Ch. 5 - Beginning Anew

According to the Doctor, it has been exactly ten days since we left Zixtra Madora. Even now, I can still see the unease on his face when we encountered his old foe, the Master. Although….it was a bit odd, really. It seemed to me that the Doctor was looking rather sickly as of late…

“What do you mean, we’re heading back to Ponyville!?”, I exclaimed as he fiddled with a few switches on the console. “Just need to make a pitstop, Professor. Ponyville is quite the odd place, but Ms. Hooves and I realized something during our last visit there.”, the Doctor stated. I looked at Derpy and said, “Alright, explain?” Derpy looked up from the muffin she was about to eat and said, “According to the Doctor, there is a tear in the time vortex right on the outskirts of the town. Apparently, it stretches so far, we believe the source of it all is in the Everfree Forest. Through that, we can fuel up the TARDIS engines in order to continue traveling!” Strawberry’s eyes widened when Derpy said that. “Is this time rift dangerous?”, she asked. “It’s very dangerous. However, with the TARDIS, we can easily close it off once we refuel.”, the Doctor said, the engines groaning as we landed. He looked at the screen and said, “Well, give a stallion a medal. We landed on the exact day we left Twilight and Spike here, only five minutes difference from when we last left.”

Strawberry smiled as she stepped out of the TARDIS and stretched her arms towards the sky. She frowned as she looked around and said, “Uh, Doctor…I thought you said only five minutes had passed since we last left?” The Doctor wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and said, “That’s right, only five minutes. Why?” Strawberry looked around and said, “Because we’re in the middle of a forest!” I frowned when she said that. I immediately looked at my watch and said, “That can’t be right. The only forest around here would be the Everfree Forest.” When that was said, Strawberry screamed as she ran back inside the TARDIS, closing the doors fast behind her. “Strawberry, what’s wrong?!”, I asked, worried beyond belief. “I saw a timberwolf!” she replied.

The Doctor looked at Strawberry in shock and said, “A timberwo-AGGHH!!!” We all looked at him in worry as he fell over, clutching at his stomach. He looked at his hands as they glowed slightly. “No, not now! It’s not a good time!”, he wheezed, his hands returning back to their original brown. Strawberry gasped and said, “Doctor, was that what I think it was?” He nodded as he looked at me and Derpy and said, “We’re short on time. Strawberry, I’ll ask again: are you sure we landed in a forest?” Strawberry frowned as she peeked out of the doors again and said, “Well, you guys won’t believe this, but there is a huge forest outside covering all of Ponyville. We definitely landed next to Twilight’s Library, there’s no doubt about that! See for yourselves!” She opened the doors wide open, my jaw dropping immediately at the immense forest that had grown over Ponyville. I helped the Doctor to his hooves and we joined my daughter outside of the TARDIS, hearing the doors close with a click. “This is…this is amazing. How is this even possible, Doctor?”, Derpy asked, looking at a nearby flower which was definitely an enlarged Poison Joke flower.

“I have no idea, Derpy. But we best get some answers. Let’s go check on Ms. Sparkle before we do anything too drastic.”, the Doctor replied, walking towards Twilight’s front door. He knocked on it three times, a flash of purple was seen as he was whisked away inside quickly. “Get in here, you three! Quickly!”, Twilight said hastily. I looked at Strawberry, but I shrugged as we did what we were told and immediately walked inside. Twilight locked the door behind us, and I was surprised to see the remainder of her friends within the tree as well. “Professor! Where in the hay have you been all this time!? All of Ponyville is being attacked by the Everfree Forest!”, Rainbow Dash exclaimed, zipping up to me and looking me in the face. “I’ve noticed that, Rainbow. There is no need to yell at me over it.”, I said, covering both my ringing ears. “Sorry, Mr. Skyfire, but it’s my fault that Rainbow Dash is yelling at you. I had told her that if anypony could answer why the Forest is growing out of control, it would be you.”, Fluttershy said quietly, huddled up among her many pets.

