The Tardis stopped. The Doctor breathed. He wiped the few tears that had managed to slip past his defenses. Now was not the time for tears. He opened the door. The Tardis had landed on top of clouds in the sky. Pegusi frolicked in the city of clouds. “Well I'll be-whoa!” he slipped just able to grab onto the Tardis as he fell through the clouds a bit. He pulled himself back up with all his strength. “Right..only pegasus can walk on clouds. So, need to save Derpy but also need to not fall...well...nopony said this would be easy...what to use what to-ah! The chameleon arch. A bit of a stretch, but with a bit of rewiring, and turning off the nasty amnesia filter...just might do the trick. Lucky for me, I've soniced a few pegusi over time. Should have everything I need.” He worked quickly. There was no telling how long he had before whatever came along to try to kill Derpy. He only had one chance. He wiped the sweat off his brow. “Well, that should do the trick...I hope.” The Doctor sat the chameleon arch on his head, throwing a switch. His back felt the excruciating pain as wings began to emerge from it. Once it finally stopped, he took only a few moments to let the pain subside before moving out slowly. He tested the clouds carefully, surprised by their sudden firmness as he stepped out. “extraordinary.” He murmured, momentarily amazed by the physics. The only thing that seemed to differ between the two races physically was the growth of wings, and yet the differences between them were piling up. Still, now wasn't the time to think much about it. Not with Derpy's life in danger. He put the thought away for later.
The Doctor walked out onto the cloud covered city. He wasn't sure where to begin. She could be anywhere. Waterfalls made out of rainbows flowed into pools. Buildings made of clouds framed the scene. The Doctor wondered momentarily how the ponies were able build cloud buildings.
“Come on! We're going to be late for the young flier's competition.” Doctor watched a filly pull their parents. He thought hard...young fliers competition Derpy had talked about that once, didn't she? It was at least worth a shot.
He found himself sitting in the stands. Families cheered in the young fillies lining up. There was a young filly with an unmistakable rainbow mane. “Ah a young Rainbow Dash.” Along with other fillies of various colors. Among them, a blond filly took her place right next to Rainbow Dash. Doctor had no doubt in his mind. “There she is...my Derpy.” Relief swept through him. He wasn't too late. The Tardis made certain to get him there before she was hurt.
“Fillies, are you ready?” A voice rang from what the doctor could only guess was an equivalent to a speaker system, “On your marks. Get set. Go.”
Two pegusi that the Doctor could only guess were Rainbow Dash's parents that were cheering louder than any other pony there. The fillies flew with all their might. To the Doctor's surprise, Rainbow Dash was falling behind. The top contender was a yellow pegasus with hair that reminded that reminded the Doctor of fire. Derpy was quickly catching up. He had never seen her flying so controlled. She went up to second. The Doctor cheered. She was neck and neck with the fiery pegasus. “Come on. You're almost there!” He shouted. The finish line came ever closer. The fillies pulled one after the other. Derpy pulled ahead at the last moment. The Doctor cheered as the other fillies crossed, with Rainbow dash at the end.
Derpy stood with her medal proudly, two fillies under her for second and third place with the others lined up on the side. From the way that Rainbow Dash's parents were cheering for her, you would think she won. The fillies went off with their families. Derpy was crowded with ponies. The Doctor used this to his advantage, going in with the crowd.
“You flew fantastically.” He said when he had a chance.
“Thanks, mister.” Her tiny voice squeaked, beaming. Now that she was close, he felt relief sweep through him. And...confusion. It was Derpy. His heart knew it. But...her eyes were completely straight...she had no cutie mark to speak of...and she was more confident than the Doctor ever saw her. All of those were something that he knew would change with age, but her goldenrod eyes...they seemed different somehow. He couldn't place a finger...or hoof in this case...on how. “If I keep winning, I'll be a Wonderbolt for sure!”
Wonderbolt. Derpy had talked about that name before. “Oh yeah?”
“Absolutely! Didn't you hear the other ponies talking. I was close to beating the time of one if the wonderbolts when they were my age! If I keep going, then I know I'll be good enough to be a Wonderbolt!”
“You must really like the Wonderbolts!” The Doctor had only seen grown Derpy this passionate about muffins.
