Chapter 39
Meanwhile, Doc (a name that he found quite pleasant), trotted along merrily. He was humming a cheerful, yet nameless tune that had no real melody or rhythm. Dangling from his mouth was a small package that swayed back and forth as he bounced along. It had been a rather easy, his repayment. Once his brow had begun filling with giant drops of sweet, sweet terror sweat, The Hydra had throw its heads back and begun to laugh. 'Good show old boy!' he had said. 'You'll have to forgive me. I fear I have a dreadful sense of humor.' He had then asked Doc if he would do him the simple favor of giving some potions to a friend of his elsewhere in the swamp, and to bring back to him a small item of payment that he was due to receive. Doc, preferring to not be eaten, and most curious as to who this friend could be, agreed on the spot.
So, after receiving some directions, he had headed off with a small satchel of potions. Finding the place was easy enough, though remembering which pyramid she was in was a little tricky. Though, the part where he'd mention it was partly caved-in helped.
In all honesty, he could have done without all of those spiders. Not that he was necessarily afraid of spiders. It's just that there were an awful lot of them. Though, they were quite helpful and even led him to the pony The Hydra had been talking about. A short exchange, a small package with a strange looking object in it (it was fuzzy on one end), and a many spider-hugs later, he was on his way back to complete his service.
He smiled all the more, for today was simply wonderful. The air was sweet, and the ground soggy and mushy. He was simply filthy, though he didn't care one bit. Then again, as far as he knew, he'd always been this way. So he was in quite the happy mood when he trotted right back into the clearing where he had been filled with terror not just an hour before.
“Mr. Hyrda!” he cried as he placed the package on the ground. “I've returned! And I've brought a package back for you!” The ground shook a bit as he heard the thunderous footsteps of his physician as he lumbered back into the clearing. Three of the four heads looked at both him and his parcel with disinterest. The one that didn't smiled quite happily.
“Well done ol' boy! Capital! Simply capital!” he exclaimed. “So, what is it?” he asked, bringing his head close to it.
“Well, I'm not sure.” Doc admitted, looking down at the package.
The Hydra chuckled. “Knowing that old mare, it's likely to be something interesting, though of little use to me.” He then looked at Doc. “Would you mind? Your hooves are slightly better suited to the task then the other three mouths attached to me, or our massive feet.”
“Oh! Not at all!” he smiled and then grabbed the package. It didn't last long under his powers of gift opening. You see, unbeknownst to the good Doctor (at this time at any rate), he was, in the past, quite the voracious gift opener. So efficient, and so savage was his ability, that fillies and colts from all over the neighborhood would bring their gifts to him on their own birthdays, just to watch in awe as he tore the wrapping to shreds. For so long he did this, that his very muscles no longer needed his mind to do the task. Indeed, when a present was set before him, and he was told to open it, his body moved of its own accord, and within mere fractions of a second, the wrapping was no more. So, it would be to nopony's great surprise (if anypony other then the good Doctor and The Hydra had been present) that The Hydra had been taken aback by the sheer savagery of Doc's attack.
“What in the name of The Princess was THAT?!” he cried, awestruck, and a little afraid. Even the other heads showed a fair bit of fear on their faces, if not outright respect.
“I-I don't know. My body, just moved on its own!” Doc said, looking down at his hooves wide-eyed.
“Well, whatever that was, remind me about it next time you need to open something in my presence!” The Hydra laughed. “Now then, what do we have here?” he asked as he brought his head close to the now naked box that lay on the ground. Doc opened it, and looked inside.
It was roughly one and one half times as long as a pony's hoof. Thin, narrow, and ended in a graceful little ball at one end. The object had a graceful curve to it at the other end, which was covered on the one side with bristles. It was, to a fault, “A toothbrush?!” The Hydra exclaimed. He was clearly surprised. “What in the name of these lovely swamps is a queen of the stone age doing with a toothbrush?!”
“What's this 'toothbrush' do, exactly?” Doc asked.
The Hydra looked at him for a moment, then slammed his face into the ground (lacking hooves, his face-hoofing options were limited). He then pulled up, and looked at Doc again. “Right. I forgot the extent to which your memory loss affected you. Simply put: it cleans your teeth.”
