//------------------------------// // A Rain Filled Fairwell // Story: A Love to Remember // by SleepingPegasus //------------------------------// “Miss Doo? Miss Doo? Are you there?” Derpy trotted into the bedroom. “What is it, Doctor? Is there something I can get you?” The Doctor nodded, pushing his body upright, but to no avail. “First off, could you help me up. I'd like to sit up in this bed, but these… hooves are difficult.” Derpy just sighed, going over to help him to sit up. “Thanks, Ditzy. Do… Do you think I could get something to eat? I'd go get it myself, but…” She put up her hoof, silencing him. “It's alright. You still haven't learned to adjust to your pony body. I understand. Just give me a moment.” Derpy gave the Doctor a weak smile, receding out of the room. It had only been a week since the hospital let the Doctor out, and he was brought to Derpy’s house. Wanting to give him space to adjust himself, she put him in ‘their’ room, opting to just sleep out on the couch. It wasn't easy for Derpy to treat the stallion she loved as a stranger, let alone be treated like one herself. On multiple occasions, he's called for her using her name. The name she once tried to get him to call her. Now she’d give anything to hear him call her Derpy. She knew all of this wasn't going to be easy, but nothing could have prepared her this. Crying herself to sleep every night, hoping that she’ll wake up from this nightmare. Or even to find the Doctor back to his old self. Even if it meant he’d go back to find a way to his world. A gentle breeze swept in through the open window. The Doctor laid in bed, letting Derpy help feed him. “So remind me. There was an explosion at the workshop I was using at the time?” The question had been brought up a few times since he first woke up. Some parts of the Doctor couldn't grasp the prior events fully. Derpy nodded, putting a half-eaten English muffin down on the plate. “One of your experiments went critical, and you were too close to get out of the blast. I had just dropped off your dinner when everything went down. That’s why I was caught in it… And didn't sustain much injury.” She sat back, watching the news sink in again. She knew what the next question was going to be. “The experiment… I was working on something. Something…” The Doctor tried to wrap his mind on what he was trying to accomplish before. “What was I working on again, Ditzy?” She didn't want to tell him the truth. That he might have been close to finding a way home. She was afraid of what he'd do if he found out in his current state. With no connection linking the Doctor to her, he was likely to just up and leave. And to make matters worse, Derpy felt cruel lying to him. “I… I don't quite recall what you were working on… I think you kept it a secret. All I know is that it was supposed to be something grand… Or at least that's what you told me.” Her words, though partly lies, eased the Doctor’s expression. “That does sound like me. Keeping my work fairly secret. I doubt any ponies here would believe that I'm actually some time traveling entity whose sole job is to protect the various multiverse from creatures and things bent on destruction, domination, deletion…” He caught himself trailing off and chuckled. “Sorry… But anyway. I do need to find a way to get back to my universe. The longer I remain here, the longer my old enemies have to cause problems.” "Yeah... I bet there's a lot of people that miss you..." Derpy's sudden shift in tone caught the Doctor's attention. Before he could question her on it, she slid off the bed. “If you need anything else, just… Give me a holler.” Before he could stop her, she left the room, trotting quickly downstairs. In her rush to get away from the Doctor, Derpy stopped halfway down the stairs, seeing Dinky standing at the bottom step. She looked up at her older sister and beckoned her into the dining room. Dinky helped Derpy into a chair, shouldering her head. “How’s he been doing? Has he remembered anything yet?” The heavy sobbing from her sister answered that question. “It's alright, sis. I'm sure he’ll remember us again soon. You just need to keep at it.” “Why does this have to be so hard? It feels like my heart is being ripped out every time he looks at me now. Every time, I hope he'd finally remember us...” Derpy’s sobbing consumed her words. Dinky brought her sister’s head closer, brushing her mane gently. “You need to stop beating yourself up over this. None of this is your fault, sis. None of this is the Doctor’s fault. You are doing everything you can to help him. It isn't easy. The doctor told us that the day the hospital let him go home. You’ve got to stay strong, Derpy. If not for yourself, then for the Doctor.” Derpy pulled her head away, wiping the tears from her eyes. She had been told how difficult it was going to be trying to help the Doctor remember everything. She knew it wasn't going to be easy. But even