My little Background Charactersby IwuvWoonaChaptersFirst ContactMeetingCelebrationEndFirst ContactMy name is Derpy "Ditzy Do" Hooves. I don't have a pleasant past, but my present is kind enough. My future, however, is extravagent. It started back when I still felt a...distrust towards most other ponies. I'm shocked that it was a stranger that changed my life. For the better, too. "C'mon, Mom!" shouted Dinky. Derpy laughed at her foal's enthusiasm. She jumped around wildly on her bed. That is, until Derpy caught her and tucked her in. " Come on, little cricket." The filly immediately stopped and dove under her covers. Derpy smiled. " You've never been this exited to go to bed. Guess you really don't want to fall asleep before tomorrow." Dinky smiled. "I have a feeling I won't want to miss a second of tomorrow." Cryptic, the mother thought. "It is the first time the Summer Sun Celebration is coming to Ponyville since the Age of Dragons "Please read me something, mommy!" No-pony ever said being a single-mother was easy. Derpy thought. She glanced at the small filly, who gave her a wide grin. No-pony also said it would be so rewarding. She grabbed a large book from the shelf. "Mare's Tales to tell your Foals, that sounds like something you would like." She floated over to Dinky, book in hoof. "Let's see, hm... this one looks interesting." "Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, two sister princesses ruled. Okay, I know one is Celestia, but who's this mare?" "Just keep reading!" Her filly persisted. "Alright, alright." "These two sisters ruled peacefully, and kept complete balance. For the eldest would raise the sun at dawn, and lower it at dusk. The youngest would raise the moon at dusk, and lower it at dawn to make room for the sun. The two sisters kept the land like this for decades, but resent grew in the younger one's heart. Ponies played and relished in her sister's day, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. Stuck in the elder's shadow, the hatred she felt transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness, Nightmare Moon! The mare was bent on shrouding the world in eternal night. Left with no choice, the eldest harnessed the power of the Elements Of Harmony. Thus, permanently banishing her sister to the moon. However, it is said that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape. Nightmare will return to bring everlasting night to Equestria." An unfamiliar sense of panic rose into the mare's throat. Derpy wasn't a superstitious mare. Not at all. This was only a legend, a legend without power. Yet this strange coincidence was enough to send shivers down her spine. "We started celebrating the solstice one thousand years ago, interesting..." She discarded this panic. It was a silly mare's tale! It can't be true. "Thanks for reading to me, Mom. Now shoo! Shoo, shoo!" "What is it with fillies and privacy nowadays?" "I can't have privacy? Gooooo!" She laughed. "Alright, cricket. But don't stay up too late doing whatever you plan to do, I want you bright eyed and bushy-maned for the sunrise." "Don't worry, Mom! I'll be ready for tomorrow, you wait and see!" "Okay, okay." The pegasus mare shut the door behind her, waited a few seconds, then silently creaked the door open. Dinky was sitting at her desk, furiously scribbling down words in a letter. The mare sighed. The filly studied far too much. Three different boarding schools wanted to interview her, despite the fact that she was only six. Her teacher wanted her to slow down, though Dinky refused to do so, Derpy secretly agreed with her. The mare discarded her worries, it was time to relax! Derpy retrieved a muffin, her favorite kind. Blueberry and poppyseed, making complete sure that they WEREN'T purple. On the side, a half-full mug of hot chocolate filled to the brim with marshmallows. Her mouth watered for the treat. The mare sat herself down on a couch, flicking on the television for a mindless hour of The Simpsons. She had just settled in when it happened. The house rumbled in a fashion far too unnatural to be an earthquake. She tried as hard as she could, but she failed in the vital task of keeping her cocoa from tipping. "N-n-n-n-no, no-" The mug tipped over, spilling all over her and tinting her coat light brown. "NOOO!" she screeched, frustrated and annoyed. The rumbling intensified, and a metallic noise filled the air. Startled by the noise, Derpy looked out the window. Only to see a small blue box wildly flailing about in the night air, obviously on a crash course. "DINKY! STAY AWAY FROM THE WINDOWS!" She called, before diving for cover herself. Sure enough, the strange box crashed in the front yard. After the adrenaline pumping through Derpy's bloodstream faded, and the mare knew a heart attack wouldn't befall her if she stood, Derpy burst into the front yard to inspect the damage. A magical tingle overwhelmed her as she stepped off the porch. In the middle of her yard, was a crater three times the length of a pony. In the center was a blue, police box. "Oh, Celestia," she quietly muttered, mouth agape. "I just got the grass perfect!" Despite her better nature, and all impulses of common sense, Derpy approached this box. She reached over to tug on the doorknob, only to find it burningly hot. She winced and instantly pulled away, sucking on the tip of her hoof. "What is this? Hello!?" The doorknob clicked, and the mare flew ten feet away from it in shock. Great, whatever evil, demonic, or alien presence in there is something I probably just offended... What confused and shocked the mare even more was when the door unlocked, a stallion fell out. Along with plumes of smoke, ash, and sparks. The stallion had a chestnut coat and handsome, brown hair. However, the majority of his coat and his tail was hidden underneath a coat that spanned the length of his body, a dark brown vest, and a denim piece of clothing she was unfamiliar with that covered his legs. He would've looked...good...were it not for dozens of injuries that covered him. His face was scratched and scarred and covered in blood. His hind hoof bent beyond natural capacity. Smoke drifted from his mouth when he exhaled. "Ohgoshohgoshohgosh!" Diving into the smoke, Derpy pulled the stallion from the machine. Hacking up smoke as she set him into the cool night, she dashed towards her door. Anger filled her body when she realized the front door was locked. The mare pounded on the door until a ginger mare with bloodshot eyes and an annoyed snarl gracing her muzzle. "I was already woken up once tonight by some freaky noise in my dreams. Now you start POUNDING on the door while I-" The pegasus stepped aside, revealing the smoking crater and the mangled stallion in the yard. The ginger dragon set aside the new name on her KILL list. "Oh dear!" "I know how many millions of questions you probably have right now. I can honestly say that I can't answer any of them. But right now, we need to get him a doctor." Carrot Top snapped out of her shock. "Get him onto the couch." The pegasus dragged the earth pony inside. Carrot top propped his head with pillows and threw a blanket over the mysterious stallion. Carrot Top trotted by, armed with a bag full of ice. She pressed it against a purple bruise on his forehead, where he was clearly knocked out. "Get his clothes off. We'll need to assess whatever damage has been done," she ordered. As Derpy removed the tie, she noticed a strange device stuck in the knot. Shrugging, set it on the coffee table. "Remind me how you know WAY too much about medicine?" "Remember that term in college I took as an intern? I was working at a hospital." "Wow, I have literally nothing else to say about that..." "Keep checking his pulse and breathing. I need to make a few calls." Carrot said as she beat each number. Derpy watched the stallion's chest heave up and down. It seemed normal. She took his hoof into hers, and pressed the tip of it into his wrist. The pulse was almost too fast to belong to an unconscious body. It actually seemed to...overlap. "Whaa?" Derpy pressed the icepack on his forehead, carefully listening to Carrot's phone call. " Hello? Yeah, this guy fell from the sky, now he's unconscious. Injuries? Um.. covered in bruises, a few cuts, no doubt he has a concussion, and I think his ankle is broken. Yeah, he fell from the sky. What? No, he's not a pegasus. No, he wasn't in a carriage. A blue box just...crashed in our yard and he was in it. Yeah, you heard me, blue box. Hey! You listen! I am not a mental patient. Guh!" Carrot thrust the phone back into the holder in frustration. She typed in another number. After a few attempts, Carrot typed in one last number. " Doctor Green? It's Carrot. I took a temp job for a semester with you? Yeah, that Carrot Top. What other Carrot Top would it be? Listen, I know how crazy this must sound, but some guy fell from the sky, he's covered in bruises, cuts, he has a concussion, and he broke his ankle, no, he's not a pegasus, nor was he in a carriage. You will? Ohhhh, thank Celestia!" After a few minutes, a green, unicorn mare with a black ponytail trotted in. " Enter, Doctor Emerald Green." Carrot said. "Exactly, where is the patient in question?" The mare asked. Carrot trotted to Green. " Hey! How long has it been?" Carrot was giddy in the presence of her teacher. The unicorn sighed. "You called me here to do a job. I'd rather do my job than exchange pleasantries right now..." Carrot Top, dejected, gestured to the stallion. Green cleared her throat, and galloped to the stallion. She stole a variety of contraptions from her bag. First she pried his eye open and shined a light in it. "You're right about the concussion," she took a look at his hoof, watching him wince in his sleep, "And about the broken ankle. My prescription? Bandage the worst of his cuts and press ice on the head. I'll splint his hoof and bandage it. When he wakes up, keep him off it until I can get crutches his size." Emerald instructed. Green examined the worst cuts closely. "Breathing?" she asked. " Fine," derpy replied. "Pulse?" Green needed the vitals fully listed. "Ermm..fine?" A unicorn mare stepped into the house. " Sparkler!" Derpy hugged her older daughter. " You do realize it's an hour past your due time, right?" " Yeah, Button Mash's mom got caught in traffic. sorry." Sparkler said, embarrassed. Dinky suddenly bolted down the stairs. " Sparky!" she threw her little hooves around the mare. " Dinky! I told you bed!" Derpy scolded. " I know, but I wanted to stay up and see Sparky. Oh, and this is for you..." Dinky gave Derpy a scroll. The pegasus undid the seal. Dear Ditzy Do, I must say, your letter on Nightmare Moon caught me by surprise. With honesty, I planned to send my student to check up on the preparations for the Summer Celebration. But after a background check on you, perhaps you'd be a better choice. On the back of this letter, you'll find a list of ponies you'll need to check on. Sincerely, Princess Celestia Derpy stared at the letter, her left eye twitching with anger. "I already had WAY too many things on my plate, then this HIGHLY coincidental letter comes, and now I'm going to go scream in my special pillow." The pegasus slowly walked up the stairs." Sparkler grinned at her sister. "You had something to do with this, didn't you?" "I sure did." "That's my sis." Dinky suddenly spotted the stallion in the corner of her eye. She gasped and squealed in utter glee at the sight of someone new. The young foal trotted to the unconscious stallion just as Derpy came down the steps. " Who's he, mommy?" she asked. Sparkler gazed curiously at the stallion. " Yeah, mom. Who's that?" Sparkler gazed at the curious stallion. "Really? You honestly didn't notice the giant crater literally right outside our house?" Derpy asked sarcastically. Sparkler looked out the window. "How did I not notice that? Uh, and that just raises further questions." She gazed at Celestia's letter, "I'll give you a hoof with the decor if you need it." Derpy sighed in relief. Doctor Green finished and left, promising Derpy she'd fashion crutches within the next day. "Alright girls, go to bed. I'll be asleep soon, too. Looks like I'll be waking up earlier tomorrow." The younger mares obeyed. Derpy yawned. It was late, and she was tired. She sat herself on the cushion next to the stallion's his hind-hooves, and watched him carefully. She watched him cringe and worm around uncomfortably. The mare obtained a rag to wipe the sweat emitting from his forehead. Tears rolled down his cheeks. On occasion, he'd mumble something in his nightmares. She listened, but he said a large multitude of words. She couldn't exactly pinpoint what he was dreaming about.. Derpy cried as well. It pained her to see anyone like this. He'd need her company to survive the night. She curled up on the recliner next to the chair. Even with her special eyes, she managed to focus them on him. Grief and sorrow mixed in her heart. She could remember being in similar situations. The terrors she had after she was abandoned, and after the event. But something else stirred, in her. The spark. She felt it once before. She remembered feeling this way for him. She knew this could become an inferno if it was left unchecked. Derpy shoved the thought aside. She didn't even know this guy. She shouldn't start falling for stallions falling from the sky. The next morning, the Doctor awoke. He looked at his surroundings, but his vision was heavily blurred. It became focused when he laid his eyes on a mare. A saddened cringe remained on her face, although she was asleep. The first word he uttered was a confused "What!?" Meeting The Doctor kept staring at the mare in awe. How did he get here? All he remembered was entering an unexplored region of the universe, then the TARDIS went out of control. He remembered being hurtled towards the door and then…darkness. Wait. Soon as he recalled what happened, pain ripped through his body. He cringed and stifled a yelp. That's when he heard something open. