//------------------------------// // The Vines Are Watching: Part One (S1C4) // Story: DOCTOR // by Deidorimu //------------------------------// Hot sweat, stinging the pink eyes of the yellow furred, pinked haired mare. Running with her blue eyed, pink furred, yellow haired child; clinging desperately to her back. Her near blinded vision, squinting through the immensely thick mist of the swamp. She blinked through the sap in her eyes, unable to chance a single moment to wipe and relieve her pain. Twigs snapped beneath her hooves and a puddle splashed about as she galloped through the thickest swamp she had ever seen. Bushes, trees, mud, quicksand, vines, not a single inch of this dreaded swamp seemed free of mother nature's cruel grasp. Her poor filly weeped, keeping her eyes shut tight. Unable to view the dangers that surrounded them. Nor the beast that came ever so closer. A sharp turn left, another right, past a tree, over a bush. Galloping and galloping, fighting the pain of exhaustion that strangled her lungs. She pressed on, fighting with all her will. A single moments rest would result in the end of her life and her child's, she knew this. And she refused. The power of her might was no match to the time she had spent running. Trying to escape these swamps whilst fleeing from the grasp of the beast. Fatigue and lack of vision proved as her downfall. A single misguided step; a large rock, placed inconveniently in her path. As she galloped upon the stone, her leg cracking as she tumbled forward. She rolled and dragged along the swamp ground, giving her a set of cuts and dirt burns to add to her previous set. The mare groaned as she lifted her head, looking to her child who laid several feet away, "Milly? Are you alright sweetie?" The child wept as she slowly stood to her hooves. "My leg Momma! It hurts!" Her mother screamed internally as she saw her child lift her right leg, seeing it bend in a way it shouldn't. "Its alright sweetie, i-its just a bad bruise. Try walking to me sweetie!" The injured filly tried and failed to do as her mother said. She limped for a moment before tripping, falling face first onto the ground. The filly looked to her mother in despair as a fresh wave of tears soakened the dirt on her face. "Momma!" the filly shouted. With her remaining strength, the mare forced her body to move. She lifted herself to her hooves and stumbled to her daughter. The mare placed a hoof to her daughter's forehead and gently shifted her hair aside. Tears formed in the mother's eyes as she squinted down upon her injured child, eyeing her through the sap. "Y-You are so beautiful." The child whimpered, "Momma, I'm scared." "I know sweetie, I know." The rustling of leaves caught the mare's attention as she looked over her shoulder. She could hear it, the beast. It was coming closer, the sound of leaves and twigs rustling about told her this. As the sound approached at an alarming speed. The mare gulped, as she knew what she had to do. Quickly, the mare lifted her child, ignoring her child's gasp of pain as she did so. Spotting a thick bush nearby, the mare stumbled forth to the bush with her daughter held to her chest. She approached the bush and gently placed her child within. The mare shifted the twigs and branches about, making sure her daughter was as well hidden as possible. She then stood back to observe the bush, feeling the bush would be adequate enough. She lurched slightly, her pain and fatigue finally coming too much to bare. She stood her ground for a moment, attempted to focus and rebalance her stance, before succumbing to her pain. Her eyes rolled back, her sight went fuzzy, and she fell to her side. The filly, having to squint through twigs to see her mother clearly asked, "Momma . . . what are you doing?" Tears fell freely down the mares dirty cheeks. She placed a shaky hoof to her mouth and shushed her daughter silent. "Everything's going to be alright Milly. Just stay quiet now." The rustling grew louder, as the beast's arrival came closer. "Momma . . . why are you laying down Momma? The scary monsters coming, get up Momma!" The mare cried, "I-I can't sweetie. M-Momma can't run anymore . . . b-but she doesn't have to." "What do you mean?" The mare gulped, "M-Momma's going to wait for the monster, baby. He's going to take Momma to Papa- ." "NO! Don't go with the monster! Don't go with the monster!" the filly shouted. The mare shushed her child silent as she gave her daughter a gentle smile. "Everything's going to be okay sweetie. I want you to wait until the monsters gone. Then I want you to shout for help until someone comes, okay?" "But I don't want you- ." "Shhhhh, it's okay. You're going to be safe . . . Momma's going to be with Pappa again. Just promise me you'll keep quiet until the monsters gone. Please sweetie, one last time, listen to Momma- GAHH!!!" The mare looked to her hindlegs, finding thick, spiked vines wrap around her legs. A second and third set of vines shot forth from amongst the darkness of the thick swamp trees. The second set wasted no time wrapping around the mare's torso. As did the third set, as it wrapped around the mare's neck. The mare managed to free her right foreleg from the vines as she clung to the ground. Her body received cuts as she struggled to break free. Her skin dragging and digging into the spikes of the vines. The mare had an expression of utter fear, even with her eyes shut tight, as she felt her body move. The vines had begun dragging her away from her daughter. The mare continued to grasp desperately to the ground, forming a long drag mark the further she moved. The mare could do nothing but move further and further away from her daughter. She screamed as the vines pulled her closer and closer to the darkness of the thick swamp trees. Then, she was gone. One final scream was all the filly heard as she watched her mother disappear. Dragged into the darkness. "AAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!" "MOMMMYYYYYYYYYYY!!