Discord and the Doctor – Part 2 (c)
And now, the conclusion to Discord and the Doctor—Part 2.
Five minutes later, the nearest statue turned out to be Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty. After a series of hoof-bumps all around, the group set off for the penultimate statue. However, after encountering several trials on the way, they decided to just send Derpy to airlift Octavia to the statue and back. With the Doctor acting as Derpy's spotter to make sure she didn't disappear in the maze, she dipped into the clearing, to let Octavia tap Applejack's statue. Only one more to go.
Ironically, their success troubled the Doctor. Discord should be putting up more of a fight than this. He can't have given up, can he? And what was that errand? He kept his concerns to himself, however, and before too long they were nearing the final statue: Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, or Friendship, or both. He was a little unclear on the point.
“Found her found her found her!” Vinyl pointed down a wide corridor to her right. The Doctor galloped to her side and saw Twilight Sparkle's statue at the other end, gently pulsing blue with Vinyl's magic. “That's the last one! We win! In your face, Discord!”
“Unless it's a trap,” Derpy reminded her.
“Oh, what are the chances of that?” Vinyl tried to run down the corridor, but Bon Bon blocked her way. “Hey, what's the big idea?”
“The big idea is that you're running off alone into the most obvious trap ever devised.” Bon Bon pointed to the hedge walls, which were covered in wooden arrows pointing toward Twilight's statue. On them were printed such things as 'Twilight Sparkle', 'Element of Magic thattaway', and 'these signs are only here for your convenience, and are not remotely suspicious'.
“Well, what else are we gonna do, go the other way?” Vinyl asked. “What if it's not a trap?”
“I think Vinyl's right,” Octavia interjected. “We can't pass up the chance when we're so close.”
“But if it is a trap?"
“Then we'll meet it together.” The Doctor moved to the head of the group. “We're not getting separated now. Ready?”
There was a chorus of “Ready”. The six took a step into the corridor together.
Something massive, soft, and cold landed on the Doctor and covered him entirely. He was forced to the ground, unable to see, hear, move, or breathe. He could still taste, though, and whatever was surrounding him tasted good, like chocolate ice cream. Exactly like chocolate ice cream, he realized. I'm being smothered to death by a gigantic ice cream cake. Definitely a low point in my career.
Something grabbed his feet—his hooves, rather—and he felt himself being pulled backward out of the cake. As his ears popped out, he heard Vinyl yelling, “—in an ice cream cake? Even for you, Discord, that's cold.” Octavia groaned.
Discord's voice echoed around them. “Well, aren't you going to read the icing?”
Derpy finished pulling the Doctor out of the cake, then flew up above it to read out loud. “Thank you.” She sounded as uneasy as the Doctor felt.
“Exactly!” Discord's eyes and mouth appeared on the cake's front, leering at the group. “I'd like to thank each of you for giving me such a valuable lesson. Because of you, I've learned that you can't always get everything you want.”
“You'd better believe it!” Vinyl yelled.
“Indeed I do, my dear hornèd pony. You see, my problem is that I've been trying to multitask this whole game!” Discord cackled at their confusion. “Oh, you didn't think I've spent all this time messing with the six of you, did you? I've been having fun all over the world! And take a look at the ponies I've met!” The cake around Discord's 'face' started bulging, warping itself into a swirl of faces; some crying, some too depressed to cry, some angry and snarling, some blowing raspberries, and one with a laugh as mad as the Doctor had ever seen. All were silent.
“I've been trying to win our little duel, Doc, and not take it seriously at the same time. But,” Discord sighed, “All good things must come to an end sometime. So I've decided that the laissez-faire act can slide for a while.” The cake bulged further, and the Doctor saw noses, then faces, then front hooves crawling out of the cake. The six backed away. “The self-imposed challenge is over, Doc! You are not getting to that statue!”
“Run!” yelled the Doctor, but he didn't need to. All six of them were running around the cake, which started spitting out ice cream golems at a frightening rate. Now they made sound; the Doctor heard their snarls, and the sobs, and one familiar laugh, joined by Discord's own.
“Go get em, kids! Allez-y!” The Doctor heard a snap of fingers as he ran down the short narrow corridor, which suddenly stopped being either short or narrow. The walls stretched forward into the distance, then pulled away to reveal giant steaming pits of flowing lava on either side. The proximity alone was enough to make him sweat. Even worse, more ice cream golems started climbing from the pits: ponies, griffons, cows, even a few medium sized dragons.
Lyra, who had advanced to the front, screamed as a massive caramel claw reached up from the pit and grabbed her back hoof. Derpy heard the scream, jumped off the narrow width of ground, lunged at the griffon holding Lyra, and chopped its claws off with her wing. It screeched and fell into the lava, flattening a unicorn beneath it.
A giant chocolate moose jumped up at Bon Bon, but Vinyl held it in midair with her magic. The Doctor instinctively turned around, reared up on his front legs, and bucked it straight in the chest, splattering chocolate all over himself.
The ground cracked just in front of Bon Bon, who'd gotten to the front of the pack. The strip of land fell a few feet and continued to sink into the lava. Without hesitation, Bon Bon kneeled and yelled, “Jump off my back!” Vinyl and Octavia were the first ones behind her, and she launched them to the higher ground. Then came Lyra, then the Doctor bringing up the rear; she boosted him up just as the lower section jolted down another few feet, right to the level of the lava.
The Doctor just managed to scrabble onto the ledge, then looked down to see Bon Bon standing still below him, her hooves mere inches from the surging lava. “Bon Bon!” he shrieked, and tried to reach down to her, but she was too far away.
“Don't worry about me!” she yelled. “Just keep—”
Derpy swooped down behind her and pulled her up, just as the lava covered the last patch of dirt below. “That was so dumb!” she yelled, dropping Bon Bon on an angry vanilla sheep in front of them. “What were you thinking?”
“Mostly 'gosh, I hope the team pegasus realizes that us earth dwellers are all about to die!'” Bon Bon stomped on the paw of a cookie dough dog, leaving it to howl and fall back into the pit. “Right now, though, I guess it's mostly 'thank you'.”
Derpy landed in front of Vinyl and Lyra, each of whom were blasting the ice cream hordes with magic as they came into view, and smiled. “It's what friends do.”
“Um, amigos?” said Vinyl, pointing behind them off the edge of the cliff. “We need to keep running some more now.” The others looked where she was pointing and saw something airborne, massive, and light green.
“That's an ice cream dragon,” Octavia uttered, apparently having difficulty with the concept.
“A pistachio dragon,” Vinyl clarified, already turning tail and running. “The worst flavor of dragon possible!”