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small, purple mass retrieve a jug of milk from what looked like a fridge. As the Doctor focused his vision on the thing, he realized it was an equine of a sort. He watched as she crawled atop a counter and take a box of cereal, a bowl, and a spoon. The creature poured the cereal into the bowl, and the next strange thing happened. The being used a natural energy beam to lift the milk and pour it into the bowl. The Doctor cleared his throat. " Err…hello?" The equine turned around to face Doctor. Her wide eyes lit up at the sight of him, but the excitement within her died with a deep breath. He gazed at the equine's youthful appearance. The filly had a blonde mane, and a small horn stood in the center of her forehead. She seemed completely nonchalant over the alien sitting not fifteen feet away. "Well, perhaps you can tell me what happened while I was out?" he tried hard not to stare. This was a talking unicorn standing in front of him. The Doctor had seen a lot in his life, but nothing as fanciful as this. The filly shrugged. " You'll have to ask my mommy. Because as a famous mare would say, "Spoilers"." she kept pouring, completely oblivious to the milk beginning to spill on the floor. It was at that point Dinky realized how much milk she spilt. She put the jug away and wiped the remainder off the floor. "I hate it when this happens. Believe it or not, this happens more than you think." "Hm. Look at you. There's a creature you've never even heard of before, and you're acting like this is a daily occurrence." Dinky winked. "Maybe you should take a good, long look at yourself, Doctor." " Why?" he asked. "Because in my eyes, you're something quite familiar. You and I, are quite similar." "I think your quite mistaken, little filly. There's no possible way I could be a-gah!" pain ripped through the Doctor's head once more. He reached up to rub the small lump on the side of his head, that's when it happened. A hoof. In place of the Doctor's hand, there was a round, chestnut-colored, hoof. The doctor threw off the blanket. " Checking a mirror, now!" as soon as he hit the floor, he yipped in pain as he noticed his mangled hoof. Dinky giggled. "Maybe I should've warned you about the hoof." The doctor now both admired and disliked this filly. "Okay, limping to a mirror." It didn't take long for the Doctor to locate the bathroom, surprise ran through him as he gazed at his reflection. " Okay, how did I regenerate? I sustained injuries, but none were fatal or even serious…" He glanced at himself and fiddled with his hooves. " Okay, chestnut coat. And um…cobalt eyes looks like." He blew a strand of hair out of his face. " Still not ginger, Blast! Wait," he turned around to see Dinky. The small filly watched him, amused, as he fiddled with himself. " You mentioned a mother…" "Uh, yeah. I can't live here without a registered guardian. Which Sparkler and Carrot Top are not." The Doctor raised his brow. "You said she knew what happened? Well, I'd like to meet her!" He trotted back to the den. As the gallifreyan looked closely at the young mare, he felt….odd. Not ten seconds went by when the mare opened her eyes and fluttered the sleep out of them. The doctor gazed into the mare's distorted, amber eyes. She screamed, scaring the stallion half to death. "AH, I HAD A BAD DREAM!" She acknowledged the Doctor. "AH, YOU WERE THERE!" The Doctor stared as the mare placed both hooves on the sides of her head. "AH, THE DREAM WAS REAL!" Derpy's lopsided eyes turned to the clock. "AH, I'M LATE!" She bolted around the house, grabbing the scroll, kissing Dinky on the forehead, and running out the door with a "DON'TBURNTHEHOUSEDOWNORI'LLKILLYOULOVEYOUBYE!" The door slammed shut, leaving Dinky and the Doctor alone. "Is she always like this?' He asked the filly. "With all that's been happening, she gets a free pass for this." Dinky yawned, bored. "So, wanna see some spells my teacher has been having me work on?" "Spells?' "I am a *coughallpoweredcough* unicorn. I know a lot of magic, but even I need to do some homework." The doctor stifled a giggle. " Magic? magic isn't real! It's just a shoddy excuse for the unexplained." The filly simply stared. " Shun the unbeliever!" She cried, hissing at him like a changeling. He paused. "Okaaaay..." As Derpy down through the gate, she blindly crashed into something. Stars crossed her eyes as the world turned black. Seconds later, she heard an exclamation, some very mean words between to voices, and an "Oh dear, are you alright!?" the concerned words were soon followed by " Quick Tavi, hide the body!" more mean words between the voices, and Derpy then felt a hoof grasp hers. Vision returned to her, and she found herself staring at beige mare's concerned eyes. Just beyond her, a white, unicorn mare with a crazy mane shot a mean glare at the beige one. "Oh sure, help the complete stranger and not your friend!" The mare shouted angrily. The mare helped Derpy up before turning to the white mare. " You bite your tongue Vinyl!" As the two argued, Derpy realized she's seen these mares before. She looked at the name on her letter before turning to the arguing ponies. " Are you Octavia?" The two mares paused. Octavia cleared her throat and straightened her bowtie. " Yes I am. What might I do for, Ms?" " Er…Hooves." Octavia shook Derpy's hoof. Vinyl cleared her throat noisily. Octavia let out an annoyed grunt. "Okay, you know what? My roommate saw the blue box in the sky and how it fell in your yard. She just really wanted to know what it's all about." Derpy paused to try to come up with an answer. " Uhhhh, know what? Not even I can explain that… Anyway, I am apparently the pony who's checking the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. You're on my list as a musician." " Of course miss Hooves. I assumed that I'd be meeting with Celestia's student, though." "Plans change, apparently.'' "Very well, I have the honor of backing up such a momentous occasion, along with Lyra heartstrings." She seemed to be thinking. " She would make much better company if she hadn't taken up her silly obsession. Anyway, I can take you to where me and my associate are working if you'd like." " Oh, that would be lovely." Derpy smiled. Octavia began to lead her away. " She cracked my shades…" Vinyl mumbled behind them. Meanwhile, the Doctor boredly sat on the couch. Dinky trotted up to him, book in her mouth. She spat it out on his lap. " You can read this mister. It's a big book, and adults like big books, right?" The Doctor took it. After trying several times to pick up the book, he simply adjusted himself so he could read it while lying down. The book was leather bound, old, and dusty. As he opened it up, he realized it was a photo book. The first page was entitled " best day ever" A young looking mare in a white dress and a veil. She clung to a blue, unicorn stallion with a wavy mane and a black tuxedo. Both had unbelievably large smiles. " Dinky?" "Yes?" "Who's this?" Dinky gazed at the photo and shrugged. " That mare looks like my mom in her earlier years. No idea who the stallion is…" Suddenly, a pink aura closed the book and levitated it upward. A pink mare with a short mane and angry eyes took the book. " Where did you get this?" she angrily asked. Dinky fiddled with her hooves before answering sheepishly. "Mommy's closet," she looked down, away from the mare. The mare gazed at her in a disappointed way. " RRRRR! You know you're not allowed in Mom's closet! She made that rule for a reason, you know!" She transferred her glare to the doctor. He knew why Dinky was acting squeamish under her. Her gaze even made him uncomfortable. " And you! My night was bad enough with Button refusing to take a bath. Then I come home to a steaming crater and some random stallion on the couch. Now," She levitated a baseball bat to herself. " I'm going to go hit a tree," she trotted outside. "Your family seems to have a lot of anger issues." "Feh." Dinky retrieved another large book. She sat next to the Doctor and handed the book to him. " Don't worry about Sparkler, mommy says every pony goes through what she calls "puberty". Sparky's pretty nice on good days. Anyway, will you read me something?" " So she's Sparkler. Sister?" " Bingo!" the doctor shrugged and took a look at the book. Mare's tales to tell your foals. He skimmed through the contents. He soon realized the stories were similar to earth fairy tails. Little Red Hood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Hansel and Gretel. The off thing about the stories was the fact that the characters, save the animals, were all ponies. It didn't feel right. He put down the book. " Well how about we just talk. Sooo, how old are you?" "I am six years old! You?" " I don't know how to answer that." He quickly changed the subject. " So you're in, I want to say, First Grade?" Dinky nodded before gaining a serious look. "You really don't believe in magic, do you?" " Oh Dinky, when you're young, you believe in a lot of things. Magic is one of those things. As you grow you'll-" "But you're wrong. Here? Magic makes this world alive. We use magic to shift seasons. To move the sun and moon. Spell books are in every library. Someone has to be two things to not think magic is real. One: they're not a unicorn. Two: They have to have lived under a rock for half their lives." The Doctor changed the subject again. " Why was Ditzy in such a hurry this morning?" Dinky sighed. "She was appointed by Princess Celestia to make sure the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration go as planned. It's got to be really special, this is the first time it's being held in Ponyville." The Doctor wondered himself if Ditzy had a right to be paranoid. " So, you're country is ruled by a monarchy. So is there a king or queen?" " No, just the Princess. But she's ruled Equestria for over a thousand years! Celestia has made Equestria an egalitarian society." Dinky proudly spouted. "You seem like quite a smart little one. Your mother must be a good teacher!" He smiled, and the filly followed. "Oh, you know, you're like the exact opposite of Miss Cheerilee in some ways. She says a filly like me should slow down sometimes. but why should I? I mean, I could earn scholarships with my grades. Mom taught me the basics when I was young, so I focus on the advanced stuff now. Heck, I know most average spells, and am working on intermediate magic. And I'm six!" The Doctor swore he saw the filly glowing from her happiness. That was when she looked down, away from him. "Maybe that's why I don't have any friends…Or a cutiemark..." She said, contemplative. The Doctor sighed. He patted her shoulder gently. " You know what, why is a cute-mark so important anyway? Besides, I've known a lot of bad creatures in my time, and they always get karma thrown right back at them. What is a cute-mark anyway?" Dinky rolled her eyes. "Cutiemark. Not Cute-mark. Anyway, should you know this. It's a mark on your flank that shows what you were meant to do with your life. Your Talent. Yours is an hourglass." Dinky asked. The Doctor glanced at his flank, and sure enough, there was an hourglass. " Well look at that! How peculiar. My "talent" has to do with time. But in a way you wouldn't believe. You remember my box?" Dinky nodded. " Okay, I'll need some help, but would you like to see it?" Dinky teared up , like a repressed child filled with anger. "Yes! But it's just that I..." she sighed, pressing her hooves against her head. "I wouldn't hurt anyone as innocent as you. I can prove it right now, if you-" She wiped away a tear. "I can't do it anymore." The foal smiled. "You don't need to prove yourself to me, Doctor. You don't need to hide." He froze. "Ah, you get it, now. You never told me you were called the Doctor. I know who you are. You're 903. Much younger than our princess, but an elder of the universe no less. You're from Gallifrey, and you are the tenth regeneration of yourself." The doctor was stunned. This filly knew much more about him than he expected. "You sacrificed your race to stop the time war, and thusly saved the universe. Now, you're alone, relying on strangers to keep you company, if only for a little while." "How do you know any of this?" She giggled. "You're not the only one who's gallivanted around in time. I just..." She shuddered, "Would rather not do it again." "Alright, then" He reached for his Sonic Screwdriver. " See this?" Dinky nodded. " You can't get this anywhere in Eques-" "I know what it is." Dinky took the machine into her aura, and aimed the screwdriver at various machines. The Refrigerator opened and closed, the television suddenly turned on, lights flickered on and off, the radio blared, and a little toy robot scuttled across the floor. The doctor was impressed. " That robot doesn't even have batteries!" She pointed out.. "Wanna show Carrot Top the TARDIS?" Dinky trotted upstairs. A couple moments later, A yellow mare followed by Dinky came down. " There better be a good reason you're telling this fi- what!?" Carrot gazed at the flickering machines. " Um yes, I'll need a little help to get to my TARDIS." He said from the couch. Carrot kept staring. " Glad to see your up. Could you tone it down on the unholy alien tech?" The Doctor made the screwdriver revert the machines back to their normal state. Several minutes later, Doctor Green had come in just as carrot Top started helping him up. After an introduction (and several attempts to get the crutches on), Green left with a couple bits of advice. The trio made their way to the crater. Inside, a blue box. " Oh, you sexy thing…" The Doctor mumbled as he made his way down to the box. Carrot and Dinky followed suit. " How does something like this create such a large crater?" Carrot asked herself. " How does something like that even end up in the sky?" Dinky replied sarcastically. The Doctor slowly opened the TARDIS door. Dinky squeaked in glee, and Carrot top fainted. " Hold on," Dinky trotted back into the house and came back with icy cold water. She proceeded to dump the bucket onto the mare. Ditzy trotted alongside Octavia as she saw it. BonBon's Sweet Shoppe. Derpy glanced at her list. BonBon was on her list as a food provider. She trotted in to see two mares A mint green unicorn gathering ribbons and placing them in a bag. Then there was a creamy colored mare cooking sweets. They both greeted Derpy kindly. She shrugged off the kind words. Octavia led the young pegasus to the Unicorn. "Hey, Tavi. How's practice going?" she asked. " Just swell, Lyra. Anyway, this is Ditzy. She's to make sure everything is prepared." Derpy shook Lyra's hoof. Lyra levitated a cello and a lyre out of a closet. " Let's show her our symphony." Sweet, happy music emitted from the two instruments. Derpy recognized the song when it turned sad for an instant. The song that played when she first him. " Okay, that's a lovely song, you two! Let me just check on the food.." She shyly trotted to Bonbon, pretending not to notice the confused glances between Lyra and Octavia. " My Name is Bonbon. As you may know, I have been entrusted with honorable task of making the food for the Summer Sun Celebration." She smiled and curtsied politely. "Er, nice to meet you." Derpy plastered a fake smile on her face. She hoped to speed this up a little more. She stepped up to the counter, which was covered with hundreds of treats. " Try anything you want." Bonbon beamed. Derpy plopped a taffy in her mouth. Flavor exploded in her mouth. She couldn't help but sigh in delight. " Every sweet is made without a recipe. And no batch is exactly the same. Try another." Derpy reached for a fancy chocolate. She let it melt on her tongue as a sweet flavor coated her tastebuds. " These are the greatest sweets I've ever tasted!" she shouted. Bonbon smiled at the compliment. She let Derpy take a few sweets for home. Swiftly, Derpy checked off music and food. Sparkler said she'd handle the decor, so I'm done. She opened the door to leave, when the mares told her something that irked her. " We hope to see you again! Maybe next time we can get together as friends!" Bonbon beamed. "And whenever you need something, call us. We owe you," Vinyl said. The mare bit her lip in discomfort in the fashion she did whenever she was faced with the word "friend". "You don't owe me a thing. Don't worry." She gulped and forced a smile onto her face. She ran for the door, bad memories coursing through her head. Celebration Derpy swung the door open. " I'M GOING TO KI-oh." She stuttered, surprised the cottage hadn't burned down( which actually almost happened once). Even more surprising, the fact that nothing was amiss. Carrot Top had made cookies, and a carrot cake was currently baking. Dinky ate a cookie as the television blared in front of her. The Doctor was dead asleep on her recliner. And Sparkler was gone. " Hi Mommy," Dinky bleated politely. " Hey, cricket, I'll be upstairs if you need me," Derpy replied to the filly. Dinky simply nodded as Derpy trotted to her room. The mare sighed, tired. "There's something about tonight. A feeling that won't go away, and it isn't a good one. Aaaand, I'm talking to myself..." Thunk! Derpy gasped in surprised. The final book on the shelf had fallen onto the floor. Right open to a peculiar page. She picked up the book and glanced at the title. Mare's tales to tell your Foal. That's when that one line hit her. " Left with no choice, the eldest harnessed the powers of the Elements of Harmony." She repeated the words once more, curious. " Index. Index. Index…" She flipped to the book's index. She found what she was looking for, and flipped to another page. " Elements of harmony. Six essences of Friendship including honesty, kindness, laughter, loyalty, generosity, and a final, hidden element hidden within a castle in the everfree." She shivered at the mention of the chilling concept of the mysterious forest. "An old legend details them used against the fictionist character Ni- okay I know this part." She shut the book. She gazed at the ceiling, not realizing how weary she was. Her eyes fluttered shut. She was abruptly awoken a while later by Dinky (who was trying to put whipped cream on her hoof.) The foal gasped and ran away when she saw her mother's eyes wrench open. She glanced annoyedly in the direction she ran before shaking the whipped cream off her hoof. " How long was I out?" Derpy glanced at her clock. Her face turned white as the digital numbers flashed 4:10. The sun was set to rise at 4:30! She brushed her teeth