13 Revelations

The next day Beta got a note from Derpy while he was working on the farm. She was smiling when she delivered the letter, then she was off again.

"I guess she's all business when delivering letters" Beta mused to himself. He then opened and read the letter. It was from the Doctor. He was nearly finished with the rail gun. He was fairly sure that it would get him up to Cloudsdale in one piece. "Fairly sure..." Beta snorted to himself. "That's reassuring"

Finishing up his work for the day he went into the big house and talked to Mac. "Hey boss, can you spare me for a day? The Doctor has gotten his rail O death up and working.. he thinks" Beta Asked.

Snorting at the description Mac nods "Sure. we can probably coast for a couple days actually, you're pretty good at what you do here." Mac said smiling, knowing that Beta had wanted to visit Rainbow Dash up in the clouds for a while. He also knew that Beta wanted to fly pretty badly. He'd told Mac about his flying lessons and the look of peace when Beta talked about how it made him feel truly free made Mac smile and mist up a little.

'That pony's had a rough life.' Mac thought to himself. Ok HIS life was hardly fairies and happy dust, 'But that kid's seen things no one his age should have to see...' Mac reflected. 'Not to mention his ... upbringing'' Mac snorted 'if you can call it that.'

"Mac?" Beta asked curiously, unsure why Big Mac just snorted.

Seeing Beta's confused expression Mac returned to the present "Sorry Beta. Stray thought. Just be careful not to get killed on your way up there ok?" Mac said, a little embarrassed

Looking confused Beta asked "How do you mean? I'm pretty sure the launcher works"

"It's not that. you may go flying into a cloud only to smash into a foundation. they BUILD on those clouds you know" Mac said as if this were a normal thing, forgetting Beta was still new to Equestria.

Beta nodded realizing he hadn't actually considered any of this before.

"Just be careful up there ok Beta?" Mac said, emotions neither would admit in his eyes.

"I will." Beta said firmly,then kissed Big Mac on the bridge of his long nose, causing both to blush. They both  knew it could never happen... but that didn't mean they couldn't be mildly affectionate to each other.

After cleaning up in the big house's shower, Beta still hadn't run water to his hut, beta let his furr dry as he walked 'naked' to his hut. 'No one is looking anyway' He thought as he felt the warm breeze across his wet furr.

Once back at his hut, Beta donned his 'day clothes' and bagged his squirrel suit. he would put it on at the Whooves' place... after he did something he was dreading.

Beta had put together that The good Doctor, not of his own volition of course, was inhabiting another's body. He also figured that the other personality ... person?.... pony, was still in there. He had to break the Doctor to bring out the other. He hated doing it. The Doctor and Derpy had become almost like family to him, despite the short time. He cared for them and this act felt like betrayal... but he also felt it had to be done. Beta whined to himself as he approached town knowing what had to be done.

Beta had become a 'normal' sight in town by now. Everyone knew he was relatively safe. He worked at the farm and the Apples trusted him. That was enough for anypony. Any official inquiries about him were met with feigned ignorance. After all in these little towns, everyone looked after their own. Which meant everypony knew that Beta liked Rainbow Dash, and that Apple Berry liked Beta... except Beta it seemed.

Beta was glad he was accepted here. He didn't like having to sneak around town. He still did it time to time to keep his skills sharp. but a day like today, he was glad he didn't HAVE to. He had rather a lot on his mind already.

After a time Beta arrived at the Whooves. He could see the insane contraption in the nearby distance. "I certainly hope that thing works the first time... I don't know if I'll get a second." Beta said quietly to himself in a sad, dark tone.

Entering the home, Beta noticed Derpy is in the back relaxing and watching the local wildlife. Following a beetle with one eye flying around, and a snail on the ground with the other. Smiling sadly Beta thinks, guarding his thoughts from teh Doctor 'I hope she forgives me for this'.

Beta approaches the Doctor and feels his usual, almost instinctual, touching of Beta's mind. And that's when Beta pounces, mentally.

"Doctor, You wail about what you’ve lost... but who are you?" Beta began in a forced confrontational tone, "Look at Derpy. who is she to you?"

The Doctor not quite grasping what was going on said simply "She’s Derpy, my wife. Beta what's"

"How long have you known her?" Beta pressed, mentally he "rode the line back" into the Doctor's mind searching...

"Since we were foals..." The Doctor replied slowly, feeling the reverse intrusion into his mind, it had been so subtle he missed it when it first happened. "What are you looking for?" The Doctor asked, still genial but rapidly becoming suspicious.

"Foals? How old were you when you first laid eyes on Derpy hooves?" BEta pressed, he was close, every question opened new windows adn doors.. and then he "heard it"... hooves clanging, smashing against bars.

"I'm.. I'm... When I was... I..." The Doctor answered unsure of himself all of a sudden. He wasn't sure. "they took away my memories and childhood." He said finally, weakly, trying to kick Beta out of his mind, but Beta was trained in psychic combat, he was very good at keeping hidden, even in a mind as powerful as the pony Doctor.

