//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Meet the Doctor // Story: Sonic New World // by ColossalParadox //------------------------------// o.o.o Zomom sat atop a giant cliff eating another 5 foot sandwich, watching from a distance as his giant sandworm henchman lashed at and spat purple acid at Sonic. Zomom could see the look of weariness on Sonic's face from the toll of the fight and knew Sonic might give in any minute. Zomom was sure that Sonic was going to fall to the ground soon, until he saw Sonic starting running. He saw Sonic run to a giant concave stone, run up its shape, and rocket back down it towards the worm. He saw Sonic blast through the base of the worm's weak-point and looked on in horror as his ally fell to the ground, unmoving. Zomom was to his feet in an instant to go assist his comrade, but he saw the worm begin to what looked like one final acid attack, one last redemption strike. Zomom figured Sonic was finished now for he was to close to dodge it. Zomom watched with a smile of victory of his worms final attack, but his mouth soon gaped open to impossible lengths as the worm spat out not acid, but instead a yellow orb of light. He watched as Sonic and the Rainbow pony raced to catch it before it flew to far. He saw them intercept it and take it back to the group. Zomom was in trouble now, for he knew the other six and Eggman were going to be angry that Sonic obtained an emerald and that he was not incapacitated or even slowed down. In fact, Zomom thought that it made him stronger than he was before. When the others heard of his failure, he knew they were going to give the worst punishment they could enforce, no dinner. Zomom shivered in fear at the thought of not getting one single morsel of food and the fact that his friend was dead, but his fears were soon cast aside as he saw his worm dive underground and start a whirlpool of sand on Sonic's group. They were all sucked into the vortex's pull, but Sonic, like the hero he is, tried to gather all of them up in a chain and try to run out of the whirlpool with them in tow behind him. The suction at that point though was too powerful, even for him. Zomom was sure that his worm henchman was alive and well and that Sonic and his friends were goners for sure. Zomom smiled victoriously once again and began to turn and stride away, but he noticed out of the corner of his eye something appear in front of the sandy vortex. He could only make out what was a brown pony that stood at the door of the blue box that had appeared. He saw the pony take Sonic's hand and pull them all into the box. Although Zomom wasn't the brightest light-bulb in the house, he was still smart enough to know that not everyone should have been able to fit inside that box. Zomom realized soon enough that he was staring at the scene with his eyes wide open, and due to being in the desert his eyes dried out quickly. He closed and rubbed his eyes to rejuvenate them so he would not go blind. He then turned and began to run away from the sorcery that was the mysterious blue box. "The others have to know about this, but what if I don't get any dinner because Sonic wasn't slowed down. Oh well, they still might like to know this," he said as he ran off in the direction of the sun. 0.0.0 Sonic just stared in awe as he watched the mysterious doctor mess around with a few things on the giant control panel, assisted by the gray pegasus and the unicorn filly who would turn a knob or flip a switch when they were asked. Sonic and the others didn't know what to do at this point, one moment they are staring death in the face and the next they are inside an impossibly large small box. Sonic turned his head to the others in hopes that they would give him an answer or a suggestion on what to do or what was going on. Unfortunately, he was only met with silence from the group. The crusaders were speechless, they just sat on the haunches with their mouths gaping open, trying to make sense of what was going on. The rest sat on their haunches as well, glancing about the gigantic machine wondering how in Equestria this was even possible, some even considered that it wasn't from Equestria at all, giving themselves an explanation of how this was possible. Sonic sighed his disappointment when he did not receive any useful tips or advice from the others about the situation, so he decided it would be up to him to try and solve this mystery. Sonic stood up and approached the mysterious team of heroes. "So, Doctor," Sonic began. "Hm," the Doctor asked, acknowledging Sonic but not taking his eyes off of the controls. "What even is this thing that we are in," Sonic asked carefully. The Doctor looked at Sonic with sparkling eyes and adorned an all too happy smile on his face. "Ah, I am glad you asked. Everypony, may I get your attention