“Like them? They're the most amazing team of flyers ever! The way they go woosh and fwoom and all their tricks! Like this one time, they loop de hooped around and twisted up and then diiived down. They're amazing, and, one day, I am going to be amazing too!”
“That's a lot of confidence you have, um.”
“Ditzy. My name is Ditzy Doo. If you want, I can sign something for you. Then, you'll have my autograph before I'm famous.”
“Uh...sure, why not.” The Doctor smiled. Ditzy asked around for some paper before signing it with a feather from her wing.
“There ya go, mister!” She grinned, “Well, my mom's waving to me, so it's time to go!”
“Thanks you Ditzy. You are fantastic!” He grinned.
She waved before going off with both of her parents. The others left just after, the Doctor following behind the family stealthily. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a pegasus wearing a dress that hadn't dispersed, and also seemed to follow. That was odd. Did she know the family? The Doctor pretended not to notice.
The family spent the rest of the day out celebrating. Ditzy never stopped smiling. The Doctor's heart warmed at the scene. It was nice to see her have a happy moment. Yet, guilt ran like ice down his heart. This was temporary. Some time in the near future, her eyes would change, her flying would worsen, and her big dream would be destroyed. Could he fix that?! No. He had the same feeling he did with the Crystal Empire. Ditzy's eyes...her losing her dream...it was a fixed point. Honestly, it didn't surprise him. After all, it was all of those terrible things that eventually brought them together. Maybe, if he had gone when she first asked...he sighed.
The family went home as the sun set. The other pegasus had been following them along as well, from a different area. The Doctor wandered off briefly to determine if he was the one being followed. It seemed as though she was indeed following the family. The Doctor watched her as she watched the family eat.
“Time for bed, my little champion!” Her dad laughed.
“Awww...daddy. Can I please fly once around the house before bed? Please!”
“Ditzy, sweety, you need your rest.” Her mom sighed.
“Just one time. I bet the wonderbolts do a night fly before bed.”
“Well...you did just win your race...why not. But, just once around the house, and then straight to bed.”
“Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She shouted, and Doctor herd an unmistakable sound on running as she went out the door. “Ditzy Doo, fastest racer in all of Equestria gets set to race. No pony can beat her. One pony dares to try. No. Even better. The undisputed champion, sky streamer, has an up and coming challenger.. Will Ditzy Do be able to finally break his winning streak? Yeah, that's better.” The Doctor smiled as she talked to herself. His smile dropped, however, when the pegasus walked up to Ditzy, wondering what the mare was up to.
“Your name is Ditzy Doo, correct?”
“Yes. Did you need something?” Ditzy asked.
The pony nodded and raised a hoof towards Ditzy. An aperture in the bottom of the hoof opened and the metallic barrel of a weapon peeked out. The doctor rushed, tackling Ditzy to the ground just as a bolt of light shot out from it. He jumped back up, standing protectively in front of Derpy. “No way is that pulse cannon pony technology, so who are you really?” The Doctor shouted, Ditzy confusedly looking at the gun, as if wondering why it made such a terrifying noise.
“Who or what are you to know what this is?!”
“I am the Doctor,” he proclaimed, “and this little pony is under my protection!”
“Doctor? THE Doctor?!” She raised an eyebrow, “you seem to have changed.”
“Finally someone around here who knows me. That’s a nice change of pace.”
“The last time we saw you...we helped faked your death to save your life.”
“Wait...wait...the Teselecta?!”
“Glad to see you remember. How long has it been for you?”
“Lifetimes. You?”
“It's been five years since that day. We're a little sad that we won't see you again after this.”
“I never said that. I said it's been lifetimes since that day. Since I last saw you...well, no spoilers.” He smiled a bit at the old words he hadn't said in so long.
“What’s a pulse cannon? How’d you make your hoof do that? Is it a magic trick? It was real pretty, can you do it again?” Ditzy asked, having tuned the Doctor out after a few moments.
The Doctor turned, a kind smile to the innocent girl who would one day grow to be the pony he loved with all his hearts.
“Sorry, Doctor...We don't like this either.” The mare raised the weapon once more.