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Doctor and his companion Dean Do in: The Vines Are Watching Chapter Four/Segment One ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHOOZ! VIRRRR! WHOOZ! The metallic groans of the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T emitted loudly as it materialized in the center of a clearing. Free from trees, bushes, and the only clearing to contain tall grass. The blue door opened and out stepped the Doctor. He looked to his surrounding as half his body remained within the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T. The M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T had landed in a swamp. A very hot swamp, the Doctor noted, already feeling sweat develop upon his forehead. The swamp was miles away from Discord's magic so it was safe from containing any of his chaos. It was very bright and very sunny. Despite the thickness of the trees and vines that covered this swamp, light still managed to slip between the cracks and spaces. Giving just enough light to see through. However, light wouldn't last much longer. It had only been half an hour since the Doctor spoke with Captain Stone Ball at Camp Mason, meaning that it was three fifty eight. The Doctor knew he only had three hours left before Celestia would set the sun. He had to make haste with what he had come here to do, before it becomes night. The Doctor exited the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T entirely; carrying a large, metal, rectangular, contraption on his back. The contraption had what appeared to be an oddly shaped handle with a thick black wire attached to the back end. The wire extended from the handle to the contraption on the Doctor's back. The Doctor walked several feet before he pointed the handle towards a large batch of trees, facing it east. The Doctor pressed a button on the handle, causing it to "beep" and glow red. It did this for a moment before the "beeping" ceased and the device's glow changed green. The Doctor looked to the handle of his device and smiled, "nice, we're on the right track." "Doctor! What's going on? Are we here?" the Doctor's companion shouted from within the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T. "Yes and no. We're on the right track but this isn't the place." "What are we doing here then?" "Searching for traces of a particular magic. The only info I got on my friends whereabouts is that she is heading east. That doesn't give me much to go by. So, if she had traveled through this location sometime earlier today or yesterday, I should get a signal that'll tell us where to head off to next." "And you're doing that with a metal saddlebag?" The Doctor sighed, "it's a scanner, for detecting magical traces. Phoenix Pony tech, highly advance. So I'd appreciate you not calling it a "saddle bag." "Okay, sorry. So we find this "trace" of magic to know where your friend is heading and then we'll leave?" "Yup!" "Okay, and tell me again why we're doing this?" "I told you, my friend is searching for something important and we need to find her." "But why can't we just leave her be? She's not lost or foalnapped or anything, why do we need to interfere with her search?" "Its important." "How!? The only info you've given me is that she left a note at her home saying that she was searching for "something". And what exactly is this "thing" she's looking for." The Doctor scanned a second time and smiled as he saw the handle's light change green again. "Nice, got her trace. Its something important, I'm not sure if I should tell you." "Why? Is it private or something?" "Er, not really- ." "Then why can't you tell me!?!" "It's something very, very big! Is that a good enough explanation for you!" the Doctor growled. "Oh? Something big? Well isn't that fantastic! I can't wait to help your friend find this "big thing". Jeez I can't wait to see it! I wonder what size it'll be- oh! Right! I already know! Its big! Problem is that that's the only thing I know!" Dean shouted, through the open M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T. The Doctor groaned and mumbled,"if he'd think for a moment then he'd probably realize I'm not telling him for a reason." "What was that?" "I said can't you just be patient! You'll find out about the "big thing" when it's "Doctor explains about the big thing" time!" "Well excuse me for wanting to stay in the loop!" The Doctor pressed the handles trigger as he scanned a third time."Look, I am in an excruciatingly bad rush right now! The longer it takes for me to find my friend, the worse her situation will become! I have to find her fast! So I apologize for the lack of info. You're just gonna have to trust and follow my lead". The Doctor returned his focus to the scan before adding, "please?" Dean sighed, "alright, I trust you. Its just a bit irritating, not knowing what's going on. I feel like I'm in a mystery novel. You know something's going on but you just don't have the details to find out what." "I take it you're not a fan of mystery novels?" "Nope, not at all." "Really? Those are my favorite. Well, everyone has their preferences." The device beeped a third time, causing the Doctor to chuckle with excitement. "Last scan reads positive! I know where to fly next!" "Where to?" asked Dean. The Doctor turned and began walking back to the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T. "A forest, seven miles from here. I'll have to scan again once we're there just to make sure we haven't fallen off course." "So what happens after we find your friend exactly?" "Then I'll tell you all about the big thing. It'll be easier to explain with her there anyway- ." The Doctor stopped in his tracks and stood still. His ears perked and twitched as he heard a distant sound. Raising a brow, the Doctor turned north, facing a batch of trees. A batch that appeared different from the rest. The swamp, as far as the Doctor could tell, had plenty of light to see through the thick trees. Sunlight could pass through the cracks among the treetops. However, this batch of trees had little to no light at all. It was dark; and the Doctor noticed that the further one traveled into this direction of the swamp, the darker it would become. The second thing the Doctor noticed was a thick mist, covering the swamp in this direction. Looking around, the Doctor saw no mist covering any other direction; only north had mist. "Doctor? What's the hold- ." "SHH!" the Doctor shushed, raising a hoof to silence Dean. Dean stuck his head out the door and looked to the Doctor, confused. "Um . . . everything alright?" The Doctor ignored Dean and closed his eyes, keeping his focus on the sounds of the swamp. He listened for a moment, invisioning his surroundings within a twenty yard radius. With every rustle, he imagined a tree moving to the breeze of the wind. With every chirp, he imagined a bird perched on a tree