> A Rosier View > by Frozen Echo > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: The Thunderstorm > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1: The Thunderstorm "Ugh, Derpy!" The familiar sound of the cyan pony roaring made Derpy jump, a small blush creeping over her face as she slowly turned around. When she did turn around completely she flinched, Rainbow Dash right in her face with fury, yanking the banner over her head and tossing it away like garbage. "How many times have I told you; do not try to help me set up the town hall!" The gray pegasus avoided Rainbow Dash's burning gaze with a shudder, trying to get rid of her blush that grew darker. "Oopsie, sorry," she mumbled, reaching for the fallen plank of wood. The cyan pegasus thrust out her hoof to stop Derpy, leaning closer. "Did I not just say not to help me?" "Well, yes but--" "No buts, just, go away!" Derpy flattened her ears and extended her wings, flying away from the raging pegasus below. Today was the Mayor's birthday, and Derpy wanted to help set up the decorations. She had tried to help Rainbow Dash by grabbing the banner and flying to pin it on the town hall building, only to become tangled. She had thrashed about and rammed into the pillars, smashing one. Derpy's blush grew more intense as she remembered the embarrassment of everypony staring at her and their eyes all narrowed or their heads bowed to hide the laughter. The gray pony felt as if she did everything wrong. She felt like there wasn't a thing she could do right. Derpy rubbed her temples with her hooves, landing on a small cloud in the sky. Her gaze shifted to the weather ponies as they pushed thunderclouds together, a frown tight on her face. I thought we were having the Mayor's birthday! she thought, removing her hooves from her face. She shook the thought of helping them, knowing she would cause damage instead. The gray pegasus jumped off of her cloud and flew back towards Twilight Sparkles' house. Maybe she has something for me to do, Derpy thought excitedly. Soon Derpy could see the tree home, the purple alicorn standing just out of her house. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her gaze intense as she focused on something Derpy couldn't quite see. She grew excited, flying down to greet Twilight. Maybe I can help her. Derpy dropped down beside Twilight with a smile, leaning closer to her. "Hey, Twi," she said cheerily. "watchya doing?" The purple alicorn jumped at the sound of Derpy, crying out as she stumbled over. The gray pegasus flinched, knowing she had made Twilight Sparkle fall. Derpy offered her a hoof as Twilight stirred, a innocent grin on her own face. "Sorry Twilight." Twilight shot Derpy an icy glance that made her grin vanish quickly, a frown replacing it instead. "Twilight, is something wro--?" "Yes, there is!" she snapped, interrupting Derpy. Her voice was clipped and her eyes narrowed as she refused the pegasi's hoof, getting up on her own. "I was in the middle of meditating!" she huffed. Twilight Sparkle shot her one last glare, clenching her teeth. "It's going to help me with my studies. So please, Derpy, go bother somepony else!" It was like a cold slap in the face, stinging her harshly. But Derpy did not argue. She instead reluctantly slumped away, her head bowed low to the ground. Twice. Twice she had made a horrible mistake and made a fool of herself. The gray pegasus decided to go see Applejack instead, her mood suddenly lifted miles high. She snapped open her wings and took off, heading over to the apple farm. Derpy finally arrived to the farm, peering down below to try and find the orange earth pony. She squealed happily as she saw Applejack bucking at the trees, the apple family moving quickly. "Quickly, ya'll!" Applejack yelled over the howling wind. "we need to get these apples before the storm!" Derpy flew down towards the family, a smug grin planted on her face. The gray pegasus approached Applejack, trying to get her attention. When the orange earth pony noticed her she looked at her in a strange way, tilting her head slightly. "What is it sugarcube?" "Can I help?" Applejack bit her lower lip, using a hoof to hold down her hat as a gust of wind came over them. "A-ah guess so," she stuttered. "we need to buck these apples before it starts to rain." Derpy nodded and flew over to some trees, trying to figure out how to do it. I've seen Applejack buck the apples, but, maybe there's a quicker way... aha! Her grin grew as she thought of an idea, flying into the trees. She flew into each one, giving them a good shake and the apples plunged to the earth below. Derpy giggled and repeated this process