Daisy and Lily go missing, and Roseluck goes to Derpy and her strange stallion friend for assistance in finding them.
Roseluck takes the disasters that occur in Ponyville like her friends, Daisy and Lily: with loud, unnecessary dramatics, and there's fainting every so often. As long as they're all together, she's content with her life.
Then they go missing, and loneliness is quick to follow. How could she possibly know where they are, and if they're alright?
The answer isn't in the Elements of Harmony, but rather a sweet mare and her mysterious friend. And despite her awkward and panicked demeanor, Roseluck will go to great lengths to save those who mean the world to her.
A Doctor Who crossover. Needed knowledge on the show is minimal besides the basics and some details for a decent read.
Proofread by: Lucky Seven. Can't thank you enough for your help!
Herds of ponies and other creatures from sea serpents to, to the surprise of many, changelings, left the main building in town in thick groups. Friends all gathered to celebrate after the wedding, while others left once they realized the sun was setting.
“That was the best wedding I’ve ever seen!” Lily Valley said in delight to the two beside her as they all walked home.
“You haven’t been to many weddings, have you?” Daisy asked, flashing her a crooked grin.
Lily feigned anger, cheeks puffing out, but her laughter broke it. “Well, true, but c’mon, you gotta admit that it was… interesting.”
“Sure, and one of our flowers actually snapped at the stem during the whole fiasco, so—”
“Oh, don’t remind me, Daisy!” she gasped, stopping their walk altogether. Her hoof held onto the side of her head. “That was just awful, and I don’t need a reminder of that, thank you. Seriously, the day wasn’t that bad! What do you think, Rosie? … Roseluck?”
Roseluck made no response, not even a gesture to show that she had been paying any attention to the conversation. Her posture and eyes were directed elsewhere, staring off at a pair of ponies wandering off in another direction.
“Roseluck~” Lily waved in front of her distracted friend’s face.
Roseluck blinked and looked back at her friends. “Oh, bwuh? Sorry, I… some wedding, huh?”
Lily giggled. “Is your head in the clouds again, silly?”
“Careful, sweetie,” Daisy said with a grin, bumping into her side. “Keep being distracted like that and you’ll run into a building or-or even one of the flower beds!”
“Are you saying this stuff just to mess with us?” Lily scoffed and stuck her muzzle in the air, lip pouting out. Rose thought she heard her mumble ‘cause it’s working,’ and they started walking again.
Rose shook her head, hoping her face wasn’t as red as she imagined. “Sorry, I was… thinking about something, that’s all.”
The other two’s eyes followed the path of where Roseluck was last looking. Standing in the markets, Muffins stood alongside Doctor Whooves, and the pegasus had started laughing at something he said while he shot her a sheepish look. Daisy nudged Lily, who started to chuckle.
“What?” Roseluck pouted her lips at the glinting eyes now directed at her.
“That Doctor Whooves stallion, duh,” Lily answered, leaning in with an innocent look. When Roseluck simply shot her a glare, she stuck out her tongue. “C’mon, you two were sitting with each other and everything.”
Roseluck pushed Lily away from her face, face burning much to her irritation. “That doesn’t mean anything! Besides, I’ve only actually talked to him once. We didn’t even speak to each other at the wedding.”
“Wait, isn’t he also the one who helped us with the Runaway Flora incident?”
Lily gasped. “You’re right! He and Rosie went into the Everfree Forest to stop those weirdo animals from taking all of our flowers when the breezies came here.” She flashed a cheeky grin at Rose. “Anything happen?”
Daisy rested a hoof on Roseluck’s shoulder. “Yeah, you never told us. Details, give them all to us!”
Roseluck stepped back, practically sputtering incoherent words before she could even begin to speak properly. “N-n-no, obviously, because we haven’t talked since then! But he was… nice. Pretty smart, too. He talked on and on through most of the trip, so it didn’t feel as long as it was.” Roseluck thought back and laughed a little. “He went on about these plants he’s come across and his travels and all these weird creatures he’s met. Apparently, he’s seen a rare chrysanthemum that was exactly half pink, half yellow. I’ve never seen anything like that! I can only imagine.”
Their faces lit up. “That does sound amazing,” Lily swooned. “Wouldn’t that be a sight?”
“Still, that stallion sounds a bit crazy, too.” Daisy swirled her hoof by her head in a ‘someone’s-a-bit-cuckoo’ gesture. “He just seems… weird.”
“That’s not uncommon here,” Roseluck teased.
“Don’t get me started on that weird scarf. Somepony could trip if he doesn’t wrap it properly!”
“Don’t be mean! I’m sure he’s a kind stallion,” Lily said, rolling her eyes. “Maybe we can even invite him to lunch one day. Get to know him more, cause I’m sure he’s not that crazy!” She let out a dreamy sigh. “And that accent, oh my.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to think this isn’t about Roseluck,” Daisy smirked.
“Well, good!” Roseluck feigned a sigh.
Daisy laughed, with Lily quick to join her. They both fell silent, however, and Rose saw a raindrop land on her friend’s muzzle. Then she felt it, heard it. Plop, plop!By the next few steps, rain began to pour onto the town in a relentless parade.
As ponies ran to take cover under awnings or inside their warm homes, the Flower Trio all gradually gazed at one another with horror on their faces.
“I forgot it was supposed to rain today!” Lily cried out. “The wedding distracted us!”
“This is awful!” Daisy followed, eyes wide. She started to fan herself. “What if my buds are overwatered? Did we already water them before the wedding? I thought we keep track of these things! Always!”
They shrieked, all in one.
“Oh, no!”
“The poor things!”
“The horror!”
And they crumpled to the ground with a hint of flourish. A pony passing by simply rolled their eyes and trotted around the trio of faux passed out mares.
Roseluck stayed there and counted how long they just sat there, ignoring the weird stares as she looked up at the cloudy sky, only to shut her eyes when raindrops hit them. This was how it was, the daily routine of the Flower Trio. Crazy dramatics, weird stares, the whole shebang.
As if she could blame themselves, though. How could they possibly live with over-watering their plants?
As they got up a minute later, she glanced at Daisy and Lily Valley, who smiled as she approached Roseluck and gave her a hoof to help her onto her hooves. With a smile back, she took it and was standing back up again, like nothing happened.
Then the rain became thick and poured faster, and once thunder cried out in the skies above, they jumped and squealed at the booming sound. They even giggled a little, but stopped as they separated. “It’s freezing!” Lily said, shaking herself as she ran to her house.
Daisy opened the door to her home, leaning from the doorway. “We’ll talk over this more tomorrow, though.”
“Totally!” Lily shouted.
“Fine,” Roseluck laughed and shut her door without another word.
As soon as she went inside, she ate in the silence, simply listening to the rain pouring against her window panes. With the gray clouds already out, it was pure darkness outside once she finished later that night.
By the time she trotted upstairs, the moon rose to its highest peak. Roseluck looked at the brilliant stars through her window as she drifted off to sleep.
***
That morning, Roseluck went right to Daisy’s house as soon as she woke up. The bright, warm day inspired her to start off the day with a smile and a kick in her step.
Well, after she made her bed, brushed her hair and teeth, watered her tulips on the window sill, organized her pantry, cleaned her bookshelf, and brushed her hair again.
But otherwise, she was quick to see the two in the morning and knocked on Daisy’s house with a bounce in her step. She even tapped her hooves as she waited.
And waited.
Nothing.
Roseluck groaned. “Are you up yet, Daisy? We should hurry or else our plants will get lonely! And you don’t want that, do ya?”
She waited a few seconds; counted with a tap of her hoof. Tap tap tap tap…
Another knock, just one more, before she finally let out a loud noise of anger. “If she’s already at Lily’s—”
“They’re gone.”
Roseluck froze midstep and turned about to see Carrot Top standing right behind her. The mare wore a solemn look on her face, like she had let out a burst of tears not too long ago. Whatever the reason, surely it wasn’t having to do with what she just said…
“Oh… hi, Carrot Top!” Rose greeted, wrapping a hoof around another awkwardly. “You’re up pretty early. I mean, you’re not up early like we are.”
Carrot Top nodded with a pained smile. Rose was quick to notice, but before she could ask, Carrot Top spoke first. “Well, there was some… stuff going on this morning. But you heard me, right?”
“Yeah. Where are—where they did they go? Have you seen them?”
“I dunno…” The orange mare bit her lip, her eyes glossing over. “I didn’t even know that you were okay, so I don’t know how to say this! Bu-but Roseluck, they’re missing.”
There was a pause. A long pause where Roseluck just stared at Carrot, her smile gradually melting away. “Sorry, what?” she muttered, her ears falling flat.
