//------------------------------//
// The Origins of Abuse 
// Story: Doctor Whooves Episode 15: The Christmas Ponies 
// by Doctor Perseus 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 6: The Origins of Abuse


Ice Tomb Beneath The Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.

"It wasn't my fault," Derpy argued. Dahlia slammed one of her cage's spider legs into the floor, causing the cavern around them to shake. 
"You lie, Ditzy! Do you not remember what happened?!" Dahlia snapped. Derpy felt an intense cold rush over her. The Doctor took a few steps forward, putting himself in between Derpy and her mother. 
"Perhaps you should tell your story now, Dahlia. I have to be honest that I'm quite curious about how you ended up in your...current state," said the Doctor. Dahlia seemed to cool down a bit but she appeared to still be pretty angry. She took a few steps back and let out a disgruntled sigh.
"Yes...I would be glad to." Derpy glared up at her mother angrily. The Doctor patted Derpy calmly on the shoulder and sat down next to her. Dahlia began her tale. "Looking back, I can admit that I was nowhere near the best of mothers. I was...a demanding mare. I wanted many things, most of which were denied to me. It wasn't until I met Ditzy's father, Duncan Doo, that I finally began to feel happy. Then we had Ditzy and...I felt disappointed. I guess a mother shouldn't feel this way about her daughter, but I did. I loved her dearly, and still do, but my desire for a perfect life with a perfect family just seemed to...take over. I tried my best to help Ditzy work with her disabilities but I grew tired. I wanted instant results but I discovered quickly that her disabilities would take a while to overcome. I went to many ponies in search of advice. Nothing helped. Absolutely nothing. She fought against every attempt I made to help her. Some of my methods may have been...wrong...but I tried to find some way of helping her. Duncan was the one who gave me the strength to continue on. He was a better pony that I was. He had patience and cared for everypony around him. He tried his best to satisfy my desires for the perfect life as well as tried his best to help Ditzy overcome the disabilities presented to her. I probably would have grown to become a better mother and Ditzy a better daughter...if it weren't for that day." Dahlia began to shake angrily. Her eyes glowed red but she took in a deep breath and relaxed herself. 
"Dad was better than you," Derpy said harshly. "He never beat me or teased me. He never made me worry about the world waiting for me. He cared for me and acted like a parent should, more than what could be said about how you acted!"
"But what about you, Ditzy? You never tried to work with me. You always fought me. You showed no interest in trying to overcome your obstacles!"
"I had a lot of problems when I was younger! They were difficult to overcome!"
"Yet you still managed to overcome them in the end! Look at you now! I can honestly say that the Ditzy I see before me right now is a vast improvement from the Ditzy that lived with me. Why did you change for them? Why did you change for the ponies out in the world? Why couldn't you change when you lived with me? Why couldn't you just try to work with me?!"
"You'll never understand how horrible you were. The things you said to me...those were things that NO mother should EVER say to their daughter! Giving me the nickname of Derp Eyes, calling me an embarrassment, beating me for the most trivial of things, and everything else! How can you say that you loved me after what you did?!"
"Bending the truth as always, Ditzy."
"WHAT?!"
"Yes...I admit...I was a horrible mother...but you're not telling the whole truth!"
"Oh yes I am!"
"If you think you are then you have forgotten what truly happened all those years ago. I was a mediocre and developing mother when your father was around. It was only after the "accident" occurred that I found myself turning into the mother that you remember." Derpy fell silent for a moment. The Doctor turned between Dahlia and Derpy. "Are the memories returning, Ditzy? Do you remember what happened? How could I ever look at you the same way again? How could I ever not look at you without that tint of anger and sadness in the back of my mind? How could I ever become the mother I wished to be after what you did to your father?"
"It wasn't my fault!"
"YES IT WAS!" A few icy tears rolled down Dahlia's cheeks. "I remember the whole thing like it was yesterday. It was a hot summer day and you were busy listening to one of your father's crazy stories..."

Outside the Home of Ditzy Doo, Indigo Village, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 988 C.E.