And there's another thing you don't hear every day, thought the Doctor, bolting after Vinyl and the others. He heard a huge roar as the dragon accelerated toward them, melting the smaller golems behind them in a surge of green fire—but the flame missed them, and the dragon flew upward and started circling around. A big creature like that, it could take—the Doctor glanced up at the dragon and made a few estimations—a minute to turn? A minute might be enough time.
Then came a second roar, deeper than the first. The Doctor looked down from the pistachio dragon to see an even larger fudge dragon, covered in rainbow sprinkles, rising from the maze in front of them.
The six skidded to a halt, maybe a quarter mile away from the end of the passage. “Doctor, what do we do now?” asked Octavia.
The Doctor took a moment to decide, then turned to Derpy. “Derpy, you need to leave us behind.”
“What are you—”
“You've got wings, you're faster than any of us. You're the only one who can get to Twilight's statue and end the game.”
“But I'll be leaving behind you, and I don't even—”
“Derpy!” Octavia yelled. “Can you get to the statue?”
Derpy looked at each dragon and gulped, but said, “Yes.”
“Then go! We'll be fine!”
Derpy took one last deep breath, then took off to the right, and started circling around the fudge dragon. “Okay, everyone!” yelled the Doctor. “I'll keep my eyes on Derpy. I don't want her disappearing in the maze. Vinyl, Lyra, can either of you block that dragon's fire?”
“I once put a spell on my glasses that stops sparks from getting in my eyes—it's really useful when I'm messing with amps and stuff and they're plugged in.”
“And you couldn't just unplug them first... why?” asked Bon Bon.
“Bon Bon,” the Doctor admonished, still keeping his eyes on Derpy. “Vinyl, that's just what we need. Can you make it stronger, and cover all of us?”
“Um... maybe?” He heard Vinyl grunt as she tried to use her magic, and for a split second there was a faint blue shield around them—then it disappeared. “Maybe not.”
“Wait!” yelled Lyra. The Doctor's concentration was almost interrupted when she thrust her hoof into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. “I'll boost the power with this!”
“Lyra, the screwdriver only works on technology!” He noticed the fudge dragon out of the corner of his eye. Its mouth was open, and flames licked the back of its throat.
“Prove it!” Lyra pressed the tip of the screwdriver to Vinyl's horn and turned it on—and just in time. As the dragon's fire reached them, Vinyl gasped, and suddenly there was a bright shield around them, much more robust than before. The flames enveloped it, raising the temperature within, and for a moment the Doctor couldn't breathe the superheated air.
Then the dragon passed them. Lyra turned the screwdriver off with a triumphant “It does work!” But Vinyl swayed and collapsed on the ground. “Oh no—Vinyl! Are you okay?”
“Okay?” Vinyl heaved a breath in, and coughed as the hot air hit her lungs. “That... was... awesome. Kinda scary, but... awesome. How'd you do that?”
“You accelerated her magic!” the Doctor exclaimed. “The same spell, but a hundred times stronger!”
“And one hundred times more tiring,” Octavia added. She and Bon Bon pulled Vinyl to her hooves and grabbed her to prevent her from falling again. “All that power comes from somewhere.”
“Yeah, I don't think I can pull that off again,” Vinyl panted. “Which is kind of a shame.” A huge roar filled the air, and she looked up at the sky behind her. The others followed her gaze and saw that the first dragon had finally turned around, and was ready for a second attack.
“Then it's my turn.” Lyra lifted the screwdriver to her own horn, but Bon Bon grabbed her leg.
“Lyra, you don't have the strength,” she protested. “It nearly knocked out Vinyl, I don't think you can handle it.”
“Derpy!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I lost sight of her—just now, in the fire—can anyone see her?” He looked all around, but there wasn't a patch of gray or gold in the sky.
The roaring sound of dragon fire reached them, and Lyra shrieked in fright. Just as the flames hit them, she turned on the screwdriver and her magic. A mint-green shield surrounded them, but it wasn't as strong as Vinyl's blue one—the fire was more visible, and thin tendrils were forcing their way through. Lyra was already shaking from the effort as their small pocket of air heated up once more.
“Hold on, Lyra!” the Doctor pleaded, supporting her body with his own.
Lyra was panting, her eyes were squeezed shut, and she looked ready to collapse. “I—I can't—keep it—” Her horn sparked, and the green aura around it evaporated as Lyra fell insensate to the ground. The magic field surrounding them evaporated. The Doctor braced himself for painful death.
A few seconds later, he realized it wasn't coming. He opened his eyes to see no flame, only the pistachio dragon frozen in mid-flight. It crossed its arms and spoke with a familiar, annoyed voice. “Oh, I knew I should have enforced 'no wings, no magic, no extra hearts'!”
“What in the—” Octavia began. Then she stopped talking, and started smiling.
“Hey guys!” Derpy dashed toward them from the other end of the corridor. “I found it! Found it found it—oof!” Her exultations were cut short when she crashed into the Doctor, knocking him into the rest of the group.
“Yes. She did.” The pistachio dragon snapped its clawed fingers, and its ice cream skin exploded, revealing Discord. Covered as he was in ponies, the Doctor couldn't really see his face, but he imagined Discord's teeth were gritted.
“I mean, letting you keep both hearts was bad enough, but letting her skip ahead like that?” This voice came from the other direction, where the chocolate dragon had been—but now it was another Discord, sounding just as irritated as the first. He slapped his claw over his eyes. “I can't believe I let you talk me into it, Doc—hey, are you even listening?” He wasn't. As soon as he'd gotten up from Derpy's flying tackle, the Doctor had begun running down the corridor. He wanted to see Twilight's statue himself.
Even as he ran, the restoration was beginning. The sky was changing color, from ghastly orange back to clear blue. The ice cream melted under the light of the sun that was yellow once again. The walls slid back in and covered up the lava pits, and the corridor returned to its original length, so that he was to the end before he knew it. There was Twilight Sparkle, looking as defiant as ever. He pressed his head against hers and sent her a message: We beat Discord.
I heard. But it's not over.
Really? The Doctor struggled to contain his sarcasm.
Discord admitted defeat. I don't think he would do that—unless it's a trick.
“Twilight, you wound me. I have offers, but tricks? The very idea.” These words broke the Doctor's concentration, and he shot a glare at Discord, floating above him. “Oh, I'm sorry, was that a private conversation?” he asked, in a surprisingly apologetic tone. “You'll have to forgive me, but it seemed like it must have been so interesting. After all, you ditched your companions back there to hurry up and have it.”
Oh. Right. The Doctor looked back at his friends to see them stumbling his way, with Vinyl and the semi-conscious Lyra being supported by the other three. “Are you all okay?”
