An Unearthly Filly

"It's all my fault." said the Doctor, "I... I'm desperately sorry."

"Don't blame yourself, Grandfather." Perennial said to comfort him.

"What's that?" Big Macintosh asked, having now gotten himself into a better position to look around the cave.

Three other heads turned to look.  As Cheerilee had noticed, the hole they were in was filled with bones of assorted shapes and size.  The majority of them were recognizably pony.  Cheerilee wondered if this hole was some kind of primitive pony graveyard.  Her thoughts in this direction came to a screeching halt when she saw the skulls.

Scattered among the bones were skulls not far different from what Cheerilee and Big Macintosh had seen soon after leaving the ship.  Given how big this group of Earth Ponies was, Cheerilee realized that the skull they had found initially could well have belonged to one of them.  She also realized something far more horrible.

Every skull in the pit was broken.  Not merely from age or accident, but they all had been caved in from the top.  As if someone had made a deliberate attempt to stomp them flat.

Just as she had seen the Earth Pony primitives about to do to them before the Doctor changed their minds.

"They're all the same.  Big Mac... did you have to point that out to us...?"

MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC

&

DOCTOR WHO

IN

AN UNEARTHLY FILLY

PART 3

Night had fallen, and most of the herd now slept.  Only the outliers and scouts stayed awake to watch for predators, and they paid little heed to what happened within the herd.  Among the ponies, sleeping both on their feet and on the ground, one rose.  The eldest among them.  One who had previously led this herd until she was deemed no longer fit.  One who long understood the need to constantly be on the move, and could not grasp why the younger ponies were so determined to remain in one, unprotected place.

The Old Nag rose and maneuvered her way through the herd, careful to avoid stepping on anypony and give herself away.  She saw the herd's leader, Ta, sleeping beside her mate and let out a low snort.  Once away she moved toward a hole kept far from the herd.  Far enough away that a pony would not see it from the main grazing lands of the herd proper.

The hole in which the dead were kept, and enemies killed.  The Pit of Bones.

She did not see Bron, Ta's mate, stir.  Did not realize Bron had been seen her leaving.  Nor did she know that Bron alerted his mate to the Old Nag's disappearance.

* * * * *

The four ponies from the TARDIS weren't bound, but that was small comfort given where they were at the bottom of a pit filled with the bones of other ponies.

"Oh, it's hopeless." said the Doctor, "Hopeless. Even if we should be able to climb out of this hole, those savages would simply run us down."

The hole they were in was not exactly deep.  Its sides, however, were sloped to enough of a degree that multiple attempts by each pony to simply climb out had ended in them inevitably being unable to keep a hoofhold and sliding back down.   They had discussed the fact that, as a unicorn, the Doctor could levitate himself or others out.  Given the need to do so with four ponies, the Doctor would soon exhaust himself.  Sending just one or two up to find something to help climb down with was also rejected.  There was no guarantee they could even find anything among the primitives or the wilds around them to use.  Worse still, if they took too long and were noticed the primitives might take their frustrations out on those left behind.  Or simply not bother re-capturing whoever was found above.

Big Macintosh was lying on his side after his most recent failure at climbing out.  It had been the most successful, with him having been able to see over the rim of the pit before he fell.

"Nopony aroun'." he reported, "Thought I saw somethin' in the distance."

Cheerilee came sliding down a second later from her latest attempt.

"I saw it, too." Cheerilee said, "Somepony coming towards us, but slowly.  There's no guarantee it will be anything helpful. So don't count on it."

"Oh? You obviously are." said the Doctor.

"Well, of course I am." Cheerilee snapped, "Any hope is better than none!  Now are you going to lie there criticizing us or do something?  If you can't magic us out of the hole how about seeing if you can find something to help us climb?"

Perennial came down next, she had adopted a strategy of trying to leap up the slope rather than run or climb it.  She got about two hops in before she lost her footing.

