Doctor Whooves Episode 23: Hour of the Doctor

by Doctor Perseus

Hearth's Warming

Chapter 2: Hearth's Warming

Rebel Headquarters, Manehattan, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.

Donna let out a loud yawn as she awoke from what was surprisingly one of the best night's sleep she had ever experienced. It truly surprised her how long it had been since she had last slept as soundly as she had that night. Her memories of the previous evening were a blur. Arriving at the Manehattan rebel headquarters just as the sun was going down, filing in, and ultimately being sent off for a good night's rest. Donna could sense that it was the early morning but she was ready to get out of bed and take on the world.

She stood up and stretched. The room she spent the night in wasn't anything fancy. White walls, white bed, and around the size of a walk-in closet. She was dressed in some warm winter pajamas that had been provided to her by the soldiers. She began looking for where she had dumped her other clothes for the night and quickly discovered them folded over the single chair in the room, clean and warm. "I don't remember leaving them like this," she observed.

Donna quickly changed into her clothes, left her pajamas neatly folded on the bed, and exited the room. Outside the room was a large, spacious hallway. One side of the hallway was bordered by a white wall with many more doors similar to that of Donna's room. The other side of the hallway was simply a gigantic window which gave a stunning view of Manehattan in the winter. "So this is Manehattan," Donna said as she approached the window. Though the base was a little ways away from the city, Donna could tell that the metropolis was practically abandoned. She was sure that the soldiers had just been incredibly efficient at transporting the citizens to safe areas in order to wait out the invasion. Either that or the Cybermen had made quick work of the ponies. Donna shook her head at the latter thought.

Just then, Donna hear familiar voices echoing down the hallway. She turned to see that the hallway appeared to connect to a large atrium. She started to walk in the direction of the voices.

The Doctor was silent as he finished listening to Jenny's story. "And here we are," Jenny concluded before taking a sip of orange juice. They were sitting amongst a collection of white sofas and chairs situated within a massive atrium. The wintry Manehattan skyline could be seen clearly through the gargantuan windows.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said.

"For what?"

"You know what."

"Do I?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Is now really the time to play dumb?"

Jenny gave a devious smirk. "There's always a time to play dumb. Act like a clown and your enemies won't be preparing for you to strike."

The Doctor could only give an impressed grin. "You really are my daughter."

"Did you doubt me?"

"I did once, and I deeply regret it."

"You don't have to feel like that." Jenny took one of the Doctor's forehooves in her hands and held it tightly. "I don't have any hard feelings about what happened back then. I understand why you felt the way you did."

The Doctor shook his head. "But-" He stopped as the sound of approaching footsteps stole his attention. He looked to see Donna awkwardly approaching them. "Donna! Nice to see you up bright and early!"

Donna smiled as she approached her friends. "Did you two even sleep last night?" she asked.

"Not really," Jenny replied. "Pretty much spent the whole night talking."

"A bit of father-daughter catching up?"

"It's not every day you find out that your long-dead daughter has really been alive this entire time," the Doctor replied with a bit of sorrow in his ancient eyes.

Donna sat down in a chair across from where the Doctor and Jenny were sitting. "I'm glad that you two are together again." She turned to Jenny. "So you regenerated?"

Jenny nodded. "It's exactly as I said last night."

"But how come you didn't change like the Doctor?"

"I'm not a natural Time Lord. I was created via progenation machine from my dad's DNA instead of being born on Gallifrey and earning the rank of Time Lord naturally."

"I know. I was there, remember?"

"Of course I do. I named my ship after you two. And Martha too. The Doctor Donna Jones!"

Donna gave a small smile. "Thank you."

"That reminds me. I should check up on Martha and Mickey at some point when this is all over," the Doctor stated. "It's been a while."

"I'm sure they'd like that," Donna agreed. "But it looks like you and Jenny can finally explore the universe, or rather the multiverse, together like you originally planned. It's nice to know that you won't be alone again."

"Of course not," the Doctor replied with a huge smile. "I have Jenny again, I have everypony in Ponyville, and I have you."

Donna's smile faltered a bit. "Yeah. Of course...Doctor."

