Something Newby SergeantSoupChaptersOne Song Ends . . .. . .Another Begins.A Midnight StrollA Pleasant SurpriseOne Song Ends . . .Chapter 1 =+=+=+=+=+= “Doctor!” exclaimed the blonde grey pegasus, “Where've you gone?” The former assistant stared blankly at where the bigger-on-the-inside blue box had been. Oh, this is terrible, thought the mare, I’m in the royal castle, the Doctor is dying and alone, and…OHMYGOSH! I’m trespassing in the royal castle! As Ditzy Doo did her best in her attempts to find the exit, a guard heard her calls for a doctor. Worried, he tore down the corridors looking for the source of the pleas. “Hey! What are you calling for a doctor for?” queried the watchpony. Panicking, she tried to flee, looking for somewhere to hide. The guard gave chase, pleading with her to stop. Why do they always run? he thought. Meanwhile, Ditzy was screaming in her head something along the lines of, I DON’T WANNA BE BANISHED OR THROWN IN PRISON. The pegasus paused as she reached the end of the corridor. Here, there was a large, ornate door: her way to solitude, and escape from the guardpony. “Miss!” huffed the tired pursuer, “please, stop running!” At that, she turned and burst through those beautiful doors, slamming and locking them. When she finally caught her breath, she lost it once more when she saw the room and its contents before her. Sweet Celestia… ^v^v^v^v^v^ It was a fairly standard day for the solar princess. She was lying near her unlit hearth, reading the latest reports from strange occurrences that had taken place across the kingdom. She chuckled to herself as she noticed in every report she read, there was one common theme: the description or photograph of a blue box. Oh, that Doctor, keeping my little ponies safe as usual, it seems. Although, he could certainly be a bit more subtle about it. Then, she heard it. That noise, THE noise that signified the presence of something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The majestic alicorn allowed herself a bit of excitement. Come for a visit, perhaps? I wonder what it could be… But then the noise echoed throughout the halls of the castle once more. She slumped a bit as she realized that this time, it was outgoing. Oh, that’s surely unfortunate. I was hoping that he was here to tell me some of his stories. The TARDIS must be having another tantrum. Returning to her reports, she noticed something in the photos. A grey pegasus mare with a blonde mane, one who’s eyes seemed to look both inside the TARDIS and out. Strange as they were, they were filled with worry and fright as she presumably called out to the brown earth pony with the hourglass cutie mark. “Or would that be space-time pony?” she chuckled to herself. Lost in her new-found philosophic endeavor, Celestia failed to realize that she was about to have a guest. She could not hear the hoofsteps as the guardpony galloped in an attempt to catch the intruder. She could not hear her door open, or the wing beats that accompanied it. The thing that brought her back to Equestria and her room was the sound of somepony slamming and locking her chamber doors. =^=^=^=^=^= They stared at one another, wide-eyed. The pegasus ungracefully gaped while the alicorn was simply frozen with shock. This remained until the exhausted guard finally reached the door and threw his weight at it, attempting to bust it open. It was to no avail. ”Princess!” he shouted, “are you well?” “Yes, Ironhooves,” Celestia calmly replied, “Please, leave us to talk.” “Yes, Majesty.” The Princess of the Sun waited for his hooffalls to fade before initiating the conversation. “Ditzy Doo, correct?” the princess asked. “Y-yes, princess,” stuttered the mare. “Are you feeling well?” One thousand and some foes she had faced with the Doctor, most of them meaning harm to one or both of them. Never had she been phased the way this did. These words, these simple seven words, were enough to give the former Assistant some pause. In front of her lie the princess, not twenty feet away, and she had known her name. Ditzy did something she had not done, not even when she literally stared down the maw of Tartarus. She fainted. ^v^v^v^v^v^ “Oh my!” Celestia exclaimed, worried for the poor unconscious pony that now occupied the space in front of her bedroom doors. She levitated Ditzy onto her bed and started checking for vital signs using magic. Satisfied that the pegasus was indeed just in need of rest, the princess went back to her spot in front of the hearth, but turned herself so that she could keep an eye on her. With some more time to think, Celestia returned to the photos of the mare currently passed out on her bed. So, you’re his friend? I can certainly see why he chose you… This thought startled the regal pony. What am I thinking? I can’t possibly have any attraction to Ditzy, we've only really just met and she fainted at my gaze. Satisfied with this verification that she had banished all such thoughts, she blushed when she realized how suspicious an unknown mare on her place of rest would look to outside eyes. Oh my, what would Luna think? At this, the solar princess said to herself, “No, this certainly isn't suspicious, I am merely caring for my subject, as I am tasked to.” Once again sated, she allowed herself a small nap. But as she lay her head down, she heard a faint moan from across the room. Celestia rose to her hooves and performed another magi-medical exam. Finding everything in order, she took her former place and allowed herself a small nap. =+=+=+=+=+= She fainted. Black was all that Ditzy could see for a bit. Then she felt herself floating as her vision dimly lit with a white glow. The floaty feeling stopped, but the glow did not fade. This strange light seemed to move around with purpose, what purpose, Ditzy was too exhausted to investigate. She allowed herself to slip into true sleep, the kind of sleep that she hadn't had since that fateful day she met that weird pony with the blue box and the strange device. That day was the day my life changed, the day I didn't want to live life as a normal pony…In this state, she could not ask her body to do anything but give her the rest she deserved after the adventures with the Doctor. . . .Another Begins.Here's another chapter, I'm glad all you ponies who've favourited and liked already have enjoyed the chapter, originally, I wanted to wait until I had some art and a third chapter ready before I posted, but then I realised it's already been a week since the first chapter's release. Enjoy! Something New Chapter 2 =+=+=+=+=+= Ditzy Doo awoke feeling more tired than ever before. She lay in that state for quite a while. Ditzy was trying to remember where she was, and