I raised an eyebrow when she said that, but the Doctor beat me to the punch with the exact same question I was thinking; “Why him?”, he asked weakly. Spike stood to his feet and said, “”It’s the trees. For some reason, they are speaking and all of them are calling out Prodigy’s name, as if they are possessed or something! It’s really spooky! Everypony in town has been frantic for answers for the last few minutes ever since you left last time!” I looked at Spike in utter confusion when he said that. “Are you saying all of this has happened in only five minutes, AND IT’S MY FAULT?”, I asked. Twilight shook her head and said, “Not five minutes, Prodigy. FIVE DAYS. It’s been five days since you left with the Doctor in the TARDIS.” I immediately shot a dark look at the Doctor, only to see him clutching at his chest in pain. “Doctor, are you ok? You’re not looking well.”, I asked in a worried tone. He coughed slightly, gold smoke escaping his mouth. Strawberry walked over to the Doctor and said, “You’re dying, aren’t you, Doctor?”

Applejack walked over to us and said, “Dying, talking trees, him coughing up gold smoke, what the hay is going on here? Y’all seem to know more than you’re telling, and I think we deserve some answers!” Strawberry looked back at the mare and said, “As far as the entire tree predicament, we are at a bit of a loss. As for the gold smoke, I think I can explain that a bit more. Best get comfy, this will be a crazy explanation.” I looked at my daughter and said, “The shortest explanation possible, Strawberry. We don’t have time.”

Once I said that, she explained the many conversations she has had with the Doctor, even explaining the time she got lost within the TARDIS and found proof of his past lives as a humanoid time traveler and not the stallion we saw before us. By the time she finished telling about how she and I was traveling through time and space with him and Derpy, everypony in the entire room was silent….

“Time travel without the use of a magic spell? It almost sounds way too impossible to believe.”, Rarity stated with a disbelieving look. “An alien from another universe that can change his physical appearance on the verge of death? That’s way too crazy to think that exists!”, Rainbow Dash stated. She looked over at Twilight and said, “You look like you believe this story.” Twilight nodded and said, “I’ve had first-hand experience of traveling in the TARDIS, as well as Spike. What felt like hours was only a couple of minutes for you girls. During then, it was when the Professor proposed to me.” I looked at Strawberry and then to the Doctor and said, “Radiation poisoning? You should’ve died before you even made it to our universe, doctor.” He chuckled softly, another puff of gold smoke escaping his lips and said, “Yeah, well, even I can’t explain how my regeneration has been delayed for this long time. I’ve been here on Equus for almost two months traveling with Derpy.”

“Well, that would explain why you haven’t been seen in such a long time, Ditzy! I was so worried about you!”, Pinkie said, hugging Derpy tightly. “P-Pinkie! Choking!”, Derpy wheezed, Pinkie immediately letting her go. I chuckled but immediately said, “I know it is painful to me, but I must return to the forest to get to the bottom of this problem. You think you can make it there, Doctor?” He was just about to reply, but a loud bell was heard from outside. His eyes widened as it rang again, immediately springing to his hooves. “No! No no no no no!”, he exclaimed, running outside quickly. “Doctor, what’s wrong!?”, Derpy exclaimed, following him immediately. He snapped his fingers as the TARDIS doors opened immediately, a bright red glow exiting from within it. I ran outside as I saw Derpy and him walk into the TARDIS, I followed reluctantly. I was in shock at how the TARDIS sounded once I walked in. “Doctor, what’s going on here? What’s with that bell?”, I asked. “It’s the cloister bell. It’s an alarm that only goes off if the TARDIS or its inhabitants are in danger.”, he replied in a solemn tone. He looked to his right and said, “This is your doing, isn’t it old friend?” I looked immediately to his right and flinched slightly to see yet another alien staring back at us. He was humanoid in shape, but he had what looked to be octopus tentacles dangling from his face and dark amber eyes. He had no nose, and he was completely clad in what appeared to be a dark blue jumpsuit with the symbol of Sigma emblazoned on the right side of the jumpsuit. He was holding a small sphere in his hand which was connected to the inside of what seemed to be his mouth. “Doctor, what in Tartarus is that thing?”, I asked in a surprised tone. “Don’t be rude, Prodigy. That’s Ood Sigma. And we go way back, way too far back. How is it that you are here now, Ood Sigma?”, he asked the alien.