The Doctor appeared to remain oblivious to Donna's doubtful reaction. "Oh! I almost forgot! Happy Hearth's Warming!" the Doctor announced whilst turning between Donna and Jenny.

"What?" asked Donna, who was caught off guard.

"Today's Hearth's Warming. Remember? The Equestrian equivalent of Christmas? We had the Hearth's Warming Eve party just yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Everything that had happened recently came crashing down on Donna. "I...I completely forgot about that. I can't believe the party was only yesterday. It feels like years have gone by since that happened."

The Doctor cocked his head a bit. "More like one year, ten months, and thirteen days."

"What?" asked Donna and Jenny together.

The Doctor shook his head. "Nevermind. Thinking out loud."

Donna, the Doctor, and Jenny fell silent as they proceeded to stare out at the slowly falling snow. "Where are all the Cybermen?" Donna asked.

"I talked to some of the soldiers. They said they haven't been seen for quite some time. I think Discord Whooves is gathering them together to prepare for something big," the Doctor explained.

"A final attack?"

"Most likely." The Doctor stood up and stretched his legs. "Which means that now is the perfect opportunity to head into the city."

Donna stood up. "Okay then. I'll let the others know-"

"Alone."

"What?"

"I'm going into the city alone."

"What?! Doctor! It's dangerous out there! The Cybermen-"

"Are currently busy being organized by Discord Whooves. It's the perfect opportunity. Besides, me by myself won't attract as much attention as a group of us would. And it's not as if being in here will be any safer when the Cybermen attack."

Donna placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "Why do you need to go into Manehattan anyway?"

"I want to follow up on a hunch I have. I'll explain when I get back." The Doctor suddenly took off in a dash. "I won't be gone too long!"

"Doctor!" Donna could only watch as the Doctor ran off into another hallway and vanished. She turned to Jenny. "You don't have anything to say about this?"

"I trust my dad," Jenny replied. "He's no idiot and I believe he knows what he's doing."

"He's not an idiot but he's not perfect either." Donna's warm smile returned. "You seem to have a lot of confidence in someone you've barely spent two days of your life with."

Jenny laughed. "You tend to respect someone when you've been given five years to think about who they are."

Donna shrugged her shoulders. Her attention was suddenly drawn to Jenny's orange juice. "So where'd you get that?"

"The cafeteria." Jenny stood up and finished the rest of her drink. "It looks like you could use some breakfast."

"You have no idea."

Jenny gave a quick tug on Donna's sleeve. "Come on. I can take you to the food."

Donna gave a quick salute. "Lead the way!"

Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.

Monty awoke to find himself cuddling a bundle of cloth. The air around him was cold and still. He sat up to see that Trixie, Francis, and Julianna were still fast asleep. Even Oswin and Zecora were in a deep sleep. And it was clear that the unconscious mare from the hospital hadn't moved an inch. Monty swept his hooves through his messy red mane and leaned against the wall. He was silent for a few seconds until he jolted with a slight shock. His eyes widened at the realization of what day it was. "That's right...it's Hearth's Warming," he said under his breath. He closed his eyes as the sharp chill of winter hugged his coat. "I'm going to find you, Opal. I promise."

Performance Square, Canterlot, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 987 C.E.

Monty the clown trotted out into the square. The feeling of the freshly fallen show felt excellent beneath his hooves. The performance square was filled with ponies wandering about and celebrating the wonderful traditions that came with the holiday season. Monty made a few funny faces at some passing foals and they laughed with glee. Monty smiled in reaction. He still had a lot to learn in order to become a professional clown but it always cheered him up to make others smile with even the smallest of actions.

BAM! Monty hadn't been looking ahead and smashed head-on into another pony. He fell back and vigorously rubbed the now sore spot on his forehead. "I'm so sorry!" he pleaded as he bounced back up to help the pony he had collided with. "I wasn't looking where I was going and-" In an instant, his voice had vanished. Sitting before him was the most beautiful mare his eyes had ever fallen upon. Her warm, caring, hazel eyes melted his heart into nothing. Her yellow coat glistened in the winter sunlight and her red-yellow mane blew gracefully in the winter breeze. Her cutie mark looked almost as if it were calling to him. Her smiley face with hammer combination was a seemingly perfect partner for his own smiley face cutie mark.

