As soon as the blue doors opened this time, a cold breeze blew through, bits of snow swirling about the interior.
“Brr!” Derpy exclaimed, tugging her new scarf tighter around her neck. “It’s cold out there - is it winter?”
“Would certainly seem that way,” the Doctor answered simply, glancing out at the snow-covered buildings. “You might want to bundle up.”
Derpy nodded, turning to head to the TARDIS’ wardrobe. “Tick Tock, are you coming?”
Tick Tock was looking out at the town and started when Derpy mentioned him. “O-oh, yeah,” he said, turning to her. “Sorry - it never snowed in Neighers.”
Derpy gasped. “So you’ve never seen snow before?”
“Correct,” the ginger answered simply.
With a smile, Derpy beckoned him. “Well, come on then! I’ll help you pick something warm out, and then we can go check it out!” She trotted out of the console room, Tick Tock casting one last glance out at the snowy landscape. “Coming, Doctor?”
“Ah, no thanks,” the Doctor explained quickly as he fiddled with the console. “Time Lords have a lower core body temperature than ponies - we don’t get cold as easily.”
Tick Tock raised an eyebrow, intrigued, but simply nodded and followed Derpy. He’d ask the Doctor a little more about it later. Right now, his best friend was waiting for him.
*o*o*o*o*
Tick Tock swung the doors open and stopped, eyes on the winter clothing. "Oh, right. I'd almost forgotten." He sighed, flicking his ears back in annoyance. "His scarves are all weird and huge."
"Maybe we'll find something normal-ish?" Derpy piped up hopefully.
"Only one way to find out," he answered, following her on her way to the hanging racks.
After a few moments of silence while they both perused the clothing articles, Derpy spoke. "So... you've been spending more time in your room lately. Working on something?"
Tick Tock nodded as he flicked aside a tackily-colored scarf. "Yes. Back in Neighers, I was able to create a projectile that would inhibit a unicorn's ability to use magic. The weapon primarily existed to disable the Lich-pony's spells. Now, though..." He glanced over at her with a warm ear-flick. "I've been working on making it compatible with multiple races, so as the make it a non-lethal way to defeat an enemy."
Derpy smiled at him, golden eyes glowing. "I'm glad to hear it."
*o*o*o*o*
When they emerged, Derpy had paired her scarf with a white beanie to keep her head warm, as well as a set of green boots with white fluff. Tick Tock, meanwhile, had shifted his goggles from their usual spot around his neck to perched on his head, just over his horn, in order to make room for a brown checkered scarf of his own, with much more durable-looking brown boots.
“There you are!” The Doctor popped up from below the floor, where he’d been working with the console’s wiring and such. “I think I’ve managed to figure out where she landed us!”
“What do you mean?” Tick Tock asked, suspicion in his gaze. “I thought you said this was intentional.”
“Shush, you,” the Doctor chided, confirming the unicorn’s suspicions. Derpy shared a somewhat exasperated look with him while the other stallion pulled a screen around to show him. “Seems like we’re in Fillydelphia!” He giggled. “Fillydelphia, of course.”
“Wait.” Derpy approached the console, focusing her gaze on the date. “17th of the midyear?” Turning, she smiled as she announced, “That’s Hearth’s Warming Eve!”
“Midyear?” The Doctor blinked, confused. “It’s winter.”
“Well, yeah,” Derpy said slowly, as though talking to a small foal. “You saw the new year’s celebration in Ponyville when you first arrived here.”
“I did?” Suddenly, the confusion cleared from the Doctor’s face. “Oh, you mean the Summer Sun Celebration!”
Derpy simply sighed, turning to Tick Tock instead. “I suppose you never really got a lot of opportunity to celebrate Hearth’s Warming in Neighers, huh?”
Tick Tock nodded. “True. In a war town, you don’t have a lot of time for celebrations - all that does is lower your guard while you’re distracted.”
“Well, this time, you’re gonna get to celebrate one,” Derpy declared, gliding over to the TARDIS doors and pushing them open. “Come on, this is gonna be fun!”
With that, the three ponies exited the TARDIS, entering the snowy town that was Fillydelphia.
