The sound of something flowing past him reminded him of the sound of a chorus of angels echoing from the clouds in the sky, though there had been no sky for him to see. For a brief moment, he found himself floating in a dark abyss, one he was unable to get out of, one that called him deeper into its cold embrace. He found himself taking in deep breaths, but felt no oxygen going through his lungs. He didn't feel the wind in his mane, nor the dust on his hooves. He felt nothing. He felt empty, like something was missing. He felt cold. He felt afraid.
Time in his darkness seemed to have come to a complete halt. He found minutes turn to hours, hours turn to day, day turns to years, years turn to whatever else came next. Decades? Centuries? Millenniums? None of it mattered at that point. All he could know was his name, his age, his town, and his profession. What seemed like an eternity, he found himself falling deeper and deeper into a never-ending sleep, and the more he did, the more a bright light shone closer and closer. Over time, it seemed to be closer than ever, so close that he could touch it with a hoof. When he did, he heard a calling. An angelic voice that called him closer and closer to someplace else. Another light. He had a choice, and he made it so long ago. Whatever death was waiting for him, it would have to wait. He wanted nothing more than a second chance.
With the sudden jolt of his head and the sound of his body's attempts at oxygen disrupted the silence of the forest, surprising everypony that was there, especially Ditzy Hooves. Ditzy took her jacket and wrapped it around the now unconscious Earth pony and looked towards the teenage ponies that were with her, the not-too-distant gallop of Paramedics echoing through the forest, the Earth Pony mare asking one question everypony had in their minds.
"Where-where did he come from?"
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
The sound of the repetitive noise plagued his mind, like the sound of continuous drums playing directly into his ears. A bright light engulfed his senses, begging for him to open his eyes until he finally did, his eyes hating him for doing so. Adjusting to the sudden light in what appeared to be a room, the confused colt looked around with his eyes, looking at two mare nurses talking to one another on his right, just past something that resembled a curtain that blocked the rest of the room. On his right, a pegasus with a blonde mane and a silver coat wrapped around in an oddly coloured blanket for warmth, her uniform visible from underneath the cloth, and she had been talking to a doctor, his white coat blinding in the light. Wanting to stand up, the colt found himself connected to something he had never seen before, and he was dressed in something long and light blue, and when he did try to get up, his body collapsed back onto the bed, emitting a groan of pain from his lips, catching the attention of both ponies on his left.
"Ah, you're awake I see. You seem a bit dazed, but that's nothing to worry about."
"W-where am I? What is this place? Am I....Dead?"
"I think you would have been dead if you had stayed frozen for a bit longer. I'm Doctor Gloves, funny name I know. I'm sure you're confused, but that isn't anything to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about? I'm connected to something that numbs by skin, and all you can worry about is my confusion?"
"Easy there, you're only connected to an IV. It kind of helps ya in a way. I'm no doctor though, I'm a policemare so I wouldn't know."
"Uh, sure..."
"Good stallion, if anything you should be thanking this mare for saving your life."
"Saving my life?"
"She told me that a young teenage colt found you trapped in ice when he fell beneath the frozen lake deep within the forest, and one of his friends went to grab somepony who could help, and Officer Hooves seemed to have bucked you out of ice with the consequential hypothermia. Nothing too severe though."
"Ice? Yes...yes I was trapped in ice...How long was I out for?"
"We're trying to figure that out at the station. We're currently looking through files and records of when you were listed by birth. For now I'll be here to answer any questions you want."
The doctor, who the stallion noted to be a unicorn, left the room with the two nurses, possibly to work on some other pony that needed their attention. The pegasus that remained with him sat beside him, and had a box in her hoof, pressing something that made a temporary sound, one he had never heard before.
"I beg your pardon ma'am, but what is that thing?"
"Hmm? Oh, this? This is an audio recorder. Since I can't use magic to write on paper, and since my eyes are too uncoordinated, I find it easier to record information."
"Odd, I don't remember that being around before I went frozen."
"Really? That's interesting. What's your name?"
"I'm sorry, my name?"
"Yeah, like how I have a name."
"I know what the word 'name' means ma'am, I'm not that burdened with amnesia. At least I don't think I am. On the topic of your name, what is your name?"
"I'm Officer Der-Ditzy Hooves."
"Derpy Hooves, was it?"
"No, it's Ditzy. I don't really go by Derpy, it's more of a nickname for me."
"Surely you must go by the name, it seems like your birth name after all."
"H-how did you know that?!"
"It isn't too hard to detect the notion of instinct my dear. You instinctively go by your birth name rather than a nickname, so when you mentioned the first few letters, it gave it away. Besides, you shouldn't dislike the name, it sounds lovely Miss Hooves."
Ditzy's face turned red and quickly hid her face underneath one of her wings, something that got the strange colt to chuckle. Well, at least she got on his good and irritating side at the bare minimum. Shaking her head, the pegasus realised she was off her original goal and went about to ask him more questions.