"Are you alright?" the mare asked. "I must admit that I wasn't looking ahead myself. Too busy thinking about what to do today." Monty was frozen. He wanted to speak but his mouth wouldn't allow it. The mare slowly stood up and gave an awkward smile. "Are you okay? I hope I didn't hit you too hard."

"You're the most beautiful mare in the world!" Monty blurted out. The realization of what he had just done made him want to explode like a bomb of confetti. He expected the mare to shun him, run away, or laugh with the only type of laugh Monty couldn't stand: that of mocking and belittlement.

To Monty's surprise, the mare went against his expectations and smiled at him. It was a huge, friendly smile. A cute laugh emanated from her muzzle and her cheeks turned a faint shade of red. "Good to know, clown boy," she said, her smile never shrinking.

"I'm...sorry," Monty stuttered. "I don't know what came over me."

"You don't need to apologize. I took it as a compliment. Besides, it's the only nice thing anypony's said to me today."

Monty's head cocked. "Really?"

The mare chuckled. "The first thing in general anypony has said to me today, honestly. Everypony's too busy worrying about their own goals for the day that they don't even try to think about anypony else. Hearth's Warming has gone downhill so much in Canterlot."

Monty was silent for a moment. He then gave a cheeky grin before reaching into the smallest pocket in his clown suit. He proceeded to pull out a massive bouquet of sunflowers. He handed it to the mare and her face instantly lit up. "Sunflowers! My favorite!" she exclaimed. She took the bouquet but raised a suspicious eyebrow after looking back at Monty. "I'm not about to be sprayed in the face, am I?"

Monty quickly shook his head. "Not at all! That's my special batch of spray-free sunflowers!" Monty shuffled his hooves a bit. "They...they're my favorite too."

"How about that?" The mare gave an impressed smile. "It looks like I was lucky to run into you."

Monty's ears stood up and his heart melted again. "Well...have a happy Hearth's Warming, ma'am." He began to slowly walk off.

"Wait!" the mare called. Monty turned back to face her. "What's your name?"

Monty gulped. "Montague, ma'am. But I prefer to be known as Monty the Masterful!"

The mare giggled. "Well, Monty the Masterful, do you have any special plans of your own for this Hearth's Warming?"

Monty slowly shook his head. "Nothing aside from walking the streets and bringing a little cheer to others. Don't really have anypony to celebrate the holidays with."

The mare scratched her chin. "Hmm...well I guess we better change that." The mare approached Monty and stopped right next to him. "I don't have anypony to celebrate with here in this city either. How about us two loners celebrate the holiday together?"

"Oh...you don't have to hang around me if you don't want to, ma'am."

"But I do want to. It's not every day that I get to know a clown." The mare cleared her throat. "That is...unless I'm annoying you. I'll gladly head on my way if that's the case."

"No! Not at all! I'm perfectly fine with you being here!"

"Because I'm the most beautiful mare in the world, correct?" Monty lowered his head with embarrassment. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Monty. I think you're adorable."

"Adorable?"

"As a clown, yes; but I'm sure there's a handsome stallion beneath the clown."

"I don't think so."

"Oh dear. It looks like you're going to need some help. I'll gladly be the one to provide it! Come on, Monty! We've got a busy day ahead of us!"

Monty blushed underneath his makeup. "Yes, ma'am!"

"And stop calling me that! You will address me by my actual name!" The mare puffed her chest forward with a stereotypical snooty expression on her face. "I am known as...Opal." The mare's chest lowered and she broke into a quick fit of laughter.

"Nice to meet you, Opal," Monty replied.

"Likewise, Monty," Opal said back.

The two then walked off, side-by-side, into the snowy streets of Canterlot.

Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.

"You alright there, Monty?" Trixie asked as she stepped in front of the seemingly dazed stallion.

Monty jolted back to life and loudly cleared his throat. "I'm fine," he answered.

"It looked like you weren't all there."

"Just got a lot on my mind, Trixie."