"Oh, this is no good!"

"Don' give up." Big Macintosh said in encouragement.  Cheerilee took a deep breath and tried again.  The Doctor, meanwhile, began looking around the area himself.  Once satisfied his horn began to glow and, with it, some bones from the pile around them floated out towards the ponies.  They stuck themselves into the wall of the hill.

"Try those bones." he said "They may... yes they'll work as steps. Or anchors, perhaps."

"I knew you'd think of something, Grandfather!" Perennial said in glee.

"With that, and perhaps a boost from myself, we can try and get you out first rather than take it in turns." the Doctor said, nodding to Big Macintosh.  Big Macintosh simply raised an eyebrow, as if to ask why he was specifically being helped first.

"We've got to get you free first!" the Doctor explained, "You're the strongest, and you may have to defend us."

Using the bones to balance on was no easy feat, after all.  Big Macintosh had even less success with those than simply trying to climb.  The Doctor held off on using his magic to lift him out until he was near the top of the pit.

As Perennial quietly cheered him on, the Doctor rested himself next to Cheerilee, who watched their struggle with a concerned expression.

"We mustn't think of failure." he said.

"What?" Cheerilee asked.

"Well, try to remember, if you can, how you and the others got here.  Concentrate on that please.  Escaping this hole will mean nothing if we cannot find our way back to the ship."

"Yes, I'll try." Cheerilee said, then after a moment, realized something, "You're trying to help me."

"It never occurred to me that you were afraid." she admitted.

"Fear is with all of us, and always will be." the Doctor replied, "Just like that other sensation that lives with it."

"And that would be?"

"I believe you referred to it yourself as 'Hope.'  Hope, Cheerilee."

Perennial got tired of simply watching and made a fresh attempt at getting up the hill herself.  She got only a step or two further, and no where near as far as Big Macintosh had.  She and Big Macintosh were the first to see the pony that appeared at the rim of the hole.  A pony older than any they had yet seen.  She looked down at them.

"You will not bring the green."

* * * * *

"Tell me." Ta said to her mate once they were away from the majority of the herd.

"The Old Nag snuck away from the herd." said Bron.

"Why did you let her?" Ta whispered harshly, "She is old.  You could easily have stopped her."

Ta looked at the ground below and sniffed at the wind blowing around them.

"She has gone to the Pit of Bones."

"No." Bron gasped, "She's going to kill the strangers."

"Did she say this?"

"No.  But she goes to the pit and fears us learning to grow our food."

"You should have stopped her!" Ta repeated.

"With Mus close by?" Bron said back, "Leaders watch awake when others sleep.  The strange herd can not show us how to grow food if the Old Nag kills them."

"Hm." Ta mumbled, following her mate's line of thought, "If I stop her killing them, they will give the Green to me, and not to Mus!"

With that the two ponies began their gallop to the Pit of Bones.

* * * * *

Negotiations with the old pony were very simple.  They wanted freedom, she would set them free.  She claimed to know the locations of solid stones on the sides of the pit that could be used to enter and leave it freely.  Her only demand was that they not teach the pony herd about growing food.  Perennial and the Doctor readily agreed, since it meant their freedom.  As did Cheerilee, who knew that the Earth Pony discovery of farming was an inevitability, and they would learn it with or without their intervention.  Only Big Macintosh seemed to object, and more out of principle.  Once agreed the old pony guided them to the opposite end of the pit.  They were difficult to see in the dark but a little magic from the Doctor illuminated the area and, just barely, they could see small steps much like the ones the Doctor had tried to create using bones.

With the Doctor's light, all four easily climbed out of the pit.  The only one to have any difficulty was Perennial.  The filly wasn't quite big enough to reach each and every stone.  Despite the potential exhaustion the Doctor gave her a magical lift when she got stuck.    It was just as the last of the four were coming out of the hole that the old pony sniffed at the air, followed by a look of fear.