“And right into the old routine, I see. The token concern for the victims of the tragedy you've narrowly managed to avert, oh mighty hero.” Discord gave a theatrical bow, and with yet another snap of his fingers, the hedge walls began sinking into the ground. “And now that I have been defeated, and will never trouble this planet again—pinky promise—you've just got one more step left.”
“What are you yammering about?” yelled Bon Bon.
“Oh, dear sweet Bon Bon, I thought he would have told you! No?” Discord frowned at the Doctor, and continued with a disappointed voice. “Well, ladies, it's been fun, but the truth is that it's time for him to leave.”
“Don't you dare touch him—”
“Don't misunderstand. He'll do it of his own free will. Because that's what you do, Doc. You save the day, and keep running along, seeing the universe... well, not this universe.” Discord snapped his fingers, and in front of the Doctor appeared a vision of Earth, gently turning in the sky. “You'd like to go back to that one, wouldn't you? Can't imagine why—it doesn't have me, for instance—but—”
“But it's impossible.” The Doctor turned away from the vision. “I can't go back.”
“Excuse me? Which pony told Derpy that there was still a hole in the universe back in Canterlot?” Discord pointed at the Doctor. “It was your way in, and it will be your way out.”
“Except—”
“Doc, friend o' mine, what was the last thing you said before you left your universe?” The vision of Earth disappeared, replaced instead by... him. He saw his humanoid form standing in the TARDIS, glowing with regeneration energy. There was no sound, but he saw himself mouth the words.
“I don't want to go,” he whispered.
“Then return,” Discord whispered back, softly and intimately so that the others could not hear. “You take your TARDIS and fly up to the tear, I give you a little push, and allons-y. Take back the life you didn't deserve to lose.”
“Don't listen to him—” Derpy yelled.
“Hush.” Discord waved his hand, and her voice dwindled to nothing—so did every other noise, in fact. The only sound was Discord's voice. “If you're hesitant, I can understand that—what with having the wrong body and all. How about I sweeten the deal?” He snapped his fingers.
The Doctor gasped and stumbled to the ground, just managing to plant his hands before his face hit the dirt. He felt weird and wrong... or did he feel right? He rose unsteadily to his feet... my feet. He looked down at his two legs and saw his two trainers at the ends. He raised his hands to his face. Hands! I have hands again! And arms! He tapped his nose—he had a nose, not a snout! I'm human again! Or close enough!
His joy was undercut when he looked back to his companions—he couldn't hear anything, but their shocked expressions were enough. He was so much taller than they were, and so different and alien. You don't belong here. And they can't be your friends anymore. Go back home and see Wilf again—remember Wilf, wonderful old Wilf? Remember Martha and Mickey? Captain Jack? Sarah Jane? All the friends you've made, all the ones you could meet? It's all waiting for you, Doc.
Get out of my head, Discord.
“Aww, what gave me away?” Discord smiled. “Anyway, the offer stands. So what do you say, Doc? It's your choice.”
For a long time, the Doctor said nothing. He just shoved his hands in his pockets and thought. He thought of all he'd lost, coming to this universe... friends, opportunities, everything... and it hurt. It was painful, after all he'd tried to block it out.
And then he thought of Sarah Jane. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world, or a relationship... Everything has its time. And everything ends.
He thought of Donna Noble. Promise me one thing, Doctor... that you'll find somebody.
He thought of all his old friends, and knew what they would say in his place.
“No.”
Confetti burst from the ground around him. “YES! I'm glad you think so!” Discord whooped for joy. “Now just call the TARDIS and—”
“I said no.”
“What?” Discord froze mid-whoop.
The Doctor brushed the confetti from his hair, then stuck his hands into his pockets for the last time. “Even if I trusted you to keep your word, I died in that old universe. There's a new Doctor there, and if I know the Doctor he'll be almost—but not quite—as brilliant as I am. He'll have his friends, his chances to save the world—his whole universe of possibilities.
“But they're not mine anymore. My possibilities are here. My chances to save the world are here. And as for seeing my friends again? I don't need your help for that.” He turned his back on Discord and ambled toward the five ponies he'd bonded with. “Because my friends are here too. If you think that I'd abandon them now—well, I'm honestly disappointed, because for an all-powerful mind reader, you don't know me very well at all.”
The silence was broken. The Doctor heard his friends cheering him, and jeering at Discord. In a strange reversal, Discord seemed hardly able to make any sound at all.
“No... I pushed all your little Time Lord buttons...” he mumbled.
“And you lost, Discord. No more mind games, no more parlor tricks. Change me back, restore Equestria, and leave.”
“I didn't lose...” Discord seemed to be having a crisis of faith. He was breathing heavily, his back turned to the group. “That's not how this was supposed to work. I'm not supposed to lose...”
“You lost at your own game.” I don't like where this is going, the Doctor thought—loudly, so Discord could hear. “Restore Equestria and leave as you promised. Final warning.”
Discord exhaled, and was still. “But I didn't lose,” he muttered.
“It kinda looks like you did!” jeered Vinyl.
“I NEVER LOSE!” Discord roared unlike anything they'd ever heard before. A jagged black fissure split the orange air, letting green sparks pour out. The grass retreated into the earth and was replaced with a million horns of bone. “I AM THE MOST POWERFUL CREATURE IN HISTORY! I RULED THIS FILTHY LITTLE ROCK FOR A THOUSAND YEARS! I WOULD HAVE RULED FOR ANOTHER BILLION IF NOT FOR THE BETRAYAL OF YOUR STUPID DECEPTIVE PRINCESSES AND THEIR INSUFFERABLE SUBJECTS! I AM DISCORD, YOU MISERABLE PONIES, AND I NEVER, EVER, LOSE!” A light grew in his hands, blindingly bright and very frightening.
“AND AS FOR YOU, DOCTOR!” he raged. “YOU CAN TAKE YOUR NEW BODY, AND ROT IN IT!” At this the Doctor fell down, instantly returned to pony form. He fumbled in his pocket; time was now of the essence. “IT'S THE ONLY VICTORY YOU'LL HAVE! YOU'LL SPEND A THOUSAND YEARS WITH NO SKIN!” Discord was so angry he didn't notice the Doctor pulling his sonic screwdriver from his pocket. “THEN TEN THOUSAND WITH NO AIR! AND THEN I WILL PERSONALLY SPEND A MILLION YEARS TURNING YOU ON A SPIT!” He didn't even notice the Doctor activating his sonic screwdriver, and he certainly didn't notice the noise that was coming from all around them.
“AND IT ALL... STARTS... now.” Discord had moved beyond mere fury. “Your punishment, for daring to think you could beat me, starts now.” He cocked his arm back and threw the light at the six. It howled with laughter and screaming and misery as it flew, carrying a planet's worth of insanity.
Vworp... vworp... kdunk.
It bounced off.