"I think we all do," said Oswin as she approached them. In her hands were two odd devices.

"What do you have there?" Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Oswin smiled. "Gifts for you two. It's Heart's Warming after all." She handed the identical devices to Trixie and Monty.

Trixie examined the device carefully. It looked like one of Oswin's guns but fitted more to work for a pony. "What are these?"

"Protection for you two. The weapons I have are some the best defenses against the Cybermen. I decided to take some of the extras I had and rebuilt them to work with ponies. You just use the magic inside you to fire them."

"That'll work for Trixie since she's a unicorn but not for me," Monty said before pointing at his forehead.

Oswin continued to smile. "If the ponies in this Equestria are anything like the humans in my Equestria then there's magic in everypony. It shouldn't be too hard for you to find it when time calls for you to."

"Do we get our own?!" asked Francis and Julianna, now fully awake and staring Oswin down with the cutest expressions they could manage.

"Maybe when you're older," Oswin replied with a laugh. The two young ponies lowered their heads with disappointment. "But since it's Hearth's Warming, I do have something for you." Oswin walked over to her bag, reached inside, and pulled out a circular container. She walked back over to Francis and Julianna and knelt down in front of them. "I know this is probably a far cry from your usual Hearth's Warming meal but I suppose it'll have to do for now. Can't believe I forgot that I brought these with me." Oswin opened the lid.

Francis and Julianna's eyes widened. Inside was a mixture of two items: multicolored baby-shaped candies covered with a light sugary powder and little cookie sandwiches of sorts with heart-shaped holes in the top showing a red jelly filling. "What are those?!" Francis asked.

"The candies are called Jelly Babies and the cookies are called Jammy Dodgers. They're very popular snacks in my hometown." Oswin pushed the container towards the siblings. "Go on. Have as much as you'd like."

Francis and Julianna were about to dive in when Monty stopped them. "What do you say, kids?" he asked.

They looked at Oswin and smiled. "Thank you, Oswin!" they cheered together.

"You're welcome," Oswin replied with a giggle. The siblings then wasted no time in diving into the sugary collection. Oswin stood up and walked back over to Monty and Trixie.

"Thank you, Oswin," Monty said.

"Don't mention it," Oswin said back. "They deserve something good after all they've been through."

Monty nodded. "Definitely."

Oswin sat down and placed a hand on one of Monty's shoulders. "Don't beat yourself up. I'm willing to bet that Opal's just fine. I may not have known her as long as you but I was able to tell that she's capable of taking care of herself."

"I just really want her back."

Zecora passed by as she started packing up various bags with items from the basement. "If you believe you will see her again; then so it shall be, make a little grin," she advised.

Monty fell silent. He thought of Opal and everything they had been through. Their first meeting, dating, their travels with the Doctor, and eventually parenthood. A wide smile appeared on his face.

"That's better," Oswin said.

Monty switched his focus between Oswin, Trixie, and Zecora. "Thank you," he said. He stood up and walked over to his children. "How is your Hearth's Warming meal so far?"

"Great!" replied Francis and Julianna together.

Trixie and Oswin sat in silence for a moment watching Monty, Francis, and Julianna enjoy the sugary snacks. Zecora continued to pack up the bags they had and the mare they had rescued continued to sleep. "So what now?" Trixie asked.

"We head out soon," Oswin replied. "Hopefully, we can make it out of Ponyville without encountering anything crazy."

Trixie nodded in agreement. "Hopefully."

Rebel Headquarters, Manehattan, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.

Twilight walked into the cafeteria alongside Derpy, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. After everything they had been subjected to at the hooves of Discord Whooves, it felt great to be in an environment that felt at least somewhat safer than everywhere else. Twilight could see several of the others sitting at the various tables munching on whatever food they could get their hooves or hands on.

Matilda was caught up in a very long conversation with Colgate, Clockwork, and Bright Eyes. "I hope Daring Do's okay," Twilight heard Bright Eyes say as she passed by. "We were a pretty good team." Clockwork lovingly wrapped one of his forelegs around Bright Eyes's shoulders.

"Right now, we can only hope for the best," said Colgate.

