Still Not Ginger

         Derpy opened her eyes to utter of darkness. The blackness spread around her, billowing and tumbling as if it was alive, taking all fragments of hope and brutally crushing them. A thick, musty smell filled the air, clogging her nostrils.

Coughing, she sat up. Her heart hammered in her chest and the world spun around her. For a moment she didn’t know where she was. Did I go to a party last night or something? she thought. Wow, how much did I drink?

Then the memories hit her like a bullet, sharp and painful. “Night Hooves…” she whispered.

“Yes, darling?” the devil himself sneered from somewhere below her.

She jumped, letting out a yelp. Her head slammed against the ceiling above her. When she landed, she thrashed her hooves out, slamming them against the green walls surrounding her. “Night Hooves! Let me out! Where am I? What do you want from me?!”

“You really think I’d tell you what we’re doing?” He snorted cruelly. “Don’t make me laugh, sweetie.”

“Don’t call me that!” she begged, flapping her wings in distress. “Please, Night. Let me go. Why are you doing this to me? I thought I meant something to you!”

Several other voices sounded out now, echoing her husband’s laughter.

Night Hooves gave a sharp command and the laughter ceased. “Oh, come on, Derpy. You mean you actually bought all that? I honestly thought you were smarter than that, dearest.”

“What do you mean?”

He gave an irritated sigh. Suddenly the world lit up and the walls grew semi-transparent, allowing Derpy to see where she was. She was trapped in a green cocoon-like prison that was hanging from the ceiling, high above a never-ending sea of changelings. Plenty of other cocoons dotted the area. Each had a pony inside them.

Night Hooves, or the changeling that had been Night Hooves, flew up so he was right in front of Derpy’s prison. His lips parted in a sneer, and his green eyes seemed to taunt her. “Tell me, Derpy, what are changelings known for?”

“D-deceiving ponies.”

“Well, there you go.” When Derpy didn’t respond, he snarled, “Holy Chrysalis, you’re slow! I’ve tricked you since you were a foal, with all that lovey-dovey nonsense. Honestly, it wasn’t that difficult. You’re so dumb you wouldn’t notice a changeling if they came up to you and said, ‘Hey Derpy, I’m a changeling!’ In fact, I bet you don’t even believe me now.”

Derpy’s head drooped until her forehead rested on the wall of her prison. A jolt of pain pierced straight through her heart like an arrow. “So none of it was real?” she asked softly. "You never loved me?"

Night Hooves made a face, saying, “Aww, is little Derpy Hooves sad? Does little Derpy Hooves want her dear husband to stop being mean? Aww, you poor thing.” He tapped a hoof to her cage. “Don’t worry, Derpy, it’ll all go away if you think happy thoughts. Think of your little Dinky-winky, the hopeless daughter of a changeling. Or perhaps think of Sparkler, the lonely orphan, searching for a way to belong. Or maybe, just maybe,” he said, buzzing his wings, “you can think of your dear little friend the Doctor.”

Immediately Derpy stiffened. How did Night know about the Doctor?

“You really thought I wouldn’t know? How stupid do you think I am? I saw him before, walking with your children into the Everfree Forest. No, I know what you're thinking, and he isn't a changeling. But, Derpy, do you know where he was headed?”

She didn't speak, but she could sure as hay guess.

“Right towards here. That’s right, foal, your precious Doctor is leading your daughters into a trap.”

“I thought changelings fed off of love,” Derpy said, her voice shaking.

“We do, sort of." He gave a huff of annoyance. "Did you hear any of what I just said?”

“Wouldn’t it be logical to just act all lovey-dovey towards me, then feed off of my love?”

Night Hooves gave a bark of laughter. “Yeah, listen, we don’t just feed off love. That would be stupid. We feed off of any strong emotions, for example, hatred or grief. Love is just the…tastiest of our foods. We prefer it, although I must say fear is pretty delicious as well. Even so, you know what’s one of the strongest kinds of love?”