“Well, yes, of course you were never going to keep your promise.” The dust settled around the six of them, and the pink shield that had appeared to protect them. “Did you think I took you at your word? For even a second? I'll grant that yes, I can be fallible, lonely, rude—even mad, bad and dangerous to know—but I'll tell you this: I am definitely not an idiot.”
The Doctor looked around and saw his friends realizing that they were now shielded, and only just noticing the TARDIS standing behind them, responsible for that very shield. Then he smiled, seeing their surprise at the crystal shards circling their necks.
“Whereas you have proven yourself to be a bonified, ossified, and soon to be petrified imbecile,” he continued, reveling in the sight of Discord's dumbfounded face. “Didn't you ever learn to count? Didn't you realize that I might have been hiding more than my name from you, or how to bring back the TARDIS? Like my actual plan, or what exactly the Elements of Harmony were doing in my ship? They were connected to the TARDIS, being infused with the power of the Time Vortex, a power that can easily match yours. They were waiting for this moment.”
“For what moment?” Discord struck at them several times, but his attacks were stopped cold by the shield.
“For a new group of bearers to be ready.” The crystal shards converged around his friends' necks, revealing the restored Elements of Harmony.
“Derpy Hooves. The mare you called stupid and simple, Discord—but she was smarter than you thought, wasn't she? Smart enough to look for the truth wherever she went, and smart enough to see through every one of your lies, even when I couldn't. And when she told me what she saw, I believed her, because she is the Element of Honesty.” A cascade of brilliant pearls hung from Derpy's neck, matching her bubbly cutie mark.
“Vinyl Scratch, seemingly incapable of taking anything seriously. But that's not really true at all, is it? It's just that she knows that life is much too important to take seriously. That humor, mockery, and jokes aren't mere diversions; they're medicine for the sick at heart, for when our friends are feeling low. And they're the perfect weapon against people like you, Discord, because for all your jokes and pranks you really can't stand the Element of Laughter.” There was a golden torc around Vinyl's neck, striated in lines of brilliantly blue apatite that grew into two beamed eighth notes hanging on her front.
“Bon Bon. Sometimes rude, sometimes snappish—always stubborn, always determined. Determined that no matter how she feels, no matter what personal hell she's going through, it doesn't matter one bit when the ones she cares about are on the line. She's willing to drop everything and put herself on the line for a friend in need, even a friend she's only just met. To me, that sounds just like the Element of Loyalty.” She wore an agate riviere, each individual stone carved into a blue-and-gold stylized candy wrapper.
“Lyra, one of the most imaginative minds I've ever found. She's got enough imagination to magic the TARDIS out of thin air—and she's got enough empathy to put herself in another pony's shoes. To offer me, someone she'd just met, a place in her home, despite the danger. And to forgive me for all the things I won't forgive myself for. You might call that naivete, Discord; I call it the Element of Kindness.” A miniature golden lyre hung as a pendant from the chain around her neck.
“Octavia. The classy, classical cellist who's worked so hard and still doesn't have everything she wants—but what she does have, she's willing to give up in an instant for her friends. Her money, her time, her effort. And though she may act like it's not important, her friends know better. I know that that she's given her all for those friends, and I know that she deserves to bear the Element of Generosity.” A golden clasp shone round her neck, adorned in the front by a treble clef carved from purple amethyst.
“And here we are at last, the two of us. Discord and the Doctor. The 'Spirit of Disharmony' versus the 'Last of the Time Lords', the 'Oncoming Storm', the 'Lonely God', all those old titles that you must have seen when you were mucking about in my brain. Did you hear the legends they've told about me on a million million worlds? What I've done, what I can do? All utter tripe—because I've always known that alone, I can't do much of anything. Certainly I can't defeat you. But I've been honored with some of the best friends anyone could ask for—friends like Octavia, Vinyl, Bon Bon, Lyra, and Derpy. And together, we can do anything. Together, we can create the spark of friendship, and summon the final Element: Magic.”
There was a flash of light around the Doctor, and the Element of Magic appeared. No longer was it a tiara. Now it was the headdress of the Time Lords, recreated in burnished bronze inlaid with filaments of orange and gold. It covered his shoulders, swept around his neck and behind his head, where it rose impressively in two great half moons. On its front two great hourglass insignias were etched into the bronze.
The six rose into the air, eyes glowing white with power. “I gave you a chance, Discord,” the Doctor said. “Now you'll spend another eternity locked away in stone. Alone.”
Finally, Discord spoke. “This isn't over, Time Lord. You are not alone now, but you will be. You will always be. And then, I promise you, I will come for you and make you pay.” He emphasized this last word with a snap of his fingers.
“And... NOW!” the Doctor yelled, and the six unleashed their combined magical might. The six Elements blazed gold, red, blue, yellow, and every other color imaginable. Twin rainbows leapt from them and flew high into the sky, spun around each other, then joined to come crashing down on Discord.
“YOU'LL PAYYYYYYYY...” The light struck him, snaked around him, froze him back into stone, and left him with nothing but the look of impotent fury on his face.
The light did not stop there. It grew, diverged, formed a huge dome, and blasted outward to cover the whole planet in its brilliance. Every change, every piece of chaos, every bit of magical misery that the demon had caused was reverted.
Finally it was done. The six alighted gently upon the ground, their cuts and bruises healed. Discord's statue sagged and fell to the earth, which was no longer barren dirt but the grassy field it had been. The Doctor looked around to see that once more, it was a beautiful day in Equestria, with not a single cloud in the sky.
“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOHOOOOOOOO!” Vinyl recovered from her shock first, and with a whoop fit to wake the dead she pulled them all into a massive group hug. “THAT WAS AWESOME!” They all joined in, laughing in surprise, in wonder, in pure unadulterated happiness.
All except the Doctor, who was utterly enveloped in the crush—which would have been fine, if it hadn't been literally crushing him. “Um, girls, you'll have to let me go—ack!”
He tried to disengage from the crowd, but they hugged even tighter around him. “Oh no you don't,” said Bon Bon.
“I appreciate the gesture, but,” he wheezed, “but this headdress is—ack—jabbing right into my shoulder.”
“Oh.” They finally disengaged, letting the Doctor free and freeing the other five to examine their own Elements. Vinyl and Octavia seemed to really like theirs, while Lyra and Derpy fidgeted excitedly with their own. Even Bon Bon looked happy, despite her distaste for her own cutie mark.
“Doctor?” He turned at the unsteady call and saw Twilight Sparkle standing on unsteady legs. Considering how long you've been stone, Twilight, I'm surprised you can stand at all. Unsure about her continuing ability to do so, he rushed to her and steadied her with a hoof. They looked at each other properly for the first time.