"Hurry!" she cried, "Hurry!" They come!  Go across the hill and into the trees!"

She gestured off into the distance to the hill she meant.  Cheerilee noted with relief it seemed to be in the same general direction as the TARDIS and the small wood they had gone through to reach the herd.  The four ponies began a rapid gallop and started their escape.

* * * * *

Ta and Bron appeared just as the four ponies of the strange herd had crossed the hill.

"She set them free!" Bron shouted.

"They would have grown food!" the Old Nag declared, "The would have trapped us in one place!"

The Old Nag made an attempt to stop Za from passing her.  The mare's body, old, frail, and far from the Lead Mare she had been in her prime, was no match for Ta as she shoved the Old Nag to the ground.  The Nag groaned as she lay on the ground.

"They've gone into the night." Ta said in despair.

"They have taken the green's secret with them."

"The predators will kill them.  They will kill us if we follow."

Bron looked to the Old Nag who may very well have doomed them all, then back to his resigned mate.

"You are the Lead Mare." he told her, "You are as strong as any predator.  You and the herd will be even stronger when you learn the secret to keeping all fed."

Ta mulled over these words for a moment.  Then, with a fierce nod, she galloped out to the hill she had seen the strangers cross.  Bron followed right behind.

The Old Nag attempted to get back up, only to fall back to her side in exhaustion as her body gave out on her.

* * * * *

The ponies ran through the woods as fast as they dared.  Roots, stones, and darkness prevented a full gallop but they went through it as quickly as they could without risking injury.  The wood wasn't large and they soon found their way back into open plains.  Perennial and Cheerilee began recognizing some landmarks from their first trip through.  The Doctor, bringing up the rear, soon began to lag behind the rest.  He soon stopped entirely and leaned against a tree, breathing heavily.

"Stop..." he gasped, "Stop... just a minute... let me get my..."

"Nnn-ope." said Big Macintosh.  They couldn't remain in one place too long.

"Just a moment..." the Doctor asked.

"Hmm."

"I know, I know that but I must get breath... I must breathe."

"I'll carry ya." Big Macintosh told him.

"Oh, there's no need for that!" the Doctor asserted suddenly, "Don't be so childish.  I'm not senile.  Just let me get my breath for a moment..."

"Oh, Grandfather, come on."

Perennial came over and offered her shoulder for the Doctor to lean on and help move.  The Doctor, more willing to accept the filly's help over Big Macintosh's, accepted the offered shoulder.

"Yes... I'm not so young, you know..." the Doctor said as they went ahead.

As they progressed, Cheerilee found herself growing steadily more nervous.  She wasn't like Twilight Sparkle, or Rainbow Dash, or even the Cutie Mark Crusaders.  She wasn't an adventurous pony and had never even set foot in the Everfree Forest, the woods outside Ponyville that managed without any kind of pony assistance.  Now here she was in exactly such a place.

She was actually beginning to prefer the more imminent threat of the pony tribes.  At least they were still ponies.  That was infinitely preferable to the vast grasslands covered in darkness and inhabited by Celestia-Knew-What making terrible noises.  She found herself walking closer to Big Macintosh as they moved.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" she asked him.

Big Macintosh nodded.

"Reckon so."

This did little to assure Cheerilee.  Big Macintosh must have noticed because he pressed his own side against hers.

"We're free, Cheerilee.  We'll find our way."

Cheerilee managed to calm herself some.  They began to move to where Perennial and the Doctor had gotten ahead of them when a sudden bellowing noise stopped them both cold.  It took every ounce of Cheerilee's self-control to keep from simply bolting at full gallop.  Big Macintosh looked rattled himself.  They looked at one another, nodded and forced themselves forward at their regular pace.

"I'm sure I remember this place..." Perennial was muttering, "We passed by those large stones up ahead at one point."

"Eee-yup." Big Macintosh said, "Was left of us, first time."

