//------------------------------//
// An Opal Reunion 
// Story: Doctor Whooves Episode 7: The Good, the Bad, and the Derpy 
// by Doctor Perseus 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 1: An Opal Reunion


Outside Zecora's House, Everfree Forest, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.

The Doctor didn't like being in a small doll but being trapped in a doll the size of a house was surprisingly so much worse. The Doctor felt like he was in the middle of an earthquake and he wouldn't be surprised if some Vashta Nerada had hidden away in one of the dolls. This certainly wasn't part of the plan. He didn't even know where the doll was taking him. At least he knew that wherever the doll was taking him, that's where Twilight and Rainbow Dash would be. Sadly, Thalia would probably be there too. He began contemplating on the possible methods of torture Thalia had planned for him when the doll suddenly came to a halt. There was nothing but silence for several seconds. The Doctor waited patiently. That's when a burst of green light reverberated throughout the interior of the doll. The doll fell apart and the Doctor found himself rolling down onto a patch of grassy earth.
"Thank Celestia this still works after all these years," said a familiar yet unfamiliar voice. The Doctor opened his eyes to see an earth pony mare with a yellow coat, red-yellow mane, and smiley face/hammer cutie mark examining the remains of the giant doll with what looked like his Sonic Screwdriver. The mare turned to face the Doctor and smiled. "Doctor!" The mare ran forward and wrapped the Doctor in a bone-crushing hug. "It's been so long!"
The Doctor backed away as he examined the mare. He knew that he knew her. She looked so familiar.
"I take it that you're the one who saved me," he said.
"Of course."
"I know you from somewhere."
"Do you really forget your past companions that quickly?"
"Huh?"
The mare approached the Doctor and looked straight into his eyes.
"Wait a minute. Doctor, have you traveled with me before?"
"No."
"Of course! That's what you meant! I'm so stupid! I can't believe it took me thirteen years to understand what you told me!"
"You look so familiar. I've seen you somewhere before. It's on the tip of my tongue!"
The mare turned back to the Doctor and cleared her throat.
"We've met before, Doctor, at least I think we have if I have my history right. I'm Opal. Remember? Canterlot. Summer of 987. Shining Armor and Chrysalis."
"That's it! I remember! Look at you! All grown up and in your mid-thirties!"
"Thirty-four to be more specific and is there something wrong with that?"
"No! I just remember you being around Twilight's age the last time I saw you."
"Twilight Sparkle? How is she doing?!"
"Not so well. She's been captured by Thalia."
"Oh no."
"So you know Thalia?"
"Definitely! I've had plenty of encounters with her."
"It seems that you and I are going to have, or have had, a long history together."
"More than you realize, Doctor. We better go and rescue Twilight then. Ponyville didn't look so good when I passed by it."
Opal turned around and began trudging into the forest. The Doctor trotted after her.
"Wait. So how did you know where I was?" he asked.
"You told me the last time we saw each other. You told me the exact date and location of where to find you," she replied.
"How exactly did you defeat the doll anyway?"
"With this."
Opal then presented a Sonic Screwdriver that looked like the Doctor's aside from a green tip. She then placed it back in a satchel that was slung over her back.
"Let me guess. You got that from me also?"
"Bingo. Ah. I have such fond memories of our time together, Doctor. Medieval France, the Amber System, ancient Elmheim-"
"Best not to give me any spoilers about future events."
"Right. Sorry, Doctor. I keep forgetting that. Time's complicated."
"Tell me about it."
The two allies fell silent as they continued their trek into the forest.
"So did I happen to mention Twilight's location to you during our last meeting?" the Doctor asked. Opal stopped abruptly and sighed. 
"Sadly, no. You didn't tell me that," she replied.
"Why not?"
"I don't know. Ask yourself! It doesn't matter when I run into you. You're always as stubborn as a mule!"
"Hey! I'm not that stubborn!"
"Wanna bet?"
"Yes!"
Suddenly, there was a rustling in the trees. Both the Doctor and Opal fell silent.
"What was that?" the Doctor asked.
"How am I supposed to know?!" Opal snapped.
"Haven't you been here before?!"
"No!"
"Great. I have a pony guide who doesn't know where the hell she it. I guess I'm screwed then."
Opal slapped the Doctor's leg hard which caused him to bite down on his lip.
"Okay...I may have deserved that," he groaned.
"You think?!" Opal whispered sternly. The rustling grew louder as the two ponies hid behind a nearby bush. Their eyes widened as out of the forest, there emerged two, ferocious manticores. "Okay...now we're screwed."