Finally, she had her assessment. “You looked so... different before, when we were talking. And now you just look like... well, a pony. How can you be so strange and still so normal?”
“You must have some truly strange creatures on this planet, Twilight. I don't think I've ever been called normal before.” Only now did she seem to realize what he was wearing.
“Is that... those are the Elements of Harmony?”
“Yes. Oh, hang on, I believe this one's yours! Sorry I had to borrow it, but I'd say it was for a good cause, wouldn't you? And... well, I guess I'd better give it back now.”
“I don't think you should.”
“Sorry?”
“You defeated Discord with those Elements,” she explained. “The Elements have never been given up willingly before today, and I don't have any idea what would happen to the bonds sealing him in. I don't think you should give them up, just in case.”
“But you six are the Elements of Harmony. You're the chosen bearers.”
“Oh, posh! I personally think they look much better on you six anyway.” The Doctor recognized the upper-crust voice, and turned around to see Rarity striding toward them. Twilight's eyes widened.
“Rarity! And Applejack!” she exclaimed, looking behind Rarity to see the farm-pony galloping toward them, with two more ponies behind. “Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash!” They embraced even more tightly than the Doctor had with his friends. “... Pinkie Pie?” she asked, realizing who wasn't there and looking around for any signs of pink.
“WooooooOOOOOOOO!” She should have been looking up. Pinkie crashed into the group like a cotton-candy covered aerial bomb, with all the hysterical energy that implied. “WE DID IT! WOOHOO! Ohmygosh I'm gonna need to throw a saved the world party and a new Elements of Harmony party and hang on ohmygosh! I JUST REALIZED! YOU'RE A NEW PONY!” she exclaimed at the Doctor. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? YOU'RE GONNA GET A SUPER DUPER STOOPER NEVER BEFORE ATTEMPTED TRIPLE PARTY!”
“Don't forget to breathe, Pinkie—” Rainbow Dash warned.
“AND YOU'RE AN ALIEN TOO WHICH MEANS WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO THROW A FIRST ALIEN IN EQUESTRIA PARTY!” The Doctor found himself backing away from her, as if she were a bomb, as she built on her vocal crescendo. She practically hovered with excitement—actually, she's literally hovering, he realized with a start as she rose into the air. “AND OH MY GOSH THERE'S FIVE MORE NEW ELEMENT BEARERS THAT MEANS FIVE MORE PARTIES IN ONE! THAT'S LIKE NINE PARTIES AT THE SAME TIME!” The prospect of nine parties proved too much for her, and she fell back-first upon the grass, catatonic from pre-party excitement.
The Doctor felt a bit dazed himself. “Is this normal for her?” he asked Twilight.
“I guess being cooped up made her a little hyper,” she replied, laughing with her friends. Then: “Princess Celestia.” The laughter stopped. “Doctor, where's the Princess? What did Discord do to her?”
“Don't worry. Whatever he did is gone now.”
“I have to be sure. I'll be right back, everypony—” She scrunched up her face in concentration, and disappeared in a flash of light—only to reappear in the same flash of light, blackened with soot and shaking on her hooves. “Ooh,” she moaned. “That... usually works.”
“What, you can teleport?”
“Not right now, I guess,” she replied, rubbing her head in pain. “I'm kind of out of it....”
“Want a lift, then?” The Doctor opened his TARDIS and beckoned to the group. “Come on, every... ah, pony—we're going to meet the princesses!” His friends jumped right in; the others were more hesitant, perhaps unsure how they could fit in such a small box. “Well come on, it doesn't bite!” They finally entered, Rainbow Dash dragging the still-catatonic Pinkie by the tail.
He was too busy helping Derpy set the destination to look at them, but from the way the sound of their hoofsteps stopped all at once, he had a good idea of their reaction. “So, anything you'd like to say?” he called back. “Any first impressions?”
“What in tarnation...” Applejack murmured.
“This is not scientifically possible!” Twilight blurted.
“Oh, you won't have any fun with an attitude like that! Ready for departure, Derpy?”
“You bet!” she replied, and pulled down hard on the ignition.
Vworp...
And the Doctor laughed. He was in his TARDIS, with his friends. He'd beaten the impossible odds and saved the day. This just feels so... right.
Vworp... vworp...
They stumbled around a bit as the TARDIS shook mid-flight, and his friends joined in laughing. No, better than right. This beats plain old right by a mile. This sends right packing. This is just...
Vworp... vworp... kdunk.
Perfect.
“Welcome to Canterlot!” he exclaimed. “The princesses will see you now!”
Twilight hesitated for a moment longer by the door, still trying to take in as much as she could. Then her anxiety overruled her curiosity, and she yanked the door open and ran out, yelling, “Princess Celestia!”
“Twilight,” came the reply—tired but relieved, the voice of one who had just endured a long ordeal. The Doctor followed his group out to see Twilight hugging Princess Celestia tightly, and the rest of them kneeling before their ruler.
“Did he hurt you?” Twilight asked, looking up worriedly at the massive alabaster alicorn. “Either of you?” she added, looking at a dark blue alicorn the Doctor recognized as Princess Luna.
Celestia shook her head. “He decided that trapping me here while my subjects suffered was a better punishment. Did he hurt you?” she returned, with more force to her words.
“Yes, but I'm okay now. Everything's back to normal... well, almost everything,” she corrected, disengaging from the hug to gesture to the Doctor.
“When the Doctor comes to call, Twilight, nothing is ever back to normal.” She faced him directly, no surprise in her eyes—some amusement and much gratitude, but not surprise.
Which generated a great deal of that precise emotion in the Doctor. “Now hang on, I know for a fact I've never been in this universe before. How do you... oh, not this again,” he sighed. “You've met me before, and not vice versa.”
“I remember having much more trouble when you explained our peculiar acquaintance to me... but of course, you're much more experienced in this sort of thing than I was.” She laughed. “It's good to see you again, old friend. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you've done... or should I say, all you're going to do?”
“We thank you,” Luna added. “And with this gratitude comes a reward of your choice. If there is a service which we can grant to you, you have only to name it.”
The Doctor thought long and hard on this, and eventually came to a decision.
“Could someone get this blasted thing off my neck?” he complained, tapping his very uncomfortable headdress. Celestia chuckled, and it disappeared and reappeared next to him in a flash of white.
“That's it?” asked Bon Bon, her eyebrow raised. “You get an offer like that from the Princesses and you choose that?”
“In this case, I think we can grant a few additional requests, Bon Bon,” Celestia replied with a smile.
Bon Bon's jaw nearly dropped, but she controlled herself. “How do you—”
“Do not be surprised, Bon Bon. Nor you, Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, Lyra Heartstrings, and Ditzy Doo... or do you still prefer Derpy Hooves?” Each one started as Luna pronounced her name. “You are companions of the Doctor, and children of time. Your names echo through the history of Equestria.”