“Lily and Daisy… they’re missing.” Carrot sniffed and tilted her head to the side. “They a-and three other ponies just vanished last night. Just gone! And we’ve looked all over town and checked Sweet Apple Acres. Even Twilight and her friends tried to find clues, but nothing! I’m so sorry, Roseluck, but… Rose? Are-are you gonna be okay?”
Roseluck last heard something about Twilight, and then her mind wandered off. She didn’t care for the details, not now. Her gaze fell to the houses next to hers, and without another word, she pushed Daisy’s front door open.
Carrot Top shouted, “Roseluck!”, but her call was met with nothing but a swinging door.
Feeling sweat pooling on her forehead, Roseluck looked into the living room. Everything was kept in check, with all the lights out. Out of all of them, Daisy was the one with the cleanest house, and it showed. Her books were placed in order by author and title, like an actual library, only most of the books were on flora and fauna. In the kitchen, the dishes were laid out neatly on the counter, organized by color and size.
Perfectly fine. Like nothing bad happened. Carrot Top must have misunderstood, she thought, gulping down the lump in her throat.
She raced upstairs, and the clip-clop of her hooves echoed across the staircase.
More hoofsteps followed shortly, with someone shouting, “Rose! Please, what’re you doing?”
Roseluck slammed another door open, and she found Daisy’s bed. The covers were tossed off the bed, wrinkled and forgotten on the floor. Her hooves began shaking, but why were they shaking? Everything was fine. The whole room looked normal except for the covers.
Even though Daisy always does her bed in the morning. Always.
Maybe she was in a hurry!
To what?! Get kidnapped!
No! There has to be something else, like she’s at Lily’s or…She struggled to think of one thing, simply one thing that could ease her. But the panic rushed in waves over and over. It didn’t stop.
She’s gone, then! And Lily probably is, too! Gone, gone, gone, both of them! But it can’t be…
“Daisy, Lily,” Roseluck whispered, her vision blurred and her eyes burning. But she still looked all around the room, even taking a peek at the mirror on Daisy’s drawers. Before her was a pathetic looking mare having fallen on the ground with tears streamed down her face, alone in this room that wasn’t hers.
The noise of a pony approaching reached her ears, but she didn’t need to look over to see who it was. Carrot Top took a few tentative steps towards her. “Roseluck?” she whispered and brought her hoof close to Roseluck’s shoulder.
She turned around and met the orange mare’s gaze.
“What about Lily?” she finally said, and her vision became blurry.
Carrot approached Roseluck slowly, and started rubbing her back. “We checked every room and all over town. They’re gone.”
“They can’t be gone. Who would just… who would take them?” Roseluck gasped through fat tears.
Carrot Top wrapped her hooves around her, but why did Roseluck not feel any better? It should’ve been comforting, should’ve done something. “It’ll be okay, Roseluck. Whatever happened to them, we’ll find them. They’ll be okay,” Carrot Top said to her, patting her back.
But no, the pain in her chest only grew, and Carrot Top’s hug and words of reassurance did little to stop it. With nothing else to hold onto, though, she returned the mare’s embrace.
Roseluck’s silent crying became loud and shaky, as did her whole body in Carrot’s arms. And she refused to let go as she buried her face in the orange mare’s neck, crying in Daisy’s empty house.
The majority of her day went the same, with only one pony knocking on her door.
“Roseluck, please?”
She stayed on her couch, her cheek pressed against the arm as she continued to ignore Carrot Top’s pleas. Even if she wanted to open the door, her body would have refused to move anyway. She just wanted to lay there with nothing but her thoughts to occupy her, despite the lingering loneliness.
“It’s been a day! Please, don’t do this to us. We’re really worried about you, all of us. But you can’t stay locked up like this.”
Roseluck’s eyebrows knit down. “Please go away,” she said, her voice cracking.
There was a pause, and she was sure she heard a sigh before Carrot’s hoofsteps left her house. She buried herself back into her pillow and scrunched her face.
After many hours of nothing but silence, minus sobs and heavy breathing, she could feel the warmth from her crying on it and the wet spots from her tears. She tossed it aside.
Peering outside, the sun shined bright on the grass and the flower beds. One or two ponies who passed by sometimes gave the houses beside her concerning looks before continuing their walk, muttering to themselves.
For a second, she imagined her friends coming over to comfort her. Blankets, ice cream, magazines to giggle at, and maybe a hint of gossip that lasted hours and hours. They’d all make room on her small couch until one of them fell off.
Could really use that right now.
Her eyes grew in horror as she looked back at the empty house, then back outside, only to realize she had spent the whole day on her couch. Carrot Top had tried to drag her out, only to fail. What time was it anyway?
She rubbed her eyes and turned about to lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Squeezing her eyes shut, the mare groaned into her hooves. A tiny part of her begged to stay inside, but the majority screamed for some fresh air.
Pull yourself together, Roseluck! What’s the matter with you?
Does this need to be explained?
Staying on the couch and crying over it won’t fix anything!
Sure feels better than getting up…
She shook her head. Fighting with herself would only make things worse, if it continued on like this. She needed out, fast. Even if it was just for work.
Tossing her back hooves off the couch, she at last got on all fours and stretched. While the comfort of the couch called for her again, she managed to drag herself away and toward the door.
As soon as she opened the door, light blinded her. She rubbed her hooves over her face, and with a sigh, took a few steps outside.
The bright day proved to be lively with busy streets as ponies strolled through the markets, with bits in little coin sacks and wandering eyes. Roseluck walked through the street with her head down.
And once she arrived at her stand, no sooner did ponies arrive looking for flowers.
Every once in a while, ponies would spark up small bits of conversation. They were quick, usually lasting ten, maybe fifteen seconds. Ponyville citizens tended to show some form of kindness to everypony. But they were also nosy. Because word spread in Ponyville like heavy rainfall, many of them had the same things to say to her, even some asking if she knew anything about the situation.
“I sure hope they’re okay!”
“Where did they go?”
“Does it have to do with Amethyst going missing?”
“You’ll be okay, right?”
And she would say the same things, feeling like a looping record. “I’m sure they’re okay.” “I honestly don’t know.” “I didn’t know Amethyst Star went missing! I’m sorry.” “I’ll be fine.” And after taking their roses, they would leave her to deal with the next customer. Without Lily or Daisy, more ponies would go to her for flowers, so her work lasted longer than usual, much to her grief.
Once the heavy crowd dispersed, and the streets quieted a touch, her eyes locked onto the ground. It was afternoon already, and exhaustion was quick to overwhelm her. She wanted to sit back in her house, rest, and hide away for the rest of the day. Maybe sob to herself some more. That sounded good right about now.
But no. She had to do something to occupy herself. Anything. She couldn’t let her loneliness beat her down and isolate her.
She still couldn’t help but miss them. It hurt, being without them. She sighed.
As she stared around her and thought about how she’d go about her day, however, she
thought about something one pony had said earlier.
If my friends and Amethyst Star have gone missing, then something happened. Are there others?
If more were missing, they sure didn’t act like it. Most ponies continued the day as if it were nothing. She also wondered if they were as desperately and pathetically lonely as her, crying for hours into a pillow and taking too long to even leave the house. It was times like this that she wished she and her friends were not so emotional.
“Roseluck? Hey, Roseluuuuuck,” a voice said above her, ending in a sing-song tune.
Roseluck glanced up and saw a pair of mismatched eyes blinking at her over the counter. Big, gentle eyes with eyebrows curved in concern.
“Are you okay?”
She forced a smile again, and it didn’t feel any better in comparison to the other times she showed it to customers. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. You looking to buy roses, Muffins?” she asked, turning away to flick at a piece of hair in her vision.
“No. I just wanted to say I’m so sorry about Daisy and Lily,” Muffins apologized with a frown, still half-staring at her with little blinking. “It must be hard.”
Rose sighed. “Not something you need to apologize for. Not your fault.”
“I hope they’re okay.”
Roseluck nodded in agreement.
Muffins paused for a moment before she walked around the counter and smiled warmly. “Do you want to get something to drink? You look a little lonely.”
“I’m… no thanks.” She hesitated, blinking and looking away. “I’m not sure it’ll make me feel better. Plus, I don’t wanna be a bother.”
Muffins giggled in a low tone. “You’re not a bother, Roseluck! You’re my friend, even if we don’t talk all that much!” When Roseluck didn’t respond immediately, the pegasus tilted her head at her, planting a hoof on her shoulder. “You don’t look so good, actually. Hey, have you had anything to drink today? Maybe we can get some coffee? Oh! Or tea!” Her face lit up, wings fluttering at a faster pace now. “I bought some green tea bags today, so there’s plenty to spare.”
“I…” Biting her lip, she swallowed and felt just how dry her throat was. Returning her attention to Muffins, she saw the kindness in her eyes and noticed how she was posed to leave. Yet she waited. “That would be pretty nice, thanks.”
