Chapter Six
The Children of Canterlot
Big Macintosh gently lifted up his head, and yawned. As he slowly returned to consciousness, he opened his eyes. There was an odd sight waiting for him.
He was in a city plaza. There were market stalls all around, tall ornate buildings, and a grand marble fountain in the center with an alicorn and draconequues looking up victoriously together.
The plaza was full with a complete assortment of creatures. A griffon and a diamond dog sat together by the fountain’s edge, unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies were in the middle of selling their wares. He even noticed a short alicorn buying several heads of lettuce.
He blinked, confused. Not just because he didn’t know where he was, but because everything was frozen and in black and white.
The air was mute and still. The water in the fountain was paused in midair as if it were a part of the fountain’s statue.
“What…what am I doin here?” he said quietly to himself. He glanced back and forth to the strange world.
Words and images returned to his mind.
Torchwood. Captain Jack Harkness. The Great Intelligence. Aliens. Time travel. Sergeant Wildaberry. The Weeping Angels…
The Weeping Angels!
He jumped up in a panic. “They’ve got Torchwood! They’re going to open the rift! I’ve got to go back! I’ve got to stop them! I…”
He glanced down to his ankle; the Vortex Manipulator was gone.
His eyes grew wide with even more abject distress. “Nnnnope! This can’t be happening!” He started pacing back and forth.
A thousand questions bombarded his mind. Was this were the angels zapped him? Had he already failed? Was he dead? What about Applejack and Applebloom?
His mental breakdown was put on pause as an otherworldly sound pierced the silence.
Slowly, Big Macintosh turned around, and saw his first thing in color there.
It was a tall, wide, blue wooden box, with an electric light-bulb glowing on top. It was as if it was pressing itself into reality, one ebb of materliaziation at a time.
Big Mac watched it wearily, as the noise came to a halt and the box became solid. For a moment, it just sat there, as if it was waiting.
He took a cautious step towards it, when suddenly, the doors burst open. Out trotted a brown furred pony with a spiky mane, green tie, and a giddy grin.
As soon as he stepped out, the world became flushed with color and all the ponies started to move again.
“Ah Canterlot! The first great center of civilization on Equus! Almost ten thousand years into your past, Big Macintosh,” he said, turning his gaze to the confused red pony. “A wonderful time for a wonderful place, wouldn’t you agree?”
“W-who are ya?”
“I thought the giant blue police box would have given it away. I’m the Doctor.”
Big Mac’s eyes widened. “You’re the Doctor? The Doctor? The oncoming storm? The fellow Jack keeps going on about?”
The stallion nodded. “The very same.”
He looked far less impressive than Jack’s descriptions painted him.
“Ok, I’ll believe it. But how do you know who I am?”
“Oh…I get around.”
Big Mac shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “Look, I have to get you back to the Torchwood Hub! The weeping angels were about to tear open the rift. From what I understand you’re the only pony who can stop them!”
“Hogwash!” declared the Doctor. “You don’t need a daft old fool like me, Big Mac. I’m sure you’re quite capable of handling them on your own. You’ll have to be, since I’m somewhat…indisposed.”
“Indisposed?! But you’re right here, with yer time traveling doohickey! Can’t you just pop on over to the present and fix everything?”
“I’m afraid I’m not really ‘right here.’ And neither are you. Aren’t you finding it odd that our rather loud conversation hasn’t attracted the attention of anypony yet?”
Big Macintosh looked around, only to find the Doctor was right. Nopony seemed to even notice them; they were still just going about their everyday lives.
The Doctor trotted up to him, watching as he blinked in ever growing confusion.
“You are currently passed out on the floor of the Torchwood Hub. What you are seeing is a very special memory of mine. I assure you that once you’ve lived through it, you’ll wake up with only a second gone by. Hopefully you’ll be able to stop the world from ending when you do,” he explained, straightening his tie.
“But how are you showing this to me?”
