“Ugh, I’m tired of waiting, can’t we just-“

“Shh,” Derpy and the Doctor whispered, peering around to make sure nopony heard.

“But-“

“Sh,”

“But-“

“Shhhhhhh!” They shout-whispered, glaring daggers into the grumbling changeling.

“Fine,” She mumbled with a huff.

Derpy shifted under the bench that was pushed up against the café’s wall. The three had been hiding there for at least three hours and most of Derpy’s legs had fallen asleep, the weird tingling feeling spreading throughout her appendages.

Oh, I think it’s moving, Kacoonis sent the message ringing in the other two’s heads. The three held their breaths as the bird ruffled its feathers and… went back to sleep. Oh, this is dumb, Kacoonis grumbled, her two partners whipping their heads around to glare at her.

Stop complaining, it’s really annoying, Derpy took a few deep breaths, trying to count to ten slowly.

Hey, I’m bored too, but that isn’t the matter. We must be patient! The Doctor sighed and continued to stare at the empty nest that rested atop the raised platform. Wait… empty nest?! Allons-y! He thought, racing out from under the bench.

“Doctor!” Derpy whispered, getting up too. The tingling feeling lingered and Derpy crumpled to the floor, moaning. She rolled around and stared deep into the blue eyes that belonged to a stallion who had too crumpled to the ground.

Stop lollygagging! Kacoonis thought, rolling her eyes as she stood proud and tall above them.

Don’t your legs hurt? Derpy asked, feeling slightly coming back to her legs.

Pfft, I know how to sit. I’ll watch for guards, go find the bird! Kacoonis began to creep around the area.

“Hmmm,” The Doctor muttered. He leapt up and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, letting the green light rest upon the surrounding floor. “He’s not flying right now… So where is he?” He shuffled about with his screwdriver, examining every piece of cloud, every speck of dust.

Derpy felt a strong rush of wind behind her, causing her to fall to the ground, hooves protecting her head. “Doctor!” She screamed. But it was too late.

The large emerald bird was atop the fallen Doctor, shrieking and squawking, clawing at his face. Every time the bird struck, the claw tore into the Doctor’s once perfect skin, causing blood to smear all over his face. The Doctor struggled, trying to pummel the fowl with his front hooves. Finally, hoof struck beak and the Bird staggered away, up into the air. This was just enough time for the Doctor to roll over and pull out his sonic screwdriver. The green shone into the bird’s eye, causing it to go temporarily blind.

“Doctor,” Derpy cried. She ran over to the stallion who now had a few seeping cuts on his face. One especially large gash ran alongside his face, from the right side of his forehead to his chin. “Doctor,” She croaked, the tears causing her to choke.

“Just a scratch,” He waved Derpy off, jumping up. “Kacoonis, we have moments to spare, hurry! Use your magicy wagicy stuff!” He called.

Kacoonis quickly whipped around and grew her horn, green aura shined. “Magicy wagicy…?” She muttered as the bird’s claws and beak were held shut by green.

Derpy gently touched the gash on the caramel coloured pony’s face. He winced a little, but relaxed and let his head fall into her hooves. “Doctor, we need to get you to a hospital,” She murmured as she scooped him up in her hooves like a princess from fairy tails.

“First the bird,” He muttered, slowly turning his head toward the captive.

“Hmm, I don’t see anything…” Derpy murmured as she inspected the large wings.

“What are you talking about? Don’t you see that pocket?” The Doctor joked, pointing at the insanely large kangaroo-like pouch that was underneath the bird’s left wing.

“What? Pocket? Just… what.” Kacoonis muttered, examining the poor helpless bird.

The Doctor rolled his ocean blue eyes. Were they jesting or something? He jumped out of Derpy’s hooves, much to her protest, and trotted over to where the bird was set. He dug his hoof into the pouch that was invisible to his two companions and pulled out a large emerald. It was as large as an apple and sparkled in the light of the moon.

“W-where did that come from?” Kacoonis asked shakily.

“What do you mean?” The Doctor stomped. “Do you not see that pocket?!” He cried.

“No! I’m pretty sure Derpy doesn’t either! I mean-“

“Guys,” Derpy whispered crisp and clear. “Need I remind you that we aren’t even supposed to be here? Okay, good,” she sighed as she saw her two partners calm down. “Now, what is something the Doctor has that we don’t?”

