I
All it took was a cackling whirl of sounds that feverishly bellowed through the night air, and the TARDIS was appearing into the swampy forest that stood west of Middletown. The blue box that seemingly transformed into itself from nothing, broke the ethereal plane and shown itself.
The grey and impermeable night left still the sounds after its showing, and the door slid open after a few minutes, jostled over by a hoof. A lone hoof reaching out like a spider traveling from its web. Yet this was no web, this stood as a box in a land unknown. The owner stood behind that door unseen by the shadows of the night and the creatures that lurk within it. You could hear the distant, “Hold on I’m not ready!” and the sudden cries of excitement echo from inside the TARDIS. As the creature that secluded himself (Itself) inside of this blue phone box stepped out, it revealed itself as a pony, seemingly innocent, but somewhat intellectual. This creature wore a green long tie that was wrapped around with a collar of tinted apricot. His hoofs shone a dusky brown and were layered with fur, thus decreeing he never really washed his coat often. His eyes were a bluish green shine that stared out at the wild like a hunter through his scope, waiting for something amazing to happen. The dusky brown pony stepped further out and released an exempted yawn, further exalting his excitement and exuberating fancy for being here.
The sounds that echoed from within the blue box seemed to stop as another pony, this one seemingly with wings, (at this time no known accounts with horses having wings was recorded) lurched out of it.
The grass was a grey yellow, which meant that this was an area of low nutrition and the rain seldom poured here. The sands that sat beside the scraggly trees was hot, and the sun was low, meaning that this was a humid sort of land. Dry was the air as well, which stank of rotting swamp. The land was soggy, and moist with heat, which led to its softness and danger for quicksand.
The dusk brown pony took extra steps out to the grasses, which crunched and twisted beneath his hoofs. His flank revealed an hourglass that was twisted clockwise about 40 degrees.
The grey pony spoke, its yellowish gold locks of mane bouncing as she wobbled around, “Doctor, Doctor! Do you know where we are? Oh-my-gosh I love that muffin machine you just brought from that other galaxy! Oh-my-gosh I cant quite remember it's name, but It was a fun place to visit! Oh Doctor, where are we now?"
The Other pony seemed to go by the name of Doctor... The Doctor swerved around on his back hooves in excitement and laughed a hearty laugh. "Well Derpy! I have no clue where we are! But I am sure that we will find out if we just go and ask some of the residence here, that is if there is any. And oh, that was Galoplatumius. I loved that planet too Derpy, but we had to move on; besides, what adventures await us here?"
Derpy (at least this was her temporary name until revealed later) moved with excitement beside the doctor, her scarf and bubbly glasses toggling themselves along as she trotted alongside the Doctor. The Doctor smiled as he looked over, the events that had taken place before that day were unexpected.
But when weren't they ever?
He thought to himself as he gazed at the beauty that stood beside him, passively mumbling and humming the lyrics to a song they had heard earlier. His nostrils widened as his hoofs paused him in his trot; midwalk he smelt the foul decay in the air. The stench that remained calm and cool, every passerby could smell this.
The Smell of Death...
His thoughts rushed, of course Derpy oblivious to this. He knew that this planet, or whatever this was, if it was a place at all, was not safe.
But he would not let this stop him from venturing on, because he knew that the TARDIS brought him here for a reason. His reasons were always the same for some things, and he knew that the TARDIS had it's reasons as well. He would have to go explore if he wanted to know what was wrong, or even right, about this area. Of course while walking he saw what he thought out to be a light, jutting into the cool, damp, air that surrounded them. He glared out at the light, seemingly as if he wondered why it was there for a few moments, and them he stopped wondering.
It was a village. This he was sure of, and he could think to himself about this. The smell still rushed to his nostrils, but Derpy seemed to not notice the light nor the smells. He saw that the ground was growing less damp, and the air less silent. As the sound of animals and somewhat creatures seemed to puncture the silence. The Doctor knew these sounds way too well, and he was in knowing of the fact that these creatures were something he was very used to.
Humans...
