Chapter Twelve
In which Twilight learns that, while the enemy of her enemy was most definitely not her friend, the earlier version of her enemy just might be, and is fangirled over by a scientist
The young Colgate scooted back into the corner at her words, eyes wide and uncertain "Are...Are you going to hurt me?"
Twilight's eye's softened, brows furrowing with concern as her ears picked up the slight tremor in the filly's words. Slowly, Twilight sat down, then leaned even lower so she was eye to eye with the little pony.
The pair of blue eyes across from her widened. There was a soft whimper.
"Shhh" Twilight said softly "I won't hurt you, I promise"
Young Colgate cocked her head to the side and leaned forward slightly, but her eyes still watched Twilight as if she were a dangerous wild animal, like the purple unicorn might lash out at any moment "Do you mind if I stay here for a little while?" she finally asked softly.
"Of course" Twilight said, before pausing "Though, if you don't mind me asking...why?"
"Oh?" Colgate glanced up at Twilight in surprise before looking quickly back down "Well...I normally hide- er....I normally go to this room when Mister Bright is angry....but...those times it's been empty"
Twilight cocked her head, last she had seen Bright had seemed pretty darn happy....
"You think Bright Idea is angry with you?" Twilight said gently to the filly
Young Colgate nodded, still facing slightly away from Twilight, shoulders hunched defensively "He said if "I couldn't levitate by this week, he would be very, very disappointing" she stopped, then murmured softly "That usually means angry"
A soft noise escaped Twilight's mouth as she stared down at the little filly, eyes filled with pity. Despite what Colgate had put her and the Doctor though, despite the fact that she had been the reason the Doctor had disappeared for so long, despite the lingering pain in her side, seeing that pony before her now, younger and so scared....She felt a twisting, painful sadness in her chest like someone was squeezing her heart, and refused to let go.
Eyes prickling, Twilight slowly stretched out a hoof towards, the young Colgate, wincing as the filly flinched away and the twisting inside her tightened unbearably "Please" she said, voice raw "I want to help you, I really do"
She reached out once more, and this time the filly didn't move away as Twilight gently touched her cheek, eyes watering. She knew the future of this wide eyed little pony, she knew the pain and anger that would slowly fill those indigo orbs.
With an almost desperate suddenness, little Colgate wrapped her hooves around Twilight's neck, trembling as she clung to the small figure of comfort, any comfort, she had been provided with.
Twilight closed her eyes, as she cradled the shaking filly against her.
"I won't let Bright Idea hurt you" she said, filled with sadness, but also with a tinge of anger, and stone cold conviction "Not ever again"
Then something registered in Twilight's mind, and she opened her eyes, lifting her head slightly "Wait...you were able to get into the door..."
Young Colgate nodded "The locks aren't to difficult to pick if you know how..."
A small smile twitched at the corner of Twilight's lips "Do you think you could get it open again?"
The Doctor skidded around the corner, trying to remember the path they had led him down away from the room they were keeping Twilight in. Why did all the corridors always have to look the same in sketchey genetic labratories? Was is some sort of requirement? The convoluted route they had taken him on definitely wasn't helping either....He had to go find Twilight, and he had to figure out how to stop...well...whatever it was that inside Bright Idea.
He spotted a pair of scientists and ducked inside a doorway, pressing himself against a wall as they trotted by. Then, as their hoof steps receded, he relaxed, looking slowly to his other side-
"Ahh!"
"Ahh!" the pony next to him shouted back, dropping the pair of beaker tongs she help in her hoof.
They stared at each other for a few long seconds.
The mare before him was cream in color, with a light minty green mane, but most striking...and somehow familiar... was the metal structure on her forehead in place of her horn.
The Doctor blinked, then gave an exclamation of recognition "Green Leaf!" he cried. The unicorn who had first escaped.
"Yes?" she asked softly "Do..do you need something?"
She glanced back towards her lab station, which lay at the end of the otherwise empty room, presumably abandoned when she went to investigate the strange pony who had slipped into the doorway.
"No" the Doctor said "Well actually yes. Yes and no. Maybe. What year is it?"
"Thirteen forty six"
"Then yes, I need your help" he smiled
The mare's large brown eyes flicked over him uncertainly "Oh...well... alright?" she paused "Who are you exactly?"
"I'm the Doctor, and I'll be needing your assistance"
"Doctor who?"
The Doctor broke out into a grin "Just the Doctor...oh, I love it when ponies say that!" He grabbed her by the hoof and started to pull her into the hallway "Come along, Leafy! No...no...that's terrible....hmm...Greenie! That's better! Come along Greenie!"
"Wait!" Green Leaf said, pulling back. Her face, which had before been friendly, if a little timid, was now suspicious "You...This is just another of Bright Idea's little ploys, isn't it?"
"Wait what?" the Doctor said "Look, I am definitely not helping him, in fact, I'm kind of trying to stop him. Trust me."
Green Leaf snorted bitterly "Trust me. Trust me. Oh sure, what with you acting all charming, with your quirky little Bitish accent. I trusted him once, and look where it got me"
"What reason would he have for setting this up?"