branch. And with a voice, one single feminine voice, the Doctor imagined something out of place. Something that did not belong here, especially in this setting. The Doctor's eyes snapped open, "someone's screaming." "Screaming? I don't hear any- ." "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH" a filly screamed, echoing loudly through the swamp. Taken aback, Dean shouted, "what the buck!" "Follow me! And watch your language!" said the Doctor, throwing the scanner off his back and rushing forth straight into the mist. "R-Right! Following!" said Dean, running out the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T and catching up to the Doctor in seconds. The two ran fast towards the sound of the scream. Avoiding trees and trampling bushes, searching for the source of the noise. The two had to squint to see through the thick mist covering the area. As the two ran, the Doctor felt an odd sensation. A familiar sensation, one he had felt before. Only, this time, it was stronger. Not the sensation he felt back in the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T. No, this one was different. And he felt it, pringling against his skin. As if the very mist itself was like a blanket, dragged through a desert and now covered in thorns, rubbing all over his body. Yet this sensation, it couldn't be possible. There's no way one of them could be out here, could it? Perhaps, but now wasn't the time to ponder this. He had to focus on the one who screamed and save them if they were in danger. "Hello! Where are you! We're here to help!" the Doctor shouted. "Anypony! Hello!" shouted Dean. The Doctor and Dean looked left to the sound of a second scream. This one containing a hint of sobbing then the last. "This way! Come on!" said the Doctor, making a sharp turn left. Dean followed with ease, turning left and looking around the Doctor. Searching hard for the source of the scream. "Where are you! Hello!!!" the Doctor shouted. As if on cue, a pink filly with yellow hair and blue eyes ran out from behind a bush. She took no notice to the Doctor and Dean as her vision was fuzzy, having to view through eyes drenched in tears. She also took no notice to which direction she was running in. Which lead her towards a collision course with the Doctor and Dean. At the last minute the Doctor turned, grabbed Dean by the shoulders, and threw he and his companion out of the filly's path. Preventing the two from having trampled the small girl. The sounds of the Doctor and Dean tumbling on the ground brought the filly's attention towards them. She skidded to a halt and gasped as she saw the Doctor and Dean, laying on the ground two feet away. "Well, ouch", said Dean. "Sorry about that. Here, let me help you", said the Doctor. He stood to his hooves and extended a helping hoof to Dean. Dean took hold of the hoof and was lifted to his hooves. "What was that about?" asked Dean, rubbing his head. "We almost hit that filly, didn't you see?" asked the Doctor. "Barely, she came out of- oh!" Dean stopped, as he notice the filly, staring at he and the Doctor. The Doctor and Dean exchanged glances for a moment before Dean spoke. He cleared his throat, "um, hello! W-Were you the one who screamed by any chance?" The filly didn't respond. She stood rooted to her spot, shaking uncontrollably. The Doctor and Dean noticed how dirty the filly was. She didn't seem to have taken a bath in a very long time. They also noticed the redness of her eyes and the dark spots on her eyelids. That wasn't just from crying, she hasn't slept in awhile. Dean knew this from his own experience. He would often forget to sleep, too preoccupied with his studies that he would lose track of time. He would study all night and wouldn't realize it until he either got hungry, had to use the restroom, or the first rays of the sun shined through his windows. The filly's leg caught their attention the most. She stood on three legs. Her fourth leg was held to her chest, obviously broken. She was injured, alone, tired, and completely frightened. The Doctor and Dean knew something was wrong, yet both thought this differently. Dean wondered what happened to the poor filly's parents. Why was she alone, how long has she gone without sleeping, how bad does her leg hurt? The Doctor didn't think this. He was thinking, 'what was the filly running from just now?' Dean took a small step towards the child and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's alright, you're going to be fine." The filly didn't answer, she continued staring at the two, shaking. Or, at least, she appeared to be staring at the two. Dean certainly thought she was, but the Doctor noticed. He tensed as he realized the filly wasn't staring at them at all. She was looking past them, shaking in fear to whatever was behind the Doctor and Dean. "Can you tell me your name?" asked Dean. "Mo-Mo-Mo- . . . m-mo-mo-mo-" the filly stuttered. "Eh?" Dean asked. The filly's shaking intensified as she coward in fear. Unable to speak past her rapid stutters. The Doctor slowly looked to Dean. "Dean, we need to leave." Dean, taking notice to the fear in the Doctor tone asked, "why? What's wrong?" Suddenly, the filly screamed and pointed behind Dean. Simultaneously, Dean felt something wrap and pull his legs from beneath him. Dean fell and grunted as he hit the ground hard. He looked to his hindlegs to find a thick, green vine with red thorns. The vines tightened and began pulling Dean away fast. Dean clung to the ground beneath him, forming two drag marks as he was pulled away. "DOCTOR!!!" Dean screamed. "OH NO YOU DON'T!!!" the Doctor roared. Acting fast, the Doctor concentrated his focus to the fire blazing within his second heart. He felt the fire, rushing and pulsing its intense heat through his veins. Through the arteries, through the torso, through his legs. The Doctor placed his focus onto one point that the fire traveled through. Then, he felt it; his heart pulsed a strong surge of his Phoenix magic. Traveling through his body, until it reached his hooves. Then, he took hold of it. Summoning it from its magical, near non-existent state to its physical, deadly form. As it transferred from beneath his hooves to the outside world. A ball of blue, Phoenix Fire, flickering to life within the Doctor's grasp. All this, within a single second of time. The Doctor yelled as he threw the flame upon the vine. Incinerating and snapping it apart, several feet away from