“This is a hologram that was created through the power of the Ood brain back on the Ood Sphere, my friend. It had sensed your presence and thought it best for me to talk to you. My question, however, is probably more important: how are YOU still alive?”, Sigma asked gently. The Doctor shook his head when Ood Sigma asked him that, watching the entire TARDIS console glow from its normal color to a shade of sickly red. “The TARDIS has become a paradox machine.”, he said, his eyes wide in horror as he watched his ship twist and contort itself to a different form around us. “You are being shown an impossible truth, Doctor. The only reason a paradox machine would exist if it is keeping a paradox intact. I can only think of one reason what it could be though, and I think you can easily deduce what that is.”, Sigma stated.

The Doctor looked up to the roof of the TARDIS in thought for a few minutes, only to gasp in shock. He looked at Sigma as he nodded and said, “You thought correctly. You are the reason this is happening, Doctor. The TARDIS must’ve known you were needed for something, so she turned herself into a paradox machine and kept you from regenerating. She even put up a very convincing perception filter around herself in order to keep the truth a secret. But now, you are weakening and as a result, so is she.” I watched as Sigma walked over to the console and placed a hand on it gently, hearing the TARDIS engines whine weakly, the cloister bell going off lowly once again. He looked at the Doctor and said, “I say you have three hours, Time Lord. Hurry, save the world one more time. But remember, the song is ending, so make it count.”

With a bright flash of light, Ood Sigma vanished from among us. The Doctor sighed as he ran towards a nearby corridor. “Professor, Derpy, Strawberry, follow me! We don’t have much time!”, he stated further along. We looked at each other as we immediately followed the stallion further into the TARDIS. Faster and faster the alien ran as he came to a screeching halt in front of a door, breathing heavily. Derpy placed a hand on him in worry as he waved her away to ensure he was alright. He opened the door and my eyes widened as I saw the most peculiar of contraptions lying about, but as far as I could tell, they looked like different modes of transportation. The Doctor tossed Derpy, Strawberry, and myself a helmet and said “Put them on. Turn the key to the right, right handlebar is the ignition, both of the gears are the brakes.” I raised an eyebrow as him and Derpy hopped onto one of the strange contraptions and drove out towards the front door of the TARDIS.

“Stop gawking, Papa! Let’s go!”, Strawberry said, sitting in a little carriage. I sat on the larger part of the mechanism and did just as the Doctor said, the machine roaring to life as we drove out quickly out of the TARDIS behind the Doctor. My eyes widened as I looked at the Time Lord and said, “What the hay is this thing, Doctor!?” He grinned and said, “It’s called a Motorcycle! It’s from my universe! Never mind that, to the Everfree Forest!”

With that, I followed the Doctor towards the Everfree Forest, making sure I didn’t crash into anypony or anything along the way. As I saw the forest come into view, I saw how it was growing out of control and immediately a sense of dread entered my heart as I could only imagine what we would come across this time….

The Doctor came to a stop within a clearing in the forest, a shaking Derpy hopping off of his motorcycle immediately afterwords. As soon as I turned the engine off on my own ride, I noticed that there was a lot of animal cries within the forest. Strawberry clinged to my leg and said, “What is making all the animals do that, Papa?” I shook my head at her question, even I had no idea why the animals were so restless. “Well, Doctor? Any ideas? I’m a bit of a loss right here.”, I said, looking around us all cautiously. He shushed me slightly then cupped his ears and said, “That’s not possible….this is bad, very bad.” Derpy looked at the Doctor and said, “What’s bad, Doctor?” He removed his sonic screwdriver from his coat and said, “I can understand the languages of all animals, and every animal here is saying the exact same thing. Listen!” My eyes widened when he said that as he activated his Sonic, but then everything went quiet as all of the animals spoke in unison, saying something that froze me down to the very core: “The being wrapped in death escapes to the world of life when the cursed immortal leaves her mark on him to join a neverending fight. With impossible facts to block his path, he must slowly see just what kind of person he is and what he must live to be. The bond of eight with destinies intertwined shall decide…whether the Living Paradox continues to live….or finally DIE.”

