//------------------------------//
// Chapter Nine: Taking a Breather 
// Story: Cranks and Bubbles 
// by guppygirl 
//------------------------------//

   When they got back to the TARDIS, the Doctor yelled at Tick Tock the way the unicorn hadn’t been yelled at in a long time.  Not since Neighers.  A lot of things were beginning to resemble Neighers to him lately, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.
   The last pony to yell at Tick Tock that way had been his brother, Lightwing.  Then, he’d had an audience - other ponies of Neighers, who’d encouraged Lightwing and knocked Tick Tock’s things out of his grasp.  The Doctor.  And her.
   She’d offered to help him pick up the things he’d dropped, showing him the same kindness that astonished him from the moment they’d met and he’d seen it in her golden gaze.  Even when he refused, pushing her away so she wouldn’t come to hate him like the other ponies had, she’d only smiled her gentle smile and said, “Oh, boy, I remember being that way, too.  I’m gonna help, anyway.”
   There’d been a kinship between them, from the moment they’d met.  Before the Doctor, they’d both lived their lives as outcasts.  They’d never met anypony who understood before, not in the way that they did.
   But now?  She was terrified of him.  Tick Tock was afraid that he’d never win her back.  What did he do if that happened?
   Suddenly, he noticed that the Doctor was no longer present.  He must have given up on Tick Tock and headed deeper into the ship to comfort Derpy.  After all, she’d seemed inconsolable after what had happened.  Tick Tock sighed, wondering if his gray mare-
   Wait.  No.  She wasn’t his.  And even if she had been, she certainly wasn’t now.
   With a frustrated grunt, Tick Tock lashed out, striking a metal railing with practiced precision and ignoring the indignant chirrup from the TARDIS.  He’d already hurt her once by being possessive - why couldn’t he get it through his thick skull that Derpy belonged to nopony but herself?  She could have other friends!  In fact, he knew she did!  He’d met Carrot Top!
   Though, actually, the last time he’d gotten possessive this way, it wasn’t for fear that the stallion wanted to be her friend…
   Before he could continue with this intimidating train of thought, the Doctor returned from the back hallways of the TARDIS.  Following behind him was Derpy.  Far from her usual cheerful self, she walked with her head hung low and her wings drooping, sneaking a wary look at Tick Tock from the corner of her good eye.



   It hurt for her to look at him that way.  He just pretended he couldn’t see it, directing his gaze to the floor.
   If the Doctor’s smile was forced before, it was beyond artificial now.  He bounced around the control room, trying to cheer the other two ponies in the room up with his energy.  “I think I might know the perfect place we can go to relax!”  He pressed the few buttons and pushed a screen over to show them a view of a gorgeous planet.  “Ionides is the greatest pleasure planet around!  Gorgeous resorts, tropical jungles filled with adventures, and - my personal favorite - tons of ancient ruins filled with all kinds of crazy artifacts!  Doesn’t that sound amazing?”
   He gave a grin that looked almost painful to his companions and ignored how small and sad the smile Derpy returned was.  “Come on, then!  Avante!”


*o*o*o*o*


   The planet was beautiful, better than it had even seemed on the screen.  The weather was sunny and warm, with a cool breeze blowing.  All over the planet were creatures from all kinds of different planets, with brilliant colors and extra limbs and all sorts of oddities you never saw in Equestria.
   Tick Tock surveyed his surroundings and felt the tension in his chest loosen a little.  Derpy loved exploring new planets and cultures - surely this would be the best thing to cheer her up!  He snuck a glance at her, trying to gauge her reaction.
   She was looking around, too, but it wasn’t with her usual expression of wonder when confronted with a new scenario.  Now, she looked cautious, almost uncomfortable with the things she saw.



   She bumped into him mistakenly.  With a squeak, she scrambled back, eyes wide and totally unfocused.  “S-Sorry!”
   Tick Tock watched her for a moment longer, seeing the way she held herself as she gathered her wits.  She was clearly still frightened of him.
   With a quiet sigh, he turned his gaze back to the Doctor.  “So,  you mentioned something about tropical jungles?”