“Well for starters, he doesn’t seem to own a brain,” Kacoonis snickered. The stallion glared at her and was about to say more when Derpy interrupted.

“Seriously, I feel like I’m foalsitting or something. Be serious Kacoonis, you too Doctor,” Derpy muttered.

“What? I didn’t-“ The Doctor cleared his throat now, as Derpy began to glare at him. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Well… I’m not a pony,”

“What? What do you- whatever. Never mind. Okay, it might be because… you’re an earth pony…” Kacoonis muttered. “Nah, that’s silly, I don’t think-“

“Kacoonis! You bloody brilliant changeling, you!” The Doctor hollered. He jumped up and gave the shocked changeling a peck on the cheek. “I’m and earth pony! It couldn’t have been because I’m a time lord, ‘cause then nopony could ever even find the treasure. Oh, but whoever did these Alicorn Archives is a genius. They didn’t want just anypony finding it, so they built a few obstacles. I’m sure earth ponies aren’t supposed to walk on clouds and this fowl here doesn’t open up its wings often. You had to not be a winged pony and be here at the exact moment when this-this key holder would open up. This is bloody brilliant!” He leapt around and around the two baffled mares. One of them however was still processing that kiss.

He loves Kacoonis, Derpy thought, as the bleeding stallion bouncing around seemed to move in slow motion. He loves Kacoonis, it just kept repeating over and over again. Again and again.

“Kacoonis, turn back into a unicorn or whatever,” The Doctor giddily stated.

“Er- okay,” Her wings melted away in a green slime and before anypony could even scream, she was under the clouds. The only pony who actually thought of this was Kacoonis and as she calmly and quickly fell to the rough earth, her horn glowed and she was gone in a flash. She reappeared before any of the two ponies could comprehend that she had fallen and she had a spell enchanted upon her. “Let’s take a look see,” Kacoonis trotted over to the tall forest green bird and examined its left side. “How did I miss it that?!” She uttered, staring at the extremely visible pouch that was under the large wing.

Derpy shook her head, finally accepting that there could be something going on between her two companions. “You can see it now, right-“

“Hey! What are you ponies doing here at this hour?” A pearly white stallion rushed over to the trio. He had a pale blonde moustache and matching military-like manecut. He wore an outfit similar to that of the guide, well, without all the cheerful and colorful buttons. Printed on the chest were the words ‘Security Guard’.

Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Derpy beat herself in her mind. How could I be so stupid?! We didn’t keep our voices down! Guess this is what we deserve, huh? She thought sarcastically.

“Why hullo there good sir,” The Doctor zoomed up to the guard, his mane pushed back from the strong wind.

Sweet Celestia, he looks amazing, Derpy thought as she examined the hopeless crush.

“Um…” The guard glanced around, trying to make the strange stallion’s electric blue eyes stop boring into him.

“Oh, you must be the security guard. You’re probably wondering why we’re all here, well, I assume because you started asking! Ha! Well, you see, my companions and I-“

“Why is Feathers tied up in green magic?”

“So like, in my last form, something like this happened as well! It’s an extremely long tale of how I-“

“How come you can walk on clouds?”

“-and then the duck said, ‘hey, got any grapes?’ It was a brilliant song that-“

“Why are there cuts all over your face?”

“-oh, but I learned that porpoises never lie, I mean seriously, that tuxedo did… did… oh, I don’t feel so well,” The Doctor whispered. He crumpled to the softness of the clouds, eyes rolling back into his head. The flowing red blood stained the pure white clouds. He was caked with dried blood that Derpy could smell from a distance.

“Doctor!” Derpy screamed. She rushed over to where the stallion lay and held his head in her hooves.

“Sweet Celestia! Yeah, I’ll go get one,” The guard zoomed away and out of the zoo.

“Doctor,” The grey mare choked, stroking his soft face. “Maybe we should stop this nonsense, this whole… Alicorn Archives thing is dumb. It’s putting you in danger, and I don’t-“

“No!” He shrieked leaping to his hooves, only to get dizzy and lie back down. “I need to go-“

“Why do you need to go?”