“Yeah, about that...” The Doctor ambled nonchalantly toward the Princesses. “I'd rather not have any big parades, or legends, or parties.” He glanced at Pinkie, whose jaw dropped at the very idea of somepony refusing a party. “Sorry, Pinkie, that's not how I work. You can still throw the saved-the-world party... just, I dunno, make it a Twilight-Sparkle-and-the-Elements-of-Harmony-saved-the-world party instead.” Her lower jaw jumped back up into a grin.
“That's not very honest,” Derpy said, giggling a little at the joke.
“Trust me, it's better this way. I make enough of a fuss without looking for attention. After things like this I usually try to stay out of the history books and move on.” He'd been looking disinterestedly up at the ceiling, but now his gaze returned to the Princesses. “Emphasis on usually. You see—”
“Wait! Lemme guess this one!” Lyra piped up, turning to the Princesses. “So he got the TARDIS from himself in the future, right? That means that we need to build... no wait, you called it alive... so, I guess we need to grow the TARDIS, so we can send it back in time, so we can beat Discord, so we can be here in the first place!”
“Ten out of ten for the explanation, Lyra!” The Doctor beamed at her, and she beamed right back. “So, what do you say, your Highnesses?” he asked. “Care to help me grow a TARDIS?”
Celestia looked to Twilight. “Are you ready for a new assignment, my faithful student?” She looked slightly intimidated, but nodded. “Then I charge you with helping the Doctor to create the TARDIS. You can use whatever resources and information you deem necessary.”
After taking a few seconds to close her eyes and process the magnitude of the assignment, Twilight turned to the Doctor. “We can get started right away. All the old time magic is in the Starswirl the Bearded Archive of the castle's library. And I've heard of a magic scientist named Blue Shift, he's apparently been making major advances in the field—”
“Booooring!” Pinkie cut in. “Stop being such a smarty—it's time to plan the party! Oh my goodness, where are we going to hold it? Should it be in Ponyville or Canterlot? Or maybe somewhere in the middle! And we're going to need invitations and balloons and games and food and balloons and balloons and cake!”
“I do not think that a party in Canterlot is... advisable, Pinkie Pie.” While they'd been talking, Luna had walked to the shattered window. Now she beckoned them to join her. Judging by her expression, the Doctor guessed that it was not a pretty sight.
His guess was quickly confirmed, for when he looked out the window he saw Canterlot in ruins. Many of the once posh buildings had been burned and damaged to the verge of collapse, and several were far past that point. Shattered bricks and splintered timbers lay strewn across boulevard after boulevard, and the whole scene was covered in a layer of ash and dust. A few ponies were outside their homes; they wandered in the streets, dazed by the destruction. “It's like the Blitz,” he breathed. “But I thought the Elements should have reverted all of Discord's damage. They did last time, didn't they?”
“Only what he did with his own magic,” Celestia replied. Whereas Luna's voice held barely disguised fury, Celestia was much more somber—though the Doctor surmised that her anger was simply better hidden. “I tried to burn him with my magic, and he redirected my attack upon the city.”
“But why? Why not use his own magic?”
“Spite. Or he was trying to make me feel guilty. Or it was a way to extend his influence after his imprisonment.” She sighed. “He may have had every reason, or no reason at all. But in truth, Doctor, I don't understand him well enough to say. I wish I did.”
Vinyl turned to Octavia with a horrified expression. Octavia already wore one, and without a word the two of them ran from the room. A moment later, Derpy realized what they were thinking. “Octavia's apartment. She lives in Canterlot.”
“Oh my gosh—my whole family lives in Canterlot! Spike was on vacation here! What if they—” Twilight's breath caught.
“Your family is safe, Twilight,” Celestia reassured, laying a hoof on her shoulder. “I may not understand Discord, but I know this much: he would not let them die.”
“How can you be sure?”
The Doctor turned around at the sound of teleportation, and saw a large white unicorn with a small purple dragon on his back. “She can be pretty sure, Twily.”
“Shining Armor! Spike!” Twilight ran to embrace them. “You're okay!”
“Everypony's fine, Twilight,” Spike said. “We checked around the city as soon as you beat Discord—great job on that, by the way!” Twilight grinned awkwardly at the mistaken praise. “Anyway, we've checked through Canterlot, and we're pretty sure nopony's hurt.”
“Pretty sure?” Twilight frowned at the qualifier.
“Uhh... ninety eight and a half percent sure?”
“We should go check. Come on, girls!” The former Elements of Harmony ran dashed of the room, with Shining Armor and Spike close behind, leaving the Doctor and his friends standing in the throne room.
For a moment, the Doctor couldn't put his finger on why this felt odd. And I should really stop using that particular idiom if I don't have fingers. Then he realized how unused he was to other people—ponies, rather—taking the initiative before him. “We should go find Octavia and Vinyl,” he said, and gave the princesses a parting nod. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, it's very good to meet you, but we need to run.”
“And it's very good to meet you too, Doctor.” Princess Celestia watched the four of them run into the TARDIS. She closed her eyes and smiled at the sound it made—one she wished she could hear more often.
Vworp... vworp...
Luna snorted. “What?” Celestia asked, surprised by her sister's display of mirth.
“Oh, it's just....” She smiled. “He needs to run, does he?”
Celestia laughed. “Some things don't change, sister.”
“It could be dangerous up there!” Vinyl yelled, but Octavia bolted into the burned out building all the same, so Vinyl had to follow. She'd never seen Octavia move so fast; by the time she'd gotten to the third floor she could hear Octavia opening the door of her fourth floor apartment. By the time she'd gotten to the fourth floor, she could hear Octavia's sobs.
When she got into the apartment, she felt a little like sobbing too. The once spotless floor was covered in ash, and had been burned right through in a few places. The exterior wall had collapsed, revealing the ruined Canterlot outside, but Vinyl only had eyes for the ruined Octavia sitting before her. “I, um... sorry.” I gotta have something better to say than that.
“It's fine,” Octavia choked, pushing some of the soot through the holes in her floor as if trying to clean up. “It's fine. I was about to lose the stupid apartment anyway... it's just...” She took a deep breath, trying hard to keep control. “It's not fair... it's not fair!” She kicked a wall in anger. “We beat him! He's not allowed to do this!”
Vinyl felt the same way. Why couldn't Discord have just had his fun and been done? Why'd he have to change something permanent? She walked over to Octavia and grabbed her in a hug, letting her friend take a few shuddering breaths over her shoulder.