while combing her mane. Right afterwords, she ran down the stairs and crammed an ice-cream sandwich in her mouth. Dinky and the rest seemed to have already left. Derpy galloped and flew to the Town-hall. Derpy practically kicked the door down as she flew on. Octavia and Lyra had just started their song. Derpy struggled to keep from screaming at what it reminded her of, but she was relieved she was on time. " Derpy!" Carrot Top shouted from the front of the crowd. The mare joined her daughters, Carrot, and the Doctor. " Carrot Top filled me in on the celebration. It sounds interesting, but I'm still skeptical about the whole 'magic Pegasus unicorn thing raising the sun'." The Doctor laughed. before Carrot kicked his shin. Hard. He gripped his crutch and leaned on it. " How do you females kick so hard?" he whimpered. Carrot smiled to herself. BonBon stood upon the stage. " And Now, everypony!" The Doctor snickered at the phrase. " I present to you, Princess Celestia!" Bonbon proudly announced. The curtains parted to reveal….nothing. The crowd gasped and Lyra had to keep Bonbon from fainting. A faint, but chilling laughter filled the air. The air around Derpy cooled tremendously. The mare shivered. Purple mist filled the air, ultimately gathering into a black mare. Her evil laughter boomed through the air. Carrot looked frantic, the Doctor actually looked intrigued, and anger welled within Derpy. Dinky cried loudly and clung to her mother. The Mare was black with an ethereal mist for a mane and tale. "Let it be known that There can only be one princess in Equestria! A princess that can keep away the dreaded light of the sun! That will prevent shadow!" The mare smiled, revealing teeth sharper than knives. The crowd fell silent. The alicorn's horn glowed brightly. "ME!" she bellowed. A blast of energy destroyed everything around her. " Why so silent?" Her voice quieted. " Surely somepony saw the signs." She looked over the shocked ponies. " Who's she?" the doctor whispered to Derpy, a smile plastered on his face. She gently slapped him. " Ow! What?" " You're smiling at the face of evil, therefor I have the right to hit you. Anyway, She's Nightmare Moon. An evil mare bent on shrouding the world in eternal night…" He scowled. " I don't take kindly to that sort of thing. Just stay low, and don't challenge her." He said, tension in his voice. Anger crossed his eyes. "No one? Well, maybe an example should be shown when my questions aren't answered." Nightmare smiled viciously as her horn glowed. Two, small unicorn fillies were suddenly dragged up to Nightmare. Blank-flanks, like Dinky. The two squealed and shrieked as Nightmare smiled at them. She dropped them on the floor and her horn began to glow red. Dinky ignored the doctor's warning to her mother and ran to the front of the crowd. " Stop!" she shouted, unconcealable determination in her voice. "I saw the signs, and I know who you are!" Nightmare leaned in. " Look at that, one smart, little filly knew who I was. How endearing!" She laughed, "You spoke out, little one. Such bravery deserves a nice...punishment." Nightmare's glow filled the air, and Dinky screamed. Derpy froze as she watched her daughter fall, burnt, bruised, and unconscious. "NO!" She screamed and kicked as Carrot Top and the Doctor retrained. "Let me go! That's my little filly, let me GO!" "Don't be a martyr, Ditzy, you'll only get both of you killed!" The doctor held on tightly, even with his broken leg. Ditzy whimpered. "Please be okay," she whimpered. EndVinyl scowled as the purple mist flew out of the building. She swiftly chased after, but as she trotted out of Townhall, Octavia yanked onto her tail. Thus, stopping her. " What the hay, Tavi!?" " You run out chasing some alien mare, and you expect me to not stop you?" Tavi said irately. " She's doing it…" Vinyl mumbled as she gestured to Derpy as she flew away. On her back, a sleeping filly. Following suit, a brown stallion. " Ditzy!?" Octavia exclaimed. Lyra ran past the two, Bonbon chasing. Vinyl smacked Tavi's hoof away and galloped away. Left with no option, Tavi gaited after her. " Vinyl, don't do anything rash!" Derpy flew all the way home. Sparkler ran to her mother. " Okay, is there a reason some crazy alicorn mare is all over the tv!?" " Nightmare moon," was all Derpy replied. She trotted past her daughter and placed Dinky on the couch. A small tear shed her eye. She failed, and now Dinky was in danger. The small tear developed into a stream. Derpy clenched her teeth and hunched over. She felt helpless, like she did so long ago. The Doctor limped through the door. " Okay, Ditzy, we're going to need to act fast. I'll get Dinky into the TAR-" "Go." Derpy stuttered. She looked up at him with angry, tear-stained eyes. "Ditzy, you don't understand. I'm not equine! I'm an alien. My-my box is a-" "I SAID GO!" she shouted with rage. " My life has been a living Tartarus ever since a was born. Just because I was born with lopsided eyes! When my Dinky came home, I hoped I could raise a normal filly, and give her a normal life. Then you happened! You just barged right in to my life!" " You know, I've recently discovered that's something I just do.'' " SHUT UP!" Even the Doctor was surprised at the hostile tone. " You expect me to believe this "alien" crap? Go! Go now! I never want to see you again!" At this point, Derpy had cornered the Doctor eye to eye. She turned tail and sobbed on the arm of the chair. " Ditzy, I-" " You What, Doctor? What can you possibly want to say?" The Doctor twisted her body to face her. Eagerness in his eyes, virtually indifferent to the sadness in hers. " I'm sorry," thunk! with little warning, the Doctor smashed his head into hers. Visions danced across Derpy's eyes. She saw, well, she didn't know. She saw strange, bipedal creatures. Robots of different forms. That blue box, which was bigger than she originally thought. Some of the creatures would explode into yellow energy and transform into another one. Gas-masked children crying out for their mother. The images faded away, and she realized the truth. This stallion was an alien. She than realized how much pain the headbutt had caused her. The two ponies screamed out in pain. She gazed at the Doctor for a second. " Okay." she said calmly, " I'm going to faint.'' As she fell the doctor caught her. " No fainting on my watch, Ditzy!" his tone immediately changed from merry to serious. " Listen, my TARDIS is the only safe place for Dinky to be," he held out his hoof. she gazed at him for a second, not sure what to do. Now things made sense, at least one thing. She remembered how awful his night terrors were that first night. Reluctantly, Derpy took hold of his hoof. She trotted to the sleeping filly, swaddled her and the blanket, and gently carried her to the crater. When she was outside, she could already start to feel the cold eternal night would bring. A small puff of air emitted from her mouth. The doctor trudged behind her, an old scarf Dinky crocheted around his neck. " Ah, This old thing reminds of me home!" He cried happily. Derpy scowled at him before arriving at the door of the box. " Behold my abode!" He threw the door open. Derpy blinked. Once. Twice. She turned around and saw all the screaming ponies. " Oh, alright!" she shouted to no one. She trotted into the doorway box and saw all of its magnificent splendor. She didn't say anything, nor could she. Derpy had seen the box in her visions, but she didn't comprehend it well. The mare found herself unable to step inside for a moment. When she gathered the courage to try to do so, she retracted at the metal "clink". Finally, she walked into the large, golden room. The Doctor took Dinky, only to have her eyes creak open. "I'm sorry. I had to stop her." Derpy teared up, brushing a blonde hair out her face. "Oh, sweetie, it isn't your fault. It's my fault for being so...so-" "Mommy?" she whimpered. She looked up, tears falling down her cheeks. The filly very weakly levitated a tissue to her face. "Promise you won't die. Whatever happens, you'll be okay, just tell me that." Derpy sniffed. "Whatever happens, I'll be okay." Dinky smiled, and her eyes shut. The mother gasped, fearful. "She isn't...dead, right?" "No, she just needs rest." The doctor informed " That mare,…if what you said…was true, I'm sorry. But if you found anything on her. Anything we could use to defeat her-" " The elements of harmony." "What are they?" "From what I know, the elements are the essences of-" "HEY!" Derpy sighed at Lyra's voice. The two ponies turned around to see Lyra, Bonbon, Octavia, and Vinyl. All grouped up in the entrance of the TARDIS. Octavia and Bonbon just stood there, mouths agape. " Aw Sweet!!" cried Vinyl. The two unicorns trotted in. " How rude," the Doctor complained. "They didn't even ask to come in!" Lyra ignored him. " This is amazing!" Lyra spun around in the splendor of the machine. She swiftly lost balance and Bonbon needed to aid her. " I…what…umm...how di…wha?" That was all Tavi managed to mutter. Vinyl nudged her. " Magic, duh!" she gestured to her horn. " She's not magic! The TARDIS is Dimensionally Transcendental!" The Doctor scuffed. Vinyl made a confused look, then she saw Derpy. " Hey! You know you're filly is a hero right? Saved my little sis. Would be awesome, if we weren't being shrouded in eternal night." "No. The sun will rise again if I can help it." Derpy said. "No? Ditzy, that mare has unbelievable power, she's murderous, and she has no conscious! There's no possible way for us!" Octavia shouted. "There is a way, though." Derpy glanced at Dinky, her only light amongst the darkness. The ponies gathered around her, waiting for the answer. " I foresaw Nightmare's return, but no pony truly believed me. Now that she's here, I believe only one thing can stop her. The Elements of Harmony. In the legend, Nightmare Moon was banished when Princess Celestia harnessed the elements of harmony. We just need to retrieve them, and maybe we'll have a chance." " How would they work?" Lyra asked. " Well, first things first, we need to find the elements. Which sadly, are in the…Everfree Forest." Four of the ponies gasped. " What's wrong with this " Everfree Forest"? The Doctor tilted his head. " It's eerie and unnatural," Octavia shivered. Dark and uncontrollable forces live there. And it's the one place that ponies have no control of!" Bonbon whimpered. " That's all?" The doctor laughed. " That's nothing compared to my world, silly mares." he bragged. " In fact, that makes it almost enticing! Allons-y!" He limped away, far more slowly than he had hoped." He turned around to face Derpy. " Um, can you help me?" She rolled her eyes and began to help him in the direction of the forest. Derpy had planned to go alone, so she was mostly okay by her own standards. The Doctor gazed around. " Hmm, this might, just might be a taaaad more dreary than I expected. What do you think, Ditzy?" The young mare rolled her eyes. " It's exactly what I expected." she replied with a hint of sarcasm. " Oh come on, don't be such a stick in the mud. Surely this is a little fun?" " Doctor, my idea of fun involves sitting on the couch and eating a muffin." " That's not fun at all… Don't you-you know, spend "Time" with that Carrot mare?" Derpy blushed profusely. " W-what?" " You just seem to be "fond" of her." " Oh, nonononono! I can definitely say I'm single. Me and Carrot Top are more like sisters." Derpy looked away in discomfort. Perfect, now I feel bad. Change the subject!, the Doctor thought. "Ever do anything with your mother?" he asked politely. Any content activity within her vanished instantly. " My mom..um." Derpy sighed, trying to find a way to dispel his question. "Oh, Ditzy, I wouldn't have asked if I knew she was de-" " Oh no! She's not dead, but-" Derpy hesitated. " I didn't…my mother tried to kill me when I was little. Twice," EVEN WORSE!, the Doctor berated himself and clubbed his head repeatedly. " Yeah," Derpy paid no mind to him. " She thought…she thought I should've never been born. She poisoned me, and left me to die. Not at the same time, but…yeah. I wouldn't be here if Carrot's mother hadn't found me and took me in." " I'm not letting that get me down though. I have a mission." The doctor guiltily looked away. Not noticing the warm, glowing smile she plastered on next. " Personally though, I'm glad to have some pony to talk about it with." Derpy noticed the Doctor had stopped, but she kept moving. It was better going alone than with an injured pony. She heard him screaming to her, of course she didn't listen. That was when it happened. CCRRRRAAACKK!! The ground below her crumbled, and Derpy began a dangerous slide town the side of a cliff. She tried digging her hind hooves into the ground, but it caused her to flip over and land on her wing. She cried in pain as she realized how hopelessly mangled it had become. The edge was nearing, and Derpy knew it was the end. She screamed out as she felt herself drop. It was then she felt a hoof grabbed her own, keeping her from falling, but almost ripping her arms from their sockets. Derpy looked up, and saw Bonbon struggling to keep her from death. Both heavy relief and exasperation welled up in her. The bad news was that Bonbon was slipping from her perch. " Let me go, I won't let you go down with me!" But the young baker was too stubborn. "You're going to be okay, Ditzy. I can pull you up, and I'm not lying!" She gave another tug. "Don't make a promise you can't keep, Bonbon. Let go….let me fall." Derpy got surprised when Bonbon attained a fire in her eyes she wouldn't expect from such a sweet pony. "We have been trying to catch up with you for the past twenty minutes," BB grunted as she gave a hard pull, attaining an inch of height between Derpy and stable ground. She struggled to gain a foot-hold in the smooth ground, but couldn't. " And I have come TOO far to let you die now!" Derpy shrugged off the feeling of hurtling death and managed to grab a small ledge. With the power of the two mares, Derpy managed to escape death, but narrowly. The two mares flopped onto the ground to catch their breath. BB looked to Derpy. " I'm a trustful mare, Ditzy. Remember that." She smiled at BB, then she remembered what she said. "Wait, what do you mean "we"?" That was when Lyra pulled her into a standing position. She sighed angrily when she saw that Tavi, Vinyl, and Lyra had followed. " We couldn't let you go in here without some pony to help you." Octavia smiled. " We said we owe you, and we won't let you're stubborn attitude get in the way of that." Vinyl flipped off her shades, revealing an eager glare. Derpy sighed. " Maybe it is a good idea to have someone with me. It might help." With her new allies, they trotted deeper in the forest. ''Ahhhhh, this is so boring!" Vinyl complained. "Any pony up for a ghost story!?" Derpy rolled her eyes. Nopony answered, but Vinyl started anyway. " Back in the early days of Equestria, there was a gorgeous earth mare. Stallions from all around sought her hoof, and she loved the attention. It was one day an equally handsome stallion came to seek this gorgeous mare, and she agreed to marriage. They soon had a foal, but the stallion was bored. So he chased other mares to escape his troubles. When he came home that night, the mare and the child weren't there. For the mare had fled to the Everfree. In rage, she threw her foal into a deep river, and plucked out her own eyes so she'd never have to worry about beauty ever again. She immediately regretted it, and now she wanders the forest as a ghost. Seeking ponies so she could steal their sight!" Bonbon screamed aloud. " See!? I told you it was scary, Tav-oh. Ah crap." Vinyl turned to see a giant purple mass. An Ursa major roared aloud. " Yeah, we're dead." Derpy said indifferently. Lyra and Vinyl used their magic to hold it down, using minor spells in a vicious battle. Tavi and Bonbon quickly joined, although the most the could do was kick it. The creature struggled under the magic binds, and broke free. Once more the creature roared, and swatted the ponies back. Derpy almost trotted to aid her allies, but the Doctor raised his hoof to keep her out of the fight. He had a look in his eyes, he wanted the fight to stop. Derpy couldn't keep him from his goal. He