“Ok, that is certainly not a good sign.”, I said as a low growl as heard behind me. I turned around, only to barely miss a large paw scratch at me and my daughter, the paw belonging to a manticore,  an angry one at that. “Uhh, Doctor, Derpy, Strawberry, you want my suggestion?”, I said with a worried tone. “We’re all ears!”, the three said in unison. “Well, in this case, I say…RUN!!!”, I exclaimed, lifting Strawberry up as I ran in another direction, the Doctor and Derpy immediately followed as the manticore chased after. As a few minutes passed, more and more of the animals within the forest soon gave chase after us. “Professor, what is happening here?! Every animal in the forest is after us!”, Strawberry said, ducking into my labcoat as a hydra spat fire at us. “I haven’t the slightest idea! Doctor, anything?!”, I asked. The Time Lord was just about to reply when a flash of purple snatched him up and into a nearby cave. “Over here! Quickly, or your lives are forfeit!”, a voice rang out from the cave. None of us hesitated as we ducked into the cave, watching the animals run past us quickly.

Strawberry sighed heavily as she said, “That was way too close.” I panted heavily as the Doctor came towards us and said, “This way, quick. You’d never believe who just helped us!” Derpy looked at me with a confused face, but did as we were told as we followed the Doctor deeper into the cave. A soft glow was emitting from deep within as I began to see lots of markings on the walls. “No way, these marks on the walls. Doctor, this is ancient Zebrabwaen text! I’ve seen it at Zecora’s place before! But why would it be here of all places?”, I asked. “What does it say, Professor?”, Derpy asked, before the voice from before said, “This world is corrupted by the war. Only HE can mend its pain. Or cause its destruction.” I looked to my right to see a young mare looking back us with light pink eyes, a familiar shade that I remember seeing before in my travels.

“Wait a minute….you. You’re that pony from the past, what was it? ….Soothsayer! But how?”, I asked, before she raised a finger to her lips and shushed me immediately. “It’s not safe to talk here. Follow me.”, she said as she returned to the furthest depths of the cave. The four of us followed as we came to a sole cavern filled with many objects that seemed like they should’ve been in a museum. “What is this place?”, Derpy asked, looking at an old hourglass. “This is my home. Other than Zecora’s home, it’s the second-most safest place in the forest.”, Soothsayer said, sitting down on a wooden chair. “I don’t get it. How could you possibly be here, Soothsayer? We met you during the Cyberpony invasion back before Celestia and Luna were born. Soothsayer chuckled and said, “Well, I am certain your time traveler friend can answer that for you.”

The Doctor wiped his forehead of sweat as he said, “Let’s see….fixed point in time, perhaps? It’s the only explanation for you not aging in over a thousand years.” Soothsayer smiled softly as she ran a hand over the necklace that was on her neck. “This choker has been in my family for centuries. However, it has only ever been a normal trinket…until three years before you four arrived to my home, that is. It’s been contaminated by the dark energies that are constricting this planet, even as we speak. Every planet outside our own has had an adverse effect to this energy, and it is spreading. But, thanks to my skills as a fortuneteller, this necklace also enhanced my abilities to perceive the past, present, and future right down to the smallest detail.”, she said. The Doctor scoffed as Soothsayer looked at him and said, “I’ll not have a dying man laugh at my abilities, especially not you, man of Gallifrey. So far from home you are, yet many things from your universe is bleeding into our own. Haven’t you ever wondered why?”