***
Sitting outside Roseluck’s house, Muffins was close to pouring Rose’s tea, but then she flinched, and the tea spilt on the table. She picked up the pot before more could fall. Blushing, she murmured, “Ehh, sorry.”
“It’s alright.” Roseluck nodded. She picked up the pot and poured their drinks. Green tea with honey, and she added two sugarcubes in before picking her cup up. Muffins took hers but didn’t drink it quite yet. Her eyes were on Rose—partly.
Rose took a long gulp, realizing how thirsty she was after a day trapped in her house. It burned as it passed through her throat. Muffins heard her moan from the filling drink and smiled lightly.
“Do you wanna talk ‘bout it?” Muffins began.
The flower pony cringed. “I… I dunno.”
Muffins’s disappointment was apparent and painful to look at. Like Roseluck had punched a puppy. “Oh, sorry. I just think talking about it’s better than keeping it all in. But you’re still feeling down, so I get it.” She offered her a smile.
Roseluck noticed the pain in her eyes and wondered if there was more to this statement. She opened her mouth to ask, but decided otherwise. She cleared her throat to bring Muffins back. “I don’t mean to keep it in. I just… don’t know why I’m feeling this horrible.”
“What? Your friends are missing!” Muffins exclaimed, the hurt replaced with bemusement. “It’s totally normal to feel upset over it. But that’s why I asked you out for tea; you needed someone, a friend.”
There was a long pause, and Roseluck’s lip quivered. “I’m just so, so worried! I keep thinking they’ll never come back! What if… what if something bad happened to them?” she asked in a whisper, the edges of her voice cracking. “Like kidnapping or… ugh, something worse.”
“Like what? Oh, wait, no, don’t think of that!” Muffins corrected herself, pushing her hooves forward as if it’d stop Rose’s train of thought. She flashed a nervous smile. “There’s gotta be some way to figure out what happened to them. What about the Elements?”
She shook her head. “They had an emergency out of town, apparently. Some friendship mission, somepony said. I already asked Carrot Top,” she answered. The long talk she had with Carrot Top only brought disappointment and even more stress. They had no idea what happened. She squinted at the table. “But they can’t be the only ones who can help find them. Right?”
Muffins nodded rapidly. “Totally! With all the ponies in this town, someone’s gotta know how to do these things. Like Doc.”
“What about him?” Roseluck lunged from her seat but flinched back; her voice rose higher than anticipated. She covered her face from the staring eyes around them, face burning. “What about ‘Doc’? You mean Doctor Hooves, right?”
“Yeah! He’s great with this stuff! Mysteries and supernatural stuff. He deals with it all the time!” Muffins started smiling with a joyous sparkle in her eyes.
“I know, he’s helped me and my friends before,” she said.
Muffins gasped. “Oh, that’s right!”
Roseluck waited.
And waited.
And Muffins just stared at her.
Roseluck stared back, eyebrows narrowing. “Muffins, can Doctor Hooves help us find my friends and everyone else in town?”
Muffins blinked a couple times, and each time, her eyes were found in different directions. But no matter where they looked, she nonetheless looked happy as can be. “Oh, right! Of course, why didn’t I think to say that? He can find out where they are, I’m sure of it!” She lifted herself from her chair, even her wings fluttering with delight. “I’ll go find him now!”
“Wa-wait.” Roseluck stepped in her path before Muffins could fly off. “Umm, what—what is it that he does, anyway? Is he, like, a detective? I don’t think he ever said.”
Muffins tapped her muzzle. “Hmmm,” she mused. “Yeah, I guess he is! I never really asked. But—oh.” Her face fell for a moment before shooting right back up. “He’s out of town for the afternoon, but he should be back soon! I can bring us all together, and everything will be okay, I promise!” Her excitement returned.
Muffins grabbed Roseluck in a tough vice grip meant to be a hug. It lasted a second before the pegasus zoomed off, but Rose still had to rub her shoulders. She chuckled.
Then she began giggling with delight aloud. All by herself. Even if ponies were staring again, she forgot where she was for this one moment. It was all setting in.
Because all that mattered was finding Lily and Daisy. Wherever they were. And this Doctor was going to help.
***
Miss Luck!
Sorry for not being able to speak with you yet, but I had just returned from a little visit out of town. Muffins informed me that you’d like some help with what’s been happening, and every bit of help from anyone counts. She and I will meet you at the Gale Cafe at two tomorrow to discuss this situation. We’re all hoping to understand where these ponies had vanished off to.
Until then,
the Doctor
P.S. Hey, Roseluck! It’s Muffins!!! I sent this here, but if you are lonely, don’t be afraid to see me! Company’s always welcome at my house.
Roseluck was smiling at the end, but rereading it, her shoulders sagged, lip pouting out. Another night waiting. She looked outside, seeing how late it had gotten. She returned home once Muffins failed to return after half an hour and she had refilled her drink--twice. And within the hour back home, she had a knock at the door, but all that was there was the letter tacked on the door.
Better than nothing, she thought with a gradually returning smile. She placed the letter back on her table and began her routine for bed. As she finished brushing her teeth, she thought over the letter. How serious it sounded. How ‘the Doctor’ had incredibly messy writing that required her to repeat words multiple times. And…
Miss Luck?
Wonder if he remembers me… Meh, probably not.
She sighed as she fell into bed, and even though the day had been exhausting, her mind still ran too many miles an hour to gain any sort of rest.
Where are they? It’s been… I don’t even know how long! Are they even coming? This is the right place, right? Ugh.
She sulked forward in her seat and blew out a long, deep breath. A day had passed until Muffins promised to meet with her alongside Doctor Hooves for early lunch. Her night remained as restless as the rest of her day; she had shifted all over the place in her bed, eyes wide open.
With so little sleep, she waited with her patience broken by irritation. She sat at an outside restaurant just around the block. A small, quiet place with only a few ponies sitting on wooden stools, and she found the seat with the least amount of ponies nearby. Her eyes looked all around for either Muffins or Doctor Hooves, but at her side, all she saw was an approaching waiter.
“Excuse me, miss.” The bearded unicorn stood in front of her and brought out a notepad at the ready. “Are you ready to order?”
“Oh, uhh, I’m just waiting for some ponies,” she answered. Then she could feel her stomach growl, and she smiled sheepishly. “Actually, a daffodil sandwich would be nice. A-and a water. Please.”
The waiter nodded and walked off, leaving her by herself again.
“Roseluck!”
Rose jumped and felt her spine shiver at the voice right behind her. She couldn’t help but let out a surprised noise; “Yah!” Turning around, she breathed out when she saw Muffins hovering inches from her face, a brown bag slung around her shoulder. Their muzzles practically touched. “H-hey, Muffins.”
Muffins’s cheeks blazed. “Oops! Did I scare ya?”
She just shrugged, but then she looked at the stallion standing to Muffins’s side, who simply smiled at them in silence and waved. “Hi,” she said to him.
“Oh, right!” Muffins’ face lit up as she exchanged looks between the other two. She took Doctor Hooves around the neck and brought him to the seats beside Rose. “Doctor, you’ve met Roseluck before, right?”
Doctor Hooves turned to her, meeting her gaze. While looking back at him, she noticed it wasn’t quite as full of life as the previous day. Tired, probably, she thought.
“Yes, we’ve been acquainted before. At the wedding yesterday, actually. Good to see you again, Roseluck. Good name, too. Roseluck,” he sputtered on, his hoof playing with his ear, eyes drifting to the side.
Roseluck nodded, frowning awkwardly. “O-oh, thanks. But, yeah, I got the letter Muffins, uh, tacked on my door.”
“You couldn’t just knock, Muffins?” the Doctor asked with a hint of disbelief.
“I didn’t want to bother her!”
“These ponies… just disappearing, including my friends, it’s… weird, isn’t it?” Roseluck interrupted their banter.
Doctor Hooves’s eyes flashed, and his face hardened into a more sober expression. “Oh, yes, there’s certainly something strange going on. Though, in this town, when isn’t that the case? Still! Ponies, just vanishing out of thin air. So far, however, I can’t do much. Not without actual, physical evidence.” His jaw set for a second.
Muffins whispered in Rose’s ear, “He’s really into the science-y stuff. He gets annoyed with magic sometimes, too.”
He momentarily shot them a look. “I can handle the magical aspects perfectly fine, but even then, there’s usually a scientific underlining somewhere. I just…” He tapped his hoof on the table and rose his gaze to the side with a sniff. “Haven’t found it yet.”
“So you haven’t found anything?”
He shook his head, and Rose could practically feel her heart sink. “All the ponies we asked, they don’t know what happened. Everyone seemed to be fine before they vanished. Nothing suspicious or anything. Pretty much everyone was at the wedding, but there’s not much to go from that.”