Dean. Dean stopped dragging as he was free from the vine. He quickly kicked the vine off his legs and ran back to the Doctor. The remaining vine appeared in pain, thrashing about in a frenzy. As if it was a snake, fighting back against an attacking predator. Then, suddenly, it stopped. The vine fell limp and remained motionless on the ground. Panting, Dean looked to the Doctor and asked, "what the bloody tartarus was that!?" "I'm not sure, but it doesn't look like it's a threat now- ." "NO!" the filly screamed. The Doctor and Dean looked to the filly, both taken aback. The filly cried as she looked up to the two. "T-there's more monsters! There's more!" The Doctor and Dean turned around to the sound of rustling. At that moment, dozens of vines shot from amongst the darkness of the trees. All appearing to come from the same location as the first vine. The Doctor quickly grabbed Dean and pushed him towards the opposite direction, whilst grabbing hold of the filly and placing her upon his back. "RUN!!!" the Doctor screamed. A vine quickly caught up to Dean and attempted a grab at his leg. Dean jumped, avoiding the vine last minute. A second vine lunged for the filly on the Doctor's back. The Doctor saw this and was too quick. He swerved right, dodging the vine's attack. Two vines attacked Dean at once, one going for his head while the other attacked at the torso. Just as the vines lunged for their attack, Dean leapt forward, slid across the ground on his stomach, then stood to his hooves and continued galloping. The vine's attack missed while Dean slid. The two vines collided together in midair, tangling one another in a knot. They fell to the ground, no longer able to pursue the fleeing ponies. "There! Up ahead!" the Doctor shouted. The mist was thinning and the Doctor and Dean could see the clearing that contained the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T. Its doors left ajar, an advantage for the three ponies. Not needing to waste time unlocking and opening the box. "Just hang tight! We're almost there- WHOA!" the Doctor ducked his head, missing a swing from a vine by an inch. The Doctor chanced a peek over his shoulder and growled as he saw dozens of vines, continuing their pursuit towards the three. He then gasped, having noticed the vines had increased their numbers. They had doubled from dozens to over half a hundred. The Doctor returned his sight to the approaching M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T, glaring in determination. "Come on!" he shouted. The Doctor and Dean leaped over a bush and landed into the clearing, exiting the dark mist and returning to the bright, sunny, light. Dean was first to enter, followed by the Doctor and the filly. The Doctor quickly shut and locked the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T's door. A second later, the Doctor could feel the vines banging on the door from the other side. They continued their attacks to the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T before the sounds of bangs went silent, indicating that the attacker had ceased their attempts to reach the three. Doctor stepped back, staring intently at the door. Their only connection between safety and danger, now locked securely. Guaranteeing reassurance to the side of safety. As his breath returned to his lungs, the Doctor turned to Dean, checking on him. He was safe, leaning against the wall opposite of the Doctor, panting heavily and waiting for his own breath to return to him. Aside from the minor scratches he received on his leg from the vine's thorns, Dean had escaped unharmed. This helped the Doctor relax, now he had one other pony to check on. It was then that the Doctor realized his entire back was shaking. As if every part of his body but his back was defying an earthquake. Doctor also felt the bottom back side of his neck drenched in liquid. Tears, the Doctor assumed, obvious by the loud muffles of the filly that wept into the Doctor's fur. The Doctor gently took hold of the filly but retracted as he felt her flinch. Instead of touching the filly, the Doctor tried speaking with her instead. He spoke quiet, soft, warmly to the weeping filly. "We're safe, the monsters can't hurt us while we're in here. You don't have to be scared anymore." The filly's weeping slowed to a minor sob, yet she continued to cling to the Doctor. Keeping her face placed firm against his fur. The Doctor spoke again, in a voice more soothing then the last. "I noticed that your leg is hurt. I'm a doctor, I can help you. But only if you'll let me." The filly's crying ceased but she refused to move. The Doctor thought for a second. Only one single second before a brilliant thought came to the Doctor's mind. He smiled as he said cheerfully, "and if you're a good little filly I might just let you fly my spaceship." The Doctor could feel the shaking come to a sudden stop as the filly lifted her head. She looked into the Doctor's eyes. Her innocent curiosity overpowered the fear that had overcame her previously. Her eyes still glistened with the tears of the sad, lost, scared filly. However, the Doctor could almost see tints of stars gleaming behind her tears. The filly sniffed, "s-spaceship?" The Doctor's smile widened, "eeyup! Just take a look." The filly complied and looked to her surroundings. She looked in awe to the pearly white interior of the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T's console room. The filly's eyes stopped at the console itself, staring in wonder to the machine before her. "T-This is a space ship?" the filly asked. The Doctor nodded, "those mean ol monsters cant get us while we're inside this space ship. Its made out of really strong metal and enchanted with protective shield magic." The filly's eyes widened and a smile grew as the filly relaxed, her eyes still placed onto the console. The Doctor took this moment to touch the filly again. Slowly and gently, he took hold of the filly on his back and placed her to the ground. The moment her hooves touched the ground, the filly darted forward, taking a closer look to the console. Doctor felt a tap to his shoulder and turned to Dean. A brow raised as he looked to the Doctor, clearly confused by the discussion. "What are you doing?" Dean asked. "Helping the filly feel safe, why?" "Well why are you telling her that this is a- ." Dean's last words were muffled as the Doctor forced a hoof to his mouth. Doctor came within an inch close to