Still Not Ginger

        Half an hour after the Doctor left, Derpy was having second thoughts about staying behind. He was probably fighting awesome creatures in the Everfree Forest, and Derpy was stuck picking up carrots and wooden planks. To make things worse, Carrot Top hadn’t stopped talking once.

“So then I said to Colgate, ‘Hey, if you can’t do the crime, don’t do the time!’ It was hilarious, Derpy, you should’ve seen it! Oh, that reminds me, a few days ago I was talking to Berry Punch and—”

Derpy groaned and flared her wings. Carrot Top was basically a less-random, less-hyper version of Pinkie Pie. Especially when she’d had a lot of sugar, which she had.

“This morning I ate four doughnuts at Sugarcube Corner! Can you believe it? They were good, though. I had a glazed doughnut, a chocolate doughnut, a powdered doughnut, and a jelly-filled super-sprinkle special doughnut! They’re really good, you should try them. Oh, and while I was there I saw that Doctor pony there. He kept muttering about a target or something.”

“TARDIS,” Derpy corrected quietly, placing yet another filthy carrot on the pile.

“Yeah, a tar-dips. He’s strange, you know that? I—”

Derpy looked around at the mess, which was now separated into a pile of planks and a pile of carrots. “Hey, uh, Carrot Top, we’re done. And I’d love to stay here, really, but I need to…um…earn the money to pay you back. So, uh, bye!”

“Wait! Derpy!” Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t Carrot’s voice that called out. It was the Doctor’s, or at least what sounded like the Doctor’s. The brown stallion raced over, his eyes frantic. “Derpy, something’s happened. I need you to come with me, now!”

“What happened?”

“The—the TARDIS! It’s gone! And I think I know where to find it, but I need you to come with me. I need your help.”

Derpy’s eyes lit up. Finally, she had something fun to do. “Great! Carrot Top, I’ll see you later, okay? I have a TARDIS to find!” She reared, her hooves pawing at the air, and galloped after him.

Carrot Top watched them go, shaking her head. “That stallion’s nothing but trouble. Derpy better be careful. Though there did seem to be something odd about him this time. Hm. Oh well. I bet it’s nothing.”

*   *   *

The Doctor and Sparkler skidded to a stop in front of Zecora’s hut. It was a hollowed-out tree-looking thing, decorated with strange painted masks. Outside was a garden of herbs and other plants, and a cauldron of bubbling water hung above a small fire. All in all, it looked pretty creepy, but neither of them minded. The Doctor personally preferred creepy things, and Sparkler knew this place was safe.

The zebra was outside, nosing at a patch of herbs on the ground. As they arrived, she looked up, her eyes blinking slowly. “Who is this with you, my dear, and why has he come with you here?” she asked, her deep voice resonating off the trees.

Sparkler gave the Doctor a sideways look. “Good question, Zecora. He’s a friend of Derpy’s, and for some reason he needed to see Dinky. He says he’s from a different planet, but he looks like a pony to me. Care to explain now, Doctor?”

“No time,” he said briskly, looking around. “Where’s Dinky?”

“She is asleep inside my home, for I forbade the foal to roam.”

“Great!” Within a second he was inside.

Sparkler's eyes narrowed and her ears flattened. Annoyance was spread across her face like icing on a cake. Seeing the strange look Zecora gave her, she sighed. “Seriously, I don’t know. As soon as I mentioned Dinky’s magic surges he started getting really freaked out and talking fast. I brought him because I figured he might know what’s wrong with Dinky.”

“You were right in thinking so. He may seem strange, but he does know.”

“Does that mean you believe he’s an alien? I mean, no offense, but that’s impossible.”

Instead of answering, Zecora looked back at her hut, her ears swiveling and nostrils flaring. She appeared to be deep in thought. Finally she nodded to Sparkler and made her way inside.

Sparkler stood there for a moment, her jaw dropping. Zecora was one of the smartest, most sensible creatures around. If she too believed the Doctor was an alien, then surely it must be true. But…how? Sparkler thought. Why? He looks just like a pony. And what’s he doing here of all places? It just doesn’t make sense.

