//------------------------------//
// A Wedding to Attend 
// Story: The Doctor Whooves Chronicles Episode 4: Under the Sea 
// by Doctor Perseus 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 7: A Wedding to Attend


Gaia, 1215 C.E.

Acting upon instinct, Derpy closed her eyes and prepared herself for the oncoming explosion. However, no explosion came. Instead, all that Derpy heard was Dolarez grunting and skidding to a halt while the Doctor's sonic screwdriver giving off its signature sound. Derpy opened her eyes to see the Doctor pointing his sonic screwdriver at Lea, who was now surrounded by a gaseous, white bubble and appeared to be frozen in time. A mixture of green and blue lights was radiating from the teleportation device on Lea's wrist. "Phew!" the Doctor said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was close!"
"What did you do?" asked an equally confused and amazed Derpy while the Prince and Dolarez examined the apparently frozen-in-time Lea.
"It's actually all very simple, Ms. Hooves. You see, when I initially tried to 'sonic' Lea's trigger, the screwdriver picked up another technological device on Lea that could prove to be some use to me: a teleportation device. Now, teleportation devices, to an extension, could be considered as lesser time machines."
"How so?" asked the Prince with a look of interest.
The Doctor took a few steps towards the frozen Lea, making sure to keep his sonic screwdriver aimed at Lea's teleportation device. "Teleportation requires one to travel from one place to another, sort of in the same way that time travel works; but, teleportation focuses of sending you anywhere while time travel focuses on sending you anywhen. However, teleportation does involve some bits of time travel. Teleportation devices, such as the one that Lea is wearing, both slow down and speed up time simultaneously when transporting a traveler from point A to point B. The time immediately around the traveler and the device speeds up while the rest of time slows down. It's this process that helps provide the speed of light teleportation process in which the matter that makes up the traveler and his belongings is dispersed at his departing point, transported through space, and reconstructed at his designated destination. So, with this in mind, I quickly used my trusty screwdriver to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow (didn't expect to ever say that again) in Lea's device in order to activate it but have it work backwards."
"I think I understand," said the Prince. "So instead of time speeding up around Lea, time is slowing down around him."
"Bingo! Now, Dolarez, would you be so kind as to remove the trigger from our time-locked friend? I don't think I can keep him frozen like this forever."
Dolarez nodded as he reached through the gassy time bubble surrounding Lea, carefully grabbed the trigger, and pulled it out of Lea's grasp. The Doctor then let his arm holding the screwdriver fall. The gassy bubble disappeared and Lea returned to moving in normal speed. It took Lea a couple seconds to realize that the trigger was no longer in his hand and his eyes went wide upon realizing this. "Impossible!" he gasped.
"Nope. It's possible," said Dolarez before punching Lea straight in the face and knocking him out cold.
"Never doubt the warriors of the blue box," the Doctor exclaimed with a smile as he wrapped one of his forelegs around Derpy. Derpy blushed a bit and giggled in agreement. Dolarez knelt down on the ground and bent over as he gave several, long breaths. The Atlantean was no doubt relieved by the fact that the worst of the conflict was now over. Derpy looked over at the Prince who was smiling due to having seen the problem taking care of; but his smile looked a little bit sadder when he turned towards Derpy and the Doctor. Derpy's previous conversation with the Prince suddenly came back to her.
"Here's a few words of advice: don't expect to run into the Jabberwocky just one more time, Derpy Hooves. The two of you are connected in more ways that you realize," she remembered him saying. Derpy knew that the Prince was hiding many secrets from her, and for good reason, but there was definitely one thing she could tell by looking at his face: they had won this battle but there were many more to come and some were probably not going to end that well. Upon thinking of this, she wrapped one of her forelegs around the Doctor and held him close.