Dahlia Doo sat on the porch and let out a loud sigh. She had just finished sewing together a skirt that she had placed happily over her gift wrap cutie mark. Duncan Doo was sitting out in the middle of the yard talking with Ditzy. Ditzy laughed and Dahlia couldn't help but smile a bit. But she also couldn't help but feel guilty for the spanking she had given Ditzy earlier for smashing one of her friends' vases.
"It'll get easier," Dahlia said to herself as she rubbed her temple. "She'll become better when she grows up. I know it. Things will get easier." She looked at Duncan and smiled. "As long as Duncan's here, I know I can become the perfect parent that Ditzy needs. I just know it." Dahlia stood up and walked over to Duncan and Ditzy.

"Really?! You caught an entire piano in your hooves?!" Ditzy said in awestruck.
"Yep!" teased Duncan with a smirk. "Your daddy has skills, Ditzy." Duncan Doo was an earth pony with an orange coat, a blond mane, and a teddy bear cutie mark.
"I thought your skill was making toys."
"Well...that too." He grabbed Ditzy and hugged her close. "Love ya, kiddo."
"I love you too, Daddy." Ditzy suddenly became nervous as she saw her mom approach them.
"Hello you two," said Dahlia. Ditzy shrunk behind Duncan and Duncan patted her shoulder. 
"Hi, Honey," Duncan replied.
"Were you telling her the piano story?"
"It's her favorite story now."
"I guessed as much." Dahlia gave a sad smile. "I was wondering if the two of you wanted some lemonade. Is is pretty hot out here after all."
"Sure. What about you, Ditzy?" Ditzy stepped out from behind Duncan and nodded. Dahlia knelt down in front of Ditzy and sighed.
"Ditzy...I'm sorry for spanking you earlier. But you had to learn your lesson. There's always a consequence. Do you understand?" Ditzy looked down and nodded. "Ditzy, please look at me when I'm talking to you." Ditzy looked up. "I promise that I'll try to be better." Dahlia turned to Duncan. "I promise that I'll try my best. But, Duncan, promise me that you'll always be there to help me turn into the best mother on this side of Equestria." Duncan placed a hoof on one of Dahlia's shoulders and smiled. 
"I promise that I'll always be there to steer you in the right course, Dahlia," he stated. "The perfect mom is in you. You just need to know where to look." Dahlia nodded sadly and turned back to Ditzy.
"Well, I best go in and make that lemonade for you two." Dahlia stood up and walked into the house. 
"Ditzy," said Duncan suddenly once Dahlia had entered the house. "Could you go over to the porch and get that towel for me? It's really hot today and I'm getting kind of sweaty."
"Sure, Daddy!" Ditzy replied with a smile as she flew over to the porch. Ditzy landed on the porch and grabbed the towel. She was about to fly back to her dad when she noticed something in the sky. It was a pegasus delivery carriage. The pegasi in charge of the carriage were flying extremely fast. Ditzy noticed something sticking out of the side. As the pegasi increased their speed, something large fell out of the carriage: a piano. The pegasi didn't seem to notice their lost cargo. The piano was falling faster and faster. Ditzy realized that her dad was sitting right underneath the falling piano and had no idea of what was falling towards him. She felt like calling out to him...but she didn't. The story of her dad catching the piano out of the sky was still fresh in her mind. She was happy when she realized that she'd be able to see her invincible dad do the act again right in front of her eyes. Any second now her dad would sit upright and catch the falling piano with his forehooves. He would then toss it around like a bouncy ball and lay it on the ground in perfect condition, just like he told her. She watched and held her breath as the piano drew closer and closer to the ground. Duncan looked up to see the piano falling towards him. His eyes went wide. There was no time for him to move. Ditzy watched as the piano fell on top of her father with a loud crash. Dust and wood flew up into the air and was scattered throughout the front yard. 