There were humans in the area, and Derpy and him had never been around humans together. In all of the times that he had Derpy as his assistant, he had never shown Derpy the human race. She might freak out or think that this is one of the more stranger species, or even become fascinated! This could be... Earth!
Or even though that he was not familiar to the scent of the planet around him, it could be a colony of the Human race. This was surely Humans, though. And he was sure that he had to keep Derpy safe, and all of this was beginning to spill into his mind. It wasn't long until they reached the edge of the forest, a dark collaboration of trees massed together to become a sort of forest. The forest wasn't really big, as the doctor could tell by the way they had walked out so easily; that or he had just lost track of time in his deep thought. But the trees, the trees... Those were another thing, for they were not of any sort of trees he had seen before. They seemed to reach out for you, and grab you at any moment. He knew at this moment he was not on earth, and he was getting at the slightest worried, so he moved a bit closer to Derpy.
"Hey Doctor," Derpy said throwing her mane around to the other side of her head. "Is that a town?"
It seemed she had finally noticed, and the Doctor didn't want to keep her from it.
"Why, yes Derpy, it is a town. And to be exact, that is a Human town. I used to look like the people you are about to see here. (Of course he still isn't 100% positive it is Humans.) These aren't anything like the ponies back in Equestria you are used to. These are homo-sapiens, on bi-pedals."
"Whoa Doctor, slow down! I cant understand all of that at once! So wait, you used to be one of these people that we are about to see? Does that mean that this is your home?"
The Doctor giggled, "Haha, no Derpy... I just looked like these people, and I was born somewhere completely else, we talked about that!"
Derpy nodded that off and trotted on, as a hill needled and checkered with stones stood in between the Doctor and his assistant, and the Town. The hill was a scattered mess, and wrung about with glacial sized boulders, zigzagging off to a point that dripped off to certain death. The grass appeared to be a messy brown and grey color, like a garden that had never been tended to in its life. And the sky had revealed itself to be a stunning black and blue, with moons streaking across as the light danced from star to star. (Which meant the sun set faster than the Doctor recalled, he did lose track of time...) The sky had painted itself above them as the removed themselves from the forest, and the hill tormented their path. The rocks stood as if they were placed just for the reason to block travelers from getting out of the forest. The two companions then rose their gaze to the Town. Its wooden structures stood barren with excitement, and lackluster in space. The dull town screamed insanity and few moments of success, from the little buildings that it held. Its roads were paved in mud, from what rain brought the people that lived there, and the people were clothed in sheets woven from some sort of animal fur. (This brought no sudden worry to the Doctor, as he didn't posses the thought that he would be shaven.)
Why oh why so little excitement in the lives of such people, the thinking would ensue. But for the certainties of The Doctor, he knew that these people looked as if they were poor. And their town was a waypoint for lowly happenings...
"Derpy," he spoke, "We need to find a way to scale this hill (Of course it was a little big, a little too big to be a hill...) and get down to there."
Derpy didn't respond, but instead nodded in agreement as the Doctor continued to speak.
"We can get down faster if we walk to the sides of these rocks and hang on to the juts of the crags. The stone formations seem to be lose around these left sides, so I will take the liberty to go first, and use my Sonic Screwdriver to fix the stones that I climb on." He reached into his back pocket and hooved around for his Screwdriver, until he pulled it out. He had earlier still had troubles picking things up, but now he had it down pat. His skills as a pony had increased seven-fold, and he was now ready to almost take on anything. He mounted a rock as he took his steps down, carefully plotting his hoofsteps, one hoof after the other...
II
Truthfully, it hadn't been thirty or forty minutes, but the Doctor had already made it halfway down the formation; slowly scaling the formation of what he had found to be bones. Bones of some sort of creature that died hundreds of years ago. His hoofs pressed against the bones in some places, loosening the steadiness to the point of crumbling. But his Screwdriver fixed it, as good as new, and made it good enough for Derpy to follow without falling. Of course being this far down, he then remembered Derpy had wings, being a Pegasus.
Reaching the bottom, the ground was dry, as was the Doctors mouth. He was exhausted. Derpy was already at the bottom, and he had strained himself climbing the whole way. The Doctor looked over in malcontent and saw Derpy laughing at him.
