11 The Doctor and Derpy

Later that morning, Beta snuck into town, as Apple Berry went to set up shop. They had slept huddled together in the forest for warmth and comfort. They stowed the cauldron at the Hooves residence.

Approaching Rarity's shop, Beta wondered how early it opened. A moment later he found out... more or less.

"I'm surprised you waited this long for your suit, Beta" Rarity said in her usual haughty tone. Beta welcomed it. Every once in a while he liked to hear stuck up, sticky muzzles. However unlike most, Rarity had the skill to back up her tone.

"I thought I'd give you time for a lie in" he said, feeling more comfortable with her to be a little sarcastic.

Sniffing at the air, Rarity picked up Apple Berry 'of all ponys' scent. on him "I see you've had a busy night" she half taunted, winking at him.

"Huh? Oh no, no, no" waving his paws in front of himself "Just collecting moon... light... for my bandages" he finished lamely, understanding what it must smell like, since he hadn't had a chance to shower. 'I must positively reek like Apple Berry' he thought, wondering if that was such a bad thing.

"She's a good one... Apple Berry, you know..." Rarity said, as if reading his thoughts. "Rainbowdash is a nice pony and all..." she paused in thought before continuing "But I'm not sure she's the kind to put down... roots, if you get my drift." Beta nodded. "Still" she continued "It's never bad to go visit friends, now is it?" she finished with a friendly smile. "Besides, if that crazy Doctor can get you up there, it looks like it might be fun to fly... well... glide around, among the clouds" she finished, sighing a little.

"I'll let you know how it goes..." Beta said, then paused, trepidation creeping into his voice "assuming I survive Derpy's flying lessons today"

Rarity could only gasp in horror, and extreme dramatization.

"DERPY!?... Teaching YOU!?" she said overly dramatically. Beta was starting to see her quirk, and it amused him.

'My new friends are so weird' he thought with a smile, watching Rarity act as if he was DOOMED to DIE a HORRIBLE death.

"If the Doctor has faith in Derpy not to kill me, then I have to take him at his word" Beta said calmly. Rarity stopped mid 'Oh you are so DOOMED' to look at him and smiled, nodding.

"Of course you're right. She's a... um... competent flyer, if not unconventional. Though perhaps you need unconventional" she added, appraising him anew, before finally nodding. A moment later, he was out the door, being shoo'd by Rarity. "Off you go!" she said with a smile.

Beta left, thanking Rarity again and handing over the bag of coins he was given by Mac. Shaking her head Rarity refused all but a few coins to cover the material costs.

"It was fun" she said and winked, before closing the door finally.

"What a generous pony" Beta said to himself, as he returned to the shadows, and headed back to the Hooves' home.

After returning to the Hooves' home, Beta, the Doctor, and Derpy enjoyed a small breakfast of muffins.

"These are amazing!" Beta said in appreciation. He wasn't sure what the flavor was, nor what was in the muffins... lately he'd realized it was best not to ask, as nearly everything they ate was, of course, consistent with an herbivore's diet. The only protein he got was in the milk, given... well... sold by the cows, and the occasional fish he'd grab from the local stream. He was fairly sure that was OK, since he didn't think all residents of the Everfree Forest were herbivores.

"Oh yes, Derpy is quite skilled, actually, in many things" The Doctor said in a generous tone. Beta saw that the Doctor was doing a fine enough job of buttering and tearing apart his muffins, when he wasn't thinking about it. Beta smiled as those particular pieces came together.

"I see you've managed a knife Doctor" Beta said, testing his theory. As the Doctor looked up at him, the knife fell 'Gotcha' Beta thought to himself, smiling a little, seeing the Doctor, now consciously, trying to pick up the knife. Smiling affectionately, Derpy walked over and picked up the knife from the floor, tossed it deftly into the kitchen, bouncing it off a hanging pot, the burner, kicking it with one of her back hooves, before landing it in the sink. The entire performance seemed practiced and routine somehow to Beta. 'Domestic life.' He sighed to himself, still smiling.

Taking pity on the Doctor, Beta noticed "You know, if you don't think about what you're doing, you do it."

Both Derpy and the Doctor stopped and looked at him as if he said something in another language, causing Beta to laugh, careful to put his coffee and muffin down first.

"You... Oh sweet Luna, the look on your faces!" he continued, unable to hold in his laughter... and finding that he didn't want to hold it in either. Seeing their indignant looks, Beta worked hard to straighten his face up, a couple tears of mirth dribbling down his maw "Ok, Ok... here's what I mean Doctor. have a cup of coffee. it'll help" Beta said, extending his cup to the doctor... which he took effortlessly with his hoof, then sipped.

"Thank you Beta, I do feel better no..." he then dropped the cup the instant he realized he was holding it. And though it crashed to the floor, Beta began laughing harder now. "Oh..." the Doctor said... "Right..."

Beta was on the floor on his knees. It wasn't so much that IT was that funny... it was that the mighty Doctor Hooves, former Time Lord and savior of the universe, who had spent however many years in pony land only JUST NOW "Cottoned on to how he can hold things!!!!" Beta pointed and wheezed. "HOW many years has it been Doctor?" Beta said, slowly regaining his composure.

"I noticed it as soon as I arrived in this place. Ponies here seem to have" Beta began before he was interrupted by the Doctor, who had just come to the same conclusion.

