DOCTOR

by Deidorimu

The Vines Are Watching: Part Three (S1C4)

"Doctor! Doctor! AAGH!" Dean screamed, laying on the cement floor of the minors shack. He gasped as he felt a hoof touch his shoulder, but quickly relaxed as he recognized it to be the Doctor.

"Stay still, don't move too much. Let me see what's happened to you", said the Doctor, kneeling close to Dean.

The pain was too much for the colt. Dean writhed about, unable to keep still for the Doctor. He said with a groan, "Doctor! Doctor ah can't see! Its in my eyes!"

"I know, I know. Take deep breaths, don't focus on the pain. Listen to my voice, focus on that", the Doctor said soothingly. He touched the tip of his hoof to the brown goop covering most of Dean's face. The Doctor raised his hoof close to his mouth and sniffed the mysterious substance. He then proceeded to lick the goop before spitting it to the floor immediately. "Dean, don't blink. Keep your eyes shut until we can get this stuff off of you."

A large amount of goop that covered Dean's eyes fell to his mouth. Spitting it out, he shouted, "Doctor! What is this stuff!?"

"Tree sap, but its been tampered with. Whoever's attacking us has mixed the sap with a chemical that causes temporary blindness. Its already blinded you but if you keep your eyes shut the effects will wear off sooner", the Doctor explained, reaching into his inner vest pocket.

The Doctor extracted a large hanky from his vest and placed the cloth upon Dean's face. He then used the cloth to smear off as much of the tree sap as possible. When most of the sap was removed, the Doctor reached into his inner pocket for a second hanky, and proceeded to clear off the remaining sap upon the colts skin. Once finished the Doctor said, "there, your clean for the most part."

"Ah still can't see!" Dean said loudly, unable to maintain a calm tone through his pain.

"We'll need to return to the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T before I can take care of your eyes."

"Can't you just cry in my eyes and heal me!?"

"The saps too thick, you'll need an eye wash station first. Until then your going to have to hang on to me, I'll guide you through the cave. Can you stand?"

Dean groaned, "yeah ah can stand. Why are we going to the cave?"

As the Doctor helped Dean to his hooves, he responded, "they've got Millie. We're going to get her back."

"What!?!" Dean shouted, stumbling forward into the Doctor's forelegs.

"Easy Dean!" said the Doctor, helping Dean regain his balance.

"They've got Millie!" shouted Dean.

"Yes and we're going to get her! She's going to be alright!" said the Doctor, releasing Dean.

Standing on his own, Dean pointed his head to the ground and said, "this is ma fault! This is all ma fault! Ah had her in ma hooves when they grabbed her! But ah got hit with that stuff and lost her and-"

The Doctor placed a hoof to Dean's shoulder and said sternly, "Dean! This isn't your fault! This is all my fault, not yours! While I was lying on the floor you actually went and tried to save her! Yes you lost her but at least you tried! And you got hurt in the process! And for that, that makes me responsible for the endangerment of two ponies! You shouldn't have been harmed and Millie should not have been captured! Therefore, I have failed in my responsibility, not only to the parents of that filly but to yours as well!"

The Doctor sighed, "Dean I am so, so sorry that this has happened to you. I should never have asked you to come along with me. As soon as this is over I'll return you to Dodge Junction, alright?"

"What! No! Doctor I'm not going back!"

"But I-"

"Doctor ah chose to come with you. Ah already assumed it was going to be dangerous ever since we dealt with Tumbleweed. Ah knew there was a possibility ah might get hurt but ah chose to come along anyway! I'm not going back to Dodge Junction just because ah got some sap in my eyes!"

"But doesn't it hurt?" asked the Doctor.

"Yes, a lot actually. But doesn't it also hurt to be alone?" asked Dean.

Taken aback by Dean's sudden question, the Doctor had no response.

Mustering a smile, Dean said, "we're in this together old stallion. We'll find Millie and get ma eyes taken care of."

The Doctor couldn't help but smile brightly, despite knowing Dean couldn't see him. "Alright, let's save Millie and fix your eyes."

Nodding, Dean replied, "but you think we could hurry a bit? I'd like to get ma eyes fixed soon. Its really starting to become unbearable!"

"Right! Right! Here, place your left leg around my shoulder. I'll help guide you through the cave."

"Okay", said Dean, wrapping his leg around the Doctor and holding firmly to his shoulder.

"Careful as you walk, the ground might be a bit rigid in there so you don't want to trip."

"I've got it Doctor, let's get going please", said Dean, grunting as he felt a fresh wave of stinging pass into his eyes.

"Alright, let's move. Easy now, one step at a time", said the Doctor as he and Dean exited the shed and headed towards the cave. "Nice accent by the way", the Doctor added.

It took Dean a second to realize that he had ceased his British accent and returned to his original one. Blushing, Dean returned to his false accent and said, "its not that good, honestly."

"Don't say that, I like it. You should use it more."

"Thanks but no thanks, I'll stick to this one."

"Oh yeah? Well what made you stop using it?" asked the Doctor.

"Er, I uh, saw Millie get nabbed by the vines and I, sort of, forgot to use it when I went to help her. Its not my actual accent so it takes a bit of concentration", Dean explained.

"You'd probably have an easier time focusing on things if you used your western accent", the Doctor hinted.

"Not happening Doctor."

"Its a nice accent", the Doctor pressed on.

"No Doctor."

"Alright, alright."

He lifted his head as a sudden sensation struck his insides. His inner magic alerted him like an alarm, triggered by two trespassers. They both walked into the entrance of the cave very slowly. An odd pace to take. Not because they were scared of him, they knew exactly who he was; or what he was in this matter. Their pace was slow for another reason. Perhaps to maintain a state of caution? Wise . . . yet, not the case. The two were close together, touching one another as they walked. Perhaps they were planning something? Or had already formed a plan and were executing it? He wasn't sure, he needed to check and find out.

Summoning his strength, he strained to use his magic; viewing the trespassers with his mist.

It was difficult, like squinting in a dark room without a second eye. But he managed and saw the trespassers in deeper detail. Much better then before they had entered.

Both trespassers were male. The stallion on the right had his left hoof wrapped around the other. The stallion on the left was assisting the right stallion to walk. The stallion on the right was very unbalanced. He stumbled frequently and tried hard to keep pace with the stallion on the left.

Now he understood what was happening.

He had fired his sap at someone earlier, the one who had tried to stop him from capturing the filly. The stallion on the left must be the one who received an eyeful of his sap. He can't see and now the stallion on the right was assisting him.

He fired at a second pony earlier and missed, the stallion on the right must be that pony. Although he couldn't definitively see the features of either pony he was sure he knew who the stallion on the right was. He heard him earlier, he told him his name.

And he knew that if that stallion was coming to him for the filly, than he was in danger.

He released his magic with a gasp, unable to maintain his sights on the two any longer. If only he had the strength to respond, he wanted to tell that stallion who he was. He hadn't a clue how that stallion was involved with the filly and her parents, neither did he care.

That was his business, and no pony ever questions the Doctor's business. Unless they were a fool or had a death wish.

All he knew was that the Doctor was with the filly. He captured the filly and the Doctor followed. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. The Doctor was coming for him to get to the filly. He was the Doctor's enemy now.

And this frightened him severely.

He needed to warn the Doctor, to tell him of the true threat that was held within this cave. But his strength was far too weak to do so. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak through his mist. He could only sit and wait as the Doctor approached ever so closer. Slowly and surely, like a creeping grim reaper.

His magic was already in use to something far more important. To use his magic further would be to release the ones he had imprisoned, and that would be a danger to him. Therefore, magic was no option.

All he could do was wait. Wait and allow the Doctor to enter and see him face to face.

And that is what he decided to do. "Doctor . . . after all these years . . . I get to see you again."

Several minutes had passed and nothing happened.

Dean held to the Doctor for support as the two walked deeper into the cave.

Once the depth that light could no longer be seen was reached, the Doctor had stopped to grab a torch from his inner vest pocket. He blew a flame to the torch, igniting its tip and lighting the cave for the Doctor to see. Dean was left confused as the answer he received to asking where the torch had come from was "my pocket."

Confusion aside, Dean was worried on the lack of danger. Surely after walking this long something should have happened. He had certainly expected to be bombarded with a dozen vines five seconds after entering. Yet nothing had happened at all. Everything was silent; the cave was hot and moist, and the space to walk was plentiful. If Dean hadn't known better he would have thought this place to be a hot springs. The caves calm and relaxed environment left Dean feeling not very calm and relaxed at all.

The Doctor's thoughts weren't far off either. The Frostealius knew they had entered, it was impossible for him not to. Even a weak Frostealius's magic would be strong enough to detect someone this close. So, why hasn't he attack yet? They wasted no time in attacking a seven year old filly, why weren't they attacking two grown stallions?

"Perhaps they don't want to attack us? Maybe their waiting for Dean and I? Why would they wait? Sure the cave is spacious but if they had any plan of attack now would be the perfect time to execute it. Most certainly not when we're face to face, that would give Dean and I the upper hand. Or perhaps their plan involves us to be face to face? No, that can't be it, it wouldn't make sense. Now is the perfect time to attack! Waiting for us to arrive would mean that they are intentionally allowing themselves to be put into danger. They know that I'm an Elemental so perhaps their scared of me? . . . Actually, that would make sense. I told the Frostealius my name and now he's allowing us entry- oh! . . . Ohhhhhhhkay!"