still. “Maybe you should take him on a tour of Ponyville. It gives you some time to spend with the Doctor. And it’ll give you an opportunity to teach him more about pony culture.” It did sound like a good idea. The two of them had been cooped up into the house since the Doctor got home, and it was about time they got out for a bit. “... And over there is Sugar Cube Corner. It's one of the best places to get something sweet in Ponyville. Cakes, muffins, pies, you name it. You can also host parties there. Thanks to a certain pink mare that works there, there's practically a party going on there every day.” Derpy glanced over at the Doctor, seeming a little more relaxed than she was earlier. “I see. I am highly curious about how you ponies can consume such sugary foods. Then again, ponies can eat sugar cubes and most crisp fruits and grain, so an apple pie isn't too out of the question, I guess. Still, don't know about muffins.” The Doctor, to the best of his ability, was taking notes, sloppy as it looked, having to use his mouth to hold the pen. A small hint of frustration wore on his face. “Doctor, relax. It's alright. No need to rush yourself. Understanding our bodies takes time… Took time… Even when you first did it…” She stepped over to his side, taking the pen from his mouth. “You don't have to be afraid to ask for help. That's the best part about Ponyville. Everypony here are willing to help you. They don't care how out of place you seem. Hell, they accepted me of all ponies. What I'm trying to say is, so long as you're here, let Ponyville feel like home to you.” Derpy looked over his notes, trying her best to translate his chicken scratch. Even if he hadn't yet picked up on how to use his pony body well, he at least was able to pick up on Equestrian's written language, not that Derpy was too surprised by that. A pair of mares trotted on by, catching a glimpse of the Doctor. Their eyes fell off of him sharply as they hurried along, their actions going noticed by the Doctor. He waited until they were out of earshot before turning to Derpy. “Do you know what's going on with some of the ponies here? They seem to be, avoiding me.” Avoiding was an understatement. During the entirety of the tour of Ponyville so far, Derpy was literally the only pony who came within ten feet of him. And even then, most of them broke eye contact the moment they saw him. “Does this have anything to do with my failed experiment?” Derpy sighed, answering the question with just that. “Your experiment itself took a lot of power from Ponyville. When it went critical and exploded, all of Ponyville was left without proper power. Even a small portion of Canterlot was drained of power. Something like that doesn't exactly happen unless some sort of evil king, queen, or whatnot was trying to take over Equestria for the umpteen time. Don't worry too much about it. It's only a matter of time before ponies leave it in the past.” Derpy sounded sure of herself when she spoke, even if beneath that, she knew it might not be the case. She had been confronted at the Canterlot Hospital during the time they were keeping the Doctor there. She heard all of their complaints about him. That his experiments have brought nothing but harm to ponies. Derpy would have explained to them the importance of his experiments. Still, telling them he was trying to get back to his own world would have painted one hell of a mad pony on the Doctor. That and it was best not to give the angry ponies a way to get rid of him. “So come on, there's still much Ponyville we still have to see.” Derpy turned to make sure the Doctor was still in one piece, only to find him staring off into the distance. She followed his gaze as a knot tied in her gut. The direction in which he was looking lead straight towards his old, and now destroyed, workshop. There was still evidence of an explosion painted across the area. “That was my workshop… Wasn't it Derpy..?” “Yeah… It was all destroyed in the explosion. It's going to take some time before the scorch marks fade. Come now, I still have a few things to show you.” It took a bit to break his focus on his old workshop, but eventually, he started following Derpy again. The rest of the afternoon was spent with Derpy covering every part of Ponyville’s somewhat random history of events. Though the Doctor didn't quite understand much of why certain circumstances lead to particular outcomes, it at least kept his attention off of the ponies staring wearily at him. That wasn’t, however, the only thing that was eyeing at the Doctor. Something had been watching him ever since he came into town today. It kept close to the shadows, succeeding in maintaining its hidden presence. It was growing dark by the time Derpy lead the Doctor back to the house. “We’re home, Doc. I hope you enjoyed the tour of Ponyville, or at least the chance to get some fresh air.” “Yeah. Even if I still can't perform properly in this