The time lord waved his hoof dismissively. “Wibbly wobbly, timey whimey stuff. It’s not all that important.”
Big Mac swallowed. “And how am I supposed to stop the Weeping Angels on my own? What’s here that can help me?”
“Oh, nopony can stop the Weeping Angels, it’s far too late for that. We’re here to find a way stop Abaddon. The beast our foolhardy stone friends are about to unleash.”
“Sorry for being just a stupid farm pony, but I don’t understanding. If you’re here and this is your memory, why don’t you just tell me how to stop Abaddon?”
“Well, I haven’t quite figured it out yet. There’s probably some clues about that around here. Why don’t you help me look?”
“Eeeee-what?” Big Macintosh raised his eyebrows incredulously. “This is the plan the fate of the world is hinging on?”
“Just roll with it,” he replied. “Things are about to get started.”
The Doctor turned away from him, and took a deep breath. “This was supposed to be a much needed vacation for me, after dealing with some rather bothersome Racnoss in Trottingham. And…other things.”
Suddenly, loud shouts and yelps echoed from down the road, quickly followed by a big, brown bouncing ball and a wagon barging down at high speeds. Ponies, Griffons and Diamond Dogs jumped out of the way.
They came barreling down on Mac and the Doctor.
The stallions dodged out of the way as the ball bounced into the fountain and the wagon crashed into the stone edge.
Two tiny fillies popped up from inside the wagon, giggling wildly. One was blue, and one was white with a light pink mane.
The little blue pony leaped forward and tapped the ball. “You’re it!” she exclaimed.
Suddenly, the ball transformed with a pop, turning into a pint sized draconequus who started laughing along with them.
“That’s...Luna, Celestia and Discord!” Mac exclaimed in disbelief, suddenly noticing the Sun and Moon cutie marks are the young fillies. They didn’t look any older than thirteen years old. “But they’re just kids! And…friends?”
The Doctor smiled. “Everpony’s gotta be a child once. Even them.”
The others in the square sent them dirty looks. “You darn whipper snappers!” shouted an old Pegasus. “Think you can just do whatever you please with your parents on the council!”
The foals dashed up, and tried to make a getaway, but collided straight into the Doctor instead. They all fell into a pile at his hooves.
“You all should be carefully where you run,” he said, amused.
Luna and Celestia jumped back to their hooves. Discord floated back up. “Sorry mister,” they apologized.
They were just about to run off when the Doctor put his hoof up. “Say, where are your parents?”
“They’re meeting at the city hall,” replied Celestia.
“Do they know you’re here?”
Reluctantly, they all shook their heads.
The Doctor cocked his head in thought. “Your parents wouldn’t happen to be on the council of royalty now would they?”
“Of course they are, lowly Pheasant!” declared Discord, snapping his claws, transforming all four participants of the conversation into oversized, oddly colored birds. “That is why I am Discord, the Duke of Disorder!”
“And I’m Princess Luna!”
“And I’m Princess Celestia!” The two alicorns chimed in. As soon as they were all introduced, the transformation was reversed.
The Doctor bowed lightly with an amused smile, completely unfazed. “An honor.”
The little Princess Celestia bounded forward. “What’s your name?” she asked.
“I’m the Doctor. Sorry if I’m a bit new to town.”
“Oh oh!” exclaimed Luna, jumping up and down. “If you’re new, then let us show you around! We know all about Canterlot!”
Discord sighed in annoyance. “Do we have to?”
“Come on Dissy, it’ll be fun,” replied Celestia, “Besides, when will we ever get a chance to fulfill our official duties as goodwill Directors of Canterlot’s Department of Solicited Tourism?”
Discord glanced to Celestia, then to the Doctor, then back to Celestia. He rolled his eyes. “Fine!”
For some reason, Big Macintosh felt something familiar about the way Discord had looked at her. But he just couldn’t put his hoof on what it was…
“Great!” exclaimed Luna and Celestia in unison. They started leading the Doctor around the fountain. Big Mac followed at a small distance.