The Doctor smirked at this thought. "Okay than, so this Frostealius does know me. Their not attacking and are allowing Dean and I to enter. They really do want to meet face to face. Smart Elemental, hopefully they won't give me any issues when I ask what the heck is going on. But that does strike another question. How does this Frostealius know who I am? Most common answer is that they've heard the stories. And if I'm lucky than that's what the answer will be. If not, and I really have met this Elemental before, than this might not go well at all for any of us. Especially if this Frostealius turns out to be an enemy. Like those other ones back during . . . well . . . those days . . . . . God I hate being old."

"Doctor are you okay-"

"Yes!" the Doctor blurted, startling Dean. Realizing his outburst, the Doctor coughed and regained his composer. "I mean, yes, yes I am. Why do you ask?"

"You were shaking. I thought that you felt something touch you or . . . something."

The Doctor hadn't realize until than that he was in fact shaking. Not because he was afraid, at least, not for the reason Dean thought he was afraid. The Doctor responded with a quick thought, "sorry, I was just thinking of the Frostealius."

"And that's causing you to shake?" Dean asked.

"It was an intense thought."

Skeptical, Dean pressed on, "right . . . Doctor are you sure your okay?"

"I'm fine Dean, nothings touching me. Nothings even here at all. We're safe, or at least, for the most part we are."

"Actually, I was curious about that. Why hasn't anything happened? Wouldn't the Frostealius have wanted to attack us by now?" asked Dean.

"No, he won't attack. He's allowing us to enter his cave."

"But why?"

"Because they want to talk."

"Talk? What for? They weren't so keen on talking earlier", said Dean.

"Yes but that was because they couldn't hear us earlier. Here in the cave on the other hoof they can hear us, but only if you shout."

"Neither of us have shouted though."

"I did earlier, back at the entrance when Millie was first captured. I was angry and threatened the Frostealius, and told them my name. They must've heard and recognized me."

"They know you?" asked Dean.

"Most Elementals do, one way or another. I am quite infamous in the community after all. Whether it be from stories or past experiences, most tend to know who I am as long as I tell them my name."

"Past experiences? You've encountered other Frostealius before?"

"Occasionally, haven't seen one in a few decades though. Most of the Frostealius I did encounter weren't so friendly."

"How unfriendly were they?"

"It varies, some I met where thieves, others where gangs, and some . . . some where murderers-". The Doctor coughed, feeling a sudden flow of magic pass through his gut. Like butterflies fluttering in his lower abdomen. He grunted, knowing what that sign meant. "I'll tell you more about them later if you like. But right now, where about to meet them."

"I beg your pardon?" asked Dean.

"The Frostealius's magic just became more apparent. We're getting closer, I can sense it", the Doctor explained.

"How close are we?"

"Very close, we haven't walked far enough to reach the deepest of the cave so that tells me the Frostealius is waiting for us in the caves first mineral deposit", the Doctor explained.

"Okay but quick question. If you've met Frostealius before that killed, is there a possibility this one might also?" asked Dean.

"Possibly, but let's hope not, for Milly's sake."

"Right, and is there a possibility this Frostealius might already know you? Personally, that is" asked Dean.

"Maybe, if their one of the good ones than we don't have to worry."

"And if their not?" asked Dean.

" . . . Than I'm going to need you to stand back, because things may get very hot!" said the Doctor.

"Things may get very hot!"

He opened his eyes and peered over his shoulder to the entrance behind him. "He's here" he thought, staring intently to the entrance.

Sure enough, the light from a torch was beginning to appear. Weak at first but grew as the two ponies walked closer and closer.

His time within the cave had left his eyes adjusted to the pitch dark. The weakest of the light was strong to his eyes. The closer the light came, the further he squinted his eyes. Until it became too much for him, and he shielded his eyes with his hooves and clenched his eyes shut. He turned his head back to the opposite entrance, not wanting to face the light.

He heard the ponies speak. The use of mist was no longer needed as the two came into hearing range.

"There's the entrance to the deposit. Its only a few steps further", said the elderly pony.

"That voice! It truly is him!" he thought excitedly.

The two ponies approached and entered slowly. The elder pony held the torch high, giving light to most of the deposit. He looked about as he helped Dean enter.

The deposit was like the inside of a stone sphere, very large and round. If this deposit was once rich with minerals it most certainly wasn't anymore. The walls, ceiling, and floor and been cleaned of any mineral it had once contained.

Cobwebs covered most of the surrounding surfaces, and dust and dirt filled air, making it hard to breath. Large stalagmites pierced from the ground and ceiling; more so on the ceiling as it appeared some had been destroyed on the ground.

The entirety of the deposit had vines covering the ground. Not an inch could be seen through the thick, slimy, snake like nature ropes. The vines almost appeared to be alive to the Doctor's torch light. All moving, wrapping in a swirl on the ground. Leading to the center of the deposit, which held a single wooden chair with a pony sitting upon it, draped from his waist to the ground in vines.

The Doctor could almost see a second entrance on the opposite end of the deposit. But the Doctor paid no attention to it, nor to the vines slithering at his hooves. His sights were on the pony facing away from them.

Dean took a step forward, stepping on a sloppy wet vine and making it "squish" loudly. He gasped, "what!? What is!?-"

"Easy Dean! Easy! Its just a vine, relax, it wont hurt you", said the Doctor.

The Doctor help Dean step over the vines slowly. Together, they inched their way towards the pony sitting in the center. He could hear the pony's breathing as they approached. It was heavy, yet slow.

The Doctor knew the pony was exhausted. Even so, if this Frostealius wanted to he could easily have he and Dean killed. With a deposit this large filled with this many vines, it would all be too easy to trap the two under and suffocate them with vines. He could use his phoenix magic if this were the case. But that would leave Dean engulfed under enflamed vines. No, he would take a passive approach. If the Doctor could avoid further harm to Dean than that would be good. If he could find Millie and her parents unharmed than that would be better.

Only the top of the Frostealius's head could be seen over the back of the chair. It was like looking into a spider's web, his silver, greasy, messy hair shinning hazily in the Doctor's blue torch light.

The Doctor was first to speak. He cleared his throat and stood tall, "so you must be the one behind all this?"

The pony's breathing continued.

With no response the Doctor spoke further, "I was able to sense your magic from the moment I entered into your mist. You're a Frostealius aren't you? Tell me, what is a Water Elemental doing all the way out here in Equestria?"

The heavy breathing intensified as the pony struggled to speak. Having not spoken in what felt like years, he forced the word out. "D-Doctor?"

"So you do know me? Tell me, what horrific stories of me have the Elementals spewed at you? Or . . . have we met?"

The pony exhaled, "you know me . . . Doctor . . . we . . . are friends."

"Is that so? Well, it seems you and I have some catching up to do than "friend"! Tell me, how has foalnapping a family gone? Did you feel any shame as an eight year old filly screamed while being dragged into a cave? Or what about the parents? Are they here too? Are they even alive? Or did you have yourself a good time slaughtering each one!? You certainly have the power to do it if you wanted to. Even if you are as weak as you are now", the Doctor spat angrily.

"You think . . . I would harm them? . . . You think . . . I'm a . . . monster?" the Frostealius asked. There was a slight shift in his tone only the Doctor noticed.

He was taken off guard by the Frostealius being concerned, but quickly dismissed it. "I've seen creatures of all sorts do terrible things. Ponies, Manticores, Gryphons, Frostealius, and of course, Phoenix Ponies. After ninety four years it can be difficult to see the differences between the monsters and the others. So you tell me, are you a monster or not?"

" . . . No."

"No? Even after what you've done?"

"I had my reasons! I believe-". The Frostealius paused to inhale painfully. "My actions were justified! I . . . am not the . . . one at fault here! You . . . do not see . . . the entire . . . truth!"

"Than tell me the truth. Tell me what's actually happening here. And you can start by turning around and talking to me. Face, to, face."

There was a pause. The Frostealius's breathing being the only prevention to silence.

Slowly, the Frostealius's leg could be seen lifting. As his leg rose to the air, the vines around him began to move. Quickly at first before slowing to a gentle slither. They took hold of their master's chair, turning him around and facing Dean for the first time. And the Doctor once again.

Dean felt the Doctor tense. If he wasn't blind he would have seen the Doctor's eyes widen in shock. "Doctor? Is everything alright?"

Recognizing the Frostealius, the Doctor felt his heart race suddenly; a mixture of anxiety and fear driving into him. Licking his lips, the Doctor blurted, "you!?!"

"What? Do you know him?" asked Dean, facing his head to the Doctor's direction.

"What . . . what the hell are you doing here!?!" the Doctor asked, his voice shaking.

The Frostealius gazed softly to the Doctor. He smiled apologetically while hanging his head low, too weak to keep it up.