The Doctor popped his head out of one of the windows, startling Sparkler out of her thoughts. “Parker, are you coming, or are you going to stand out here the whole time? There are things to do, you know.”

“It’s Sparkler,” she muttered, but she joined him inside the hut.

As soon as she entered, a purple-gray blur rushed toward her. “Sparkler!” Dinky exclaimed. “Where are Mommy and Daddy? Who’s this stallion? What are you doing here?”

Sparkler swept Dinky into a hug. The day’s events rushed through her head. “I’m not really sure where Derpy is, and Night Hooves is at work. This stallion’s called the Doctor. He thinks he might be able to help you.”

Immediately Dinky started backing away. “Another doctor?” she whispered. “I-I don’t like doctors. They always poke me and prod me and shine lights in my eyes and then tell me they don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She crouched, whimpering softly. “Go away, Mister. Please don’t hurt me.”

The Doctor shook his head softly. “I’m not that sort of doctor. I’m not going to examine you, but I can help you.”

“How? Nopony can help me,” she insisted.

“That’s perfect, because I’m not a pony.”

“But Daddy said I’ll never be fixed. He said I’ll always have these magic surges, and there’s nothing I can do.” Her head drooped dejectedly.

“Did he now?” The Doctor seemed to have perked up considerably. “What else did he say?”

“Well…he said I’d grow up to be super special. He also said to eat all my vegetables, and to wash behind my ears, and to—”

“Right, right, that’s enough. Now, remember how I said before that I wasn’t going to examine you?” The filly nodded. “Well, I lied. But I won’t poke you or prod you or shine lights in your eyes. I just need you to sit still for a minute.”

Dinky looked at Sparkler for assurance. The older mare nodded and smiled. Then she turned back to the Doctor and sat back on her haunches. “O-okay.”

The Doctor sat in front of her and lifted his hooves so they were hovering over the sides of Dinky’s head. “This is going to hurt a little, but only for a minute or two.”

“Wh-what are you g-going to do?”

“I need to get inside your mind. I know this seems terrifying, but I know you can be brave. If you let me do this, I can help you.”

Her eyes were wide, frightened, but past the fear the Doctor could see determination. He could see bravery, and strength, and persistence. She nodded her head firmly. “Do it.” At once the Doctor’s hooves touched her head, and she felt a jolt of pain run up and down her body. A loud yelp escaped from her mouth.

Sparkler was on her hooves at once. “Stop that right now! You’re hurting her, Doctor! Stop it!” Her lip curled. “Are you even listening to me? I demand you to stop it!”

The Doctor tuned her out, focusing only on Dinky. He could see her emotions, her thoughts, her perspective. He could see every moment of her life playing out; every word she spoke, every day she lived. He could see the days past and the days to come. But most importantly, he could see who—what—she was.

Now it was the Doctor’s turn to yelp. As fast as he could he withdrew his hooves and backed away. “It can’t be,” he croaked. His eyes didn’t leave Dinky. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“What?” Sparkler asked, suddenly fearful. “What happened?”

He slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers. “I know what’s wrong with her. And I’m sorry to say, but we’re all in very grave danger.”

It took Sparkler, Dinky, and Zecora a few seconds to comprehend what he’d just said. When they did, they all had the same reaction. “WHAT?!”

“You know, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t realize this before. The signs were all there; I just chose to ignore them. I dismissed them as coincidences. Oh, how could I have been so stupid? Maybe ponies are less intelligent than Time Lords. No offense.”

“For Celestia’s sake, Doctor, can you just tell me what the hay is wrong with my sist—I mean, Dinky?”

The Doctor gave Sparkler a sharp look. “Why do you do that, Shaker?”

“It’s Sparkler, and why do I do what?”

“Why do you call your mother and father by their first names, and why don’t you call Dinky your sister?”

She snorted. “You’re changing the subject, Doctor. What the hay is wrong with Dinky?”