The Doctor looked away slightly with a concerned look on his face as Soothsayer said, “Ah. You already know why. For some time, I wager. The effects of the war has leaked from its source and it has spread out so far. It even reached you, dear Doctor.” I looked at the Doctor and said, “What does she mean, Doctor? What war?” The Doctor stayed silent for a few minutes, looking at his hands as they glowed again, showing his regeneration was quickly approaching. He finally said, “You know what we are looking for in this forest, don’t you, Soothsayer?” The mare closed her eyes in thought, then reopened them to show that they were glowing a ghastly white. “Yes, I do indeed. At the very core of the forest, an odd occurrence is happening as we speak.”, she stated. “It’s the Everfree Forest, everything is odd in here.”, Derpy replied. Soothsayer shook her head as she said, “Not like this. As you all know, the Everfree Castle is not far from this location. Professor, I am certain you can imagine the location I am mentioning.” I shuddered slightly when I said, “Unfortunately. It’s like fate or a curse that the Everfree castle keeps coming up during my travels with the Doctor. Why?”

“A being from another world has taken refuge within the castle. It’s even safe to say that this being is even out of the wrong time as well. But, it has been corrupted by this dark energy and it is bleeding into the very surroundings of the castle, including the Tree of Harmony. You’ve got to bring a stop to it, otherwise this world will crumble.”, Soothsayer stated, before falling into a chair behind her, completely drained of strength. I cleared my throat slightly and said, “Alright then. Looks like we know where to go.” Strawberry looked at me and said, “Are you sure, Papa?” I shook my head and said, “Not at all. However, as the girls said, these things are connected to me somehow, so I gotta go. There is no other option. Doctor, think you can make it there without dying on us?” He smiled softly as he said, “I have enough time to get there. Allons-y, everyone!” I nodded as I looked at Soothsayer who had fallen asleep on her chair, then walked out of the cave with the others towards the distant castle.

As we could see the castle looming over us, I looked around and saw how the plants in the nearby vicinity was withered and dying. Soothsayer was definitely right when she said that something was corrupting the area nearby. I looked towards the gorge and saw a bright light flickering within it. The Tree of Harmony was definitely in danger as well from whatever was inside. Whatever it was, however, was the last thing I was expecting to see….

The Doctor and I pushed the large oak doors to the castle open, a cloud of dust greeting us as we walked inside. I looked around and said, “Is it me, or does something seem different about this place?” Derpy flew around the room and said, “It looks like everything is brand new in here! How could that be?” The Doctor looked at Derpy and said, “Remember what Soothsayer said: this being is not only from another world, but another time as well. They could’ve easily did this. …Wait. It couldn’t be him, could it?” I raised an eyebrow when he said that, easily realizing what he was thinking of, but our thoughts were brought to a halt when a loud noise was heard from the throne room. “They’re in there! Let’s go!”, I said, moving towards the throne room. I pushed at the door to realize it was locked. “Sorry, Twilight. I know you said you wanted to refurbish this place, but saving the world takes priority!”, I said, ramming into the door, only to grunt in pain. “Professor, take it easy! That’s not like a normal door, you know!”, the Doctor said, running his sonic screwdriver on the door. He growled as he said, “This is embarrassing! I need to tune this thing so it can work on wood!” Strawberry frowned and said, “So, we can’t get in then?” The Doctor and I went silent for a few seconds, but then Derpy immediately stated, “Leave this one to me, guys! Iron posterior, away!!” I was at a loss for words for what happened next: Derpy ended up knocking the doors off their hinges with a flying bum tackle. “What? Doctor, did she?”, I asked.

“Yes.”, he replied. “With her?”, I stated. “Yes. Don’t ask how, I don’t even question it.”, the Doctor said, walking into the room immediately. Strawberry and I followed, only to see a sole being in the entire room, sitting on Writing Glory’s former throne reading a book. However, he looked right at us with a familiar shade of red eyes. “T-That’s not possible! How?!”, I stated. “Professor, what? How are you….over there?”, Derpy said, looking at the being as well. The Doctor frowned angrily as Strawberry looked in confusion as we were looking at an exact duplicate of myself. He smiled coldly as he stood to his feet and said, “Well, I was wondering when you four would appear before me.” He looked at a pocketwatch and frowned as he said, “Yet, you are a couple of years too soon for it. I am disappointed, Doctor. You are losing your touch.”