*o*o*o*o*
Ponies of all three races bustled past, hurrying to get out of the cold temperatures and back inside the warmth of their houses. A few shot odd looks at the TARDIS, parked at the edge of a side alley, before simply scurrying on, and Derpy could have sworn she heard one mutter, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” Stifling a snort of laughter, she turned her gaze to her two friends.
The Doctor was smiling as he regarded the candy-cane decorations along the road and the bright lights strung all about. “Why, it’s like Christmas!” he declared. Derpy blinked, opening her mouth to question what he meant before deciding it was just better not to ask.
Tick Tock, meanwhile, had a slightly quieter reaction. He was simply watching the lights reflecting off of the snowflakes, a slightly sad expression on his face.
“Something wrong, Tick Tock?” Derpy inquired, walking over to his side.
He sighed before turning to meet her golden gaze. “Lightwing was always talking about celebrating some real holidays, once the war was over,” he said softly. “He would’ve loved this.”
Derpy blinked, ears dipping back sympathetically. Then, just past Tick Tock’s shoulder, she spotted something that (she hoped) was bound to cheer him up. “Hey, look!” She pointed, directing the stallions’ attention to a small theatre with a sign out front labeled “THE TALE OF HEARTH’S WARMING EVE.”
“We should watch the play!” she declared in an upbeat tone. “That would be fun, don’t you think?”
“That sounds interesting,” the Doctor agreed. “After all, I’m not yet familiar with your holidays - this could be an interesting opportunity to learn more!”
Tick Tock agreed with a flick of his ears. “Avante,” he said, glancing at the Doctor, who beamed. “Avante indeed!” He took off, the other two following.
Once the Doctor had bluffed their way in with the psychic paper, as usual, he said to the other two, “We’ve only got three minutes before the next show starts, so if you’re going to get any concessions, you might wanna hurry.”
“Um…” Derpy cast her gaze quickly around the room before it settled on a single vendor. “Hey, Tick Tock, have you ever had hot cocoa?”
“Had what?”
Derpy chuckled. “Thought so. Come on!” She trotted over to the stand, opening her mouth to place an order.
Suddenly, another pony cut in front of her. “One cup of cocoa,” she demanded brusquely.
The blue-maned mare behind the counter blinked. “U-um,” she stammered, “I-I think the mare behind you was here first.”
The rude pony cast a lazy glance back at Derpy and Tick Tock standing awkwardly behind her before returning her gaze to the mare at the kiosk. “Did I ask you what you thought?”
The mare flushed bright red and began scurrying about, making the cup of hot cocoa. “Rude,” muttered Derpy.
The other customer turned back to look at her, amber eyes narrow. “I’m sorry, is there a problem here, cross-eyes?”
Derpy flinched as though the other mare had struck her. Annoyed, Tick Tock broke in. “Hey, don’t talk to her that way.”
She gave him a scathing look. “Just what are you planning to do about it, ginge?”
Tick Tock grit his teeth and returned her glare.
The shy mare behind the counter broke the tension with a quiet, “Um, excuse me, miss, your cocoa is ready.”
“Finally!” Snatching the cup, the mare tossed a few bits down and trotted away. The vendor blinked forlornly at the coins. “She underpaid…”
“By how much?” Derpy asked sympathetically, producing a few bits from her pocket. “I can cover it.”
The mare behind the counter was already shaking her head. “That’s far too kind, miss, you don’t have to do that.” Giving a small smile, she said, “I’m guessing you want two?”
Derpy nodded. “How much is that?”
“Just ten bits, miss,” the mare responded, sweeping the three the other mare had paid into her cash register and ducking back to produce the beverages. Derpy counted out twelve and deposited them in a small stack, making it harder to tell that she’d covered the cost of the rest of the other mare’s.
No matter how many adventures they went on, Derpy’s kindness to others never ceased to amaze Tick Tock.
“H-Here you go, miss,” the pony stuttered, setting the cups on the counter. “Two cups of cocoa.”
“Thank you,” said Derpy, picking up her cup. “It smells delicious.”
Tick Tock picked up his own with his magic, lifting the lid to examine the steaming brown liquid inside. “You might wanna wait,” Derpy advised, catching his attention. “It’s pretty hot.”
“The show’s about to start!” the Doctor called, interrupting their conversation.
“Oh, gosh, I almost forgot!” Derpy exclaimed, trotting towards the theatre’s doors after the stallion. “Come on!”