His brow furrowed, and he continued to cast worried looks toward the small filly. “Nothing’s wrong with her, really. She’s always been like this. It’s just recently that she started to show it.”

Sparkler advanced toward him, her hoof raised. “If you don’t tell us exactly what’s wrong with her right now, I promise you I will slap you.”

“She’s half-changeling.” Despite the fact that he answered her, she still slapped him. “Why’d you do that? I told you!”

“This is no time for joking!” she shouted. “Tell us the truth!”

“That is the truth!” he shouted back.

“How can she be part changeling? That doesn’t make sense!”

“Well—”

“That isn’t possible. You have to be lying.”

“I’m not—”

“I mean, who’s her dad, then?”

“It’s—”

“I don’t understand!”

The Doctor shoved his hoof in her mouth. “Honestly, Sparky, could you shut up and let me talk? Thank you. Now, down to business. Can I at least tell you why I should’ve known about the changelings?”

Sparkler nodded silently.

“First, when I regenerated, I looked like a pony. That doesn’t normally happen, in case you didn’t know. I figured there was some sort of weird thing in the atmosphere, and I was right. But I didn’t give it a second thought. Do you know exactly what sort of weird thing was in the atmosphere?” He gave a huge grin, proud to have figured this out. “Changeling residue! Something I’ve discovered over time is that some alien races leave behind an invisible, almost non-detectable residue. The changeling race is one of them.”

Sparkler spat out his hoof and blurted out, “How’d you detect the residue, then?”

“I’m a Time Lord. We have some brilliant skills. Anyway, the changeling residue interfered with my regeneration, automatically making me look like the natives. That would be you ponies, by the way.

“The second thing that I should’ve paid attention to,” the Doctor continued, “were the creatures in the Everfree Forest. Ponies disappearing out of nowhere? Had to be alien. Only certain ponies being picked to investigate it? Very suspicious. But, again, I dismissed it. I had other things to think about. The creatures in the Everfree are changelings, though I expect you’ve figured that out now.

“And finally, last but not least, was Dinky. Now was when I started paying attention. Sparkly, when you told me about her magic surges, I started connecting the dots. Something was definitely going on. There were strange creatures in the Everfree, alien residue in the air, Dinky was having magic surges, and her father was working in the Everfree to investigate the strange creatures.” He waited a few moments, as if trying to add a dramatic effect. “Yes, Dinky. Night Hooves is a changeling.”

*   *   *

Carrot Top gave a smile of relief. After hours of cleaning up the cart and rebuilding it, she was finally done. Sure, it was a crudely built cart, but it held the carrots, and that was all that mattered. Now all she had to do was get the cart with the carrots back to her home before anything else—

CRASH!

A tan stallion barreled into the cart, crushing it instantly. He sat up and shook his head as if dizzy. Carrot Top immediately recognized him as the Doctor.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she said, throwing up her hooves.

Derpy’s two daughters came scurrying after him, a frantic look on both of their faces. “Where’s Derpy?” Sparkler asked.

She looked between them and the Doctor. “Isn’t she with you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, a bit after the Doctor left, he came back to get Derpy. He said something about a missing tar-dis.”

The three other ponies groaned in unison.

“That lowly changeling scum,” Sparkler muttered.

“That means Mommy’s in danger,” Dinky said quietly.

The Doctor lowered his head. “This is not good. Not good at all.” Suddenly he tensed. “Carrot Top, do me a favor and keep these two here. I might be gone a while.” He would’ve run away right then if Sparkler hadn’t held him in place with her magic.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going to where Night Hooves and the others were ‘investigating.’ What does it look like?” He struggled fiercely, his eyes dark.

Sparkler pawed at the ground. “Not without us, you’re not.”

“And why is that?”

“Because…well…because we want to come with you. Why are you so keen to help my mother, anyway?”

He stopped and looked her in the eye. “It’s my fault she’s in trouble in the first place. I’m a dangerous person. Those involved with me tend to get hurt, and I’m not going to let that happen again. So please, let me go and stay right where you are.”