“Fascinating! Whats a 'teeth'?” Doc asked.
The Hydra's eye ticked. “I refuse to answer that quest-”
He never did finish that sentence, for it was about that time when the trees on the far side of the clearing, the side opposite of where The Hydra lived, exploded.
*****
It was also about that time when Bonnie Bonnet put some water on her flowers. As irrelevant to the story as ever, she simply hummed a happy tune. She trotted from one patch of pretty flowers to the next, her water little watering can hanging from her mouth. It was a lovely day. Only a few clouds hung in the sky, for the Pegasus Ponies had not yet cleared them. The sun was high in the sky, and there was an ever so pleasant breeze that blew through the air. It was a wonderfully warm day.
Simply perfect.
Even that funny-looking cloud that was clearly moving strangely, and directly into town, was pleasant enough. She paused. Wait, what? She looked up once more and watched as it moved across the sky, all the while coming closer to the ground. She squinted. Where there ponies on that cloud? It looked like it, but she wasn't sure. She was sure she could see one pushing the cloud, but if there was one, it was hard to see it. She was no eagle-eyes, so making out the details was less then easy. If only she were a Pegasus Pony! She could fly up there and take a look for herself. Then again, she could always just, you know, walk into town to see what was going on, but that was beside the point.
She saw a few Pegasus Ponies fly out of the town to the cloud, pause at it, then rush back into town. A moment later, she saw many more fly to the cloud, surround it, and then rush it into town. Okay, now THAT had her curiosity. She waffled for a moment, unsure if she should leave her flowers or not. In the end, her curiosity won out, and she ran to town, leaving her flowers and little watering can behind, as well as a pony who had just (unbeknownst to her) arrived at the edge of her property (spoilers: it was her long lost brother who had finally arrived back home to mend his broken bridges).
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn't live too far from town, but it was far enough that it was just over half an hour's walk, if one walked at a leisure pace. At a full run? Only like ten minutes. Thing was, Bonnie was not a fit pony. She wasn't unhealthy or anything like that. It's just that she was no athlete, and thus was not used to such runs. So it took her just a little longer then she would have liked to reach town. When she did, she headed directly for town square.
In the center of the town the townspony had gathered in a large circle, including the mayor (who was busy trying to disperse the crowd). She inched and nudged her way through to the center, and gasped (just like everypony else had). On a cloud, looking as though he had been hit by a train, lie the object of her dreams. Her hero. Her idol.
Soarin'.
She screamed a scream of two parts. One part pure unbridled fangirl-ism, and one part horror that the pony of whom she had poster after poster of on her wall was so injured. Her senses took leave of her and she ran forward to his side. Well, she tried, but was quickly stopped by a small mare in a jumpsuit. “Stay back mam!” the little mare said. “He's hurt! Give him space!”
“But-But-” Bonnie protested.
“Please, miss! Nurse Redheart needs space!” the mare explained. Bonnie looked up from her, and finally noticed Redheart tending to him. She was busy wrapping one of his legs in a bandage. “So, please, stay back!” the mare asked once more.
Bonnie bit her lower lip, but took a step back. It killed her to just sit there and watch helplessly. But, near as she could tell, there was nothing she could do. Or, at least, there was nothing they would let her do. She began stepping nervously in place. Ooohh! There had to be something she could do!
Another pony tried to enter the circle, and this time a yellow Pegasus Pony stopped them. He said much the same the mare in front of her said, though not quite as politely.
“There!” Redheart declared. “He should be good to move now. Take him to the clinic. He'll need a few days to recover.” she motioned to a group of Pegasus Ponies that seemed to be standing by, who surrounded the cloud and lifted it up and over the crowd. Bonnie's eyes followed it, and she decided to follow, much like all of the other ponies in the circle, save the Mayor and the two strangers.
“Well, now that's over with. Think we can catch a train to Manehatten from here?” the stallion asked Litterbug as the mayor walked back into town hall.
“There's a train?” she asked.
“I saw the tracks on the way in here. I think we should buy a ticket to Manehatten.” he said humorlessly.
“Well, we make better time this way.” Litterbug tapped her necklace, which stuck slightly to her hoof (it was, after all, a used lolipop).