body, it does help to stretch a bit. You ponies are still fascinating creatures. Even without any proper appendages, you all have made such an extravagant culture. And even with the vast differences between your three races, you ponies still live in harmony. It's remarkable.” The usual ramblings of the Doctor were abruptly interrupted by a healthy growl of his stomach. “And it seems I am hungry.” He smiled rather childishly, still being in his overly fascinated mindset. “I’ll go take a seat in the living room and wait for dinner to be made.” Derpy nodded at him, letting him into the house. The night sky blanketed over Equestria, giving view to the vast stars above. The Doctor got help into his bed from Derpy, who gave him a simple kiss on the forehead. “Sleep, tight Doctor. If you need anything…” “Dinky is in the room over. And you’ll be downstairs on the couch. I know.” The Doctor cut her off, smiling at her as he recited what she told him every night. “I’ll be okay. It doesn't take too much effort to get to sleep most nights. Thanks… Ditz… I mean, Derpy…” She couldn't help but tear up slightly at his words. Even if it didn't mean anything for his condition, he at least called her by her name. “You're welcome, Doctor.” Derpy kissed his forehead again, trotting off downstairs. A few hours passed, the night air drifting in through the open balcony door. The Doctor laid in his bed, just staring up at the ceiling. His eyes darted over to the spacious balcony. “You planning on watching me all night?” He slowly sat up in his bed as his stalker came into view on the balcony. Its body seemed to insert itself at the edge of the railing. What sat there, staring back at the Doctor, was nothing that should exist in Equestria. The rough grey shape hunched towards the open door had to be no larger than a human toddler. Two eyes fixated on the Doctor. Their color seemed to change each time he met them. To add to the weirdness of this creature, a small bowler hat rested on the side of its little head. It chuckled at him, showing a set of short but sharp teeth. It spoke, its voice being screechy, yet somehow maintaining a rather posh tone of voice. “Can't pull the wool over your eyes, can I, Doctor. It's a pleasure to meet you.” The creature tipped its hat towards him in greeting. “Mind if I come in?” The Doctor, not knowing what this thing was, was not willing to take any unnecessary risks. “You are permitted to come no closer than the door frame. No closer than that. I wish to get a good look at you.” The creature shrugged, hopping down from the balcony railing and coming closer. The rough grey color that the Doctor thought was its skin was actually a grey suit. Well-tailored, too, to the Doctor’s surprise. Now his curiosity was getting the better of him. “What are you? You're obviously not from this world, let alone from this stretch of the multiverse from the looks of you. And you also seem to know who I am, not that that is too surprising.” “What am I? Now that is a question I have not heard in some time. And not an easy one to answer either. I’m what I guess you'd classify as a multiverse traveler, much like yourself. Only that I don't need some blue box to travel.” It held out a small hand towards the doorway. “The name’s Zukbe. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, dear doctor.” Zukbe snapped his arm back to his side. “Well, Zukbe… Forgive my rudeness, but why are you here? Most multiversal beings tend to not have good intentions when popping up out of nowhere.” What purpose would he have to be here of all places? “I am here because I simply am.” Zukbe raised his hand sharply and hushed the Doctor’s immediate comment. “I did not plan on coming here. But as fate would have it, I have you to blame for me being here.” Zukbe smirked, seeing the blank stare of confusion on the Doctor’s face. “Wait. What? When did I bring you here? And why? I think I would remember doing something like…” It was at that point, the thought came to him. Zukbe chuckled again. “Coming back to you now, is it? That ‘experiment’ you were working on that, went critical, was something to try and get you home. And, if things hadn't gone south, you would have succeeded. A two-way gateway back to your world. The gate you built at least managed on the one hand, or hoof in your case. It caused me to get lost in travels and get dropped off here.” That news perked the Doctor up. “You're telling me I almost found my way home?! That… That’s brilliant! I might actually be able to go home! This is wonderful news, Zukbe!” Zukbe's grin slowly faded, bringing with it the mood in the air. “Sadly, that wonderful news comes with some not so wonderful news. You see. That mare friend who’s been taking care of you. She knew what you were working on. She knew how much you wanted to go home. So, that begs the question. Why hasn't she told you the truth?” He took a step back, letting his words seep into the