“Wh-what?”

“Mother’s love. Okay, I’ll admit it, the Doctor has no idea that your daughters are following him. Creatures in the Everfree’ll probably kill them before they get anywhere close to here.”

Derpy rammed her shoulder against the walls, trying desperately to make them give. “Why don’t you warn them, then? They’re your daughters, too, Night Hooves!”

“Oh, I’m much too busy.” He examined a hoof as if bored. “And by the way, my name’s not ‘Night Hooves.’ It’s Metamorphosis. But my people call me Morph.” He paused, as if thinking. “You can call me King Metamorphosis.”

With that said he shot a stream of magic toward Derpy’s cocoon and everything went dark again.

For a few moments Derpy sat there, too stunned to move. Then she buried her head in her hooves and wept. She wept for her daughters, following the Doctor through the Everfree Forest straight to their deaths. She wept for the Doctor, coming to save her, not knowing there was nothing he could do. She wept for herself, trapped in a green cocoon in a nest of changelings, her energy slowly being sucked from her body. But most of all, she wept for Night Hooves, king of the changelings, who had deceived her all her life.

“He never loved me,” she whispered hoarsely, feeling weaker by the second. “He tricked me, he tricked our daughters, he tricked everypony.” Fuzziness crept over her mind and she knew she would fall unconscious soon. “I-I hate him. I…hate…Night Hooves…”

*   *   *

The Doctor, blissfully unaware of anything that was going on with Derpy, trotted through the undergrowth. An outsider might’ve mistaken him for a dog if they didn’t look closely, what with his swishing tail and long muzzle and the way he was walking with his nose to the ground. To Sparkler and Dinky, that was exactly how he looked.

“Why do you think he’s smellin’ the ground like that?” Dinky asked, struggling to keep up. She was still a bit shaken by the news that she was part changeling, but to be honest, it hadn’t shocked her that much. It at least explained her magic surges. “He looks silly.”

“Shh, keep your voice down. He might hear us. I think he’s smelling for changeling residue. I remember he mentioned that it really reeks.” Glancing at Dinky, she frowned. “Do you want me to carry you on my back? You look tired.”

“I’m fine.”

The two walked on in silence for a while before Dinky spoke. “Sparkler, why won’t you call me your sister?”

Sparkler stopped walking abruptly, her ears shooting up in surprise. “What? Oh, um, I...I don’t know. You’re not really my sister, you know. I’m adopted. My parents are both dead.”

“No, they’re not! Mommy and Daddy are still alive. We saw them this mornin'.”

The older mare sighed. “No, Dinky, I meant my real parents.”

Dinky pouted, sticking out her bottom lip. “They are too your real parents,” she mumbled.

“No, they’re—” She stopped, thinking carefully. “Okay, it’s like this. You know how much you love Miss Cheerilee?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, imagine that one day you went into school and found out she was gone forever. No matter what you did, you could never get her back. Somepony in the town heard about your predicament—”

“What’s a predicament?”

“They found out about your problem and decided to replace Miss Cheerilee. They were really nice, and you loved them dearly, but they weren’t Miss Cheerilee. That pony would be your teacher, sure, but she’d never, ever be Miss Cheerilee. That’s what it’s like for me.”

Dinky gazed up at Sparkler, her eyes huge. “Do you remember your mommy and daddy? What were they like?”

Sparkler was silent for a few minutes, lost in her memories. Her eyes were clouded over with anguish. Finally she gathered the strength to speak. “Yeah, I remember them. My mom was a unicorn, like me. Every day when I got home from preschool she’d make me my favorite heart-shaped cookies. They were the best cookies I’d ever eaten; soft, warm, and made of the best chocolate around. She was a doctor at the hospital where you were born, you know. My dad was an earth pony police officer. I didn’t get to see him a lot, because we lived in a place where there were always ponies committing crimes, but some of my best memories were with him. He used to play with me whenever he was home, and whether we were playing Cops and Robbers, Tag, Hide and Seek, or any other game, we always had the best of times.”