The doctor turned, bodily in front of the tiny filly. “By the order of the shadow proclamation, I order you to stop. I am the defender of this world, and every pony on it. So, old friends, unless you can prove that this young filly fits the profile of one who attracts your vindictive eye, I would advise you to leave.”
“A lot has changed in 5 years. The Justice Department branched out a bit. We are still executing the same protocols as before, punishing criminals just before their historical moment of death?”
“Historical moment of death? What’s she talking about?”
The Doctor faced Ditzy again. “Would you do me a favor and let the two of us talk for a moment?”
“But why? I want to know what’s going on?”
“Here, take this.” He toyed with the sonic screwdriver for a moment, causing it to light up, and he gave it to her. “It’s like a firework of my own. You can wave it around, see?”
“I can play with it?”
“Yes, just be sure not to drop it, I don’t know if it will fall through.”
Ditzy trotted off, mesmerized by its glow and the eerie noise.
“You do realize, Doctor that if you’re trying to use that to somehow disable this vessel, it will not work.”
“Oh I’ve no doubt you’ve installed sonic-resistant devices. I wouldn’t dream of trying anyhow. But you were saying? About the criminals.”
“Yes, the lesser known ones… those that are never caught or in some cases, even discovered. We began our own investigations to track them down and then try them for the crimes they never paid for. And as always, we delivered justice. Jack the ripper stopped his murder spree because of us. Our organization became famous in our timeline for stopping crimes. We would grab the murderer the moment we were able to. For people like Jack the Ripper, it was more difficult, but for others...the murderer of Juan Benea Ramsay, Elizabeth Short, the infamous zodiac killer...so many, and that's just from your precious Earth...a post you seem to have abandoned in favor of this one… we found a way to stop those humans before they could hurt many more. We went bigger. We went after the people and organizations who committed mass murders. Our organization saved countless lives.”
“I still hold out hope that someday you’ll start doing it without taking any.”
“I’m disappointed, Doctor. I hoped you’d be more pleased with this. The new directive was inspired by the work you’ve done across time and space.”
“Flattering, but I find the idea of any killing, in my name, to be highly offensive.”
“One random day, the most infamous assassins in all of time and space came to us. They killed a few of us just to grab our attention, and used the voices of the dead to speak...they told us of the most deadly entity ever, Doctor. This creature would one day wipe entire realities off the map, including our own. They continued, saying the murderer had protection, and that even they couldn't get to her, and that she even managed to destroy one of them. Do you realize how impossible it is to completely destroy an angel. Yet, they expected us to believe a talking horse did so...yet they were adamant, and, from your look, it seems you know of the moment I'm talking about. I wish they had informed us that the protector was you...we would have gone about this differently…” he took a breath, “they did warn us that the protector would be shielding her when she was an adult, so the best time to strike was before they met. Of course, we had no way of knowing when or where. The angels gave us all we needed to know. They even helped us through the rift. They promised to keep you busy. Honestly, we should have known it was you from that. So, though it was usually against our policy, we went to a time least likely to be stopped. We feel no gratification in killing a child, Doctor. But, it is for the benefit of cintillions of lives across multiple planes of existence, including this place that has your new found interest. Then, by your own logic, this one life needs to be taken...in order to save countless others. We understand that this might be hard for you. You must have befriended this pony later in life. Is she your companion in the future of this world? If she is, I'm sorry. We know your companions mean everything to you. Knowing this one is destined to destroy so many must weigh on you, who have saved countless. She doesn't seem the type, honestly...it may even end up that she's forced somehow into a horrid situation without knowledge of the atrocities she would commit...unfortunately, that doesn't matter...answer me this, Doctor. This...Ditzy Doo...if she knew that she would cause this amount of destruction, wouldn't she want to have it stopped? Even if it meant taking her out of the picture?”
A faint sound of thunder rumbled in the air around them. The Doctor lowered his head, a sad smile on his face, “I can't argue with that. My Derpy. If she thought she could hurt so many, she would sacrifice herself for the others without a second thought...or at least, she would have when we first met. Now, she trusts in me...that I can stop this!”
