"So, none of you have been in here before?" Twilight asked. I felt that tingle in my head again.
"Oh, heavens no! Just look at it. It's dreadful." Rarity exclaimed.
"And it ain't natural. Folk say it don't work the same as Equestria." Applejack said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight asked.
"Nopony knows. You know why?" Rainbow said.
"Rainbow, quit it." Applejack said sternly.
"Because every pony who's ever come in, has never come out!" she said. There was a loud crash and the ground beneath Twilight fell. "Fluttershy! Come on!" Rainbow shouted as she rushed down to save her. I followed her but Applejack was the one who grabbed ahold of her. She comforted her and told her to let go when Rainbow and I were beneath her. I know we saved er from the fall, but Rainbow did most of the work. She had a better hold of her than I did.
As we walked through the forest I listened to Rainbow brag about the rescue. I couldn't help but smile at her for it. She did like being the center of attention every now and again. "We looped around and wham! Caught you in the nick of time." Rainbow said.
"I know Rainbow, I was there," Twilight said, "and I'm very grateful, but we've gotta-" she was cut off by a roar.
"We've gotta get past him!" Twilight explained. I looked over the group to see what it was and recognized it from what Sarah said.
"Take that you ruffian!" Rarity exclaimed after she kicked it in the face. He roared at her and she ran back to us.
"Wait." I said, as Applejack tried to stop him. He kicked her off of him with ease. "Wait." I said again as Rainbow Dash flew over to him. She flew around in a circle, but the Manticore kicked flung her out of the circle easily. She went flying and crashed in front of us. The girls gathered around and began to charge at the Manticore.
They aren't dangerous. They're rather peaceful and only become dangerous when they are either threatened or injured. I remembered Sarah's words.
"Wait!" I exclaimed in front of the group who finally listened to me. I turned and looked at the Manticore who seemed to be holding one foot above the ground just slightly, as if he didn't want to put any pressure on it. I walked up to him, comforting him. "Shhh, it's okay." I said. He showed me his paw and I saw that he had a large splinter. "Oh, you poor poor little baby." I said. It was piercing the soft tender part of his paw.
"Now this might hurt for just a second." I said, as I grabbed the splinter. I was prepared for him to let out another roar at me when I removed the splinter, but that was only because it would hurt. I knew that once it was out, he would be relieved and able to walk on his feet properly again.
I tugged and it came out rather easily. He roared at my face but then began to lick my mane. "Aw you're just a little ol' baby kitty, aren't you?" I said as he purred.
We continued and entered an area of complete darkness. I immediately felt vulnerable and scared, as if somepony was going to jump at me. I heard laughing from some of the trees and could have sworn I saw ponies standing in the shadows, but only for a few seconds. Nopony else said anything about them, so I didn't think much of them. I was so frightened that I scooted closer to Rainbow Dash.
Pinkie began to laugh and make funny faces at the trees all of a sudden. It was almost as if she wasn't daunted by the forest that surrounded us at all. She began to sing and explained why it was okay for us to come through here. Her song was... interesting. I couldn't help but laugh along with her because she just seemed so care free, almost as if she would come in here all alone just to laugh at trees.
When we were out of the dark part of the forest, we came across a sea serpent that was blocking our path across the river. I hadn't seen one before and had only read about them. I knew most of them were very proud of there features and cleaned their scales on a regular basis. He was missing his mustache, which was one thing they adored more than anything, and Rarity was generous enough to give him her tail to give him a full mustache.
I bumped into Rainbow after we crossed the river. I blushed as I looked into her eyes. I don't know why, but every time I thought about her, I felt my heart skip a beat. She looked at me with a hint of sadness, yet joyfulness. It's hard to explain, but I couldn't help but stare after her when she broke our eye contact. I saw a castle across a cavern that had a torn down bridge.
"There it is! The ruins that hold the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight exclaimed. She rushed towards the end of the bridge.
"Twilight! Wait for us!" Applejack said as we chased after her.
"We're almost there. Whoa!" she said as she almost fell off the destroyed bridge. Luckily Rainbow caught her before she fell again.
"What's with you and falling off cliffs today?" Rainbow asked with a smile.
"Now what?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Rainbow extended her wings proudly. I couldn't help but notice just how perfect they were. Sleek, strong, and beautiful. I felt another tingle in the back of my head, only this time, it hurt. I don't know why it did. Probably from the stress of being in the Everfree Forest.
Rainbow took off into the canyon and took the rope to tie the bridge back up. We waited for her to tie the bridge, but when she landed, she seemed to just stand there. I looked at the other girls and noticed that they stopped too, almost as if they were frozen. "Applejack?" I asked, waving a hoof in front of her face. "Rarity?" I looked at them all and they just stood there with the same expression on their face, not even blinking.