Twilight and the others quickly grabbed the various breakfast items from the nearby food table and made their way over to an empty table. The Statue of Manehattan could be seen clearly through the large window next to their table.

"It looks like the city's still intact," Rarity observed.

"Let's hope the ponies that were here are as well," Twilight added.

Everypony was silent as they ate their fruit, eggs, toast, and whatever else they had grabbed. Even after a long night of wondrous sleep, they still felt exhausted.

Twilight suddenly noticed that Donna was sitting a couple tables away. She was talking to the Doctor's daughter, Jenny. Just then, Jenny turned her attention towards Twilight. She said goodbye to Donna, stood up, and approached the table.

"Good morning, everyone," Jenny said as she arrived at the table.

"Good morning!" Pinkie Pie replied with the cheeriest voice she could muster.

Jenny placed her hands in her pockets. "How are you all feeling? From what I've heard, you lot have been through a lot."

"We've seen better days," Applejack replied.

Jenny smiled. "I'm sure you'll all return to being your best in no time."

"Oh you can count on it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "And then we're gonna kick Discord Whooves's butt from Canterlot to Trottingham!"

"Maybe even further than that," Spike added with a growl.

Derpy began looking around the cafeteria. "Where's the Doctor?" she asked.

"He headed out into the city a little while ago," Jenny replied. "He shouldn't be long."

"WHAT?!" everypony gasped.

"Is he crazy?!" Twilight snapped.

"Twilight, this is the Doctor we're talking about," Applejack replied with a deadpan expression.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Still! Did he go alone?"

Jenny nodded. "Yep."

"Why would he do that?!"

"He wanted to follow up on something by himself. From what I can tell, Dad's not always the best at letting others know what's going on in his head."

"Tell us about it," Twilight and Derpy groaned simultaneously.

Jenny took a few steps towards Twilight and Derpy. "Twilight. Derpy. Would you mind if I spoke with you two?" she asked.

"Not at all," Twilight replied.

Jenny glanced at the others. "Alone."

Twilight and Derpy looked at the others and then back at Jenny. Twilight shrugged her shoulders. "Sure?"

"Okay. Come with me." Jenny beckoned the two mares to follow her.

Twilight and Derpy got up and followed Jenny over to the far side of the cafeteria away from the others. "What's going on?" Derpy asked.

"Twilight Sparkle. Derpy Hooves," Jenny started. "I have something to deliver to you." Jenny reached into one of her back pockets. She pulled out a peculiar object and presented to them. It was a silver case about the size of a tissue box. The lid was held shut by golden latches. The letters ERS were engraved into the lid of the case and beneath the letters was a strange symbol: a silver snake within a green crest.

"What's that?" asked a now extremely curious Twilight.

"It's a strange gift I was given during my travels. A young man in a black cloak approached me in an alien marketplace and gave it to me. He said that he was good friends with you two and that this would help you greatly during a moment of great peril."

Derpy raised an eyebrow. "That sounds a bit fishy. We don't know anypony who likes to wear black cloaks," she said.

"Did he say who he was?" Twilight asked.

"He didn't give me a name exactly. He just kept calling himself the Writer," Jenny replied. "Does that ring any bells?"

Twilight and Derpy glanced at each other and then turned back to Jenny. "Yeah," Derpy replied.

"A couple," Twilight added. She took the case from Jenny's grasp with her magic and examined it. "What's inside?"

"I don't know," Jenny answered. "He said that only you two should open it and that you should only open it when you know you need it."

Twilight groaned. "How the hay are we supposed to know when we we need something when we don't know what the item we need is?"

Jenny shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He just said that you'd know the right time to open the case."

Twilight cocked her head slightly. "Why did you trust this person enough hold onto this for so long? I'm not sure how things work in your universe, but, in our universe, somepony wearing a black cloak and giving you a strange object usually doesn't have your best interests in mind."

Jenny sighed. "The person I met, this Writer, seemed to know a lot about us and what we needed to do. I know that people like him would normally put me on edge...but he never felt like an enemy. He didn't feel like a friend either." Jenny rubbed the back of her neck. "He felt...like somebody who was ensuring that whatever was meant to happen was definitely going to happen."