"Well, I'm sure you don't want to hear about me."
"But you're rather interesting."
"I can assure you, I'm not that interesting."
"Well, what about your eyes? What condition do you have?"
"...I guess I can answer this question. I have this condition doctors call 'Wall Eyes'. This means my eyes don't look in the same direction, well I mean only one does, but the other tends to wander around everywhere."
"That's very interesting. I'd never heard of a case such as that before."
"I don't think there HAS been a case like mine. Anyway, what's your name mystery stallion?"
"My name? It's Doctor Whooves."
"Doctor Whooves? Are you a medical pony or something?"
"Actually, I look more into the scientific aspect of life. Or, I used to at least."
"Interesting. I think Equestria could use science ponies in the future, that could make for an interesting one."
"I should say so as well Miss Hooves."
They talked like that for a while. Ditzy kept asking on the Doctor and his predicaments. She learned that he had been studying the pattern of stars prior to his collapse into the ice by the looks of things, and he was just two years older than herself, and she was already 25 years old. He came from Ponyville, and he earned his cutie mark through the creation of a clock. Doctor Whooves managed to learn more about the environment around him and more about the pegasus that intrigued him. He learned that she is a few years younger than him, and came from Ponyville too. Her cutie mark was earned via her silliness with bubblewrap in a delivery shop, and how that silliness turned into successfully wrapping things in bubblewrap despite her clumsiness.
After some time, the Doctor found himself sound asleep, his uncut mane bangs going over his eyes as he rested. Ditzy didn't stop him, she rather found herself intrigued with his form. He looked like he came from a time simpler than her time, though if that were the case, she would be thoroughly surprised. Getting up from her seat and making sure he was covered from the cold, she thanked Doctor Gloves and left the building. The sun had risen at this time, making Ditzy realise that she had been up all night. It wasn't surprising, after all a mysterious stallion frozen in ice was rather extraordinary for starters. All she needed to do was get this information to her commanding officer.
"Absolute rubbish!"
"B-but sir-"
"This isn't the kind of crap I was expecting from him!"
Commander Hornbill was in a bad mood with the lack of sleep and work done by the station. The additional fuel for his anger was the lack of evidence he expected from a colt frozen in ice. Putting him beside Ditzy, she looked like a feeble little leaf about to be crushed by a gigantic hoof. He was Commander of the station for a reason, he had been strong enough to conquer any criminal that crossed his path, which is why criminal activity wasn't as high as it was before he became Commander, and criminal activity is still at an all-time high. Ditzy tried her best to stay serious and calm in front of him, but her Wall Eyes and lack of self-confidence found the pegasus cowering in fear, as if she were a bug left to his mercy.
"W-w-w-well, what d-did you expect from him?"
"I dunno, anything that wasn't generic! His name, age, how his cutie mark appeared, what kind of information is this Hooves?!"
"I-I tried to get as much as I can! B-b-but all I could get was what he felt l-l-like sharing. M-m-maybe he isn't ready for extensive questioning yet Commander..."
"I want results, not flowers Ditzy!"
"Commander! Reports from the capital! Another pony has been kidnapped by Tempest Shadow!"
"Nggh, from where this time?"
"Manehatten sir!"
"...Ditzy Hooves, you're excused for the night. Go home, get some rest, and the next time you meet him, maybe try to get something useful out of him."
"Y-yes sir..."
Ditzy exited Hornbill's office, and made her way back to her desk. With a delivery shift in a few hours, the most the Pegasus had wanted was to finish filing in her report for the night on her desktop, the thing enchanted to correct Ditzy's spelling mistakes or errors made because of her Wall Eyes, then head home to rest. Her friends in the office walked in for early shifts, and offered Ditzy a helping hoof, the mare politely declining. As time went by, Ditzy found her eyes growing heavier by the minute, and soon found herself resting her head in front of her desktop, not forgetting to save her work in case she accidentally did something to it. With that done, Ditzy allowed herself to drift off to sleep, maybe for at least an hour.
Doctor Whooves woke up to the sound of the same constant noise that continued to ring throughout the room. Groaning, he tried to sit up, wincing as his body was still weak from being stuck in one position for so long, let alone doing that in an ice cube. Finding himself hungry, the Doctor wondered what to do to get something to eat, if anything something light or simple was enough. The thought of food got him even hungrier as he imagined pancakes, waffles drowning in butter, and a few English Muffins with a cup of coffee to enjoy. It was a thought that was mouth-watering to say the least. The smell of something pastry-like caught his attention, his eyes lighting up upon seeing Ditzy in her delivery uniform.
"Ah, Miss Hooves, good morning!"
"It's more like the afternoon Doctor."
"Oh, my mistake Miss Hooves."
"Did you rest well?"
"I can safely say I got some decent sleep away from the ice. It's like being frozen in time, I can tell you that."
"Hehe, I can't imagine being frozen like that."
"Trust me my dear, I'd rather not have you go through it."
"I'll trust your word on it then."