In the light, the Frostealius could be seen clearly now. He had pale gray fur, shoulder length silver hair, empty baby blue eyes, devoid of sclera and pupils, and was badly malnourished.

The Doctor could count each individual rib on the Frostealius's torso. It sickened the him, more than that, it struck the Doctor's very heart with sorrow. He wanted to rush forth and hold the pony before him, mending whatever wounds he had. He was horrified, more so because of who this pony was. Because of who this Frostealius was.

He felt his eyes water as he stuttered to the weak pony, "S- Silver Drop? Is that you?"

Silver Drop's smile waned as he spoke to a near inaudible volume. "You recognized me . . . even when I am this weak."

Slowly, the Doctor released Dean and stepped closer to Silver.

"Uh, Doctor. What's happening?" asked Dean.

The Doctor ignored Dean as he placed a hoof gently to Silver's cheek. " . . . H-How?"

Silver raised a weak hoof to the Doctor's extended leg and gripped it. "I . . . am sorry . . . that you had . . . to see me this way."

Licking his lips, the Doctor continued. "How did this happen? How . . . did this happen!?"

"Doctor who is he!? What is going on!?!" Dean asked, his confusion becoming unbearable.

"He's my friend Dean. He's . . . a very close friend of mine. We've known each other for about eighty three years now."

Silver mustard a chuckle, "you were always good at . . . memorizing stuff and . . . time . . . I would have never remembered-."

"Silver!" the Doctor interrupted.

Silver went silent and frowned.

The Doctor continued, nearly shaking to maintain his composure. "Tell me right now Silver. What, is, happening! Why are you in Equestria! Why have you taken Millie and her parents! And why . . . why are you, like . . . this!?!"

If Silver had the strength he would have looked away, not wanting to speak eye to eye . The best he could do was shift his eyes and avoid the Doctor's concerned and stern expression.

"I . . . wanted to contact you . . . I needed to contact you . . . I tried . . . but I couldn't. Ran out of time . . . they were after me . . . back in the Crystal Empire."

"Crystal Empire? What were you doing there? I read your letter just four months ago, you said you were helping the refugees in Ice Land."

"And I did help . . . only . . . only it wasn't enough. The war has grown worse since the last time we spoke. I had saved as many as I could . . . it . . . was too much. Hundreds . . . are dead."

"But what about the princess? Hasn't she made any progress?" the Doctor asked.

Silver shook his head, "no, she hasn't. We are at a standstill, and I tried to tell you, to send you a letter . . . but I couldn't. Ice Land is under attack by a new faction.

"Wait, what!?!"

"I'm not following, what war are we talking about?" asked Dean, listening to the two and keeping up as best as he could.

The Doctor looked to Dean, "the civil war in the Ice Lands. I told you about it back in the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T. Between Princess Pond's army: the Rivers, and General Cool Mist's rebellion: the Cloud's. I've never taken part of their war personally, but I've always supported Princess Pond.

"And you say Ice Land is under attack by a third faction? Who?" the Doctor asked Silver.

Silver shook his head, "I don't know who they are, but they call themselves "Seekers."

"Seekers?"

Silver nodded, "they appeared without warning . . . and attack both armies. Asserting themselves . . . as a new army. Without giving any reasoning to their attack. We don't know their motives, their goals, or their leader."

The Doctor placed a hoof to his mouth, thinking for a moment before sighing. "Alright Silver, I want to know the status and position of all three factions and the overall status of your country. I'm also going to want to send a letter to Pond, and I want her to write back. But only after we deal with this situation first."

"I will try . . . but we are not the reason . . . that you haven't seen us in twenty years. She will be unhappy to receive . . . only a letter."

The Doctor ignored his statement with the wave of a hoof. "Whatever, now, how about you let the filly go and explain to me why you foalnapped them."

Silver's eyes widened, "I cannot! I am . . . sorry Doctor . . . but I-."

The Doctor chuckled, cutting Silver off. "Oh! My apologies! It seems you misunderstood me. That wasn't a request, that was a demand."

The Doctor took a step close to Silver, until their noses were inches apart. The Doctor's glare shot daggers into Silver's eyes as he said, "you are going to release Millie. And you are going to tell me why you captured her. Or so help me, you are going to have a very bad time! Do I make myself clear?"

Silver gulped and nodded before closing his eyes and focusing his magic.

A scream could be heard echoing from the opposite entrance of the deposit. The scream grew louder as a single vine slithered closer, dragging something along with it.

Within the vines grasp was Millie, kicking and screaming in an attempt to escape. Her screaming ceased as she realized where the vine was taking her. She looked to Silver with fearful eye's, before gasping upon seeing the Doctor and Dean. "Doctor! Dean!" she cried.

"Remain calm Millie! Your not in danger anymore!" said the Doctor.

Silver released his magic and the vines strong grip was gone.

After feeling the vine go limp, Millie immediately jumped to her hooves and galloped to the Doctor's side.

The filly practically shoved the Doctor off his hooves as she leapt to him with all her weight, burying her face into his chest and weeping.

The Doctor hugged Millie, stroking her mane as he said, "there there Millie, everything's alright. Your safe now, the big mean pony won't hurt you anymore."

"Hurtful", said Silver, frowning.

"Well you are. You just foalnapped an innocent child!"

Silver cocked a brow at that, "innocent? Really? She and her parents hunt me down . . . for months! And she's the innocent one!?!"

In response, the Doctor cocked his own brow. "Her parents? Their the ones who have been after you?"

"Yes, she and her parents . . . have been after me . . . ever since Ice Land. Though . . . it may seem hard to believe, she being . . . a child after all. But it is the truth Doctor! I . . . would never do . . . something such as this . . . for no reason! . . . You know me Doctor! . . . You know I wouldn't dare!-"

"HEY! PSST!" the Doctor hissed, pointing to Silver and silencing him. Sighing, he said, "Calm, down! I've known you longer than anyone else. And the Silver I know would never do something such as this without reason. So, your going to tell me what happened from the moment Millie's parents began chasing you to now. Than I'm going to ask Millie for her say in things. Because I do believe you Silver. Disappointed that you'd go as far as to harm a filly, but nonetheless, I believe you had your reason. And Milly-."

The Doctor looked down to the shaking filly. Her head still buried into his chest. "I know your scared but I promise that you are are no longer in any danger. Now I'm going to ask this pony some questions. Then, I am going to ask you some questions. And if you want me to help you, then I need you to answer my questions as best and as truthfully as you can. Can you do that?" Although Millie didn't respond, a small nod from the filly told the Doctor she was listening and agreed to him. "Alright, now then. Silver, start from the beginning."

Silver nodded. "I was at an outpost called "Poison Tear" at the Shwallow River. I was helping a large group of civilians escape on ships when I noticed a couple of hooded ponies in the crowd. I thought they were refugees trying to get on the ship so I paid no attention to them. But after a few minutes, I realized they were still there. They were still standing there, not moving with the crowd to board the ships. And I notice that they seemed to be staring at me. I ignored them for a few minutes before looking back, but they were gone once I did.

"I saw them again the next day. I was on break after checking the supplies we would be sending with the refugees. I found a house that . . . used to be owned, and ate my lunch in there. I was . . . upset that day, as most Frostealius are nowadays. But that day in particular, I just didn't want to be around anyone. So I sat alone in the living room of some strangers house to eat my lunch. And I saw them while I was eating my food."

"They came into the house?" the Doctor asked.

Silver shook his head, "whoever owned the house before evacuations had a mirror in their living room, across from me. I was sitting in a chair and there was a window next to me without drapes. Seemed like they had been ripped off at one point, I don't know. But I was eating when I saw them, in the reflection of the mirror. They were standing behind the window, talking and pointing to me a few times. But only for a minute before they left. I pretended not to see them and, luckily, it worked. They didn't notice that I had spotted them.

"I alerted the River Guards quickly and they said they would find them, but that didn't make me feel any better. I went the next few days without sleeping, not knowing if they were spies for the other factions, or something worse.

"The next few days passed before I saw them again. There were no reported attacks over those few days and the war had gone quiet all of a sudden, which made everypony nervous, including myself. The silence and the spies made me paranoid, and I was starting to suspect a lot of the ponies there were secretly going to stab me in the back. But it didn't matter, I found out later it wasn't them.

"On the fourth day I was sleeping when they broke into my room. They attacked me but, heh, thank Celestia for my time in the army. Not to mention those adventures we had when we were young. I sensed them in my sleep and jumped into a counter attack. I always sleep with a dagger and tackled one of them, got a good cut on her before I threw her into the wall.

"Her? You knew she was a mare under the hood?" the Doctor asked.

"No, but one does tend to squeal when their in pain. Anyway, the stallion tried to stab my back after I threw his wife into the wall. But I caught his hoof before he could. After yanking it out of his hoof, I kicked him in the abdomen and found that he had tried to stab me with a syringe. Then and there I knew what their plan was: they were trying to foalnap me.

"I was going to subdue them after discovering that before . . . well, I'm not sure exactly what happened next. Before I attacked I felt this . . . this . . . unbearable illness flood over me. I was nauseous, the room was spinning, my head was pounding, and there was this buzzing in my head that just hurt so much! And then . . . I blacked out.