with each tree, feeling pride swell over her. I'm actually doing something helpful! "What the hay are you doing, Derpy!?" The gray pegasus stopped as Applejack jumped, grabbing her tail before she flew off again. She cried out as pain shot up her spine, immediately dropping back down to the ground. Derpy whirled around to find Applejack's face unreadable, shrinking away slightly. "Didn't you get a bucket to put the apples in?" she asked, her voice dripping with irritation. Derpy dropped her eyes from the earth ponies', blushing. Applejack took in a deep breath to hold back her anger, refusing to glare at Derpy. "Look sugarcube, I know you want to help but... maybe you should leave. We now have even more work to do." The gray pegasus just sighed, turning away from Applejack. Yet again, another mistake. Derpy headed home as rain began to pour over her, a shiver moving through her frail body. She sniffed, trying to fight off the tears that threatened her eyes. Derpy was about to reach her home until she bumped into a large object, knocking her onto her arse. She gasped and looked up, seeing a blue metal box in front of her. What is this? she thought as she rose to her hooves, walking to the front of it. Derpy pushed on it. Nothing. This time she pushed harder. Nothing. The gray pegasus narrowed her eyes and took a few steps back, charging at the blue box. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Derpy stopped as she was about to ram into the box, turning slowly to the voice. Before her was a brown stallion with a dark chocolate brown mane hovering over her, his face having a quizzed look. "Aren't you cold? Do you need a place to stay?" he asked, offering her a hoof. The gray pegasus looked up at him, realizing she had been shrinking away from him. "I--I, um, sure," she whispered, accepting the hoof. Who is this guy? "Why, I am the Doctor. Who are you?" he asked as if reading her hind. Oh boy... > Chapter 2: Meet the Doctor > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2: Meet the Doctor Derpy followed the mysterious stallion to a small house, not meeting his eyes. I could've gone home but, he seems like such a nice pony! she thought. The gray pegasus held back a giggle as he tripped up the stairs, rushing to help him up. He looks...strange. The Doctor muttered his thanks and placed a hoof on the doorknob, frowning. Derpy peeked over his shoulder as he tried to open the door, failing miserably. "Maybe it's the rain?" she offered with a shrug. "Yeah." "May I try?" Derpy asked, stepping closer to the door. The Doctor nodded, moving out of the way for her. Derpy placed a firm hoof on the doorknob, twisting with a grin as the door popped open with ease. He stood there and looked at her with wide eyes. "Something wrong, Doc? You seem shocked," the gray pegasus giggled. When the Doctor shook his head and mumbled something to himself Derpy suppressed a laugh, reluctantly following him inside. He scurried off into the house making Derpy frown slightly. "Uh, doc, are you ok?" "Yes! Yes, I'm fine," he breathed, rushing past her. "Um, can you wait here for a second?" "Sure thing." Derpy shut the door and stood on the welcome mat, inspecting his house. It was small but reasonable for one pony. The living room had a brown couch for two ponies in the corner, small plush pillows on each side. A large light blue rug was in the center of the room, stretching out to the kitchen. A small round table was on each side of the couch, each one having a small cream lamp on it. The rug stopped in the doorway to the kitchen as Derpy tried to lean forward to see the rest of the house. "Here you go!" The gray pegasus squeaked as she tumbled forward from the Doctor's voice breathing into her ear from behind her, landing harshly on her face. "Oh dear!" the Doctor gasped, scrambling over to the fallen pony. He helped Derpy up, a blush creeping over her face. The blush darkened as he placed a hoof on her cheek with a frown. "Are you sick? You're face is red," he asked, moving his hoof to her forehead. Derpy squeaked again, backing away suddenly with a darker blush as she avoided his gaze. "I feel fine," she insisted. The Doctor walked back over to her while biting his lower lip, lifting her chin. "Are you sure? I mean, you are pretty warm." Derpy nodded frantically, flinching away as he held out his hoof. "What? It's a towel," he said with a smirk. The gray pony looked out at his hoof and relaxed, grabbing the towel gratefully. As she dried herself off the Doctor's smirk grew bigger. "Maybe you weren't sick," he said with a sigh, moving his eyes to the side. Derpy let out a sigh of relief as he said