Dean's ear and whispered, "imagination is a great distraction for scared children. Let her beleive she's in a spaceship and she might just feel comfortable enough to explain to us what is going on. Or would you rather her talk to us through stutters as she shakes like a chiwawa?" Dean grabbed the Doctor's hoof and removed it from his mouth. "Alright, I see what your doing now. But do you think the filly knows what those things were?" "Perhaps not, but even information given to us by a child is still information." The Doctor walked to the filly and placed a hoof to her shoulder. The filly turned her gaze away from the console and looked up to the smiling Doctor. The Doctor spoke softly, "do you like it?" "I-Is it really a spaceship?" the filly asked in response. "Of course! I travel all over the universe inside this ship! Adventuring from planet to planet! Telling stories and fighting bad guys- ." "Bad guys!? Like, monsters?" asked the filly. "Yes, I guess they count as "bad guys", said the Doctor. "But I thought you said you were a doctor? Doctors don't fight monsters." The Doctor chuckled, "well this one does. He also helps tend to those who are hurt or sick, speaking of which- ". The Doctor knelt close to the filly and gently placed a hoof to her injured leg. Observing her leg for a moment, the Doctor said, "all that running distracted you from your pain. You hardly felt a thing while those monsters were chasing us, didn't you?" "I-Its starting to hurt now", said the filly, frowning. "Yes, because now that I'm talking about your leg you're now thinking about the pain. My fault, sorry, I do tend to think aloud. Here, take this", the Doctor reached into his vest pocket and extracted a small white bottle. He opened the bottle, shook it slightly while tilting the bottle downwards above his hoof, and waited until a small white circle fell out, landing on his hoof. Doctor held the circle to the filly, "here, take this. Its a pain killer so your leg will stop hurting." The filly looked to the circle with curiosity. "Pain killer? M-My momma gave me one of those before, but it didn't look like that. I-It looked like a leaf." "Yes most Equestrian medicine is either an herb or a liquid. But this is special medicine from, uh, from space!" The filly gasped, "you have space medicine!" "Indeed so! But you can't chew this medicine. It has to be swallowed whole." "Swallowed whole?" the filly asked, tilting her head slightly. "Y-Yes, you do know what that means, right?" the Doctor asked. The filly thought for a moment before responding. "It means that I . . . have to swallow this while sitting in a hole?" Both Dean and the Doctor shared equally confused expressions as they stared to the filly. " . . . . How . . . old are you exactly?" the Doctor asked. "I'm going to turn eight real soon!" said the filly standing tall, proud of her age. "And how soon is "soon?" the Doctor asked. "My momma says in three months!" said the filly. "Really? Three months? That's not soon at all. Anyway! Dean! Why don't you go to the kitchen and get this filly some water while I "talk" to her." "Sure, be right back", said Dean, running and pushing through the double door on the opposite end of the console room. "Now then, I'd like to ask you some questions while my friend goes and gets you a drink. You wouldn't mind, would you?" The filly shook her head in response. "In that case, I'd like to know. Why is a seven year old filly such as yourself alone in a swamp? Where are your parents?" The filly didn't respond. She sat on her rear and looked to the ground. The Doctor waited patiently for an answer. A moment later, the Doctor slowly heard the quiet sounds of the little filly sobbing. Droplets were already falling from the filly's cheeks onto the floor. The Doctor gently placed a hoof to caress her mane as he allowed the filly to cry. Feeling the Doctor's touch, the filly came closer to the Doctor and placed her head onto his torso. She placed her hooves to her eyes as she cried into the Doctor. By the time Dean had returned with a glass of water three minutes later, he found the filly crying into the Doctor and the Doctor caressing her mane. When the Doctor had noticed Dean he placed a hoof to his lips, silently sushing Dean to prevent him from asking questions. Dean nodded as he took the message and waited patiently behind the console, opposite side from the other two. When the Doctor felt that an adequate amount of time had passed he knelt close to the filly and quietly cooed, "do you want to hear a story?" The filly sniffed and spoke through sobs, "a-a s-story?" The Doctor nodded, "about a little colt just as old you. Well, maybe a little bit older. You see, he had lost his parents too. He had crashed his air balloon into some tall mountains while trying to escape from some bad ponies. It was dark, and raining, and windy, and cold. And the little colt was all alone and frightened." The filly sniffed, "w- why were bad ponies chasing him?" "Oh, the bad ponies wanted something from him, something very important. But that doesn't matter, fact is he escaped and now he was alone. So, while he was out and about, the colt become frightened by the cracks of lightning from the storm. So he hid in some bushes. However, while he was there he saw a pony walking along a path; a mare. The wind was so strong she could barely see. So, when a bolt of lightning struck down and blasted a tree next to her, she was unable to avoid it! Do you want to know what happens next?" The fillies eyes were wide now as she asked, "what happened! She didn't get squashed did she!?!" The Doctor chuckled, "no she wasn't squashed. The little colt, despite being so scared and so young, mustard up the courage to run out the bush and save the mare. He pushed her out of the way before the tree could fall on her. And after that the two became friends and traveled together, eventually making it out of the mountains to safety. The two continued to stay together afterwards and the colts life became so much happier. Even though the colt was much, much younger, he still did what he could to be brave and protect the mare whenever she needed help. Do you know why he does that? Even though he is younger and weaker than the mare?" The filly shook her head in response. "The colt does that because that is simply what ponies do when they care for one another. They help the ones they love no matter how big or small they are." The filly smiled