"When I came to, I was in a prison carriage. I tried using my magic to escape but the metal was too thick, and the air inside was too stale to use my water magic. I banged and kicked the walls for awhile, obviously that didn't work. With no tools, no weapon, and no plan, I was stuck. No choice but to wait there and hope for the best. Luckily it didn't take long for me to escape, but it was sheer luck and very painful.

"I remember sitting against the side of the carriage when everything started to shake. I'm not sure what happened from the outside but the next thing I knew the entire carriage was flipped sideways. We were on a mountain path when it flipped, so the carriage fell down the side with me in it."

The Doctor piped in, flabbergasted, "what!?! Are you alright!?!"

"I'm fine, the carriage rolled down the side of the mountain until it crashed at the bottom. The door broke off along the way so I tumbled out. A few bumps, possibly a concussion, but for the most part I was fine.

"Now I'm not sure what had happened. And for a second I thought it was intentional, pushing me over the side of the mountain. But after leaving the carriage I saw the two running down after me, so I knew that wasn't the case. Whatever had happened, they still wanted me, so I ran through this forest that was at the bottom of the mountain. Ice Land doesn't have forests, so I knew I wasn't in my home country anymore. And after about an hour, I found out just how far I was."

"Where did they take you?" the Doctor asked.

Silver took a deep breath, relaxing his gut from a sudden jolt of pain before responding. "The Crystal Empire."

"The Crystal Empire!? That's across the world from the Ice Lands! You must have been out for a long time. But, why would they take you there?"

"They hadn't intended to take me there. I believe we were passing alongside the country, using the mountain paths along the border to hasten our travels. We were traveling on the mountains closest to the Crystal Empire when I escaped and didn't realize it until after I left the forest. Once I was in the Crystal Empire I went straight to the princess and asked her for help.

"Wait, you went to Princess Amor for help? The Queen of the Crystal Empire's daughter- you went to her for help? Not a guard?" asked Dean.

"The princess and I are friends, of course I went to her. The Doctor is as well, as I assume he's already told you."

"What!?!" Dean practically shouted. "Your friends with Princess Amor, Doctor!?"

The Doctor frowned as he responded, surprising Silver with his dismissive tone. Almost as if he brought up a topic the Doctor disliked. "Uh . . . yeah, we are."

Confused by his tone, Silver pressed on in curiosity, "you have told Dean about your friends, have you? Doctor?"

"We've only known each other for a little over two weeks."

"Really? That long and he doesn't know about me? Nor does he know about Amor and River? What about the others? Drake, Iron Heart, Twingle, Blitz". Silver leaned forward slightly, "and what about the princesses of your favorite country? Hmm? Does he know your relationship with them?"

"That was never brought up in a conversation-"

"Oh, but I bet you've told him about the four Elementals already, haven't you?" The Doctor didn't respond, confirming Silver's accusation. He grew angry, and his low energy didn't allow him to yell. So Silver growled instead, "I know you more than anyone Doctor. You can't pretend the last eighty years didn't happen-"

"Silver continue your story", the Doctor interrupted.

"We all care for you Doctor, you know that. And we all grieved when she passed away."

There was a tension in the air as the two went silent. Dean tried his best, but he lost his track midway through the conversation. He hadn't the faintest clue what the two were talking about. What he did understand, or he thought he understood, was that the two were in an argument.

The Doctor took a deep breath before whispering calmly to Millie, "do you mind sitting with Dean, please?"

Millie, her focus in and out of an adults conversation, nodded and walked to Dean. As she sat, leaning back against Dean's belly, the Doctor came close to Silver and whispered in his ear, quiet enough so the other two couldn't hear. "You have kidnapped a little girl and her parents. Now you are going to finish your story and tell me everything or by god you will not like what happens next."

The Doctor's statement made Silver's heart skip a beat. But he responded calmly enough to hide it, "what I've done is self defense. You left everyone that cared for you-"

"They have their lives and I have mine! The story, finish it!" the Doctor growled.

"Twenty years, Doctor. What exactly have you been doing for twenty years. You were sent hundreds of letters and yet not one response. Twenty years and where were you?"

The Doctor didn't respond. He returned and sat in his spot before repeating to Silver, "finish your story."

A brief silence passed before Silver complied. "Alright, but you and I are not finished with this."

"Sorry, but what was that about?" asked Dean.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure the Doctor will tell you in due time. Or, probably not", Silver added, looking to the Doctor, who had his fore legs crossed and glared back furiously.

Silver took a deep breath and continued, "Princess Amor gave me what I needed to return to the Ice Lands: food, water, money. She even offered me to stay in the castle for awhile, so that I could rest after my first escape. But I denied her offer. I knew the two ponies had followed me to the Crystal Empire, and I was afraid they would cause trouble to the Crystal Ponies if I stayed around. Not wanting anyone there to be in danger, I left the next day and headed south. Of course, Equestrias in a bad spot right now, so I traveled along the boarders east to avoid the chaos magic in Central Equestria. Once I hit the Red Mountains in the Unclaimed Territory, I was going to take a ship further south from there, until I reach Zebra country and continue moving south from there. And after three days I was confident that I had lost them. I hadn't ran into trouble, I had more than enough supplies to keep me going, and Equestria may not be my homeland, but this country sure is beautiful. I felt content, and almost enjoyed being here again.

"But on the third day, however, they returned.

"I don't know how they found me. But when they did I was walking along this very swamp. The outskirts, I had no intention of passing through this place. I remember it was midday when I heard that buzzing again. Followed by the nausea, dizziness, I was suddenly weak, it felt the same like it did back in the Ice Lands. And the next thing I knew it, those two ponies bounced from behind a bush and attacked me while I was weak. And I don't know how they managed to weaken me like this, both back in Ice Land and here in Equestria. And that made me afraid.

"However, being in this swamp, there were plenty of ways I could use my Elemental magic to defend myself. Whatever strength I had I used it to summon vines from the swamp, using those to fight. And we did, for a little while. But that sickness they made me feel was too much. It made me too weak to fight and I lost quickly. Luckily, I managed to escape before they could capture me again.

"After all that they still want to capture you?" the Doctor asked.

"It seemed that way. The way they talked to each other, it didn't seem like they had any intention on finishing me off. Either way, I wasn't going to let them take me that easily.

"I ran, leaving all of my supplies behind, and managed to give them the slip. I was in no condition to escape the swamp. Not after the beating and that sickness. So I searched for a place to hide and, about a day later, I found this old mining deposit. I decided to stay here, hoping that they would assume I left the swamp and leave to search somewhere else. That way I could get out of here and, hopefully, find my supplies and make it south. That . . . that was a month ago."

"A month!?!" the Doctor and Dean said in unison.

"You've been stuck in this cave for a month!?!" the Doctor asked.

Silver nodded.

"But surely you could have done something after hiding here for a day. Two at the most! Your strength would have returned to you! You could have escaped-"

"Only it never did! My strength", Silver spat, followed by a wheezing cough. "I never felt better, even after resting. Every day I felt sick. The cave was always spinning, my magic was weak, even in the beginning, and going outside only made it worse. So, I was trapped here."

"But you found a way to use your magic", the Doctor said, looking to the vines that draped Silver.

"Yes, of course. Direct contact with interlocking vines, allowing my magicka to flow through the vines instead of receiving it by mental transmission. But, you figured that out already, didn't you?"

The Doctor didn't respond, but Silver knew he was right. "I knew I would grow weaker the longer I stayed here. Frostealius need twice the amount of water common ponies do. And without my supplies, it was only a matter of days before I couldn't so much as walk anymore. By then, however, I managed to collect enough vines to reach more of the swamp!

"Over the next month I fought those two from this cave. With each passing day those two came closer and closer to my cave. They searched this swamp, destroying all the vines they saw and running from the ones I used with my magic. But at the same time I was able to collect more vines, and further extend my magic to sense them. My magic was too weak to sense them clearly, but that didn't matter. Because the more vines I collected also gave me more land to attack from, granting me more opportune ways of defeating them once and for all. So that I can finally leave this place.

"And I found that opportunity yesterday. It was early morning, before the sun rose. I woke up sick, if not because of those ponies than because I hadn't eaten food or drank water in thirty days. I couldn't fall back to sleep, so I mustered up my magic to sense them. And finally, after this month, I had a stroke of luck."

"What happened?" the Doctor asked.

"I found the ponies prison carriage. After figuring out the form of magic I used, they must've kept it secret in a location I hadn't reached. Because that was the first time, after falling off the mountain, that I had seen it. And I know it was the same one, because it was still damaged from the fall.

"I saw the carriage but I didn't see them. At that hour I assumed they were sleeping, and I was right. I wanted to capture them, to figure out why they had tried to capture me. So I used my vines to push the carriage to my cave. I could only control so many vines at a time outside the deposit; bringing them here, I could use all my vines at once to capture them."

"If you were going to capture them here anyway, why not let them find you first? Instead of the other way around? They could have walked in here and you would have attacked, it would have been all the same", said the Doctor.