that, hiding a smile as she dried off her face. "but maybe, you were blushing." She moved the towel slowly off her face to find the Doctor nose-to-nose with her, the blush finding it's way back to her face. "N-no I was not!" she stammered, putting the towel back over her face to dry off. "Derpy, your face is dry already," he said smugly, a large grin on his face. She jumped as the Doctor removed the towel from her grasp, backing away. "I, uh, think I should be heading home," she mumbled, heading over to the door quickly. "Wait," he called out, stopping the gray pegasus in her tracks. "you can't go out in this weather!" Derpy sucked in a sharp breath, turning back around. "I mean, I don't want to be a bother or anything," she said softly, twirling a strand of her blonde hair with a hoof. "A bother? Why would you be a bother?" "Well, I usually create messes everywhere," Derpy said with a frown, sitting down on the welcome mat. "I try to help but, it always turns into a disaster." The Doctor opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it, padding quietly over to her. He sat down by Derpy, leaning against the door as he searched her face. "How do you make messes all the time?" "Let me explain today..." After Derpy was done explaining, the Doctor straightened his tie that was around his neck. He looked at her face, seeing that one eye was off. He furrowed his eyebrows as he thought maybe he was seeing things. The Doctor blushed as she looked away, her ears flattened. "It's ok," she sighed. "everypony stares..." "No! I was j-just a bit confused, that's all!" he tried, reaching out to her. "Please face me." The gray pegasus refused, trying to block him out. "Derpy, I'm begging you." Derpy let out a tiny sigh, hesitating. Finally she turned back around slowly to face the Doctor, his blush gone. "U-uh, doc, what are you doing...?" He had his hooves on either side of her face, gazing intensely into her eyes. "My, my," he breathed. "you have lovely eyes." A dark blush found its way to Derpy's face, moving her eyes away from his. "Um, t-thanks." The Doctor removed his hooves quickly as he drew in a deep breath, rising to his hooves. "Well, I only have one bed," he said with a sheepish grin. "I can take the couch." "No, I'm the guest! I'll take the couch." He stopped her before she could move, his eyes serious. "But you are a lady," he pointed out. Derpy stared at him with wide eyes, her breath hitching. A...lady...? "Now, go upstairs. The bed is the first room on the right." She watched the Doctor for a few more heartbeats as he headed over to the couch, laying down on it. "Thanks, Doctor," Derpy whispered, heading up the stairway. She followed his instructions carefully, walking into the bedroom. A small bed was in the corner of the room on her left along side of a window. There was a small desk with a lamp on it, drawings scattered on the wooden desk. A blanket was cast over a large rectangular shaped object, a sudden idea hitting the gray pony. He never had a blanket... she thought to herself. I'll get him this one! Derpy skipped over to the rectangular box, gripping the soft blue blanket between her teeth with closed eyes. She pulled away the blanket with a satisfied hum, opening her eyes. She dropped the blanket with a shocked look on her face as she looked up at the box. No way. Before her, the large blue metal box loomed over her that she saw in the street. How is this here...? > Chapter 3: Running Wild > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3: Running Wild Derpy blanched at the large blue box that looked over her menacingly, her eyes wide and her jaws parted. She fell onto the ground, her wandering eyes full of confusion. How is this here? It was in the street a while ago! The gray pony flinched as a bolt of thunder cracked through the silence like a hot knife through butter. Deeply heard a familiar voice come from downstairs as she panicked, reaching for the blanket. In the rush of madness, Derpy tripped over the blanket and tumbled face first onto the wooden floor with a cry of pain. "Derpy?" The Doctor rushed up the stairs and headed for the bedroom, peeking through the crack the door made. He erupted into the bedroom as Derpy snapped up her head, her face draining of all color. "N-no, it's not what you think," she began breathlessly with her ears flattened. "I was getting a blanket for you and I... sorta..." The gray pony trailed off as the Doctor stared at the blue box, his jaw dropped. The air was just as stagnate as the two ponies as the thick silence draped over them like a blanket. "W-what a surprise!" the Doctor smirked, strolling to her casually. Derpy tilted