A Thousand Son in Equestria, part 38 (Back 2 the future)

>Space is cold.
>You've never really been out there to test it, but it is really, really cold.
>Even in a suit of fully enclosed armor, it's cold.
>You have poor memories, almost-nightmares, of your time on the moon.
>This, somehow, was worse.
>As your muscles come back to your own control, you flail about, raging and roaring.
>None can hear you, of course.
>Space is silent.
>Once again, you find yourself without a way to track the time.
>You don't even know where you are.
>Everywhere you look are stars, tiny pinpricks of light in endless darkness.
>For a time, all you can feel, all you can think about, is hatred and rage.
>Rage you cannot give voice to.
>You cannot return to Equestria, even if you could find it.
>The barrier was still in place. The only things that could bypass it were the Doctor's infernal machine and the El-
>Wait.
>WAIT.
>Oh, oh Doctor, you have made a terrible mistake.
>You gather the Warp.


>To your endless glee, you feel the Immaterium respond to your call.
>Wherever the Doctor dropped you, the Warp was still in place.
>Strange, though. It was calm...
>Too calm...
>No.
>No, he wouldn't.
>In desperation, you reach out telepathically, broadcasting a distress call, a scream for aid into the Warp.
>Perhaps you are near an Eldar craftworld?
>Maybe that is why the Warp is so calm, some sort of-
>"Are you okay Mister?"
>You turn your head, struggling to orient yourself as you float in space.
>And what you see flying behind you causes your hearts to plummet into the purest despair.
>She can speak, of course.
>She's blazing in the calmness of this Warp, a beacon of purity in the cold darkness.
>"Mister?"
>Celestia.
>As a filly.
>That brown bastard was too clever or too cruel to leave you where you could summon aid.
>The Doctor dumped you in Equestria.
>More than 40,000 years in the past.
>Your silent scream of rage would have shattered a tank if space was capable of carrying sound waves.

IN PONYVILLE
>The Doctor struggles to keep from smiling as Ditzy lets him in.
>Ditzy sighs and flutters over to her couch before sitting down and wiping her eyes.
>"Okay...okay Doctor. Tell me what happened."
"We...that is to say, Anonymous and I, got in a little argument. I knew you wouldn't listen, so I tried to go through him."
>Her eyes glare at you in a look you know too well.
>"Are you telling me you tried to convince Anon to LEAVE ME!?"
"Yes. I'm not going to lie to you, Miss Hooves. You knew what we saw."
>"And you know we can change tha-"
"And I was jealous."
>That shuts her up. Ditzy's a sucker for emotional responses.
>You feel a brief, tight pain near your heart when you think that, but you ignore it.
>This is all for the greater good.
"But that's not the end of it. He didn't believe me, like you STILL don't. He said he would never hurt you, would never cause such devestation. So I resolved to show him what I showed you."
>She's started sniffling again, and you give her a moment.
>"A-and then?"
"He didn't...didn't take it well, as you can imagine. We got into another argument. In the TARDIS this time."
"Ditzy. I told him about the Time Vortex."
>Her hooves go to her mouth.
"He tried to use it, and change....whatever would cause him to do what he was destined to do."
>Ditzy starts crying again, and you lean forward to put a hoof on her arm.
"He couldn't handle it, Ditzy. It tore his mind apart. I'm so sorry."
>Ditzy starts crying again, and that gives you room to lean over....into Dinky, who's hopped on the couch and started glaring at you.


>Ditzy's still crying as Dinky scrunches up her face and glares at you.
>"Mommy, he's ly-"
>This filly was FAR too clever for her own good.
>Curse that human's genes.
>You jam a hoof into her mouth and pull her into an embrace.
"Shhh, Dinky, let your mother grieve."
>Ditzy, still crying, looks up from her hooves to look at you.
>"Why didn't you stop him?"
"Wha...what?"
>"Why didn't you STOP HIM, Doctor? You told me all about Time thingy. I know what it can do, and you never let me near it! Why didn't you STOP HIM?"
>You blink.
>"I...Ditzy, you've seen him. You know I don't carry weapons. How COULD I have stopped him. I'm sorry, Ditzy, really, I just..."
>She bursts into tears again, and you move over to comfort her.
>It takes a bit of self-control to keep from growling in frustration as she holds up a hoof to keep you away.
>"No...I don't...I don't want to see you right now. Just..."
"How about I make us some tea? Dinky can help me. I know you always loved my tea."
>She gives a soft, sad smile.
>"O..okay....tea. Go make tea."
>You smile back and drag Dinky towards the kitchen.