“Yes, but you're not the one who has to sling a harness around your back and carry you. And to be quite honest, I'm tired.” he said, turning and walking away.
“Wait!” Litterbug said, falling in step next to him. “I guess you have a point. But couldn't you hold out for just a little longer? Please?” she asked ever-so-nicely.
He looked at her with an unamused look, then let out a sigh. “Only if there is no direct connection to Manehatten from here”
She smiled. “Thank you!”
It was, conveniently, at this time they reached the train station. Litterbug went to the schedule as her companion walked up to the receptionist. She was surprised when she looked at it. For such a small town, Ponyville had an awful lot of train lines that ran through it. In fact, it was clearly an important hub. One could catch a train to just about anywhere from here. Well, anywhere major at any rate, even a few minor places as well (Appleloosa? Where in the hay was that?). So it was with a touch of sadness that she noticed that there was indeed a direct line to Manehatten from here.
“The next train is due any minute now. Though it's leaving Manehatten. The next line to there isn't due until nearly sundown.” he was clearly displeased by this.
“Yeah, I wanna get there soon too.” Litterbug said softly.
“Huh? Oh, no, that's not it at all.” he shook his head. “I'd love to wait until the train comes and then ride it in. Plenty of time to rest. But I get the feeling that you're not feeling so patient.” he sighed.
She blinked a few times. Then smiled. “You know me so well!” she said happily. He simply let out a grumble.
“Fine. But give me a little bit. I've been hauling you around for some time now.” he said as he took a seat on a nearby bench.
“That's fair. You've been working hard.” Litterbug said, walking over to the tracks. She looked left and right, hoping to see which way the train was going to come from. She heard a loud whistle, and peering to the right, she saw a bright light off far in the distance. “Train's gonna be here soon!” she shouted as she turned around, walked back, and sat on the bench near him.
They sat in silence for several moments. To Litterbug, the silence felt oppressive. It felt as though there was pressure building in the air, pressing upon her, suffocating her, and the only way to break it was to speak. However, she got the feeling that he was in no mood to talk. She began to fidget a little in her seat. She looked over at him. He sat there, his eyes closed, and his body clearly relaxed. She looked the other direction, but there was nothing of interest. She looked ahead. Still nothing worth looking at. “Calm down.” he suddenly said, making her jump slightly. “You're making me nervous.”
She opened her mouth to offer a response, but it was drowned out by a loud train whistle, and the sounds of a train pulling into the station. She watched as it pulled in, and gawked as she suddenly noticed Rainbow Dash on the roof, tied to another pony. She was clearly asleep, and looking exceptionally ungraceful while doing so. The other pony she was tied was also asleep, and had a coat that was even more colorful then Rainbow's mane.
“H-Hey! That's Rainbow! Why is she tied to the roof of the train? And who's that she's tied to?” Litterbug asked, pointing.
Her companion opened his eyes slightly, adjusted his glasses slightly, and turned his head. “No idea, and it's not our concern.” he said closing his eyes once more.
“Hey! Rainbow!” Litterbug shouted as she jumped up and walked over. “Rainbow! Are you alright? Who's that?” she shouted. Rainbow's eyes opened slightly and she looked around confused and sleepily.
“Huh? Wha…?” she said.
“Are you okay?!” Litterbug shouted.
Rainbow looked down at her, not fully awake. “Who're you?” she asked.
“It's me! Litterbug! We met earlier today! Remember?” She glanced at the other pony for a second before looking back at Rainbow.
“I … think so?” she said.
“Are you alright? Why are you on the roof, and why are you tied to a rainbow unicorn?”
“A rainbow, what?” Rainbow looked around confused, and when her eyes rested upon the sleeping mare near her, she stared at her for a moment. “Who...” then something clicked. “OH yeah! This is Rarity!” Rainbow said, pointing at the sleeping unicorn.
Rarity? Didn't she have a white coat and a purple mane that was carefully done up? “Wait, that's Rarity? Are you sure? She doesn't look anything like how Princess Twilight described her.”
“Yeeeeah, I don't know what happened either. She won't talk about it. Say, do you know where this train's headed?” Raindow looked behind her.
“Canterlot, I think.” Litterbug replied.