The Doctor informed King Lycus of Lea's defeat a few moments later. Lycus proceeded to relay this news to Lea's followers. The remaining followers of Lea that had not yet fallen in the battle did either one of three actions: surrendered, kept fighting out of denial, or tried to escape. Needless to say, Lea's final prediction had come true: his army was indeed defeated in little over an hour.
Following the end of the battle, a majority of Lycus's army was busy helping gather up Lea and his remaining followers. Lycus returned to the room that the TARDIS had parked in to speak with the Doctor and company. "So, I can see that everything has turned out well," said the Doctor.
"Yes. Some of Lea's followers have escaped but they will not go far. Without their leader and their headquarters they cannot perform anymore horrendous acts. My men will most certainly catch up to them in time," said Lycus. "Now, Doctor, would you mind taking the five of us back to my throne room?"
"For what?" Derpy asked.
"You'll see."
The Doctor agreed to Lycus's request and used the TARDIS controls to bring them back to the throne room. "So, what is it that you wish to discuss with us?" the Doctor asked as he exited the TARDIS alongside Derpy, Lycus, the Prince, and Dolarez.
"I don't really want to discuss anything as much as just simply thank you," Lycus replied. The Band of the King glowed and four gold and silver medals appeared in Lycus's hand.
"You don't really need to do that," said the Doctor.
"But I want do, Doctor." Lycus walked forward and placed a medal around the Doctor's neck. "It's not everyday that I award an Atlantean Crest to someone." Lycus placed a medal around Derpy's neck.
"Thank you," said Derpy.
Lycus moved over to Dolarez and placed one around his neck. "Really, your majesty?!" asked an excited Dolarez.
"Really, soldier," Lycus replied with a smile. The King then stepped over to the Prince and placed it around his neck. "Prince Shining Armor VI. Consider this as not only an award but as the beginning of a true alliance between Atlantis and Equestria."
"Thank you, King Lycus," said the Prince as he extended a hoof. Lycus extended one of his webbed hands and shook the Prince's hoof. Lycus then turned back to his throne, approached it, and sat down.
"I believe that Atlantis is now truly ready to start conversing with the countries above the water," said the King. "This day would not have come around without you. You all played a part and you all served valuable purposes. Prince Shining Armor VI, Atlantis shall now forever be a kind and loyal ally to Equestria. Dolarez, your life in Atlantis is set and you and your family will be taken care of for generations to come. Warriors of the blue box, Doctor and Derpy, Atlantis will always be open to you and the people will never forget what you have helped accomplish."
"Thank you, my king," said Dolarez.
"Thank you," said the Prince.
"Thank you, your majesty," said Derpy.
"Thank you, Lycus," said the Doctor. Lycus smiled at the Doctor and gave a nod in return.
"So are you really leaving already?" asked the Prince as he turned towards the Doctor and Derpy.
"Yes. Atlantis looks like it'll be alright from here on out," the Doctor replied. The Prince smiled and gave a quick chuckle.
"What's funny?" asked Derpy.
"I guess that's another thing that's true about you, Doctor," replied the Prince. "You arrive in your blue box, you save the day, and then you disappear without asking to be thanked." The Prince was silent for a moment. "I'm really happy that I was able to meet you at least once."
"As am I!" added Dolarez.
"We're happy too," said Derpy as she wrapped a foreleg around the Doctor.
"Be careful now," said the Prince with a serious look. The Doctor could tell that the Prince was looking mostly at Derpy as if the warning was mostly for her. He looked at Derpy as she nodded silently in reply to the Prince. The Doctor wanted to question this but he figured that he could ask later.
"Well if there's any ever trouble, just look for my box," said the Doctor. The Prince, Dolarez, and King Lycus all gave one final goodbye wave. The Doctor then turned around and headed back to the TARDIS with Derpy at his side.
The Doctor closed the doors as soon as he and Derpy were inside the TARDIS. "Do you think Atlantis will be all right?" Derpy asked.
"I believe so. Things will be a bit rocky at first but I see a bright future for that city," the Doctor replied as he approached the main console. "So, where to next?" Derpy was quiet. She sat down next to the console and leaned her back against it. The Doctor approached her and sat down next to her. "Anything the matter?"
"I dunno. I guess I'm still...adjusting to all of this."
"You're still adjusting? You've been to the past, you've traveled to the future, you've met a green monkey, and you've just now visited Atlantis."
Derpy smiled at the Doctor and blushed a bit. "What can I say? I'm weird like that."
The Doctor smiled back at his companion. "Or bubbly."
"Huh?" Derpy looked down at her cutie mark and giggled. "Oh yeah...my cutie mark. I guess that's how I got it."
"How you got what?"
"My cutie mark." The Doctor gave Derpy a confused look. "Have you thought this whole time that ponies were born with their cutie marks, Doctor?"
The Doctor was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "So, ponies aren't born with their cutie marks?"
Derpy giggled again as she stood up. The Doctor followed suit. "I'll explain that to you on our way to our next stop."
"Oh! So you've decided!"
"Yeah. Seeing the Prince got me to thinking. I want to attend the wedding of Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. It took place around the time in which you first arrived in Equestria. I missed it because I chose to take care of Carrot Top, who was sick at the time."
"A wedding, huh? Sounds interesting. I'd be prepared for trouble if I were you, though. Weddings hardly tend to go normally for me."
"I think hardly anything goes normally for you, Doctor," said Derpy with a giggle.
The Doctor gave a quick nod in agreement. "Touché, Derpy Hooves," the Doctor replied with a smirk. The Doctor began working the TARDIS controls. The ship started shaking as its signature sound began reverberating through the air. "Look out Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, you have two more wedding guests on the way!" The Doctor then pulled down a lever and Derpy cheered as the TARDIS took off through the Time Vortex.

To be continued...