"Unicorn's magic levels increase under stressful situations, and prolonged stress and uncertainty can effect magic as well" Green Leaf said, not meeting the Doctor's gaze, her voice just barely breaking as she finished quickly "He's quite fascinated by the area, and I'm his favorite subject"
The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed, a look of concern on his face "I'm so sorry"
"No you're not" the unicorn was looking at the floor, breaths quick and shallow "No you're not, I-"
"Green Leaf." the Doctor put a hoof on the mare's shoulder, she looked at him, hesitated "Right now, I have a friend, a unicorn, an actual, bona fide, large amount of magic capable unicorn, locked up all alone in some room, and you probably know better than me that she is going to be in a great, great deal of trouble if I can't get to her before Bright Idea does"
"How can I know you're telling the truth?"
"...Please"
Green Leaf paused for a long time, gaze flicking to the side before returning to his, a spark igniting in her eyes as a look of determination passed onto her face "Alright." she lifted her chin a little higher "What do you need me to do?"
The Doctor grinned "First off, you probably heard about the three ponies taken in last night...crashed through the ceiling in a blue box?"
"Of course...Everypony has!"
"That was me and my friends...er...well, friend and no so much friend. Secondly, I need to get to the room that my friend is in, would you know where that might be?"
Green Leaf blinked, probably wondering what she had gotten herself into, then slowly nodded "Yes...I think so...."
"Brilliant!" the Doctor darted back out into the hallway with Green Leaf trailing behind, still looking slightly apprehensive, but also with a growing air of excitement.
As they reached the intersection, she poked her head out first, checking to make sure nopony was coming.
"Clear?" the Doctor asked
"Clear."
They dashed to the next corner, following Green Leaf's lead, pressing themselves to the wall as an unfamiliar set of hoofbeats neared.
They waited tensely as the other set of steps stopped too, the silence stretching out for several strained seconds. Slowly, the Doctor turned his head to peer carefully around the corner...and bumped snouts with another pony doing the exact same thing.
Both the Doctor and the unknown pony leaped almost a foot into the air, eliciting twin yelps before, at the exact same moment, they registered who exactly they had run facefirst into.
"Doctor!" Twilight Sparkle laughed, throwing her arms around him "Celestia you scared me!"
A chuckle of relief escaped the Doctor, as he grinned, returning the hug "You're just as guilty Miss.Sparky...Sneaking about like some purple pony ninja" he tutted in mock disapproval, but couldn't hold back a smile"It's a relief to see you all in one piece"
Twilight gave a little snigger, feeling a similar sense of weight off her chest seeing the Doctor okay after his surprise exit earlier. Her eyes feel on the mare behind the Doctor...the pony's face was naggingly familiar...With a start, she realized it was Green Leaf, from the article in the library. In the picture her face had been subdued, but now her eyes were wide, body almost quivering with an acute alertness that was at once both edgy, and full of a strange sort of excitement. Twilight could sympathize...the Doctor tended to have that effect on ponies. She turned to him, raising an eyebrow, and smirking teasingly "I see you've already replaced me."
"This is Green Leaf" Twilight could see the Doctor biting back a laugh as he rolled his eyes "Green Leaf, this is my friend, Sparky"
Green Leaf's eyes widened, and she leaned forward, staring with rapt curiosity at Twilight. Now she actually was shaking with excitement "So...You....You can actually do magic...powerful magic? And naturally? No modifications or enhancements or-"
Twilight bit her lip uncomfortably, ears folding backwards slightly, and the Doctor gave a small prod to Green Leaf's shoulder. The pale unicorn flushed sheepishly "Sorry...It's just...Well... It's so fascinating!" she looked down, now her turn to look slightly uncomfortable "It's completely up to you, but....You...Would you mind terribly giving a small demonstration?" her eyes flicked hopefully up to the purple unicorn.
"That's completely fine" Twilight smiled, knowing exactly how Green Leaf felt. Celestia knew how the Doctor put up with her constant questions about just about everything time travel and alien "...I can relate to the feeling of scientific curiosity" then she furrowed her brow "As for a demonstration, I think a can manage a small one" her magic had been steadily waxing, and, while it was nowhere close to normal, Twilight was pretty sure she could manage a small teleportation. Squinting her eyes shut, she focused, and, with a pop, blinked a foot or two to her left.
Green Leaf covered her mouth with her hooves, barely restraining a squeal "Omiluna....That was...That was amazing!" She turned to the Doctor, eyes wide "You, you really were telling the truth...I can't believe it...I..." She furrowed her brows "Wait...not that I'm complaining....but weren't you supposed to be trapped?"
The Doctor held up a hoof "While I'm sure it's an interesting story, we should probably get going...more pressing matters and all"
"Actually" Twilight interjected, ears twitching uneasily. She wasn't exactly sure how this was going to go over "You'll probably want to hear this...You see, I had some help getting out" she turned behind her, to where the young Colgate was hiding behind the corner, eyes wide, tail tucked between her hind legs. Soothingly, Twilight said "Shh...it's okay, you can come out, these are friends" until the filly was finally coaxed into stepping out from behind her and out into the open, albeit with her body still pressed against Twilight's foreleg.
"Hello..." the little Colgate murmured softly as the Doctor and Green Leaf's eyes fell on her.
Twilight looked to the Doctor, biting her lip. He looked up at her, then to Colgate, then to her again.
"Oh..." he said slowly "I see."