“ALL ABOARD FOR CANTERLOT!” a rather loud pony shouted.
“I guess that answers that.” Litterbug smiled.
“Yeah, guess so.” Rainbow said.
“Hey, do you think you could tell Rarity what I told you? About the princesses?”
“Why don't you do it?” Rainbow raised her eyebrow.
“Because I can't sit on the roof of a train car like that, and my ride's going on strike.” Litterbug sighed.
Rainbow's annoyance with her request was expressed quite clearly, and verbally. “Are you kidding me?”
“'Fraid not.” she shrugged.
“Ugg. Fine.” Rainbow crossed her legs and pouted.
“Thanks Rainbow!” she waved and walked back to her now sleeping companion.
“Yeah, yeah.” she waved a dismissive hoof.
“FINAL CALL FOR CANTERLOT!” the loud pony shouted again. A moment, and a few panicked ponies later, the doors shut and the train was off.
“Hey! Wake up!” Litterbug shook her erstwhile companion. “We don't have to go to Manehatten anymore!”
“Huh? Wha? Why? Did it blow into pieces?” he asked, slowly coming to.
“No! Turns out that was Rarity Rainbow was tied to, and she agreed to deliver our message to her for us.”
“Really? That's awfully convenient.” he replied, clearly suspicious.
“Isn't it?!” she smiled, missing what he really meant. “I guess that means we can head back to Vanhoover!”
“I think you're forgetting something.” he said, a bit sadly.
“What?” she asked, looking around to she what she had dropped.
“No, that's not what I mean. I'm saying, didn't you say the Princess asked you do to something once you'd alerted her friends?” he raised an eyebrow.
She paused a moment, the gears in her head ticking. Click. “Oh yeah! She wanted us to go and see what what's-her-name was doing and if she needed any help!”
“Bingo. Now then, do you remember what her name was?” he asked, slowly getting up and onto his hooves.
She put a hoof to her chin in thought. “Wasn't it … Colgate?”
*****
Colgate was running as fast as her hooves could carry her. She had no idea why Photo was running so fast, or how for that matter, but goodness could she go! She was a bit in awe as she so nimbly weaved her way through the swamp, as though it was nothing more then some tall grass. Not just her, but Bon-Bon and Lyra as well. Though, that part surprised her little by this point. What did was her ability to keep pace with them all. Though, she kinda cheated. Well, more like, Berry cheated, by clearing a path. You see, both Colgate and Berry quickly realized that (under normal circumstances) they would never be able to keep pace with them. However, Colgate had a bright idea, and asked Berry to run in front of her and simply plow his-her-WHATEVER's way through the swamp. It more or less worked, though she suspected that any naturalists who might have been watching would have cried in anguish at the sight.
Environmental desolation aside, Colgate was also surprised at the amount of panic in Photo's voice. Over and over she kept screaming 'MINE BELOVED', and occasionally adding various and sundry other words of fear and panic. This simply didn't make any sense. Why was she so frantic? Not only that, WHY WAS SHE HERE? It made no sense! Why would a pony like her, be in this swamp, clear on the other side of Equestria, and away from everything she stood for? There were so many questions that began to flood her mind. Everything from 'Why didn't Bon-Bon change?' to 'Who, or what, was Bon-Bon?' Not to mention questions surrounding Lyra, and now she was beginning to wonder if there was more to Berry then she knew. At this point, she wouldn't be half-surprised.
Too many questions, not enough answers! She shook her head as she continued to run. They were almost at the brush! It was within their grasp! All they had to do was get it, have Berry brush her teeth with it, and then they could all finally go home and leave all of this nonsense behind! Well, she and Berry anyway. She suspected that this whole thing was just another day for the other two. That, however, was beside the point.
What was, was how close they were! Just a little further, surely! As they banked sharply to the left, and over what amounted to a hill, she saw Berry launch himself off the crest. He flew over the heads of the others, and landed in the front of the entire compony. At first, Colgate thought that made no sense, but soon saw the logic that ran through his head. Having landed in front of Photo, she had begun shouting instructions to him, and he cleared the path as they went. Sure, this was all sorts of unfriendly to the poor swamp, but Colgate did have to admit, it did cause the whole group to move a bit faster through it.