"...a micro telekinetic field around their fore hooves...." The Doctor finished in amazement that he NEVER realized this before. After all, eating was something that was simply done, and he never thought about it. The only time the Doctor noticed he needed to pick something up, was when he was starting to work on something. then... somehow, many hours later it was done, his workshop littered with tools he'd been using.

"Haven't you asked Derpy about it?" Beta asked more seriously. The Doctor nodded weakly as if it never occurred to have a long and frank discussion on the subject with his mate.

"Doctor..." Derpy said in that shy voice, as if she was afraid to break something with simply her voice "I tried to explain it, but..." she backed up a little, afraid she'd already said too much. Beta wondered if this was because the Doctor had violent rages... of she was afraid of ever being right. Seeing his mate back up and try to turn invisible, the Doctor walked over to Derpy and kissed her lips long and slow, before moving closer to hug her with one hoof.

"You do, my dearest." The Doctor said softly to Derpy "You have been my rock ever since I woke from that fall so many years ago. You have helped me so much my darling." he finished, kissing her again.

'So that's just how she is...' Beta realized, watching the couple 'I get the feeling this is a regular thing with them... why is she so down on herself' Beta wondered. Beta quietly finished his breakfast and slipped out to the shed, where he put on his squirrel suit.

'Wow... just wow' Beta though for the 100th time, marveling at the design. 'She's truly a gifted seamstress' Beta mused again for the 10th time. The material was breathable, but could obviously do the job needed. The wings were also retractable. There were catches, Beta figured he would hook and unhook in mid air with little problem. There was lots of give around the joints, so he could actually walk about when the wings were out.

"She's a bloody genius" he said silently to himself as he heard hooves approaching. He smiled, turning to see his soon to be teacher, Derpy.

"Yes, she is" Derpy agreed, "And generous too. She made the bags I use to deliver mail. Only asked for enough to cover her material cost plus a little bit. If I had gotten them in Canterlot, it would have cost me 10 times that. She even repairs them when I, um..." she blushed "need repairs"

Smiling, Beta nodded in agreement and understanding. "Things get ripped in the course of work".

"So, Derpy," Beta began, feeling a change in topic might be apt,"Where are we going to fall... um... we learn how to fly?" he added humorously, but saw her confidence fall. He then added quickly "I'm joking... Seriously, if the Doctor says you're the best, then you're the best!" Derpy smiled weakly at that.

"We're going to a place where you can best learn how to glide. It's about an hour from here, on the other side of the Everfree Forest. It's good that you're up so early. You should probably, um..." Derpy blushed then pressed on forward "Take.. your, um... suit off..." she finished, her soft grey fur showing more than a tinge of rose.

"Right... that's a good point." Beta said, nodding, before slipping back into the shed. A moment later he handed the suit to Derpy folded, as he was now dressed in the 5 minute shorts and 'shoes' Rarity made for him the other day. 'For a pony seamstress, she is amazing at making clothing for me. I wonder how many 'two-legs' she designs for?' Beta had wondered, not for the first time. "Well, let's get going" he said, enjoying the light breeze across his long ears.

About an hour later, he was looking at the canyon. "Where are we?" Beta asked

"It goes by a lot of names. Let's just call it 'the quarry' today." she said

"The Quarry" was a huge canyon with rock spires jutting up from the ground, high into the air. It was about 15 miles from Ponyville and rather deserted.

"Perfect for flying lessons" Derpy said proudly, puffing her chest out "Well... gliding lessons, since your suit doesn't have any means of movement on its own." she corrected. "First, I'll fly you up to that one over there" Derpy said, pointing a hoof at a rather isolated, very tall spire, which Beta estimated to be about 400 feet up from the ground. "That way" she began "you have lots of time before you hit the ground and go SPLAT and paint half the canyon" she said with a big gesture, then giggled.

"WhAt?!" Beta bleated.

"Well, that's how it is for us pegasai. We have to either learn to fly or... at least... for me." she said, blushing sadly and was suddenly thoughtful and quiet. A moment later she shook her head and her funk lifted. "Anyway" she continued in her usual bubbly way

'Perhaps that explains her cutie mark' Beta thought. He'd decided against asking how one got a cutie mark, for fear he might wake up one morning with something tattooed on his ass cheeks.

"I'll be following you down to make sure you don't die too horribly" she said, smiling in that cute way that probably drove the Doctor nuts. It only gave Beta a feeling of dread. He was not reassured by her words.

After a very... interesting ride to the top of the spire, Derpy waited for Beta to put his squirrel suit on, looking away as to give him privacy... 'Yes, because I have so much privacy being on a spire 400 feet in the air, where anypony can see me!' Beta thought as he donned his new wings.

"Ok, watch me glide down from a jumping start." she sounded like she actually knew something. The confidence in her voice improved Beta's own confidence in having her teach him how to glide. She then jumped off the spire, waited a moment, then extended her wings out. It was as though she had stopped in mid air without trying to. Then she began to glide very gracefully to the floor of the canyon. When she reached the bottom, she flew back up. It occurred to Beta that she was a much better glider than flyer. He could have sworn there were moment when she actually glided UP, as opposed to down.

"Like that" she said in her usual bubbly, if a little breathy from the exertion of flying back up, tone. "Count to 5, slowly, and then open your wings. That way you will have enough speed to grant you enough lift to help you glide the rest of the way down." she finished. Her confidence in at least this subject was really making Beta feel like this day could go well until... She pushed him off the spire.