and nodded in understanding, before frowning and asking, "but . . . is that it? Didn't the colt find his mommy and daddy?" The Doctor's smile waned slightly but recovered unnoticeably. He nodded, "yes, yes he did find parents. And it was thanks to the mare that the colt had saved. All because of one act of bravery did the colt's life become better." "And . . . that's it?" the filly asked. "Yup, that's where it ends. Now, why do you think I'm telling you this?" The filly shrugged. "I'm telling you this because I think that if a little colt can save a mare from a giant tree, then a brave filly like you can help us save your parents." "But I'm scared", said the filly. "And so was the colt when he was alone, and so am I to be honest. But that won't stop us, in fact, our fear's make us stronger then ever. It helped that colt be brave and run fast enough to beat that tree. You and me, we'll be brave together and beat those monsters. And we'll find your parents, because unlike the colt from the story, you're not alone. You have my friend and I helping you", said the Doctor, pointing to Dean. Dean smiled and gave a small wave. "However, in order for us to help you you're going to have to help us. Can you do that? Can you be brave like the colt from the story?" The filly thought intently for a moment, split between wanting to hide and cry and helping the Doctor find her parents. As another waves of tears fell, the filly looked into the Doctor's eyes and asked, "t-the colt really got to see his mommy and daddy again?" The Doctor smiled, "absolutely!" The filly returned a smile as she responded, "then I want to be just like him! I want to fight the monster and save my mommy and daddy!" The Doctor clapped, "ha ha! I knew you'd want to! Now if this is going to work I need you to focus and help us, can you do that?" The filly nodded as she wiped her tears away. "Alright then, Dean, give her her water." "Right", said Dean, handling the filly her glass. As the filly swallowed her medicine, the Doctor asked, "okay, let's start with your name. Can you tell me what your name is?" "M-Milly." "Okay Milly, do you remember the last time you saw your parents? I've already assumed they've been taken by the monsters but where exactly were they taken?" Milly frowned, "I don't know. I saw my mommy and daddy in the swamp. The monsters took them in there." "I see, you don't know exactly where in the swamp?" Milly shook her head. "Okay, do you remember what these "monsters" looked like? Did you get to see them?" Milly nodded, "it looked like cat fish legs!" The Doctor raised a brow and looked to Dean. Dean shrugged as he was equally confused. Looking back to Milly, the Doctor asked, "er . . . cat fish legs?" Milly nodded, "mmhmm! Big cat fish legs!" " . . . Um . . . are you sure your describing the right fish?" the Doctor asked. "Mmhmm! Its the one with eight legs! And they squirt ink out their butt!" Milly explained. The Doctor and Dean simultaneously "oohhh!" as they looked to each other. "I think she's mistaken-", said Dean. Nodding, the Doctor replied, "yeah, yeah. Um, Milly." "Yes?" Milly responded. "I think you made a mistake with the cat fish. See, cat fish don't have eight legs, octopus do", the Doctor explained. "Octopus?" asked Milly, tilting her head to the side. "Er, yes, octopus. Cat fish look completely different from octopus-." Milly gasped, "cat fish are real!" It took the Doctor a second to process what Milly had said, " . . . didn't you just . . . but . . . w-why did you call octopus a cat fish?" "Because I think octopus are cute! Just like cats!" "So, you didn't know that cat fish were real fish nor did you know the actual name of octopus?" asked the Doctor. Milly thought for a second before nodding with a smile. The Doctor felt a tap from behind and turned his head. Dean edged close and whispered into the Doctor's ear, "Doctor, this is basic first grade knowledge. With her age she should be in the second grade at least. Either she's a bad student or she's never been to school before." "First grade basics? Schools have goal criteria's at that age?" the Doctor asked. "Er, yes? Didn't you go to school when you were younger?" "Eh . . . no." The Doctor glared as Dean looked dumbfounded by the answer. "What!?" "Are you really a doctor?" "That's not important!" The Doctor continued before Dean could press on, "now! If what your saying is true then that might be of importance. Or probably not, she could just have a hard time remembering these things. Still, wouldn't hurt to ask", the Doctor whispered. Looking back to Milly the Doctor asked, "Millie, are you currently attending school?" Milly shook her head, "my mommy and daddy don't want me in school. They said they don't have money for it." The Doctor and Dean shared equal expressions of pity towards the filly. "Oh, I see, I'm sorry to hear that. Do your parents homeschool you?" "Homeschool?" Milly asked, having not understood the meaning of the word. "Do they teach you things themselves?" "They use to, but not anymore. They're always too busy." "Busy? Busy doing what?" the Doctor asked. Dean stepped forward, "sorry to cut in but I had a question related to yours, its something that's been on my mind. What exactly are you and your parents doing in this swamp in the first place? If I had to guess by the sounds of it, it sounds like your parents have money problems. Would you happen to know if your parents are out here working on a job of some sort? And is it possible they brought you along because, well, they couldn't afford anyone too watch you or they just didn't have anypony to watch you? I mean, its just a thought but it makes sense when you think about it." Looking to Dean, the Doctor responded, "that . . . is a really good deduction! Nice thinking Dean." Dean shrugged, "can't let you do all the detective work yourself. You hogged it all back in Dodge Junction, might as well give it a go myself." The Doctor chuckled as he looked back to Milly. "My friend has an excellent point Milly. There must have been a reason for you and your parents to have come here at all. Would you happen to know why?" Milly thought for a moment before responding, "my mommy told me we were looking for a pony." "Your parents are searching for someone? Who?" the Doctor asked. "I don't know, mommy said we can go home if, um, we find him. But a monster took my mommy and daddy when we were looking for the pony". Milly yelled suddenly, "ooooh! I