"Its because of that ill feeling. Each time they attack me I was struck ill and immobilized. I was afraid it would be the same if I allowed them to find me first. Therefor, I had to capture them while they were off their guard or if they were weak. That way I could avoid being struck ill and perhaps even figure out how they were making me sick", Silver explained. "And I almost succeeded without issue. Until I reached the cave.

"I was carful not to wake them, rolling the carriage to my cave while rocking it as little as possible. I had managed to roll the carriage just outside the cave before they awoke. I don't know if I had hit a bump, pushed it too hard, or those two just woke up on their own. Either way, they woke up and escaped from the carriage. And ran to this shack that's outside the cave-"

"The same shack you attacked us in", the Doctor interjected, sounding more as a statement than a question.

"Y- Yes, that's the one. They locked themselves inside and barricaded the only window the shack had, so I couldn't reach them as easily. So I used my vines to attack from the outside, weakening the walls to force my way in. Or, at least, frighten them enough so they would leave."

"Only window?" Dean asked. He turned his head to the Doctor, "does that mean?"

The Doctor replied to Dean, "yeah. He really didn't know about the other one, because of his weak vision."

"I'm sorry, other what?" Silver asked.

"It doesn't matter, keep going", said the Doctor.

Silver didn't bother to ask and continued. "I did manage to grab one of them, the stallion. But the mare escaped from the shack and ran into the swamp. But before she did, I managed to hit her with my "special vine."

"By "special vine" your referring to the ones that squirt poisoned tree sap!" the Doctor said loudly.

Silver shied slightly at the Doctor's tone, "I understand that you'd be upset by this. But you know the blindness is only temporary?"

"Yes I know its temporary. But temporary or not does not shake the fact that you used this stuff to harm my friend!"

"I didn't know who he was! I thought the both of you were helping the ponies after me! I didn't know whether they had called back up or not! I didn't know anything!" said Silver, a pleading tone hinted in his voice.

"I don't care what you thought or didn't think! What I want to know is what possessed you to think that it was alright to use this sap against a little filly and her parents!" said the Doctor, his anger growing.

"But that's just it Doctor! I didn't know who the filly was either!"

"You didn't know whether she was their daughter or not so you attack her?"

"No! You misunderstand me! You see, I hadn't seen the filly once the entire time the ponies had chased me! The first time I had seen this filly was in this swamp, just yesterday in fact. After I blinded the mare I chased her for awhile before she fell. After I captured her and dragged her to the cave I felt my magic detect something. A third pony, one I had never seen before. And it was her."

"Yesterday? But that's when we arrived", said Dean.

"That's right. So, you mean to tell us that after an entire month in this swamp you only just discovered this filly yesterday?"

"You sound skeptical", said Silver.

"Because I am", the Doctor responded simply.

"Doctor, you know how limited my vision is. Everything appears blurred to me through the mist. The entire month the ponies searched for me I only saw two blurred figures. Only two, the entire time!"

"So what made yesterday different?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know! I sensed her hiding in a bush after capturing the mare. And based off her size I knew she was a filly. But I-"

The Doctor piped in, glaring fire at Silver. "Wait a minute. You knew she was a filly and you attacked her anyway!?!"

Silver couldn't help but shake under the Doctor's glare. "I needed to know who she was!"

"There are a million and one ways you could have approached this Silver and you know it!"

"I was desperate! Look at me! I am dying, Doctor! Phoenix Ponies such as yourself may be able to last over two weeks without water but Frostealius start to die after two days! I've barely survived off the moisture from the swamp but it isn't enough! If I don't leave and find water than I will die! Don't you see? I, am, desperate! What more can I say!?"

A tense silence followed before the Doctor sighed. "I understand that Silver, and it scares me to think what would have happened if we hadn't arrived in this swamp yesterday. It scares me to think of what could have happened to you and this filly's family. But you and I have seen what happens to ponies driven to madness-"

"You think I've gone mad!?" Silver spat.

"Gone mad from starvation and dehydration? Yes! Absolutely! Silver, you can't say you haven't been driven even a little bit mad after the things you've done to this family-"

"Why do you keep defending them Doctor!?! I am supposed to be your closest friend! I've known you since before you even knew how to fly that M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T of yours! We're supposed to be partners! But now you come here, not so much as sending a letter for twenty years, treating me like I'm just another villain!? Are we not friends anymore!?"

Taken aback, the Doctor said, "of course we still are-"

"Than why are you defending them!?-"

"Because your not acting like the Silver Drop I remember!" the Doctor yelled.

Silver stopped at that comment, panting heavily. He stared the Doctor down with bitter confusion.

The Doctor looked to Dean, catching a glimpse of Millie as he did so. She looked frightened by the sudden aggression that rose between the Doctor and Silver. Her eyes were wide and she held her good leg up to her chin defensively. And Dean, he was just as equally startled as Millie, although not as frightened. He couldn't open his eyes, but his mouth was agape, as he faced the general area between the Doctor and Silver.

Licking his lips, the Doctor looked to Silver and said softly, "do you remember when we were sixteen? That time Princess Pond wanted to escape her duties and join us on an adventure?"

Silver merely nodded in response.

The Doctor thought for a moment then continued. "The three of us left the others at that inn so that we could have our own adventure together. Of course, I was in a heap of trouble when I returned."

"I thought you told them where we were going?" asked Silver.

"I lied, I told them we were going shopping. They would have never allowed us to leave if they knew where we were going. That and I didn't think we were going to be gone that long, let alone for a full day. Serendipity had my flank on a spike after she found out what we actually did."

The two shared a chuckle before the Doctor continued. "We arrived at that town, Teal Springs I think it was called. We thought that all those stories of ponies gone missing was just your typical town myth. And after seeing the place full of ponies, we thought we were right. But we were wrong, weren't we Silver?"

Silver chuckled, "about as wrong as you could get."

The Doctor laughed, before frowning suddenly as he turned to Dean. "Dean, cover Millie's ears for me."

"Uh, sure?" Dean patted Millie's head, searching for her ears before covering them and muting all sound around her.

"Hey!" Millie whined.

"Sorry Millie", Dean said in a half apology. He didn't know what else to say, as even he didn't know why he had to keep Millie from hearing the conversation.

When Millie's ears were covered, the Doctor continued. "After we escaped that hoard of brainwashed townsfolk I remember we were in a . . . basement, I believe. It was you, me, Pond, that mare, Tea Green, I think, and, Olive. And we were figuring out a plan to escape when she found that knife. And you remember what happened next?"

Silver remembered clearly, images of the event playing in his mind as the Doctor recapped their adventure. It took a moment for Silver to respond. This particular event in their adventure happened over half a century ago. But it was still horrific, and being there in person made it worse. It was clear, that memory flashing before his eyes. He had to take a deep breath before he answered, "she tried to commit suicide."

Now Dean understood why he had to cover Millie's ears. He did a double take, repeating Silver's sentence in his head to make sure he heard that correctly. He then faced towards the Doctor's direction, eager and curious to hear what happened next.

The Doctor nodded, "that's right. She had been trapped there for, well, about as long as you've been trapped here in fact. One month she spent there, tortured and brainwashed. Forced to watch as her neighbors succumbed to the madness of that town, while she somehow managed to hold out longer than everyone else.

And it was you who stepped in first. Just before I could you stepped forward and talked her out of it. And I remember something that you said to her. When she said she had always been alone, even before the town fell, and that she was crazy. What were your exact words? Something along the lines of, "its okay to be scared and its okay to be crazy. You could be completely bonkers and there's nothing wrong with that. Because even a crazy pony-"

"Can still find friends, and can still have love. Yeah . . . I remember", said Silver, frowning as he looked to the ground.

The Doctor continued, "that mare was in the same position you are in now and was driven mad because of it. You may not have been under an artifacts influence-"

Dean did a second double take.

"But starving for a month is torture in itself. And from what she told us, she had harmed others just like you are now. She hurt those ponies as you are to those two plus Millie. Now the others I understand as self defense but Millie? She's a little filly, you honestly think she's in league with the ones trying to capture you? You really believe she herself has the capability of harming you?"

Silver raised his head slightly at this.

"She had that knife and, it still scares me thinking about it. She was honestly going to do it. But you talked to her and you taught her that no matter what happens, no matter how scared or desperate you become, you mustn't lose yourself to the madness. You taught her that and you saved her life. That is the Silver that I love and remember."

A moments silence followed as Silver took these words in. The thought of that day and the impact he had on the mare made him smile, only for a second. Before he frowned as he looked to his hooves, feeling scared as he realized just how bony and horrific he must have appeared. Silver gulped, "its different . . . when your the one who's actually dying."

The Doctor looked into Silver's eyes with sincerity. Without a thought, without hesitation, without a single breath nor moment, the Doctor responded. "No, it isn't, it really isn't. Because you and I both know that if there is one pony on this planet that can confirm that well . . . your already talking to him aren't you?"

Silver couldn't respond. He tried searching for the right words and failed. He couldn't so much as look the Doctor in the eyes.