cleared his throat. " Stop!" the noise and tone made everyone freeze, even the ursa. He limped to the creature, who growled. " Aww, don't be like that. What's wrong with you?" The Ursa whimpered slightly. " That's no good at all!" The ursa whined, and the doctor smiled. The Ursa began walking away, the alien stallion followed it. Concerned, the other mares chased after. She wondered what pony, okay, what SANE pony would follow a creature like that. Then she saw why the Ursa was worried. An Ursa Minor, presumably her baby, was helplessly trapped under a large boulder. The Major was highly defensive, for the only thing she could do was defend her baby. " Oh dear, that is a conundrum. Say, could you two help us?" he gestured to Vinyl and Lyra. Together, the two levitated the rock off the baby. The reunion was happy, and the path was now clear. The Ursa Major let out an odd noise. " Anytime!" he replied. Derpy galloped to him. " How did you know it wanted its baby? And how can you speak Ursa?" " Are you daft? There's no such thing as "ursa"! It was speaking bear." Derpy rolled her eyes. " Anyway, I didn't know, but really? You just went in to fight it! Hasn't anyone ever told you that nothing attacks unless provoked?" "Well, at least the path is clear." Octavia pointed out. " Come on, you." Derpy grabbed the Doctor's hoof to lead him away, but she found herself in hesitation. For she felt a small spark between the two. She shook it off and tugged him away. Octavia pulled Derpy away from the others not two minutes later. She giggled with mischief. Something was wrong, Tavi doesn't do that. " You can't hide from me, Ditzy, I've seen the way you look at him!" she giggled again. " And I can't blame you. I know few mares who could resist one of his nature." She looked away innocently. " What look?" " You know, big, half-shut eyes, a small smile?" " I'm not making that kind of look." " You're doing it right now!" " No! I'm just looking in his direction." Tavi frowned a little. " It's not healthy to hinder feelings, Ditzy. It will hurt more than it will help." Derpy ignored her and trotted back to him. She couldn't deny a small spark, but she couldn't love him. Not after the event. She couldn't love anyone. Bonbon screamed. " What is it no-" Derpy rapidly turned her head only to come face to face with a...tree. To be fair, it was a scary tree. Bonbon whimpered. " Okay, don't blink. Doctor, what happens if blink?" Derpy asked. " Don't panic, but it might break your neck." She gulped. " Okay, do you know what to do?" " Not at all…" There was a bit of silence. Then Lyra stepped up. " So if we aren't looking at it, it moves?" " Exactly." " So look away, I have a plan. A good for once!" The Doctor gawked at her. " What exactly do you plan to do to a stealthy, advanced alien race?" Lyra smiled, confidence in her eyes. " basically show you that they aren't real. Would it work?" " Well, I- wait, what?" Lyra smiled, she went up to an Angel, and blinked. Nothing. Lyra was right, it was a trick. The angel was made of pure stone. "How did you know?" The Doctor asked, bewildered. " Simple, I don't know much about these things, but if they were after us, would they be out in the open like this?" Those were the last coherent words Lyra would say for five minutes. She practically exploded with laughter, and Bonbon needed to make sure she wouldn't fall over. " I can't believe you didn't think of that!" she stuttered a while later, still giggling a little. Derpy ran to join the Doctor. "Something's wrong, Doctor. The ground collapsing, the Ursa, the fake pegasi. Surely those things happening simultaneously isn't pure coincidence." " I'm beginning to think someone's been trying to stop us." The Doctor whipped out his screwdriver and began to analyze the air around him. Derpy looked to the four mares, who chatted amongst themselves. She almost felt…welcome around them. A feeling that she hadn't felt, well, ever. Something clicked inside her. She wasn't sure what, or how, but she knew it was there. She smiled without exactly meaning to. " Ditzy, Doctor, let's go!" Tavi cried from a distance. The Doctor shut his screwdriver and with Ditzy's help, limped forward. " So, Ditzy do you…oh I don't know…KNOW where we're GOING!?" Vinyl ground her teeth. " Well I know that it's a giant castle, somewhere in the Everfree. We can't miss it." The world around them darkened as the trees grew dense. " Well, we can miss it in technical terms now." The Doctor pointed out, seconds before walking into a tree. Derpy felt something cold whoosh by her. She gasped, gaining the attention of her allies. " Did any pony else feel that!?" she was a little frightened over the drastic change around. " Oh relax, Ditzy. It's probably the fact that heat is slowly draining from the area do to the sun not coming to warm it up. Okay, that's a bad thing. A REALLY bad thing. Let's go!" The Doctor limped forward before crashing into another tree. Somewhere among the darkness, Octavia yipped. " I felt it!" she squeaked. "Hold on," Lyra grunted. A second later, yellow light was pouring from her horn. " Happy now, T-tavi?" Color drained from her face as she glanced at Octavia. "W-what?" she shivered, annoyedly. " Brrr. No one else can feel that?" The others continued to stare at her. " Octavia, Come here, slowly." The Doctor instructed. " Um, Okay," Slowly, Tavi wandered toward the group. '' We need to get out of here." Derpy said. "Leaving so soon?" an ethereal voice whispered behind her. Tavi turned around to see who the voice belonged to, then galloped to her friends, screaming. Sitting just where Octavia was, was a ghost. She wore old, tattered clothing, but looked no older than 25. An extremely distinguishable feature, was her eyeless sockets. The mare giggled. " Well I guess that would be in both of our best interests. Seeing as this is MY realm." her tone drastically changed into anger. The mare from Vinyl's story, Ditzy shuttered. The doctor foolishly trotted to her. A quiver of uncertainty in his eyes. " Uh, yes, miss. So, me and my associates must pass you to reach an important goal. might we pass? " The ghostly mare giggled. "No way!" " Might I ask why?" The Doctor asked politely. The mare simply shrugged. " Well, can I do something to change your mind?" " Oh, I don't think so. Unless…" The Doctor rolled his hoof, gesturing for her to tell. " One of you gives me a pretty bit of sight." she smiled, knowing they would refuse. The Doctor's eyes darted around. " Umm, yeah… we kinda need our eyesight." The ghost smiled again. " Okey-dokey! Now go before I rip your eyes out out by force." The Doctor shuttered before limping back to the bulk of his group. Derpy placed her hoof on his shoulder as they began trotting away. " Don't worry, we'll just need to find a way around. Wait, weren't there six of us a second ago?" upon glancing around, the pegasus found that Octavia was gone. She glanced back to the ghost, only to find her conversing. Vinyl galloped frantically toward her, the group following in close pursuit. Too late. Just as they reached her, an unearthly mist surrounded the two. A few moments later, Tavi uttered an agonizing shriek. The mist lifted. Vinyl ran to Octavia and helped her up. Octavia rubbed her eyes before opening. " Does it look bad?" she asked. " I didn't even know eyes could be that blue." she replied. Tavi sighed. " Well either way,…I'm blind. An eye for passage. It was a fair deal. Besides, there are plenty movies about blind violinists, it shouldn't be difficult to be a blind cellist, right?" She was somber. Meanwhile, the ghost swooned over her regained sight. " Oh! I forgot how lively the world looked!" Vinyl glared at her. " There, you got what you wanted! Now let us pass!" The mare shrugged, not knowing why they couldn't experience her joy, and moved out of the way. Vinyl shook her head at the mare as she helped Octavia down the path. The next part of the path came with a final obstacle, a broken bridge. Everypony glanced at Derpy. She lifted her mangled wings, but quickly retracted them as pain jolted through her. "No use, I'd fall if I tried flying across." Vinyl willingly stepped up. " I got it!" she jumped off the cliff, and teleported to the bottom. She grabbed a part of the fallen bridge, then teleported once more to the other side. Just as she tied one side to a stake, she began hearing voices. Behind her, was a pony resembling Sapphire Shores, but different colors. " S-Sapphire?" She laughed a little, not thinking about why she would be in the Everfree. " Omigosh! I am like, the BIGGEST fan of your works!" Vinyl jittered with adoration. " Maybe that's why I'm here, Vinyl. I've heard your works as well. Do you realize how talented you are." Vinyl smiled widely. Before Derpy's voice snapped her back to her task. " Vinyl, is there something wrong!?" She grabbed the other rope, prepared to tie it to the other stake, but the illusion caught her attention once more. " You know, it would be so much simpler to just leave this task. Sometimes, you must leave one thing to accomplish another. I thought someone like you would know that." Vinyl glanced between the group and the illusion. Derpy finally saw what was happening. "Vinyl!" Vinyl glanced back and forth. Finally, she turned to the illusion. " Excuse me, a-are you actually telling me to do this? Low blow, Nightmare! Wherever you are." She tied the rope, not seeing the illusion disappear behind her. Derpy Galloped to Vinyl, looking around the area wildly. " Vinyl! What happened, I-" " Don't worry, Ditzy. I took care of it." Vinyl replied confidently. Derpy sighed. " C'mon, I can see the top of the castle. The sooner we get this over with, the better." The castle had seen better days. The ceiling was gone in several places, moss and vines overgrew and practically took over the area, and the remaining bricks were crumbling fast. Derpy paid no mind to the condition of the unstable building and trotted inside. " So where are the elements?" Derpy's voice echoed through the empty castle. Octavia blindly wandered as the others searched for them. Eventually, she stepped on a pressure plate. The rumbled as a large opening appeared, revealing a giant, stone contraption. Against the stands, were five rocks. Derpy counted them. " Where's the final element? I can't find it!" Nightmare's fear-inducing laugh founded. " And you never will." A thick purple mist zoomed across the floor before forming Nightmare Moon on the top of contraption. She levitated the elements, but just before she teleported, Derpy jumped to retrieve them, only to be teleported herself. The young mare wasn't very experienced when it came to teleportation. She finally overcame the vertigo that came with the transportation, only to find Nightmare rearing up. As her hooves hit the ground, the elements shattered. Derpy sat there, mouth agape. It was the Doctor's voice that brought her back to reality. " Ditzy!" His frantic voice was followed by the others. Derpy watched their silhouettes, and remembered what each of them have done throughout the the journey. That's when it all clicked together. The group ran to Derpy. Everypony gasped as they saw the elements shattered remnants. Octavia did too, but Vinyl had to turn her head to make it look like she knew what was happening. "And now, the night shall last FOREVER!" Everypony, save Nightmare noticed it. A small, glowing energy that appeared around Derpy's heart whenever it beat. " No," she whispered. " No? Miss hooves. The elements are gone. And the sixth element wasn't found." " I was a fool. All this time I've thought the elements were gems. Long before today, I was so rejected by my mother, by society, that I didn't know what it was like to be truly cared for. It wasn't until now that I've realized something." Derpy turned to the group, the beating energy intensifying. " You have all performed deeds that without, we wouldn't have been able to reach this place. Just now, I realized how happy I was to see you," Tavi sighed. " to hear your voices, to realize that you…" Derpy Faced Nightmare with regained confidence. " Are my friends!" The Shattered remnants of the elements glowed and floated towards the group, surrounding five of them. " Through their deeds, they have embodied each element." In an act of defiance against Derpy, Nightmare fired a blast in her direction. The energy flew from her body and shielded her from her attack. And the six of ponies gently floated into the air. " The sixth, hidden element, was within me. The element of love." The energy from five elements encased Derpy in white energy, before siphoning into her heart. A blast of pink energy flew from her heart and hit a screaming Nightmare. Her screams slowly faded away. It took a few seconds for the Doctor to regain full consciousness. Upon waking, he discovered a necklace upon him, the primary gem an hourglass. The others, save Derpy were getting up, each with a necklace depicting their cutiemarks. " Ditzy!" he ran to her, shaking her lightly. Instead of a necklace, was golden armor, that surrounded her front half and the rim of her wings. The piece came together in the center of her chest, were bubbles were encased in a gold heart. The young mare awoke in his hooves. She smiled warmly and leaned into him. Octavia gasped as soon as she realized the elements had restored her vision. She gasped again as a shaft of light peered through the window. A gigantic ball of light sat itself in the center of the room. As it dissipated, Celestia was revealed. She trotted to a mare, the only remnant of Nightmare. They stared each other for a time, then Celestia smiled as tears shed down her eyes. The sisters hugged, both crying. That night was the first in a thousand years that Luna brought. THe following celebration was jubilant. Tavi got drunk and Kissed Vinyl, and Bonbon made her greatest batch of candies yet. Two unicorn fillies ran to Derpy. " Hiya miss!" the blue one said. The yellowish one shook her hoof. " I'm Firelock, this is my friend Tootsie Flute. We just wanna thank you for saving our flanks back there." " If there's anything we could do for you, just let us know!" Tootsie replied. Derpy glanced to Dinky, who was stargazing by herself. " You know girls, there is one thing you could do for me." Derpy trotted to her daughter. A trail a dirt appeared behind Derpy as she shoved her daughter towards Tootsie and Firelock. This was simply a result of Dinky digging her hooves in the ground to prevent progress. " This is my Daughter, Dinky. She doesn't have a cutie-mark either." Dinky gasped. Derpy smiled as the fillies ran off. She felt a tap on her shoulder. The Doctor cleared his throat. " Might I have this dance?" Derpy giggled and grasped his hoof. She was pulled into the horrible dancer that was the Doctor. But in the end, he pulled her close and swayed around the dance floor. The others spread around, allowing the two room. Derpy never felt more happy. At the peak of the celebration. The Doctor smiled. He had one final surprise for Derpy. " So Ditzy, after a bit of thought, I've decided that I don't need to leave just yet. Aaaand, I may need a companion to help me with some things in this new form. Whaddya say?" She smiled gleefully. " Well, why not?!" " It won't be a perfect life." Derpy obtained a serious look. " I hate perfect." She then giggled. " I'm weird that way." " Yes, we're both weird!" " Yay!" The group cheered as the two reached the TARDIS, which had settled itself near the party. Derpy stuck her head out and waved, before her eye caught something peculiar. A young, pegasus stallion, probably no older than fifteen, sitting at the edge of the crowd. He was chestnut, but gray dotted his body. One of his eyes was cobalt, the other a bright amber. He took a pocket-watch, and upon realizing the time, he trotted away. " So Ditzy, there's this GREAT planet that makes the best pastries, including muffins!" He glanced at the mare, who had a disturbed look. " What's wrong?" " When I fell unconscious, I-I had a vision. There were these strange figures, and-and they had me hooked to this machine. A larger one had this speech. The final word…the figures kept repeating in a mantra." The Doctor was concerned. " Ditzy, what were they repeating?" Derpy looked up, a spark of fear in her eyes. " Exterminate."