"If that's right then we must be close." Cheerilee said.  She turned to the Doctor, on whom their trek had taken the largest toll, so far.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.  The Doctor waved his hoof at her.

"Oh, I'm all right.  Don't keep looking upon me as the weakest state of the-"

The Doctor's protests were interrupted by a sudden gasp by Cheerilee.  Big Macintosh rushed over and looked to where she had turned her head.

"What is it?" he asked Cheerilee.

"I don't know.  I just don't know." Cheerilee said, "I heard something in the grass."

"Oh, what nonsense!" The Doctor said, though he clearly wasn't too convinced of his own bravado.

"The grass and bushes over there moved!" Cheerilee said, panic starting to rise, "I saw them!  We're never going to get out of this terrible place, are we?!  Never, never, ne-"

Cheerilee stopped short as Big Macintosh put his foreleg over her shoulders and held her close.

"Could she have really seen something, Grandfather?" Perennial asked.

"No!" the Doctor said emphatically, "Sheer nonsense, child.  Imagination."

Big Macintosh held Cheerilee tight as fear finally won out.  The schoolteacher sobbed into Big Macintosh's shoulders while he offered what few words of comfort he could.

"We'll get ourselves back to the ship, Cheerilee.  Just how we got outta that hole.  We'll be safe, then."

"I'm sorry, Big Mac." Cheerilee said, trying to calm herself, "I'm not sure what's coming over me."

Despite a few tears still in her eyes, she forced a grin at Big Macintosh.

"I'm so cold." Perennial said with a shiver as the wind started to pick up.

"Oh?  I'm hot with all this exertion." The Doctor said, levitating a handkerchief to wipe his brow.

"Let's rest." Big Macintosh said.  They had been traveling almost non stop for most of the night.

"Good..." Perennial said, laying down flat on the ground, "Any chance of them following us?"

"I expect so."

"Eee-yup.  So we won't stop long."

"Do you think I want to?" the Doctor asked.

"Nnn-ope." Big Macintosh replied.  Cheerilee, now calmed down, approached the two stallions.

"I say we change our order." Cheerilee said, "You and Perennial up front.  She seems to remember the way back the best.  Big Mac and I will bring up the rear."

"You seem to have elected yourself leader of this little party." the Doctor said with a snort.

"We don't exactly have time to vote." Cheerilee said.

"Just so long as so you understand that I won't follow you blindly."

"If it were just us," Cheerilee snapped, "You could find your own way back to the ship!"

"Aren't you a tiresome young mare!"

"And you're a stubborn old goat!" Cheerilee shot back.  She was quicker to anger than she usually was.  Probably because it helped keep her being afraid, she thought to herself.

"You'll lead. Perennial and I will be in the middle.  Big Macintosh will bring up the rear because that's the safest way!  I still swear I heard something when we stopped."

"Oh, sheer imagination." the Doctor said dismissively.

"Why are you so sure?!" Cheerilee asked.

"Because I won't allow myself to be frightened out of my wits by mere shadows.  That's all!"

"Fine, then!"

With that, the party of four sat down to rest.

* * * * *

Ta and Bron tracked their quarry through the small wood and through the grass.

"Look!"  Bron said, "Their path is obvious."

"Have they no sense?" Ta asked.  Those ponies had run through heedless of covering their tracks from predators.  Even their scents were still lingering clearly.

"With their strange colorings and this, it is odd they have not been devoured." Bron agreed.

As if attracted by the stallion's words, the howl of wolves suddenly pierced the night.

"It was wrong to do this." Ta said, "We should not have followed them."

"It is too late to turn back." Bron said.  Ta considered this, and found she agreed.

* * * * *

The ponies finished their rest.  Big Macintosh was first to his feet.

"Time t'move." he said.  He nodded his head to the Doctor to take the lead.