Pity it was about the trees however. The poor things. They never asked for this. All they could do was watch in horror as their friends and family shattered and splintered before Berry's merciless, and heedless, assault. Not even the rocks themselves were safe, for Berry barged right through more then one large bolder in their run. The poor trees, which tried so hard to be so menacing, were now the ones who knew the face of fear. And it was the face of one very focused stallion.
Thus, it was to the surprise of all when they exploded into The Hydra's den. Though, of course, only Photo knew exactly where they were. For the others, they had a very different impression.
For Colgate, she was surprised when she plowed directly into her friends, who had suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, stopped mid-run. The four of them tangled into a nice knot as the momentum of her crashing into them caused the other three to lose their balance. Thus, the next thing she knew, she was face down in the dirt, with her spine twisting in ways that she was pretty sure it wasn't suppose to twist.
That concern, however, was short lived as her ears suddenly filled with the sound of a mighty and terrible roar.
The knot of ponies shifted, allowing Colgate to see more then the moist dirt beneath them, though she quickly wished that she could go back to that view. Before them, on the other side of the clearing, standing on two thick legs, stood a massive four-headed monster. Three of the four heads roared again, with the third one looking dumbfounded for a moment, before joining in itself.
All four of them let out a scream, and despite their best efforts, they could not untangle themselves. Indeed, the more they struggled, the tighter the ball of ponies got. The ground shook as the giant monster took a step forward. Colgate, having an uninterrupted view of the thing, saw as each one of its mouths grin hungrily. It took another step, then, with terrifying speed, all four heads launched themselves at the ball.
It was about then Colgate saw a strange creature step between the four of them and the terrible monster. It looked roughly the size and shape of a pony, but that was as far as that went. It was hairy, it was filthy, and it had the most bizarre coloration of any creature she'd ever seen. It was as though he was looking at the negative of a photo. What should have been dark was clearly light, and that which should have been light was all kinds of strange and garish dark colors. It stood up upon its hind legs and spread its forelegs to either side, as though shielding them. It shouted something at the giant monster, though what it was saying was a mystery to Colgate. To her ears, it sounded like little more then a mixture of growls, grunts, howls, and a myriad of other strange, and often bizarre sounds.
Well, whatever it was saying and/or doing, it made the giant creature stop in its tracks. The four heads reared back and looked at the creature strangely. Or was that thoughtfully? No, not possible. Was it? She saw as it nodded one of its heads, and the other three look to the side (did they just roll their eyes?), almost looking bored. Then, the giant creature turned around, and lumbered into some trees on the far side of the clearing.
The creature before Colgate dropped forward and placed its front, uh, hooves? Is that what those fuzzy things were? Well, whatever they were, they were very much now placed on the ground. The creature turned around, and faced the ball. Colgate let out a gasp. Its eyes were HUGE. They looked much like gigantic insect eyes. To say nothing of their disconcerting color. It reached out one of its front appendages, and patted her gently on the head. It then proceeded to do likewise with the other three as well, though it had to walk around them to do so.
Only once it had moved out of her eyesight had she a chance to get a good look at this place. It was dark, damp, and dismal. Above them a thick canopy of leaves, branches, moss, and even vines blocked most of the sun's rays. The ground was mostly grass, and the clearing itself was much like a large circle. If Colgate had the eyes to see it, she would have noticed that it was a little too much of a perfect circle, and would have concluded (correctly so) that it was not natural. Not far from the center of the clearing (which was about as wide as a relatively long house is, well, long) she saw another creature, not too dissimilar from their savior. Though this one was much less strangely colored. Or rather, there were not quite as many strange colors to it. It also lacked giant insect eyes. In the center of the clearing lay a small box.
The ground began shaking again as the massive creature entered into the clearing once more, though this time it held a large bag from one of its massive mouths. It lumbered over to the center of the clearing and placed it near the box. The same head (the third one) then turned to the other two strange creatures, and shrieked, roared, growled, and hissed (though not in that order) at them. They both nodded in reply, walked over to the large bag, and produced from it six potion bottles. If they were full, whatever was inside was clear. The two creatures then gave four of the potions to each head, then they in turn pressed the bottles to their faces, and opened their horrific, toothy maws (that was the stuff of nightmares, it was! Long, pointed, sharp, and even had that whole saliva everywhere thing going on). Then, both of them, and all four heads, all drank at the same time.