remember where the monster took my daddy!" "Really!? Where was he taken? Can you describe the area to us?" the Doctor asked. Milly nodded, "we were running away from the monster and there was a, um, small house. Me and mommy and daddy hided in there and waited for the monster to go away. But the monster took my daddy from the window and my mommy ran away with me." "A small house? Hmm . . . hang on a second". The Doctor turned to the center console and began pressing buttons. The monitor beside him started flashing. It continued until an image appeared, showing what appeared to be a large cluster of green spots placed atop a white background. "What's that?" asked Dean. "A geographical map of the forest. I had the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T scan a fifty mile radius of the area. See this spot here", said the Doctor, pointing to a small brown, square spot on the screen. "Yeah." "THAT is the only building within this radius. But, its very small. Really, really small, even for a house. By these scans I'd have to say that the "house" Milly and her parents were hiding in was actually a shack. No, hang on that's wrong, not a shack. Look here." The Doctor pointed to a small brown circle on the monitor screen. Three times large then the square indicating the "shack" and only half an inch away. "What is that?" asked Dean. "That would be a cave, or to be more precise, a cave entrance! Scans are indicating several large deposits beneath that area. There are minerals every here and there but the majority of its been picked clean. Which mean that that cave entrance is for an old mine. Which means that that shack isn't a shack, its actually a-." "Mine storage!" Dean concluded. "Precisely!" "But why would that matter? Shack or not its still just a place for them to hide. Why would the specifics of "what kind of building it was" would that matter?" asked Dean. "Oh it shouldn't matter! Not at all! I just like to get down to the VERY specifics of things! You never know how important knowing more then necessary would come!" said the Doctor. The Doctor turned away from the console and faced Milly. "Alright Milly, here's what's going to happen. That medicine is strong so you can't feel your leg anymore. However, its also got a side affect that makes you drowsy. So, I am going to take you to one of the spare rooms to rest up a bit. I'll put a cast on your leg and you can take a nap. When you awake we will search for your parents together! Does that sound like a good plan?" "But I want my mommy and daddy! I'm not tired!" Milly yelled, just before yawning loudly. The Doctor chuckled, "well that yawn there begs to differ. Dean, I'm going to take Milly to one of the rooms. I'll be right back." "Alright, I'll wait for you here", said Dean. The Doctor nodded and lead Milly towards the door on the far end of the console room. "Come on Milly, let's take you to bed." FIVE MINUTES LATER The Doctor returned to the console room to find Dean standing next the console, appearing lost in thought. "Something on your mind?" the Doctor asked, walking next to Dean and pressing buttons on the console. Dean awoke from his thought and looked to the Doctor. "Oh, just thinking of that story you told Milly." "Oh yeah? What about it?" Dean shrugged, "I don't know, I guess I was wondering if that was a, well . . . personal story." The Doctor pressed a button and responded, "would it matter if it was?" "No, I guess not. Its just, with what you've told me how long you've adventured for I just assumed that colt was you. So, did that actually happened?" There was a pause before the Doctor answered, "I like to tell stories. And most of them, if not all of them, may just be made up on the whim that I need to tell a quick story. Like one that would help a little filly feel braver for example. All stories actually happen when you think about it, even in a place like ours where it couldn't have possibly happened at all. And with a scrambled mind like mine, it could be hard to differentiate the difference between the true and not. Even with stories." Dean felt uneasy at that response. He felt the Doctor had both answered his question whilst avoiding it entirely. It confused him, so he chose to move on. "Er . . . right . . . okay . . . well, tell me this. The little colt in that story, I noticed what you did there at the end." "What do you mean?" "When Milly asked if the colt had found his parents. You said he "found parents", you didn't say he found "his parents." "Alright, sorry I wasn't specific enough-." "No! What I mean is, well, I guess I'm just wondering what reason you have to avoid something as small as that. Did the colt actually find his parents Doctor?" The Doctor didn't answer, he stared to the monitor, appearing emotionless. Dean pressed on, "Doctor? Did he find his parents?" The Doctor sighed, looked to Dean, and smiled. "The colt found ponies that would love him for the rest of their lives. They were his family and that's just as good. But I don't see what the point in this is, its just a story for a filly, it really isn't that important." "But why don't-." The Doctor lifted a hoof to Dean, silencing him. "Sorry to cut you off Dean but there's something more important we need to talk about. Asides from finding Milly's parents. It's related but it is certainly much bigger then the problem at hoof." "Er, right. Are we really going to take Milly with us to find her parents?" "Of course, why not?" said the Doctor. "Well, wouldn't it make more sense to leave Milly here and bring her parents back with us instead?" asked Dean. "Normally yes, it would, if it wasn't for them", said the Doctor, turning the monitor towards Dean. Dean saw on screen the outside of the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T and what appeared to be vines all wrapped around the base of the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T. "Are those-." "The same "monsters" that chased us earlier, yes. It seems that whoever is controlling these vines are really keen on capturing Milly. The M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T isn't invincible. I've boosted the shielding and defenses but it won't hold out forever. If whoever is controlling the vines start attacking the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T it'll take them awhile with the extra protection but give it some time and they'll break through the shields, through the door, and will have