“There was that changeling, right?” Muffins pointed out. She gasped loudly. “What if there’s a changeling army taking our friends? To some sort of hive to-to eat them or something!”
The Doctor, unlike Roseluck, who clutched her hooves together against her chest, was unphased. “If the changelings wanted to take ponies, they would also likely take their place. That includes not letting us know they’re missing.”
“Then maybe they’re changelings that aren’t that smart!” Muffins offered, hiding a smile behind her hooves. She giggled.
Doctor Hooves gave her a small smile back, patting his friend on the back. “Well, we’ll put that one on the backburner, Muffins. You never know. ”
The waiter arrived with Roseluck’s order. While Muffins ordered her lunch, Doctor Hooves’s eyes wandered over to Roseluck, who could only turn away in response as she took a sip of water. He didn’t get anything for himself.
“You live near them, too.” Doctor Hooves leaned onto the table with a quirked brow. “Daisy and Lily. Did anything strange happen before they disappeared?”
“No, not at all. We just got back from the wedding, and it started raining so we went right home. Nothing… weird,” Roseluck explained, thinking of anything that might’ve been strange. But it was all normal, nothing out of place. “So it… someone must’ve taken them at night, because I didn’t see them at all that night.”
“Five ponies at once? With such a clean escape?” Doctor Hooves’s voice rose, and he scoffed. “Oh, I doubt that. That’d require a team of kidnappers, and there would most likely be something to give them away somewhere.”
“How so?” Muffins asked.
“There’s always at least one that’d leave big clues. A tiny slip up, maybe a hair out of place.” Doctor Hooves held his hooves close together, inches apart. “Anything, really. There’s just something we’re missing. It’s probably dangling right over our heads.”
“Let’s go ask some more ponies if they saw something,” said Muffins.
Doctor Hooves rubbed his face. “We’ve already asked about half the town, Muffins. It won’t do any good by now.”
“Let’s go ask the changeling!” said Muffins, beaming. When the waiter arrived with her sandwich, she thanked him. Once he left, she said, “What’re we waiting for? Where do we start today, Doc?”
He rolled his eyes, but he was grinning back anyway. Roseluck noticed, though, his smile didn’t meet with his eyes. Like he smiled simply for his friend’s sake. It worked for Muffins, who started giggling again.
Getting up, he said, “What we need to do is check the ponies’ houses from last night. Might be something in them if we search. A sign of a struggle or a note they might’ve left behind. I know where we can start.” The Doctor stood, and Muffins was quick to rise as well and stuffed her sandwich in the bag.
“Bwa—Muffins, there were notes in there!”
Blush rose in Muffins’s cheeks. “Hehe, oops,” she apologized as they started walking away. The Doctor took point, while Muffins flew right behind him. Roseluck took the opportunity and joined his side.
“Hey, umm, are you okay?” Roseluck asked, grimacing.
Doctor Hooves shot her a gaze before looking forward. “Right as rain, don’t you worry. Let’s focus on the task at hand, why don’t we?”
Roseluck stared at him for a moment. She even opened her mouth to speak up, a few things on her mind. Did I do something? Did I upset you somehow? Why’re you so awkward? were among a few questions she wished to bring up but couldn’t. After a bit of pondering to herself, she shook her head. He’s probably just awkward all the time, when he’s not rambling on.
Then it hit her. She smiled and said, “So, uhh, Doctor Hooves?”
“Just the Doctor is fine.”
“Alright… the Doctor.” Roseluck shot him a look at that. “How have you been? It’s, umm, been a while. Remember the incident with those flower creatures?”
He chuckled. “‘Course I do! The Runaway Flora, with the Isos using your flowers as little mini-spaceships to fly back home. They seemed to take the path with those Breezies because they were not familiar with the environment. Just about any flower and its stem can be used for their transportation as far as away from their planet. Little antennas,” he added, making a gesture with a hoof pointing at his head as if to demonstrate, “that have magic to use the pollen—almost like oil for gas! Obviously, after taking them to the Everfree Forest, rather than using yours, they find plenty to choose from.”
“I saw those!” Muffins exclaimed from behind, eyes lighting up. “They looked so cute. And they could fit right in your hoof.”
“Ooh, but don’t let their looks deceive you,” Doctor Hooves warned her. “They have mouths like a sailor, if you listened in well enough. I didn’t think I’d ever hear those words around here.”
Roseluck’s lips twitched. “They probably really just wanted to get home.”
The Doctor’s eyes shined when he glanced at her. “Yes, that’s probably it. And apparently, they’re known to try and bite strangers, but all you get is a little pinch—not even that, more like a tickle on the hoof. And look at you, Miss Luck.”
Rose blinked and almost stumbled at the mention of her name. He was even pointing a hoof at her, altogether stopping their walk. Roseluck exchanged a look at Muffins, who just shrugged.
“Good! That’s a smile right there. I haven’t seen you smile since we met up today.”
“Doc.” Muffins stuck out her upper lip, her eyebrows curved down slightly. “You know why she’s sad.”
His expression was blank for a moment before it clicked. When it did, he pulled on his tie and muttered, “Err, I didn’t think that. Right, sorry. Muffins, why don’t you talk to some neighbors around here about checking Amethyst Star’s house?”
“Alrighty, Doc!” she said. She gave Roseluck an energetic wave before flying off in a buzz.
Roseluck watched her approach a pair of ponies standing in the street. Muffins was quick to join whatever conversation they were going on about with her wings beating rapidly and wearing a giant beam, which Roseluck couldn’t help but smile at. Glancing through her peripheral vision, she caught the Doctor standing beside her.
“I do know about your friends, which I’m terribly sorry about. But a smile means you have something to, well, smile about. If you pardon the cheesy line.”
A small grin broke out across her face. “If we’ve learned anything from Pinkie Pie, that is true.”
He nodded solemnly. “And I know you’ll be smiling big time once we find them all.”
“I hope we do,” she said, her head tilting to the side.
“Oh, we will.” Doctor Hooves gave her a look full of confidence and something else she couldn’t quite describe. He turned to the right before she could decipher it. Whatever it was began to eat her away, as curiosity was a funny thing.
“You sound… pretty sure of yourself. That we’ll find them.” Roseluck’s smile faded. Visions of empty neighboring houses entered her mind. Empty, dusty, and oh so lonely. Shaking her head, she blurted out, “What if they’re gone, Doctor? What if-what if they’re just… gone forever, like something even worse happened to them?”
Doctor Hooves glanced over his shoulder at her, and suddenly, she could feel tears stinging her eyes. She shifted her head away from him and, when she returned, Muffins, who whispered something to the Doctor, and brushed her face of the wet, warm stains.
She wanted to vanish. To wallow in her house again by herself. Not cry in front of these ponies. But here she was, nonetheless.
Embarrassing.
“Roseluck?” He waited, and she knew why. She lifted her head back up to him, but she never quite met his gaze, finding his too intense against her. He sighed and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Listen to me. I’ll do everything I can to find those missing ponies. I won’t leave you and your friends suffering like this. Wherever they are, I will bring them back safe. Everyone.”
She finally looked him in the eye, and she finally found the other thing behind his confidence.
Compassion.
How could I doubt that, of all things?
Gulping away any doubt, she nodded. “Okay, okay. So, uhh, where do we start?”
That confidence arrived again, like a spark of lightning in his eyes. “I believe we’re here. It’s, well, one house we failed to check yesterday.”
Roseluck glanced at where he pointed and frowned. Oh crud.
Roseluck sulked into Daisy’s house. It was the first one the Doctor wished to check out. And really, with one house or the either, she wasn’t delighted to check inside for clues about a kidnapping. She did her best to block out the scenarios in her head as the Doctor observed the living room.
He checked every surface within the small room, and then some. Under the couch, in the bookshelves and in the books themselves, flipping through pages of flora and fauna. He peeked behind and then inside a desk drawer.
“What are you looking for?” she asked. She cringed as he opened a drawer.
His head appeared from the drawers and brushed his hair back. “Looking for anything out of place. Does this seem odd for her to have?”
In his hoof was a notebook paper, scrawled in bold ink writing. Roseluck took a look at the details, then at the very bottom. She snickered under her hoof. “No, this is just a letter she wrote to Noteworthy the other day. They write to each other a lot.” She took the letter in her own grasp, reading through it with nosy eyes. “Unless talking about their book club is anything suspicious.” She gave a weak laugh.
The Doctor shrugged and continued his search. And finally, as he dug into her note drawers further, she bit her lip. And she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Stepping forward, she said softly, “She really likes to keep things neat. She’ll be really upset if you keep throwing things around.”
“Well, I think she’ll understand our intentions.”
Roseluck opened her mouth, but arguing about Daisy’s house items felt so small compared to the situation at hand. Shyly backing away, she shut her mouth again and let him look around some more. And based on the exasperated look he wore every few seconds, she had a feeling this was getting nowhere.