“He's lucky to be trapped in stone,” Vinyl muttered. “If I ever met him again, I'd... well, thank goodness for overpacking.” Octavia looked up at her in puzzlement. “Remember how I made fun of you on Friday for bringing all those clothes and stuff, just for a weekend concert? I take it all back, you were right—most of your stuff is in Ponyville now, at my place. It's safe. So... I guess you can stay there too from now on.”
“Vinyl, I don't want to impose—”
“No, Octy. Your house just burned down. You might be the new Element of Generosity, but that doesn't mean you can't be on the receiving end once in a while.” Vinyl tried to lead her from the room, but Octavia still resisted.
“Really, Vinyl—”
“Really nothing! Look, think of it as repayment for everything you've done the last few months. You get a place to live, I get a way to say thank you. Please, Tavi, let me do this for you.”
After a long pause: “Okay.” Octavia let Vinyl take her out of the room. It took all of Vinyl's restraint to keep her face from breaking out in a huge smile.
As they exited the room, Octavia's landlord walked out of the stairwell, looking around at his building. Suddenly, holding back that smile became a lot easier. “Well, it's nothing a little paint job can't cover, I'm sure.” He turned from the wall and noticed them. “Oh, hello Octavia. And... you,” he said, indicating Vinyl with a shrug. “I'm afraid you shouldn't be here, seeing as you've been evicted.”
“Really?” Vinyl yelled. “Discord just came back, the city's burned down, this slum's about to fall apart, and you're bringing that up?”
“Life must go on, miss. And this building's structure is perfectly sound!” He knocked on the wall for emphasis, and accidentally knocked a slat of wood off of it. “That's not structural. But don't think I'm completely insensitive to your difficulties—what say I let you keep your apartment for a month of rent, and that lovely necklace?” He motioned to the Element of Generosity still hanging on her neck. “That should just about cover the rest, I imagine.”
Vinyl planted her front hooves, spun around, and was ready to buck the landlord—but Octavia stopped her with a raised hoof. “Vinyl, don't. I'll give it to him.” Vinyl's jaw dropped, but Octavia winked at her before turning to the landlord, who was holding his hoof out for the necklace. She took a deep breath, reached up to her neck... then reached way back, wound up, and punched the landlord's lights out.
Stunned as she was, Vinyl took a moment to get it. Then she was in hysterics. “You gave it to him!”
“I gave it to him real good!” She laughed and pulled Vinyl over the landlord and down the stairs. “Now come on, let's get out of here.”
“Wow, if I'd known that punching somepony out was such a pick-you-up...”
“Well, when that somepony is my 'jerk of a landlord'—” Octavia realized what Vinyl had just said. “Did you just say punched?”
“Well, you made a pun, and you punched him. Seriously, though...” Vinyl managed to get Octavia to slow down as they reached the second floor. “You're over it this quickly? I mean, your apartment burning down?”
“There's nothing left for me back there but a bed and four months of back rent. I'd rather be in Ponyville with my best friends.”
“Aww, you're so sweet—wait, you don't know anyone else in Ponyville.”
Octavia rolled her eyes and smiled. “Vinyl, we just made four new friends today, remember?”
Vworp... vworp... kdunk.
They halted on the first floor landing and saw the TARDIS materialize at the foot of the stairs. The door opened and the Doctor stepped out, looked up at them, and grinned. “Found you the first time! Wunderbar! This TARDIS is shaping up to be very reliable... a bit over-reliable, actually. I might have to fix that later....”
Lyra burst out of the TARDIS, her face full of worry. “Is your apartment okay?”
“Well... no.” Lyra's face fell, but Octavia smiled. “It's okay, Lyra. I can move in with Vinyl in Ponyville. It'll be like a new beginning.”
The Doctor smiled again. “I can relate. Now come on you two, the Elements of Harmony need to get back to the castle and there's much to be done.” He beckoned the two of them into the TARDIS. Octavia trotted right in, but Vinyl hesitated and cocked an ear. What's that noise... There was some sort of growing clamor outside.
“What is it, Vinyl?” the Doctor asked.
“Can't you hear that?” she asked. “It sounds like... well...”
“THREE CHEERS FOR THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY!”
“Yeah,” she finished, just before she was drowned out by the sound of all Canterlot cheering.
“Blimey, that was quick!” The Doctor, followed by Vinyl and the other companions, rushed to the window and looked out upon the streets, which were no longer nearly deserted. In the few minutes since Vinyl had been outside, they'd become filled with ponies laughing, dancing, crying, and cheering. “From the Blitz to V-E Day, eh? Good for them!”
Bon Bon harrumphed and turned away from the window. “Don't take the credit, you said. Stay out of the history books, you said. They could be cheering for us.”
“Nah, it's better this way. If I took credit for every little thing I did, I'd never get any sleep at night. Come on then!” The Doctor walked back to the TARDIS.
Bon Bon followed him, whining, “But I wanna be in a history book!”
“Bon Bon, Luna called us by name,” said Lyra. “We're already part of Equestria's secret history and we didn't even know it!” Vinyl closed the door behind her and braced herself next to Octavia on the railing. Derpy and the Doctor took their places on opposite sides of the console.
“Yeah, you're right, but....” Bon Bon gave up and conceded the point with a smile. “Oh, nevermind. You're right.”
“I know!” Lyra was as giddy as any of the celebrants outside. “I love time travel!”
And with that, the Doctor pulled down on the starting lever, and they were off once more.
After some consideration, Pinkie had decided to have the party in Canterlot after all—not in spite of the destruction there, but because of it. As she put it, “Some of the ponies here just lost everything. That's exactly the kind of pony who needs to have a party!” Vinyl had agreed, and the two of them pled their case most strenuously with Celestia and Luna.
From what he'd seen of the two of them, he wasn't surprised that the Princesses had acquiesced. He was surprised that they'd agreed to have it that night, and even more surprised that their group had actually pulled it off.
And yet, somehow, they had. Pinkie Pie and Applejack baked for hours in the castle's sumptuous kitchens, aided by the royal chefs and—with some reluctance—by Bon Bon. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Derpy organized the city's pegasi, summoned a gale to blow away all the remaining smoke, and created massive rainstorms to wash the debris from the streets. Lyra, Vinyl, and Octavia planned the entertainment together in a separate room of the castle, aided by Pinkie whenever she could spare a minute from the kitchens. The Doctor got shanghaied into helping Twilight and Rarity clean and decorate the castle and surrounding city, a task he imagined would have gone faster if Rarity had spent more time decorating and less time complimenting his suit.
By nightfall the ruined city wasn't a ruined city anymore. It was the biggest party the Doctor had seen in centuries. The castle was filled with ponies rejoicing, dancing, singing, kissing—and the castle was only the centerpiece. The joyous crowd seemed to extend forever.
