Derpy kept quiet. “You did this, you changed our destinies, swapped our Cutie Marks..”
“It was an accident! The spell was supposed to remove him of his Cutie Mark and changed into a regular pony. Take away...all of this,” Derpy explained, waving at the large buzzing console.
“I remember. I remember the TARDIS disappearing and going back, the Doctor returning for a trip…” Lyra said.
“Hey, I remember too. I was there and you were there,” Vinyl said, pointing at Octavia. “We were trying to do something.”
“You were whelping me. Helping me stop the Doctor. Stop him before he did something horrible again,” Derpy said.
“I remember...being so scared of him. Scared of what he is,” octavia said.
“That´s why you did it, right Depry?” Lyra said, using the railing to help stand up. “You didn´t want anypony else to be scared of him. You didn´t want to be scared of him anymore.”
“I just...I just wanted him to stop running…”
“Oh, you are not the first, my dear Derpy.”
They all turned to look at the door and saw the Doctor coming in helped by BonBon.
“Doctor!” Derpy said, unable to hold her feelings.
“But I´m afraid that…” And the Doctor opened a box that was on the ball and pulled a switch. Immediately, the lights went back to normal and the room stop shaking.
“Is that it?” Vinyl said, apparently disappointed the dramatic moment was finished by simply pulling a switch.
“Well, that takes care of that. What was I saying? Oh yes, I´m afraid that Is till have a little more of…” And he didn't finished the sentence because he fainted, again.
Lyra, Vinyl and Octavia rushed to his side. BonBon looked at Lyra, silently asking for help and the mint unicorn nodded. Behind them, Derpy Hooves fell to her haunches, tears finally set free.
*****
Lightning Dust hadn't understood a single thing of what was going but she was actually a simple pony who liked simpler things. When it come to flying, she simply went faster and higher. And when it comes to magic matter, she just let them on Trixie´s hooves. She trusted the Princess and wasn't a pony that would question Royalty so she was quite nervous when Trixie ordered her to sent the guards away and asked them to keep a perimeter around the blue box that had appeared on the city park. The guards weren´t exactly pleased since they had orders to capture the palace trespasser but they obeyed. Lightning Dust also managed to dismiss the royal servant that came directly from Princess Celestia, ordering Trixie to come back to Palace. While the unicorn didn't quite believed the story that Trixie was performing a magic experiment that required her full attention, she still retired, promising to come back with a captain of the Guard.
Lighting Dust and looked behind her at the blue box that seemed to concentrate all the unnatural dark clouds that loomed over the city. She really didn't understood what was going on but hoped that Trixie could fix it.
Trixie and the others were surrounding the Doctor, who kept going in and out of consciousness. The worried little blue phoenix was resting on Octavia´s who immediately took a liking to it.
“I just...I just wanted to prove that I was talented. That I could handle the Elements of Harmony just as well as you,” Trixie said, not daring to look Twilight at the eyes.
“I understand, Trixie. Like I said, this is also my fault. Byt the time I noticed that Derpy had stolen the Elements, it was too late,” Twilight said and everypony looked at Derpy who was still sobbing. “I woke up in Canterlot, knowing exactly what had happened.”
“Then why didn´t you tried to change it back? Why did you keep the secret?” Lyra asked her.
Twilight took a moment before answering. “When Trixie connected the Elements to the…” And Twilight looked at BonBon before continuing.
“TARDIS.”
“Yes, I felt it. Something...something deep, like an ancient type of magic.”
“What is it?” Trixie asked.
“I´m not exactly sure but it´s what makes the Doctor special and it´s exactly why we can´t change him.”
They all looked again at Derpy who was looking at the Doctor.
“I asked him. I asked him by he didn´t stop, why he didn't let her live. He told me…” And Derpy needed a pause before continuing. “He told me that everything has its time and place, that he was there because he needed to stop her. But, who´s going to stop him?”
“Well, I´ll say we already got our answer…”
“Doctor!”
The ponies rushed next to the Doctor who, despite the circumstances, was smiling.