"Yes yes yes." the Doctor said as he got up.  Big Macintosh offered a hoof to help Cheerilee to her feet.  Despite her rest Cheerilee's exhaustion caught up to her after a few steps causing her to stumble.  As Cheerilee got herself back up her eyes caught sight of something previously obscured by the tall grass.  Something she now got a very good look at.  And, with that very good look, Cheerilee screamed.

* * * * *

"This way!" Ta said, hearing the scream, "That was one of their mares!"

* * * * *

Cheerilee's last reserves of courage had left her upon coming face-to-face with the mangled, mostly devoured body of an animal.  A pig by the looks of it.  Big Macintosh wrapped his forelegs around her and tried to calm her.  Perennial cautiously walked up to the body and prodded it with her hoof.

"A dead animal." she stated.

"It's just been killed." the Doctor observed, "And by a larger animal, too."

Big Macintosh, thinking he'd seen something move, squinted off into the distance.  Though still far away, he thought he saw two pony-like figures off in the distance.

"Think they found us." he warned his companions.  He gestured to a large stone not too far away.  Big Macintosh wasn't sure if they had been seen yet, but the ponies were in no condition for a chase.  Better to hide and hope they would pass by or provide an opportunity to get the jump on them.  A fight wasn't much a better alternative, but it gave them a better chance.

They watched as the two primitive ponies finally reached their location.  They were examining the ground around them.  Specifically, Big Macintosh realized with dismay, the areas where their movement had bent or broken the high grass.  It was no wonder they'd been so quickly tracked.  The two ponies, a stallion and mare, thankfully looked away from them while examining their rest site.  The stallion was about to move forward when the mare stopped him and went in his place.

She moved cautiously, sniffing at the air and checking the ground.  Something had her spooked, Big Macintosh realized.  He had no idea what though, until the mare, suddenly turned and tried to bolt.  With horror, Big Macintosh saw that a predator, a mountain lion of some kind it looked like, had been hiding in the brush not far at all from where they had been.  It leapt from the hiding place it had been using and landed square on the pony's back.  The pony began bucking like there was no tomorrow as the big cat slashed at her back and neck.  The stallion stood away, trying and failing to find a way to intervene without hurting his companion.

The pragmatic side of Big Macintosh knew that this was their chance to get away.   That regardless of how this fight ended any pursuit would be either dealt with or too injured to continue.

However, when other ponies' lives were at stake, Big Macintosh was not a pragmatic pony.  He looked to Cheerilee.  No words needed to be said to let him know she agreed wholeheartedly.  It didn't matter that these ponies were threatening them, had taken them prisoner and chased them through the wilderness.  They needed help and if they did nothing that cat would finish 'em off.

'Sides, Big Macintosh thought, That could've been us.

Big Macintosh and Cheerilee rushed out from behind their hiding place.  Big Macintosh heard Perennial struggle with her grandpa as he held her back from following.

"What are you doing?" he cried out to the pair.

They arrived just as the female pony had successfully bucked the wildcat off her back.  Cheerilee immediately ran to her while Big Macintosh went for the wildcat.  It was a good sized critter, but it was also stunned from the fall it had taken when the pony had bucked it off her back.  Big Macintosh gave it a swift kick of his own and sent it scurrying back to wherever it came from.

"No! Keep away!" he heard a stallion's voice say.

Big Macintosh saw Cheerilee trying to tend to the mare's injuries.  The cat had slashed her sides and back up something fierce.  Cheerilee's efforts were hampered by the stallion, who stood protectively over his girl and wouldn't let anypony near her.

"Let me look at her." Cheerilee pleaded.

"No!"

"I am your friend, don't you understand?  Friend.  I want to help you."

The stallion looked unsure, but Cheerilee's sincerity was winning through.

"Friend...?" he asked.

"I want some water." Cheerilee explained, "Do you know where I can find water to help treat her wounds?"

The male pony considered this for a moment before gesturing with his head.

"Water is there."