"What? What did I do?"
"Oh nothing, but you know you could have just let me fly you..."
"Well! You know I always need a good exercise!" He stretched, popping his back in four places while he says this. "You should try it sometime. Maybe saving the world(s) depends on a little physical activity!"
"Umm Doctor, your still fat. No amount of exercise can help cut the butter belly you have."
"Aww come now, Derpy, don't say that! Maybe I will lose weight based on the gravity of a planet or interdimensional travel!" He scratched his hoofs together, taking a few looks around to survey where they were. "Alright! The town is a few clicks that way, so if we hurry we might be able to see what's going on. But be careful not to be seen! We can not be seen here yet until I know it is safe..."
"Well how am I supposed to do that? I am clumsy and noisy and talkative and you expect me to be invisible!? I don't think I can, Doctor..." Her voice trailed off in unsureity and dismay at the slightest.
He smiled and lifted his matted hooves to her chin, "You don't need to worry derpy, you know I always have a plan!" He pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and pressed it to the ground, activating and waiting. "It will take us about 30 minutes to get there."
"I didn't know it could tell you that..."
"It can't! It's just a guess based on distance and clicks per distance!"
Derpy didn't understand math, but she didn't need to, because it wasn't her strong point. But all she needed to do was help the Doctor in any way she could. Whether it be the Dalek or the Cyberponies... She was successful in helping him. She didn't have to understand much though, because through her whole life she was made fun of, and she didn't need math or anything else to he over it... She just needed herself. This proved that the Doctor and his TARDIS had made a great choice in choosing the assistant. Other than that she loved everything that had happened to her in her time with the Doctor, because it happened with him. Everything was so much more beautiful with him, traveling the universes and seeing the creatures. This made her understand the vast world that the Doctor had been wandering around in, just playing it like a game, and he was the player. His journeys always seemed to end happily, and to work themselves out, because of the problem solving of the two. Of course they had their arguments, but they felt like most of those were behind them, just for the fact that they were so used to each other now.
The Doctor slowly surveyed the town now, as if to look for something in particular. Of course he didn't understand the cultures of every human right away, but he would have to learn by watching. The gathering in the center of the town seemed to hint at the slightest bit of violence. A staturing wooden plank hung up in th centre of the town, standing for all to see. The people were watching as something was occuring out of the Doctor's sight. The lights in the town glowed to an eerie rhythm as chants were muttered and moaned. The Doctor turned his head to the attention that the crowd was focused on...
A boy.
A single boy that had been brought out, and the Doctor at this moment knew what was going to happen.
Oh god, they are going to hang that boy and burn him alive! I have to stop them, no matter what that boy did; I can't let this be the first thing Derpy sees!
III
It hasn't taken much time for them to open up what would have been the bars and stores that day, if it wouldn't have been for the sacrifice. The townspeople were unknowing of why the boy had become cursed with what they call the Madness, but he was a naturally cursed boy. His eyes were a strong color of grayish blue, a dying sadness faded in him. His face drained of the color of happiness, and flushed with disgust at the people that would do this to him. His hatred seemed to grow slowly, and the people were too happy and rejoice-full to notice. But the boy knew himself that he did nothing wrong to deserve this, and the tears were held back. He seemed to be the age of 17 or 18, but with a younger face that hasn't touched much tragedy. His parents must have died, and the sadness had left his eyes.
The villagers started chanted loudly and on key with each other, "Down with the Dreamer! Down with the Thinker! Burn the Bastard! Char the Demon!" A sound that was eerie enough to chill you by the ear.
The crowd went wild with excitement, tossing themselves here and there with violent intentions. The air was filled with their hate, the smoke of death, and the clouded insanity raged on. As the boy seemed unaware of what was going on, and what he had done, a certain fluid was being poured onto the pile of wood bearings that held the post upright. The boy shook fluently and with thrashing motions, trying to bite his tongue or wriggle himself free from his constraints. But as he did, the villagers took notice to his demise and hurled heavy rocks towards him, breaking his spirit, along with his jawbone. He was robbed of his life so short, yet, this was as it seemed. True doom was imminent.