There was a small blast of harmless energy that suddenly erupted from them. It made the trees sway about them and the leaves rustle. But more then that, suddenly, and quite to her surprise, before Colgate stood two ponies, and one surprisingly friendly looking, uh, not as much of a monster. Where the offensively mulch-colored one was, now stood Photo Finish. Where the other one was, now stood-
“TIME TURNER?!” three of the four shouted (poor Lyra was facing the wrong way and thus was unable to see this all unfold).
“Uh? Who? Who's that? Do you know him?” he asked, looking about excitedly. “Where is he?”
Colgate was unaware of the fact that all three of them blinked once or twice in unison. “Uh, Time, that's you. You're Time Turner.” Colgate said.
“Who, me?” he asked, putting a hoof to his chest.
“Yes!” all four shouted (though Lyra could not see what was going on, she figured she had a pretty good guess what had just happened).
“Nooo!” he shook his head. “You must be mistaken. My name is Doctor!” he smiled. “I can't say I've ever heard the name 'Time Turner' before.” he nodded.
“You'll have to excuse the ol' boy here, his head's gone and gone a bit funny you see.” the not-as-threatening thing just said. “Drank the water, AND and ate some mud you see.”
“Oooh. Ouch.” Colgate heard Lyra whisper.
“He consumed both?” Bon-Bon said. “Then I suppose that would explain both why he fails to recognize his name, and as to why he looked that way.”
“Oh? Know a bit about the swamp, do you?” The thing asked Bon-Bon.
“Both Lyra and I are familiar with a few of the hazards. Which is why I have to ask, why can you now speak our language?” Bon-Bon asked, a bit of caution in her voice.
It laughed a bit. “Well, first things first. I am simply known The Hydra. Mostly because, well, I'm the only hydra that's really gotten a proper name. Though the ponies at Cantelot called me 'Steve'.” it shook its head. “I never liked that name. Though it was convenient for them. You may call me either. What, may I ask, are you names?” it smiled.
“Uh, give us a sec.” Colgate said as she pulled a leg free, which was now very much asleep.
“Sure, sure. Tell you what? Why don't the two of you help them untangle, and I'll fetch us all some tea. Sound good? Good!” it smiled, then lumbered back into the woods.
Time and Photo walked over to the pony ball, and began helping the poor hapless friends untangle themselves. “So, mind explaining what's going on?” Berry asked as he wormed his way free.
“I was wondering the same thing!” Time (or, you know, Doctor, if you were to ask him) said.
“SILENCE! We need to concentrate!” Photo shouted as she pulled a leg out. The pony to whom it belonged yelped in pain. So it was they continued the business of undoing the four of them in silence. It took longer then any of them would have guessed, but by the end if it, they were glad they took the time they did.
Conveniently, it was just about the time The Hydra (or 'Steve' as Colgate was inclined to call, him? She guessed it was a him) returned with a lovely platter that held 10 cups. One of the other heads bent over and picked up the small box, and deposited it off to the side while another head grabbed a low stump and placed it in the center. 'Steve' then placed the platter on the make-shift table, and grabbed a sizable rock and placed it near the stump. The other heads followed suit until there were 7 stones total.
“Right then! Take a sit, have a cup. Relax.” he said as he took a seat upon the largest of the rocks he and the other heads placed. The others took their seats, with the four visitors exchanging looks all the while. Some were worried. Some were intrigued. And some looks were very confused. After taking a seat, most of the ponies grabbed a cup, but only two took a sip. The other heads of the hydra also took sips of their tea, though 'Steve' did not. He simply looked at each pony in turn and then smiled. “Well then. I suppose some introductions are in order!”
The business of introduction did not take long, as most of them already either knew each other, or of each other. Once the last pony had introduced themselves (who was Photo), 'Steve' spoke once more. “Now then. I suspect we all have a tale or two to tell. After all, it's not everyday my dear beloved here,” he turned his large head and looked at Photo, who looked back, and both blushed but did not look away, “comes exploding out of the woods with visitors on her tail. Nor is it everyday that we have a pony who's gone and lost his memory end up reuniting with some ponies who may very well know who he is.” He then paused, looking between them. “So then, who first?”