The Edge of Town, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.

Derpy eyed the New Doctor closely as he examined his Sonic Screwdriver with a sigh.
"Damn! Still needs time to recharge!" he mumbled to himself as he stored the Screwdriver away into one of his suit pockets. 
"So what's the plan, New Doctor?" asked Applejack.
"Didn't I just recently explain it to you?"
"Well, to be honest, you were pretty vague," said Spike.
"Was I?"
"Yes," said Derpy, Spike, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity together.
"Alright! Alright! No need to gang up on me! Okay. I'll explain. The first part of our plan is to get through the army of living dolls."
The group stopped a few yards away from the edge of the protective barrier. Fluttershy's cottage was nearby and living dolls were pounding on the exterior of the barrier like rabid animals.
"They don't look too friendly," Fluttershy gulped.
"They look like a fashion disaster, that's what they are!" said Rarity.
"Same old Rarity and Fluttershy," the Doctor chuckled happily as he scanned the dolls with his Sonic Screwdriver.
"Are you going to take them out like you did earlier?" Derpy asked.
"It's not that simple. The Screwdriver needs to recharge after using abilities like that."
"Well you must have something to get those creeps away from us!" said Pinkie Pie. The New Doctor thought for a moment until a light bulb turned on inside of his head. 
"I got just the thing!"
He aimed the Screwdriver at the ground and activated it. Instantly, a tunnel began forming in the earth.
"So we're using an underground route?" Applejack asked.
"Basically," the New Doctor replied.
"Works for me," said Spike. The group then began making their way through the new, underground tunnel, though Rarity was the most nervous one of the group (mostly worrying that the dirt would damage her coat). 
"Are you sure that there isn't a cleaner way of getting to Twilight?" Rarity asked.
The Doctor chuckled, rolled his eyes, and said, "Yeah. Same old Rarity."

Forest Clearing, Everfree Forest, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.