“Knowledge of alicorns! I-“

“Oh, shut up!” Kacoonis moaned. She kneeled down and stared intently into the stallion’s eyes. “What’s the real reason?”

He gulped and glanced away. “The alicorns… they knew what I was. They… knew of another time lord…” he muttered in barely a whisper.

“Time lord? What’s that?” Kacoonis questioned, lighting up her horn in green. It enveloped all the flowing cuts and sealed them right up, leaving only a light brown line in each spot.

“I’m a time lord… a lonely time lord,”

“Well, why don’t you go back to your people?” Derpy suggested, brushing back his chocolate hair.

“I… can’t…”

“Why not?” The pegasus said gently. The Doctor’s sky blue eyes glazed over.

“I’m… the last… one…”

“What happened?” Kacoonis interrogated, a little, no, a lot less gentle.

“There was… a war. The time war. My planet Gallifrey was a part of it… we didn’t win. My planet died at an early age… I’m the last one. I’ve been spending centuries alone, the only time lord.”

“Oh, Doctor,” Derpy muttered, embracing the recovering pony.

“But what is a time lord?” Kacoonis asked, completely oblivious to the emotions of the Doctor.

“Kacoonis,” Derpy scolded. “Can’t you see that-“

“We- er… I receive the name for our… my non-linear perception of time, which allows me to see everything that was, is, or could be all at the same time. This lets us create things like the TARDIS based on this perception. Time Lords… I also have the ability to regenerate my body when my current form is mortally wounded. This process results in my body going through a transformation, gaining a new physical form. Regenerations can also be caused by traumatic events though, they have before. All time lords… my species has twelve regenerations in total, so thirteen forms. I’m… on my thirteenth… which means that when I die for the last time… it’s permanent. I want… no I need to know about another time lord… I really need to know I’m not alone.”

“Doctor, you’re not alone. You may be the last time lord, but I’m here for you. I’ll never leave your side. I Pinkie Promise,” She recited the little swear and went through the motions. The Doctor didn’t pay attention though. He couldn’t. Hot tears began to stream down his face, blurring his vision. “Doctor,” Derpy whispered. She embraced the miserable stallion, the tears being soaked up by Derpy’s soft grey fur. “Shh, shh, it’s okay,” More tears streamed out. “It’s okay,” She rocked him back and forth, singing a tune that Fluttershy, the main motherly figure in her years, used to sing when she couldn’t sleep.
“Let’s leave this place, huh?” She whispered into his ear.

He gently nodded, his face not leaving her delicate shoulder. Derpy scooped him up like a little foal and gently flew away, her wings flapping slowly and silently, the only sound belonged to the sniffling of her friend and the soft humming of the melody. She continued to hum, Kacoonis slowly following, entranced by her beautiful voice. It came so smoothly and flowed through the air as easy as butter. Derpy gently landed on the cushiony surface of cloud, setting the Doctor down next to the big blue TARDIS.

“Derpy,” he muttered.

“Yes?” She bent down so she was eye level with him.

“Here,” He undid his bowtie and let the sonic screwdriver fall to the ground. A string unraveled which had once been hidden by the crisp white collar. Attached to the thin black string was a single silver key. “I want you to have this,” He wound the thread around his front two hooves and gently hung it around the neck of the beautiful mare. “It’s the key to the TARDIS… I think you’re a little more responsible than me,” he joked.

Derpy was in a state of shock as she carefully held the priceless key in her hooves. The key to the Doctor’s beloved TARDIS? But, it’s one of the only things that are of his people! I don’t understand why he would trust me with such a… prized… possession. A bizarre idea struck Derpy. What if… maybe… he-he loves me? Cool it Derpy, she told herself. Let’s not jump to any conclusions.

The Doctor stepped aside and nodded towards the large doors of the time machine. “You hold the key to infinite travels through time and space. It’s your decision now where you take us… Doctor Derpy,” He played.

Derpy nodded towards both her companions. She slowly walked towards the doors, still clutching the key. She inserted it into the lock and gently twisted. There was a slight clicking sound and the doors to adventure slowly creaked open.

Author's Note

Okay, before anyone says it, I'm going to:
I purposely said "fairy tails"... like a pun. Cause, you see, ponies have tails and... maybe I should change that.