Big Macintosh followed the direction the pony had pointed and found a watering hole.  He examined it to make sure the water wasn't dirty or stagnant and, once satisfied, slipped off his yoke and rummaged around a small compartment he kept little necessities in.  He extracted an empty canteen from it and filled it with water from the little pond.  Putting his yoke back on he returned to the party.

When he returned, Perennial and the Doctor were both with Cheerilee.  He paid them no mind and instead went straight to Cheerilee to give her the canteen.  She took the canteen and poured its water over the worst of the female pony's injuries.  Perennial snatched the Doctor's handkerchief from him and gave it to her teacher to help clean the cuts.  The Doctor, though clearly annoyed, neither helped nor hindered them.  The stallion, for his part, stared in amazement at the canteen, having never seen a way to carry so much water at once.  Big Macintosh was more impressed with Cheerilee's knowledge of first aid.  He knew she fixed up cuts and scrapes for her kids, but had never realized she was that proficient.

"Plenty of blood, but the cuts don't seem as bad as they looked." Cheerilee finally said, "These ponies heal up pretty quick by the look of it."

Perennial breathed a sigh of relief.  Big Macintosh figured that cuts like that were bound to leave some scars.  But then, with ponies like these, those could well be badges of honor.

"Well, we've lost our chance to get away, I think." Cheerilee remarked as she continued to work on the mare's injuries, "Though I suppose we have only ourselves to blame."

"Eee-yup." Big Macintosh agreed, then shrugged, "Nothin' for it."

Cheerilee nodded.  She continued cleaning the worst of the injuries.  They had nothing for bandages, but there was no helping that.  The mare moaned as Cheerilee dabbed at the cuts.  The stallion made noises of concern as well.  The Doctor, evidently having had enough, finally stepped forward.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"Do you have any antiseptic on the ship?" Cheerilee asked, pointedly ignoring the question.

"Yes." Perennial answered, "Lots."

"One minute ago, we were trying desperately to get away from these savages" the Doctor said.

"And now we're helping them." Cheerilee replied, "What about you, Doctor, can you help?"

"I'm not a doctor of medicine." he told her as he stepped away.

"Grandfather, shouldn't we try to make friends with them."

"Oh don't be ridiculous, child!"

"Why are you so sure?" Cheerilee snapped, "Must you treat everybody and everything as if it were less important than you!?"

"You're trying to say that everything you do is reasonable and everything I do is cruel." the Doctor shot back, "But I'm afraid your judgement's at fault here, Miss Cheerilee. Not mine. Haven't you realized if these two ponies can follow these- or any of these ponies can follow us- the whole herd might descend upon us at any moment?"

"The herd is asleep." the male told him.

"And what about the old one who helped our escape, hmm? You understand?"

The stallion seemed to ponder this.  It was Cheerilee who spoke first.

"He's right." she admitted with clear reluctance, "We're too exposed here.  We'll have to carry her back."

"You're not going to take her back to the ship?" the Doctor asked hotly.

"Big Mac," Cheerilee asked, again ignoring the Doctor's indignation, "Do you think you can carry her if we put her on your back?"

"Eee-yup."

"Good.  And as for your questions," she said, turning to the Doctor, "Yes, we are taking her back to the ship, and I don't believe the old mare would give us away.  Why help us if she was going to do that?"

"You think so? They have logic and reason, have they? Can't you see their minds change as rapidly as night and day? She's probably telling the whole herd at this very moment!"

* * * * *

In fact, the Old Nag was only just finally getting back to her hooves.  She had lost consciousness after Ta had shoved her down.  She opened her eyes just in time to see Mus appear.  She looked furious.

"The strangers." she demanded, "Where?  Where!?"

"Gone." the Old Nag mumbled.

"Where is Ta?"

"Ta... and Bron... have gone after them."

"How?  There were hairs around their legs.  They could not move!"

Mus held the old mare down, pressing her hoof against the Nag's head.