“Let’s try upstairs,” he sighed and marched up the stairs. She hurried after him, her stomach clenching as hope faded further and further. As if each step made it slowly vanish. By the time she reached the top, the Doctor was already inside Daisy’s bathroom, tossing aside shower curtains and opening the cabinet drawers.
Roseluck peered inside, and everything was as she last saw it. “I doubt there’s anything in here…” she whispered.
“Well, can’t hurt to check.” He even checked the top of the toilet, which made her roll her eyes a bit.
They investigated the room for anything out of place. Roseluck assumed he was checking for a clue of another pony who invaded the house, let it be a mane strand, dirtied carpets, etcetera.
Roseluck, for the most part, made quick glances in small corners. She thought back to when she last came into this room, when she was sure everything could be okay. Only it wasn’t, and now she was helping this odd stallion solve a sort of mystery. With a blink, she caught herself looking into a book. Dawn, a romance novel that was about as romantic as sandpaper.
“There really is nothing, Doctor,” she emphasized, slamming the book shut. “I don’t know if the other houses were messed up, too, but I doubt anything’s actually been done in here.” She pondered something, eyeing the book in her hold. She squinted. “Why… why check every corner, though? I mean, would the pony leave clues?”
“No, I was sort of hoping something would be left behind. Anything, anything! But… yes, every single house I’ve seen so far has been…” As if something dawned on him, he stopped his searching. She walked over to him, catching his wide eyes, that blank expression. “It’s spotless. Completely spotless.”
“So what does it mean?”
“There’s not a single sign of a struggle whatsoever. Not a scuffle, nothing tossed out of place in defiance or-or anything. It’s baffling, like there wasn’t even a kidnapping.” He ran a hoof through his mane.
“So all those ponies just decided to-to leave Ponyville? Just like that?” As she said it, she grimaced, realizing her logic crumbled like dried leaves. Daisy and Lily wouldn’t just leave me like that! Never! None of them would leave out of nowhere, right?
“No, no no.” The Doctor shook his head vigorously. “There’s certainly something going on, but it’s something I’ll never quite figure out. It’s—” He blinked, and Roseluck spotted the burst of inspiration lighting in his eyes, but his expression did not make her feel any comfort. He looked rather tired. “It’s not your typical sort of kidnapping.”
“Wait, what do you mean?”
The Doctor burrowed his face into his hoof, groaning. “It’s the work of magic that has to do with them all going missing. I mean, it all adds up to that, but what magic and who performed the magic are still questions, among many, I might add, that aren’t answered yet. And there are too many spells to even consider.”
“We’d still need to find out where they are, too,” Roseluck added.
“Yes,” he said, sighing. “So there’s no knowing how they not only kidnapped them, but what they’ve done with them now.”
“Y-you think somepony… might hurt them?” Her voice quivered. “That they’ll do something to them?”
“No, no, no—well, I can’t say no, but we can hope they won’t. So let’s put that at a maybe, alright?”
Roseluck didn’t respond. She sat on her rump and sighed.
The Doctor straightened up and approached her, eyebrows knitted down. “You alright? Oh!” Realization dawned on his face. “I was rude again, wasn’t I?”
Roseluck nodded, eyes meeting his. “No, no, I get it. It’s fine. Just… tell me they’ll be okay. All of them, please. I…” She stopped talking, unable to finish her sentence out loud. How she needed them.
His mouth opened in an ‘o’ shape, and he lowered himself, as well, to meet her at eye level. “Roseluck, Roseluck, I told you. I’ll do everything to get everyone back home safe. Safe and sound, every single one of them. Your friends, the others. That’s a promise.”
Roseluck nodded, but hung her head in a bit of shame. He told me this already. Why can’t I stop worrying about something awful happening to them? “Ponies aren’t that bad. They wouldn’t do anything serious, I’m sure,” she murmured.
When she looked back up, he was smiling. “I’m sure. Now.” He stepped back, his expression stern again. “There’s nothing in this house either.” He jerked his head to the side, gesturing to the doorway, and Roseluck took the sign quickly. And they trotted down the stairs.
“So the other houses didn’t have anything, either?”
“There was nothing in Amethyst Star’s, Raindrop’s, or Pokey Pierce’s house. At this point, house searching hasn’t been helpful at all. We need to think of something else.” Wrinkles in his features appeared, and he shook his head. “But there’s bound to be something, somewhere.”
Once they exited the house, Muffins flew through the street. She spotted them but kept flying, speeding by them. She let out a squeal and threw her hooves in the air. Stopping mid-flight, she turned back, panting.
“Doc! There was a letter on the Mayor’s doorstep!”
Doctor Hooves looked shocked for a second. “Oh, well, what about it?”
“You should read it. It’s… it’s about the disappearances, she said!” Muffins exclaimed, eyes tiny. “I haven’t read it, but I was thinking you should first! C’mon!” Without warning, she took grip of the Doctor’s fetlock and dragged him to the Mayor’s building.
“Ack! Muffins, please!”
Roseluck hesitated, her hooves tapping the ground before she decided to follow them.
Mayor Mare stood in front of the building, holding the aforementioned note in her hooves. Upon their arrival, she glanced at them, eyes widening. “Oh, thank goodness. Doctor, can you take a look at this?”
She was waiting for him? Roseluck wondered, but then she said aloud to Mayor Mare, “So I guess the Doctor’s pretty big around town.”
Mayor Mare turned to her with a knowing grin. “When the Elements of Harmony are away, he’s proven to be a pony to call for when trouble arises. When he’s not wandering off.” She rolled her eyes, her smile becoming more playful.
Doctor Hooves side eyed her. “Yes, yes, now let’s see that letter.”
Once Mayor Mare handed him the note, Muffins flew to the Doctor’s side. “What does it say?” Muffins asked, peeking over his shoulder to read the letter. She tilted her head, eyes darting back and forth.
Roseluck watched them both read it over. He scanned it once, then a second time but with furrowed brows. Her heart sank as his expression tightened into one of pure anger. Muffins finished it shortly after, and backtracked with her hooves over her mouth. “Oh my gosh!”
She hesitated to ask. “Wh-what’s in it?”
He lowered the letter, eyes sharp and darkened. He shot a glance at the mayor. “How did this letter get to you? Did someone send it to you? Anyone suspicious?”
Roseluck praised Mayor Mare for not folding under that intimidating glare. She simply replied, “No, actually. The letter was tacked onto the door a while ago, if I had to guess. There were no witnesses that noticed somepony doing so, either. Whoever it was must’ve slipped in and out with ease. Doctor, whatever’s done this, they know what they’re doing.”
The Doctor exhaled through his nostrils. “I’m aware. Search the town for anything suspicious. And take a small search team toward the forest, but don’t go in it. We don’t want to lose anyone else, in case that’s where this thing’s hidden.” He crinkled the paper when his grasp tightened, and it slipped from his hoof as he walked over to Mayor Mare.
Roseluck watched the letter float to ground. Muffins flew over to the Doctor, patting his shoulder and muttering unintelligible words of what Roseluck assumed were comfort and reassurance. It only made a surprising burst of curiosity burn within her, and she took the letter. And she started to read it.
It’s been a long time since I’ve come to Ponyville, but I’m not here for pleasantries. I’ll try to make this short. You ponies have something that you owe me.
Money. Lots of it. And I intend to get it back. And here’s how.
I have ponies held captive, and don’t plan on trying to find them. The second you’re seen, you’ll be next. I request two thousand bits to be placed at the edge of the town. Don’t try to play games with traps, either. I’m a stallion who is familiar with my work.
If you choose not to, or perhaps the money is unavailable at the time, then I understand. But understand that those ponies I took with me are not leaving anytime soon unless I receive that money back. I will not be returning them until two thousand bits are within my grasp.
Let’s do this peacefully. No one has to get hurt.
Soothing Tunes
Rose’s hooves shook.
No one has to get hurt.
The words on the paper looked strange to her now. She was blessed when the paper was taken from her hooves. Muffins appeared right beside her, but she barely addressed with her a quick sideways glance.
“He actually put his name, too” Muffins noted, tilting the paper on different sides. “Wow, he’s pretty sure of himself. Soothing Tunes…” She squinted.
Ponies stood all around them, the news of the situation at hand catching their attention. Some looked horrified, and others had furious looks on their faces. Cries and shouts of different thoughts of the problem arose into the gentle and quiet town.
“Can’t we just give him the money?”
“And what’ll that teach him? That capturing ponies will give him money?” another pony suggested with slight hope in his tone.
“We’re not a buncha teachers! Geez!” one groaned.