*o*o*o*o*


   True to the Doctor’s word, the jungle was filled with all sorts of adventures, though they were far toned down from their usual ones.  No sooner had they entered the jungle to look around than their tour guide disappeared to investigate a “mysterious sound”.  After ten minutes passed and she had not returned, the other ponies grew nervous, but Tick Tock had almost immediately spotted the cameras hidden in the branches - this was a part of the experience.
   “Wonder what’s taking so long…” Derpy murmured as she watched nervously in the direction that the mare had gone.
“Take a look,” the Doctor answered in a jolly voice.  “The cameras everywhere, the clear-beaten path - this is a part of the tour!”
“What?”  Derpy looked at the stallion in confusion.
“Yes, it would seem that we are meant to follow the path alone,” Tick Tock broke in.  “I suspect this is part of the ‘adventures’ you mentioned, Doctor?”
   The Doctor winked, eyes twinkling.  “What, you think I’ve been here before?” he asked, voice teasing.  Then, suddenly, he grew more serious.  “It’s odd, though… usually, there should have been a signal by now, to encourage us to move on further…”
   A sudden shriek ripped through the air, startling everypony as they whirled to stare in the direction of the sound.  In a voice filled with trepidation, Tick Tock asked, “I don’t suppose that was it… right?”
   The Doctor was already off and running.  He followed quickly (well, as quickly as he could) after, with Derpy bringing up the rear.  The rest of the group stayed behind, whispering amongst themselves and shooting fearful looks back at the path they’d been following, considering whether to turn back or to stay.
   The companions finally caught up to find the Doctor standing in a clearing, staring up a tree with a worried expression.  “This isn’t good,” he muttered as he trotted in a semicircle about the trunk, peering into the branches.  “This is the tree the guide usually hides in until the group’s passed by, in case they search for her - but there’s no sign of anypony having been here recently.”
   Tick Tock trotted to the edge of the jungle, examining the underbrush as he passed.  Finally, he announced, “I found some tracks here.  Looks like our tour pony was trying to come here as usual when…”
   “When what?” Derpy asked nervously.
   Tick Tock shook his head.  “There’s no way to be sure.  There are no tracks, no drag marks - no signs of the presence of another creature, unless they flew.”
   “Oh!”  Derpy leapt into the air at that, flaring her wings to catch herself.  “I can check that!”
   Tick Tock raised an eyebrow.  “How?”
   “The trees!”  She darted into the branches overhead, leaving the two stallions below sharing a slightly confused look.
   Seconds later, she suddenly appeared again, diving down to land between them, seemingly not noticing them both rear back in her excitement.  “I found it!” she exclaimed, turning to smile at both.
   Her smile disappeared when she saw that her descent had startled Tick Tock into an automatic battle stance.  He straightened almost immediately, when he realized that there was no threat, but her golden gaze was still apprehensive.
   “Found what, Ditzy?” the Doctor asked, regaining her attention.
   She shook her mane, trying to get a real smile on her face again.  “The thing’s trail!”  Turning, she pointed to the trees above.  “There’s no way to fly up there - the branches are too dense, you can’t get far.  But something could have traveled through the branches, and I found claw marks!  Something went that way.”
   “Amazing as usual, Derpy!” the Doctor exclaimed, eyes sparkling.  “Well, what are you waiting for?  Come on!”
He bounded into the trees, and Derpy turned to follow, but was halted by a voice from behind her.  “Derpy, wait.”
She froze momentarily before shaking herself.  She had nothing to fear!  Slowly, she turned to face the ginger unicorn who was regarding her with a tempest of mixed emotions raging in his green eyes.  “Yes, Tick Tock?”
   He took a step forward, concern momentarily winning the battle for control over his features.  “Are you all right?  You’ve seemed rather… upset since our last journey.”
   Derpy opened her mouth to deny it, then sighed and turned her head to the side.  Don’t lie to him, Ditzy.
   She didn’t even have to say anything.  He beat her to it.  “Is it because of Flinar?”
   Her chest tightened at the sound of the stallion’s name.  The stallion who she’d not known for long, the one who’d imprisoned her and tried to harm her.  Yes, it was irrational, and yet…
   “It’s just…”  Derpy faltered, searching for the right words.  “I can’t help but wonder… did he have to die?”
   “Derpy, he was trying to hurt you.”  Tick Tock’s voice had grown steely, the same way it had sounded on Yoskuatera, and she winced as he continued, “I did what I had to to stop him.  Just like any other monster.”
   “But he wasn’t a monster!”  For the first time since they left Yoskuatera, Derpy met Tick Tock’s eyes, and he was surprised by the fire in her own.  “He was - okay, so he wasn’t quite a pony, but he thought like one!  He could’ve changed!”
   “Or he could’ve done worse,” Tick Tock countered.  “Let ponies like that live, and all you’re doing is giving them a second chance to commit more atrocities.”
   Derpy was quiet for a moment, regarding him.  Then, finally, she said, “You know, the Doctor said something similar once, about a thing we were fighting - a huge dragon-thing that was trying to destroy the multiverse.”
   “What did he do?”  Tick Tock asked, expecting her to say that the Doctor had terminated the threat - the logical thing.
   Her answer surprised him.  “He stopped him, but let him live.  He wanted to kill him, but he realized that it was wrong.”



   Tick Tock blinked at Derpy, trying to figure out how to respond.  Then the Doctor called from up ahead, “Guys, come look at this!” and without a moment’s hesitation, Derpy turned and cantered after him.  With a sigh, Tick Tock hung his head and followed.  For once, his soldier’s senses failed him… and he didn’t realize that the three were being watched.