easy access to Milly." "But why aren't they attacking us now?" asked Dean. "That would be because of me." Raising a brow, Dean asked, "you? How are you stopping them from attacking us?" Licking his lips, the Doctor pressed a button to shut the monitor screen off. He then looked to the ground and said, "do you remember back in Dodge Junction when I was telling you the plan I had to defeat Tumbleweed?" "What about it?" asked Dean. "I told you that Elementals have an ability to sense other Elementals. Or at the least, sense their magic or magical presence. . . . this . . . is why our situation is much bigger then simply finding a lost girls parents." "How so?" asked Dean. Licking his lips again, the Doctor responded, "I sensed the presence of another Elemental while we were running to Milly earlier. This magical presence was much stronger then the one in Dodge Junction. The presence in Junction was weaker because only the Breezies magic was flowing through the area, not the Breezies themselves. This presence . . . it means there's another Elemental here." "But I thought you said Elementals had a law forbidding Elementals from leaving their home territories?" asked Dean. "Exactly! So why is there an Elementals here? But more important question, what type of Elemental is it? Well that question isn't hard to answer at all? Did you notice the mist earlier when we ran to find Milly?" "Yeah." "Well did you notice that that was the only spot in the entire forest to have mist? And the fact that these "monsters" are actually just forest vines? We never actually saw the real monster?" "What do vines have to do with the mist?" asked Dean. "Think about what mist is Dean", said the Doctor. "Its just water." "And the vines that attacked us from earlier, what flows inside the vines?" Dean thought for a moment and slowly placed two and two together. "Water! The vines have water inside them! Mysterious mist? Attacking vines? Doctor, this Elemental, is a Frostealius attacking us?" "I think one is. That's why the vines aren't attacking us now. The Frostealius must have sensed me as well and is afraid to attack. Most likely, he's waiting for the right time to strike. As for why a Frostealius would be in a swamp in Equestria attacking a poor little filly and her parents I have no idea. That is a problem to us because we don't know if this Frostealius is a runaway who is simply attacking out of fear or if he is trying to harm that girl for another reason. So, its up to you and I to figure that out. However, there's another issue at hoof, one worst then the rest." "Another? What could be worse than a psychotic Elemental in the middle of a forest trying to kill us and a filly?" asked Dean. "The fact that this "psychotic Elemental" stole the magic scanner", the Doctor replied. " . . . What?" "He stole my scanner when I dropped it to find Milly. It wasn't on the monitor when I showed you the vines outside. So you and I, along with finding Milly's parents and finding out why this Elemental is here, need to go and get my scanner back. And when Milly wakes up we need to find it as soon as possible. The scanner will lose track of the magical traces within twenty four hours so you and I need to get it back before it does. Because if it does than we are in for a VERY bad time! A very, VERY, bad time if we can't find my friend." " . . . Okay . . . um, I can see why that would be a bad thing. But how is that worse then an Elemental trying to kill us?" asked Dean. "Oh you'll find out, believe you me you will. In due time; for now we should get our rest as well. We've got a lot to do as soon as Milly awakes", said the Doctor, walking towards the double door on the far end of the room. "Yeah, alright", Dean replied. Just as the Doctor opened the door, Dean called from behind. "Hey Doctor!" The Doctor stopped, "what is it?" "I just wanted to know, that mare from the story, who was she?" The Doctor didn't respond immediately. He looked to the ground, licked his lips, then smiled. He looked over his shoulder to Dean, "she was someone very special to the colt. Someone worth living with. And . . ." There was a pause as the Doctor's smile waned. " . . . And . . . someone . . . someone worth dying for . . .". The Doctor coughed and straightened his posture. "The two lived happily together until the colt grew up. Then they would part ways but would always see each other again. Because no matter where their lives took them, their love would never allow them to be separated for too long. There, that a good enough explanation for you?" "Er, yeah, sure, sure thing Doctor", said Dean, awkwardly. "Alright, well, if that's all the questions you have then I'll be going. See you in the morning", said the Doctor, turning and exiting through the door. "Er, yeah! Of course! See you-". Dean's tone dropped, the Doctor was already gone. " . . . In the . . . morning." Dean sighed, "he's an odd one, that Doctor. He seems like he's hiding something, but what? That mare, he didn't exactly tell me who she was. But, from the sounds of it, perhaps she becomes that colts "special somepony". The way he described their love it only makes sense. But, if that story is real and the Doctor really was that colt then . . . then . . ." A new thought came to the Dean's mind, "if the Doctor's had a special somepony, than where is she? Is she . . . gone? I guess that would make sense, the Doctor being so old and all. But . . . maybe that's why he avoided my questions. It makes sense that he wouldn't want to talk about this, though it does beg the question why he brought it up in the first place. Still . . . its all confusing . . . very confusing . . . hmm . . . ouch." Dean rubbed his temples and cringed, "all this has given me a headache. Might as well rest up too, hopefully we get out of this swamp soon. Wouldn't want to get attacked by any of those vines again. Ugh! Can't believe we're under attack by swamp vines. Swamp vines of all things! Heh, sounds like something Discord would do, with his chaos magic and all. Ha! Imagine him being the one behind all this, oh that would be the worst!" Dean chuckled as he walked to the double sided doors. "Imagine having to be the one to face him! Pah! As if that'll ever happen! He'll probably turn me into a walking candy or something. Heh, imagine that, walking candy. Next I'll be taking a chocolate bath from a raining cotton candy cloud!" Dean laughed at his joke as he exited the console room.