why she had a feeling of lingering glowy-ness. Let’s see, we went to that planet with the three-legged ponies, fought some…beast thing…and then, erm… Then it came to her, like an icy blade: the Doctor got hurt! “Doctor!” she started, sitting upright in that plush bed owned by the elder princess of Equestria. Realizing this, she looked around the room and saw the royal figure sleeping near some papers on the floor. Continuing her observance, she saw the magnificent twin doors, of which she had the faintest glimmer of memory of slamming through them, and collapsing in front of them. The pegasus now looked down, down at the bed she spent an unknown amount of time on. She paused and squeaked when she noticed the bed was owned by the royal figure currently sleeping before her. ^v^v^v^v^v^ Celestia woke to the sound of rustling and, oddly enough, some of the cutest sounds she had ever heard coming from the vicinity of her bed. After raising her head to find the source of the noise, she found the wall-eyed mare with her hooves to her mouth trying to contain small squees. Celestia smiled at this sight and put on her friendliest face in preparation for the conversation to come. “Good evening, Ditzy,” began the princess. Ditzy Doo jumped at her name and squealed higher and louder than previously. Celestia giggled. “Sorry for startling you,” she continued, “It seems that we’ve been asleep for quite awhile, it’s nearly time for me to set the sun.” After addressing her guest, the alicorn rose and walked to her western balcony. Her horn shone with a white glow as she assisted the sun descend and rise on the other side of the world. The sunset cast beautiful colours across the western horizon, blending with the deep blues and purples of her sister’s night sky. Celestia turned and walked to stand on her eastern balcony to admire Luna’s work. “Luna always did make the nights more beautiful than I ever could,” reminisced the Princess of the Sun, “I always was a bit jealous that her nights had such deep majesty.” “I like your days, Princess,” responded Ditzy, “They allow all the ponies to see and have food and grass and all the other green stuff. Your light is very important to us all.” “Why, thank you, Ditzy. I presume that you’ve seen much more beauty out there in Luna’s night, however.” Ditzy gasped at this statement. “What do you mean, Princess?” “I know the Doctor, the one you called for in your sleep,” responded the princess, “I also heard his TARDIS come and go not long before you decided to use my private chambers as a hiding place.” Though Celestia’s voice was playful in saying this, it still made Ditzy flush with embarrassment. “The Doctor never said anything about you, Princess,” replied the befuddled pegasus. “He doesn’t say a lot of things, Ditzy,” sighed Celestia, “and, please, call me Celestia. I feel that as a friend of a very good…acquaintance, trusted as he is, should be able to address me without that level of formality.” =^=^=^=^=^= ‘And, please, call me Celestia.’ Ditzy rolled this thought around in her mind a bit before stuttering, “Yes, Prin- Celestia.” Then, the thought hit her, why had it not occurred to her before? The Doctor was hurt, and he left me here so he could isolate himself. It was this thought that made her break. This thought of the Doctor, alone in his time of need, was enough to make the pegasus’ eyes well with tears. “Why are you crying?” asked the worried princess. “B-because he’s alone and h-hurt a-and he wouldn’t let anypony help him! Not even me!” she choked. Ditzy looked to Celestia, tears still flowing freely, with pleading eyes. “Why wouldn’t he let me help? Why did he leave me here?” Celestia thought a moment about her questions, when the answer came, it seemed cold with its truth. “There was nothing you could have done to help, Ditzy. The Doctor will be fine, but his personality and physical form will change drastically. He’s regenerating, and he didn’t want you to meet the new him because he wouldn’t be your Doctor anymore, he could be somepony, or someone, completely different. The Doctor wanted to spare you the pain of losing him for another.” Ditzy’s head sunk and her body became wracked with sobs as she quietly choked out “I could have tried” under her breath. A Midnight StrollChapter 3 ^v^v^v^v^v^ Celestia could only watch as the mare before her released her sorrows borne of the loss of a friend and the loneliness that accompanied it. The princess moved next to Ditzy and put her wing over her to comfort her. “Ditzy, I think you should stay here for a bit,” started Celestia, “I can arrange for you to have your own cham—“ “Celestia, I’d rather stay here, with you. I don’t want to be alone right now.” Celestia, a bit shocked that she was just interrupted, complied with, “Of course, Ditzy, I won’t leave you.” =+=+=+=+=+= Complying to Ditzy’s wishes, Celestia allowed her to stay in her private chambers. This gave the pegasus time to think about her situation. Well, I can’t follow him, not even Celestia knows where he’s gone. The alicorn assured the mare time and time again that the Doctor would be fine, though the former assistant thought quite the opposite. “But how do you know he’s OK?” argued Ditzy. “Because the Doctor always turns out OK in the end,” Celestia calmly stated, “we have to trust him.” “I do trust him, I’m worried for him.” Though the pegasus wouldn’t admit it, she was not only worried for the Doctor. She was also worried of what would become of her. “Celestia, what do I do?” Asking this question not only in regards to the Doctor, but her own future as well. “We must wait,” concluded the alicorn, “We must wait, and live our lives. Eventually, he comes, even if it takes him awhile.” “He never could get the timing right, could he?” Ditzy chuckled darkly at her joke. Celestia joined her in a light chortle of her own, and soon it grew into a rancorous laughter. Somehow, they both ended their moment of happiness on their back. When they finally concluded their giggles, both mares rolled to face each other. The pegasus and the alicorn stared into the other’s eyes, if only for a brief moment. Celestia cleared her throat and rolled back onto her haunches, Ditzy, following not long after, couldn’t shake the feeling that she saw the Princess of the Sun blush. “That was quite exciting,” Celestia said, breaking the silence. Ditzy smiled and nodded in agreement; following this was another short silence. However, this one was broken by a chorus of grumbling. =^=^=^=^=^= Celestia blushed as her stomach growls filled the room. “Oh my, it seems that it’s time for dinner,” she began, “Would you care to join me, Ditzy?” “I will not join you at dinner, Celestia,” the