Doctor’s head. Why didn't Derpy tell him? What could she gain from lying to him? “I don't know what she means to you, but if you think about it, she can't be any good if she's willing to lie to you like this.” “I'm sure she has a reason... For this. I'm sure of it.” For some reason, he wanted to believe what he was told was a lie. That Derpy of all mares wouldn't be lying to him for her own gain. “Believe what you want, Doctor, but I'm not lying to ya. You'll see for yourself soon enough.” Zukbe pulled his bowler hat off, pulling out a small info card. “If you need me, give me a call.” He flicked the card over to the Doctor, landing in perfectly on his nightstand. By the time the card found its way onto the nightstand, Zukbe was gone, vanishing as suddenly as he appeared. “Weird chap. Got to say, I liked his hat.” He laid himself in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. What Zukbe said still bothered him. “Was I really that close to getting home? And if so, why would Miss Doo lie to me about it if she knew? What would she have to gain from this? If anything, it feels like my being here is causing her pain. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to let me leave?” Those thoughts were all the Doctor could think about into morning, getting very little sleep in the process. “Doctor…? Doctor, wake up…” The underslept stallion wearily woke up, seeing Derpy next to the bed. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Breakfast is on the table when you feel up to getting up. Or, if you want, I can just bring it up to you. So you don’t have to get up.” He stared blankly at her, the weight of sleep still hanging from his eyes. “No, no… I’ll get up… Just give me… A bit…” The Doctor yawned, trying in vain to force the desire for sleep from him. “You sure? You don’t really look like you got much sleep last night.” Usually, that statement would make sense, with him coming in late from his workshop every night, but his workshop had been blown up, so what reason would he have to not get sleep? “You really should get some more sleep. You look like you could pass out in an instant.” She went over to tuck him in again, only for the Doctor to push himself up. “I said I would get up. I’ll be okay.” For once, his tone held hostility. And the weird thing was, he didn’t know where it came from. His anger just spiraled up and came out. “Oh… Okay, then…” Derpy removed her hooves from the covers. With only a slight issue, the Doctor slipped out of bed and slowly made his way downstairs. Much of his exhaustion had been suppressed by the random outburst of anger. He pulled himself up onto the chair, quickly getting to work on eating his breakfast. To much of Derpy and Dinky’s surprise, the Doctor had grown used to his pony body suddenly. He had made his way downstairs by himself and was eating his breakfast with his hooves. And he didn’t even notice he was doing it. The two mares just stared at each other. Their amazement towards the current events was matched by their excitement for the Doctor’s sudden advancement. Derpy quietly took a seat next to him, getting started with her own breakfast. “Hey, Doctor...” He glanced up from his food to look at her. “How’s your breakfast?” “Breakfast is good, Miss Ditz… I mean, Derpy… Sorry.” The Doctor facehooved himself, angry that he kept calling her Ditzy. “So. How’s your hoof doing? It seems to be working better than normal.” He stared at her for a while before his eyes slowly traced back to his food. How did he not see what he was doing? Without him even realizing it, the Doctor had gone through more than half a bowl of oats with a spoon held in his hoof. “I'm doing it! I'm holding something in my hoof!” And just like that, things were starting to look up. At least from where it was before. Nothing else had changed. Most of the Doctor's memories were still fuzzy at best. And worse yet, there were still a few unwanted surprises to come. The days that followed revolved around Derpy taking the Doctor around Ponyville in hopes of getting him ever more comfortable with his equine body. It felt good to see the Doctor out and about, being social with ponies, or at least the ones who didn't still look at him with distaste and fear. As much of a cheerful face the Doctor wore, their looks were digging into the back of his mind. That, and what Zukbe told him. Could Ditzy really be trying to keep him for herself? A day or two went by, leaving the Doctor to dwell on those thoughts. And that night, the familiar bowl hat and suit welcomed him on his porch. "May I come in, Doctor?" Even with his thoughts being barraged by worry, his defenses were still up. "You know what I said. No closer than the door frame." Zukbe nodded, hopping off the railing and coming over to the sliding door. "Did you enjoy the little gift I gave ya?" The puzzled expression of the Doctor's shifted to Zukbe. What gift did he mean? Was it his doing that