“Doctor, I didn´t mean to…”
“Shh, it´s okay Derpy. No need to be sad. Remember what I told you, everything has its time and place and it seems mine…” And he winced in pain. “Mine is running out.”
“I can fix it! I can reverse the spell and change things back before it´s too late! Our memories are still intact, Twilight´s, Derpy´s and mine. Even they remember enough about you to bring you back and restore the balance!” Trixie rushed to say.
“That´s all nice and soun, except for one things...I don´t want to come back.”
“But Doctor…” Lyra said but the Doctor interrupted her with a hoof.
“Listen, I am an intruder. I don´t exactly belong here and trying to fix the mistake I am, caused this whole mess. It´s not just that your lifes changed but your swapped destinies are starting to resonate with the other ponies, with the entire kingdom. This is not how things are supposed to be, not how they work AH!”
“Doctor…” Derpy said and placed a hoof on his face.
“Don´t cry, my dear Derpy. I don´t like watching you cry…”
Derpy broke in tears and the others ponies were struggling with their own. Trixie looked at Twilight and she nodded. Trixie lightened her horn and the magic started flowing from her to the TARDIS and then it distributed among the other ponies.
Lighting Dust watched from afar as a rose glow rose from the spot the Princess were and as it grew, it slowly changed colors to purple. The glow engulfed the entire city and exploded, magic coursing through all of Equestria. Lighting Dust blinked and looked around, wondering why she was in Canterlot. Shrugging, she simply took off and flew back to Cloudsdale.
Trixie opened her eyes and saw Twilight spreading her wings.
“Glad to see you back, princess. Think you can forgive me?”
“I already have, question is if you can finally stop trying to prove that you´re better than everypony else. Just be proud of you are Trixie, instead of constantly looking for an easy opportunity,” Twilight said.
Trixie didn´t answered, just lowered her head.
“Alright, my Cutie Mark is back!” Vinyl Scratch loudly announced. “So it´s yours! And yours! And yours! And..”
Derpy wasn´t even listening to her. She was still crying over the cold, immobile body of the Doctor, her eyes having returned to being out of balance.
“He didn't make it,” Lyra sentenced.
A minute of silence passed by before they heard the loud chirp of a bird.
“Jay-Jay?” Lyra asked, watching the blue bird posing over the Doctor.
“Could it be?” Trixie asked.
Octavia was tempted to ask what but she kept her mouth shut.
“Could it be waht?” Vinyl asked and Octavia rolled her eyes.
“A blue phoenix it´s a creature of legend. It is said that they no longer exist on Equestria but there are tales of yore, of the blue birds that brought life,” Trixie began.
“Look,” BonBon said and they all looked at Jay-Jay starting to glow, her light transferring to the Doctor.
“For you see, while a red phoenix can return from its ashes…”
And Jay-Jay exploded in a flash of light, its final song dedicated to the Doctor.
“A blue phoenix gives its life to others,” Twilight finished.
The ponies watched in awe as the Doctor body trembled and changed. They watched his body shrink and a horn form on his head. When it finished, a completely different pony was in place of the Doctor.
“Good gracious! That was quite a nap!”
The unicorn looked at the dumbfounded ponies with their jaws open.
“What? Is there something on my face?
*****
The Doctor inspected his new body on the mirror. Actually it was HER new body now. She looked at the light blue coat and the white and dark blue mane. She inspected her horn, not quite sure how to use it yet. She lciked her tetther,s marvleing at how white they were. She then took a good look at her rump, giggling.
“Well, it´s good to see some things never change.”
Giggling some more, she went downstairs. She passed by the console on the way out and patted the old machine.
“Ah old friend, we have been through some rough bumps in the journey, haven´t we?”
The machine seemed to respond, emitting a soft buzz.
“Now that I got a change of style, you should follow suit. Tell you what, I´ll take a little walk outside and in the meantime, you can redecorate. I was thinking something classic, like a doctor´s office. I think it fits me, right?”