"Rightfully so. Tell me Miss Hooves, is this some sort of new uniform the police department conjured up?"
"Huh? Oh! I'm not in a police uniform, I work part-time as a delivery mare."
"Delivery mare? Surely the pay for you policemares has gone up in the new year?"
"The pay is alright, but I still work as a delivery mare as some sort of support for my friend's bakery."
"Ooh, a bakery, how exciting! Is that how you got the muffins in the bag?"
"Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot about that. I was wondering what you liked, so I just got something that smelt good, which was the blueberry muffins on sale. I hope you like them."
"Dear, your timing couldn't have been more perfect. Being in ice takes a lot of energy and I found myself a bit hungry. I'm also guessing you got English muffins because of my behaviour."
"I mean, I guess it was posh enough."
Both ponies laughed at the remark, and soon began to devour the muffins, the Doctor happily eating as much as he could to Ditzy's encouragement. The duo continued to talk to one another, enjoying the company of one another, but through it all Ditzy was more or less a bit more quiet than usual, the commands of her superior still lingering in her head. In his nature, the Doctor noted this behaviour.
"You're not 100% alright, are you my dear?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm alright. Just tired."
"Sleep is essential for the brain to function properly my dear, so you should get some more of it."
"Thanks...Um, Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you a few more questions?"
The click of the audio recorder alerted the Doctor to the situation that had just occurred. Giving a confused but comforting smile towards the mare, the Doctor spoke up through the uneasy silence that engulfed the room, his smooth English accent emitting a delicate tone that can easily be compared to that of a mother's soothing lullaby.
"It's quite alright Derpy. It's nice to talk to somepony for the first time in years."
"I-I guess. Um, do you remember when you were born?"
"The exact year, or...?"
"The exact year maybe."
"Oh, I don't honestly remember actually! But I do know I'm 27 years old by the looks of things. I was born on the 5th of the 6th month of the year though."
"The 5th of June?"
"Exactly Miss Hooves."
"Alrighty. Um, concerning your cutie mark, when DID you make your first clock."
"Oh, well, I guess it was 20 years ago by the looks of things. Maybe I missed around 20 years of my life though, or at least 14 at the bare minimum."
"You've been frozen for 14 years?"
"By the looks of things, I reckon I was. Your calendar shows the numbers and days matching up to one another that was on the calendar I owned when I made that clock. Those dates match up once every 8-9 years if you consider the leap years that occur every 4 years, and it was a leap year I made that little contraption I remember."
"That's interesting. What year do you reckon it was when you went under the ice Doctor?"
"What year? Well, it should be the year 1700 now, so what's new in the new century?"
"1-1700?"
"Yes, that should be the new year. Did I forget to mention it was a grandfather clock I invented?"
"I-I-Invention?!"
"The world is forever changing Miss Hooves, so inventions are a phenomenal thing. I shouldn't forget to mention that I invented the first Grandfather Clock when I was seven either."
"B-b-but, Doctor, that was 400 years ago! The first grandfather clock was invented 400 years ago!"
"Already invented 400 years ago? Haha, that would be something! I have been meaning to travel into the past, but I never got around to making it being in ice and all, as well as being engulfed in my studies in the stars. Tell me Miss Hooves, have you-"
"I-I'm sorry, I need to go!"
"Miss Hooves? Is something the matter?"
"Here, you can have the rest of the muffins, I'm not hungry. I need to get to the station!"
"Derpy, what's wrong? Derpy? Derpy?!"
In a panic, Ditzy raced out of the building in a gallop, concerning the Doctor who tried to follow her, only to collapse once again in pain due to the lack of strength in his muscles. Feeling helpless, concerned and afraid, the Doctor could do nothing but look up at the ceiling, his heart racing, his head swimming with possibilities and his face growing slightly pale. Could it be she might have discovered something about him that he couldn't bring himself to think about? No, it couldn't possibly be. Turning his head, he spotted the outline of something rectangular, shifting his position to see the audio recorder. She seemed to have dropped it in her panic, and as it hit the floor it must have been repeating something from the interrogation. What he heard made his heart stop each time he heard it.
"B-b-but, Doctor, that was 400 years ago! The first grandfather clock was invented 400 years ago!
SCKRTSH
B-b-but, Doctor, that was 400 years ago! The first grandfather clock was invented 400 years ago!
SCKRTSH
B-b-but, Doctor, that was 400 years ago! The first grandfather clock was invented 400 years ago!"
"4-400 years? Surely that can't be-that couldn't be-that shouldn't be right! Can it?!"
The audio continued to repeat itself, as cliche as it had been for anypony else, it was horrifyingly convenient for the Doctor, his face growing paler and his eyes growing wider as the audio continued to repeat itself like a broken clock that continues to chime. For the Earth Pony, everything clicked in an instant, it all made sense for the Doctor. All he could think of doing next was to scream in disbelief. And he did just that with tears in his eyes, covering them with one hoof.