wall-eyed mare stated matter-of-factly. The princess lowered her head in defeat and whispered, “If you insist…” “However, I would love to join you in a midnight snack,” she grinned, pointing at the timepiece adorning Celestia’s chamber wall. The alicorn immediately perked up as she realized the pegasus was playing a simple joke. “Hmm,” pondered the princess, “at this hour, the kitchens would be closed. Are you up for a stealth mission to the cupboards?” Ditzy Doo tapped her muzzle with her hoof as if in deep thought. “Can we make a side-objective of the royal bakery?” she said, hoping to snag some muffins. “Why not make it a primary one?” Celestia queried, making Ditzy grin. =+=+=+=+=+= Dizty followed the now playful alicorn down the long hallways, as she did not know the layout of the castle. Ditzy found the lack of guards strange considering she was chased down by one until she broke into the room of the very mare she cantered next to now. “Hurry, Ditzy,” urged Celestia, “The guards are changing shifts right now.” “I suppose that would explain why nopony is around, huh?” Just as they rounded the corner, Ditzy heard hoofsteps and the sentry who they belonged to. “Celestia!” she alarmed, “we have contact.” Suddenly, the pegasus felt herself become lighter. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling to one who was accustomed to flying, but she found this odd because her wings were still neatly folded at her side. Realizing that she was floating on some other whim than her own, she flailed and extended her wings in an attempt to regain control of her ascent. She looked back at the princess to see that her horn was glowing and she herself was floating upwards and rotating. “It’s a gravitational reversal spell,” whispered the demi-goddess with a smile. “You’ll have to relax and just stand like you normally would.” Retracting her wings, and ceasing her flails, the disgruntled mare rotated and rose a bit faster. Celestia touched down on the ceiling of the corridor a bit before Ditzy, and did so with grace and ease. “Have you done this before, Celestia?” “It gets quite boring sometimes being the one who is waited on hoof and fetlock,” explained the princess, “So, sometimes I make a bit of fun for myself. I infiltrate my own castle almost weekly.” Ditzy, still a bit baffled at the ease that the princess executed this defiance of gravity, followed the princess shakily across the arched ceiling. When they reached a spot where the guard would have surely bumped into them had they still been on the ground. The grey mare tensed up and attempted to tread more lightly as the nightpony passed below her before looking forward to see the regal form hadn’t been phased at all by this. She must be a professional at this, Ditzy thought. Following Celestia on the ceiling of the long corridors, the pegasus could not see much other than the bobbing rump of the princess before her. When Ditzy realised what she was doing, she blushed and tripped over her hooves. Raising her head after recovering from her fall, she locked eyes with Celestia who had a worried look in hers. “Are you OK,” asked the princess who, as Ditzy just realised, was inches away from her own muzzle. “Y-yes, of course,” the pegasus blushed as she scrambled to get stability on all fours. Please, please, don’t let her have seen my face… Showing no evidence of this, Celestia simply turned and waited for Ditzy to be by her side before continuing the trek. Not before rounding a few more corners and descending quite a few slopes, where stairs had lead downward, did the duo end up at the doors of the royal kitchens. “Well, here we are,” declared the expert, making a sharp turn to the right, directly into the wall. Ditzy witnessed as she saw Celestia press her hooves to the wall and walk forward as if she were climbing stairs. Startled by this new proposition, the wall-eyed mare struggled to keep up with the princess as they walked down it to make themselves upright and properly associated with gravity once more. "A much cleaner transition, don't you think?" smirked Celestia. (o)o(o)o(o) The shadow watched the pair on their journey throughout the castle to the kitchen. “What have we here? A midnight escapade to the foodstuffs? This shall produce multiple levels of fun,” the dark form chuckled. Ooo, a mystery being who plans on interfering for fun? I wonder who it might be... A Pleasant SurpriseSomething New Chapter 4 ^v^v^v^v^v^ Celestia led the way, enveloping the door in a sky blue glow to push it open quietly. What have we tonight? I do hope there’re some doughnuts. The princess reveled in this thought, and was growing impatient. And so, they, who hoped for treats, made a beeline for the royal bakery. “What kind of muffins do they have there?” interrogated Ditzy, “I hope there’s chocolate chip!” “I’m not actually sure what flavours there are,” responded the princess, “I’ve never really had a craving for them.” As they arrived at the bakery, the smell of flour and sweets filled their noses. The regal bandit welcomed savoury scents as she walked over to the place she was so familiar. Much to her dismay, there was no lack of selection, and therefore made the decision all that more difficult. “Ditzy, you go on and look for your muffins.” The words practically oozed off Celestia’s tongue, as she struggled to remain civil, “I-I’ll join you again in some time.” =+=+=+=+=+= “Not muffins, not muffins, still not muffins…” mumbled the distraught pegasus. Then she saw them. Those dreadful things that he loved so. English. Muffins. she thought with distaste. Fighting back painful memories, she continued her search for the confections she so desired. “These are bagels, those are cupcakes, but none of them are…” she paused, startled by the sight she now beheld. “It’s like a mountain…” She nearly fainted of oxygen starvation, for the mounds of pastries that filled platters lining the kitchen counters consumed her thoughts. Remembering to breathe, she pounced on the opportunity to try any flavour she could find that might satisfy her taste buds. (o)o(o)o(o) The shadow lingered a bit, slithering through the crack between the door and the threshold to the kitchen, after the duo that had just entered the kitchen at an unruly time of night. “One should not pry in another’s business, but this, one certainly cannot resist.” The darkness currently cast inside the mostly unoccupied kitchen provided easy, silent travel for the dark form. She came upon her sister who seemed intent on destroying the pastries. “Up for a midnight snack, Tia?” Celestia broke her royal form as her wings spread and she jumped higher than Pinkie Pie on a normal day. Regaining her posture, she retorted, “Luna! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be doing, I don’t know, night things?” “Oh, dearest sister, I am, as you put it, ‘doing night things,’” replied the facetious princess of the night with a grin, “I was idling nearby and I witnessed you and your secret lover sneak off to the cupboards.” “Ditzy isn’t my lover!” replied the elder, nearly choking on a jelly-filled, chocolate glazed doughnut. “She’s a friend of the Doctor’s, and for whatever reason, he’s decided to drop her in the castle. I’m merely tending to a guest.” “So that is the reason I heard the TARDIS coming and going so quickly,” the younger said almost to herself, “However, I was not so inclined to investigate, as it would have shortened my rest.” By now, Luna had already regained her normal form, and was currently sitting on her haunches trying to reason out where she had heard the name Ditzy before. Is she the grey mare that was with the Doctor when I was transformed back from Nightmare Moon? “Sister, pray tell, where has this Ditzy gone, if she accompanied you into the kitchen?” she asked innocently as she slowly faded back into the shadows. “She went to look for the muffins,” answered Celestia, “I suppose she found them, as she has yet to return.” After a moment, the solar princess’ eyes went wide as she realised her sister had gone, “Wait, where are you going? What are you going to do?” “I just want to talk to her, Tia,” chuckled the shade-form as she moved towards her next objective. =+=+=+=+=+= Ditzy practically swam in the baked goods she recently acquired. She tried one of everything, chocolate, chocolate with nuts, chocolate with chocolate chips, berries, chocolate with berries, the list grew with each region of the sea she breached. Ditzy realised she was moving in circles when she came across her own path of delicious destruction. When she happened upon an unfamiliar pile, she was unsure what to think, as she was still ravenous with muffin fever. Without thinking, she popped one in her mouth to test its flavour. “Ugh!” spat the mare in disgust, “English muffins! So stale and dry and not muffin-y!” She scraped her tongue with her hooves in a feeble attempt at removing the offensive taste. ’They taste marvelous with butter,’ spoke a familiar voice in her head. She distinctly remembered having an argument with a certain somepony about the delectability of stale discs of bread known as English muffins. Ditzy sighed in reminiscence of the Doctor and his bad taste in comfort foods. “Butter, huh?” pondered the pegasus. Ditzy walked around the area, looking for a refrigerator that would most likely contain the yellow substance that the brown time-pony enjoyed so much. Unable to find one nearby, as she did not wish to venture so far into the seemingly endless room of sterile metal and marble, Ditzy returned to the sea of muffins and to the island of English ones. She picked one up on a hoof, turning it over and examining it, seeing if the distasteful thing looked anymore appealing than it hadn’t before. Alas, she didn’t see what the Doctor did in them. The Doctor… The thought was like a whisper of wind, coming and going, but staying imprinted on the feelings. She wouldn’t break down, no, the time for that had passed. Instead, Ditzy sat, she sat and stared forward, looking at nothing in particular. It was one of the few times her eyes were able to catch up to each other, the other times being when she was scared or worried. She had long since dropped the bakery treat, as she no longer had the energy to do anything but sit and stare, it seemed. It was because of this lack of energy that she failed to hear the hoofsteps approaching from behind. (o)o(o)o(o) Why do we have such a big kitchen? Luna thought to herself, There are not many opportunities that present themselves in which we must present large amounts of food. Gliding through the shadows she now resembled, she attempted to locate the mare that accompanied Celestia to this region of the castle. “Where do the chefs keep the muffins, anyhow?” the shade mumbled to herself. Spotting a form around a corner, Luna moved in to investigate. She saw a dark silhouette of what appeared to be a seated equine against a background of what appeared to be baked goods. Assuming that this was the mare she searched for, the alicorn returned to her solid form. She approached the form quietly as she could, not wanting to disturb the staring contest she may have had with the wall she was staring intensely at. When Luna reached the mare, she stood for a minute or two, waiting to see if the pegasus would break her gaze. This contest of self-control is quite an admirable one… Realising that this stare would not end soon, the alicorn placed a hoof on the grey mare’s shoulder. Where has she gone? Luna thought, confused, and wondered if was only an illusion. Then she heard the sound of wing beats, following the sound, she looked upwards and found the grey mare hovering with wide eyes. This pegasus seems to move quite quickly… “I DIDN’T STEAL ANYTHING!” proclaimed Ditzy Doo, while sticking her hooves up in the air and failing to turn around. “I know you did not steal anything,” Luna laughed light-heartedly, “I saw you enter with Celestia, and I was curious as to what activities you may have been involved in.” The grey mare lowered herself to the ground and folded her wings, trying to hide her blush from the princess of the night. “Raise your head, friend of my sister. Pray tell, what are you called?” “Ditzy Doo, Princess Luna,” she spoke. Luna nodded at her gained knowledge. “It seems my title precedes me,” she replied, barely able to suppress her giggles at her own pun. Ditzy tilted her head in confusion. “Not all are so eager to share my love for the art of manipulating words, it seems.” Luna sighed and walked over to the demolished mound of muffins, smiling at how masticated the pile seemed. “Sorry about all the muffins,” Ditzy apologised, “I got a little bit out of control…” “It is, of course, perfectly alright.” Luna turned back from the muffins and made her way back to Ditzy. One must wonder if she has a type of hidden storage space for such events. “Ditzy Doo, before we continue any further in our conversation, I wish to know why your eyes are filled with such sadness.” “What do you mean?” questioned the grey mare, “I’m perfectly happy!” “Then why do you cry?” When Ditzy brought her hoof to her face, Luna did not need to see it to know that it returned to the grey mare’s gaze damp. In order to keep it around the same word count, and because of personal events, I have decided that this would be a good place to leave you. Also, I must thank my newest pre-reader, kaig3n, for his help in creating this chapter.