He wasn't in the party, though. As night fell, he sat in the ruined chambers of the Princesses, tired but happy. He was content to feel the TARDIS hum beside him, and to watch his friends enjoy themselves. Vinyl had managed to cajole Octavia into not only wearing her glasses, but actually DJing—and doing a fair job of it too. Lyra and Bon Bon were chatting together happily. Occasionally he heard a distinct voice penetrate the jumble of happy noise, usually someone yelling praise to the Princesses, or to Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony. It all made him smile. This is where I belong. In the background, witnessing the greatest things the world has to offer.
“So that's why I didn't find you at the party!” He turned to see Derpy glide through the double doors and land beside him. “What are you doing here up?”
“Just observing. I've never been much for parties, honestly, and I've gathered my nibbles already.” He smiled and lifted a cupcake adorned with edible ball bearings. “D'you know, I always thought humans were the only ones who made these! I am going to like it here.”
“Sure, but there's still a problem.”
“What?”
“You're still up here!” Before he could react, she jumped up and grabbed him with all four legs, knocking the cupcake from his hoof.
“Derpy?”
“And the party's down there!”
“Derpyyyyy!” She dove out the window, down the side of the castle, and into the lights of the party, ignoring the Doctor's pleas. “I don't do parties, what am I supposed to do?”
“What the rest of us do! Have fun! Eat a lot! Yell too much!” She let him down, alighted beside him, and grabbed his hoof. “Dance!”
“Derpy, I haven't danced in years, I'll be terrible at it!”
“Don't worry!” she laughed. “I'm worse!”
She was a wonderfully bad dancer, but made up for it in enthusiasm, and it wasn't long before a space had cleared around the two of them to make room for Derpy's flailing limbs. Then Vinyl appeared from the whirling crowd and pulled him into a conga line. He Charlestoned with Lyra, foxtrotted with Octavia, and jitterbugged with Bon Bon. They laughed and danced the night away. And it wasn't long before the Doctor realized, to his delight, that he was wrong about two things.
He really could dance after all.
And this was where he belonged.
Tune in next time for:
Great and Powerful
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Okay, so my story apparently gained four new chapters! Well, I should explain... after quite a lot of resistance on my part, I've finally decided to break the chapters up into three parts each. Still the same amount of story, just more chapters.
Also, I've made substantial edits to the beginning of Chapter 1 - almost to the point of a rewrite. This is mainly due to two reasons:
- 1: I was never really happy with my writing for that part - it was the first part I wrote, after all, and my inexperience showed (to me, at least).
- 2: In the old version, the Canterlot Sculpture Garden is well outside of Canterlot. It's a staggering geographic blunder that I can't believe I made in the first place.
Anyway, enjoy!
>Doesn't update in forever.
>Posts five relatively hefty chapters all at once.
emotibot.net/pix/4473.jpg
2443562 I would like to demand MORE!!!
My word... The grammatical integrity, the lack of typos, the well-thought out plot, the deep characters, and though you acknowledge the fanon about these background ponies, it's not the driving force behind their personalities.
I think I may have stumbled upon a truly great thing here.
i.imgur.com/Bwg2gSw.gif
more
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Whew! FINALLY read that chapter and... what's this?
Tune in next time for:
Great and Powerful
Great and Powerful
Great and Powerful
What.
2445659
And more you shall have! Just... not immediately, you know.
2489497
Thanks! The 'fanon not being the driving force behind their personalities' thing was only half-deliberate, though. For instance, Bon Bon had her cutie mark dissonance planned out early on. On the other hand, it took some time for Derpy to acquire the sort-of-cynicism that she displays here (something I've not seen in most other versions of her).
2524997
2548386
I have no idea what you could possibly be implying.
Yeah, none at all.
2549840
Oh.
Ok then!
I guess my suspicions were COMPLETELY and UTTERLY unfounded
There is only one thing wrong about this story.
I HAVEN'T FAVED THIS WITH THE WRATH OF A THOUSAND DALEKS!
This half of the story gave me some feels, especially the part with the Doctor seeing his world again.
I look forward to the next half. MOAR.
"“Um, girls, you'll have to let me go – ack!”
I am a certified lifeguard, and I am prescribing a life-jacket for this man. Because he's drowning in the pussy
Truly you understand how:
MLP works,
The Doctor works,
Discord works,
And you put it all together in this story.
What I also appreciate is the 'activity' of the story, the speed in which the dialogs take place for example.
You see some whovian fiction writers are setting their focus way to heavily on every tiny observation of surroundings, emotions of the characters, aswell as their thoughts. That leads to trivial discriptions, walls of text packed with information, which are completely unnecessary for the procedure of the story. Sure they describe the feels of a character, their opinions or precisely the way they react on something with every little muscle mentioned, the scenes as such become decorated with fancy words. But that doesn't give you the feel of the Dr. Who tv show. When I read a crossover with Dr. Who and MLP I expect to see reflective aspects of both TV shows to be part of the story. And you can't feel like you're watching Doctor Who, when you get served with fancy walls of text, instead of actively progressive dialogs like you'd hear them in the actual show.
Your chapters maybe long, but they contain dialogs or action where it counts and none of your descriptions of the enviroment or the characters reactions are trivial. That's why I like this style! Your writing style is how a Dr. Who and MLP crossover should be read, as if you'd actually watch it! Very similar to Loyal2Luna's Dr. Whooves stories really.
This story gets a big thumbs up!
Best. Story. Ever.
Oh my goddesses, this is brilliant! I wish I could write as well as you, truly I do. Perhaps, one day, you can read my fic and give me hints or tips so I can make better Doctor Who/MLP crossovers. If I wasn't afraid of spoilers for the radio play I'm planning, I'd write the non-mature fics running around in my head right now.
I really love how Discord was written, especially. You write villains very wall, and the Doctor was perfect, as to be expected. I truly hope I can get as good as you in story telling.
~Ellysia~
2576800 I must agree with that statement.
I never spend my time writing these because I suck, but... so many good things. Proper English usage, writes long chapters, wrote everyone the way I and many others think captures the characters as them (and I loved when Doc finally pissed off Discord), and most importantly (personally), NEW ELEMENTS OF HARMONY! Rarely do I ever emotionally follow these, but I actually felt sad and happy along with the fic (this is the second time I wrote the word fic because I accidentally said show). Generally, I have to say, you are fantastic, absolutely fantastic. Screw it I'm leaving my name here.
-Shaun
“WoooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
This line could use correcting.
5758402 Thanks! Looks like FiMFiction's formatting changed out from under me. I don't like the new sizes very much, so I think I'll just keep it normal-sized.
Yeah,” she finished, just before she was drowned out by the sound of all Canterlot cheering.
Oh sh*t, the fangirls found me,TO THE TARDIS!!!!
I hate you Vinyl.
I think.