The Doctor pressed on, "you are the last pony I would ever expect to act this way. I know I seem defensive over the ones trying to capture you, and I will deal with them in a moment. But I am honestly afraid of what this month has done to you, and the choices you've made because of it". The Doctor paused to allow Silver to speak. When he remained silent the Doctor continued, "you are one of the greatest ponies that I know, Silver. This country alone has already lost a lot of good ponies because of Discord. I just don't want to lose you too."

"And you won't-"

"Than prove that to me, please", said the Doctor, a sense of plea in his tone.

Silver was at a complete loss of words. The memories of that moment hit him suddenly, like a tidal wave. Slowly rising to surface before rushing him all at once. The tears that mare wept, the single light that lit the room above her; as she held that rusted knife to her neck, pressing into her own skin. The thought process Silver went through as he thought of each and every word carefully, trying desperately to convince that mare not to do what she was going to do. The growing determination he felt as he realized his words were working, as the mare began hesitating more and more. The feeling of suspense as he concluded his tiny speech, not knowing what decision she would make.

Then, that feeling, that beautiful feeling of shock and relief, mixed in a wonderfully scary brew. As the sound of the knife still echoed loudly through the room, clanging against the hard cement floor. The rapid hoof claps that followed, then struggling to keep his balance as he felt the mare press her full weight onto him.

She was cold, thin, and smelled. But that wasn't what Silver was thinking at the time. As he felt the mares tears running down his shoulder, her legs wrapped tightly around his torso as he held onto her. Giving her a sense of security she hadn't felt in forever. That thought he had, that beautiful thought. "I did it, I saved her, she's going to be okay, she's going to live now."

Silver felt time stop as this memory passed. He looked to the Doctor, then to Dean, then to Millie. All three had been affected by him, harmed by his hooves. The adventure's he had, the stories he had been part of. Together, the Doctor and Silver, all those times they spent. Now, it truly was different, and Silver realized this. This adventure wasn't his, and he was the bad guy to this story. He was the villain, he is the villain.

Silver could already feel tears drop as the reality settled. Silver looked to Millie and noticed her cast. Her cast to her broken leg; the leg that he harmed. That's when Silver broke down, as he dropped his head and began weeping.

He opened his eyes, confused. He felt lighter and could move. He looked to his legs and saw that the vines had loosened their grip. Without a moments hesitation, he jumped forth, bucking any extra vines off of him. He spotted a stalagmite close by and ran to it. Seeing as it was the only place in this cave not covered in vines, it must be safe, if not safer, to stay put there.

It was quick and easy, the stallion realized, as he sat upon the base of the stalagmite with his legs wrapped around the stone. He panted as he looked to the vine covered ground, utterly bewildered at this sudden miracle.

Taking a chance, the stallion poked a hoof at the vine and flinched, bracing for impact. He slowly relaxed when nothing happened. Feeling brave, he poked at the vine hard. When nothing happened, he bucked the vine before standing on top of it.

Smiling, he muttered, "well what do you know, guess the poor guy couldn't make it after all". "Still, dead or not I need to be prepared", the stallion thought. He turned to search for an exit before freezing in place.

"JOHN!!!" a voice echoed.

John snapped into the direction the voice came from, "Pecan!?!"

"JOHN!!!" the voice shouted again.

"Hang on Pecan! I'm coming!" John shouted, galloping over the vines and into a hallway like, cave entrance.

"I'm sorry! I'm s-sorry!" Silver wept, his voice muffled as the Doctor held him close.

"Its alright Silver, Its alright. We'll fix this together", the Doctor said softly.

More so in fact, it was softer than soft. Like the eldest child comforting a baby brother.

Dean sat with complete comfort, no longer feeling even the slightest lick of danger. With the Doctor's voice mixed with the sobbing Frostealius, Dean felt that the danger was over and the Doctor had succeeded. Even the pain in his eyes didn't bother him. He just sat, smiling, soaking in the Doctor's wonderful, slightly gravely, voice.

Milly sat besides Dean, unsure of how to feel. First this pony was a monster trying to harm her and her parents. Now, he was crying, sobbing in the Doctor's legs. Though she wasn't scared, she was quite confused.

As for the Doctor, well, it didn't matter how he felt. To him, the most important thing on this planet at the moment was the pony sobbing in his legs. Second to that was the filly besides them. Then the parents, then solving this whole mystery together, then the magic scanner, then back to the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T, then to tend to Dean, all in that order.

"Milly, I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be as honest as you can, can you do that?" the Doctor asked, stroking Silver's mane.

"Mmmhmm", Milly responded, nodding her head.

"Good, now, this entire story that Silver's told us, this story involving two ponies trying to capture him. You told me yesterday that your parents were looking for somepony, is this the pony your parents are looking for?"

"Um", Milly thought for a moment. "Maybe, Mommy and Daddy didn't say a whole lot. They said that this pony would help them with their job. And if we found him than I could go to school."

"There job? That doesn't sound good. But did they describe to you what the pony looked like at all?" the Doctor asked.

Milly shook her head, responding "no."

"Alright, than tell me this. Did you and your parents travel to Equestria from another country? Do you remember traveling a lot?"

Milly nodded, "we went to a lot of places!"

"Did any of those places happen to be the Crystal Empire?"

Another nod from Milly, "I got to see a big castle! And Crystal Ponies!"

The Doctor smiled, "sounds like you had fun. But I need to know, the entire time you and your parents traveled, where were you while your parents had Silver?"

Milly cocked her head sideways, "what do you mean?"

"Let me rephrase that. When you were in Ice Land, the other country, where were you while your parents were gone?"

Now understanding the question, Milly replied, "I stayed in a place that mommy rented."

"Rented? I didn't realized Ice Land had rentable homes", said the Doctor.

"It doesn't", said Silver, his voice still muffled.

The Doctor thought for a moment, "so, Milly's parents are definitely the same ponies that captured Silver in Ice Land. But rented? What does she mean her mother "rented" a place? Did they steal someone's home? Or did they find somewhere abandoned? That's most likely the case, with the war and all finding an abandon home is actually common. Still, I don't know what lengths her parents are willing to go to to get Silver". "Right, okay. Anyway Milly, where were you when you were in the Crystal Empire?" the Doctor asked.

"Me and my Mommy and Daddy stayed in a hotel!" said Milly, clearly happy with her time spent in the Crystal Empire.

"I see, and did you spend any time traveling in a carriage? More specifically, one that's big and made of metal? And doesn't have windows?" the Doctor asked.

Milly placed a hoof to her chin, trying to recall that memory. She responded, "I can't remember. We went to a lot of places in that carriage."

"Did you travel everywhere in that carriage? The same one?"

Milly nodded, "mmhmm!"

"I see, so that carriage does belong to your parents. But I guess it does make sense. There was no water, or even the slightest precipitation with Silver being trapped in there. He would have never been able to detect who was around him. And with him being distracted during his escape he most likely wouldn't have noticed", the Doctor thought aloud.

"Doctor? What are you-" Dean was about to ask.

"Hang on a moment Dean. Milly, one more question. When you and your parents came to this swamp, where were you the entire time?"

"I stayed in the carriage a lot."

"And why's that?"

"Because my Mommy and Daddy would leave a lot and they would make me stay. They said the swamp was too dangerous."

"I see, and do you remember what happened yesterday morning? Did your parents rush you out of the carriage?"

"Mmhmm, it was really scary. Mommy and Daddy woke up yelling, and the carriage was shaking a lot. Then Mommy put me on her back and carried me away."

"That was before you two ran into the shack?"

Milly nodded.

"And then you two ran into the swamp. Was she still carrying you on her back when you two ran into the swamp?

Another nod.

"I see, it all makes sense now."

"Doctor, I don't understand what your getting at", said Dean.

"It explains why Silver hasn't seen Milly up until now. Her parents, for whatever reason, brought Milly with them. I think I know why, but I'll get to that in a moment. Point is, they brought Milly with them on their mission to capture Silver."

"Mission?" Dean asked.

"Mission, job, assignment, whatever it may be. Fact is those two must have been hired to capture Silver, that's what this "job" of theirs is! And they knew their job wouldn't be safe for a filly so they kept her out of it as much as possible. Keeping her in a house in Ice Land, having her stay in a hotel while in the Crystal Empire. And in the swamp, they had her stay in that metal prison carriage the entire time. A solid box of metal, something that, even a Frostealius at full health, couldn't detect anything on the inside. And when the two actually did have to take their daughter out, Milly's mother carried her the whole time. Now if Silver was at full health he would have been able to tell the difference. But in his current state the two together must have looked like one blurred pony. It wasn't until Milly's mother dropped her that Silver saw Milly for the first time."

"Oh! That makes sense! But, why would they bring her here at all?"

"Ah, right! That parts a little complicated. Its just a theory, but I think I know why they brought Milly along-"

"Doctor!" Silver spat.

"Hang on a second Silver. They brought-" the Doctor stopped.

Silver was groaning and gasping.

The Doctor looked down to Silver gasped.

Silver's eyes were wide and bloodshot. He was clearly in pain but only his face expressed it. His body shook hard but he couldn't move. He looked on the verge of being sick but he couldn't speak. The only sounds he made was a faint groan, which turned to gargling.

"Silver?" said the Doctor, heart pounding as he looked to his friend.

Silver's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he slumped over.