As Tick Tock followed, he risked a sip of the cocoa. It was sweet, but not like pure sugar. He found that he enjoyed it. At any rate, it was better than mushrooms.
*o*o*o*o*
“Oh, no! Windigoes!” exclaimed “Smart Cookie”. “That must be what caused the blizzards!”
Everypony was on the edge of their seats, even the ones who knew how the story ended. Derpy’s eyes were fixed on the three ponies on stage, intensely waiting for the moment that the three befriended one another. She couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face when she realized that they were watching a trio of ponies of different races overcoming challenges together - very familiar to her current life.
The Doctor leaned over, whispering to her, “Are those dragons?”
Derpy nodded, whispering back, “Most productions use an illusory spell to make it seem like there are Windigoes in the room, since it’s too dangerous to have real ones. In Fillydelphia, though, there’s a community of dragons who live here full-time, and they usually play the Windigoes, since they’re big enough to wear the costumes and can fly around the top of the stage like that.”
“Fascinating,” murmured Tick Tock from her other side, having been listening.
A cheer erupted from the audience as the ice broke away from the three remaining protagonists, a huge, flaming heart appearing above their heads. The “Windigoes” shrieked and recoiled as though actually pained.
“How are they hiding their wings under those sheets?” the Doctor questioned quietly.
“Some dragons can fly without wings, depending on their breed,” Derpy pointed out. “Eastern dragons can do it, and so can qilins.”
The Doctor nodded, resettling as they watched the finale of the play. When everypony stood to sing the carol at the end, Derpy was the only one who knew the words, so she smiled and sang for all three of them.
*o*o*o*o*
A little more bluffing and a quick flash of the psychic paper later, they were backstage. The Doctor was bouncing in excitement. “Dragons! Fully grown ones, a whole community! Oh, this is going to be amazing!”
Derpy giggled at the Doctor’s excitement. “Just don’t bug them too much, okay, Doctor?” she said. “From what I understand, the ponies here tend to blame the dragon community for a lot of things.”
“Not particularly surprising,” Tick Tock stated flatly. “They don’t seem to be very welcoming here.”
“You have no idea,” said a surprisingly familiar voice.
With a gasp, Derpy whirled, grinning. “Jot!”
The now full-grown Eastern dragon gave the ponies a wide grin. “It’s good to see you guys again.”
“You’ve left Neighers?” Tick Tock questioned, but Jot was already shaking his head. “Not permanently,” he explained. “They needed a few more wingless dragons who could fly to be the Windigoes in the play, and I already knew a few dragons here, so they sent a letter asking if I could help.”
“I have to say, the idea of an entire community of dragons living in one place alongside ponies is fascinating!” the Doctor said enthusiastically. “Especially since, judging from the way you were all so certain Jot was the only dragon living with ponies 500 years ago, it must be a recently established one!”
Jot ducked his head bashfully. “I may have had a claw in setting it up…”
Tick Tock flicked his ears at his brother. “I always knew you were going to do great things, Jot.”
Jot smiled back, opening his mouth to continue the conversation, but was abruptly interrupted. “Hey, Jot!”
He glanced over at the dragon who’d called him. It appeared to be a female, with dark pink scales. “Yes, Carith?”
The dragon approached, settling her deep blue wings. “I hate to ask more of you, but I’m afraid my hatchling, Mina, isn’t feeling well, and I need to go home and take care of her. Can you take over my spot for decorating?”
Jot waved a claw. “Consider it done, Carith. Tell Mina I hope she feels better soon.”
Carith smiled at him warmly. “Thank you, Jot.” Turning, she pushed through the doors and allowed the cold breeze to carry her back towards her home.
Jot looked to the Doctor. “If you’d like to learn more about our community, maybe you’d like to help us set up the decorations? You could chat with the other dragons while we’re doing it.”
“Of course we’ll help, Jot!” Derpy interrupted, flying up to be roughly head-height with him. “Just tell us what you need us to do!”
“Agreed,” said both the Doctor and Tick Tock in unison.
Jot grinned at them all. “You guys are the best. Let’s go see what they need us to do.”
*o*o*o*o*
“Hey, Keleth!”
The gold-scaled dragon raised an eyebrow as he heard his name. Turning, he spotted Jot, approaching with a smile on his face, accompanied by three other ponies who all simultaneously missed a step when they saw him.
