Two Hearts

by Lepord257

Chapter Two

When the Doctor left there was a dumbfounded silence. Spike shrugged it off quickly and set about cleaning up the kitchen but Twilight couldn't just leave the weeping pegasus sobbing her heart out in her kitchen. Unsure of what to do, the unicorn rested her hoof on Derpy's shoulder. "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"You don't understand." Twilight flinched. Derpy's voice was void of all emotion. Only her tear streaked cheeks showed how much pain she felt inside. "He told me past time that when I next saw him it would be the most important day of his life. He told me to not let him out of my sight because he'd need me. He said he'd need me by his side more than anything else."

"Derpy I-"

The gray pegasus shook her head and stood. "No Twilight. There isn't anything to be done. He didn't know me." Derpy froze. "He didn't know me." Twilight could almost see the gears turning in her head as a smile started to creep up the gray mare's face. "When I met him he knew me. He told me I would need to be strong like he knew what would happen." She turned to Twilight who was thoroughly confused. "This is it! This is where he meets me!"

"Wha-" For the first time in a long time, Twilight felt thoroughly out of her depth. Is this what her friends felt like when she thought out loud? She seriously hoped the princess would write her back soon so she could regain control of the situation.

She didn't have to wait long as a burst of green flame erupted from her assistant, incinerating a waffle and delivering a note that she caught in her magic. "What's it say Twilight?" Spike asked. "Did she say anything about the stallion?"

Twilight's blood ran cold as she read the letter from her beloved teacher and ruler. "Yes. And something else."

"What is it?" Spike and Depry asked in unison.

"I fear that the arrival of this 'hourglass stallion'," she read, "has set in motion events that cannot be stopped. The last time such a thing has happened was over a thousand years ago.

Unfortunately, my fears have already begun to manifest themselves. Discord is free again, and quite possibly even stronger than before. Enclosed are eight tickets for the Friendship Express to Canterlot. Bring the hourglass stallion and his companion. He always has one with him." Twilight looked up at Spike and her guest. "How did she-"

Derpy cut her off with a shout to rival the one that had announced her presence not ten minutes ago. "Doctor! Come quick!"

"What are you-"

"He'll be up in a minute." Sure enough, there was the sound of a door slamming and hoofsteps on the stairs. The Doctor appeared in the stairwell a few moments latter.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He looked so sincere and panicked that Derpy and Twilight couldn't help but burst out laughing. "I- Hey! Stop it! Stop laughing! Not funny." Twilight levitated the letter from the princess over to the Doctor who read it silently, mild annoyance turning to anger.

"No."

Both mares stopped laughing immediately. "What do you mean no?" Twilight asked. "The princess asked you to come. The /princess/. You can't just say no to Celestia!"

"I can and I will. I'm not going to be ordered around by some ruler like a normal person."

"But-"

"Let me handle this," Derpy told Twilight quietly. "So you're not interested in meeting the immortal rules of Equestria who raise the sun and moon every day?"

The Doctor paused. "Did you say immortal?"

Derpy nodded. "Some ponies even say that they're goddesses."

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Fine. But only because I've got nothing better to do while the TARDIS repairs itself."

"Great!" Derpy grabbed two train tickets and handed one to the Doctor. "We'll meet Twilight and her friends at the station. You have your screwdriver?"

The stallion's eyes grew wide and he stared at pile of clothes on the floor. The key to the TARDIS had fallen out of his pocket and been explained away, but his sonic screwdriver hadn't. Twilight and Derpy watched as the Doctor searched the charred garments frantically.

"What are you doing?" Twilight asked.

"My sonic screwdriver. Metal tube with a caged green light at the end. Where is it?!"

"What, this old thing?" The Doctor started as Derpy held out his sonic screwdriver and tossed it to him.

"How did you- never mind. I don't even want to know."

Derpy shrugged. "Whatever you say.

Come on, the Friendship Express waits for no pony."

"The what?"

* * *

At first the rest of the mane six were wary of the hourglass stallion and his companion, but soon their caution gave way to curiosity and they were all getting along just fine. It was grating Twilight's nerves.

"-and it was the bloody queen of England! Everyone was excited, I have to admit I was a bit hyped up too, that is until she saw me."

"Why? What happened?" Rainbow Dash had been on the edge of her seat during the entire story. She hadn't been interested in the story until the Doctor mentioned the witches. The whole story sounded like the plot of one of her Daring Doo novels.