Ditzy was confused. Why did her dad not catch the piano? She was sure that he was all right. He was invincible after all. He had told her himself. Ditzy waited for a few seconds, expecting her dad to pop out of the broken piano perfectly fine. Nothing happened. Just then, Dahlia ran through the front door with a tray held by one of her hooves. The tray held two glasses of lemonade.
"What in the name of Celestia was that noise?!" asked Dahlia as she looked around. She was surprised to not see Duncan anywhere. She looked at Ditzy and followed Ditzy's gaze towards the broken piano. "A piano? What the-" Dahlia gasped suddenly. She felt her legs go weak. No. It couldn't be. It couldn't have happened. Dahlia shook as she looked down at Ditzy. "Ditzy...where is your father?"
"He's under the piano. I'm waiting for him to come out," she replied. The tray and the glasses of lemonade fell to the ground with a loud smash. 
"DUNCAN!" Dahlia broke into a run. Ditzy raced after her. Tears were streaming down Dahlia's face as she began tearing through the broken piano. "DUNCAN! DUNCAN! ANSWER ME!" She heard a weak cough. She tore more pieces of wood away to reveal the cut up face of Duncan Doo. Somehow, he was still alive...but it was obvious that he wouldn't stay this way for long. "Duncan! Stay with me, Honey! Please stay with me!"
Ditzy felt a odd feeling wash over her. She had never felt this feeling before. It felt stronger than sadness and worse than fear. It was a mixture of the two. Why did her dad look so horrible? He was invincible...right?
"Daddy?" Ditzy asked. Duncan turned his head to look at Ditzy. "What happened? I thought you would catch the piano like you told me you did before."
"WHAT?!" snapped Dahlia. "WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL FOR HELP! DID YOU EVEN WARN HIM?!"
"I...I thought he didn't need to be warned." Ditzy looked at Duncan. "Daddy, are you going to be-" Ditzy suddenly felt a hoof smack right into the side of her face. Ditzy fell to the ground as tears began to well up in her eyes. She looked up to see her mother glaring down at her angrily. 
"NO! HE'S NOT GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT! HE'S DYING! WHY IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA DID YOU NOT TELL HIM TO MOVE?!"
"I-" Dahlia proceeded to slap Ditzy again.
"Dahlia," croaked the dying Duncan. Dahlia turned to look at her husband. "I'm sorry...but it looks...like I...won't be...able to keep...your promise...after all."
"No! No! Please! Duncan! Stay with me! Please don't go! I can't go on without you, Duncan!"
"I love you...Dahlia." He turned to Ditzy. "Ditzy...I love you too. Keep your...mother in check...okay?" Ditzy nodded through her tears of confusion and fear. "Ditzy...I...don't...blame...yo-" Duncan let out one last breath and his eyes grew dark. His body grew cold. He was gone.
"Duncan? Duncan?! DUNCAN!" cried Dahlia. Dahlia clutched the bloodied head of Duncan Doo in her forelegs. Tears were rolling down Ditzy's face as she looked at her father. She thought he was invincible. What happened?" Dahlia suddenly turned to Ditzy. "You! This is all your fault!"
"I...I didn't know, Mommy! I thought nothing could hurt Daddy!" Ditzy cried.
"You gullible idiot!" Dahlia cried as she slapped Ditzy again. 
"Please! Mommy!"
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU'VE KILLED HIM! YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HIM BUT YOU JUST STOOD BY AND LET HIM DIE! YOU'VE KILLED MY HUSBAND!" Dahlia stood over Ditzy and proceeded to slap her again and again.
"Mommy! Stop!"
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU LITTLE MISTAKE! I WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!"
"I didn't know! It wasn't my fault! It wasn't my fault! It wasn't my fault!"