The chorus of demise sang out itself from around him as he hung his head in shame. Crossing his fingers, he prayed to Rha as he let out his dying prayer with a solemn voice. After a few minutes, the crowd of people, a thralled containment of bred madness, ceased to insult and harm the boy. A hush fell over them, in under seconds, as if with congruence and complete punctuality, the crowd separated. His eyes were shut as if nails were piercing his brow. But even though he couldn't see, he heard the destructive gait of the executioner, merrily bringing himself forward to the post with a torch.
All of this in itself at once, crept into the Doctors eyes. Setting his emotions aside from what he usually bears, he cut off down the pathway, darting away from his companion in a matter of seconds. Blindly rushing to save the boy for reasons he knew not why, he just felt the wind in his face, as his hoofs thundered along the track, almost as if to his own heartbeat for the safety of the boy. Derpy took notice to this, but it was too late to follow, as the Doctor had already made the path shorter with each hoofstep. She glanced down the windburnt road to track where he was off to, and her eyes brought her attention to the town. She knew leaving her like that meant that he was in no need of assistance for this, because of all of the past times he had done it. She was used to being left alone like that, and she loved waiting for him to come back.
She brought herself to the only patch of grass that sat in the grayish field that sat before her, and she lay down.
During this time she had by herself, she made observations that were usually not things people would focus on in a time of trouble. But Derpy didn't know that it was a time of trouble, and she always loved to think about things that made no sense to other people. Turning herself, she rested her head upon her hoof as she stared out to the Doctor. She was wondering about the sky, the strange grass, and planets that they had visited in the past. All of these things are unimportant, but Derpy doesn't care. She thought about the TARDIS, and why it brought them here, and she thought about herself, above all. Why was she herself, why did she look like she did. Regular thoughts that she had all the time would just come and go like a storm passing. She felt the emotions were rain, and it just poured over her.
She never wasted her time...
But the Doctor had to worry about time right now, almost like he never had worried about it before. It was as if he was stuck inside a turning clock, and he was the second hand; everything depended on him. He knew that there was going to be trouble, and he was ready for it. His eyes darted from side to side, thinking of his congenital tone to speak in, and how he must approach the people of the town; he knew that they must not be accustomed to being talked down to by an Equine. By the time he would reach the first building, the torch bearer had reached the boy. The executioner stood above him, counting his steps clockwise towards the post as he circumnavigated this boy. The Doctor stood outside of the main crowd, and behind a building, hoping that nobody (He was not accustomed to using the term nobody, because of using nopony.
The Torch bearer looked as if he was elated to be bringing death to this boy. His face was not covered, like the Doctor was used to, but it was still yet painted in a daunting white. Bones and skin hung from his belt, showing off his dominance, and also his barbaric stature. He held his head high, almost like he was doing the town a favor by killing this innocent (The doctor did not truthfully know that the boy was innocent.) boy in a barbaric manner. He brought his shoulders horizontally equal to each other as he knelt down passionately, bringing his eyes to the boy, and the torch to the wood...
"STOP!!!"
It bellowed through the town, and the silence was soon following.
Why he had yelled he did not know, it just sprung out. It was very haunting for the townsmen and him, for the silence and anger shone through their eyes.
This thrall of people must have been the smell of death I noted earlier...
His thoughts did not deceive him, and he knew that this was what he had searched for. The child was asleep and not knowing of what had happened, passed out from exhaustion, or the beatings.
The first townsman spoke, his voice growing dreary as he trashed himself through the visage.
"Why is this trick upon us?! Who dares to halt a process as holy as this? And why would you bring a horse to trick us? Shall we burn that too?"
The Doctors ears shot up in fright. "No! No! No! There will be no burning of the horses! I promise you that this is not a trick! I am no illusion! I am really here with you all right now, talking..." He didn't seem really sure of himself, and the fact that he wasn't really sure of how he was going to get the boy out of the situation he was in.
"Are you?"
The Doctor was dumbfounded. I mean, what kind of question was that?
"Am I what?
"Are you real? Are you sure of yourself you are not an illusion?"
"Well I'm positive! I have been this way my whole life."