"It's alright." I heard a voice say behind me. I let out a scared squeal. "They're okay. Just frozen for a few minutes." the Doctor said.
"Oh. It's you. You scared me. Um, why are they frozen?" I asked.
"Don't they teach anything about Time Reversal Quantums in school anymore?" he asked, appearing to be disappointed.
"Time Reversal..." I said, trying to understand what he was saying.
"Oh, nevermind. Point is I've got the TARDIS circling this point right here to freeze time. The only ones who can move are us." he said.
"But how?"
"It's all a bit of a mish-mash of DNA, time constraint and millisecond intervals that would make even the most brilliant mind in the Universe go insane." he said.
"Well, you seem to understand it." I pointed out.
"Yep, and that's just it. I'm the cleverest of the bunch, and just a tiny bit mad." he said smiling.
"Umm, Doctor, why are you here? Are you here to help us stop Nightmare Moon?" I asked.
"No. I can't directly interfere with this course of events. It could change the future drastically. But, I did come here looking for you." he explained, walking closer to me.
"What for?"
"Tell me, have you been getting tingles or itches in the back of your head recently?" he asked.
"Um, yes."
"What usually brings them on?"
I thought about the first time it happened. I was in a hospital bed after being brought out of the Everfree Forest. "It started back when you mentioned her at the hospital. I asked you a question, but I don't remember it. It came back up a few weeks later when I was walking with Applejack back to her farm. Didn't you fix it at the hospital?" I asked.
"How did-" he started, but cut himself off. "I just hit a few, er, nerve endings and put you to sleep. You know, as a way of relieving the tingling sensation." he said as he fumbled for the right words.
"Doctor? What did you do?" I asked.
"Nothing I just put you to sleep." he insisted.
I knew he was lying. His voice was raised from it's usual pitch and he leaned back. "Doctor I know you're lying."
He sighed. "Okay, okay, I am. But I can't tell you honestly what I did or else it'll put you and your friends in danger." he said.
"Doctor, please tell me. Does it have something to do with the tingling in my head?" I asked, urgently. I don't know what it was, but I had a desperate desire to know the answer to this question was.
"I can't tell you! If I do it would be all for nothing." he said, sternly. "Just...when you feel that tingling feeling, just think of it as a warning to avoid it. To avoid whatever is causing it and to move on. If you don't, you'll be putting yourself in danger."
"Rainbow Dash isn't dangerous though." I said aloud.
"She isn't, but whatever thoughts you have or feelings you may have for her, just know it will only lead to danger and harm to you both."
How could Rainbow Dash bring us harm or danger? I thought. Well, if the Doctor says I should avoid it, I guess I should. I mean, I've seen what he's capable of. Maybe he's trying to warn me not to do something I've already done so it doesn't happen. Can he do that?
"I know it'll be hard." he said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "But you need to understand that it's for your own safety."
"But why? How could a thought be harmful?" I asked.
"It's a complicated thing, Fluttershy. If I had the time and if it telling you wouldn't put you in potential danger I would explain. But I can't right now." he said.There was a beeping coming from his watch on his hoof. "Already?" he said, looking at it. "Well, I gotta run. Can't keep a place frozen for too long or they'll be frozen for good."
He started to walk away. "Doctor!" I shouted for him. He turned back to look at me. "When I get that tingling in my head again...what should I do to stop it?"
His face was pained as he spoke. "Think of the worst thing that happened to you as a filly. Think of all those sorrows and pains, and it'll go away." he said. "Some pain from the past...to keep your future safe." he said and turned and walked into the forest.
I knew exactly what memories he was talking about too. The ones I tried to forget but always kept reappearing. I slowly walked back to the group and things started to return to normal.
I couldn't help but think of what the Doctor had said. Were my feelings for Rainbow Dash really going to put us in danger? Or was he literally meaning the tingling was going to be the danger? How can a feeling be dangerous? It doesn't hurt me. I thought. I looked to Rainbow Dash who seemed to be talking to some Pegasi. They looked like they were an elite flying team like the Wonderbolts.
She...she wouldn't leave us...right? I thought. I saw the Pegasi in the dark suit smile and my heart sank. She was really leaving us behind to join them. I lowered my head. Why? Why would she do that? I felt the tingle in the back of my head. I remembered us walking through school, her fighting the local bully for me, and even her crashing in the forest.
My head started to really hurt. Like a sharp pain was shooting through my skull. Why....Why does it hurt so much?
I remembered the Doctor telling me to think back to when I was a filly. I thought about my parents. My dad, my mom, being left alone all those times. The pain subsided, but I felt terrible. It was like my life as a kid was only there to be a play thing for my parents to abuse.