He smiled. “Hello, Jot. Who are your friends?”
“Oh!” Jot said, almost as if he’d forgotten that they hadn’t met Keleth before. “These are a few friends I’ve mentioned before - the Doctor, Ditzy Doo, and Tick Tock.”
“Oh, yes, your brother!” Keleth turned his smile to the somewhat uncomfortable-looking unicorn. “Jot has told us much about you.”
“What happened to that dragon’s eye?” the other stallion whispered loudly to Jot.
“Doctor!” hissed the pegasus, glaring at him sternly.
With a chuckle, Keleth waved a claw. “Do not worry about it, feathered one - it is a question I am used to hearing.” He touched his talons to the scars crossing over his eye. “In fact, I daresay you likely understand being treated oddly for a mismatched look?”
The mare flushed. “U-um…”
“No need to be embarrassed,” the elder dragon stated warmly. Turning to the Earth pony, he continued, “To answer your question, I lost sight in my eye after a battle with a timberwolf.”
The pony’s eyes lit up with intrigue, but, after receiving a sharp jab to the ribs from the mare, he shot her an annoyed look and kept quiet.
“We won’t take much more of your time,” Jot interrupted, before things could get more awkward. “We’re here for Carith, because Mina wasn’t feeling well-”
“What?” Keleth blinked, confused. “I just saw Mina less than an hour ago, she was perfectly fine.”
All four faces of those he was chatting with melted into the same expression of confusion. “Why would she lie to us?” Tick Tock asked, glancing uncertainly at his scaly brother.
Keleth checked the clipboard he held in his claws, his intact eye widening. “Ah…”
“What is it?” the stallion with the tie asked, voice dropping in pitch from when he’d spoken before.
Keleth’s expression was no longer lighthearted as he looked at them. “It seems Carith may have played the four of you for fools… she was meant to be retrieving the decorations from the Fourth Warehouse.”
He paused for dramatic effect, but only got confused glances in return. “What?” the mare finally asked flatly.
“Oh, that’s right, you’re not from around here,” Keleth muttered. Clearing his throat, he continued, “The Fourth Warehouse is haunted. Many times, dragons have come in, and when they came back out, sometimes days later… they were not the same.”
The mare gasped, frightened, and Tick Tock looked somewhat unnerved, but necktie pony just snorted. “Oh, come on now, really? I’ve had more than enough ‘ghost’ stories on my adventures to last a lifetime! If there’s no scientific explanation, then I refuse to believe it! In fact, I’ll prove it!” He stormed off, other three companions sharing nervous glances before following behind.
Keleth sighed, watching them go. He’d learn very shortly.
*o*o*o*o*
“Utterly ridiculous,” the Doctor was still muttering under his breath as he pushed open the doors to the warehouse. “These ghost stories are far too frequent to be real-”
“Where are the lights?” Derpy asked, peering into the gloom.
“Dunno,” the Doctor answered shortly, somewhat irritated at having been stopped mid-rant. “Guess we’ll have to find out.” He trotted forward, the others hesitantly following.
“I imagine they’re either somewhere near the wall, or there’s a hanging chain from an overhead fixture,” the Doctor’s voice echoed from just slightly ahead. “Given the size of-”
“Ahh!”
“Derpy?”
“Derpy, what’s wrong?”
Both brothers spoke simultaneously, heads whipping towards the source of the sound.
“I’m fine!” her voice quickly reassured them. “Just bumped into a statue.”
“This is ridiculous!” grumped the Doctor. “We can’t see a thing in here!”
“I can fix that.” With that, Jot blew a thin stream of blue fire into the air. Almost immediately, the Doctor yelped - but it was strangely cut off less than a second later. “Doctor?” Derpy queried, but no response was given.
“There.” Tick Tock grabbed the chain overhead, giving it a swift tug, and the lights sputtered to life.
Derpy landed beside the two brothers. “But, where’s the Doctor?”
“He’s right here.” Jot’s voice sounded… odd.
“What’s wrong, Jot?” Tick Tock asked, following the dragon’s gaze. He froze when he saw it, and the gasp from the pony beside him told him Derpy had seen it too.
There, against the wall, leaned a large mirror. The Doctor leaned against the glass, blue gaze wide.
He was on the wrong side.