First ContactMy name is Derpy "Ditzy Do" Hooves. I don't have a pleasant past, but my present is kind enough. My future, however, is extravagent. It started back when I still felt a...distrust towards most other ponies. I'm shocked that it was a stranger that changed my life. For the better, too. "C'mon, Mom!" shouted Dinky. Derpy laughed at her foal's enthusiasm. She jumped around wildly on her bed. That is, until Derpy caught her and tucked her in. " Come on, little cricket." The filly immediately stopped and dove under her covers. Derpy smiled. " You've never been this exited to go to bed. Guess you really don't want to fall asleep before tomorrow." Dinky smiled. "I have a feeling I won't want to miss a second of tomorrow." Cryptic, the mother thought. "It is the first time the Summer Sun Celebration is coming to Ponyville since the Age of Dragons "Please read me something, mommy!" No-pony ever said being a single-mother was easy. Derpy thought. She glanced at the small filly, who gave her a wide grin. No-pony also said it would be so rewarding. She grabbed a large book from the shelf. "Mare's Tales to tell your Foals, that sounds like something you would like." She floated over to Dinky, book in hoof. "Let's see, hm... this one looks interesting." "Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, two sister princesses ruled. Okay, I know one is Celestia, but who's this mare?" "Just keep reading!" Her filly persisted. "Alright, alright." "These two sisters ruled peacefully, and kept complete balance. For the eldest would raise the sun at dawn, and lower it at dusk. The youngest would raise the moon at dusk, and lower it at dawn to make room for the sun. The two sisters kept the land like this for decades, but resent grew in the younger one's heart. Ponies played and relished in her sister's day, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. Stuck in the elder's shadow, the hatred she felt transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness, Nightmare Moon! The mare was bent on shrouding the world in eternal night. Left with no choice, the eldest harnessed the power of the Elements Of Harmony. Thus, permanently banishing her sister to the moon. However, it is said that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape. Nightmare will return to bring everlasting night to Equestria." An unfamiliar sense of panic rose into the mare's throat. Derpy wasn't a superstitious mare. Not at all. This was only a legend, a legend without power. Yet this strange coincidence was enough to send shivers down her spine. "We started celebrating the solstice one thousand years ago, interesting..." She discarded this panic. It was a silly mare's tale! It can't be true. "Thanks for reading to me, Mom. Now shoo! Shoo, shoo!" "What is it with fillies and privacy nowadays?" "I can't have privacy? Gooooo!" She laughed. "Alright, cricket. But don't stay up too late doing whatever you plan to do, I want you bright eyed and bushy-maned for the sunrise." "Don't worry, Mom! I'll be ready for tomorrow, you wait and see!" "Okay, okay." The pegasus mare shut the door behind her, waited a few seconds, then silently creaked the door open. Dinky was sitting at her desk, furiously scribbling down words in a letter. The mare sighed. The filly studied far too much. Three different boarding schools wanted to interview her, despite the fact that she was only six. Her teacher wanted her to slow down, though Dinky refused to do so, Derpy secretly agreed with her. The mare discarded her worries, it was time to relax! Derpy retrieved a muffin, her favorite kind. Blueberry and poppyseed, making complete sure that they WEREN'T purple. On the side, a half-full mug of hot chocolate filled to the brim with marshmallows. Her mouth watered for the treat. The mare sat herself down on a couch, flicking on the television for a mindless hour of The Simpsons. She had just settled in when it happened. The house rumbled in a fashion far too unnatural to be an earthquake. She tried as hard as she could, but she failed in the vital task of keeping her cocoa from tipping. "N-n-n-n-no, no-" The mug tipped over, spilling all over her and tinting her coat light brown. "NOOO!" she screeched, frustrated and annoyed. The rumbling intensified, and a metallic noise filled the air. Startled by the noise, Derpy looked out the window. Only to see a small blue box wildly flailing about in the night air, obviously on a crash course. "DINKY! STAY AWAY FROM THE WINDOWS!" She called, before diving for cover herself. Sure enough, the strange box crashed in the front yard. After the adrenaline pumping through Derpy's bloodstream faded, and the mare knew a heart attack wouldn't befall her if she stood, Derpy burst into the front yard to inspect the damage. A magical tingle overwhelmed her as she stepped off the porch. In the middle of her yard, was a crater three times the length of a pony. In the center was a blue, police box. "Oh, Celestia," she quietly muttered, mouth agape. "I just got the grass perfect!" Despite her better nature, and all impulses of common sense, Derpy approached this box. She reached over to tug on the doorknob, only to find it burningly hot. She winced and instantly pulled away, sucking on the tip of her hoof. "What is this? Hello!?" The doorknob clicked, and the mare flew ten feet away from it in shock. Great, whatever evil, demonic, or alien presence in there is something I probably just offended... What confused and shocked the mare even more was when the door unlocked, a stallion fell out. Along with plumes of smoke, ash, and sparks. The stallion had a chestnut coat and handsome, brown hair. However, the majority of his coat and his tail was hidden underneath a coat that spanned the length of his body, a dark brown vest, and a denim piece of clothing she was unfamiliar with that covered his legs. He would've looked...good...were it not for dozens of injuries that covered him. His face was scratched and scarred and covered in blood. His hind hoof bent beyond natural capacity. Smoke drifted from his mouth when he exhaled. "Ohgoshohgoshohgosh!" Diving into the smoke, Derpy pulled the stallion from the machine. Hacking up smoke as she set him into the cool night, she dashed towards her door. Anger filled her body when she realized the front door was locked. The mare pounded on the door until a ginger mare with bloodshot eyes and an annoyed snarl gracing her muzzle. "I was already woken up once tonight by some freaky noise in my dreams. Now you start POUNDING on the door while I-" The pegasus stepped aside, revealing the smoking crater and the mangled stallion in the yard. The ginger dragon set aside the new name on her KILL list. "Oh dear!" "I know how many millions of questions you probably have right now. I can honestly say that I can't answer any of them. But right now, we need to get him a doctor." Carrot Top snapped out of her shock. "Get him onto the couch." The pegasus dragged the earth pony inside. Carrot top propped his head with pillows and threw a blanket over the mysterious stallion. Carrot Top trotted by, armed with a bag full of ice. She pressed it against a purple bruise on his forehead, where he was clearly knocked out. "Get his clothes off. We'll need to assess whatever damage has been done," she ordered. As Derpy removed the tie, she noticed a strange device stuck in the knot. Shrugging, set it on the coffee table. "Remind me how you know WAY too much about medicine?" "Remember that term in college I took as an intern? I was working at a hospital." "Wow, I have literally nothing else to say about that..." "Keep checking his pulse and breathing. I need to make a few calls." Carrot said as she beat each number. Derpy watched the stallion's chest heave up and down. It seemed normal. She took his hoof into hers, and pressed the tip of it into his wrist. The pulse was almost too fast to belong to an unconscious body. It actually seemed to...overlap. "Whaa?" Derpy pressed the icepack on his forehead, carefully listening to Carrot's phone call. " Hello? Yeah, this guy fell from the sky, now he's unconscious. Injuries? Um.. covered in bruises, a few cuts, no doubt he has a concussion, and I think his ankle is broken. Yeah, he fell from the sky. What? No, he's not a pegasus. No, he wasn't in a carriage. A blue box just...crashed in our yard and he was in it. Yeah, you heard me, blue box. Hey! You listen! I am not a mental patient. Guh!" Carrot thrust the phone back into the holder in frustration. She typed in another number. After a few attempts, Carrot typed in one last number. " Doctor Green? It's Carrot. I took a temp job for a semester with you? Yeah, that Carrot Top. What other Carrot Top would it be? Listen, I know how crazy this must sound, but some guy fell from the sky, he's covered in bruises, cuts, he has a concussion, and he broke his ankle, no, he's not a pegasus, nor was he in a carriage. You will? Ohhhh, thank Celestia!" After a few minutes, a green, unicorn mare with a black ponytail trotted in. " Enter, Doctor Emerald Green." Carrot said. "Exactly, where is the patient in question?" The mare asked. Carrot trotted to Green. " Hey! How long has it been?" Carrot was giddy in the presence of her teacher. The unicorn sighed. "You called me here to do a job. I'd rather do my job than exchange pleasantries right now..." Carrot Top, dejected, gestured to the stallion. Green cleared her throat, and galloped to the stallion. She stole a variety of contraptions from her bag. First she pried his eye open and shined a light in it. "You're right about the concussion," she took a look at his hoof, watching him wince in his sleep, "And about the broken ankle. My prescription? Bandage the worst of his cuts and press ice on the head. I'll splint his hoof and bandage it. When he wakes up, keep him off it until I can get crutches his size." Emerald instructed. Green examined the worst cuts closely. "Breathing?" she asked. " Fine," derpy replied. "Pulse?" Green needed the vitals fully listed. "Ermm..fine?" A unicorn mare stepped into the house. " Sparkler!" Derpy hugged her older daughter. " You do realize it's an hour past your due time, right?" " Yeah, Button Mash's mom got caught in traffic. sorry." Sparkler said, embarrassed. Dinky suddenly bolted down the stairs. " Sparky!" she threw her little hooves around the mare. " Dinky! I told you bed!" Derpy scolded. " I know, but I wanted to stay up and see Sparky. Oh, and this is for you..." Dinky gave Derpy a scroll. The pegasus undid the seal. Dear Ditzy Do, I must say, your letter on Nightmare Moon caught me by surprise. With honesty, I planned to send my student to check up on the preparations for the Summer Celebration. But after a background check on you, perhaps you'd be a better choice. On the back of this letter, you'll find a list of ponies you'll need to check on. Sincerely, Princess Celestia Derpy stared at the letter, her left eye twitching with anger. "I already had WAY too many things on my plate, then this HIGHLY coincidental letter comes, and now I'm going to go scream in my special pillow." The pegasus slowly walked up the stairs." Sparkler grinned at her sister. "You had something to do with this, didn't you?" "I sure did." "That's my sis." Dinky suddenly spotted the stallion in the corner of her eye. She gasped and squealed in utter glee at the sight of someone new. The young foal trotted to the unconscious stallion just as Derpy came down the steps. " Who's he, mommy?" she asked. Sparkler gazed curiously at the stallion. " Yeah, mom. Who's that?" Sparkler gazed at the curious stallion. "Really? You honestly didn't notice the giant crater literally right outside our house?" Derpy asked sarcastically. Sparkler looked out the window. "How did I not notice that? Uh, and that just raises further questions." She gazed at Celestia's letter, "I'll give you a hoof with the decor if you need it." Derpy sighed in relief. Doctor Green finished and left, promising Derpy she'd fashion crutches within the next day. "Alright girls, go to bed. I'll be asleep soon, too. Looks like I'll be waking up earlier tomorrow." The younger mares obeyed. Derpy yawned. It was late, and she was tired. She sat herself on the cushion next to the stallion's his hind-hooves, and watched him carefully. She watched him cringe and worm around uncomfortably. The mare obtained a rag to wipe the sweat emitting from his forehead. Tears rolled down his cheeks. On occasion, he'd mumble something in his nightmares. She listened, but he said a large multitude of words. She couldn't exactly pinpoint what he was dreaming about.. Derpy cried as well. It pained her to see anyone like this. He'd need her company to survive the night. She curled up on the recliner next to the chair. Even with her special eyes, she managed to focus them on him. Grief and sorrow mixed in her heart. She could remember being in similar situations. The terrors she had after she was abandoned, and after the event. But something else stirred, in her. The spark. She felt it once before. She remembered feeling this way for him. She knew this could become an inferno if it was left unchecked. Derpy shoved the thought aside. She didn't even know this guy. She shouldn't start falling for stallions falling from the sky. The next morning, the Doctor awoke. He looked at his surroundings, but his vision was heavily blurred. It became focused when he laid his eyes on a mare. A saddened cringe remained on her face, although she was asleep. The first word he uttered was a confused "What!?"
Meeting The Doctor kept staring at the mare in awe. How did he get here? All he remembered was entering an unexplored region of the universe, then the TARDIS went out of control. He remembered being hurtled towards the door and then…darkness. Wait. Soon as he recalled what happened, pain ripped through his body. He cringed and stifled a yelp. That's when he heard something open. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small, purple mass retrieve a jug of milk from what looked like a fridge. As the Doctor focused his vision on the thing, he realized it was an equine of a sort. He watched as she crawled atop a counter and take a box of cereal, a bowl, and a spoon. The creature poured the cereal into the bowl, and the next strange thing happened. The being used a natural energy beam to lift the milk and pour it into the bowl. The Doctor cleared his throat. " Err…hello?" The equine turned around to face Doctor. Her wide eyes lit up at the sight of him, but the excitement within her died with a deep breath. He gazed at the equine's youthful appearance. The filly had a blonde mane, and a small horn stood in the center of her forehead. She seemed completely nonchalant over the alien sitting not fifteen feet away. "Well, perhaps you can tell me what happened while I was out?" he tried hard not to stare. This was a talking unicorn standing in front of him. The Doctor had seen a lot in his life, but nothing as fanciful as this. The filly shrugged. " You'll have to ask my mommy. Because as a famous mare would say, "Spoilers"." she kept pouring, completely oblivious to the milk beginning to spill on the floor. It was at that point Dinky realized how much milk she spilt. She put the jug away and wiped the remainder off the floor. "I hate it when this happens. Believe it or not, this happens more than you think." "Hm. Look at you. There's a creature you've never even heard of before, and you're acting like this is a daily occurrence." Dinky winked. "Maybe you should take a good, long look at yourself, Doctor." " Why?" he asked. "Because in my eyes, you're something quite familiar. You and I, are quite similar." "I think your quite mistaken, little filly. There's no possible way I could be a-gah!" pain ripped through the Doctor's head once more. He reached up to rub the small lump on the side of his head, that's when it happened. A hoof. In place of the Doctor's hand, there was a round, chestnut-colored, hoof. The doctor threw off the blanket. " Checking a mirror, now!" as soon as he hit the floor, he yipped in pain as he noticed his mangled hoof. Dinky giggled. "Maybe I should've warned you about the hoof." The doctor now both admired and disliked this filly. "Okay, limping to a mirror." It didn't take long for the Doctor to locate the bathroom, surprise ran through him as he gazed at his reflection. " Okay, how did I regenerate? I sustained injuries, but none were fatal or even serious…" He glanced at himself and fiddled with his hooves. " Okay, chestnut coat. And um…cobalt eyes looks like." He blew a strand of hair out of his face. " Still not ginger, Blast! Wait," he turned around to see Dinky. The small filly watched him, amused, as he fiddled with himself. " You mentioned a mother…" "Uh, yeah. I can't live here without a registered guardian. Which Sparkler and Carrot Top are not." The Doctor raised his brow. "You said she knew what happened? Well, I'd like to meet her!" He trotted back to the den. As the gallifreyan looked closely at the young mare, he felt….odd. Not ten seconds went by when the mare opened her eyes and fluttered the sleep out of them. The doctor gazed into the mare's distorted, amber eyes. She screamed, scaring the stallion half to death. "AH, I HAD A BAD DREAM!" She acknowledged the Doctor. "AH, YOU WERE THERE!" The Doctor stared as the mare placed both hooves on the sides of her head. "AH, THE DREAM WAS REAL!" Derpy's lopsided eyes turned to the clock. "AH, I'M LATE!" She bolted around the house, grabbing the scroll, kissing Dinky on the forehead, and running out the door with a "DON'TBURNTHEHOUSEDOWNORI'LLKILLYOULOVEYOUBYE!" The door slammed shut, leaving Dinky and the Doctor alone. "Is she always like this?' He asked the filly. "With all that's been happening, she gets a free pass for this." Dinky yawned, bored. "So, wanna see some spells my teacher has been having me work on?" "Spells?' "I am a *coughallpoweredcough* unicorn. I know a lot of magic, but even I need to do some homework." The doctor stifled a giggle. " Magic? magic isn't real! It's just a shoddy excuse for the unexplained." The filly simply stared. " Shun the unbeliever!" She cried, hissing at him like a changeling. He paused. "Okaaaay..." As Derpy down through the gate, she blindly crashed into something. Stars crossed her eyes as the world turned black. Seconds later, she heard an exclamation, some very mean words between to voices, and an "Oh dear, are you alright!?" the concerned words were soon followed by " Quick Tavi, hide the body!" more mean words between the voices, and Derpy then felt a hoof grasp hers. Vision returned to her, and she found herself staring at beige mare's concerned eyes. Just beyond her, a white, unicorn mare with a crazy mane shot a mean glare at the beige one. "Oh sure, help the complete stranger and not your friend!" The mare shouted angrily. The mare helped Derpy up before turning to the white mare. " You bite your tongue Vinyl!" As the two argued, Derpy realized she's seen these mares before. She looked at the name on her letter before turning to the arguing ponies. " Are you Octavia?" The two mares paused. Octavia cleared her throat and straightened her bowtie. " Yes I am. What might I do for, Ms?" " Er…Hooves." Octavia shook Derpy's hoof. Vinyl cleared her throat noisily. Octavia let out an annoyed grunt. "Okay, you know what? My roommate saw the blue box in the sky and how it fell in your yard. She just really wanted to know what it's all about." Derpy paused to try to come up with an answer. " Uhhhh, know what? Not even I can explain that… Anyway, I am apparently the pony who's checking the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. You're on my list as a musician." " Of course miss Hooves. I assumed that I'd be meeting with Celestia's student, though." "Plans change, apparently.'' "Very well, I have the honor of backing up such a momentous occasion, along with Lyra heartstrings." She seemed to be thinking. " She would make much better company if she hadn't taken up her silly obsession. Anyway, I can take you to where me and my associate are working if you'd like." " Oh, that would be lovely." Derpy smiled. Octavia began to lead her away. " She cracked my shades…" Vinyl mumbled behind them. Meanwhile, the Doctor boredly sat on the couch. Dinky trotted up to him, book in her mouth. She spat it out on his lap. " You can read this mister. It's a big book, and adults like big books, right?" The Doctor took it. After trying several times to pick up the book, he simply adjusted himself so he could read it while lying down. The book was leather bound, old, and dusty. As he opened it up, he realized it was a photo book. The first page was entitled " best day ever" A young looking mare in a white dress and a veil. She clung to a blue, unicorn stallion with a wavy mane and a black tuxedo. Both had unbelievably large smiles. " Dinky?" "Yes?" "Who's this?" Dinky gazed at the photo and shrugged. " That mare looks like my mom in her earlier years. No idea who the stallion is…" Suddenly, a pink aura closed the book and levitated it upward. A pink mare with a short mane and angry eyes took the book. " Where did you get this?" she angrily asked. Dinky fiddled with her hooves before answering sheepishly. "Mommy's closet," she looked down, away from the mare. The mare gazed at her in a disappointed way. " RRRRR! You know you're not allowed in Mom's closet! She made that rule for a reason, you know!" She transferred her glare to the doctor. He knew why Dinky was acting squeamish under her. Her gaze even made him uncomfortable. " And you! My night was bad enough with Button refusing to take a bath. Then I come home to a steaming crater and some random stallion on the couch. Now," She levitated a baseball bat to herself. " I'm going to go hit a tree," she trotted outside. "Your family seems to have a lot of anger issues." "Feh." Dinky retrieved another large book. She sat next to the Doctor and handed the book to him. " Don't worry about Sparkler, mommy says every pony goes through what she calls "puberty". Sparky's pretty nice on good days. Anyway, will you read me something?" " So she's Sparkler. Sister?" " Bingo!" the doctor shrugged and took a look at the book. Mare's tales to tell your foals. He skimmed through the contents. He soon realized the stories were similar to earth fairy tails. Little Red Hood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Hansel and Gretel. The off thing about the stories was the fact that the characters, save the animals, were all ponies. It didn't feel right. He put down the book. " Well how about we just talk. Sooo, how old are you?" "I am six years old! You?" " I don't know how to answer that." He quickly changed the subject. " So you're in, I want to say, First Grade?" Dinky nodded before gaining a serious look. "You really don't believe in magic, do you?" " Oh Dinky, when you're young, you believe in a lot of things. Magic is one of those things. As you grow you'll-" "But you're wrong. Here? Magic makes this world alive. We use magic to shift seasons. To move the sun and moon. Spell books are in every library. Someone has to be two things to not think magic is real. One: they're not a unicorn. Two: They have to have lived under a rock for half their lives." The Doctor changed the subject again. " Why was Ditzy in such a hurry this morning?" Dinky sighed. "She was appointed by Princess Celestia to make sure the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration go as planned. It's got to be really special, this is the first time it's being held in Ponyville." The Doctor wondered himself if Ditzy had a right to be paranoid. " So, you're country is ruled by a monarchy. So is there a king or queen?" " No, just the Princess. But she's ruled Equestria for over a thousand years! Celestia has made Equestria an egalitarian society." Dinky proudly spouted. "You seem like quite a smart little one. Your mother must be a good teacher!" He smiled, and the filly followed. "Oh, you know, you're like the exact opposite of Miss Cheerilee in some ways. She says a filly like me should slow down sometimes. but why should I? I mean, I could earn scholarships with my grades. Mom taught me the basics when I was young, so I focus on the advanced stuff now. Heck, I know most average spells, and am working on intermediate magic. And I'm six!" The Doctor swore he saw the filly glowing from her happiness. That was when she looked down, away from him. "Maybe that's why I don't have any friends…Or a cutiemark..." She said, contemplative. The Doctor sighed. He patted her shoulder gently. " You know what, why is a cute-mark so important anyway? Besides, I've known a lot of bad creatures in my time, and they always get karma thrown right back at them. What is a cute-mark anyway?" Dinky rolled her eyes. "Cutiemark. Not Cute-mark. Anyway, should you know this. It's a mark on your flank that shows what you were meant to do with your life. Your Talent. Yours is an hourglass." Dinky asked. The Doctor glanced at his flank, and sure enough, there was an hourglass. " Well look at that! How peculiar. My "talent" has to do with time. But in a way you wouldn't believe. You remember my box?" Dinky nodded. " Okay, I'll need some help, but would you like to see it?" Dinky teared up , like a repressed child filled with anger. "Yes! But it's just that I..." she sighed, pressing her hooves against her head. "I wouldn't hurt anyone as innocent as you. I can prove it right now, if you-" She wiped away a tear. "I can't do it anymore." The foal smiled. "You don't need to prove yourself to me, Doctor. You don't need to hide." He froze. "Ah, you get it, now. You never told me you were called the Doctor. I know who you are. You're 903. Much younger than our princess, but an elder of the universe no less. You're from Gallifrey, and you are the tenth regeneration of yourself." The doctor was stunned. This filly knew much more about him than he expected. "You sacrificed your race to stop the time war, and thusly saved the universe. Now, you're alone, relying on strangers to keep you company, if only for a little while." "How do you know any of this?" She giggled. "You're not the only one who's gallivanted around in time. I just..." She shuddered, "Would rather not do it again." "Alright, then" He reached for his Sonic Screwdriver. " See this?" Dinky nodded. " You can't get this anywhere in Eques-" "I know what it is." Dinky took the machine into her aura, and aimed the screwdriver at various machines. The Refrigerator opened and closed, the television suddenly turned on, lights flickered on and off, the radio blared, and a little toy robot scuttled across the floor. The doctor was impressed. " That robot doesn't even have batteries!" She pointed out.. "Wanna show Carrot Top the TARDIS?" Dinky trotted upstairs. A couple moments later, A yellow mare followed by Dinky came down. " There better be a good reason you're telling this fi- what!?" Carrot gazed at the flickering machines. " Um yes, I'll need a little help to get to my TARDIS." He said from the couch. Carrot kept staring. " Glad to see your up. Could you tone it down on the unholy alien tech?" The Doctor made the screwdriver revert the machines back to their normal state. Several minutes later, Doctor Green had come in just as carrot Top started helping him up. After an introduction (and several attempts to get the crutches on), Green left with a couple bits of advice. The trio made their way to the crater. Inside, a blue box. " Oh, you sexy thing…" The Doctor mumbled as he made his way down to the box. Carrot and Dinky followed suit. " How does something like this create such a large crater?" Carrot asked herself. " How does something like that even end up in the sky?" Dinky replied sarcastically. The Doctor slowly opened the TARDIS door. Dinky squeaked in glee, and Carrot top fainted. " Hold on," Dinky trotted back into the house and came back with icy cold water. She proceeded to dump the bucket onto the mare. Ditzy trotted alongside Octavia as she saw it. BonBon's Sweet Shoppe. Derpy glanced at her list. BonBon was on her list as a food provider. She trotted in to see two mares A mint green unicorn gathering ribbons and placing them in a bag. Then there was a creamy colored mare cooking sweets. They both greeted Derpy kindly. She shrugged off the kind words. Octavia led the young pegasus to the Unicorn. "Hey, Tavi. How's practice going?" she asked. " Just swell, Lyra. Anyway, this is Ditzy. She's to make sure everything is prepared." Derpy shook Lyra's hoof. Lyra levitated a cello and a lyre out of a closet. " Let's show her our symphony." Sweet, happy music emitted from the two instruments. Derpy recognized the song when it turned sad for an instant. The song that played when she first him. " Okay, that's a lovely song, you two! Let me just check on the food.." She shyly trotted to Bonbon, pretending not to notice the confused glances between Lyra and Octavia. " My Name is Bonbon. As you may know, I have been entrusted with honorable task of making the food for the Summer Sun Celebration." She smiled and curtsied politely. "Er, nice to meet you." Derpy plastered a fake smile on her face. She hoped to speed this up a little more. She stepped up to the counter, which was covered with hundreds of treats. " Try anything you want." Bonbon beamed. Derpy plopped a taffy in her mouth. Flavor exploded in her mouth. She couldn't help but sigh in delight. " Every sweet is made without a recipe. And no batch is exactly the same. Try another." Derpy reached for a fancy chocolate. She let it melt on her tongue as a sweet flavor coated her tastebuds. " These are the greatest sweets I've ever tasted!" she shouted. Bonbon smiled at the compliment. She let Derpy take a few sweets for home. Swiftly, Derpy checked off music and food. Sparkler said she'd handle the decor, so I'm done. She opened the door to leave, when the mares told her something that irked her. " We hope to see you again! Maybe next time we can get together as friends!" Bonbon beamed. "And whenever you need something, call us. We owe you," Vinyl said. The mare bit her lip in discomfort in the fashion she did whenever she was faced with the word "friend". "You don't owe me a thing. Don't worry." She gulped and forced a smile onto her face. She ran for the door, bad memories coursing through her head.