“Do you miss them?”

“More than anything,” Sparkler whispered. Realizing that she was crying, she stared at the ground. "I know I'm acting really pathetic. You probably think I'm a crybaby."

Dinky stopped walking and threw her arms around Sparkler. “You're not a crybaby, but you don't need to feel sad. You still have us! We’re your family now. I don’t care what you say, you’re the best big sister ever.”

“Dinky, I—”

“No, Sparky. You are my sister. Don’t ever say you aren’t.” She buried her face in her sister's mane and emitted a soft purr-like sigh.

“Dinky, stop!” Sparkler pulled away, glancing around frantically. “Where’s the Doctor?”

The tiny filly’s pupils shrank. “Uh-oh.”

Sparkler gave a nervous laugh, beginning to pace. “It’ll be fine. Don’t worry, Dinky, we can just turn around and go home. I’m sure the Doctor and Derpy will be fine. We just need to find the way we came, and we’ll be fine!” Her ears twitched and her head whipped back and forth. “Great. Now where the hay did we come from?”

Dinky tapped a hoof on her chin. “Um…that way, I guess?”

“Don’t be absurd, that way there’s a river. We didn’t pass a river, did we?” She stamped her hoof. “This is not good at all. We can’t be lost in the Everfree Forest. That’s impossible. This isn’t happening. Dinky, do you know what kinds of creatures there are in here?! There are manticores and hydras and timber wolves and changelings—no offense—and all sorts of other monsters! We’ll be eaten alive!” she wailed.

“We gotta get out of here,” Dinky squeaked. “I don’t wanna be eaten alive.”

“Right all we gotta do is keep calm and no creatures will find—DEAR CELESTIA WHAT’S THAT ON MY BACK?!” she screamed. All the nearby birds took to the sky. Sparkler turned around, quivering like a leaf. “GET IT OFF ME!”

Dinky rolled her eyes. “Sparky, it’s just a leaf.” She brushed it off with a hoof.

“Oh. Right. Well, I didn't—”

An earsplitting roar shattered the air.

“What was that you were saying about no creatures finding us?” Dinky leapt into Sparkler’s arms, trembling.

Sparkler grabbed Dinky with her magic and placed the filly on her back, grabbing a vine to strap her down. “Stay quiet,” she urged. “Don’t make a sound, and maybe whatever that is will go away. Right?” While she was talking, the unicorn made her way quietly toward a bush, diving inside for cover.

“R-right.”

The two of them became completely still. Neither dared to move, or even breathe, for that matter. They could hear whatever had roared making its way toward them, snorting and growling.

It stopped right in front of the bush they were in, sniffing loudly. Then, giving another huge roar, it pounced.

“All right, that didn’t work at all!” Sparkler hollered, scrambling to get free. She stumbled away and took off running, glancing back briefly to see what it was that had found them. Oh, gee, that’s just wonderful, she thought, picking up the pace. We’re lost in the Everfree Forest and being chased by a dragon. That’s horribly cliché.

The dragon reared its head up, sending a pillar of fire shooting into the atmosphere. Its eyes narrowed as it peered after them, and its spiked tail lashed back and forth, knocking over trees. With one more roar it sped after them.

Sparkler panted. “What should I do?” she cried. “I can’t outrun this thing, and I’m way too tired to do magic! For once I wish you would get a magic surge!”

Dinky twisted her head, trying to look behind them. Giving up, she pressed herself against Sparkler’s back. Her eyes squeezed shut with fear. “Doctor!” she screamed. “Doctor, help us!”

“He can’t hear us!” Sparkler snapped. “He’s probably miles away by now! Oh, why the hay did we have to follow him?”

“Because I’m half-changeling!”

Sparkler could hear the dragon getting closer and closer. Slowly she untied Dinky with her magic and lifted her off her back.

“What are you doing?” Dinky squealed. “Put me back!”