"Was it a wizards curse?"
"Wizard?" He then thought to himself, Ah right, since this isn't earth, they probably have a few things that the other universes don't have. Which would be the real magic. Haha! Derpy would be happy that we actually found a place with real magic for once! Nevermind that... A Wizard? Curse? Seems wizards aren't the most positive thing here...
"Aye, a wizard, he put a curse on your bones. Casting his shadows, weaving his spells, has funny clothes, and twinkling bells."
"I dont think I have ever heard of such a wizard before... Then again, I am new here."
"What do you mean, new?"
"Oh I mean to this town and locality, I am just a traveler!"
"Aye, I can tell by the way you arent used to our accustomes."
"How did you see that by just looking at me?"
"Your naked..."
The doctor blushed, looking down and noticing he only had on his tie and collar. He hadn't had to wear clothes since his last regeneration, and even at that clothes arent necessary as a pony anyway because there isn't really anything to cover up that isnt already covered in fur. He tried to shuffle a bit of dirt around with his hoof, as to ignore the comment made.
"But otherwise horse man, we are in the middle of something ritualistic, and very pertant to the situation."
"Ah! That is what I came about for, you see... I came to ask why this boy is being hurt as such."
"Well you see, he is a bastard, and a witch's son at that. He is also a Gelfling, which in this land is illegal to be." He shot a mean look back at the boy, as if cursing him with his life. "This boy has commited treason to the laws of our Land. We will carry out what is necessary to do the job... Burning him."
"Ah well... Ok um... (thinking in a fluttered fury.) You see I am here as a traveler, and me and my wife are having a lovely trip so far! Wouldn't it be rather crude to do this while you have visitors?"
"Are you trying to talk me down?"
"No! No! No! I am just trying to say that it might scare my wife!"
"Fuck your wife and you, Horse Man. I am the operater of this Death Train... 'Tis I that calls the shots about who lives and who doesn't."
"Well, I dont know about calling shots..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rock, obscured from the vision of the executioner. "But I do know that you are the rudest person I have met on my trip, and quite ugly too! I mean look at ya' with your big teeth! And your huge body, I mean you must weigh a ton!" This was meant to enrage him, or at least the Doctor hoped.
"And you aren't so skinny yerself! Now you tresspass onto our land and insult me? How about I show some of our famous hospitality, boys?" He asked that of the crowd, and they responded with a "Hell Yeah!" The Doctor knew he had to think up something fast... But he couldnt put his hoof on what he was thinking, until the man started walking.
Dust.
The dust kicked up beneath his weighted boots, and clouded the area around him, not by much, but enough. The Doctor noticed this immediatly, and started to stomp his hooves.
"What are you doing, horse man? Are you scared? Are you gonna run away?"
The Doctor didn't respond, but he started building up a cloud of dust big enough that you couldnt see him or the man. As this happened, the man then took a step into the dust cloud, and for a moment you could see neither him or the Doctor. Then, after a few seconds, a 'THUD' shook the ground, and you heard the sound of hoofsteps. The Doctor stepped out, unscathed in the battle. (Truthfully he hadn't really killed the man, he just knocked him out with the rock, and the dust was for cover.) The man appeared dead to the crowd, just limp, and on the ground.
The Doctor spoke, "Now, who else wants some?" He glared around at the crowd and smirked at them. Nobody spoke, and everyone was showing an emotion of fear on their face.
The Doctor thought to himself, Heh, surely now they must be thinking that I am only a horse. And How could I do something like that? Well, Now is the time to free that boy...
"Alrighty then! Free the boy, and nobody else will get hurt!" He looked at the person nearest the pole. A old man, in raggedy torn clothes. The man started to cut the ropes away from the child, and as they did, he fell to the ground with a loud 'THUMP', the doctor took notice of this and brushed it off. The Doctor ordered them to bring the boy to him, and they did as they were told. When he was presented the boy, his face twisted in dismay. The boy had been beaten beyond recognition. His face was brused, and torn in some places, which didn't even account for the jaw that was out of its socket. He would have to bring the boy to Derpy.