Twilight and Derpy looked at the case together. "I just hope that whatever's meant to happen doesn't include our doom," Derpy said with a gulp.

Lightning Dust stood in the open hangar. She was frozen in place, refusing to move. All of her focus was directed at the lone jet bus slowly making its way towards the hangar. She had her weapons at the ready and Silver Shill was standing by with a group of soldiers.

The jet bus came gliding into the hangar with ease and landed while hardly making a sound. Lightning Dust readied herself as the doors opened. Her heart leapt when she saw Princess Luna exit the bus. She was followed by her alicorn counterpart, Princess Celestia the alicorn, and two Cybermen.

"Don't freak out, Lightning Dust," said human Princess Luna. "These two Cybermen are friends."

"Rainbow Dash and Applejack, I assume," Lightning Dust guessed as she approached. "Shining Armor is already here."

"Anyone else?" asked Princess Celestia the alicorn with a slight twitch of worry.

Lightning Dust nodded. "Many...er...your majesty. The Elements of Harmony have been secured along with their wielders. The Doctor and his friends are here as well."

Princess Celestia gave a long sigh of relief. "That's great to hear!"

"Excellent work, Lightning Dust," said human Princess Luna. "You've kept this place in excellent shape."

"Thank you, your majesty." Lightning Dust faltered for a few seconds. "But is everything alright with you, your majesty?! I tried reaching out to you and...you look like you've been through a lot."

"Oh I have." The two Lunas looked at each other and then let out a loud laugh. "After all, I did come back from the dead yesterday."

Lightning Dust gave a quick laugh. "Ha! That's funny, your majesty!" Human Luna's smile faded as she began to make her way into the base. Lightning Dust stopped laughing. "Wait...you're not being serious...are you?!"

Twi stood quietly on the balcony in the base's largest hangar. Below her was a collection of massive tarps and sheets. On the nearby wall, Project Firefly was painted in large bold letters. "So this is Project Firefly," Twi sighed as she looked down at what she assumed was the massive project cloaked beneath tons of cloth.

"You're up early," said a familiar voice. Twi turned to see Flash approaching her.

"Everyone's up by now," Twi replied. "How long have you been up?"

"Since very early. I couldn't sleep that well."

"Me neither. Too much to think about." Flash stood next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're cold, Flash."

Flash chuckled. "We are in an open hangar during the winter. We should go back inside if you want to warm up."

Twi shook her head. "No...it's not just that. Something about you has been...off. Even when I had amnesia, something was not right about you."

"Twilight, what are you talking about? I'm the same Flash Sentry you've always known."

Twi was quiet for an uncomfortable duration of time. "What's going on, Flash?"

"You mean aside from the war that's been going on for over a year?"

"Yes." Twi stared at Flash head-on with a dead serious expression. "What's going on with you? For every moment that I feel close to you...there's another moment where you seem distant and different. And I know it has nothing to do with the war."

"It has everything to do with the war, Twilight."

"Really? You've been weird around me ever since we reunited. Something's going on, Flash. I've dated you long enough to notice." Flash was silent. "What do you know, Flash?"

"What?"

"You're keeping a secret. What is it, Flash?!"

"Twilight? Where is this coming from? I thought you trusted me!"

"I did! But...there are just times where I don't know who you are anymore!"

"Twilight, we've been through a lot. You've been through a lot. You had amnesia. You're probably just dealing with some of the after effects."

"No! I'm not! I-" Twi froze. It was at this moment that she realized that one of Flash's hands was clasped around something: the handle of a silver box. "Flash...is that-"

"What the hell are you doing?!" snapped an angry voice. Twi and Flash turned to see Donna walking towards them. "Why do you have the Elements of Harmony?!"

"What?" asked a seemingly confused Flash. He looked down at what he was holding. His eyes widened and he let go. The box fell to the floor with a loud clang.

"Don't drop them!" Donna raced over and picked the box up. "Why do you have them with you?! They're supposed to stay in the TARDIS!"

"I...I don't know. I don't remember getting them! I swear!"

"The Doctor left for the city in the TARDIS several hours ago! Have you been walking around with them since then?!"