"Ta helped them get free?  They have gone with Ta to show her the Green?"

"No... they will not make the Green." The Nag said, "No more talk of staying in one place."

Mus stared at the old nag and realized something.

"Old Nag... you helped them..."

Mus raised up her hoof, but only for a moment...

* * * * *

The ponies' attempt to move the injured mare had not gone very well, initially.  The mare was much bigger than Cheerilee and Perennial so lifting her was a chore.  The stallion also turned aggressive when he realized they intended for Big Macintosh to carry her.

"No!" he shouted, "She is mine!"

"We only want to help!" Perennial told him.

"He doesn't understand, Perennial." Cheerilee explained, "He's jealous of Big Macintosh."

As if the help make the point, the Stallion spoke up again.

"What do you do?  You are like... a mother to the foal.  Why not kill?"

Cheerilee struggled with how to explain things like kindness and friendship.  Traits a pony forced to survive in the wilderness would have only passing acquaintance with.  Big Macintosh, short with words but good with meaning, got it across first.

"We'll fix her up." Big Macintosh told him, "Then I'll teach ya farmin'.  You take us back to our..."

"...Our home." Cheerilee finished, seeing him stumble on what word to use for the TARDIS.

"Listen..." said the hurt female, "They do not kill..."

The mare followed up with a request for water.  Her stallion, taking the canteen in his mouth, moved to get it.  The Doctor watched him go, the stallion, wary, watched him until he was out of sight.

"How about giving us a hoof, Doctor?" Cheerilee asked, "Or a horn."

The Doctor simply turned his back on them.

"He's always like this if he doesn't get his own way." Perennial explained.

"I'm sure the old mare won't give us away." Cheerilee insisted, "And, as soon as these two are ready, we should get back to the ship."

The Doctor came forward to join the rest of the party.  Cheerilee hoped this meant he would help, if only to get them all moving again.  Unnoticed by either Cheerilee or Perennial, a stone on the ground began to move forward of its own accord, surrounded by an orange glow.  It didn't get very far before Big Macintosh's hoof smashed it into pebbles.  The red stallion simply glared at the Doctor.

"Nnn-ope." Big Macintosh told him.

"I'm sure I've no idea what you mean." the Doctor said innocently.

"Nnn-ope."

"Well," the Doctor stammered under Big Macintosh's gaze, "I-I was going to get her to draw our way back to the TARDIS.

"Nnn-ope."

Big Macintosh left it at that, and the Doctor helped levitate the mare herself onto Big Macintosh's back. It still required some aid from Cheerilee and Perennial to position her just so on Big Macintosh's back.  Once they were all arranged and the stallion primitive returned they all resumed their trek.

* * * * *

"She will tell!"

Mus had woken the herd and brought them to where the Old Nag had lay.   They looked at the Nag and tried to wake her, but once they prodded and tried to move her they realized the truth.  She was dead.  Somepony had killed her.

"I see what has happened." Mus told them, "I see things with them, even as I sleep.  Ta and Bron... came to free them and get the secret of the Green.  The Old Nag saw them.  Ta killed her."

The ponies of the herd muttered to themselves.  Bron's mother seemed to have the hardest time accepting this news.

"The Old Nag is dead..." she said, "It can only have been as you see."

"Ta has gone with them!" Ta announced, "Taking them to their tree!  Ta takes away the green!"

Mus turned around to make sure the entire herd heard her speak.

"Now I, Mus, lead the herd!"

* * * * *

The ponies from the future were growing weary, but continued on knowing they were close.  Perennial was the first to see it.

"The TARDIS!  It's the TARDIS!"

Their celebration was cut short when, from the tall grass, several of the pony primitives got up from where they had been crouching.

"Get back!" Cheerilee yelled.  They turned only to come face-to-face with the pony that had kidnapped the Doctor.  She grinned a malicious grin.  Cheerilee could only scream in shock.

TO BE CONTINUED