One Song Ends . . .Chapter 1 =+=+=+=+=+= “Doctor!” exclaimed the blonde grey pegasus, “Where've you gone?” The former assistant stared blankly at where the bigger-on-the-inside blue box had been. Oh, this is terrible, thought the mare, I’m in the royal castle, the Doctor is dying and alone, and…OHMYGOSH! I’m trespassing in the royal castle! As Ditzy Doo did her best in her attempts to find the exit, a guard heard her calls for a doctor. Worried, he tore down the corridors looking for the source of the pleas. “Hey! What are you calling for a doctor for?” queried the watchpony. Panicking, she tried to flee, looking for somewhere to hide. The guard gave chase, pleading with her to stop. Why do they always run? he thought. Meanwhile, Ditzy was screaming in her head something along the lines of, I DON’T WANNA BE BANISHED OR THROWN IN PRISON. The pegasus paused as she reached the end of the corridor. Here, there was a large, ornate door: her way to solitude, and escape from the guardpony. “Miss!” huffed the tired pursuer, “please, stop running!” At that, she turned and burst through those beautiful doors, slamming and locking them. When she finally caught her breath, she lost it once more when she saw the room and its contents before her. Sweet Celestia… ^v^v^v^v^v^ It was a fairly standard day for the solar princess. She was lying near her unlit hearth, reading the latest reports from strange occurrences that had taken place across the kingdom. She chuckled to herself as she noticed in every report she read, there was one common theme: the description or photograph of a blue box. Oh, that Doctor, keeping my little ponies safe as usual, it seems. Although, he could certainly be a bit more subtle about it. Then, she heard it. That noise, THE noise that signified the presence of something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The majestic alicorn allowed herself a bit of excitement. Come for a visit, perhaps? I wonder what it could be… But then the noise echoed throughout the halls of the castle once more. She slumped a bit as she realized that this time, it was outgoing. Oh, that’s surely unfortunate. I was hoping that he was here to tell me some of his stories. The TARDIS must be having another tantrum. Returning to her reports, she noticed something in the photos. A grey pegasus mare with a blonde mane, one who’s eyes seemed to look both inside the TARDIS and out. Strange as they were, they were filled with worry and fright as she presumably called out to the brown earth pony with the hourglass cutie mark. “Or would that be space-time pony?” she chuckled to herself. Lost in her new-found philosophic endeavor, Celestia failed to realize that she was about to have a guest. She could not hear the hoofsteps as the guardpony galloped in an attempt to catch the intruder. She could not hear her door open, or the wing beats that accompanied it. The thing that brought her back to Equestria and her room was the sound of somepony slamming and locking her chamber doors. =^=^=^=^=^= They stared at one another, wide-eyed. The pegasus ungracefully gaped while the alicorn was simply frozen with shock. This remained until the exhausted guard finally reached the door and threw his weight at it, attempting to bust it open. It was to no avail. ”Princess!” he shouted, “are you well?” “Yes, Ironhooves,” Celestia calmly replied, “Please, leave us to talk.” “Yes, Majesty.” The Princess of the Sun waited for his hooffalls to fade before initiating the conversation. “Ditzy Doo, correct?” the princess asked. “Y-yes, princess,” stuttered the mare. “Are you feeling well?” One thousand and some foes she had faced with the Doctor, most of them meaning harm to one or both of them. Never had she been phased the way this did. These words, these simple seven words, were enough to give the former Assistant some pause. In front of her lie the princess, not twenty feet away, and she had known her name. Ditzy did something she had not done, not even when she literally stared down the maw of Tartarus. She fainted. ^v^v^v^v^v^ “Oh my!” Celestia exclaimed, worried for the poor unconscious pony that now occupied the space in front of her bedroom doors. She levitated Ditzy onto her bed and started checking for vital signs using magic. Satisfied that the pegasus was indeed just in need of rest, the princess went back to her spot in front of the hearth, but turned herself so that she could keep an eye on her. With some more time to think, Celestia returned to the photos of the mare currently passed out on her bed. So, you’re his friend? I can certainly see why he chose you… This thought startled the regal pony. What am I thinking? I can’t possibly have any attraction to Ditzy, we've only really just met and she fainted at my gaze. Satisfied with this verification that she had banished all such thoughts, she blushed when she realized how suspicious an unknown mare on her place of rest would look to outside eyes. Oh my, what would Luna think? At this, the solar princess said to herself, “No, this certainly isn't suspicious, I am merely caring for my subject, as I am tasked to.” Once again sated, she allowed herself a small nap. But as she lay her head down, she heard a faint moan from across the room. Celestia rose to her hooves and performed another magi-medical exam. Finding everything in order, she took her former place and allowed herself a small nap. =+=+=+=+=+= She fainted. Black was all that Ditzy could see for a bit. Then she felt herself floating as her vision dimly lit with a white glow. The floaty feeling stopped, but the glow did not fade. This strange light seemed to move around with purpose, what purpose, Ditzy was too exhausted to investigate. She allowed herself to slip into true sleep, the kind of sleep that she hadn't had since that fateful day she met that weird pony with the blue box and the strange device. That day was the day my life changed, the day I didn't want to live life as a normal pony…In this state, she could not ask her body to do anything but give her the rest she deserved after the adventures with the Doctor.