Ice Tomb Beneath the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.

Tears were rolling down Dahlia's icy cheeks now. Derpy was looking down in silence.
"You let your father die, Ditzy. You killed him," Dahlia stated angrily.
"Maybe...maybe it was my fault," Derpy said.
"No," the Doctor stated. Derpy and Dahlia turned to the Doctor.
"Doctor?"
"You were a 5-year-old with mental disabilities. When one is a child, their parents appear godly and perfect to them. A child with an enhanced gullibility trait would almost certainly believe everything their parents tell them. Your father told you he was invincible. You believed it. Your father said he could catch a piano with his hooves. You believed it. Yes, you could have saved him. But that doesn't mean you should be blamed for his death, Derpy."
"You weren't there, Doctor!" Dahlia snapped.
"I don't need to be! How can you blame a child with an innocent mind for the death of your husband? Could it have been prevented? Yes. But...it just happened to the wrong ponies...at the wrong time."
"Stop trying, Doctor," Derpy sighed. "You'll never be able to convince her. She'll never let me move on from what happened to my father."
"You're right! You deserved everything I gave you in that following year!" Dahlia snapped. She began to grow angrier and her eyes began to glow redder. "I wanted you to feel the pain I felt! You needed to take responsibility for your actions just as I had to take my responsibility of raising you! I had to raise you! I had to take care of you! You were my flesh and blood! You were my responsibility! I loved you, hated you, and took care of you despite of my conflicted feelings! Then...the day came when you disappeared for good." Dahlia was silent for a moment. She looked up at the ice web ceiling of the room. "At first, I decided to let you run away for good...but then I remembered Duncan. I remembered what he told me right before the accident. I realized that I was definitely not living up to his expectations. I ran out into the night in search of you. At first, it was for Duncan and maybe even for you...but then the memories of your father's death returned and I grew angry. I wanted to punish you some more. I couldn't wait to find you and take you home. That's when it happened. That's when I fell through."
"Fell through?" asked the Doctor.
"Yes. It was a hole in the fabric of space and time. I fell through it and ended up in this world, thirteen years ago. Did you really think that changing your name was what prevented you from returning to me, Ditzy? No. It was because there was no mother for you to return to. There was nopony to report your disappearance. I was taken out of our world and placed here. At first I was scared but then I discovered that I wasn't the only one." The ice web began to shake around them. The Doctor wished that he hadn't dropped his Sonic Screwdriver outside. "That's when I met him. He was like me: lost and afraid. We bonded and retreated underground when we realized that the creatures of this world didn't respond well to us. He's quite amazing, he is. When I got sick with an illness from this world, he created this new cage body for me. It made me stronger and healthier. It made me more like him. He's also the reason that I was able to find you again, Ditzy. He has a gift of perception, per say, and he told me that we'd be reunited again. I was so happy and now I'm overjoyed that it has come true. He also predicted that some woman from this world would prevent our reunion. But, no matter, I've already taken care of her and her mate." The Doctor felt another pit grow in his stomach. If everything was adding up the way it was, he really hoped that Dahlia wasn't talking about who he thought she was talking about.
"Who is this he of yours?" the Doctor asked. Dahlia gave a cold smile and laughed.
"My second husband. He'll never replace Duncan...but he's a good creature to be related to." Dahlia looked up towards the ceiling. "Honey! Come and meet my daughter and her companion!" The Doctor and Derpy looked up. The walls of the cavern began to shake and pull apart. Derpy screamed as she finally saw what was coming to greet her and the Doctor.
"Oh my Celestia!" Derpy croaked.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," said the Doctor as he stared up at the creature before him.

Under the Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.

"That was quite an interesting story," said Twilight as she and Donna continued on their way. "I can't believe the Doctor didn't tell me the whole story!"
"Tell me about it," Donna said with a smile. "I think we're starting to go up."
"That's good." Twilight and Donna soon found themselves on a steep underwater incline. A few moments later, they were standing on the edge of a small pool in the middle of a tunnel constructed out of ice webbing. 
"Well...this is certainly getting interesting," said Donna as she placed her hand on the wall. It felt like strands of ice and hair mixed together. 
"The Doctor, Derpy, and your husband must be down here somewhere," said Twilight as she dropped the magical barrier.
"As well as the source of that voice."
"Right." Twilight and Donna took a few steps forward when the felt as if they were no longer alone. The companions turned and looked at each other. "You feel it too?"
"Oh yeah."
"Do you feel like you shouldn't look up?"
"Yeah."
"Are you going to look up?"
"Probably."
"Me too." Twilight and Donna gulped as they looked up at the ceiling. They both suddenly found themselves speechless from the sight of what they saw. Working its way through the webbing walls was an army of icy, rotten hands. These hands looked much worse than the hands Donna and Twilight had seen earlier for these looked moist and slimy. The walls around them began to shake as more hands reached out from all sides of the tunnel, even the floor and ceiling. A deep, icy voice echoed through the tunnel.
"Welcome, intruders. Allow me to escort you to the sac," ordered the voice. Twilight and Donna looked at each other.
"Run?" asked Twilight.
"Run," replied Donna with a nod. They both took off as the tunnel continued to shift and twist around them.