They all shouted, a crowd searching for some sort of justice coming together. Their sentences faded, only ringing in her ears. There were too many ponies around her right now. If they noticed her shutting her eyes, they did not say anything to her about it. And throughout it all, the letter’s words still banged in her ears.
Her eyes snapped open. Muffins and the Doctor stood right in front of her. She had no idea who spoke, but both of their gazes look concerned.
“Are you okay? You zoned out!” Muffins exclaimed, throwing her hooves into the air.
Roseluck nodded her head. “Y-yeah. Sorry, I—yeah, I zoned out. It’s okay.” Their worried expressions stayed, with the Doctor looking a bit dubious, as well. She shook her head. “Do you still have the letter?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, but then cleared his throat. “Yes. And we have a bit to talk about it.” He rose his hoof, revealing the letter in his grasp. “Muffins, can we head to your house to discuss this?”
Muffins clapped her hooves. “Yes! I even have these tasty biscuits from the market, if you’re still hungry.” She walked over to Roseluck and wrapped a hoof around her. “C’mon, let’s go. I think you need it.”
“I… maybe… maybe I should go home now.”
Muffins’s eyes widened. “What? But we’re getting closer! You can help us!”
“How?”
Muffins shrugged. “I dunno, but we can see how it goes.” She smiled again. “Please? The biscuits have strawberry filling!”
Roseluck hesitated, and then looked at Doctor Hooves, who smiled as well. Their kind smiles, and Daisy and Lily wandered in her mind. She nodded. “Okay, I’ll join you guys.”
***
Doctor Hooves began pushing a hoof through his mane, only to make an exasperated noise and smack said his face against the table. Their snacks shook, but Muffins and Roseluck said nothing. They scarcely exchanged glances as they waited. While waiting, they took turns looking over the letter as they ate the biscuits.
Roseluck looked over several particular lines but said nothing. Instead, she heard the Doctor clear his throat, and she picked her head up.
He was adjusting his tie. “Sorry, just… despite this bit of evidence, it helps so little!” He picked up the piece of paper and smacked it. “Nothing! All we figured out is that the kidnapper has taken them during night time, and that he has them somewhere nearby, taking them away with magic. And for what? Money! It doesn’t change.”
“What doesn’t change?” Roseluck said, raising a brow in question.
The Doctor blinked then shrugged. “Well, in a sort of humble town like this, you’d think ponies would be less… superficial. That’s all. But nope.”
“We could just try to use a search team to find them,” Muffins offered, hoof in the air like she was in a classroom. She then scratched her cheek. “It’d be hard to start off, though.”
“They can’t be far, though,” Roseluck whispered, staring into her drink.
“Huh?”
“She has a point, Muffins,” the Doctor spoke up for her, which surprised her, considering she spoke quietly. She let him go on, though. “The pony tacked that note right in Ponyville. So they can’t be too far to track.”
“Doc! You don’t think… that they’re in the Everfree Forest, do you? It would be way too good a hiding place,” Muffins suggested, her pupils shrinking.
Rose’s face paled as she thought of Daisy and Lily in that treacherous forest. The monsters she’s heard of from stories, rumors that could very easily be true.
“Yes, it’s highly likely, but considering the things seen in there, having a whole bunch of ponies in there doesn’t sound safe. So he’s got to be hiding himself and the others somewhere. A hole in the ground, a cave, or even try to make a treehouse, of all things!” He leaned onto the table, hooves holding his head as he lowered it slightly. “Somewhere to trap them.”
“So you’re just gonna walk into that horrible place? Is that safe?” Roseluck blurted, eyes growing wide at the concept.
“It’d be tricky. That’d take days to search,” the Doctor muttered. “That place is nothing in comparison to what I’ve seen—it’s a playground on the side, frankly! However, it’s a big space, especially for little ponies like us. And I’d rather not have you or Muffins here in the middle of that.”
Muffins scoffed, still smiling. “I told you before, Doctor! I can handle myself just fine. But you’re still right.” She puckered her lips out. “Even if they are in there, it’s very big. So that doesn’t help.”
“There is something.”
All eyes were on Roseluck, causing her to shrink in her seat. The particular lines had come into her mind, but she had small hopes it would work. The Doctor gestured for her to continue, which she eventually did. She tapped her hooves together as she said, “Isn’t that pony going to come to town for the money? He said he wanted the money at the edge of Ponyville. Once he’s here, we can get him then, right?”
The Doctor sighed. “Yes, but he’s intent on hiding himself. So that would be… mighty risky, I’d say. Who knows what he’s capable of, if he kidnaps ponies for revenge schemes. Plus, we’re not even sure when this’ll happen. He’d want to do it when no one would notice.”
Rose backed away from the table, her face gradually lighting up. “The night time! The girls and I like to hang out at night to check on our gardens and watch the night sky, and almost always there’s hardly anyone out except for a few other ponies.”
“Not enough to really worry about, I’d assume?” the Doctor asked, but his smile told her he knew the answer.
“It’d to be too dark for anypony who wasn’t paying attention to notice him!” Muffins realized. “And the night lasts, well, all night. He can come at any time.”
“But we could if we’re watching out for him! The whole night!” Roseluck said, a smile painting her face.
“Are you suggesting a lookout?” the Doctor flashed a smirk, stepping closer to Roseluck.
Her excitement grew, and she wondered if it was obvious on her face. “Exactly, yeah! And once we find him, we can stop him.”
“Or even better; we can figure out how he’s taking them and where they all are, brilliant! God, why hadn’t I seen that? I’m really out of it with this one!” he exclaimed, a manic smile growing on his face as he threw up his hooves before his eyes met hers. “Wonderful, Roseluck. Knew you had it in you.”
Roseluck turned her head to the floor to hide the wide grin on her face. “If it’ll save my friends.”
“That it will.” He turned to Muffins, his manic manner calming into a more somber tone. “We’ll set up a lookout tonight atop your house. It’s the closest to the edge of Ponyville, but we don’t have to worry about being seen. Don’t want to scare off him off.”
Muffins flew up, wings fluttering in a cheerful beat. “I’ll find some binoculars.”
“Do we really have to stay on the roof like this?”
Roseluck covered her eyes for a moment, groaning under her breath. They sat atop Muffin’s house as the stars started peeking out for the clear night. Even if it was the only house they had access to that had a roof safe enough to sit properly on, as well as a good spot to lurk where Mayor Mare placed a bag of what was apparently money, Roseluck kept her gaze away from the edge.
They had offered their plan to Mayor Mare, who even suggested that a decoy be placed at the edge of town, rather than the amount of money that she did not have at the moment. Roseluck had only hopes to go on that this would succeed, but smiled anyway.
“Don’t worry about it, Roseluck!” Muffins took Rose’s hooves off her face to smile at her. She slung her arm around the earth pony, holding her close. “We wouldn’t let you fall. And hey, it’s only three floors.”
“Three floors,” Roseluck scoffed to the side. To distract herself, she sat back and kept her attention on the sky. She smiled at the bright moon and navy sky. “At least it’s pretty out tonight.”
“I love stargazing! We both do!” Muffins nudged the Doctor, adding in a wink. “Don’t we, Doc?”
The Doctor blinked, but then his face lit up with a toothy grin. “Yeah, it’s always a good experience. So many sights to see just by looking up. Wonderful, innit?”
Roseluck shrugged. “I guess.”
“Aww, c’mon. Wouldn’t you like to see what’s out there?” Muffins held her face against her hooves. “I bet there’s a lot to see.”
`“I never really thought about it. I’ve always just been a flower pony.”
Muffins’s lips pursed, but then her face lit up. “There’s probably lots of planets that have tons of cool plants and junk. You think so, Doctor?”
Doctor Hooves shot her a look, which she only giggled at. He rolled his eyes and said, “There are… I’m assuming billions upon billions of planets out there. I doubt even we ponies have seen all of them.”
Roseluck smiled. “I can’t imagine whatever sort of other flowers there could be.”
“Want me to... think of some?”
Roseluck glanced at him. And she laughed at his giant eyes, how excited and interested he looked. “I guess. What could there be?”
“Let’s see… imagine it. Flowers that change color and size, depending on the season—yes, ones that can last all year. But they hide away for a year before coming back, so it’s one year they’re there, another gone. Or perhaps you’ll like these sunflower-like ones that dance in the sunlight—literally, dance! They know all sorts of dance moves!”
Roseluck could practically feel her eyes lighting up. The images popped into her head, she imagined herself reaching out in front of her, and she could feel their petals right in front of her. She grinned at him. “You should write a book. Those sound amazing.”
He shrugged, but his rather smug smirk stayed. “You never know.”
Muffins went from keeping her eyes on different parts of the street, and floated over to them. “Oohh, we make such a good team,” she said, putting a hoof around each of them and pulling them into a side hug. “If only this didn’t take so long… I know! You should tell me about what happened with the Isos.”