please," the Doctor asked above normal talking tone, drawing the attention of the others. "Now, I know some of you may be confused on what this is and where you are, but I can assure you it is nothing to be alarmed about," the Doctor paused to see if the look of confusion and worry left everyone's faces, smiling when he saw that it did. "Everypony, may I be the first to welcome you aboard my ship. Everypony, welcome to, the T.A.R.P.I.S," the Doctor concluded and admired how everyone suddenly got a happy and relaxed look on their faces. They all soon felt comfortable enough to get up and explore, Sonic did not though. He felt that there was something more to that name and he was bound and determined to figure it out. "T.A.R.P.I.S? What does that even mean?" Sonic asked the group of three. "Time And Relative Ponies In Space," responded the unicorn filly. Everyone looked to the filly in amazement of the words she just spoke, thinking that she somehow knew there was everything to know about this machine. The filly noticed their glares and decided to explain the meaning. "This machine we are in is very special, it can travel through space AND time. We can go anywhere in the universe to any time in the universe, we just say where and Da haaaa-, I mean the Doctor takes us there," the filly finished saying, plastering on a sheepish smile after her words. Everyone nodded their heads in understanding, relief washing over them after finally getting some answers. Sonic was still jittery though, not because of the strange machine, but because of the wrong picture going on with these travelers. Sonic still wanted answers, and he planned to get them. "Doctor, if you don't mind me asking, but are the three of you a family," Sonic asked at first, not wanting to jump to any conclusions. The others froze and looked to each other nervously, but they finally gave in and the gray pegasus approached. "Yes, it's true, we are a family. I guess you've figured us out." Rainbow Dash's ears perked up at hearing the voice. She looked at the others in a frantic manner which drew their attention. "Rainbow Dash, are you alright," Twilight asked concernedly. "I've heard that voice before and it is very familiar," Rainbow Dash said as she started flapping her wings and hovered above the group a little to get a better view. Rainbow Dash stared hard at the pegasus with the familiar voice, the look of her rang a few bells in her mind and she instantly knew who the pegasus was. "...Derpy?" Rainbow asked carefully. The mention of her name made Derpy look more alive and caused her to frantically search for the one who said her name, but the rainbow pegasus coming into view answered that question. "Oh, hello Rainbow," Derpy said nervously. The group gasped after she responded to Rainbow Dash, causing the group to talk amongst each other. "Wait, Derpy the mail-mare?" Scootaloo asked. "M-Maybe," Derpy stuttered. "Yeah, yeah, it's definitely you. I've seen you deliver mail and packages to our house before, but you were wearing your uniform then. I guess that's why I didn't recognize you right away, but you are definitely her." Derpy didn't know what to do at this point, a bunch of ponies she knew were now aware of her secret double-life from the normal clumsy, muffin loving, mail-mare. Derpy decided at this point that honesty would be the better option. "Alright, you've caught me," Derpy began, bowing her head in shame, "you all now know my secret. All three of us travel the stars and the across the fabric of time, saving worlds and entire civilizations alike. This is Dinky," Derpy said, pointing to the filly unicorn, "she is the bravest filly and the most wonderful daughter in the entire universe. And this is the Doctor," she said, pointing to the Doctor, "he is an amazing husband and a very daring explorer. I have never seen anypony find more trouble than he does," Derpy stopped her explanation and looked to the group with a spark of passion in her eyes, "THIS IS MY FAMILY AND I LOVE THEM WITH EVERY CELL, EVERY FIBER OF MY HEART," Derpy finished, gasping to catch her breath from the intense speech. No one knew what to say, the speech she gave was too passionate, too full of love to even respond to. Everyone just accepted her heartfelt speech and went on to the next topic. "Don't worry Derpy, you're secret double-life is safe with us," Sweetie Belle began, "our muzzles are sealed," Sweetie Belle finished, dragging her hoof across her mouth to emphasize their willingness to not share the secret, mimicked by the other crusaders. Sonic was still confused on one thing though, there was some pieces of the puzzle that weren't fitting together. He remained quiet for a short while before gathering up enough courage to be bold and just come right out with his curiosity. "Hold on a second here," Sonic