The Doctor felt Silver's full weight fall onto him as Silver blacked out. "Silver! Silver!" the Doctor yelled. He rested his friend to the ground, lying him on his back. Silver was still draped in his vines as the Doctor placed him by the chair.

"Doctor! What's happening!?!" said Dean. All calm and comforting feeling he had just moments ago were now erased in a second. He felt Milly hold onto his right leg and was shaking, afraid.

The Doctor reached into his inner vest pocket and extracted a stethoscope. He quickly placed the eartips to his ears and the diaphragm upon where a Frostealius's heart would be. It was beating fast, not a good sign. The Doctor opened one of Silver's eye lids. Aside from being bloodshot, it showed no sign of consciousness. "Silver! What happened!? What's-"

"FREEZE!" a stallion shouted.

The Doctor complied and froze. He slowly raised his head towards the deposit opening, opposite from the entrance. Dean froze and looked to the general area the voice shouted from. Milly squeaked and ran behind Dean, hiding with her eyes shut tight.

Standing a few feet away were two ponies, a mare and stallion. The stallion was an averaged sized, lean pony. Bearing tone muscles for a lightweight. He had light brown fur, dirty hazel short hair, autumn red eyes, and a pile of assorted beans for a cutie mark. He wore a quiver and held a long bow. Armed and ready to fire, aiming it straight in between the Doctor's eyes.

To his right was the mare. She had yellow fur, a long curvy pink mane, a pecan pie for a cutie mark, pink eyes, and was also quite skinny. Unlike her husband, she was more bony than muscular. But the Doctor couldn't tell what color her eyes were. She had her eyes shut tight, with thick brown tree sap covering the top half of her face. Since she couldn't see she faced her head down, almost appearing as if she was staring at the ground. She held a large metallic looking box, aiming it towards there general area. She had no idea where to aim, but aiming a few feet away from Silver was close enough for the effects to work.

It was a silver box with a red button and knob, and a small round disc screwed to the top. Sitting on her hunches, she had one hoof pressing down on the button, with the other holding onto the knob. She had the box facing Silver so that the disc was pointed towards him. It was vibrating in her hooves and emitting a loud, robotic "humm."

Whatever it is, the Doctor realized that it was affecting Silver.

"All of you step back and give us our daughter!" the stallion growled.

The Doctor and Dean were taken aback, more so to Dean as his jaw dropped. The Doctor didn't express his shock and instead cocked a brow as he simply said, "daughter?"

At this demand, Milly recognized the stallion's voice. Peeking her head around Dean, she gasped and galloped forth to the stallion with the bow. She jumped past the Doctor and gripped the stallion's belly, hugging him hard.

"Daddy!" Milly shouted with glee.

"Daddy!?!" the Doctor and Dean shouted in unison.

"W-What!?!" Dean yelled.

"You're Milly's father?" the Doctor asked.

He hugged Milly for a moment before readjusting his bow, making sure the Doctor was in his sights. He motioned for Milly to go to her mother before asking the Doctor, "yeah, and who are you two!?"

Standing to his hooves above Silver, the Doctor said, "oh, well, I'm the Doctor and this here is my companion Dean Do. Say hi Dean."

"Uuugh" Dean merely squeaked.

The Doctor chuckled awkwardly, "he's uh, just a bit nervous."

"Doctor, is he pointing a weapon at us?" Dean asked.

"What? Weapon?" the Doctor looked to Dean, then back to the stallion with the bow. "Oh, no! No, no, no, he's just, uh, just a stallion. Just a reasonable stallion and his wife who's come to have a chat with us. Isn't that right "gentlestallion" and "lovely lady"? Just a normal, calm chat with no weapons", the Doctor lied, smiling to the stallion while eyeing the bow.

"But he said freeze", said Dean.

"So?"

"You don't say freeze unless your pointing a weapon at someone."

"How do you know?"

"It's just common knowledge."

The three ponies just stood listening to the two, looking from one pony to the other as they took turns speaking. Like they were the audience of a tennis match.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Well have you ever told somepony to freeze before?"

"Er, probably?"

"Were you holding a weapon when you told them to freeze?"

"No?"

"Then he doesn't have a weapon."

"Doctor! Under these circumstances I'm pretty sure he has a weapon!"

"Your just assuming things-"

"Both of you shut up before I shoot you!" the stallion shouted.

The two immediately went silent as they looked to the stallion.

There was a terrible silence as the Doctor and the stallion stared each other down. The echoes of the stallion's shout died, but the silence lingered. Only their breathes could be heard. Each and every breath, some heavier then others. Milly's being the most silent.

The armed pony remained sighted to the Doctor, looking to Dean every so often before returning his focus to the Doctor. Ready to fire at the slightest sign of resistance.

Despite the armed stallion, the Doctor and Dean stood their ground. One appearing much braver than the other. The Doctor and Dean felt the atmosphere change. Before it was tense, then dropped to a calm level as Silver relaxed. Now, it felt threatening, the stallion being the source of trouble. His tone and anxious attitude gave the atmosphere a sense of paranoia. And with his weapon, he made the area feel like a bubble floating on boiling water. At any moment, any second, that bubble could burst. And it would be a swift pop.

Through it all: the atmosphere, the glares, the breaths, the stares, the bow. One pony amongst them spoke first.

" . . . . So . . . he does have a weapon", Dean confirmed.

"Oh my god", said the Doctor, exasperated.

The stallion shook his bow as a reminder that he was in fact armed. A reminder that only the Doctor noticed. "Shut up! Both of you!"

A moments silence, then the stallion continued, breathing hard and sweating. "Now I want to know who the two of you are right now! Why are you here? How did you know we'd be here? Who are you working for?"

The Doctor raised his hooves defensively, "whoa, whoa, easy there, it isn't like that. We're not working for anyone and we most certainly had no idea that you and your family were here. My friend and I were just passing through the area when we heard your daughter screaming. We only came to this cave to help her find you."

"You . . . helped our daughter?" the mare asked, raising her head.

The stallion cocked a brow and looked to his daughter, "is this true?"

Milly nodded, "the Doctor and Dean are really nice. They even made my leg feel better!"

It was then that the stallion noticed the cast on his daughters leg. "What happened to your leg!?"

"She broke it, it was like that when Dean and I found her. But I fixed it", said the Doctor, causing the stallion to look to him, confused.

"You fixed her leg? And . . . gave her a cast?"

"Well "Doctor" isn't just a name. I really am a doctor", the Doctor explained.

"But where did you even have the supplies to make this? You must've brought a medical carriage with you", said the stallion.

The Doctor sighed internally, "you can practically feel the suspicion on this one. He's a paranoid fella, that's for sure. Best watch what I say, don't want to set him off. Not while he has that bow". The Doctor eyed the mare without moving his head. "She seems to be the passive parent. I should get her to speak. It might help calm the father down." The Doctor returned his sights to the stallion without anyone noticing. "Yes, I guess you could say I have a carriage of sorts."

"Its a space ship! I've seen it!" said Milly, excited.

"A . . . space ship?" the stallion asked, suspicion rising.

Noticing his suspicion, the Doctor thought quickly. He said with an innocent tone, "it does look quite like a space ship. I know it sounds silly but I'm sure you and your wife will be quite amazed once you see it."

"You assume we'll just walk out of here with you?" the stallion asked.

"No, I wasn't trying to assume. I just thought you'd want me to help your wife", the Doctor explained, continuing his act.

The mare looked to where the Doctor stood, the first time she turned away from the ground.

The Doctor noticed and continued his persuasion. "Your blind at the moment. My friend here has sap in his eyes just like you, so he can't see as well. I can take you all back to my "carriage" and fix you up. I can wash the sap out of your eyes and give you medicine that will return your vision."

"C-Can you really help me?" the mare asked.

The Doctor nodded, mostly to the father, "of course! But I'm going to need you to trust me."

The stallion scoffed, "don't listen to him Pecan! You heard what he said, his names the Doctor! We need to be careful!"

That caught him off guard. Taken aback, the Doctor asked, "sorry. Does my name come as an issue?"

John gritted his teeth as he replied, "wouldn't you like to know!?"

Confused, the Doctor asked, "have I done something wrong? I helped your daughter after all, the least you could do is give me an explanation."

The stallion sighed, "I appreciate you helping my daughter. But I'm having a hard time trying to trust you while your standing above that monster!" The stallion pointed to Silver and practically spat fire when he said "monster."

The Doctor didn't take that kindly but maintained his composure. He had hoped the father wouldn't notice him standing above Silver. He currently hoped more that the father wouldn't assume he was doing it as a way to defend Silver, despite that being the case. He spoke with a shake first, before correcting his tone to one fit for business. "Ah, right, your referring to Silver. Well, before we proceed further might I ask why you and your wife want him?"

The stallion growled, "that isn't any of your business old stallion! And you better move away from him if you know what's good for you!"

Quickly, the Doctor added a soft touch to his "business" voice. "Easy, easy, I'm sorry if I upset you. But I would highly recommend keeping the tension low. We have four out of six ponies in this deposit who aren't fit for conflict. The two being you and I. Now I know you don't trust us and you most certainly don't trust this pony below me, I completely understand. However, two of those four are your wife and daughter. You may not care for our safety, but if you care for theirs than I would suggest calming down."