The Doctor could feel his hearts beating out of his chest as the manticores drew close. Their scorpion tails dripped with venom and their teeth gleamed in the dim, forest sunlight. 
"Got anymore tricks on that Screwdriver of yours?" the Doctor whispered to Opal. Opal pulled out her Sonic Screwdriver and examined it.
"Maybe. I'm a little rusty. I haven't used this is many years," she whispered back. One of the manticores took in a deep breath and began approaching the bush that concealed the Doctor and Opal. "Back! Back!"
The Doctor took slow steps back but, unfortunately, stepped on a broken limb in the process. The manticores heard the noise and charged straight for them. 
"Run?" the Doctor asked.
"Run," Opal replied with a frightened nod. The two ponies then dashed into the forest, the manticores in hot pursuit. "This sure brings back memories, Doctor!"
"It seems that my companions do a lot of running while they're with me!"
"At least you don't have to worry about your companions getting out of shape!"
"I guess you're right!"
They took a sharp turn as they ran deeper and deeper into the forest. The manticores continued to chase after them.
"Something's wrong!" said Opal.
"What? The fact that we're being chased by a pair of hungry manticores?!" the Doctor asked as he proceeded to pant heavily.
"Exactly! Manticores normally aren't this determined about chasing after a certain target. They normally give up after a while! These manticores don't know the meaning of give up!"
"I suspect that Thalia has something to do with this!"
The Doctor and Opal came to a halt as a long, suspension bridge hanging over a foggy ravine greeted them.
"That doesn't look safe," said Opal.
"Well do you prefer the alternative?" asked the Doctor as he pointed back towards the charging manticores.
"Fair enough."
The Doctor and Opal gulped as they ran out onto the rickety bridge. The fog seemed to envelop them and the cries of the manticores faded into silence. They ran and ran until they finally came to a stop. The bridge seemed to extend on into infinity and the fog was certainly not letting up.
"This must be a wide ravine," Opal panted. The Doctor sniffed the air and reached into Opal's bag, pulling out her Sonic Screwdriver.
"Can I borrow this?" he asked.
"Sure. It was your gift to me after all."
The Doctor began examining the fog with the Screwdriver but as he examined the fog, he couldn't help but notice that something was familiar about the Screwdriver he was holding. He had seen it somewhere before. He was sure of it.
"Found anything?" Opal asked. The Doctor examined the fog for a couple more seconds before shaking his head and returning the Screwdriver to Opal.
"Nothing. It's as if this fog is just refusing to be examined," he replied. Suddenly the bridge shook slightly and a cold wind blew through the ravine. The Doctor took in a deep breath of cold air as a ghostly image appeared before him. It was the image of a blonde, human girl. "It can't be!"
"Doctor? What is it?" Opal asked. It was apparent that Opal couldn't see the girl but the Doctor could.
"I love you!" cried the girl. The Doctor reached out towards the ghostly girl, attempting to grab her. She began to disappear.
"Rose, don't go!" the Doctor cried. 
"DOCTOR!" screamed Opal as she grabbed onto him. The Doctor found himself standing on the edge of the bridge. One more step and he would have fallen to his death. "What the hell are you thinking?!"
The Doctor calmed Opal down and backed away from the edge. How could Rose have been there? She wasn't there and yet she was. It was almost as if he were reliving that moment: one of the worst moments of his life. Opal turned towards the fog and began to cry. 
"Oh Celestia!" she cried as she shielded her eyes from what she was seeing.
"Opal? What do you see?" the Doctor asked.
"The eyes. Their eyes are horrible!"
The Doctor looked deep into the fog but saw nothing looking back at him. Suddenly, something grabbed hold of one of the Doctor's legs. The Doctor looked down to see a dark-skinned, human girl hanging onto the bottom of the bridge.
"Martha?!" the Doctor gasped. 
"Doctor!" cried Martha Jones. A large crab claw reached up from the foggy abyss, grabbed Martha, and pulled her down below; she was screaming for the Doctor the whole way down. The Doctor was in shock. What was he seeing? Opal continued to shield her eyes from what was staring back at her from the fog. The Doctor turned and saw a node standing on the bridge a few feet away. The top of the node turned around to reveal the face of Donna Noble implanted on it.
"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved," said the Donna node. The Doctor backed away from the Donna node and looked to see an army of red-eyed Ood marching out from the fog. "Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."
The Doctor grabbed Opal, who was still cowering on the bridge, and said, "Opal! We need to get out of here!"
Opal looked up at the Doctor and nodded. She then screamed at something the Doctor couldn't see. The Doctor looked to see the Ood growing closer. The Donna node continued to talk.
"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved," it repeated. The Doctor looked and saw the Master glaring at him from the fog. He had strange markings written all over his skin and his eyes glowed red as if the Beast were inside of him. Adelaide Brooke appeared next to the Master.
"I don't care who you are! The Time Lord victorious is wrong!" she snapped. Adelaide then brought a pistol up to her head and pulled the trigger. The Doctor turned back towards the Donna node. An army of children wearing gas masks appeared from the fog. 
"Where's my mummy? Are you my mummy?" they cried. The Doctor felt his entire body shaking. The memories came flooding back to him like a landslide. His mind felt like it was going to burn. Donna's voice began crying out from the fog.
"I was going to travel with you forever!" she cried.
"Oh Donna Noble. I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry. We had the best of times. The best," echoed the voice of his past self. The Doctor felt his sanity leaving him. Opal was curled up next to him on the bridge, frightened by the horrors she herself was witnessing. Suddenly, an orange flame began emanating from the fog. The images began disappearing. As the fog began to open up, one last ghostly image emerged from the fog. Rose Tyler approached the Doctor. She knelt down and stared into his eyes. Rose suddenly changed into a woman the Doctor didn't recognize. She was around Rose's age and had vibrant, red hair.
"It's time to wake up, raggedy man," said the woman.
"Who are you?" the Doctor asked. The red-headed woman smiled and disappeared into the fog. The last thing the Doctor saw was a zebra with a lantern walking towards him and Opal. That's when he blacked out.