said, drawing all the attention to him, "there is something wrong with this family portrait," he said, getting looks of confusion from the others. "Sonic, darling, what are you talking about," Rarity asked him with the utmost confusion in her voice. "Look closely," Sonic said, pointing to the trio of travelers that stood side-by-side. Everyone looked to the family to try and figure out just what exactly Sonic was getting at. The others eventually noticed, but Twilight was the first to realize what Sonic was talking about. "Oooohh," Twilight started, "Sonic, that is perfectly normal in families. It just depends on the ponies that came before you." "Hold on, I am actually confused. What are you all talking about," the Doctor asked everyone from the front of the room. "Uh, Doctor, I think it is-", Derpy tried to answer, but was silenced by the Doctor. "No, wait, sh sh sh sshhh. I am going to try and figure it out." The Doctor put on his metaphorical thinking cap and looked to his Wife and daughter to try and figure out the problem Sonic was getting at. He put a hoof to his chin and his other foreleg under his first to provide support while he worked out what was the matter in his head. Everyone was completely silent in the room. The only things that would make noise was the occasional Wurr of the T.A.R.P.I.S's main control panel and the Doctor "Hmm" ing every few minutes as he tried to figure out what was wrong. Sonic eventually got bored and decided to tell him what was wrong. "Uh, Doc, its-" "Sh sh sh sh sh sh sssshhh, let me work this out," the Doctor said, quieting Sonic down from spoiling what the answer was. Everyone sat patiently, waiting for the Doctor to discover the hidden truth about his family. The time passed slowly, but after about seven minutes or so the Doctor finally concluded what the problem was. "AH HA," the Doctor yelled and stomped his right hoof on the ground, startling everyone in the room. "I'VE SOLVED THE MYSTERY," the Doctor exclaimed. "And what is the final verdict," Sonic asked sarcastically. "How can Dinky be a unicorn if I am an earth pony and Derpy is a pegasus," the Doctor proudly answered. Sonic was astonished at his answer, amazed that he was actually able to figure it out. "So you did figure out the problem," Sonic remarked. "Of course I figured it out, I knew I would. It just surprises me that it took until now for me to notice that because I never really examined it before. Thanks for not spoiling the answer by the way, I hate spoilers." Sonic simply nodded at his gratitude. "Well," Twilight spoke up from the back, "it is actually very simple how Dinky can be a unicorn and neither of her parents are unicorns themselves. You see, while neither of you may have dominant unicorn genes, you could have ancestors that were unicorns themselves and those genes were passed down and remained dormant until they were finally awoken and Dinky got mostly unicorn genes from your ancestors." The family stared at Twilight, absorbing the information that was just told to them. The Doctor and Dinky seemed to understand perfectly, but Derpy had a hard time following the explanation. She just made sense of what she could of and decided to move on. While it seemed everyone excepted Twilight's explanation, the Doctor was ready with his own remark. "EXCELLENT, My dear Princess Twilight, excellent indeed. Princess Celestia has taught you well," the Doctor praised. "Thank You, Doctor." "But, there is just one small problem in your hypothesis," the Doctor said in a disappointed manner. "And what would that be?" "While that was a very excellent explanation, I must inform you that I do not have any unicorn ancestors, so the unicorn DNA could not have come from me. What about you Derpy, do you have any unicorn ancestors?" "None that I can think of, just earth and pegasus ponies. But I think I may have an answer to the question at hoof." "What is that, then," Twilight nearly commanded. "When you're with the Doctor," Derpy began as she walked over to the Doctor, "anything is possible," she concluded, nuzzling the Doctor. "That answer, I am willing to accept," the Doctor said as Derpy stopped nuzzling and gave him a small peck on the cheek, causing them to turn a crimson red. The cutie mark crusaders all "aaawwweedd" at this show of affection for one another. "Yep, aaawww indeed. I have a great life. it is full of adventure, and I have a wonderful daughter and an amazing wife to share it with. Traveling the cosmos, fighting bad guys, rescuing planets, and all before breakfast. It truly is, amazing. I remember the first time I ever met Derpy, it was during lunch hour in the market and everypony was rushing from stand to stand, I can remember it like it was yesterday," the Doctor started to flashback to the past, but stopped and shook his head, "but