"Is this why you were up early?!" asked Twi.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Flash screamed.

Everyone fell silent. "I don't know either," Twi said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Donna held the silver box close. "I'm going to keep an eye on this until the Doctor gets back. Then I guess you can explain to everyone about why you had them," Donna stated. Donna was about to leave when, suddenly, she was frozen with terror. Her eyes widened and every part of her body shook.

"Donna? What's wrong?" Twi asked.

Standing right behind Twi was a large, glowing, golden wolf. Donna took a few steps back until she bumped into the railing on the edge of the balcony. "What the hell is that?!" she asked.

"What's what?" Flash asked as he turned around. Twi, however, screamed as she turned around and came face-to-face with the wolf.

Just then, the wolf let out a loud howl and exploded into a blast of air and golden smoke. Flash was sent flying across the balcony and into the wall. Twi was pushed back into the railing. And Donna was knocked clear over the railing and down into the hangar below. "DONNA!" cried Twi.

Donna braced for impact...but the impact never came. Instead, she looked to see that she was being slowly levitated down by a powerful magical force when seemed to be emanating from the massive cloaked object within the hangar. She landed softly on a seat resembling that of a saddle. Her hand was still clutching the box's handle tightly.

"Donna!" Twi shouted. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine!" Donna called up. "Something just-" Donna was cut off by a loud bell going off.

"ATTENTION! PROJECT FIREFLY IS ACTIVATING! ATTENTION! PROJECT FIREFLY IS ACTIVATING!" called out a computerized female voice.

A back rest suddenly sprung up behind Donna and two seat belts slung over her torso, strapping her to the saddle. "Wait, wait, wait! I didn't do anything! Stop! No activating! No activating!" Donna shouted. Suddenly, everything around her began to move and spring to life. The tarps and sheets fell off to reveal that Donna was sitting on top of a gargantuan robotic dragon constructed out of various metals. Its silver and crimson colors glowed brilliantly in the morning sunlight. Its eyes flared to life with a deep shade of red. A blast of blue and green fire shot out of its mouth. Donna looked forward for any sign of a control console but there were absolutely no visible controls at all.

"Oh sweet Celestia," Twi gasped as the robotic dragon stood up and approached the open hangar doors. It stared out upon Manehattan and the lands beyond and let out a fierce roar.

The entire base shook. The two Lunas and Celestia were caught by surprise. "What was that?!" asked Luna the alicorn.

"Is it the Cybermen?!" asked Celestia.

"ATTENTION! PROJECT FIREFLY IS ACTIVATING! ATTENTION! PROJECT FIREFLY IS ACTIVATING!" echoed the protocol alarm.

"PROJECT FIREFLY?!" gasped Princess Luna the human and Lightning Dust together.

"Why are you activating Project Firefly?!" Luna the human snapped.

"I'm not, your majesty! I was getting it prepared in case something terrible had happened to you but I haven't ordered for it to be activated!" Lightning Dust replied.

"To the hangar! Quickly!" They took off and ran as fast as they could.

Donna continued to hold onto the box with all her might. Her other hand was clasped to the saddle upon which she was strapped to. "PROJECT FIREFLY IS READY TO LAUNCH! PROJECT FIREFLY IS DEPARTING!" called out the robotic female voice.

"Not another dragon! Not again!" cried Donna as the robotic dragon beneath her broke into a run.

Statue of Manehattan, Manehattan, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and nearly fell. He had unintentionally parked the TARDIS right on top of the statue's head. "Well...I made it to the statue at least," he said as he began to look around. "Now, let's see. Where would-" The Doctor silenced himself as he looked up at the metal flame held in the copper pony's raised foreleg. "It's worth a shot." The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, aimed it at the flame, and activated it. Instantly, a panel in the side of the flame slid open. A metallic box magically exited the opening and began to descend down towards the Doctor. "I knew it. New York City, or at least something like New York City, would always be a sore spot for you, Discord Whooves." The box landed right at the Doctor's hooves and opened up to reveal a simple video camera. "It's a good thing your Paramae followed you along with your labs and armies." The Doctor grabbed the camera. Instantly, he was hit was a serious burst of dread and negative energy. "Oh yes...you're definitely in there, Discord Whooves."