. . .Another Begins.Here's another chapter, I'm glad all you ponies who've favourited and liked already have enjoyed the chapter, originally, I wanted to wait until I had some art and a third chapter ready before I posted, but then I realised it's already been a week since the first chapter's release. Enjoy! Something New Chapter 2 =+=+=+=+=+= Ditzy Doo awoke feeling more tired than ever before. She lay in that state for quite a while. Ditzy was trying to remember where she was, and why she had a feeling of lingering glowy-ness. Let’s see, we went to that planet with the three-legged ponies, fought some…beast thing…and then, erm… Then it came to her, like an icy blade: the Doctor got hurt! “Doctor!” she started, sitting upright in that plush bed owned by the elder princess of Equestria. Realizing this, she looked around the room and saw the royal figure sleeping near some papers on the floor. Continuing her observance, she saw the magnificent twin doors, of which she had the faintest glimmer of memory of slamming through them, and collapsing in front of them. The pegasus now looked down, down at the bed she spent an unknown amount of time on. She paused and squeaked when she noticed the bed was owned by the royal figure currently sleeping before her. ^v^v^v^v^v^ Celestia woke to the sound of rustling and, oddly enough, some of the cutest sounds she had ever heard coming from the vicinity of her bed. After raising her head to find the source of the noise, she found the wall-eyed mare with her hooves to her mouth trying to contain small squees. Celestia smiled at this sight and put on her friendliest face in preparation for the conversation to come. “Good evening, Ditzy,” began the princess. Ditzy Doo jumped at her name and squealed higher and louder than previously. Celestia giggled. “Sorry for startling you,” she continued, “It seems that we’ve been asleep for quite awhile, it’s nearly time for me to set the sun.” After addressing her guest, the alicorn rose and walked to her western balcony. Her horn shone with a white glow as she assisted the sun descend and rise on the other side of the world. The sunset cast beautiful colours across the western horizon, blending with the deep blues and purples of her sister’s night sky. Celestia turned and walked to stand on her eastern balcony to admire Luna’s work. “Luna always did make the nights more beautiful than I ever could,” reminisced the Princess of the Sun, “I always was a bit jealous that her nights had such deep majesty.” “I like your days, Princess,” responded Ditzy, “They allow all the ponies to see and have food and grass and all the other green stuff. Your light is very important to us all.” “Why, thank you, Ditzy. I presume that you’ve seen much more beauty out there in Luna’s night, however.” Ditzy gasped at this statement. “What do you mean, Princess?” “I know the Doctor, the one you called for in your sleep,” responded the princess, “I also heard his TARDIS come and go not long before you decided to use my private chambers as a hiding place.” Though Celestia’s voice was playful in saying this, it still made Ditzy flush with embarrassment. “The Doctor never said anything about you, Princess,” replied the befuddled pegasus. “He doesn’t say a lot of things, Ditzy,” sighed Celestia, “and, please, call me Celestia. I feel that as a friend of a very good…acquaintance, trusted as he is, should be able to address me without that level of formality.” =^=^=^=^=^= ‘And, please, call me Celestia.’ Ditzy rolled this thought around in her mind a bit before stuttering, “Yes, Prin- Celestia.” Then, the thought hit her, why had it not occurred to her before? The Doctor was hurt, and he left me here so he could isolate himself. It was this thought that made her break. This thought of the Doctor, alone in his time of need, was enough to make the pegasus’ eyes well with tears. “Why are you crying?” asked the worried princess. “B-because he’s alone and h-hurt a-and he wouldn’t let anypony help him! Not even me!” she choked. Ditzy looked to Celestia, tears still flowing freely, with pleading eyes. “Why wouldn’t he let me help? Why did he leave me here?” Celestia thought a moment about her questions, when the answer came, it seemed cold with its truth. “There was nothing you could have done to help, Ditzy. The Doctor will be fine, but his personality and physical form will change drastically. He’s regenerating, and he didn’t want you to meet the new him because he wouldn’t be your Doctor anymore, he could be somepony, or someone, completely different. The Doctor wanted to spare you the pain of losing him for another.” Ditzy’s head sunk and her body became wracked with sobs as she quietly choked out “I could have tried” under her breath.
A Midnight StrollChapter 3 ^v^v^v^v^v^ Celestia could only watch as the mare before her released her sorrows borne of the loss of a friend and the loneliness that accompanied it. The princess moved next to Ditzy and put her wing over her to comfort her. “Ditzy, I think you should stay here for a bit,” started Celestia, “I can arrange for you to have your own cham—“ “Celestia, I’d rather stay here, with you. I don’t want to be alone right now.” Celestia, a bit shocked that she was just interrupted, complied with, “Of course, Ditzy, I won’t leave you.” =+=+=+=+=+= Complying to Ditzy’s wishes, Celestia allowed her to stay in her private chambers. This gave the pegasus time to think about her situation. Well, I can’t follow him, not even Celestia knows where he’s gone. The alicorn assured the mare time and time again that the Doctor would be fine, though the former assistant thought quite the opposite. “But how do you know he’s OK?” argued Ditzy. “Because the Doctor always turns out OK in the end,” Celestia calmly stated, “we have to trust him.” “I do trust him, I’m worried for him.” Though the pegasus wouldn’t admit it, she was not only worried for the Doctor. She was also worried of what would become of her. “Celestia, what do I do?” Asking this question not only in regards to the Doctor, but her own future as well. “We must wait,” concluded the alicorn, “We must wait, and live our lives. Eventually, he comes, even if it takes him awhile.” “He never could get the timing right, could he?” Ditzy chuckled darkly at her joke. Celestia joined her in a light chortle of her own, and soon it grew into a rancorous laughter. Somehow, they both ended their moment of happiness on their back. When they finally concluded their giggles, both mares rolled to face each other. The pegasus and the alicorn stared into the other’s eyes, if only for a brief moment. Celestia cleared her throat and rolled back onto her haunches, Ditzy, following not long after, couldn’t shake the feeling that she saw the Princess of the Sun blush. “That was quite exciting,” Celestia said, breaking the silence. Ditzy smiled and nodded in agreement; following this was another short silence. However, this one was broken by a chorus of grumbling. =^=^=^=^=^= Celestia blushed as her stomach growls filled the room. “Oh my, it seems that it’s time for dinner,” she began, “Would you care to join me, Ditzy?” “I will not join you at dinner, Celestia,” the wall-eyed mare stated matter-of-factly. The