Celebration Derpy swung the door open. " I'M GOING TO KI-oh." She stuttered, surprised the cottage hadn't burned down( which actually almost happened once). Even more surprising, the fact that nothing was amiss. Carrot Top had made cookies, and a carrot cake was currently baking. Dinky ate a cookie as the television blared in front of her. The Doctor was dead asleep on her recliner. And Sparkler was gone. " Hi Mommy," Dinky bleated politely. " Hey, cricket, I'll be upstairs if you need me," Derpy replied to the filly. Dinky simply nodded as Derpy trotted to her room. The mare sighed, tired. "There's something about tonight. A feeling that won't go away, and it isn't a good one. Aaaand, I'm talking to myself..." Thunk! Derpy gasped in surprised. The final book on the shelf had fallen onto the floor. Right open to a peculiar page. She picked up the book and glanced at the title. Mare's tales to tell your Foal. That's when that one line hit her. " Left with no choice, the eldest harnessed the powers of the Elements of Harmony." She repeated the words once more, curious. " Index. Index. Index…" She flipped to the book's index. She found what she was looking for, and flipped to another page. " Elements of harmony. Six essences of Friendship including honesty, kindness, laughter, loyalty, generosity, and a final, hidden element hidden within a castle in the everfree." She shivered at the mention of the chilling concept of the mysterious forest. "An old legend details them used against the fictionist character Ni- okay I know this part." She shut the book. She gazed at the ceiling, not realizing how weary she was. Her eyes fluttered shut. She was abruptly awoken a while later by Dinky (who was trying to put whipped cream on her hoof.) The foal gasped and ran away when she saw her mother's eyes wrench open. She glanced annoyedly in the direction she ran before shaking the whipped cream off her hoof. " How long was I out?" Derpy glanced at her clock. Her face turned white as the digital numbers flashed 4:10. The sun was set to rise at 4:30! She brushed her teeth while combing her mane. Right afterwords, she ran down the stairs and crammed an ice-cream sandwich in her mouth. Dinky and the rest seemed to have already left. Derpy galloped and flew to the Town-hall. Derpy practically kicked the door down as she flew on. Octavia and Lyra had just started their song. Derpy struggled to keep from screaming at what it reminded her of, but she was relieved she was on time. " Derpy!" Carrot Top shouted from the front of the crowd. The mare joined her daughters, Carrot, and the Doctor. " Carrot Top filled me in on the celebration. It sounds interesting, but I'm still skeptical about the whole 'magic Pegasus unicorn thing raising the sun'." The Doctor laughed. before Carrot kicked his shin. Hard. He gripped his crutch and leaned on it. " How do you females kick so hard?" he whimpered. Carrot smiled to herself. BonBon stood upon the stage. " And Now, everypony!" The Doctor snickered at the phrase. " I present to you, Princess Celestia!" Bonbon proudly announced. The curtains parted to reveal….nothing. The crowd gasped and Lyra had to keep Bonbon from fainting. A faint, but chilling laughter filled the air. The air around Derpy cooled tremendously. The mare shivered. Purple mist filled the air, ultimately gathering into a black mare. Her evil laughter boomed through the air. Carrot looked frantic, the Doctor actually looked intrigued, and anger welled within Derpy. Dinky cried loudly and clung to her mother. The Mare was black with an ethereal mist for a mane and tale. "Let it be known that There can only be one princess in Equestria! A princess that can keep away the dreaded light of the sun! That will prevent shadow!" The mare smiled, revealing teeth sharper than knives. The crowd fell silent. The alicorn's horn glowed brightly. "ME!" she bellowed. A blast of energy destroyed everything around her. " Why so silent?" Her voice quieted. " Surely somepony saw the signs." She looked over the shocked ponies. " Who's she?" the doctor whispered to Derpy, a smile plastered on his face. She gently slapped him. " Ow! What?" " You're smiling at the face of evil, therefor I have the right to hit you. Anyway, She's Nightmare Moon. An evil mare bent on shrouding the world in eternal night…" He scowled. " I don't take kindly to that sort of thing. Just stay low, and don't challenge her." He said, tension in his voice. Anger crossed his eyes. "No one? Well, maybe an example should be shown when my questions aren't answered." Nightmare smiled viciously as her horn glowed. Two, small unicorn fillies were suddenly dragged up to Nightmare. Blank-flanks, like Dinky. The two squealed and shrieked as Nightmare smiled at them. She dropped them on the floor and her horn began to glow red. Dinky ignored the doctor's warning to her mother and ran to the front of the crowd. " Stop!" she shouted, unconcealable determination in her voice. "I saw the signs, and I know who you are!" Nightmare leaned in. " Look at that, one smart, little filly knew who I was. How endearing!" She laughed, "You spoke out, little one. Such bravery deserves a nice...punishment." Nightmare's glow filled the air, and Dinky screamed. Derpy froze as she watched her daughter fall, burnt, bruised, and unconscious. "NO!" She screamed and kicked as Carrot Top and the Doctor retrained. "Let me go! That's my little filly, let me GO!" "Don't be a martyr, Ditzy, you'll only get both of you killed!" The doctor held on tightly, even with his broken leg. Ditzy whimpered. "Please be okay," she whimpered.
EndVinyl scowled as the purple mist flew out of the building. She swiftly chased after, but as she trotted out of Townhall, Octavia yanked onto her tail. Thus, stopping her. " What the hay, Tavi!?" " You run out chasing some alien mare, and you expect me to not stop you?" Tavi said irately. " She's doing it…" Vinyl mumbled as she gestured to Derpy as she flew away. On her back, a sleeping filly. Following suit, a brown stallion. " Ditzy!?" Octavia exclaimed. Lyra ran past the two, Bonbon chasing. Vinyl smacked Tavi's hoof away and galloped away. Left with no option, Tavi gaited after her. " Vinyl, don't do anything rash!" Derpy flew all the way home. Sparkler ran to her mother. " Okay, is there a reason some crazy alicorn mare is all over the tv!?" " Nightmare moon," was all Derpy replied. She trotted past her daughter and placed Dinky on the couch. A small tear shed her eye. She failed, and now Dinky was in danger. The small tear developed into a stream. Derpy clenched her teeth and hunched over. She felt helpless, like she did so long ago. The Doctor limped through the door. " Okay, Ditzy, we're going to need to act fast. I'll get Dinky into the TAR-" "Go." Derpy stuttered. She looked up at him with angry, tear-stained eyes. "Ditzy, you don't understand. I'm not equine! I'm an alien. My-my box is a-" "I SAID GO!" she shouted with rage. " My life has been a living Tartarus ever since a was born. Just because I was born with lopsided eyes! When my Dinky came home, I hoped I could raise a normal filly, and give her a normal life. Then you happened! You just barged right in to my life!" " You know, I've recently discovered that's something I just do.'' " SHUT UP!" Even the Doctor was surprised at the hostile tone. " You expect me to believe this "alien" crap? Go! Go now! I never want to see you again!" At this point, Derpy had cornered the Doctor eye to eye. She turned tail and sobbed on the arm of the chair. " Ditzy, I-" " You What, Doctor? What can you possibly want to say?" The Doctor twisted her body to face her. Eagerness in his eyes, virtually indifferent to the sadness in hers. " I'm sorry," thunk! with little warning, the Doctor smashed his head into hers. Visions danced across Derpy's eyes. She saw, well, she didn't know. She saw strange, bipedal creatures. Robots of different forms. That blue box, which was bigger than she originally thought. Some of the creatures would explode into yellow energy and transform into another one. Gas-masked children crying out for their mother. The images faded away, and she realized the truth. This stallion was an alien. She than realized how much pain the headbutt had caused her. The two ponies screamed out in pain. She gazed at the Doctor for a second. " Okay." she said calmly, " I'm going to faint.'' As she fell the doctor caught her. " No fainting on my watch, Ditzy!" his tone immediately changed from merry to serious. " Listen, my TARDIS is the only safe place for Dinky to be," he held out his hoof. she gazed at him for a second, not sure what to do. Now things made sense, at least one thing. She remembered how awful his night terrors were that first night. Reluctantly, Derpy took hold of his hoof. She trotted to the sleeping filly, swaddled her and the blanket, and gently carried her to the crater. When she was outside, she could already start to feel the cold eternal night would bring. A small puff of air emitted from her mouth. The doctor trudged behind her, an old scarf Dinky crocheted around his neck. " Ah, This old thing reminds of me home!" He cried happily. Derpy scowled at him before arriving at the door of the box. " Behold my abode!" He threw the door open. Derpy blinked. Once. Twice. She turned around and saw all the screaming ponies. " Oh, alright!" she shouted to no one. She trotted into the doorway box and saw all of its magnificent splendor. She didn't say anything, nor could she. Derpy had seen the box in her visions, but she didn't comprehend it well. The mare found herself unable to step inside for a moment. When she gathered the courage to try to do so, she retracted at the metal "clink". Finally, she walked into the large, golden room. The Doctor took Dinky, only to have her eyes creak open. "I'm sorry. I had to stop her." Derpy teared up, brushing a blonde hair out her face. "Oh, sweetie, it isn't your fault. It's my fault for being so...so-" "Mommy?" she whimpered. She looked up, tears falling down her cheeks. The filly very weakly levitated a tissue to her face. "Promise you won't die. Whatever happens, you'll be okay, just tell me that." Derpy sniffed. "Whatever happens, I'll be okay." Dinky smiled, and her eyes shut. The mother gasped, fearful. "She isn't...dead, right?" "No, she just needs rest." The doctor informed " That mare,…if what you said…was true, I'm sorry. But if you found anything on her. Anything we could use to defeat her-" " The elements of harmony." "What are they?" "From what I know, the elements are the essences of-" "HEY!" Derpy sighed at Lyra's voice. The two ponies turned around to see Lyra, Bonbon, Octavia, and Vinyl. All grouped up in the entrance of the TARDIS. Octavia and Bonbon just stood there, mouths agape. " Aw Sweet!!" cried Vinyl. The two unicorns trotted in. " How rude," the Doctor complained. "They didn't even ask to come in!" Lyra ignored him. " This is amazing!" Lyra spun around in the splendor of the machine. She swiftly lost balance and Bonbon needed to aid her. " I…what…umm...how di…wha?" That was all Tavi managed to mutter. Vinyl nudged her. " Magic, duh!" she gestured to her horn. " She's not magic! The TARDIS is Dimensionally Transcendental!" The Doctor scuffed. Vinyl made a confused look, then she saw Derpy. " Hey! You know you're filly is a hero right? Saved my little sis. Would be awesome, if we weren't being shrouded in eternal night." "No. The sun will rise again if I can help it." Derpy said. "No? Ditzy, that mare has unbelievable power, she's murderous, and she has no conscious! There's no possible way for us!" Octavia shouted. "There is a way, though." Derpy glanced at Dinky, her only light amongst the darkness. The ponies gathered around her, waiting for the answer. " I foresaw Nightmare's return, but no pony truly believed me. Now that she's here, I believe only one thing can stop her. The Elements of Harmony. In the legend, Nightmare Moon was banished when Princess Celestia harnessed the elements of harmony. We just need to retrieve them, and maybe we'll have a chance." " How would they work?" Lyra asked. " Well, first things first, we need to find the elements. Which sadly, are in the…Everfree Forest." Four of the ponies gasped. " What's wrong with this " Everfree Forest"? The Doctor tilted his head. " It's eerie and unnatural," Octavia shivered. Dark and uncontrollable forces live there. And it's the one place that ponies have no control of!" Bonbon whimpered. " That's all?" The doctor laughed. " That's nothing compared to my world, silly mares." he bragged. " In fact, that makes it almost enticing! Allons-y!" He limped away, far more slowly than he had hoped." He turned around to face Derpy. " Um, can you help me?" She rolled her eyes and began to help him in the direction of the forest. Derpy had planned to go alone, so she was mostly okay by her own standards. The Doctor gazed around. " Hmm, this might, just might be a taaaad more dreary than I expected. What do you think, Ditzy?" The young mare rolled her eyes. " It's exactly what I expected." she replied with a hint of sarcasm. " Oh come on, don't be such a stick in the mud. Surely this is a little fun?" " Doctor, my idea of fun involves sitting on the couch and eating a muffin." " That's not fun at all… Don't you-you know, spend "Time" with that Carrot mare?" Derpy blushed profusely. " W-what?" " You just seem to be "fond" of her." " Oh, nonononono! I can definitely say I'm single. Me and Carrot Top are more like sisters." Derpy looked away in discomfort. Perfect, now I feel bad. Change the subject!, the Doctor thought. "Ever do anything with your mother?" he asked politely. Any content activity within her vanished instantly. " My mom..um." Derpy sighed, trying to find a way to dispel his question. "Oh, Ditzy, I wouldn't have asked if I knew she was de-" " Oh no! She's not dead, but-" Derpy hesitated. " I didn't…my mother tried to kill me when I was little. Twice," EVEN WORSE!, the Doctor berated himself and clubbed his head repeatedly. " Yeah," Derpy paid no mind to him. " She thought…she thought I should've never been born. She poisoned me, and left me to die. Not at the same time, but…yeah. I wouldn't be here if Carrot's mother hadn't found me and took me in." " I'm not letting that get me down though. I have a mission." The doctor guiltily looked away. Not noticing the warm, glowing smile she plastered on next. " Personally though, I'm glad to have some pony to talk about it with." Derpy noticed the Doctor had stopped, but she kept moving. It was better going alone than with an injured pony. She heard him screaming to her, of course she didn't listen. That was when it happened. CCRRRRAAACKK!! The ground below her crumbled, and Derpy began a dangerous slide town the side of a cliff. She tried digging her hind hooves into the ground, but it caused her to flip over and land on her wing. She cried in pain as she realized how hopelessly mangled it had become. The edge was nearing, and Derpy knew it was the end. She screamed out as she felt herself drop. It was then she felt a hoof grabbed her own, keeping her from falling, but almost ripping her arms from their sockets. Derpy looked up, and saw Bonbon struggling to keep her from death. Both heavy relief and exasperation welled up in her. The bad news was that Bonbon was slipping from her perch. " Let me go, I won't let you go down with me!" But the young baker was too stubborn. "You're going to be okay, Ditzy. I can pull you up, and I'm not lying!" She gave another tug. "Don't make a promise you can't keep, Bonbon. Let go….let me fall." Derpy got surprised when Bonbon attained a fire in her eyes she wouldn't expect from such a sweet pony. "We have been trying to catch up with you for the past twenty minutes," BB grunted as she gave a hard pull, attaining an inch of height between Derpy and stable ground. She struggled to gain a foot-hold in the smooth ground, but couldn't. " And I have come TOO far to let you die now!" Derpy shrugged off the feeling of hurtling death and managed to grab a small ledge. With the power of the two mares, Derpy managed to escape death, but narrowly. The two mares flopped onto the ground to catch their breath. BB looked to Derpy. " I'm a trustful mare, Ditzy. Remember that." She smiled at BB, then she remembered what she said. "Wait, what do you mean "we"?" That was when Lyra pulled her into a standing position. She sighed angrily when she saw that Tavi, Vinyl, and Lyra had followed. " We couldn't let you go in here without some pony to help you." Octavia smiled. " We said we owe you, and we won't let you're stubborn attitude get in the way of that." Vinyl flipped off her shades, revealing an eager glare. Derpy sighed. " Maybe it is a good idea to have someone with me. It might help." With her new allies, they trotted deeper in the forest. ''Ahhhhh, this is so boring!" Vinyl complained. "Any pony up for a ghost story!?" Derpy rolled her eyes. Nopony answered, but Vinyl started anyway. " Back in the early days of Equestria, there was a gorgeous earth mare. Stallions from all around sought her hoof, and she loved the attention. It was one day an equally handsome stallion came to seek this gorgeous mare, and she agreed to marriage. They soon had a foal, but the stallion was bored. So he chased other mares to escape his troubles. When he came home that night, the mare and the child weren't there. For the mare had fled to the Everfree. In rage, she threw her foal into a deep river, and plucked out her own eyes so she'd never have to worry about beauty ever again. She immediately regretted it, and now she wanders the forest as a ghost. Seeking ponies so she could steal their sight!" Bonbon screamed aloud. " See!? I told you it was scary, Tav-oh. Ah crap." Vinyl turned to see a giant purple mass. An Ursa major roared aloud. " Yeah, we're dead." Derpy said indifferently. Lyra and Vinyl used their magic to hold it down, using minor spells in a vicious battle. Tavi and Bonbon quickly joined, although the most the could do was kick it. The creature struggled under the magic binds, and broke free. Once more the creature roared, and swatted the ponies back. Derpy almost trotted to aid her allies, but the Doctor raised his hoof to keep her out of the fight. He had a look in his eyes, he wanted the fight to stop. Derpy couldn't keep him from his goal. He cleared his throat. " Stop!" the noise