But then Rainbow appeared again, only this time she was comforting me in the rain. I saw her smile, her laugh, and her stance as she protected me at school. I looked up and saw her landing next to us. I felt my heart leap. I looked at her and just wanted to hug her. I'm sorry Doctor...but I can't do what you want me to do. I thought.
"I would never leave my friends hanging." Rainbow said. She flew over to me as we crossed the bridge. "Don't worry. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." she said to me. I smiled and felt happy knowing that she was here. "You know, unless the Wonderbolts let me in." she said afterward.
My heart hurt when she said that. We continued to walk to the castle and walked up the stairs. It was so old and had an evil feeling to it that I wasn't comfortable in. When we entered we found five stones that I assumed were the Elements. "Where's the sixth?" Rainbow asked.
"The book said, when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed." Twilight said.
"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked.
"I'm not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back. I don't know what will happen." Twilight said moving towards the Elements.
"Come on now, y'all. She needs to concentrate." We followed Applejack down the stairs as we waited for Twilight to do whatever it was she was going to do. It wasn't long after that I heard her scream. We all rushed up to where she was. I felt weird for some reason, as if something was coursing through my body.
"You think you can destroy the elements just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here." Twilight said. She started saying how each of us was a spirit of the Elements of Harmony. Applejack was Honesty, Pinkie Pie was Laughter, Rarity was Generosity, Rainbow Dash was Loyalty, and I was Kindness. The sixth Element, Magic, was Twilight. I felt a strong surge as a Rainbow shot out and struck Nightmare Moon. I felt happy, happier than I had felt in a very long time. Happier than I thought I could ever be.
It didn't last long though. We had defeated Nightmare Moon, who looked like she had changed into a filly. We all had these necklaces that had appeared on our necks. Rarity's looked just like her Cutie Mark. So did mine and all the others. "Gee, Twilight! I thought you were just spoutin' a lot of hooey, but I reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship." Applejack said.
"Indeed you do." Princess Celestia said as she appeared through the window. I covered my eyes as the suns rays shone past her, nearly blinding me. The Princess shared a hug with Twilight before she walked over to the pony that laid where Nightmare Moon was.
"It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister." she said.
"Sister!?" we all exclaimed.
"Will you accept my friendship?" the Princess asked.
I looked at Princess Luna's face and I felt sorry for her. She looked so weak and helpless. I was reminded of my days as a filly and how I had felt the same way. If it weren't for Rainbow...
I looked over to her and she seemed frozen in place. Almost as if something had forced her to stop. I looked to the others and they were frozen just as well. Twilight had her eyes half closed, almost as if she was in the middle of blinking. "Rainbow? Twilight?" I asked looking back and forth between them.
"Don't worry. They're fine." Jack said behind me.
I turned and faced him. "Um, are they frozen again?" I asked.
"Yeah. Don't worry about it. The Doctor agreed to do his little TARDIS trick for me." he said.
"But why?" I asked.
"I want to show you someone. You know those pains you've been having? I think he may be able to help." he said.
"But earlier...the Doctor said that the only way to keep my headaches from going further is to think of an event from my past...a bad one." I said as I thought to back to my parents.
"Yes, that's his way. But...I think this pony could help you more. He's...well easiest way to explain is to call him a freak." Jack said with a shrug.
"Umm...what can he do exactly?" I asked.
"It's easier to show you. What he does...it's very difficult to explain."
I was really curious about what this pony could do. I had just started remembering my past and I really hated doing it. So maybe it was worth going to visit this pony and seeing what he could do to help me. "Where is he?" I asked.
"Across the world. Per the usual..." he said walking closer to me.
"Are we taking the TARDIS?"
"No. It has to stay in a constant cycle here or else everyone here would start moving again and you would have appeared to have vanished. Not sure you'd like to explain that." he said.
"But the Doctor said that he couldn't keep it going for very long or else everyone would still be frozen for good." I said.
"Oh you know the Doctor likes to exaggerate a bit." he said with a smile. "They'd only be frozen for a few days."
"That's still not good!" I exclaimed.
"I've got the Vortex Manipulator programmed with the help of the Doctor to go to his place and back here specifically. We'll be back in a few seconds." he said.
"Um, the last time you said that we were late by a few hours..." I pointed out.
"Yes, but at the time I was hitch hiking through time. However now the Doctor has easily programmed this to be more specific. You'll be gone in the same time as it takes for them to blink." he said.
"Well...what can he do though? The pony you want me to meet."
"Not sure. But he's interested in something that involves you. Claimed he could help you."
Can he really help me? I thought.
"Come on." he said as he held his hoof out.
I walked towards him slowly, glancing back at Rainbow and the others, still frozen in their places. I stood next to him and placed my hoof on his. He pressed a button and I felt my body pulled in multiple directions.
It was just as painful as before.