princess lowered her head in defeat and whispered, “If you insist…” “However, I would love to join you in a midnight snack,” she grinned, pointing at the timepiece adorning Celestia’s chamber wall. The alicorn immediately perked up as she realized the pegasus was playing a simple joke. “Hmm,” pondered the princess, “at this hour, the kitchens would be closed. Are you up for a stealth mission to the cupboards?” Ditzy Doo tapped her muzzle with her hoof as if in deep thought. “Can we make a side-objective of the royal bakery?” she said, hoping to snag some muffins. “Why not make it a primary one?” Celestia queried, making Ditzy grin. =+=+=+=+=+= Dizty followed the now playful alicorn down the long hallways, as she did not know the layout of the castle. Ditzy found the lack of guards strange considering she was chased down by one until she broke into the room of the very mare she cantered next to now. “Hurry, Ditzy,” urged Celestia, “The guards are changing shifts right now.” “I suppose that would explain why nopony is around, huh?” Just as they rounded the corner, Ditzy heard hoofsteps and the sentry who they belonged to. “Celestia!” she alarmed, “we have contact.” Suddenly, the pegasus felt herself become lighter. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling to one who was accustomed to flying, but she found this odd because her wings were still neatly folded at her side. Realizing that she was floating on some other whim than her own, she flailed and extended her wings in an attempt to regain control of her ascent. She looked back at the princess to see that her horn was glowing and she herself was floating upwards and rotating. “It’s a gravitational reversal spell,” whispered the demi-goddess with a smile. “You’ll have to relax and just stand like you normally would.” Retracting her wings, and ceasing her flails, the disgruntled mare rotated and rose a bit faster. Celestia touched down on the ceiling of the corridor a bit before Ditzy, and did so with grace and ease. “Have you done this before, Celestia?” “It gets quite boring sometimes being the one who is waited on hoof and fetlock,” explained the princess, “So, sometimes I make a bit of fun for myself. I infiltrate my own castle almost weekly.” Ditzy, still a bit baffled at the ease that the princess executed this defiance of gravity, followed the princess shakily across the arched ceiling. When they reached a spot where the guard would have surely bumped into them had they still been on the ground. The grey mare tensed up and attempted to tread more lightly as the nightpony passed below her before looking forward to see the regal form hadn’t been phased at all by this. She must be a professional at this, Ditzy thought. Following Celestia on the ceiling of the long corridors, the pegasus could not see much other than the bobbing rump of the princess before her. When Ditzy realised what she was doing, she blushed and tripped over her hooves. Raising her head after recovering from her fall, she locked eyes with Celestia who had a worried look in hers. “Are you OK,” asked the princess who, as Ditzy just realised, was inches away from her own muzzle. “Y-yes, of course,” the pegasus blushed as she scrambled to get stability on all fours. Please, please, don’t let her have seen my face… Showing no evidence of this, Celestia simply turned and waited for Ditzy to be by her side before continuing the trek. Not before rounding a few more corners and descending quite a few slopes, where stairs had lead downward, did the duo end up at the doors of the royal kitchens. “Well, here we are,” declared the expert, making a sharp turn to the right, directly into the wall. Ditzy witnessed as she saw Celestia press her hooves to the wall and walk forward as if she were climbing stairs. Startled by this new proposition, the wall-eyed mare struggled to keep up with the princess as they walked down it to make themselves upright and properly associated with gravity once more. "A much cleaner transition, don't you think?" smirked Celestia. (o)o(o)o(o) The shadow watched the pair on their journey throughout the castle to the kitchen. “What have we here? A midnight escapade to the foodstuffs? This shall produce multiple levels of fun,” the dark form chuckled. Ooo, a mystery being who plans on interfering for fun? I wonder who it might be...
A Pleasant SurpriseSomething New Chapter 4 ^v^v^v^v^v^ Celestia led the way, enveloping the door in a sky blue glow to push it open quietly. What have we tonight? I do hope there’re some doughnuts. The princess reveled in this thought, and was growing impatient. And so, they, who hoped for treats, made a beeline for the royal bakery. “What kind of muffins do they have there?” interrogated Ditzy, “I hope there’s chocolate chip!” “I’m not actually sure what flavours there are,” responded the princess, “I’ve never really had a craving for them.” As they arrived at the bakery, the smell of flour and sweets filled their noses. The regal bandit welcomed savoury scents as she walked over to the place she was so familiar. Much to her dismay, there was no lack of selection, and therefore made the decision all that more difficult. “Ditzy, you go on and look for your muffins.” The words practically oozed off Celestia’s tongue, as she struggled to remain civil, “I-I’ll join you again in some time.” =+=+=+=+=+= “Not muffins, not muffins, still not muffins…” mumbled the distraught pegasus. Then she saw them. Those dreadful things that he loved so. English. Muffins. she thought with distaste. Fighting back painful memories, she continued her search for the confections she so desired. “These are bagels, those are cupcakes, but none of them are…” she paused, startled by the sight she now beheld. “It’s like a mountain…” She nearly fainted of oxygen starvation, for the mounds of pastries that filled platters lining the kitchen counters consumed her thoughts. Remembering to breathe, she pounced on the opportunity to try any flavour she could find that might satisfy her taste buds. (o)o(o)o(o) The shadow lingered a bit, slithering through the crack between the door and the threshold to the kitchen, after the duo that had just entered the kitchen at an unruly time of night. “One should not pry in another’s business, but this, one certainly cannot resist.” The darkness currently cast inside the mostly unoccupied kitchen provided easy, silent travel for the dark form. She came upon her sister who seemed intent on destroying the pastries. “Up for a midnight snack, Tia?” Celestia broke her royal form as her wings spread and she jumped higher than Pinkie Pie on a normal day. Regaining her posture, she retorted, “Luna! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be doing, I don’t know, night things?” “Oh, dearest sister, I am, as you put it, ‘doing night things,’” replied the facetious princess of the night with a grin, “I was idling nearby and I witnessed you and your secret lover sneak off to the cupboards.” “Ditzy isn’t my lover!” replied the elder, nearly choking on a jelly-filled, chocolate glazed doughnut. “She’s a friend of the Doctor’s, and for whatever reason, he’s decided to drop her in the castle. I’m merely tending to a guest.” “So that is the reason I heard the TARDIS coming and going so quickly,” the younger said almost to herself, “However, I was not so inclined to investigate, as it would have shortened my rest.” By now, Luna had already regained her normal form, and was currently sitting on her haunches trying to reason out where she had heard the name Ditzy before. Is she the grey mare that was with the Doctor when I was transformed back from Nightmare Moon? “Sister, pray tell, where has this Ditzy gone, if she accompanied you into the kitchen?” she asked innocently as she slowly faded back into the shadows. “She went to look for the muffins,” answered Celestia, “I suppose she found them, as she has yet to return.” After a moment, the solar princess’ eyes went wide as she realised her sister had gone, “Wait, where are you going? What are you going to do?” “I just want to talk to her, Tia,” chuckled the shade-form as she moved towards her next objective. =+=+=+=+=+= Ditzy practically swam in the baked goods she recently acquired. She tried one of everything, chocolate, chocolate with nuts, chocolate with chocolate chips, berries, chocolate with berries, the list grew with each region of the sea she breached. Ditzy realised she was moving in circles when she came across her own path of delicious destruction. When she happened upon an unfamiliar pile, she was unsure what to think, as she was still ravenous with muffin fever. Without thinking, she popped one in her mouth to test its flavour. “Ugh!” spat the mare in disgust, “English muffins! So stale and dry and not muffin-y!” She scraped her tongue with her hooves in a feeble attempt at removing the offensive taste. ’They taste marvelous with butter,’ spoke a familiar voice in her head. She distinctly remembered having an argument with a certain somepony about the delectability of stale discs of bread known as English muffins. Ditzy sighed in reminiscence of the Doctor and his bad taste in comfort foods. “Butter, huh?” pondered the pegasus. Ditzy walked around the area, looking for a refrigerator that would most likely contain the yellow substance that the brown time-pony enjoyed so much. Unable to find one nearby, as she did not wish to venture so far into the seemingly endless room of sterile metal and marble, Ditzy returned to the sea of muffins and to the island of English ones. She picked one up on a hoof, turning it over and examining it, seeing if the distasteful thing looked anymore appealing than it hadn’t before. Alas, she didn’t see what the Doctor did in them. The Doctor… The thought was like a whisper of wind, coming and going, but staying imprinted on the feelings. She wouldn’t break down, no, the time for that had passed. Instead, Ditzy sat, she sat and stared forward, looking at nothing in particular. It was one of the few times her eyes were able to catch up to each other, the other times being when she was scared or worried. She had long since dropped the bakery treat, as she no longer had the energy to do anything but sit and stare, it seemed. It was because of this lack of energy that she failed to hear the hoofsteps approaching from behind. (o)o(o)o(o) Why do we have such a big kitchen? Luna thought to herself, There are not many opportunities that present themselves in which we must present large amounts of food. Gliding through the shadows she now resembled, she attempted to locate the mare that accompanied Celestia to this region of the castle. “Where do the chefs keep the muffins, anyhow?” the shade mumbled to herself. Spotting a form around a corner, Luna moved in to investigate. She saw a dark silhouette of what appeared to be a seated equine against a background of what appeared to be baked goods. Assuming that this was the mare she searched for, the alicorn returned to her solid form. She approached the form quietly as she could, not wanting to disturb the staring contest she may have had with the wall she was staring intensely at. When Luna reached the mare, she stood for a minute or two, waiting to see if the pegasus would break her gaze. This contest of self-control is quite an admirable one… Realising that this stare would not end soon, the alicorn placed a hoof on the grey mare’s shoulder. Where has she gone? Luna thought, confused, and wondered if was only an illusion. Then she heard the sound of wing beats, following the sound, she looked upwards and found the grey mare hovering with wide eyes. This pegasus seems to move quite quickly… “I DIDN’T STEAL ANYTHING!” proclaimed Ditzy Doo, while sticking her hooves up in the air and failing to turn around. “I know you did not steal anything,” Luna laughed light-heartedly, “I saw you enter with Celestia, and I was curious as to what activities you may have been involved in.” The grey mare lowered herself to the ground and folded her wings, trying to hide her blush from the princess of the night. “Raise your head, friend of my sister. Pray tell, what are you called?” “Ditzy Doo, Princess Luna,” she spoke. Luna nodded at her gained knowledge. “It seems my title precedes me,” she replied, barely able to suppress her giggles at her own pun. Ditzy tilted her head in confusion. “Not all are so eager to share my love for the art of manipulating words, it seems.” Luna sighed and walked over to the demolished mound of muffins, smiling at how masticated the pile seemed. “Sorry about all the muffins,” Ditzy apologised, “I got a little bit out of control…” “It is, of course, perfectly alright.” Luna turned back from the muffins and made her way back to Ditzy. One must wonder if she has a type of hidden storage space for such events. “Ditzy Doo, before we continue any further in our conversation, I wish to know why your eyes are filled with such sadness.” “What do you mean?” questioned the grey mare, “I’m perfectly happy!” “Then why do you cry?” When Ditzy brought her hoof to her face, Luna did not need to see it to know that it returned to the grey mare’s gaze damp. In order to keep it around the same word count, and because of personal events, I have decided that this would be a good place to leave you. Also, I must thank my newest pre-reader, kaig3n, for his help in creating this chapter.