"I will leave you now, and never return. Do not try to find me, I will be long gone and impossible to find. Just stay in your town, and in your homes. And let this be a lesson to you, dont pick on the weak."
He mounted the boy onto his hindquarters, and trotted off slowly, but a townsman called to him before he could leave...
"Hey! What do we call you?"
The Doctor laughed a little, and looked back for a second, eying the townsman. A middle aged man that seemed to have gone through rough things as well, and wearing what seemed to be bracers, with leggings that were browned by the sun. His tunic was a dull red that was tattered at the ends, and the bottom was folded and cut to fit him, as a hand-me-down. The Doctor felt a small amount of pity, as he usually does for these kind of people, and he spoke.
"Just call me, The Doctor."
The Townsman didn't look surprised at the name, but he did ask, "So where are you going to take the poor boy?"
"I am going to take him to get some help."
"Can you help him, will he live?"
As he started to turn back around, The Doctor was surprised that someone cared so much about the boy, being that the whole town was just trying to kill him. "Why do you care? Are you a relative?"
"No, but I tought him what he knows, and very few in this world will ever know what that boy knows."
"What is that?"
"How to be a Gunslinger..."
The Doctor nodded to that, and thanked the man for a small yet informational chat. He then departed, facing the hill again, and leaving the town at his back for good...
IV
"YOU DID WHAT???"
The Doctor seemed furious, and ravishly darted about the area.
"I am so sorry Doctor I didn't know the forest would attack me, So I just left my stuff there."
"Ditzy, now we have no way of getting back into the TARDIS, or even finding it!"
She looked down at the ground, ashamed of herself. "I am sorry, maybe there is a way! There is always a way Doctor, I am sure we will get the TARDIS back..."
"I understand where you are coming from here, but we just lost the only method of saving this young boys life! He could have lived!"
A sudden rustle occured behind them, and a hand raised up and grabbed the stone that it was propped against.
"Wait, Doctor, I thought you said he was in no condition of moving, or even being able to wake up!?"
"I... I-I Did..."
They moved over to the body of the boy, slowly, the boy started to move. His eyes were still shut, but it seemed that he was dreaming, a sweet dream. A boy that was dreaming after this kind of thing happens to him must usually have a horrible life. He must be used to foul treatment like this, but the Doctor and Derpy wached as he somewhat reacted to his own dream. His body jerked, and amazingly, the cuts on him healed. His wounds were healing!
"Derpy! Would you look at that! His wounds are healing themselves! All by themselves!"
"Is this a good thing? Or is it a bad thing? Because I hope it's not a bad thing..."
"Well it might be for the better! We didn't have to use the TARDIS after all! Then again, this could mean that the townsmen were right."
Derpy looked at him, wondering what he meant. "What do you mean, the townsmen were right? How did you find this boy?"
"Oh um, he had been torn up by a few wild banshees, and they said that he might be a little strange and such." He knew he was lying to her, but he couldnt tell her what the townspeople were really like.
"Well that is terrible! You dont think that we will be attacked by any banshees, do you?"
"No! Of course not! They only attack humans. Which is good for us because neither of us are human!" He laughed a bit and then accepted her seriousness. "We have to be careful though, there are probably different things out there than banshees that would hurt us."
The Boy now gathered himself and awoke, he seemed to have fully healed, and grown aware that there were two talking horses in front of him. he stood in front of the Doctor and Derpy, tattered and riddled with scars. His eyes were beautiful though, a complete opposite of the rest of him, because of the condition of his body. He looked as if he had been starved all his life, and he was paler than most people should be. His hair came down past his shoulders, smooth and black, curling and rushing in waves to his back. His clothes were of a Western sort, he carried a belt that had a holster, but no gun. His duster brushed the stones and dirt that lined the ground, and it hung high on his shoulders, almost like his pride. His pants were a sort of jeans (That was strange for the Doctor to see, because the fiber needed was futuristic for this time period.) that tore at the heels of the leg, revealing boots. These boots shone in the sun, or what sun there was. (It was barely dawn at this point.) They seemed a sort of leather, with roses etched into them, and the steel toes gathered the attention to the boots. His shirt was white, well was. It was stained with his blood, and cut down the middle, as if someone else had done that to show something. His face was young, but old, at the same time. The Doctor knew that he was something different, and maybe the villagers were right, he might be what they call a Gelfling...