The stallion received the Doctor's words negatively, angering him. He took a step forward, "what are you talking about my family's safety? Are you threatening us!?"

The Doctor kept his ground, "most certainly not! I assure you we are not your enemy! We just want to talk-"

"And how am I supposed to know that!?!" the stallion shouted.

"Try looking at your daughter and seeing how safe she is!" the Doctor spat, losing his composer.

That got the gears to turn. The stallion stopped, panting from his outburst. He looked to his daughter, only to find that she had disappeared. A slight seconds panic struck him as he turned his head about. His panic switched to relief as he found his daughter, having hid behind her mother as the voices began to grow angrier.

His panting slowed as this thought came to mind. How this stranger, the one he pointed the bow to, had helped return his daughter to him.

The Doctor spoke, "If we truly are your enemies than why did we bring your daughter back? Sure we could have used her to try and find you, but if that were the case than why go through the trouble of mending her wounds? And why not attack you after finding you? My friend and I have been in this cave for almost an hour. During that time we could have killed your daughter before finding and killing you but we didn't! Think about it, if we truly are your enemies then why haven't we attacked? Why do we have a bow aimed at us instead of the other way around!?"

There was a pause as the words sank in.

The Doctor felt nervous, wondering if his words had any effect, waiting anxiously to see the results. To which the results were: half and half. The stallion loosened his suspicious and lowered his voice. However, the bow remained in its place. That was fine, it was good enough for the Doctor.

"John?" Pecan said gently.

The stallion didn't respond, his thoughts didn't allow him to. He was terribly conflicted. Between the strangers, the monster, and his family. To trust or to attack; though his suspicion had decreased, he still did not know what decision to make. To accept the Doctor help, or remained cautious on the warning against him.

Pecan said to John, "John, honey, I-I think we should trust them."

John's ears perked at this, but he neither moved nor spoke.

"T-They brought Milly back to us . . . they helped her."

No response, so Pecan continued. " . . . P-Please John . . . just put the bow down . . . please . . ."

"Daddy?"

That voice poked him enough to make him turn. He saw daughter poking her head from behind her mother, looking fearfully back at him.

Milly asked, "daddy? Are you going to shoot the Doctor?"

John didn't know how to respond. "I . . . well . . ."

"John."

John looked back to the Doctor, trying and failing to see this stranger as a threat. Despite what he had been told.

The Doctor said, "Milly told me about the travels you three have had. Those travels, I assume was actually you and your wife searching for this Frostealius?" The Doctor continued before John could speak, "you and your wife have money issues, don't you?"

"H- How do you know that?"

"Just from talking with Milly. She's said about a "job" you've taken, one that would help you get her into school. You don't have the money to afford that. Ah! Because your farmers, aren't you?" the Doctor said, eyeing John and Pecans cutie mark

John glanced to his cutie mark before looking back, "and if I am?"

"It means, like most farmers in Equestria, that your farm must have been take by chaos magic. By Discord. Beans and pecans? You grew them together on your farm?"

John gave a hesitant nod in response.

"And I'm right aren't I? A lot of farmers have lost their land to Discord. Heck, almost all of Equestria has lost their land by now. And its made everypony poor, and without food and homes. And your no different, are you?"

"Y- You've figured that all out, huh? Y- You some kind of detective?" John asked, his suspicion returning.

"Oh don't be daft, John. This isn't something I had to investigate. All farmers are suffering because of Discord, that's common by now. You don't have money to put your daughter into school, your cutie marks are dead giveaways, it was only a matter of putting the pieces together. And its also why you brought your daughter along, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" John asked.

"You were assigned job by someone. I don't know who and I don't know why but that's obviously why you are here. Your being paid to capture Silver. And with no farm you no longer have money, so you had no choice but to accept-"

"What makes you think I didn't have a choice?"

"A good stallion like you? Voluntarily wants to foalnap someone? No, no, no, you don't seem the type. A stallion who tries to keep his daughter out of the conflict of his job so that she could stay safe, that just doesn't seem like a pony who would want to accept this kind of job. A good stallion and a good father, wanting a job that involves foalnapping Frostealius? That doesn't match, does it?"

John didn't reply, but based of his expression the Doctor knew he was right. "You had no choice but to accept this job, and your wife would join you. But that left one issue, who would watch Milly? Maybe family or friends of a close neighbor. No, you didn't have anyone to watch her. At least, not anymore", the Doctor added, seeing John frown with grief. "Discord took your family and friends, didn't he?"

Not as hesitant this time, John nodded.

"I'm sorry about that. Your a good stallion, John. With no one to watch Milly you had no choice but to take her with you. And you and your wife have kept her safe this entire time". The Doctor became serious, "listen, you and Pecan don't have to do this anymore. I can help you, all of you."

"Oh yeah? And how would you help us?"

"First we would need to return to my carriage so that I can tend to your wife. Afterwards, I can take you three somewhere safe, away from the chaos."

"Really? You'd do that? Why?" John asked, skeptical.

"Because its the kind thing to do, that why. I just want you to be safe", the Doctor said, being as sincere as he could.

It didn't work, as John scoffed. "Really? That's why? Because its kind? Because its the right thing to do?" He looked to Pecan, "you see? Everything we were warned about is true! He's trying to put us into a false sense of security with that silver tongue of his!"

Taken aback, the Doctor said quickly. "What!? Warning!? I don't know what your talking about but I swear I'm not-"

John shouted, silencing the Doctor. "Oh save it! I don't want to hear anymore of your lies! You really think I'd trust you!?! Even when you've been standing above that monster, defending him this whole time!"

"Shoot!" the Doctor thought, frowning. "I'm just making sure no one else get hurt-"

"No one else gets- he's already hurt my family! My wife is blind and my daughters leg is broken!"

"John, that was self defense. You were trying to foalnap-"

"Hurting my daughter was self defense!?!" John roared, progressively becoming angrier and angrier.

"No! That was different! Besides the point! John! You need to calm down-"

"Don't you tell me to calm down! I know what your doing and it won't work! You fix my daughters leg, pretending your only doing it to be "kind". When actually you were just sucking information out of her this whole time! So you can get closer to Pecan and I and get us when our guard is down!"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because your affiliated with that monster of course!!! Do you think I'm stupid!? Why else would you be defending him!?"

"You really think I've plotted something against you?"

"You tell me! You said you'd been here for an hour, what were you doing this entire time!"

"Talking, just talking", said the Doctor.

"Oh yeah? Talking to who?" John pointed the bow to Silver before darting it back to the Doctor. "Was it him?"

The Doctor licked his lips, "yes we were talking to him-."

"AH HAH! So you are affiliated with him!" John shouted.

Everyone around John could practically feel his jittery anger. They were tense, bracing themselves, like John was a time bomb about to blow. Milly remained behind her mother, covering her ears and shaking badly. Dean, unable to do much, simply stood stiff as a board. Pecan, on equal grounds with Dean, stood stiff as well. Neither the two could see or do anything. So they tried talking to their respective sides speaker. Pecan to John, to calm him down, and Dean to the Doctor, simply because he was nervous.

"John please!" Pecan yelled, trying to speak over her husbands volume.

"D- Doctor!" Dean stuttered.

Sensing Dean's tension, the Doctor wanted to respond and set him at ease but couldn't. John was already shouting again, ignoring his wife. "Was this little "chat" you had with this "monster" for the past hour actually some sort of interrogation?"

The Doctor was taken aback, "what!?! No, no, no, you misunderstand-."

"Then what was it Doctor!?! Why have you been snooping into all of my family's business!?!"

The Doctor tried to speak fast. John was going to blow up and he knew this. He had to defuse the situation before someone gets hurt.

"I needed to know what was happening! I can't help if I don't investigate!"

"So you are some kind of detective!"

"John please!" the Doctor begged.

"Honey calm down!" Pecan yelled.

"I can't trust him Pecan! we were warned about him ever since day one! And he's working with this monster! He's been standing over him defending him the whole time!" shouted John, waving the bow about.

The Doctor raised his voice,"Listen to me! You need to calm down! Someone's going to get hurt!"

John roared, "the only pony getting hurt is this dang monster! He hurt my wife! He hurt my kid!"

"But I helped your daughter-"

"Only after you sucked out the information from her!!!"

"John you have it all wrong-"

"NO!!! I know exactly what I'm doing! My family and I are leaving and we're taking the darn Elemental with us!"

"John I can't allow that!" the Doctor said sternly.

John stood to his hind hooves, pulling the bow string to its maximum length. He aimed to the Doctor's head and growled shakily, "if you try to stop us . . . I will kill you."

"Doctor?" Dean said, fearfully. Hearing John's threat caused Dean to step back in panic, to which he stepped on a vine wrong and tripped over his own hoof. He fell back, startling John.

John's temper was too high for control. The slightest movement caused him to react. When John heard Dean hit the ground, he yelped and turned his bow to the colt.

In an instant, in a second, in that split and heated moment, the bubble had burst.

And John fired his bow.