“I didn’t tell you already?” the Doctor gawked. He scoffed under his breath. “Blimey, I’ve told you plenty stories, can’t believe I never brought it up.”
Muffins leaned toward them. “Well, now we have all night, so go ahead!” She rested her head above her hooves, silently pleading at the pair of them.
“You can start with that, Roseluck,” the Doctor said, pointing to her, “seeing as you and your friends were the victims of that.”
Roseluck pressed her lips together and quickly peered over the edge. “Well, it was really weird, when we saw what happened. Me and the others woke up, and all of our flowers were just… they were gone! I mean, most of them. There were a few left, but we had no idea what happened to the others. We just started panicking, but once we relaxed, we knew we had to find out what to do. We’d lose business if we kept losing flowers!”
“And that’s where I came in!” Doctor Whooves interrupted with great pride in his voice. Muffins noticed this, too, and giggled under her hoof. He failed to hear her and continued, “I remember inspecting the fields, and I had noticed a strange smell in the air. Like a mix of copper and oranges, of all things. A weird combination, but it was pretty nice, frankly.”
“What did that mean?” Muffins asked, eyes glowing.
“That was just the scent of the creatures, and when they took the flowers, they left it behind. They took them to get home, so when she told me about what happened, I had Roseluck follow me through the forest to find them.”
“We didn’t go into the forest, thank goodness. But we had these weird glasses that could tell you where they were. They were… really tiny.” Roseluck placed her hooves close together, inches apart.
“Blink, and you miss it!” He grinned. “Yes. They could only be seen by the radiation that hovered around them due to their traveling. That’s why I had them, to find them! Yeah, once we found them flying toward a bridge, it took a little convincing to get them out, but I think we did a good job.”
“I didn’t really do much,” she pointed out with a raising of an eyebrow in disbelief.
“You helped!” he exclaimed in slight protest, perking up his muzzle. “You convinced the Isos to change modes of transportation and find flowers in the Everfree Forest to use instead.”
She gave him a casual shrug. “I would hate to see all of our work just gone, so I had to say something. Plus, there are tons of flowers in the forest, like the blue anemones and beardless iris.” Roseluck thought about it for a moment then added, “They were actually pretty easy going about the change. I guess they just needed something to take them home. Though one of them really liked the blue flower." She giggled. "It was practically spinning around. At least, I'm pretty sure."
“That’s awesome!” Muffins’ face lit up like a young foal on Hearth’s Warming. She even clapped. “There has to be more stuff we can talk about.”
Roseluck laughed behind her hooves. “You could tell me some adventures you two have been on. I guess you guys have seen a lot of stuff.”
“Oh, Muffins doesn’t want to hear those again.” He threw a dismissive wave, laying back to avoid her gaze. “Besides, we should pay attention to the streets.”
“Nu-uh! They probably sound better the second time.” Muffins lay back, placing her head over the edge of the roof and turning her head over her shoulder to look at the Doctor. “More stories! And I am watching the streets, promise!”
“Watch your head, Muffins!” Roseluck shouted, flailing her front hooves.
Muffins giggled. “Oh, I’m fine. Now, lesse. Oh!” She brought her hooves together. “Doc, you gotta tell her the story of the time… “
Roseluck kept her gaze downward, only looking to the side every so often to look at the Doctor or Muffins. And even then, her ears listened on with intent. His stories were filled with detail and lore that reminded her of glorious, world building novels. Visits to other parts of Equestria, through forests and even across the sea at one point. Yet they always returned to Ponyville, no matter how far they went.
As time wore on, and the night became pitch black, she saw that Muffins had fallen asleep as the Doctor finished his latest story, and Muffins curled by the window that led them to the roof as he went on. Something about sea ponies and a shotgun wedding with a crowd of thousands, only to be interrupted by an old lover stepping out. Straight out of a romance novel, she thought with a hint of awe.
“Doctor,” Roseluck whispered to catch his attention. She pointed at Muffins when he stopped. “Should, uh, we wake her up?”
The Doctor glanced at her. “Nah, let her sleep. She has been working hard the past few days. What with this and her job and her family, I’m surprised she still manages to join us. Since she’s often busy, she can’t really join in as much.”
Roseluck noticed him drifting off, but smiled. “She seems like a great friend.”
“Sweet mare, she is,” the Doctor said, smiling at the sleeping pegasus. “She was friendly towards me right from the start. As-as soon as I came to Ponyville, of course. She helped me get used to things, you could say.”
“Oh, did something bad happen?”
The Doctor did not respond, his focus fading. And it hurt her heart like every other time he did that. Only this time, she wanted to know. She was dying to find out. She gulped away her fear as best as she could.
“Did I, uh, do something wrong?” Roseluck blushed. Oh, that still sounds bad! Dang it! ”God, I’m sorry, I’m just… wondering.”
“No, no no no no,” he repeated in a hurry, even waving his hooves. He grimaced at her. “I never meant to make you think that. No, it’s not you, Roseluck. Not even close. You’re perfectly fine. Wonderful, even. Real smart, too.”
She brushed off the compliment with a dismissive wave. “Okay, okay. Then, um, is everything okay?” He didn’t respond, keeping quiet again. Her curiosity only grew, and she couldn’t help herself. “Did this guy take a friend of yours?”
A shake of the head, and he said, “Nah, it was—it was something else.” Roseluck saw his eyes wander to the skies, zoning out so far away. She followed his gaze only to see the glittering stars, and she wondered what he saw beyond that.
“I-I’m sorry,” she muttered, looking back at his spaced out expression. Would he even hear her?
He swallowed a lump in his throat, those brilliant blue eyes returning to reality as he blinked. “‘S fine. Nothing you could control. Something I couldn’t possibly control, either.” He sighed. “If only…”
Roseluck gulped, and rather than let the awkwardness continue, said, looking down, “So have you seen anything? I haven’t seen anything suspicious all night. It’s hard to see.”
“Nope. And surely, we would’ve heard something. Unless they took a different route…” He brushed the back of his head. “But how they planned to come into down, without expecting some sort of ponies watching out, does confuse me.”
That’s when she heard it, and she jerked up. A sweet melody flowed through the air, a haunting aria. Yet it was still beautiful, and she zoned out. Only when the Doctor called out her name, shaking her shoulder a touch, did she wake up.
“Music? Somepony playing so late?” Roseluck muttered, her ears twitching as she tilted her head about to find the direction of the noise.
“Sounds like a flute,” the Doctor noted, his eyebrows perked up, but she could see the shock . Perching his hoof on his forehead, he scanned the town for the source, as well. Both came up with nothing, not a single flute player in sight. “But where?”
“It’s somewhere out there. Far out of town.” The Doctor pointed out, then shouted, “Muffins, wake up! We need to get going, fast! That could be them.”
No response.
“Muffins?”
They looked to the Doctor’s side where they expected Muffins to be snoring in a peaceful sleep. Yet she had disappeared, slipping away from them without a noise. The window, before shut once they found the spot on the roof, was wide open, bubble printed curtains billowing inside. They were quick to get up and search the ground and even the sky.
“Where did—?”
“Doctor!” Roseluck screeched in desperation. She pointed and shouted, “There!”
The Doctor followed her hoof and saw Muffins flying in the street. She was heading toward the edge of town.
The music swelled, rising to a B note rather than a lower one. And she bent down to pick up the bag of fake money to place it into her mouth. Somewhere out there, the melody softened before she started heading out to Ponyville, and the other two watched in horror as she flew away.
“She wouldn’t,” Roseluck whispered.
“Of course she wouldn’t,” the Doctor objected, his words coming out in a rush as he watched. “I’ve known her this long, and it just isn’t in her nature. So it’s not her, but something with the music.” Realization washed over the Doctor’s face, with horror etched in his features. “No, no, no, no! Muffins! C’mon!” He raced to the roof window, running downstairs.
Roseluck trotted after him, but he was already heading out of Ponyville by the time she reached the street.
She looked around as she followed him. No signs of Soothing Tunes. Her stomach twisted. The plan failed. Herplan failed. And she and the Doctor were running to stop their friend from becoming a pawn in Soothing Tune’s game.
I can’t do anything right, can I? she thought with a bitter taste in her mouth. As she began catching up to the Doctor, she could hear his frantic voice calling out to his close friend.
“Muffins!”
She didn’t say a word, not even a single muscle twitched in response. She continued flying farther and farther, and with each fluttering of her wings, the distance between them increased. Even as the Doctor and Roseluck hurried their pace, they failed to catch up to her.
They left Ponyville behind and began heading toward the Everfree forest. Roseluck could feel her stomach clenching up.
By the time they reached the forest, Muffins had vanished deep inside. Not a pony to be seen. Roseluck looked around, hoping for a sign that she went in any other direction but north.