“I'm sorry, Doctor. Not even you can stop everything. So long as this mare is alive, there's too much doubt that this horror could happen...it has something to do with her very existence.”
“...I see…” the Doctor sighed, “so, you say and think that the only way to save Derpy...is to kill her.”
The thunder rolled once again, slightly louder this time.
“Unfortunately, there's no other way, Doctor. I'm so sorry. I can tell that this must hurt. Look, we have a lot of respect for you. I can understand that you can't bear seeing a companion die. If you need a few minutes to...to get away from the scene. We can keep the little one entertained that long. Know we plan one shot...it will be quick. She shouldn't feel any pain.”
The Doctor Nodded, all eyes on his face. “I appreciate that.” He spoke slowly before slowly walking away a bit before turning around, “Just...one thing. I feel like I need to say something.”
“Yes, Doctor?”
“Ditzy is an innocent child, and you will never know all of the good she does after this. She has saved lives and helped creatures. You’re letting innocent blood spill, all on the testimony of a pair of weeping angels. I’m going to take a guess that this is the first time the justice department trusted an angel under any circumstances. Did they offer any evidence of a single girl causing destruction across multiple realities? I nearly did the same thing once, but we fixed it together, and you still doubt me? A true shame.”
“Stay out of the way doctor. We won’t allow anyone to intervene.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t think of trying to wrestle you down. That would be silly. However you might find this interesting. My sonic is running a fun little experiment and it seems to be working.” He pointed down at the cloud they were standing on, which was much darker than before. “Just look at that, you can feel it cooling off. This unique ability we have here, to be able to walk on clouds. I’ll bet that if I did this just right…” He stomped on the cloud and quickly leaped back and a powerful bolt of lightning leapt about and surged straight into the Teselecta. The mare danced around randomly for a moment before collapsing on the cloud with wisps of steam rising from it.
The Doctor ran over to Ditzy and took back the sonic. “Alright, playtime is over and I’m done talking to her.”
“Is she ok? When lightning has hit me, I never—”
“She’ll be fine.”
“Why did you make lightning in town? Teacher told us to never try to—”
“No time to loose, Derpy. You need to go back inside now.”
“Wha-whoah. Mister. My name is Ditzy! And where are you going?”
"Sorry, Ditzy. That is anything but a friendly pony. She wants to hurt you, but don't worry. I'm here to keep you safe.”
“Why would anypony want to hurt me?!” Ditzy asked confusedly.
“She's not really a pony. She just looks like a pony. I know this is a lot to take in, but she's a robot. A machine that is built to look like anything it wants.” His forehoof fell through the clouds. He stumbled, and looked back in fear. As he expected, his wings were starting to fade. They came back, but there was no telling how much longer they would last. "I need to take her back to where she belongs. I'm sure once she has a time out, she'll realize that what she did was wrong."
"Yeah. Nopony should try to hurt other ponies!" Ditzy nodded, following the Doctor.
The Doctor dragged the Teselecta back with him. He stopped in front of the Tardis with a small sigh and noticed Ditzy was still following him. “You need to go back home, Ditzy.”
“But...but I want to know why that thingy wanted to hurt me…” Derpy sighed, looking down. The Doctor felt it odd that both eyes did this. He was so used to one of them doing whatever it wanted.
Doctor turned to the Tardis. She couldn't know. And she couldn't come with him. How could she and not remember it. She didn't even remember this meeting. “It's just a bad robot.” He sighed, opening the tardis door with his hoof. “Don't worry. Like I said before, I'll bring it back where it belongs and get it fixed. You need to be getting back home before your parents worry.”
The Teselecta began moving again and reached out for Ditzy. The doctor took out his sonic in amazing speed, pointing it at the Teselecta just before it disappeared with Ditzy. “No! Bloody hell!” He spat, rushing into the Tardis. “Okay, think. Emergency time jump. Can't be in another world, at least. Accelerating that fast, she’d need to burn rubber. Definitely would have left some sort of tracks behind… tracks like tachyon particles! Yes! The sheer energy it takes for a sudden jump like that would have to leave a ripple, temporarily at least. Lock onto that, and find them...before they kill Ditzy. Where is it. Where is it. There...here we go!” The Tardis sailed off to find her.