“No, Dinky. I’m not going to let my little sister die. I’m sorry!” As the dragon lunged, Sparkler teleported her sister away. “Goodbye, Dinky.”

“Oh, no you don’t!” a Braytish voice bellowed. The Doctor leapt at the same time as the dragon, cutting him off before he could reach Sparkler. His hind hooves connected with the dragon’s nose, sending it tottering backward. “That’s right, back away, or I’ll…I’ll kick you again!”

The dragon rubbed its nose and snarled.

“Nice going, genius, now it’s even madder,” Sparkler muttered.

“Hey, I saved your life,” the Doctor shot back. “Don’t make me regret it. Now, when I say, you are to run as fast as you can in that direction. You’ll come to a river. There are some stepping-stones for you to cross, so wait for me on the other side. Where’d you teleport your sister to, Smacker?”

“It’s Sparkler, and she’s somewhere over there.”

“Thank you, Smacker, that’s so specific. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” The Doctor braced himself, facing the dragon. As it began to stir, he said, “Now!”

Sparkler took off running, her tail streaming behind her. She could hear dragon roar with fury and began to run even faster. Finally she made it to the river. Stopping at its edge, she gaped.

The river was at least thirty feet across, and there was not a single area that was less torrential than anywhere else. The “stepping-stones” looked hardly twice the size of her hoof, and were spread as wide apart as she could possibly jump without falling in.

“Talk about horribly cliché,” she groaned. “But seriously, how the hay am I supposed to cross that? I used up most of my magic energy teleporting Dinky away, and it was for nothing!” Swallowing, she stared at the first stepping-stone. “Well, it’s either I get eaten by a dragon or I drown. I guess drowning is the better option.”

She placed a cautious, trembling hoof on the first stepping-stone and found that it was way larger around than she’d originally thought. From there she bunched her muscles and sprang, soaring through the air and just barely landing on the next stone. Bit by bit she traveled across, and at last the shore was only one jump away. She leapt into the air and…

“Sparkler!” Dinky hollered. “You’re okay!”

The distraction was enough to disrupt her balance. She went crashing downward, her hooves scrambling to reach the shore, even though she knew she would fall short. With a loud splash she slammed into the water and was swept away.

“Doctor! Help me!”

She could see the Doctor on the other shore, looking around for a branch or something else that could help. Suddenly he stopped and turned toward her, his eyes grim.

“I’m sorry,” he called out to her. “I’m so sorry. There’s nothing I can do. If I jump into the water with you, Dinky will be left completely alone and all of us, Derpy included, will die. The changelings will win. Your world could be destroyed.”

Sparkler gasped for air, her hooves flailing around, as the two ponies on the shore grew more and more distant. “No! Don’t leave me! No! You can’t…” Waves crashed into her face, shooting water up her nostrils. The current tossed her around ruthlessly, slamming her against rocks, fallen trees, and even the shore a few times. But when she tried to grab onto whatever she was thrown into, she found that she was helpless.

I’m going to die, she thought. I’m going to die and there’s nothing I can do. I didn’t even get to die in a cool way. I’m going to drown in a Celestia-forsaken river in the Everfree Forest, far away from home. I’ll never see Dinky or Mom or the Doctor again, all because I was stupid enough to disobey the Doctor. Great, and now I’m being all sappy and adding a bucking moral to my death.

Suddenly a light flashed in her eyes. She could feel hooves gently pulling her out of the water and setting her down. Water streamed from her mouth and nose.

“Do you know this mare?” came a raspy voice.

Another voice replied, “Yeah, this is Sparkler. I told you guys about her, didn’t I? We adopted her when she was little.”

Night Hooves? Sparkler thought, hovering between unconsciousness and wakefulness. Hey, what’s he doing here? Did he get off work early? That’s too bad, I’m tired. I’ll say hello to him later. She yawned. “G’night, Daddy,” she giggled, her eyes fluttering closed. Before she slipped away, she could hear a single demand.

“Take her to the cocoons.”