The Doctor began to make his way back to the TARDIS when a loud roar echoed across the river. He looked out towards the outline of the rebel base in the snow. Several tense seconds passed until the outline of a massive creature appeared. "A dragon?!" gasped the confused Doctor. The dragon let out a deafening roar before taking to the skies and shooting a plume of fire towards the heavens. "Well...I didn't see that coming."

Comments

[MariusIoannesP]

I...I completely forgot about that. I can't believe the party was only yesterday. It feels like years have gone by since that happened."
The Doctor cocked his head a bit. "More like one year, ten months, and thirteen days."

I'm not going to crunch the numbers myself but is that basically how much time has passed since this arc began in real time? Leaning really hard on the fourth wall are you now.

Trixie examined the device carefully. It looked like one of Oswin's guns but fitted more to work for a pony.

“... You just use the magic inside you to fire them."

I think I've seen firearms adapted for use by ponies playing a role in the Discord Whooves Tumblr. But they suspiciously sound like they work like firearms do in Bad_Seed_72's Tangled Roots Trilogy.

"The candies are called Jelly Babies and the cookies are called Jammy Dodgers. They're very popular snacks in my hometown."

Jelly babies! The First Doctor's treat of choice! I don't know if Jammy Dodgers are connected to Doctor Who in any way. I've heard of them though.

"Twilight Sparkle. Derpy Hooves," Jenny started. "I have something to deliver to you." Jenny reached into one of her back pockets. She pulled out a peculiar object and presented to them. It was a silver case about the size of a tissue box. The lid was held shut by golden latches. The letters ERS were engraved into the lid of the case and beneath the letters was a strange symbol: a silver snake within a green crest.

"He didn't give me a name exactly. He just kept calling himself the Writer," Jenny replied. "Does that ring any bells?"

ERS. Edgar Roger Stevens. The Writer! But the symbol on the box is the House Slytherin seal? Why would The Writer have a box with the Slytherin seal on it? Unless he writes Harry Potter fanfiction as well.

"What the hell are you doing?!" snapped an angry voice. Twi and Flash turned to see Donna walking towards them. "Why do you have the Elements of Harmony?!"
"What?" asked a seemingly confused Flash.

"Why do you have them with you?! They're supposed to stay in the TARDIS!"
"I...I don't know. I don't remember getting them! I swear!"

So human Flash might not be evil; he's just doing evil things outside of his own control.

"Donna? What's wrong?" Twi asked.
Standing right behind Twi was a large, glowing, golden wolf. Donna took a few steps back until she bumped into the railing on the edge of the balcony. "What the hell is that?!" she asked.

Bad Wolf! But Twi can see it too now!

"Not another dragon! Not again!" cried Donna as the robotic dragon beneath her broke into a run.

Yes, another dragon! I wonder why it's called Project Firefly though.

And Monty and Opal had quite the Meet Cute.

Well, I'm glad I finally got caught up with this. Not much actually happened, but I see the set up for some really big things. I look forward to the next installment. Keep up the good work.

[Doctor Perseus]

6660566

I'm not going to crunch the numbers myself but is that basically how much time has passed since this arc began in real time?

Yep. The exact amount of time between the posting of the chapter when the party took place and this chapter.

I think I've seen firearms adapted for use by ponies playing a role in the Discord Whooves Tumblr. But they suspiciously sound like they work like firearms do in Bad_Seed_72's Tangled Roots Trilogy.

The similarities are actually just a coincidence in this case.

Jelly babies! The First Doctor's treat of choice! I don't know if Jammy Dodgers are connected to Doctor Who in any way. I've heard of them though.

I think you mean the Fourth Doctor. And the Eleventh Doctor liked Jammy Dodgers. He made a plate of them for Clara in The Bells of Saint John.

[MariusIoannesP]

6663954 Oh the Fourth Doctor! Why did I think it was the First? Did he like candy too? And it was Eleven that like Jammy Dodgers. I think I remember now.

[Doctor Perseus]

6663961
I don't think the First Doctor had a signature snack.