"What if someone were to threaten Derpy, Hooves? What would you do?" Beta asked, deliberately NOT using the title of doctor. Hooves could be either entity... he hoped to grab the 'right one' and bring him forth.

The Doctor scoffed. "No one would harm a hair on her head. she’s harmless."

"Is she?" beta retorted. he had to do this just right.... it would be his thanks to Derpy if he was successful.

"Think.. think back... when  you were a foal... before the memories invaded your mind... who is she MISTER Hooves?" Beta said, again avoiding the title... he then pointed forcefully at Derpy who was a few yards away now examining a butterfly with one eye an a beetle on the ground with another.

"Tell me is that pony worth anything? what if i just killed her? i can you know..." beta said with almost cruel disdain. he HAD to push his morals. he HAD to... all his training in psychological warfare (yes he read that book) said this was how to break into The Doctor's mind... He prayed silently to Luna he was doing the right thing.

He would never know she heard him, and nodded.

"Look AT HER! worthless, just a mistake of a pony. dead in a moment, i won’t even make it hurt." he continued. seeing that he was striking something deep inside the doctor. Internally he found the colt in the golden cage. Every insult and threat against Derpy was making this one stronger. he saw the hoof dents on the bars... 'butter hooves' Beta whispered in his mind.

"But what do you care? you hardly know her. she’s just a companion isn't she? It’s not like you've known her since you were a foal. Not really! Why shouldn't I just kill her!" Beta asked in that cold, near-voilent voice. internally he hated every syllable. He loved these people as family.

The pony in the cage in hoove’s mind began to rattle loose. the invasion of The Doctor’s memories had suppressed this original personality.

“How long have you know her?” Beta asked. He had to ask the right questions in the right order... he had to. “Um for as long as... um...”

Beta could see the struggle within the Doctor...between his body’s memories and his own. ‘You’re going to have to loose to win doctor... i’m sorry. im so so sorry.’ Beta shielded the thought.

“that’s...” Doctor hooves continues, and then dropped to his equine knees.. all 4. “ that’s... Derpy.. i’ve known her since I was...” Beta could almost see the struggle within the man. surrender to the owner, and do what’s right or live on... ‘but you CAN do both doctor’ Beta thought... ‘you MUST’

“She’s...Derpy... my.. gir... girrrrr” it was as though the Doctor was a robot having a speech malfunction. he was literally town between selves. Internally the pony had nearly broken free, and then Beta was kicked out of the Doctor's mind, which sent him reeling back.

Returning completely to the 'real world', Beta noticed something odd about the doctor’s flank.. his cutie mark... there seemed to be names inscribed on his hour glass... ‘i  wonder...’ he backed up and put his hand on the cutie mark.. it felt textured. not like Rainbow dash’s … like he could... Beta pushed on the hour glass, it moved!

“DEE DEE DERPY HOVES!” the pony known as Doctor Hooves screamed, as the hour glass turned, “Doctor” now at the bottom, and “Hooves” at the top. Beta gasped as he saw sands begin to run through the hour glass. “a shared body” Beta said in a tiny voice to himself. unable to truly comprehend what the universe had been thinking.

Hooves stomped his fore hoof down so hard it snapped and crushed the small branch under his hoof, though still on his knees. He had the look of a mate preparing to kill to protect his loved one. "Don't you dare threaten one hair on her head or so help me Celestia i'll destroy you!"

He looked different to Beta. not the look of the doctor but... Butter? Derpy asked, coming into the house, hearing her full name... The Doctor never used her... she saw the change before anyone else did. Hoofy... is that you Hoofy? she repeated. the hope in her eyes was heart breaking to Beta. he prayed a silent prayer to Luna that this worked

Derpy looked at the Hooves. BOTH eyes were on him... a look of blown glass fragility on her face. if this was a trick.. it would destroy her “hoovsie?” she said in a tiny voice, almost inaudible. “oh Celestia... Butter Hooves is that you!?” she said louder walking closer, unable to believe Butter Hooves had returned. The Doctor had never been cold to her but... he wasn’t “Hoovsie”.

”DERPY!” hooves screamed again. relief and joy radiating from his body a he got up and trotted towards Derpy. “HOOFS!!!” she screamed and flew faster than Beta had seen her move and tackled Hooves hugging and kissing him. “Oh Hoovsie oh my love I’ve missed you so much!” she said weeping with joyous tears.

"Oh Thank you, THANK YOU Beta" Derpy cried. "Thank Celestia for you," and she could not be understood anymore. Her weeping and necking of Hooves was too much. She’d just regained the colt she loved with all her heart, at least that's what she thought at the moment.

'You made this happen ... why?' Beta heard in the back of his mind. It was the Doctor of course.