In Space
>"Uh. Mister? I can't hear you."
>You're out of air to shout with. You've used a day's worth of air supply to scream in anger.
>Instead you just float, arms crossed, as you wait to die in an airless void.
>Celestia hasn't left your side the whole time, flittering around you in a circle as she watches you.
>"I've never seen anything like you before, Mister! Are you a new friend? The Makers have been creating a lot of us lately while they get Equestria together! Come on, I'll take you!"
>You give an annoyed grunt that she can't hear as she wraps your head in her hooves and starts dragging your weightless ass through space.
>That's when something hits you.
>Equestria.
>It was already made...
>You had an idea of how to get out of this mess.
>All you needed was a heavy obj-
>You gasp in surprise as Celestia wraps the both of you in a golden light, teleporting you through space...
>Into a green field.
>"Oh yay, you can talk!"
>You ignore her as your mind starts racing.
>Your plan was simple, and that's what scared you. The Doctor had to know you'd escape this. So why send you here in the first place?
>He needed time for something, but what?
>He wanted you apart from Ditzy and Dinky.
>He wanted Ditzy to love him agai-
>Wait. Dinky.
>Your mind skirts over the conversation you'd had with the Doctor. Your timeline, the one he'd seen already, was accelerating.
>Dinky, the filly, your daughter, was already here. And he'd said something about Dinky, your daughter, in Ditzy's be-
>A paradox.
>A time paradox. Both couldn't exist at the same time.
>He wanted to kill your daughter.
>Your scream of rage sends baby Celestia tumbling head over heels into a tree, and scatters every bird within a mile.

In Ponyville
>The Doctor had to work quickly.
>That Sorcerer might be a bit dense, but he'd figure it out.
>"Mister Doctor?"
"Yes, Dinky?"
>"Why'd you lie to Mommy?"
>You turn your widest smile on Dinky as the pair of you make your way into the kitchen.
"Sometimes, Dinky, we have to tell lies to the ones we love to keep them safe."
>Dinky gives a slow nod to process what you're saying, but then puts a hoof to her chin as she thinks.
>"But Mommy doesn't love you, Doctor. She loves Daddy."
>You're glad you're turned away from Dinky, because it would be...unfortunate if she caught the spasm of rage that just crossed your face.
>Instead, you turn and give her a smile.
"But I love her, Dinky. And that's all that matters. Now come on. I'm going to teach you how to make tea!"
>She gives a small shrug and moves to open the fridge, while you get the ingredients and start mixing the drink.
>Dinky watches you, enraptured, as you get it all mixed together.
>"I've never had tea before, Doctor."
"You did, once, when you were younger. Too small to remember it, probably. But I promise, you're going to love this batch. Oh, Dinky, watch out! A spider!"
>She gives a tiny shriek and whirls around, which gives you time to dump a white powder into one of the two cups of tea.
>That should be enough. Dinky's too young to need much, after all.
>"Doctor, you tricked me!"
>You turn around into a glaring filly's eyes.
"I'm sorry about that, really I am. But here, let me make it up to you. Have a glass of tea!"
>You hoove her her a glass, and she grabs it in her little telekinesis, still scrunching at you.
>Then she takes a drink.

