To say he was about to have a very strange day would have been something of an understatement. Dr. Time Turner knew that grave events were in store for him, but he could have never anticipated that they would manifest themselves in this particular way. But he thought nothing of it as he made his way down to the entrance area of Town Hall, fully expecting that whatever business he was attending to would soon be concluded.
He saw the mare he had business with well enough. Standing idly by the front desk, or at least trying to appear like she was standing idly, Time Turner reckoned it had something to do with what he imagined to be an hectic schedule that was keeping her from standing too motionless. Still, he also got the impression that there was another sense of nervousness to her that had nothing to do with her busy schedule as a mailmare. Or maybe he was just looking too much into it.
"I am Dr. Time Turner." He announced as soon as he reached her. "I believe you requested me?"
"Are you Dr. Time Turner?" The mailmare asked, quite naively.
"That's what I just said, isn't it?" He reminded her, barely suppressing a faint groan.
"Oh. Of course it is. Err, was." The mailmare corrected herself. "No, is. Or is it was... err, whatever, yeah."
"Yes yes, what it is. I'm quite busy here." He irritably remarked, though he was unsure if he actually believed himself when he said that.
"Oh yes. Err... right. Where was I?" She innocently asked herself. "Oh yes... err, you're Dr. Time Turner, yes?"
"...Yes." He said quietly, not wanting to let his temper get up too much.
"Hi. I'm err, Hooves." She addressed herself, extending a hoof.
"Right. Hooves, what is this?" Time Turner asked, not bothering to raise his own.
"Oh, right. Umm, are you - oh! Already said that... err." The mailmare known as Hooves said to herself. "Oh yes. You wouldn't happen to know somepony by the name of err... Dave Ross, by any chance?"
"Dave Ross?" Time Turner said, noticing what a peculiar name it was. "Of course I know him, I work with him. Why?"
"Oh. Good... err, oh yeah." Hooves muttered to herself. "It's just that I've got this letter for him and err... well I..."
She delved into the brown bag sling across her back, full of various different letters and packages of various sizes, before lifting out an odd looking envelope. Well, there was not anything particularly odd about it at first glance; it just happened to be a distinct dark blue that made it... well, distinct. And odd; yet not odd.
"Call me odd or something." Hooves remarked, holding the letter in a careful grip. "This letter's kinda making me... what's the word... oh, yes... err, apprehensive."
"You haven't tried to read it, have you?" Time Turner asked.
"What! Of course I haven't!" The mailmare barked back. "I've got standards you know. I respect the rules... umm..."
She suddenly became aware that she had raised her voice a little top higher than she was comfortable with. She then did her best to appear discreet, with mixed results.
"It's just that this letter's making me... oh, wait I already said that." She continued, quite flustered. "Err, what I meant to say was umm... I don't suppose you could deliver this to Mr. Dave Ross?"
Time Turner looked at the mare, who by now he could see was a pegasus. He looked at the letter in her hooves, then back to her, to Hooves. Somehow, he could the distinct impression that this particular letter might just warrant such conservative attention.
"Well alright I suppose." He relented. "Give it here?"
He reached forward to take the dark blue envelope. The moment the item parted hooves, something very subtle happened in both the giver and the taker. Hooves, the mailmare, could not help but feel a little relieved. Time Turner, the Doctor, could not help but feel a little... tired.
"Umm... err..." He found himself uttering, keeping the letter in a steady, yet hesitant grip. "I don't suppose you could wait here, while I deliver this, could you?"
"Yeah. Yeah I could do that." Hooves replied, a little perky.
"Right. Wait here." He said, before taking off with the letter.
He knew just where the office of Dave Ross was. Or at least, he thought he did; Time Turner thought he might have lost his en route once or twice. The letter was in his grip, nut it was on his mind as well. Unusually so. Eventually however, he found the door he sought, and instead of knocking as was expected, he simply skipped that part and went right in.
"Turner." The voice of the one he sought addressed him from a chair behind a desk, sounding expectant.
"Ross." He managed to put on a formidable tone, despite the effect the letter was having on his mind.
"Why do you disturb me?" The stallion behind the desk asked him, though he certainly did not sound disturbed.
"Oh... umm, letter for you." Time Turner stumbled out, before he suddenly threw the letter on the desk right in front of Dave Ross.
In an instant, Time Turner felt a sudden sense of relief sweep over him. Dave Ross observed the small little dark blue envelope in front of him, before quite calmly picking it up. Time Turner noticed no change in his posture as he did so, stricken him as odd. He promptly cut the letter open with his teeth, read it in about a moment and then...
"I see." He remarked calmly. "Good. Good."
He suddenly noticed that Time Turner was noticing him.
"You're still here." He said.
"Yes, that's right." Time Turner replied.