gave him control of his equine body? Zukbe sighed, seeing his pony friend confused with what he said. "I altered your mind a little bit, letting it adjust and cope with the weight and hidden qualities of an earth pony. Which, as you found out, helped you to use those hooves to hold things. I could have done more, but I'd need your permission, as well as access into your room." His tone was still prim and professional, despite the slightly sinister expression of his. "What do you mean more?" Ignoring the fact that this creature somehow altered his mind at a distance. "What else could you do?" Zukbe's smile widened into a smirk. "I could if again allowed, potentially return what memories you lost in the accident." That was all he needed to say to get the Doctor to come closer. "That's right. I could return your lost memories to you. You could figure out why it was your experiment blew up. And I could even tell you why your dear friend doesn't want you to leave. All I would need is to be allowed to enter past the doorway. After that, everything I promised will be yours. What do you say?" Zukbe held out his clawed hand, keeping it from crossing the threshold between him and the inside of the house. The offer was tempting. To know the truth of that night. The Doctor wanted to shake Zubke's hand. However, a small part of him told him to reconsider. When were things ever this simple? "Your offer is tempting Zukbe. However, I would need a bit of time to consider everything. You understand, right?" "Completely. Take your time. If at any time you need me, you have my card." He took a step back, giving the Doctor a bow, vanishing suddenly into smoke. Zukbe popped into his little crevice of reality, making his way over to a wall decorated with various photos and plans. "The Doctor's going to be a difficult nut to crack. Despite all I have done to make his time in that world miserable, making ponies afraid of him, he still holds true to his ideals and refuses to accept help." He pondered his next course of action for a moment. "There is always that mare who's looking after him. Hmmm... I could always try and strike a deal with her. She definitely seems like she would be easy to convince. And, as soon as everything starts rolling into place, I'll finally get what I want. The end of the Doctor and his eternal lineage." During the following weeks, Derpy and the Doctor spent their time together, making use of his newfound equine capabilities. Both of them seemed to be enjoying themselves, despite the doubts lingering in the back of their minds. Why would she lie to me? What could she gain from lying to me? Is lying to him really the best thing I could do? Could telling him the truth really cause him more problems? And is that really all it would take for him to be happy? The two of them took a break under the shade of a tree. The Doctor smiled over at Derpy, not even the slightest bit tired. "This town of yours really has a lot to see, despite its size. Where should we go see next? Or should we go up to... Oh, what did you say it was called again? Oh yes. Canterlot. You said that your equine leaders live there right." Derpy glanced over at him, a hint of her rampant thoughts coming out. "Everything okay, Derpy? You seem less bubbly than you normally do. And you never look less bubbly." Derpy's thoughts were sent away, bringing her back to her usual self. "Yeah. I'm good, Doc. Yes. The two princesses live in the castle in Canterlot. There's a lot to see there. Between the boutique and the fancy food, Canterlot really shows its rich and cultured side. We go up and look around sometime soon." She chuckles. "Heck. You might actually get along with some of the ponies there. With how properly you carry yourself sometimes." "Well, of course, I carry myself properly. I'm the Doctor." "Yeah..." Derpy's expression faltered once more, not going unnoticed by the Doctor. "Okay. Seriously. You have looked troubled since we left today. What's going on?" She bit her lip, not wanting to tell him. She was afraid what she was told might be right. But even still, it was hurting her inside to keep this going. She took a deep breath. "I need to be honest with you..." Their words came crawling back into her head. "The truth is, Doctor..." If he found out the truth, he'll find out what happened. "...The truth is..." Do you really want him to find out the reason he can't go home? Derpy sighed. "The truth is, I've just been feeling a little under the weather. Nothing you need to worry about. Nothing that a good muffin can't fix, right?" She smiled at him like she always did, bringing the Doctor's worry to a halt. "Well, if you're sick, you should go rest. And eat a muffin, I suppose. Somehow I doubt it'd help, but it is you we are talking 'bout here. I could not imagine what those muffins would be capable of." He got to his hooves and stepped away. "Come along now. The Doctor will look after you