IN FAR PAST EQUESTRIA

>You start digging a hole.
>You don't have much time.
>Or you have too much time.
>You're not sure which, and you're too pissed to figure it out.
>Celestia, still rubbing her head and sniffling, is watching you dig.
>"Mister, what are you doing?"
"I'll tell you in a second, I swear."
>You look at the depth of the hole.
>Ten feet. Judging for future soil layers and current depth, it would be good enough.
>It would have to be.
"Alright, Celestia, are you listening to me?"
>"How do you know my na-"
"NOT IMPORTANT. NOW LISTEN."
>She whimpers, and if you had time to feel bad about it, you would.
>BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TIME, MOTHERFUCKER. OR YOU HAVE ALL THE TIME, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
"Celestia, I want you to remember this spot. Remember it, no matter what happens in the future. Forget my face, forget what I look like, whatever, but remember this spot. Forty thousand years in the future, before night falls, you have to come here, and you have to wake me up. I don't care how, just do it. You cannot forget this, Celestia, it's VERY important. The future could depend on it."
>The alicorn filly gives you an adorable salute.
>"I won't let you down, Mister! I'll remember! The Makers say I'm good at remembering things!"
>You don't bother to give her a response. Instead, you focus on one of the trees near you.
>With a rage-filled burst of telekinesis, you rip the tree out of the ground and slam it...
>Right into your own face.
>You topple into your hastily dug pit, your body shutting down as it enters a sus-an coma.
>Leaving a very confused baby Celestia staring at your pit and the felled tree.
>Shrugging, she turns and runs off to go find Woona and tell her about her new friend.


>The Doctor hums to himself as he brings the tea into the living room.
>Inwardly, he steeled himself for what he was about to do.
>Dinky trots after him, making 'mmmm' sounds.
>"That tea was delicious, Doctor!"
"I told you you'd like it, Dinky."
>Ditzy looks up as the both of you make your way in.
>Those red-rimmed eyes tug at your heartstrings, and you curse yourself for what you are about to do.
>But it had to be done.
>The Dinky growing in Ditzy's belly would tear reality apart the second she was born.
>Better to kill her in the womb, before Ditzy even knew.
>Dinky sniffles again.
>"Was it really that good, muffin?"
>"Uh huh! Mom, you've got to try some!"
>You set the glass of tea on the table and move it towards Ditzy.
"Here, Miss Hooves. Have some."
>You smile.
"It will make you feel better. I promise."

Canterlot Castle, The Royal Chambers, Present Day.
>A CRACK reverberates around Celestia's chambers as the whip strikes.
>A low moan follows it, along with a giggle.
"Oh, baby, that feels GOOD!"
>The Autarch pulls his hand back for another strike with the whip.
>"Whatever pleases you, my beloved star."
>Celestia twists around before the whip strikes, trying to turn her head around to moan directly at his face.
>The ropes make that a bit difficult.
>The Autarch was a bit perturbed to find that Celestia was a masochist, but he could roll with it.
>Whatever got him more of that sweet, sweet flank.
>His arm comes down once, twice, and a moment later, he thrusts forward into her, cutting off her moan with a sharp gasp.
"Oh my Maker, don't sto-"
>Celestia's eyes suddenly grow wide, and she lets out a sharp gasp.
"Autarch, what day is it!?"
>"I, err, do not follow the pony calender, my love."
"It's today it's today it's today! I'm almost late! Put this on hold, love, I'll be back before sundown."
>Her horn lights up, and she teleports out of the room, leaving one blueballed Autarch and a bunch of empty ropes.
>The Autarch grimaces, then leaves the room, heading towards the Royal Kitchens for a sandwich, his Fire Pike in full view of the cowering royal guards.
>Celestia bursts into view above a mounded hill of earth next to the Canterlot Mountains.
"Oh please oh please oh please don't let me be late!"
>Her horn starts glowing, and a beam of thick, solid white light strikes the mound of earth, digging deep, deep beneath centuries of stone and soil until it strikes what lies beneath.
>A burst of blue warpfire and telekinesis heralds a single fist bursting into the air.
>Followed by a Red Sorcerer.

Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSkb0kDacjs

>You gasp as Celestia's healing magic flows over your body and into your skull.
>She remembered.
>You burst out of the ground, filled with a fury that has not diminished in your state of stasis.
>You turn and look at Celestia, who's jaw has dropped upon seeing you.
>"Wait, it was YOU!? You were my f-"
"I'll explain later. I've got a Doctor to kill."
>"Wait, you mean The Doctor? You can-"
>You're already gone.
>Warp lightning wreathes you in a shroud. You jump in and out of space and time, screaming in rage as you teleport yourself across Equestria.
>Eventually you land in Ponyville, sending ponies screaming and scattering as an 8 foot tall giant wreathed in lightning burst into view in the town square.

DITZY'S HOUSE.

>Ditzy gives the Doctor a sad smile and raises the glass.
>"Doctor. Thanks. Really, for everything. I know you and Anon didn't get along, but it means something to me that you'd stay and keep Dinky and I company."
"No problem at all, Miss Hooves. It's what I should have done a long time ago."
>Dinky giggles.
>"Try the tea, mommy! It's delicious!"
>She tilts her head back to take a drink.


>As Ditzy opens her mouth to drink down the tea, the Doctor hears a sound he'd hoped he'd have at least a few hours to avoid hearing.
>The sound of heavy feet pounding onto cobblestones.
>Ditzy stops, confused.
>"What's that?"
"Nothing, Ditzy, try your tea. I'll go see what it is."
>Ditzy shrugs, goes back to drink, and a red fist bursts through the front door.
>The fist rips back, pulling the door off the wall with it.
>And Anonymous steps through the open doorway.
>The glass flies out of Ditzy's hand into Anon's, where it is crushed in his fist.
>Ditzy, The Doctor, and Dinky all whirl on you, their faces set in various emotional states.
>"HONEY MUFFIN!"
>"DADDY!"
>"Oh shit."
>You point one finger at the Doctor.
"You and I need to have another talk, Doctor."
>He gulps.

Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TcYm653mrE
>The brown pony goes flying into the wall, cracking the plaster.
>"Anonymous, wait! I can explain! You know why I had t-"
>Your fist flies into his stomach later, and cuts off his explanation with a -hrrk- and a bit of spittle.
>Both of your hands come up, grasping his throat, as you pound his head repeatedly into the wall.
>Eventually, you stop and give him a moment to recover as Dinky and Ditzy gape at you in shock.
"Did you hurt her?"
>"I would nev-"
"DID. YOU. HURT. HER?"
>Ditzy's eyes narrow, and she flutters up to you as she figures it out.
>"He didn't hurt me, muffin."
>You turn to look at her.
"I wasn't talking about you, love."
>Ditzy's eyes widen as she figures it out.
>Then they go ice cold.
>The Doctor gulps even harder.
>"Now, listen, I'm sure we can talk about this...."
>Ditzy puts a hoof on your shoulder.
>"Anon, dear?"
>The Doctor gives a sigh of relief.
>"Take it outside. I don't want Dinky to see."
"Gladly."
>You hurl him through a window.
>The Doctor goes sailing into the backyard, a brown-furred, bloody football.
>"Wait a minute, Anon! This isn't even fair, is it! I have no weapons! Have you no honor?"
>You pause at the backdoor.
"You know....You're right. Let's settle this like stallions."
>You change shape.


>The Doctor gapes as he realizes exactly how much bigger you are than him in pony form.
>"That's....that's not what I meant."
"I don't care."
>He turns and scrambles to get up, but you run him down, your hoof slamming into the back of his head so that he can taste the mud.
"You tried to trick me and exile me. That's one thing, Doctor."
>He tries to get up again, and you sweep his legs with your horn, turning and slamming your back hooves into his stomach.
>He curls up, gasping, as you continue to talk.
"You told me I had a family."
>You awkwardly lift him up with your hooves.
"Then you tried to take that family away."
>"I..."
>You hurl him backwards with a blow from your hooves, sending him into his accursed TARDIS.
>You follow him in.
"Then you TRIED TO KILL MY DAUGHTER."
>He's slumped against the machine's console, breathing raggedly from his mouth.
>"Can't we..can't we talk about this?"
>You snort.
"I'm pretty sure we're done talking."
>His sonic screwdriver lights up, and you go rigid.
>"No, Anonymous, I don't think we are. How stupid are you, to fall for the same trick twice? This time, I think I'll send you to the Siege of Terr-"
>Your horn lights up, and your hurl him into the ceiling.