She glared at him for a moment more before releasing him. “Fine. You get your way. Have fun saving the world while we sit here and pick up carrots.”

“Thank you.” The Doctor reared on his hind legs, pawing at the air. “Woohoo! That’s more fun than it seems. I haven’t said this in hundreds of years, but…Allons-y!” With that he took off, leaving clouds of dust in his wake.

Carrot Top blinked twice. “What just happened?”

“It’s a long story. Dinky and I will explain some other time. Now I’m really sorry about this, but I’m going to have to use an immobilizing spell on you.” Sparkler’s horn lit up, sending sparks flying. Magic shot from her horn and settled on Carrot Top’s hooves, fixing her in place. “I’m not going to let that featherbrain throw his life away to save my mother. Goodbye, Carrot Top!”

Dinky giggled. “You called Derpy your mother for once, Spark!”

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it.”

The two of them took off after the Doctor, leaving a very confused Carrot Top behind.

“Wait!” the earth pony called. “Come back!” Seeing that they weren’t responding, she sighed. “Oh, ponyfeathers. Guess I’m going to miss my dentist appointment this evening.”

*   *   *

As the Doctor and Derpy made their way through the Everfree, Derpy began to feel a bit puzzled. He hadn’t spoken one word to her so far besides telling her he thought the TARDIS was in the middle of the forest, and he was getting farther and farther ahead of her.

“Doctor, can you wait up?” she said loudly, her wings rustling. Though she hated to admit it, the Everfree Forest gave her the shivers. It wasn’t natural, and the creatures in it…the creatures were downright horrifying. “You’re getting kind of far ahead of me.”

He turned to look back at her, his eyes gleaming dangerously. “Actually, Derpy, you’re getting kind of far behind me. I’m not speeding up; you’re slowing down. Walk faster.”

She stopped walking completely. “Excuse me?”

“I said, walk faster!” There was a certain edge to his voice, a certain fierceness, that would’ve made any other pony obey without hesitation. But Derpy wasn’t any other pony.

Her wings flared, propelling her up and over him. She landed in front of him and whirled around, her lip curling. “Forgive me, Doctor, but I can’t walk very fast without tripping over plants and rocks! I don’t know who you think you are, but you certainly aren’t able to speak to me like that! So please, Doctor, shut your muzzle and walk slower.”

That was her first mistake.

The Doctor’s eyes flashed bright green. He backed away from her, his hooves trembling with concentration. Then, before her eyes, he began to change.

Years before, after the changeling invasion in Canterlot, Derpy had spoken to a few ponies that had seen Queen Chrysalis transform into her true form. They’d described it as the most horrific, most vile, most disgusting thing they’d ever seen. They’d said that, if they had an opportunity to erase all their memories of her transformation, they’d take it, no matter what the cost. Derpy had never truly understood what they meant until that very moment.

First, a sickly green substance began to worm its way up the Doctor’s legs. The substance spread like wildfire, writhing, dripping, oozing. When it completely covered his body, it shot upwards, forming a tall green pillar. Next wings, holey and thin, ripped out of the Doctor’s skin. A twisted, deformed horn snaked out of his forehead. His coat turned completely black, save a deep green mane and tail that hung like curtains, flat and limp. His legs lengthened, holes spreading all over them. All of his teeth sharpened to points. Muscles bulged from his skin, and his eyes turned to a piercing green.

“No,” Derpy whispered, her voice barely audible.

The creature straightened the dark green crown upon his head. “Yes,” he laughed, his horn lighting up.

“No,” she repeated, backing away slowly. “What have you done with the Doctor? Who are you? What do you want from me?”

He circled her, grinning a sharp-toothed grin. “Oh, nothing really. We just want to use you as bait for your precious Doctor, and then make you watch as we absorb all life energy from him. You know, the usual.”

She trembled like a leaf. “Who are you?”

“What? You mean you haven’t figured that out yet? Oh, my, I always thought you were smart, dear. I’m your husband. I’m Night Hooves.”

Just before the changeling teleported both of them away, Derpy’s wail of sheer grief ripped through the air.