her head in confusion as he seemed to sway when he approached her. "It appears you found my... uh, my carving collection! Brilliant," The Doctor muttered the last word with heavy eyes. Derpy got to her hooves, her eyes sparkling brightly. "Really?! Do you have more?" The Doctor shifted his hooves as he tried to meet the pegasi's yellow eyes, not wanting to lie. I have no choice, he decided. "No, unfortunately," he said evenly, hiding a grin as his voice never faltered. "I'm still working on this one, though." Derpy nodded with her breath hitching in her throat as she snuck a glare at him when the Doctor wasn’t looking. He thinks I’m that gullible? She thought while clenching her teeth. “Looks pretty cool, mind if I open it?” she asked starkly, stepping closer to the beautifully crafted piece. As she did so, the Doctor flinching was painfully noticeable. “N-no! It, uh, doesn’t have an inside, actually.” “Then why get all nervous, doc?” “I’m not nervous,” he scoffed, looking away. “Look, let’s just go back to bed. Sound good?” The gray pegasus pondered on his pleads with a stifled giggle, nodding slowly. “Ok, sounds good.” The Doctor closed his eyes with a simple smile and ruffled Derpy's blonde hair playfully, turning to exit the room. She hesitated to call out to him, picking up the blanket as he slipped away silently. She followed after the stallion quietly and listened to him mumble to himself. "That was too close," he sighed quietly, flopping onto the couch. Derpy felt a tugging suspicion at her brain, his mumbling ceasing as her heart stopped. Does he know...? The Doctor rose to his hooves and padded quietly to her direction as her heart began to race. She could hear his steady breathing getting closer as she clenched onto the blanket tighter, beads of sweat rolling down her face. No, don't come any closer! He can't know I was snooping on his mumbling. Derpy tried to blend into the wall as much as she could, feeling warm breath reach her ear. She held back a shriek as he nearly touched her, a deep blush coming over her face. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for him to see her slim and frail shadow pressed tightly against the walls. The lights were off but Derpy didn't know if that would help her blend in or not. She almost exhaled the breath that she was holding and nearly dropped the blanket she had been clinging onto for dear life as the Doctor moved away from her. The gentle patters of hooves on the wooden floor stopped as she heard him walk onto the carpet and go back to the couch, making Derpy fly back up the stairs as quietly as possible. On second thought, maybe he doesn't need this blanket... ~ The gray pegasus opened her eyes reluctantly as sunshine poured into the room, the sound of hooves approaching her slowly. "Derpy, it is time to get up," a familiar voice cooed. She felt firm hooves shake her, trying to get her out of the comfy bed. Derpy let out a groan and sat up, her gaze veering to a smirking stallion. "Is something wrong...?" she mumbled, rubbing the heavy sleep from her eyes. The Doctor shook his head as his eyes twinkled, heading back to the open door to exit. "I made breakfast, if you're hungry." Derpy felt her stomach growl loudly, her face flushing in embarrassment. He turned to face the blushing pegasus with a chuckle as he flicked an ear. "I take that you are, in fact, hungry," the Doctor chirped with a gentle smile, his eyes closed and his head tilted slightly. Derpy offered a smile back, getting out of bed and followed the Doctor. Her mouth watered as wonderful scents filtered into her nose, holding back a squeal of delight. The Doctor looked back her, his head tilted back as he talked to her. "You seem excited," he snickered, leading her into the kitchen. Whoa! Derpy examined the counter hungrily, resisting the urge to poke the bowl. "What is this?" "Where I come from, it's called Oatmeal." "Oatmeal...?" The word flowed off her tongue easily which brought another wide smile to her lips. The smile faltered as she backed away, looking at the Doctor. "I'm sorry but, I can't accept your food." The Doctor replaced his smile with a aghast, opened mouth, his eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?" "I have a house, doc. I can't eat your food," she explained, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry I never told you before--" "Ah, don't worry about it," the Doctor responded, using a hoof to push it towards her. "You wouldn't have made it home in that rain, anyways." Derpy let a smile pull at her lips, shaking her head. "I'm not that hungry," she lied through her teeth. "But...may I ask you a question?" "Yeah, sure." Derpy