until you are feeling better, miss." Just the way he worded that made Derpy giggle. Even without his full memories, he was still the same charming, caring Doctor. "Fine. I'll go rest." Derpy got up and followed after him. As soon as they got home, she rolled herself up in her blanket and sprawled out across the couch. Later that night, after the Doctor had passed out on the lounge chair in the living room and Dinky had gone off to bed, a particular bowler-hatted figure tapped on the living room window. Derpy crawled off the couch and over to the window, cracking it open slightly. "Good evening, young miss. Just checking in on you. I take you haven't told him the truth yet? She shook her head. "I know it's hard, but remember. It's better for him not to know what happened. Imagine how he'd feel knowing can't go back to a home that doesn't exist anymore. Let alone what would happen if he went back there. In that empty, vast space, he wouldn't last long, even with his blue box." "I know. But I feel like I'm still going to lose him. All of Ponyville still hates him because of the damage his experiment caused. The very same experiment I can't even tell him the truth about. It's frustrating." Zukbe put his claw on Derpy's shoulder. "I know. Just remember. If things ever get too stressful, you can always call on me to fix things up. Though my powers are limited here, the least I can do is ease your mind of your problems. All you got to do is say the word, miss." "I'm good... Thanks though. You really are quite the gentlecolt, despite not being a pony and all." Zukbe blushed at her compliment. "That means a lot coming from such a mare as yourself miss. Get some rest. I'll be in touch again soon." With that, he hopped off the window frame and poofed. With one last look at the sleeping Doctor, Derpy got back onto the couch and fell asleep. Perhaps tomorrow will yield something better. Over the next few days, the two of them spent time together but seemed to drift apart little by little. Each smiled shared between both of them only helped to hide the look of concern that swelled inside them. Zukbe's plans were starting to fall into place. Now it was only a matter of laying the final bits of scheming. A fresh new morning sprung up, taking Derpy into her mail work, and Dinky had gone out to enjoy the day with her friends, leaving the Doctor home alone. The front door opened late that afternoon. "Who's home?" The Doctor turned around on the couch to see Derpy putting her mailbag down and walking over. "It's just me, Doc. Got a little time to talk before my break is over?" Her tone of voice was immediately alarming. "Sure. Take a seat, Derpy." She flew over, settling herself onto the couch and placing her forehooves atop of knees. "What's on your mind?" Derpy took a breath. "It's about the accident..." At that, the Doctor's attention was set. "I haven't been honest with you about everything that happened that night." This was what he had been waiting for. Though he already was told more or less what happened, he was going to feel at ease knowing Derpy finally came out and told him the truth. "The truth is, the accident wasn't an accident..." "What? What do you mean?" "I knew you were trying to get home. In fact, all of Ponyville knew that. Being honest, they all wanted you to just go home. They want that more now than ever. The thing is Doctor..." Derpy looked up at him, tears starting to wash down her face. "I didn't mean for all of this. I didn't mean for it to blow up in your face. Or for you to lose your memories." Her words struck him hard. Derpy was the one responsible for his memory loss? She was the one who caused his experiment to fail? But why? "Why? What reason did you have to do this, Derpy?" She broke eye contact with him, her tears still falling. "Because I didn't want you to go. I did all of that just to make sure you'd stay here... With me. Because I love you, Doctor. And I'd sooner let the universe fall than let you out of my life." Anger and pain welled up inside the Doctor. "But do you have any idea just what could be happening right now? How many lives could be in danger? Lives I could be saving. All because of your selfish desire to keep me here. You never wanted me to remember, did you? You knew that if I regained my memory, I'd go back to finding a way home. All this time, you were pretending to help. And what, I guess it hurt you a lot to see every pony here stare at me like I was a freak?! Every pony insulting the 'stallion you love' behind his back! But you know what? That's perfectly okay. This just proved something I used to think so long ago. I don't belong here! And I never will." The Doctor trotted out of the house, not giving Derpy a chance to put in another word. She just stared at the open door, chuckling. "Well, that was easier than I expected." Derpy's form shrunk and distorted until Zukbe sat on the back of the couch. "One down. One to go." The