‘Because it wasn't right. Because you need to become one.’ he thought in response watching the couple, hugging and kissing, crying... Beta figured he should be somewhere else soon. He looked at the completed rail gun. It would launch him up to clouds dale... where Rainbow Dash was.

‘Doctor I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry’ he said without irony. He truly was. ‘you still exist. and one day you will exist completely. but this... this was wrong.’ the doctor considered the words. he could easily taste beta’s emotions now. he only existed as thought. he pressed gently, and Beta let him. It was his consultation to the Doctor for what he'd just done to him. He let the Doctor see his entire life. the good and the bad.

'How long Beta?' The Doctor asked, as though Beta were the elder with the answers now. ‘it will last until the sand runs out. the you are back in control. please …. let them have their time together.’

“I mean.. how long can you survive?’ The Doctor asked.

Beta paused '...I don’t know. Zecora said I have to stop using magic. I’m accidentally drawing from the bandage. that’s why it’s started getting bloody, And I’ve been in pain.'

‘Yes I know. even before... i could see you were in pain.' The Doctor stated simply. 'Your nanites are offline then?’ Beta was surprised for a moment that the Doctor knew. Then again, he was of course in his head. Beta nodded to what looked like himself.

'Not totally. I have a tiny farm in my head. That strike took out my main nannite farm. I only have a few hundred left I think. But they have no home to rest in and my spare farm can only take care of a hundred at most. Nannites can only survive away from their colony for a month at the absolute most.' Beta finished in resignation of his fate.

'I wish Alpha was around. she always grasped nanite technology better than I did.' Beta thought almost to himself.

'Maybe I can help...' The Doctor noted 'Perhaps I can remake a sonic...'

‘Maybe. but not now. now... they need their time together Doctor. You both need to come to terms, that you  are sharing that body. You are only half of the equation... Doctor Hooves.'

'I never knew' The Doctor said to Beta in his mind. 'I never knew that he was still inside my..er.. his body'

'I know.' Beta returned. 'I never thought you would do this willingly. We'll find a solution Doctor. I promise' But of course Beta had no idea how, and the Doctor knew that too.

Butter Hooves looked happy as well, as thought he’d just woken up from some strange dream. "Oh my dearest Dee!" he said, crying himself. "I know who you are... what you are to me, oh my darling Derpy. My love!" Beta slipped away, crying himself.

The rail gun was completed. His boosters, the most complex part, was half way done. He could easily finish the rest on his own. Hell, he might even make himself a sonic screwdriver in respect of the Doctor. But right now... he needed to be away from the happy couple. He walked to the railgun some distance off. They had used an abandoned bit of train track. It was meant as a place to dump runaway trains or cars that were not needed. They had then run tracks up the hill in what he hoped was the direction of Cloudsdale.

Beta tried to be happy. He was going to see Rainbow in her home soon. He.. he hoped she’d be happy... More importantly he hoped she didn't have any surprise, like a boyfriend up there. Not for the first time, he wondered if that would actually bother him.

Beta finished his pre-launch check on the rail booster - it wasn't really a gun- and began to put on his squirrel suit.

"HEY BOY!" he heard in a semi-familiar voice. Beta's heart sank.

'Oh no... Please tell me the Doctor didn’t reassert himself... Is Hooves gone already?' he wondered. He prayed to Luna that wasn't the case. He turned to see Derpy ‘hanging off’ (as much as a pony can) Butter Hooves as they approached happy, their head fur still drenched with happy tears.

"Derpy... she brought me up to date. I... I can feel his presence... The Doctor, but... he’s not as strong as he was. I guess I'm going to be kinda schizophrenic for a while. We’ll figure out something. But I still have his knowledge. He..um.. told? me about this thing. You must really care for Rainbow Dash don’t you?" Hooves asked.

Beta nodded slowly. He... he wasn’t sure anymore. Was it love, infatuation or just a NEED to love someone?. But even so he did care for her a great deal even if only as a friend and simply nodded.

"Well you can’t operate this thing on your own. So into the launcher you go!" and Hooves nosed Beta’s tail towards the launch point. Beta got in chuckling at Hooves. "Oh yeah..." Hooves said, looking at Derpy. Where is Cloudsdale?" Derpy giggled then shrugged her shoulders and fore legs in an exaggerated manner. "Oh well..." Hooves said with that manic look in his eyes the Doctor was famous for. "ALLONSY!" he said with gusto as he pulled the launch lever.

"DDOOOCCTTTOOORRRRRRR" Beta yelled as he accelerated. He was going to get that horse back... He was positive they made the correct calculation for... He heard Hooves and Derpy laughing their tails off... 'Damn" he thought with a smile, 'he has a twisted sense of humor too... Good on ya Derpy. Good on ya' as he looked forward in serious concentration. He needed to time his ‘jump’ just right. And then he was off... soaring into the sky at great speeds, launched like a furry bullet into the heavens. His special helmet protecting not only his face but his ears in their long articulated chambers.

'This was freedom' Beta thought as he shot through the air towards Clouds Dale.