Winking, the Doctor left the room, letting the TARDIS to work its mysterious magic. Once outside, the first pony she ran into was a pretty confused Vinyl.
“Yes?” the Doctor asked with the other unicorn just inches away from her face.
“So...you are the Doctor? Or is it Doctor-ess?”
“Vinyl please, that isn't even a real word,” Octavia said.
“What she said. And yes,” the Doctor said, pushing Vinyl aside. “I am the Doctor.”
“You are not the Doctor,” BonBon sentenced.
“I am the Doctor. I just regenerated.”
“Regen-what?” Lyra asked.
“It´s a process that my species has. When we´re at the brink of death, out entire cellular structure…” the Doctor stopped when she noticed the complete look of confusion on their faces. “Magic.It was magic.”
The other ponies seemed satisfied with the answer and nodded.
“Good thing it happened. I was convinced the regeneration process wouldn't work in this new body but, seems the sacrifice of my little friend gave my body the necessary energy to change me.”
“Jay-Jay…” Lyra said and Vinyl patted her back.
“You´re still not the Dcotor,” BonBon isnsited.
“For the last time, I am the Doctor. I´m just a mre now which is, admittedly, an unusual feeling. I always wondered how it will be to regenerate into a woman. Never got a chance with my old body. Well, bodies actually.”
“This has happened before?” Octavia asked.
“A couple of times,” the Doctor dismissed the issue.
“No. I mean that you´re not the Doctor. I know this pony, this pony you turned into,” BonBon explained. “Her name is Minuette, she helps in the Hospital in the weekends.”
“Oh yeah, I know her too! She used to live in Canterlot!” Vinyl said.
“I did?”
“I seem to recall somepony similar as well,” Octavia said.
“Yeah, I think Ié saw her around town too,” Lyra added.
“Okay okay, this is important. Tell me more!” the Doctor said, pulling a notebook with her magic.
“Wait. How come we know you before today? that doesn't makes sense!” Vinyol said.
“Oh, it makes perfect sense. You haven't met me yet. i mean, you will. I mean, I need to come back in time and be there so you can meet before you meet me like I was before and...agh! this notebook keeps slipping! How do you hold things with magic? It´s more complicated than doing it with a horn!” the Doctor complained and the other ponies laughed.
“I don´t see what´s so funny about it…” the Doctor murmured and then she noticed Derpy Hooves approaching them. “Derpy?”
“You are still here,” she said.
“So it seems.”
Derpy smiled.
“Well, not me precisely. Not the old me,at least. Is this new me that it´s still pretty much the same me as before. Minus the gender and the coat and the mane and horn and teethes...Cutie Mark is still the same. Seems I´m a bit undecided on this incarnation, can't keep a thought straight. It´s gonna take a while getting sued too.”
“...yeah, I´m not sure which version of you was more annoying,” Vinyl said, causing the Doctor to frown.
“Does this means that you´re leaving?” Derpy asked.
“I guess so. I´m a new pony now, a new mare. I want to explore this new me. New body, new TARDIS. New companions.”
“Nw companions?” Lyra asked.
“They usually come with the whole package. Not necessarily, nothing says I can´t still travel with you, girls. But...I will understand if you don't want to come with me this time. I´ll understand if you don't want to come with me.”
They looked at Derpy, waiting for her answer.
“I want too but…”
“It's okay, Derpy,” the Doctor said, holding her hoof. “I understand.”
The TARDIS then called for the Doctor, the sound of its bells calling for adventure. The Doctor took a good final look at her friends, friends that she will never change one bit. She got a new opportunity, an opportunity to be with them without dragging them into danger. She already knew she had done it, she had managed to live a life as this pony Minuette for a while, hanging around with the other ponies. Now it was just a matter of figuring out how to do it.
Smiling, she rushed to the TARDIS. SHe stayed at the door, looking at the other ponies waving at her. The Doctor waved back and went inside the TARDIS, slowly fading away leaving a solitary leaf behind that floated in the air where a blue box used to be.