that is another story. Right now, I bet you are all wondering how we knew you were here and why we rescued you." "Actually, yes, I am wondering that," Sonic said. "Well Sonic, we were just returning the favor." "What do you mean?" "Well, we were there when the timber-wolves attacked the town, and we were fascinated by your story of coming from a completely different dimension with artifacts that could theoretically be more powerful than the Elements of Harmony. So we, well, I decided that if we could meet you, I could study the differences between beings from this dimension and yours are different, completely new scientific discoveries." Sonic just bobbed his head at the confession of the Doctor, one thing still sticking out of his mind. "I still don't get what you mean by 'returning the favor'," Sonic replied. "You see Sonic, it happened like this" o.o.o "As I said, we were all there when the timber-wolves attacked and were kind of defenseless. The T.A.R.P.I.S was about 10 blocks away from our position. A timber-wolf had blocked our path and none of the weapons I had would work and Dinky doesn't know that many defensive spells or attack spells, or at least ones that would work on timber-wolves. I stood our ground, separating my family from the wolf, willing to give my own life in the hopes that Derpy and Dinky would be spared if I did. The timber-wolf clawed and slapped me to the side, leaving a gash on my left cheek and leaving both Derpy and Dinky wide open. I remember seeing them both cuddle close together and prepare for what the wolf would do next. I tried to get up, but the power of that wolf's attack knocked all the strength out of me. I thought that was the end for them, I closed my eyes as well for I could not bring myself to watch. I can remember hearing the wolf pounce, a crack followed by a screech of pain, and the sound of a pile of sticks hitting the ground. I slowly opened my eyes to see I semi-big pile of sticks lying in front of my loved ones, the look of astonishment plastered onto their faces. We saw some blue ball rolling away towards another wolf, immediately destroying it with one swift movement. We followed you to the spot where you took down that timber-wolf Mega, saw you destroy it, and listened to your story." 0.0.0 "I think I speak for all three of us when I say that we are truly grateful for what you did. We will never forget you act of bravery, so we have vowed to help you in any way possible. Finding the chaos emeralds? If you have at least one of them, we could use the T.A.R.P.I.S's radar to search for them, land in the area, find it, and be on our merry way. What do you say?" Sonic listened to the Doctor's tale in awe, how his convenient appearance was the decision for whether his family would live or die. How if he would have been a minute longer than normal, his family would not be there and he wouldn't have been there to rescue the group from the sand whirlpool. Something unlocked inside Sonic, like a new found strength that he never knew was inside him. Sonic realized a few moments later that he was staring off into space. He snapped his head to the Doctor in order to reply. "Doctor," Sonic began, "let's go emerald hunting," he said as he reached around behind him and held up the newly obtained chaos emerald. Sonic remembered another detail from when the Doctor was talking earlier as well; lowered his arm, stored the emerald away, and asked: "Wait Doctor, what I still don't understand is, how did you know we were here?" "Oh, uh, we, well we sort of, kind of, followed, you," the Doctor sputtered out. Sonic could only muster the best poker face he could at the Doctor's admittance. o.0.o "You fool, HOW COULD YOU LET THEM ESCAPE," Eggman yelled, his voice echoing around the walls of the lab. "I'm sorry sir, the sandworm almost had them, but-,: "BUT, NOTHING. Sonic most likely knows that we are here now thanks to you, I don't even remember giving you orders to send a sandworm after him." "No, the General told me to send it, but only to slow Sonic down sir. Not to do anything drastic, just something that would keep him off his feet for a few days, something to buy us time." "Well, I am going to have to have a talk with the General later. But for now, get out of my sight, you sicken me." "But sir, I think you would like to know how Sonic was saved." "Not really, that make me more nauseous." "Some weird blue box appeared out of thin air and a strange caramel brown pony pulled them all into it. The box it somehow bigger on the inside, sir." Eggman nearly spazzed out after hearing this revelation. Someone who has very advanced technology that can match or even surpass his own sounded threatening. Now Sonic was buddy buddy with them. It was time for Eggman to step up his game if he wanted to win this race against time.