He sat himself upon the rock, which was only about half the height of Derpy, and looked the the Doctor. "So, I reckon you are the one who got me out of here?"
"Oh-oh, u-um.." He stuttered as he collected himself, "Yes. I am the one who rescued you."
"Well thank you very much, but if you dont mind, I shall be on my way..."
"On your way where? I dont even know who you are!"
The boy looked up to him and gave no emotions, "Then lets keep it that way."
"Why are you so eager to get out of here?"
"What reasons are there to stay?"
"You need to rest!" The Doctor seemed angered and stomped his hoof down on the ground.
Derpy then spoke up, "Maybe if you stay here a night, you will feel even more better! We always like guests, dont we Doctor?"
The boy laughed a bit, "A Doctor, huh? What is your profession?"
The Doctor looked at him and shrugged, "Time and relative dimensions in space."
The boy looked dumbfounded, as if someone told him a lie. "So you are telling me you heal time and space."
"Actually, that kind of is what I do, but to a certain degree. It doesnt matter though, you are here with us for the night, and you must stay so I can observe your wounds. I have never seen anything like that on a person."
"Well if you insist I stay, it cant harm me for a night, but you seem to not have a place of your own..." His eyes scanned the area, and he remembered a bit what the two were talking about a few moments ago. "Or did the forest eat your home?"
Derpy spoke, "It ate it..."
"Ah! Tangleasp, a dangerous form of creature, not even a tree. They suck away your oxygen and leave you for dead."
The Doctor had never heard of such a plant, or even being.
The Boy continued to speak, "You will never get anything back from those trees, what was eaten is never returned. It is long gone if you had it."
The Doctor's eyes shot open, and he went into panic mode. "You are telling me I cant get my shi- (He didnt want to say ship, seems strange.) home??! So its gone forever?"
Derpy seemed just as worried as the Doctor, because unlike the Doctor, she doesn't live forever. The boy then chimed up and spoke, "There are no other ways to get it out of that, there is only one way to really get it back though. That is where I am going, to get something back."
At this, Derpy added, "Well then, tell us how to get our stuff back! We need to know! I cant be stuck here forever."
The boy looked at the pair of them and spoke, "I see it in my dreams, a place that exists only off the True Earth. It is at the edge where you may be granted a wish, one single wish! that wish stays with you, your entire life. The Edge Earth is a point in time where nothing ever grows old, and the Angels reside there and call it home. No man or creature has ever made it to the Edge earth, but we do know that it exists, because of the teachings of the old. My dreams tell me so, and I know that this wish can grant me what I desire. If it can do this for me, then it can do the same for you! I barely remember parts of my dream, but I know how to get on the way there."
The Doctor couldn't believe that he was listening to a person that he had just rescued, about traveling to the edge of the planet. He thought immediatly that it was absurd. "So you are telling me we have to go to the edge of the planet?"
"Yes."
"Simple but short, alright. Tell me, boy. Where did you hear these stories?"
The boy noticed that the Doctor found his tale false, and was a bit angered by this. "How do you not know of these tales?! All that live on True Earth know of the Edge Earth and its powers. And my name is not boy, do not talk down to me..."
Derpy butted in on the conversation, "Alright you two! We dont want any arguments!"
The Doctor replied, "You are right Derpy, we dont, but I just cant believe that there is an edge of the planet." He brushed his dusty mane out with his right hoof, throwing dirt and dust in the air. "But I cant start doubting you right off the bat, I know I have some confidence in you. Just please realize that we arent from around here, and we arent used to people telling us these stories."
"I can tell..."
"Well, we might as well get some sleep, it was night a while ago, maybe a quick nap will help us get through tomorrow!"
"Yes, and then we will be off. To the Land of Red!"
"I dont know what that is," Derpy spoke in an excited tone, "But I cant wait to find out!"
"But please," the Doctor started again, "Wont you tell us your name?"
An answer followed that question, but not the one the Doctor sought.
In due time...