“Imposter. A changeling imitating me is the cause of all this trouble? How dare you take my face?!”, I exclaimed to the other me. He frowned as he flew over to me quickly and looked me dead in the eyes. “Do I seem like a changeling to you? Do I even remotely act like one to you?”, he asked, before grinning coldly. My eyes widened as I saw his eyes flash from red to a dual-colored pair of silver and green. I went into shock after that, since I recognized those eyes very clearly. “No…not you. It couldn’t be. You were a nightmare I had!”, I stated, watching as his entire body morphed in front of us: his fur fading to a pale gray, his hair morphing to a similar shade with strands of jet black. He chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair and said, “A nightmare, huh? Seems like an appropriate title to label me as, considering how hard I tried to destroy you.” He looked at me and chuckled then said, “But, when it comes right down to it, what seems to be more believable: your life or the nightmares you have each night?”

I breathed heavily as he leaned in close to me and whispered in my ear saying, “You can feel it. I am you. At least, a part of you. You can thank your….friend Discord for allowing me another chance of burning you alive, right down to the core. You should’ve never left home, little boy. Now, you’re all alone with me.” I froze when he said that, but then, a stick hit the imposter in the back rapidly. He frowned as he looked back and saw Strawberry behind him. “You leave my Papa alone, you bully! What has he done to you?!”, she yelled. The imposter narrowed his eyes as he said, “What has he done?” My heart dropped as he slapped Strawberry hard on the cheek, knocking her onto the ground. “Everything.”, he said. “You monster! How could you strike a little filly like that!”, I said, kneeling near Strawberry, holding her close to me. “What, you actually care for her? Or for those other ponies you call friends? Or for the Doctor, neither of which you know?”, the imposter said, only to notice my cutie mark glowing brightly on my forehead. He laughed slightly as he said, “Oh, so you are in there. So, which one are you: the brat or the Egyptian?”

“What are you doing here, Arufunu? I sealed you away during the war! That was the only thing I could do to stop you!”, I said. Arufunu smirked and said, “You would like to know. Unfortunately, I’m not going to tell you, Yami. Oh wait, that’s not what they call you here. What was it again? ….Oh right, the Phantom Nightbolt. Ha, what a laugh! Even back in our world, you were a bit…abnormal.” The Phantom frowned as Arufunu said, “I could kill you right now, but where’s the fun in it for me? You’ll see me again, but you better be prepared, cause this time you WILL die.” He laughed loudly as he vanished in a black cloud, leaving me alone with the Doctor and the others. The entire castle rumbled as it reverted back to its normal state, all of the surroundings outside returning to how it should be very slowly. I sighed softly as the mark on my forehead vanished, groaning immediately as I said, “W-What happened?”

“Don’t you remember?”, Derpy asked. I shook my head as I said, “I remember that imposter slapping Strawberry, then everything went black. Where did he go?” The Doctor said, “Gone. He’s gone. You stopped him, Professor.” I smiled softly as I looked at Strawberry in my arms and said, “Let’s return to Twilight’s library.” The Doctor and Derpy nodded as we retired from the castle, heading back to ponyville immediately.

As we returned to Twilight’s library, everypony bombarded us with questions on what happened. However, the Doctor insisted that nothing had happened. Doctor, what are you trying to hide?