The four of them stared at him, then at Photo, then him again with jaws hanging open. “Wait, did you say, BELOVED?” Lyra blurted out. “Like, you and Photo here, are, like, IN LOVE?” she asked, in total disbelief.
Steve laughed heartily. “Ah, yes. Very much so!” he nodded. “How long have we known each other, love?” he turned and looked at Photo.
“Not nearly long enough!” Photo nearly shouted.
Steve laughed again. “Right you are!” he nodded, then looked back to Lyra. “To make a long story short: I am, by profession, an Apothecary, as well as a General Practitioner. I studied, and graduated, in Canterlot. It was there, at the university, that we met.”
“'E was a DREAM!” Photo nearly screamed. “Vhen I heard dat a hydra was living at zee school, I KNEW I must take 'is picture! Could you imagine? A picture, vit a hydra? And not only zat, but a hydra vit a sense of FASHION!” she slammed a hoof on the table a stood up, raising her other hoof into the air.
“You? A sense of fashion?” Time asked. Then blinked. “What's that mean?”
The Hydra chuckled. “It means I like wearing clothes that look good.” Photo nearly choked at his rather, simplistic, definition. “Sorry, love. I'm just keeping it simple. But yes, while I was there I decided I would try and wear clothing, so as to make myself less threatening. I found that I actually enjoyed it, and expressed some interest in one of the Fashion Clubs on campus. It didn't take long for Photo to find me after that.”
“Hold on,” Colgate said, raising a hoof, “I went to the same school, why didn't I ever heard about this?”
“Ah, yes.” Steve nodded. “Well, your Princess Celestia, with whom I had to have a personal interview when I applied, decided that it would be wise if my presence there was kept as secret as possible. So, as a result, I had many private classes. In the case of the club, I was allowed to attend it since it was a Fashion Club specifically for exotic species.”
“So, how'd you find out about him then?” Berry asked Photo.
“There are no secrets that can hide from me!” she declared proudly.
“Well, when it comes to gossip anyway.” Steve chuckled. “Plus, she was the president of the Fashion Photographer's Club. So, as a result, she had special permission to attend our club meetings.”
“It vas love at first sight...” Photo sighed.
“It sure was...” he said, as both turned to look at each other once more. There were several moments of silence, during which each of the other hydra heads either rolled their eyes, or gagged.
Bon-Bon cleared her throat. “So, after you graduated you moved back to the swamp, and Ms. Finish comes to visit you often, yes?”
Broken from their revere, they both looked at her with lost looks. But it did not take long for that to clear up. “Ja.” Photo nodded.
“I see. That explains why you are her in the swamp. As for you, Mr. Turner,” Bon-Bon turned to look at him, “Why are you here?”
“I have simply no idea!” he declared far too happily.
“None at all?” Bon-Bon raised an eyebrow.
“Nope!” He smiled. “And please, call me Doctor!”
“So, Doc, can I call ya Doc?” Lyra pipped up, “You got no idea why you're here? Like, at all?” He shook his head.
“Colgate,” Bon-Bon said, “You're a doctor of sorts, perhaps you could help?”
“Well, I'm not sure. I mean, the mind's not really my specialty.”
“Oh?” Steve raised an eyebrow. “You're a doctor, are you?”
“Dentist, to be exact.” she said.
“Oh really?” he said. “Funny you should mention that.” he said.
She looked at him curiously, “Why's that?”
“Well,” he said, getting up, and walking over the little box that he had placed off to the side, “it just so happens that I just acquired something that may be of interest to you. I have no need of it, but perhaps you do.” he picked it up, and walked back, and placed it on the table. “There we go, have a look.”
Colgate looked up at him curiosity, then tilted the box with her magic, took a peek inside, then gasped.
Inside that little box sat the very thing they had been looking for this entire time. There was no mistake. Though she had never seen it before, there was no question that this was it. It was, without the shadow of a doubt, The Lost Toothbrush of The Royal Sisters (Now for only 3 easy payments of 9.99!)