hesitated, dragging a hoof along the wooden floor. "In your bedroom...what was that, really?" "Derpy, I told you what it was--" "You we're lying," she grumbled, narrowing her golden eyes. "Tell me the truth." The Doctor shuffled his hooves on the ground, refusing to meet the grey pegasus's challenging stare. "Well...if I told you, you--" A loud bang from the door made them both leap in surprise, the Doctor not sure if he should be relieved or worried. The Doctor placed two hooves on Derpy's back and shoved her towards the stairs, hearing the door splinter and crack. "What's going on?!" "Just head upstairs! Ill be right there," he instructed, stepping back and urging Derpy to fly to his bedroom. When she was out of sight, the Doctor snuck back to the front, peeking his head around the corner. "Exterminate!" The Doctor leaped away as a he heard the laser being shot, covering his ears when the part of the doorway he was peeking around showered down on him in chunks. Daleks! I have to get Derpy out of here. He made a run for it, leaping onto the staircase and scrambling up the stairs as another shot nearly caught his hind leg. The Doctor rounded a corner and collided into a frozen Derpy, knocking then both over. "Sorry!" He cried, quickly getting off her. "But we gotta go!" He helped Derpy up before dashing off to his bedroom, the grey pegasus now hot on his heels. "What are those things?" Derpy inquired. "Daleks," he responded, eyes flickering around the room. The Doctor ran over to his window and quickly pried it open, motioning for Derpy to come over. She did what was asked and got ready to climb out, only to fall back with her golden eyes as wide as saucers. "Derpy, what's wrong? Jump out!" "Uhmm...look out the window, doc." The Doctor poked his head out like the pegasus had told him to do, and sudden realized her terror. "Exterminate!" The Doctor leaped away and pounced on top of Derpy, the window exploding and glass shards hitting them. "Brilliant," he muttered, slowly crawling off Derpy. "Now what?" "Are we going to die?" "Hah! If I don't come up with a plan, maybe." Derpy's ears flattened slightly at that, casting her vibrant orbs to gaze at the ground. The Doctor stifled a sigh and rubbed his temples with his hooves, eyes narrowing. Think, doc, think! How can I get us out of here? "Look out!" The Doctor felt something slam into him and knock him away from a laser, eyes growing wide. "Derpy, keep that door closed!" He hollered, watching the pegasus crawl off him. She nodded quickly before flying over to the door, kicking it shut and locking it. The Doctor straightened his tie before sucking in a sharp breath, heading over to the item Derpy found yesterday. The Tardis. He opened up the door to reveal a whole system of electronics inside, looking over his shoulder at Derpy. Her eyes slowly grew wide as she trotted towards him, jaws parted in silent awe. "Just a craft piece, huh?" She grumbled. "Oh, just go inside." Derpy scrambled inside and looked around, eyes flickering around and absorbing in every detail. "Ready to go?" She looked over to see the Doctor flipping some switches and pressing buttons, meeting her gaze. "Don't worry," he chimed. "We'll get out of here." Derpy felt her world spinning and questions clogging her brain, eyes frantically searching the strange contraption. What's going on? Who is this pony? What is this...thing we're inside? "It is called the 'Tardis.'" "Oopsie," she mumbled. She didn't realize she said that all out loud. At least her mind wasn't whirling. "And you already know who I am." "What are you?" Derpy asked shakily, turning around to face the Doctor. He blinked slowly as his face shuttered close, erasing all emotion from his face. He flipped a switch open to reveal a red button, locking his eyes with the trembling grey pegasus. "Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to," he said rather darkly. He brought his hoof down and let it slam into the red button, the whole room shuddering. "Where are we going?" Derpy cried, ears flat on her head. "An adventure." As the Daliks busted down the door, they could see the faint outline of the Tardis before it completely vanished. The sound of whirls and clicks made some Daliks step to the side, revealing a large mechanical pony. It's eyes blazed red and a large gap was between its chest, showing a red glowing gem. It released an airy groan and growl, a hiss spilling past its metal jaws. "Exterminate," it breathed, claws clicking on the ground as it approached a desk. The claws were brought down and shredded the wood into splinters, the fire-like red of its eyes growing brighter. "The Doctor."