As we sat inside the library, the Doctor groaned in pain again. “Doctor, is it?!”, I said as he raised a hand, it glowing even brighter now. “It’s time. Derpy, Professor, can you help me?”, he asked. I nodded as Derpy and I helped him to his hooves and walked out to the TARDIS. He snapped his fingers as the doors opened, the cloister bell ringing even louder than it was earlier. “Sorry, but you two have to leave now. I must do this alone.”, the Doctor said, walking over to the TARDIS console. “Sorry you have to go so soon, Doctor. It was fun, it really was.”, I said. He chuckled softly, but it came to an end when the doors closed behind Derpy and I, the TARDIS engines roaring to life on their own. “Doctor, what’s happening?”, Derpy asked. “No idea, I didn’t do anything!”, the Doctor said, groaning in pain again as his body glowed again. The TARDIS lurched and groaned and shook violently as it began to fall apart on the inside, the doors opening immediately to show the time vortex outside of it. “Hang on, you two! Hang on!”, the Doctor said. Immediately, we grabbed onto the console, trying to hold on as tight as we can. “I can’t do it! I’m gonna fall!”, Derpy said, her grip slipping slightly. “Just hold on!”, the Doctor said, reaching a hand out as some of his regeneration energy blasted Derpy in her eyes. “It hurts! It hurts! Doctor, help!”, Derpy exclaimed, before finally losing her grip on the console. “Derpy!!!!”, the Doctor yelled as she fell out the door. I frowned as I let go of the console, flying after her. “Professor, come back!”, the Doctor said, before I looked at him, my cutie mark glowing on my head once again. “Go, Doctor! I’ll save her! You can count on that!”, I said as a bright light enveloped me as I caught Derpy in my arms, vanishing from the time vortex, leaving the Doctor behind.

“But….I don’t wanna go...”, the Doctor said softly as he finally exploded in a burst of radiant gold, his body shifting with a new one, the TARDIS reformatting itself into a normal time machine. The Doctor yelled as his regeneration neared completion, before finally emerging from his transformation into an entirely different being. The Time Lord looked at himself and said, “Well, that was painful. Let’s see here: legs, still have those. Excellent, hands and fingers, LOTS OF FINGERS! Arms, two eyes, nose…definitely had worse, chin-blimey! Hair? STILL NOT A GINGER! Regeneration, it’s an unfair gamble! And why is my chest heavy?” He immediately looked down and said, “Oh. I regenerated into a woman. It’s been a while since that happened, what, 850 years ago perhaps? Wait, no! I’m forgetting something! Something very important!” The Doctor grunted as she was thrown onto the floor by the exploding TARDIS, laughing as she said, “Of course, I’m crashing! GERONIMO!!!” She laughed as she flipped a bunch of switches as the TARDIS launched itself out of the time vortex to who knows where.

Meanwhile, back on Ponyville…

Twilight rubbed a hand on Strawberry’s head gently as she slept. She looked out the window of her library as she noticed the TARDIS was long gone as well as the remainder of the Everfree forest. “Everything is back to normal now.”, she said, but soon after, a loud boom was heard outside. “What was that?!”, Spike asked, coming out of the kitchen with a bowl full of gems. “No idea!”, Twilight stated as her front door was pushed open, I walked in carrying Derpy on my arms, my cutie mark still flashing rapidly on my forehead. “Help me, Princess Twilight! She got hurt!”, I said. “Phantom Nightbolt, what happened?!”, Twilight asked as she led me to her bedroom. I placed Derpy on the bed gently and said, “She was hit with some of the Doctor’s regeneration energy. She also fell into the time vortex. If I didn’t jump after her, she may have not made it.”

“Oh, the poor girl! She isn’t hurt too badly, is she?”, Twilight asked. “Well…she’s unconscious, so I can show you without any regrets.”, I said, lifting up one of Derpy’s eyes, showing that her eye had changed from its normal yellow shade to a shade of bright blue and a very familiar shade of blue as well. “Is that what I think it is?”, Spike asked, seeing me nod in agreement. “It is: it’s the same shade as the Doctor’s. However, what it means, I haven’t the slightest idea. We can only wait and see what happens next.”, I stated before falling over onto the bed, my cutie mark returning to where it should be once again. Spike and Twilight looked at each other with a worried face, both thinking the same thing what was to happen next.

As Derpy, Strawberry, and I slumbered and slept the fatigure of the events that transpired that day, the Doctor continued hurtling towards her newest adventure. Where she will land, who knows…