“So Mr. Doctor, are you here to fix anybody up?” asked Luna curiously.
“Oh no,” he shook his head, “I’m just here for something of a vacation.”
“All the more reason you get to see all the sights,” said Celestia. She pointed her hoof at the statue at the center of the fountain. “To your left you will find the Statue of Harmonious Unity, commissioned in 314 by the Council of Royalty to commemorate the founding of the city.”
Luna pointed to the right. “And over there is the fruit stand mommy buys her breakfast from!”
“I’m sure he doesn’t want to hear about that,” said Discord with a raised eyebrow.
The Doctor leaned closer to Luna. “Do they have any apples?”
She gasped. “Of course not. Don’t you know about the embargos?”
“Being a daft old traveler from far far away, ignorant in local affairs. May I ask what these embargos are about?”
“I can’t believe you haven’t heard of them,” said Celestia, “they exist to punish the kingdoms and hives in the north for misbehaving and causing trouble. No nopony comes from there.”
Big Macintosh raised his ears curiously as he realized something amiss. “Why would that matter? Apples don’t grow north of here.”
The Doctor nodded and smiled back to him. “Good catch. I didn’t even notice that the first time. It’s amazing what changes after a cataclysmic. You rarely think it affects the small things until after its happened.”
“Cataclysm?”
Before the Doctor could reply, he was interrupted by a tall, and regal approaching alicorn with a white coat, crimson mane, and ink and quill cutie mark. “Children! What mischief is this? Did you break another one of the guardponies’ carts?” said the disapproving mare.
Instantly the youths shrunk back, and hung their heads.
Swiftly, the alicorn was followed by two old Draconequii, one male, one female.
Big Macintosh realized with shock that he was looking at the parents of the three young creatures beside him, the same creatures that wielded near god-like powers in his world. And they looked…so…tired?
“Big Macintosh, meet Queen Eris, King Dissonance, and Supreme Madam Faust. The three eldest of the old races, and leaders of the Canterlot council of Royalty,” explained the Doctor, a certain pride in his voice that seemed to come from introducing such high quality of ponies.
“H-how come I haven’t heard of them?” he asked.
“I suppose you would have to ask Celestia or Luna that,” replied the brown stallion thoughtfully, “but if I had to guess, it’s because the memories of them proved to be too painful.”
“Too painful?! When are ya going to tell me what happened here? You’re making it sound like this is when the world ended!”
The doctor shrugged. “It almost did.” He turned back to the ‘Supreme Madam,’ with a deep bow. “If you will excuse me, your majesty. But these three were just giving me a wonderfully descriptive tour of this splendid town, which if I’m not mistaken is their stately duty.”
“A visitor, have we?” asked Eris, floating down to his level, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What brings you to this city, stallion?”
“Only came to see the sights and take a rest from my usual work,” he replied brightly.
“And precisely what is your usual work?” asked Dissonance, stroking his thick white beard.
“He’s a doctor,” Luna chimed in, “he saves lives!”
Madame Faust exchanged a glance with her two peers. “Well, then, I do apologize good Doctor. Why don’t you join us, I would love to inquire a few questions when we have concluded our meeting.”
The Doctor nodded pleasantly. “Of course, your majesty.”
“As for you two,” she continued, looking crossly at her daughters, “you will come with us as well, and not do anything foolish until you apologize to the guards for your indiscretions.”
“The same goes for you, Discord,” said Eris, crossing her arms.
Begrudgingly, the three young ones followed their parents as they went to leave. Almost as an afterthought, Dissonance snapped his claws and transformed the broken cart into a fine stone dust the same color as the fountain it had crashed into, which was subsequently carried off on the wind.
“When are we gonna get to the part where things start making sense?” asked Big Mac, as he trotted to the Doctor’s side.
“I believe that the three elders might be able to give you some insight,” he replied, motioning to them as they entered a large marble building that had a bell tower at its top. The three kids stayed outside, quietly sulking, and so did the Doctor and Big Mac.