and tone made everyone freeze, even the ursa. He limped to the creature, who growled. " Aww, don't be like that. What's wrong with you?" The Ursa whimpered slightly. " That's no good at all!" The ursa whined, and the doctor smiled. The Ursa began walking away, the alien stallion followed it. Concerned, the other mares chased after. She wondered what pony, okay, what SANE pony would follow a creature like that. Then she saw why the Ursa was worried. An Ursa Minor, presumably her baby, was helplessly trapped under a large boulder. The Major was highly defensive, for the only thing she could do was defend her baby. " Oh dear, that is a conundrum. Say, could you two help us?" he gestured to Vinyl and Lyra. Together, the two levitated the rock off the baby. The reunion was happy, and the path was now clear. The Ursa Major let out an odd noise. " Anytime!" he replied. Derpy galloped to him. " How did you know it wanted its baby? And how can you speak Ursa?" " Are you daft? There's no such thing as "ursa"! It was speaking bear." Derpy rolled her eyes. " Anyway, I didn't know, but really? You just went in to fight it! Hasn't anyone ever told you that nothing attacks unless provoked?" "Well, at least the path is clear." Octavia pointed out. " Come on, you." Derpy grabbed the Doctor's hoof to lead him away, but she found herself in hesitation. For she felt a small spark between the two. She shook it off and tugged him away. Octavia pulled Derpy away from the others not two minutes later. She giggled with mischief. Something was wrong, Tavi doesn't do that. " You can't hide from me, Ditzy, I've seen the way you look at him!" she giggled again. " And I can't blame you. I know few mares who could resist one of his nature." She looked away innocently. " What look?" " You know, big, half-shut eyes, a small smile?" " I'm not making that kind of look." " You're doing it right now!" " No! I'm just looking in his direction." Tavi frowned a little. " It's not healthy to hinder feelings, Ditzy. It will hurt more than it will help." Derpy ignored her and trotted back to him. She couldn't deny a small spark, but she couldn't love him. Not after the event. She couldn't love anyone. Bonbon screamed. " What is it no-" Derpy rapidly turned her head only to come face to face with a...tree. To be fair, it was a scary tree. Bonbon whimpered. " Okay, don't blink. Doctor, what happens if blink?" Derpy asked. " Don't panic, but it might break your neck." She gulped. " Okay, do you know what to do?" " Not at all…" There was a bit of silence. Then Lyra stepped up. " So if we aren't looking at it, it moves?" " Exactly." " So look away, I have a plan. A good for once!" The Doctor gawked at her. " What exactly do you plan to do to a stealthy, advanced alien race?" Lyra smiled, confidence in her eyes. " basically show you that they aren't real. Would it work?" " Well, I- wait, what?" Lyra smiled, she went up to an Angel, and blinked. Nothing. Lyra was right, it was a trick. The angel was made of pure stone. "How did you know?" The Doctor asked, bewildered. " Simple, I don't know much about these things, but if they were after us, would they be out in the open like this?" Those were the last coherent words Lyra would say for five minutes. She practically exploded with laughter, and Bonbon needed to make sure she wouldn't fall over. " I can't believe you didn't think of that!" she stuttered a while later, still giggling a little. Derpy ran to join the Doctor. "Something's wrong, Doctor. The ground collapsing, the Ursa, the fake pegasi. Surely those things happening simultaneously isn't pure coincidence." " I'm beginning to think someone's been trying to stop us." The Doctor whipped out his screwdriver and began to analyze the air around him. Derpy looked to the four mares, who chatted amongst themselves. She almost felt…welcome around them. A feeling that she hadn't felt, well, ever. Something clicked inside her. She wasn't sure what, or how, but she knew it was there. She smiled without exactly meaning to. " Ditzy, Doctor, let's go!" Tavi cried from a distance. The Doctor shut his screwdriver and with Ditzy's help, limped forward. " So, Ditzy do you…oh I don't know…KNOW where we're GOING!?" Vinyl ground her teeth. " Well I know that it's a giant castle, somewhere in the Everfree. We can't miss it." The world around them darkened as the trees grew dense. " Well, we can miss it in technical terms now." The Doctor pointed out, seconds before walking into a tree. Derpy felt something cold whoosh by her. She gasped, gaining the attention of her allies. " Did any pony else feel that!?" she was a little frightened over the drastic change around. " Oh relax, Ditzy. It's probably the fact that heat is slowly draining from the area do to the sun not coming to warm it up. Okay, that's a bad thing. A REALLY bad thing. Let's go!" The Doctor limped forward before crashing into another tree. Somewhere among the darkness, Octavia yipped. " I felt it!" she squeaked. "Hold on," Lyra grunted. A second later, yellow light was pouring from her horn. " Happy now, T-tavi?" Color drained from her face as she glanced at Octavia. "W-what?" she shivered, annoyedly. " Brrr. No one else can feel that?" The others continued to stare at her. " Octavia, Come here, slowly." The Doctor instructed. " Um, Okay," Slowly, Tavi wandered toward the group. '' We need to get out of here." Derpy said. "Leaving so soon?" an ethereal voice whispered behind her. Tavi turned around to see who the voice belonged to, then galloped to her friends, screaming. Sitting just where Octavia was, was a ghost. She wore old, tattered clothing, but looked no older than 25. An extremely distinguishable feature, was her eyeless sockets. The mare giggled. " Well I guess that would be in both of our best interests. Seeing as this is MY realm." her tone drastically changed into anger. The mare from Vinyl's story, Ditzy shuttered. The doctor foolishly trotted to her. A quiver of uncertainty in his eyes. " Uh, yes, miss. So, me and my associates must pass you to reach an important goal. might we pass? " The ghostly mare giggled. "No way!" " Might I ask why?" The Doctor asked politely. The mare simply shrugged. " Well, can I do something to change your mind?" " Oh, I don't think so. Unless…" The Doctor rolled his hoof, gesturing for her to tell. " One of you gives me a pretty bit of sight." she smiled, knowing they would refuse. The Doctor's eyes darted around. " Umm, yeah… we kinda need our eyesight." The ghost smiled again. " Okey-dokey! Now go before I rip your eyes out out by force." The Doctor shuttered before limping back to the bulk of his group. Derpy placed her hoof on his shoulder as they began trotting away. " Don't worry, we'll just need to find a way around. Wait, weren't there six of us a second ago?" upon glancing around, the pegasus found that Octavia was gone. She glanced back to the ghost, only to find her conversing. Vinyl galloped frantically toward her, the group following in close pursuit. Too late. Just as they reached her, an unearthly mist surrounded the two. A few moments later, Tavi uttered an agonizing shriek. The mist lifted. Vinyl ran to Octavia and helped her up. Octavia rubbed her eyes before opening. " Does it look bad?" she asked. " I didn't even know eyes could be that blue." she replied. Tavi sighed. " Well either way,…I'm blind. An eye for passage. It was a fair deal. Besides, there are plenty movies about blind violinists, it shouldn't be difficult to be a blind cellist, right?" She was somber. Meanwhile, the ghost swooned over her regained sight. " Oh! I forgot how lively the world looked!" Vinyl glared at her. " There, you got what you wanted! Now let us pass!" The mare shrugged, not knowing why they couldn't experience her joy, and moved out of the way. Vinyl shook her head at the mare as she helped Octavia down the path. The next part of the path came with a final obstacle, a broken bridge. Everypony glanced at Derpy. She lifted her mangled wings, but quickly retracted them as pain jolted through her. "No use, I'd fall if I tried flying across." Vinyl willingly stepped up. " I got it!" she jumped off the cliff, and teleported to the bottom. She grabbed a part of the fallen bridge, then teleported once more to the other side. Just as she tied one side to a stake, she began hearing voices. Behind her, was a pony resembling Sapphire Shores, but different colors. " S-Sapphire?" She laughed a little, not thinking about why she would be in the Everfree. " Omigosh! I am like, the BIGGEST fan of your works!" Vinyl jittered with adoration. " Maybe that's why I'm here, Vinyl. I've heard your works as well. Do you realize how talented you are." Vinyl smiled widely. Before Derpy's voice snapped her back to her task. " Vinyl, is there something wrong!?" She grabbed the other rope, prepared to tie it to the other stake, but the illusion caught her attention once more. " You know, it would be so much simpler to just leave this task. Sometimes, you must leave one thing to accomplish another. I thought someone like you would know that." Vinyl glanced between the group and the illusion. Derpy finally saw what was happening. "Vinyl!" Vinyl glanced back and forth. Finally, she turned to the illusion. " Excuse me, a-are you actually telling me to do this? Low blow, Nightmare! Wherever you are." She tied the rope, not seeing the illusion disappear behind her. Derpy Galloped to Vinyl, looking around the area wildly. " Vinyl! What happened, I-" " Don't worry, Ditzy. I took care of it." Vinyl replied confidently. Derpy sighed. " C'mon, I can see the top of the castle. The sooner we get this over with, the better." The castle had seen better days. The ceiling was gone in several places, moss and vines overgrew and practically took over the area, and the remaining bricks were crumbling fast. Derpy paid no mind to the condition of the unstable building and trotted inside. " So where are the elements?" Derpy's voice echoed through the empty castle. Octavia blindly wandered as the others searched for them. Eventually, she stepped on a pressure plate. The rumbled as a large opening appeared, revealing a giant, stone contraption. Against the stands, were five rocks. Derpy counted them. " Where's the final element? I can't find it!" Nightmare's fear-inducing laugh founded. " And you never will." A thick purple mist zoomed across the floor before forming Nightmare Moon on the top of contraption. She levitated the elements, but just before she teleported, Derpy jumped to retrieve them, only to be teleported herself. The young mare wasn't very experienced when it came to teleportation. She finally overcame the vertigo that came with the transportation, only to find Nightmare rearing up. As her hooves hit the ground, the elements shattered. Derpy sat there, mouth agape. It was the Doctor's voice that brought her back to reality. " Ditzy!" His frantic voice was followed by the others. Derpy watched their silhouettes, and remembered what each of them have done throughout the the journey. That's when it all clicked together. The group ran to Derpy. Everypony gasped as they saw the elements shattered remnants. Octavia did too, but Vinyl had to turn her head to make it look like she knew what was happening. "And now, the night shall last FOREVER!" Everypony, save Nightmare noticed it. A small, glowing energy that appeared around Derpy's heart whenever it beat. " No," she whispered. " No? Miss hooves. The elements are gone. And the sixth element wasn't found." " I was a fool. All this time I've thought the elements were gems. Long before today, I was so rejected by my mother, by society, that I didn't know what it was like to be truly cared for. It wasn't until now that I've realized something." Derpy turned to the group, the beating energy intensifying. " You have all performed deeds that without, we wouldn't have been able to reach this place. Just now, I realized how happy I was to see you," Tavi sighed. " to hear your voices, to realize that you…" Derpy Faced Nightmare with regained confidence. " Are my friends!" The Shattered remnants of the elements glowed and floated towards the group, surrounding five of them. " Through their deeds, they have embodied each element." In an act of defiance against Derpy, Nightmare fired a blast in her direction. The energy flew from her body and shielded her from her attack. And the six of ponies gently floated into the air. " The sixth, hidden element, was within me. The element of love." The energy from five elements encased Derpy in white energy, before siphoning into her heart. A blast of pink energy flew from her heart and hit a screaming Nightmare. Her screams slowly faded away. It took a few seconds for the Doctor to regain full consciousness. Upon waking, he discovered a necklace upon him, the primary gem an hourglass. The others, save Derpy were getting up, each with a necklace depicting their cutiemarks. " Ditzy!" he ran to her, shaking her lightly. Instead of a necklace, was golden armor, that surrounded her front half and the rim of her wings. The piece came together in the center of her chest, were bubbles were encased in a gold heart. The young mare awoke in his hooves. She smiled warmly and leaned into him. Octavia gasped as soon as she realized the elements had restored her vision. She gasped again as a shaft of light peered through the window. A gigantic ball of light sat itself in the center of the room. As it dissipated, Celestia was revealed. She trotted to a mare, the only remnant of Nightmare. They stared each other for a time, then Celestia smiled as tears shed down her eyes. The sisters hugged, both crying. That night was the first in a thousand years that Luna brought. THe following celebration was jubilant. Tavi got drunk and Kissed Vinyl, and Bonbon made her greatest batch of candies yet. Two unicorn fillies ran to Derpy. " Hiya miss!" the blue one said. The yellowish one shook her hoof. " I'm Firelock, this is my friend Tootsie Flute. We just wanna thank you for saving our flanks back there." " If there's anything we could do for you, just let us know!" Tootsie replied. Derpy glanced to Dinky, who was stargazing by herself. " You know girls, there is one thing you could do for me." Derpy trotted to her daughter. A trail a dirt appeared behind Derpy as she shoved her daughter towards Tootsie and Firelock. This was simply a result of Dinky digging her hooves in the ground to prevent progress. " This is my Daughter, Dinky. She doesn't have a cutie-mark either." Dinky gasped. Derpy smiled as the fillies ran off. She felt a tap on her shoulder. The Doctor cleared his throat. " Might I have this dance?" Derpy giggled and grasped his hoof. She was pulled into the horrible dancer that was the Doctor. But in the end, he pulled her close and swayed around the dance floor. The others spread around, allowing the two room. Derpy never felt more happy. At the peak of the celebration. The Doctor smiled. He had one final surprise for Derpy. " So Ditzy, after a bit of thought, I've decided that I don't need to leave just yet. Aaaand, I may need a companion to help me with some things in this new form. Whaddya say?" She smiled gleefully. " Well, why not?!" " It won't be a perfect life." Derpy obtained a serious look. " I hate perfect." She then giggled. " I'm weird that way." " Yes, we're both weird!" " Yay!" The group cheered as the two reached the TARDIS, which had settled itself near the party. Derpy stuck her head out and waved, before her eye caught something peculiar. A young, pegasus stallion, probably no older than fifteen, sitting at the edge of the crowd. He was chestnut, but gray dotted his body. One of his eyes was cobalt, the other a bright amber. He took a pocket-watch, and upon realizing the time, he trotted away. " So Ditzy, there's this GREAT planet that makes the best pastries, including muffins!" He glanced at the mare, who had a disturbed look. " What's wrong?" " When I fell unconscious, I-I had a vision. There were these strange figures, and-and they had me hooked to this machine. A larger one had this speech. The final word…the figures kept repeating in a mantra." The Doctor was concerned. " Ditzy, what were they repeating?" Derpy looked up, a spark of fear in her eyes. " Exterminate."