sun was setting by the time Derpy finished her mail runs. Suspecting the Doctor would be hungry by now, being alone at the house all day, she rushed home to rescue him. To her surprise, he wasn't out front waiting for her. Entering her house, she found Dinky slung out on the couch watching television. "Hey, Dink. You see the Doctor anywhere?" Her sister tilted her head back to look at Derpy. "Nope. Haven't seen him all day. Granted, I was out with my friends until just a few minutes ago. Got back and sat down just before you did sis." There was a hard push on the front door as the Doctor walked in. "Right on time." Derpy stepped towards him, but the general glare he was giving her pushed her away. He made his way upstairs and closed the bedroom door behind him. "Umm. Derpy... Is it just me, or did he seem furious about something?" All she could do was stare at the stairs in confusion. Just what happened today to cause the Doctor to be in such a bad mood? She wanted to know, but judging from the way he looked at her, now was not the time. Derpy sat on the couch in complete darkness. She tried to talk to the Doctor earlier, only to get utter silence from him. Whatever had happened today was still irritating him. Before her thoughts could delve deeper, there was a knock at the nearby window. Switching her gaze towards the noise, she saw Zukbe waving from the other side. Derpy flapped over to the window, propping it open for her little 'friend.' "Salutations. I do hope this isn't a bad time to stop by." She shook her head. "No. It's a good time. Only..." Zukbe tilted his head in confusion. "Only?" "I don't know what happened, but the Doctor seemed extremely angry when he got home. I tried talking to him, but got nothing out of him." The worried look on Zukbe's face showed he knew what happened. "The Doctor had a rough day, to say the least." He took off his bowler hat, holding it at his waist. "He went for a walk around town. Tried to get some fresh air and all. It was during the time you were doing your deliveries to Cloudsdale. Several ponies here started ganging up on him. Every pony was really rilled up and was treating him like crap. Telling him how much they wanted him to go back to his own home. That he doesn't belong here. Among the rest of the ponies in Equestria. It was horrible. Looks like he took it all to heart." The news sank Derpy into the side of the couch. "I can't believe it. I knew ponies here didn't exactly like him, but I didn't think they'd be like this." She fell silent for a bit, before perking up. "But none of that matters. If nopony here wants to see how great the Doctor is, I'll have to show them." Derpy's look of confidence brought a chuckle out of Zukbe. "What's so funny?" "Oh, nothing. It's just you look so serious about showing the world it's wrong. There's nothing wrong about it. A bit charming, if anything. Not something I see very often." He pulled a small pocket watch out of his bowler hat. "Oh, dear. I should be going now. And you should get some sleep. You're going to need to be wide awake if you want to change the point of view of a whole town." With a bow, he returned his hat to his head and hopped off the window, poofing as usual. The following day was spent with Derpy performing her usual mailpony duties. According to the weatherponies, there were calls for rain before this evening. And not wanting to get caught up in it, she raced around trying to finish as much as she could before the rain started coming down. She was on her way to drop off her last few packages before the storm came in when she saw Dinky staring up at her. She was panting heavily and looked like she had been running around all of Ponyville to find her. "Derpy..! It's the Doctor..! He's gone!" Hearing that, Derpy dropped out of the air, landing on her hooves. "Gone? What do you mean, gone? Do you know where he went?" "He's going to the lake. To his blue box." All of the color just drained out of Derpy. If he was heading for the TARDIS, that meant he was planning on leaving. Planning on going back to a world he doesn't know is gone. She threw her mailbag off her back and galloped towards the forest. The rain fell hard, silencing everything in the area. Derpy's hooves raced frantically towards the bright light of the TARDIS. She broke through the treeline, coming to a halt. The ground, background, and even the sky seemed to blur together within the light that illuminated the field. She stepped forward, tears already streaming down her face, only to be washed away by the rain. The silhouette of the Doctor stood at the threshold of the TARDIS. "Doctor. Please don't go." "I don't belong here. I never did. This is how it should be." He turned away from Derpy, fading into the light. In a matter of moments, the light grew brighter, only to vanish abruptly, leaving her alone in the pouring rain. She sniffled, crying her eyes out. "Don't leave me... Please..."