>"Right, I can tell what you're thinking right now."
>You slam him into the floor.
>"It's shmug, I'll give ya that."
>You slam him into the wall.
>"Fwhool me oncsh, shame on mhe."
>He spits out a tooth, opens his mouth to speak again, and you hurl him into the ceiling again.
>"Fwhool me twice...fwhool me twice...how did it go?"
>You slam him into the floor again.
>And again.
>And again.
>"Whait! Whait! Shtopp!"
>You hear the buzzing of his screwdriver again, and your armor unlocks.
>"Let'sh be reasonable!"
>You float him over to you.
"Start talking."
>"You know why I did hwhat I did, right? I had to, for the universe! Fhor time!"
"For yourself."
>"Just...just let me down, and I"m sure I can convincshe you that hwhat I did wash right!"
>You think about it.
"Hmmmmm...."
>The Doctor gives you a smile, full of broken teeth and blood.
"No."
>You concentrate with the Warp, and his head flops sideways as you snap his neck and toss his body to the floor.
>You snort and turn to leave the TARDIS.
>You promise to yourself that that is the last pony you kill in a homicidal, vengeance-fueled rage.
>Golden light bursts into the room from behind you.
>"Ow! That HURT! Was what I did THAT bad!?"
>You come to a halt and slowly turn around.
>The voice was different, but still...
"Oh you've got to be kidding."


>You turn and stare at the pony that stands where the broken corpse of the Doctor was mere seconds ago.
>Gray, with a black mane, and that same hourglass mark.
>"Huh, isn't that fascinating! New teeth, I love new teeth! Hello! Hello? New hair, gray..."
>He peeks down between his legs.
>"Still a stallion! Still not ginger.."
>You slam him into the wall.
"How in Tzeentch's name are you still alive?"
>He smiles at you awkwardly.
>"I'm a Time Lord, my boy. We're...resilient."
>He smiles at you, and you smile back as an idea comes to you.
"So I can essentially kill you over and over again and you'll keep coming back?"
>"That's about the gist of it, really. Or I'll only come back two more times. Not sure..."
"Perfect. You'll make a nice stress relief."
>His smile drops off of his face and you pull your hoof back to punch him.
>"Wait, wait! Listen to me, please!"
>You snort.
"Why would I do that?"
>"Because I'm sorry. Really, truly, sorry. The old me was a bit of a nutter, really, but he DID do what he did for good reasons. He just didn't know when to stop meddling!"
>You glare at him, but don't snap his neck again.
"Let me put it this way, then, Doctor. If I find you, the new you, the old you, whatever in Tzeentch you actually are, 'meddling' again, I'm going to kill you."
>"Well, as I just explai-"
"Let me finish. I'm going to kill you.Then we're going to find out how long it takes you to do whatever it is you just did when you're scattered across Equestria in roach-sized chunks."
>You headbutt him, not hard enough to cut, but hard enough to bruise.
"Do you get me?"
>He gulps.
>"I get you."


>You drop him and turn around.
"Now get out of my sight. If I see this godsdamned box ever again, I'm going to burn it to a cinder. That's a promise."
>You don't wait for him to respond, and as you step outside of the box, it begins to fade away.
>Right now, you could give less of a fuck about the Doctor.
>Revenge is a secondary motive.
>You want to see your family again.
>You want to see your mare again.
>You want to see your DAUGHTER again.
>You make your way back inside slowly, smiling to yourself as you watch Ditzy angrily pace across the living room floor.
>Dinky watches her, concern written plainly in her yellow eyes.
>You clear your throat.
"Ditzy?"
>In a flash, the gray pegasus is on you.
>She slaps you in the muzzle.
>Then she hugs you.
>And then she starts crying.
>"I thought you were dead! How could I...I believed him Anon! I never thought he'd go that low...I knew he was jealous, I knew he was worried about the future, I-"
"Ssshhh."
>"But I'm so sorry!"
>She blubbers into your shoulder, and you can only hug her awkwardly as Dinky smiles at you.
"You've got nothing to be sorry about, love. Nothing at all. But you might want to sit down. I've got a long story to tell you."