"Well, she-"

"Enough!" Everypony turned to stare at Twilight. She blushed a little at her outburst but continued. "You can't possibly believe him. I mean, curses, time travel, humans right out of Lyra's stories. It's just too fantastic to be true!"

"Oh really?" Attention shifted to Derpy who, up until that point had been quietly enjoying a box of muffins. Nopony knew where she had gotten them, but they also didn't question Derpy about muffins. Now her wings were flared and she was giving her best intimidation state to Twilight. It was strangely effective, even though only one eye was focused on the unicorn at any given moment. "What about all the stuff you've done? Restored a princess to the throne? Turned an ancient god to stone? Saved Equestria from an invasion?"

"Invasion?"

"Doesn't matter. The point is, none of your adventures are any more plausible than his. So next time, think before you get all high and mighty." Derpy turned and stalked back to her seat. Silence reigned for the rest of the journey.

* * *

As awful as Twilight felt for accusing the hourglass stallion of lying, she wished he would shut up. He giggled at unicorn nobles drinking tea, marveled at the architecture of the city, wondered how magic worked, and generally did everything he could to make Twilight want to smack him. He didn't stop talking until Princess Celestia met the group on the steps of the palace. He stopped mid sentence and breathed one word and one word only. "Wow."

Twilight couldn't help but agree. She'd lived most of her life with the sun princess and she still felt awestruck every time she saw her. The alicorn surveyed them all, her gaze passing over each pony in turn. She smiled slightly when she saw Derpy, but stopped when she saw the hourglass stallion. Any semblance of a smile left her and her eyes narrowed. "So I was correct."

"Pardon?" The Doctor wondered if he had or would do anything to anger the godlike creature that stood before him. For a reason he couldn't quite explain, even to himself, the very idea of disappointing her was a thought more terrifying than an army of cybermen.

"The last time I laid eyes on you, you almost destroyed my kingdom. Do not let it happen again." The princess turned and entered the palace. Derpy blushed slightly, but lead the way up the stairs.

The mane six examined their new friends with caution as they trotted along the corridors of the palace. The Doctor was too busy examining the stained glass windows to notice. Derpy just held her head high and carried on. "As I am sure Twilight has told you, Discord has returned for the second time in one year. This worries me."

"Wait a second."

There was a pause. "Yes Doctor?"

"Who's Discord?"

"Really?" Applejack dead panned.

"What? I just got here! Whole new universe to figure out."

"He's the god of chaos," Derpy told him. "He broke free of his stone prison last month and these girls had to defeat him. Now he's on the loose again."

"And the fact that it correlates with your visit is worrying," Celestia told the stallion. By this time they had come to a stop in front of the vault housing the Elements of Harmony. Celestia slid her horn into the slot and the doors slid open to reveal a predictably empty pedestal.

"Why am I not surprised?" the Doctor muttered.

"Discord!" Celestia shouted. "What did you do to the Elements?"

"Oh Celestia," came the echoing voice of the deity. "The Elements are gone. They're safe and sound in a place nopony can reach. I've made sure of that."

"Where did you hide them?"

With a flash of light, Discord appeared in the hallway in front of the princess. "Hide them? Me? Never." His eyes locked onto the Doctor and he smiled slowly. "So you called the Doctor. Feeling ill Celestia?" He circled the Doctor once before bending down to look in him in the eye. "Careful. Sometimes his medicine harms more than it helps." With another flash he teleported to the window depicting his downfall.

"How do you know who I am?"

"Being stone doesn't mean I can't listen. And oh the things I've heard about you! Tell me Doctor, just how many people have died by your hand?"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed and Derpy's wings flared. "And how many by yours?"

"Oh I don't kill," Discord said dismissively. "There are more...entertaining ways to deal with ponies."

"Enough," Celestia cut in. "Where are the elements?"

"Far beyond your reach they lie hidden from the prying eye. maybe a thought, a prayer, a hope can return the things I've broke." With another smile and flash of light Discord was gone, leaving his twisted words to echo throughout the corridor and the ponies to their thoughts.

Author's Note:

Finally finished! As an extremely latwe birthday present to an awesome friend, go check out SakaneMiku's deviantART profile. She's an amazing artist.

Comments

[Living Encyclopedia]

Prying eye... prayer... The Crying Angels!