The Doctor waited patiently until the young ones were talking among themselves, and looking the other way before he slipped to the other side of the building. He smiled nostalgically. “Never could resist a little eavesdropping every now and then,” he said to Big Mac sheepishly, stopping behind a stained glass window.
He reached with his hoof into his collar and withdrew his sonic screwdriver from the empty space. Big Macintosh had become too resigned to the impossible to question how he did it.
With a little whirr of the device, the window’s rusty latch snapped and he was able to open it a crack.
The voices of the three anxious leaders came out from within. Big Mac furrowed his brow in curiosity, and pressed his ear against the crack.
“…and you’re absolutely sure, all the barriers have failed?” asked Madame Faust.
“I checked five times!” snapped Eris, “The condensed clouds were dissolved, the stones and diamonds were crushed, all twenty eight spells dispersed and the wall of fire was just ignored.”
“Oh, but you’re forgetting the taffy making spell. That one was still working,” Dissonance chimed in.
Eris let out a sigh. “It’s no use. We can’t hide this any longer. Tomorrow we have to make the announcements. The city will need to be evacuated, and the entire military must be mobilized.”
“We’ll have to be careful about it,” said Madame Faust bitterly. “If we are not they’ll be mass panic.”
“Implying it’s not inevitable,” replied Dissonance. “What you two are failing to think of is the larger machinations involved. They won’t stop at Canterlot. They have no reason to.”
“Well, it’s not like we’ve got a better strategy. We all saw what happened when the changelings tried to fight them. The only thing that’s worked so far was Sombra’s tactics. Moving everything he can out of their way and letting the rest burn,” said Eris hotly.
“The changlings didn’t have the forces we do. If we pool our magic together into a single attack, perhaps they can be felled,” Madame Faust contemplated.
“We should have hope that they can be,” said Dissonance, “Otherwise we are all most certainly doomed.”
Big Macintosh removed his ear from the window pane, staring at the Doctor with wide eyes. “What. Exactly. Is coming this way.”
“The same thing that is coming to Canterlot in your future, well, the same thing twice as big but half as bad.”
“In plain equestrian, if ya please,” he pressed through gritted teeth.
The Doctor sighed. “It’s Abaddon. The child of the beast. And his brother. Two immortal enemies who have been fighting each other across the cosmos since, well, almost since the start of the universe. Their war destroys everything in their path. And now, in this time, they have come to Equestria. And there are only three beings in the universe who can stop them.”
“Who? Those Kings and Queens?”
The Doctor laughed. “Hardly.” He turned and pointed to the three foals now playing in front of the building, the two fillies were trying to catch Discord’s tail. “This is the time when those three save the world. This is the time their parents die, Canterlot burns, and the Elements of Harmony are born. They are about to rise higher than any mortal creature on Equiis before them, this is where their journeys being, when they become immortals, where, you could say, two old gods were destroyed to make three new ones. This…is the battle for Canterlot hill.”
Big Macintosh blinked. “So you’re saying the elements of harmony stopped ‘em?”
“Well, somewhat. I helped a little. But unfortunately, I can’t quite provide the same assistance this time around. I do have a back-up plan of sorts. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that one though.” He looked into Mac’s eyes and put a hoof on his shoulder.
“I just need you to bear with me for a little while, alright. This isn’t going to be easy to watch. But I need your view on this, because Rassilon knows I’ve tried to find another way to do this. I’ve wracked my brain over and over again and come up empty. Only you can figure it out, Macintosh. There’s no one else left.”
The farm pony gulped. “I-I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help.”
“If you don’t succeed, you’ll die.”
“I thought you said you had a backup plan?”
The Doctor stayed silent at that.
Big Mac looked away, and suppressed a shiver.
“I promise to find a way to stop Abaddon,” he said quietly.
“That’s the spirit.”
He closed his eyes tight with grim determination. “I owe that to Applebloom and Applejack. Canterlot won’t burn a second time. Not with them in it.”