"You should go." Dave Ross informed him.
"Yeah I should." He noted. "But I'm a little curious to know just what's on that letter."
Dave Ross examined him only a moment longer, before a malicious look swept over him.
"Very well." He remarked.
And to the immense surprise of Time Turner, he burst into a flash of red light that soon subsided, leaving the Doctor alone in an empty office.
Now Time Turner had reason to be just a little more than a little curious. He knew that Dave Ross had no horn on his head, which by extension meant that he was no unicorn, which by extension meant that he was not magically inclined, which by extension meant that he was no in possession of the spell normally associated with the ability to teleport. In other words, everything that Time Turner happened to know about magic (which was a considerable amount, for he had a degree in the field) had promptly just been turned on its head by this impossibly improbable display.
It took him a good long while to come to the understanding that he had just witnessed what he had just witnessed. As his brain kicked up a furious pace of thoughts, he had only one thing to do that very moment: get back to that mailmare and find out everything she knew about that mysterious letter.
Wait, that letter...
Time Turner was just about to dash right out of the office when he noticed it, lying discarded on the desk, right where Dave Ross had left it. Very slowly, he edged closer to the desk; he could make out the faint lines of what was on it. Without even thinking to take any precautions, he picked it up and read the two short sentences etched across the parchment.
The hawk is rising. Zero. One. Two. Seven. Four.
The parchment fluttered out of Time Turner's unresponsive hoof. A unresponsiveness that was soon spreading throughout his entire form. His mind went blank, and eventually he found his legs no longer supporting his weight as he crashed to the floor.
01000100 01101111 01100011 01110100 01101111 01110010 00111111 00001101 00001010 00001101 00001010
What is all... Those things... Un- possible!
44 6f 63 74 6f 72 3f 0d 0a 0d 0a
The Giant... Ali- alive! Hahahahaha!
What are you going to do now, Pegasus?
01000100 01101111 01100011 01110100 01101111 01110010 00111111 00001101 00001010 00001101 00001010
"Doctor!" A voice was shouting.
The life sprang back into Time Tuner like a sudden bolt of lightning. A million incomprehensible thoughts were flying through his head.
"Doctor!" The voice went again, now far more sharper, like it was right next to him. Which it was in fact.
"I'm up!" He cried out in alarm, the world around him swimming as he tried to readjust himself.
Now he could see the familiar mare above him sigh in relief as she reached back, giving him some breathing room.
"Do you mind telling me how you ended up here?" She asked erratically.
"Calamity there's..." Time Turner began, before heaving slightly as the blood rushed to his head. "I don't have time. Is that mailmare still in the lobby?"
"What? Err, of course she is." His secretary replied in slight confusion.
"Sorry. I have to speak to her now!" He exclaimed, before dashing off out of the office as soon as he was on on fours.
Hooves the mailmare was barely containing herself in the lobby as she had now been waiting very patiently for more time than she was comfortable with.
"Hey, do you mind telling me if you're going to keep me waiting an hour next time?!" She snapped at Time Turner as soon as he turned up. "Why I've had half a mind to just head right off if I weren't so concerned about that letter, I've got a busy schedule that I am not keeping too right now!"
"The letter!" He snapped back. "Where did it come from?"
"What.., do you mean "where did it come from?"" She asked back.
"What do you think I mean "where did it come from?" Where did it come from?" Time Turner continued in increasing impatience.
"I can't tell you that, it wasn't addressed to you." She replied.
"Hooves, this is unbelievably important!" He exclaimed, not one to put up with obtrusiveness in the best of times. "Please, I have to know everything there is to know about that letter."
"Well..." Hooves remarked. "I did think it was odd that it came down from Canterlot"
"Canterlot?" Time Turner said, not at all satisfied. "What else?"
"I don't know, I'm only a mailmare." She pleaded. "I wasn't even supposed to deliver it. But then that other mailmare had to cancel because they had to do that factory package."
"Factory? What factory?" Time Turner continued, taking every single syllable that came out of her mouth into consideration.
"Err... it's probably nothing but..." Hooves struggled. "There's this factory a ways out of town. Not many folks go there. Must be a new place because it's only requesting deliveries now. Odd. I was supposed to take a package there but there was a switch up at the last minute."
"I need you to take me there." He requested.
"What?!" She retorted. "I can't do that, I've got overdue deliveries to make."
"Oh alright." He relented. "But after that, we need to go there."
"Oh..." She pondered. "Oh... alright. But only because I'm curious about that letter."
"I'm holding you to that." Time Turner said. "Now, I've got some planning to do."
"Alright then, Mr Time Turner." Hooves said.
"Err, Doctor." He reminded her.
"Okay then Dr. Mr. Time Turner." She rectified herself.
