Part 3 in my take on Doctor Whoof: Vale Decem Equis, by Andrew J. Talo. I hope you people like it!

And hopefully, I will write more!

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, I do not own My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic or Doctor Who.

"We come in peace!", said the Doctor, happily.

There was no reply from the ponies at the command bridge.

The Doctor made a quick assessment of the crew.

A blue unicorn – young looking, and – if the Doctor was not mistaken – a brown feathered griffin-like creature at the furthest point, the black and green screens in front of them were typical guidance systems and multi-vectored spatial routers.

The closest two, a yellow unicorn and a staggering bright pink pegasus, looked confrontational, though. The yellow pony had a remarkable cutie mark, a hand mirror ('Or better put, a hoof mirror') with a star in it. Seat at the center of the room, probably commanding position, he guessed.

The pink pegasus had, on the other hand ('Hoof!'), a syringe on a cloud mark, and she had a more serious expression, though still in shock.

The colt even noticed her pink right wing slightly turned down, an unconscious protective gesture over the unicorn – the reactions of a friend with military quickness.

"Honestly, no replies at all?", the Doctor asked, after the two seconds he gave them while checking out the dangers. "Thought you guys had a sense of humour", he complained to Ditzy, who smiled awkwardly.

"Who… who are…?", the yellow unicorn began.

"I'm the Doctor, if you don't mind me rushing the formalities", the Doctor quickly said. "This is my entourage, Miss Doo, Little Miss Doo and Miss Harriot…"

"Carrot!"

"As you can see…", the Doctor pulled the wallet from his jacket's pocket. "We're a very official group of inspectors, no worries, just keep on doing your job, don't mind us."

The yellow unicorn stared at him and at the paper, very seriously.

Then she looked at all the strange ponies.

Then she stopped at the unicorn filly, then back at the stallion.

"Have I mentioned it is also 'Bring Your Daughter to the Work' day, maybe you guys did not get the memo, being so far away from home", the Doctor explained. "Congratulations on it, by the way, remarkable ship you got here..."

"The paper is blank."

Everyone's attention turned towards the light blue coated unicorn, his cutie mark was in the shape of an atom, with a sun in the middle.

The yellow unicorn did a double take on said paper. It still read 'Doctor, The – Directorate of Solar Starships Inspection'.

She also felt Colton's outburst also seemed genuine.

"My name is Minyonette", she slowly said. "Captain Minyonette. I don't know why would my Lieutenant would say something so out of the blue, but, considering I trust each and everypony – and griffon – aboard this ship, I suggest you start speaking the truth, Doctor..."

"Just the Doctor, really", said the Doctor, scratching his chin. "Funny how the young fellow could actually see through the psychic paper. Lieutenant Colton, is that it?"

The male unicorn nodded, gulping.

"Keep that mind sharp, kid", the Doctor advised him, the younger pony nodding in return. "Now, Captain Minyonette, I apologize for the previous lie. I guess we should have a talk..."

"So... time-travelling ponies."

Captain Minyonette's face was serious, straight as an arrow. The colt – called only 'the Doctor' – had just told her about their accidental travel to the future, like it was a mistake someone could just make happen.

The Captain, her First Officer and their Science expert, Swarty Colton, were gathered at one of the tables of the ship's cafeteria.

The Doctor's friends were having a conversation with Brunswick, who accepted that the appearance of strange ponies that came out of nowhere was a good enough excuse to make him crawl out of the Engineering Section. That and the Captain needed an extra pair of eyes to keep watch on the invaders, since Hemera was still on duty of flying and guiding the ship on her own.

Doctor Phyllisha was scratching her green mane, her mind clearly having trouble with the concept brought up by the Doctor. "But time travel is impossible", she said.

Minyonette turned to her medical officer, but the younger unicorn already interrupted her.

"Technically, travelling in time is possible, you only need to find the right way to do it and the resources to pull it off", corrected Colton, suddenly realizing he was, in fact, speaking over his superior officer. "I'm sorry, Ma'am!"