>You can't tell them everything, of course.
>The Paradox you keep to yourself.
>The Doom you're destined to bring, Ditzy already knows. Dinky doesn't need to.
>You only tell them what matters.
>Dinky scratches her head, confused.
>"Wait, you're REALLY my Daddy? And Mom's my...well, she's my Mom?"
"Yes."
>"...How?"
>Your heart swells with pride. She always wanted to know more. Always wanted to learn. That was your daughter, alright.
"To be honest, Dinky, I'm not sure. Tim-"
>"Timey wimey, wibbley wobbly stuff."
>You jump in surprise as Ditzy interrupts you.
>She doesn't seem all that perturbed, to be honest.
"You're not upset about it?"
>"I'm mad the Doctor lied, but I'm pretty mad at him in general. I'm just glad you're back, muffin. I'm glad your okay."
>She snuggles up to you, and starts crying again, while you run your hoof through her mane and hug her back.
>Dinky makes a 'bleh' face and hops off the couch.
>"Does it really matter, Dad?"
"What?"
>You stare down at Dinky as she smiles up at you.
>"Does it matter, knowing you're my real dad?"
>You don't even have to think about it.
>Of course it didn't matter. You'd loved her when you didn't know who she was.
"No. No, of course it doesn't. You're my daughter, Dinky. You always have been."
>She smiles up at you as you reach down and hug her.
"...And no daughter of MINE is going to be late for her studies. It's time for bed."
>She pulls back from your hug, scowling.
>"Daaaaad!"
>Your laughter shakes the couch.


>An hour later, you've successfully put Dinky to bed.
>You feel....exhausted.
>You know it's natural.
>After all, you just spent thousands of years in a coma, and killed a time lord.
>Sort of.
>But that's part of the problem.
>You tire of this.
>You tire of battle, even small ones. Even beating the living shit out of one alien was exhausting to you.
>And you're still not done. You still have to find a way to keep Dinky, BOTH Dinkies, alive and safe.
>And you have to stop yourself from causing the Aponecalypse.
>Ditzy stirs at your side as you stare at the ceiling.
>"What's wrong, muffin?"
"Nothing, Ditzy. I'm just...tired."
>She giggles.
>"Then sleep, silly!"
>You smile as she snuggles closer and goes back to sleep.
>Then you gently lift your hoof and rub her stomach, still thinking.
>You aren't going to let it get to you.
>Damn the future, damn the Gods, damn fate.
>You aren't letting it get in the way of your happiness.
>Tomorrow, you're going to tell Ditzy exactly how much she means to you, exhaustion or not.
>You just needed a ring.

 EPILOGUE.
>Celestia sighed as she teleported back into her quarters.
>She had a headache.
>Which was a miracle in itself, being what she was.
>Her memories were starting to come back, and that was the source of her headache.
>She'd met Anonymous, back when she was a filly. But she'd known him when he first came to Equestria, and it was just...none of it made sense.
>She needed her baby.
"Aaaauuutarch? Where are you?"
>She started giggling as she made her way around her now-dark chamber, smiling to herself.
>He liked to play games like this some times, she'd be the prey and he'd be the predator.
>He'd hide on the ceiling or on one of the walls, and he'd pounce on her when she wasn't expecting it.
>Then the fun started.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
>The grinning monarch made her way towards her bed, smiling as she looked at the lump under the sheets.
>Her horn glowing, she tore the comforters off the bed, revealing....
>DISCORD!?
>"Hello Celestia! Did you miss me?"
>The Draconequus laughed as he rose from her bed, chuckling at her.
>Celestia backed away, horrified, when a burst of green lightning lit the chamber.
>Revealing the Chaos Crusaders, holding the Autarch face down on the ground with their hooves.
>And revealing the Necron Lord, who leaned against one of her windows, silently.
>But not revealing Justicar, who came upon her from behind.
>And then the fun certainly began.