The pink pegasus shook her head. "That's okay, Arty. Please, continue."

"Well… as I said, any sort of movement makes you travel in time, in a sense", Swarty Colton continued, slightly embarrassed. "Mechanically, that applies only to forward motions. You can only perceive it with higher speeds. The faster you go, the further you go both in distance and in duration! Travel close to the speed of light, you'll jump a hundred years in a question of hours or minutes!"

The light blue unicorn noticed only at this moment how he was standing on the table, making gestures with his hooves as he explained – getting everypony's attention while doing so.

He came down, saying a meek 'Sorry!' for his sudden behaviour.

"Travelling backwards, however, demands magical approach – and a lot of magical energy", Colton continued, embarrassed. "But that would be entering in the realm of mythology and guessing. I've heard archaeological records studies pointing out there had been, what? Maybe two, or three unicorns in History that could pull such a thing, you know, time-travelling spells. But as I've said, it's only a myth…", he stopped, catching the grin in the strange colt's face.

The captain also noticed him. "Yes?", she asked, interested.

"You've got to start thinking beyond what you know, kid", the Doctor said, in a bit of disappointment. "Alien technology, future advancements… If you're not restricted by the limits of your own technology and science, what could be said to be impossible? Who says what's impossible? Take your planet's history and tell me that space faring would not be an impossible dream in, say, five hundred thousand years in the past? Or maybe flying this close to the Sun? "

Colton only nodded, fascinated by the notion.

"Brilliant, beautiful Swarty Colton. Though totally wrong in most of your explanation, as far as the development of your intellectually limited species go, you are amazing, Mr. Colton."

"Er… thanks, I guess?"

"You're welcome. Captain Minyonette, try to understand me."

"You make it harder than you'd believe it, Doctor", the captain remarked in return.

"We are not here to disturb you and what appears it will be the most fantastic achievement of your species' accomplishments so far", he smiled at each of the members of the expedition. "Honestly! What you're doing is beyond fantastic, so, as far as it goes, we do not want to interrupt you. Go, please! Keep on forward, get to the sun, we four only request you allow us to watch it all happen."

"But why?", asked Phyllisha.

"Why else? For the fun of it!", the stallion replied, maniacally. "It's how it all began to me, and it's so good to feel it all again!"

"Ponyville, you say?", asked Brunswick, scratching his beard. "Never heard of it."

The three ponies looked at each other, not knowing what to say in return.

'A future where there was no Ponyville?', Dinky wondered.

"Well, I guess some things change in the future, right?", asked Ditzy, worried. "Maybe Ponyville just changed name."

"Hay if I know", Brunswick complained. "After all, most details we had on the home planet have been lost for so long"

"What?!", asked Carrot, startled.

"Well, yeah, the home planet, Gaia. Ever since the Great Exodus one thousand years ago, all our species have fled our homes, setting up cities into the further planets.

The three mares stared him back, paler than before.

Hemera, at the moment, was taking care of their flight.

The griffon was not really buying the story from the invading ponies.

'If it were up to me, the strangers would all now be all incarcerated in the nearest life pod, aimed straight at the Sun just for good caution. One false move and it's wham! Straight to the Sun!'

But she had been a little bored. Maybe the newcomers were not bad ponies, after all. Maybe it was just that old griffon xenophobia speaking up. She remember how it was, even after so many centuries post-Exodus, the Griffon nation still acted toward ponies with reluctance, in the best cases, or complete lack of trust, in most cases...

Hemera quickly spun her head to her right side, almost all the way to her back.

She could not feel or see anything wrong behind her, but, for a brief moment…

She returned her attentions back to the console.

'Yeah, getting tired, that's what it is', she thought. 'Get some rest and proteins, girl, you're starting to hear stuff that isn't there.'

And that's what probably what have happened, she was certain of it.

The griffon was only getting tired, no way she had heard someone just tell her to -

'leave'

"Who said that?" she asked out loud, this time, turning herself left and right now, to no avail.

There was nobody there.

Only Hemera and the Sun in front of her.

To be continued…