All that was around them, however, was Fluttershy’s empty, unlit cottage. The Doctor looked inside, his teeth bared. His expression tight and furious, he turned away with a swipe of his leg against the wall.
And he took a few steps toward the forest.
Rose caught her breath, as well as the Doctor’s movement. She gasped.
“Doctor, no!” she urged, grabbing him by his foreleg before she could think.
“What?!” he barked.
Roseluck skidded to a stop, and it took him a moment to realize she stopped following him. He looked over his shoulder, and her heart stuttered. Her mouth went dry, words failing her.
His eyes were wild, dark with fury and seething vengeance. Roseluck stepped back, feeling her back tremble. The stallion before her changed within seconds, turning into this angry, intimidating stranger. And she couldn’t turn from his haunting gaze. Tears stung her eyes.
“We-we can’t go in there now.” She stood in his path, those dark eyes still staring daggers at her, even if they had softened. “It’s too dark to see anything! You’ll just be… wandering around, and you’ll never be able to find her like that! We need to wait until tomorrow!”
“I’ll take my chances.” He marched forward.
Panic sent shocks through her body, but she pressed onward.
“Doctor, please, it-it-it’ll be okay. We’ll find her, I promise—”
“Oh, we will.”
“But not like this!”
He continued onward. And realizing where they were, Roseluck stopped cold in her tracks. She tried to call for the Doctor, but her voice was lost, trapped in her own throat. Biting back her fear, she ran into the Everfree Forest.
The shadows followed her. That was what she thought, at least. Every corner of the forest, no source of light could be found. She slowed her hoofsteps. “Doctor? Doctor Hooves?” she whispered in the dark forest.
A silhouette of a stallion appeared in her vision. At the same time, a creature crawled from a horde of bushes. The creature let out strange noises, its pincers opening and closing, and the stallion turned around, his eyes a brilliant blue.
“Doctor, we need to go now. Please,” she pleaded in a murmur.
He failed to listen. Again. She groaned and started walking toward him. Even as he continued forward, she followed after him, muttering his name with a slight beg. The deeper they would dive into the forest, the more horrors they’d face. Just the thought made fear grab at her heart.
Then the creature stood in front of her, directly between her and Doctor Hooves. A giant spider, furry with beady red eyes staring into her soul. She backtracked and froze. Her body could not move any longer. She thought of those sharp teeth, that noise it made with said teeth, the pincers. Inches from her skin.
It reached out to her.
“Doctor!” she screeched.
With his head turning over his shoulder, the Doctor’s anger extinguished enough to show a tired stallion underneath, whirling around to face her. She shut her eyes moments after. She expected fangs to dig into her, or the spider to drag her deeper into the forest, lost forever--
But nothing happened.
She opened one eye, and above her, the Doctor stood. He offered her a hoof, and she took it. Only then did she noticed that she was shaking, that she had fallen on her flank. As she observed his face, she saw the darkness in his eyes fading, his icy blue eyes returning. His breathing was still unsteady, however, and Rose even saw a few pieces of his hair sticking out of place.
He gestured at the spider, which backed away, and she almost swore it looked guilty. It poked at its pincers. Even if it did, she decided not pay further attention to it.
“The giant spiders here are surprisingly friendly at the edge of the forest. It just wanted to say hello, although I can see how you’d think otherwise,” he said, although his voice was void of any pride or cheer, as opposed to when he went on and on about various facts.
“Doctor, I know this is bad, but something good came out of this.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “How is this a good thing?”
It took all her strength to speak up, her mind scrambling for the pieces. “T-t-t-the music. It’s the music that takes them. While they’re sleeping, Soothing Tunes plays a song that hypnotizes ponies randomly and lures them to the forest. We know this now! I-if we stop him, we can free everyone!” She steadied her breathing. “But-but we can’t do that… not right now. It’s too dangerous out in the dark like this. We have no idea where we could go! Please.” Her voice cracked at the end.
“We go in there. Tomorrow, after getting some rest, we’re going into the forest. No more games.” Though his determined voice did not waver, his hardened mask broke in the end.
She began to grow hesitant and observed the entrance to the forest, began to think of excuses to not go. Noises of chittering, mysterious animals echoed from inside, and the night only made it more ominous.
But the Doctor’s worried expression crossed her vision, and she thought of Daisy, Lily, and now Muffins. Somewhere in that creepy place, held captive by a selfish, greedy musician…
The whole walk to her house that night had been filled with silence. The Doctor didn’t say a word on their trek back to Ponyville, not even a goodbye as she arrived at her house. Roseluck snuck a look at him every once in awhile, but his icy stare had stayed on the ground.
Even if she could think of what to say to him, did she really want to say it?
That answer was certainly no. No words were spoken, even as she returned to her house. The Doctor simply… walked briskly past it, as if it were nothing. Roseluck could feel a tinge of fear in her chest, knowing she could not bring herself to say anything to him. At least until his anger died down. Though he never said where to meet him the next morning.
She failed to sleep most of the night.
Even though the music stopped once they returned home, the worry of it returning in her sleep didn’t leave her as she tossed and turned in her bed. As if she’d be next. Her mind refused to turn off.
Poor Muffins… she thought in her bed, eyes wide and her mind running miles and miles afar. How could she possibly have let this happen? That was number three to add to her list of ponies she would worry endlessly over until they were safe. They had slipped away in a blink of her eyes.
Eventually, however, her mind slowed and slowed, exhaustion taking over. The long day overwhelmed her, and with a weary sigh, she fell asleep just as the sky began to brighten.
***
For once, Roseluck found herself not waking up as soon as it became bright out. Checking her clock downstairs, it turned out to be after noon. Under normal considerations, she would panic and rush to her rose stand. But work, for once, was pushed into the back of her head for another day, a day when she knew her friends were safe and sound.
She did her daily morning routines—though her stern cleaning would have wait another day—and once finished with breakfast, she walked to the door With some clues as to where their friends were, she knew that today she and the Doctor had to search through the Everfree Forest for any of them. She gulped, realizing her hoof was shaking.
Roseluck sighed. Let's just get it over with, alright? For Daisy, Lily, and Muffins, and everypony else!
Stepping outside, she looked around. Then she jumped. Doctor Hooves stood outside, one side of his body pressed against the wall of her house. His ears perked when she walked in front of him, and he blinked several times.
“H-have you been standing there for too long?” she asked.
“Nahh, just stumbled here a bit ago. Coincidences can be fun, I think. Hello!” He waved and smiled weakly.
Roseluck did not believe that entirely. With one look, she saw the lines under his eyes. She frowned and stepped forward hesitantly, hoof hovering in the air, as if ready to point at his face. “Did you sleep last night?”
The Doctor scoffed, a smirk falling on his lips. “I don’t need sleep much, actually. I’m a very perky night person. Besides, I’ve been keeping an eye out in case the pony might’ve come back. The fake money bit probably wasn’t pleasing to them.”
She nodded. “Or… how about breakfast? I just had some pancakes, but I could make you some more or—”
He chuckled, cutting her off. It failed to lessen her concern. “Don’t worry about me, okay?”
Too late. However, pressing on the matter would not convince him to spill; this much she knew. So she changed subjects.
“So did that pony use his, uh, his magic spell again?” she asked. “I-I fell asleep sometime late in the night.”
“Nope.” He popped his lips on the ‘p.’ “I suppose that that was just to… have someone to bring him the money instead of going himself. Plus, no one else went missing, according to Mayor Mare. He’s likely done this before.”
Roseluck’s face paled. “What, kidnapped ponies for ransom?”
He blew a raspberry in response. “Probably not. Then we’d know more about this sort. Ponies notorious for that sort of thing aren’t swept away from the news that quickly.” He shook his head. “No, no, I’m thinking of using this gift to lure any sort of creature around. Like a Pied Piper.”
“Pied Piper?”
The Doctor shot her a look, appearing shocked at this revelation, and sputtered, “You don’t have that here, either?”
Roseluck raised a brow at him. “No?”
“Fine.” He sighed, and brushed a few strands of hair from his face. “Come on. I have a few things to get before we go into the forest.” He leaned in towards her, eyebrows quirked. “You sure you don’t mind following me into the Everfree Forest?”
She failed to respond immediately. It took a long gulp followed by a sigh under her breath. “Yeah, yeah. I want to help.”
The Doctor smiled lightly. “That’s good of you. I know this is tough, but we’ll fix everything.” When she nodded with slight agreement, he added, his hoof tapping his chin, “But first, I need to get something from my house. It’ll only take a moment.” He gestured for her to follow him, and he started walking. Roseluck quickly caught up with him.
The town was quiet. The occasional pony or group of ponies would pass them, but that was it. Even an upbeat town like Ponyville could get scared enough to keep to themselves within their safe abodes.
They arrived to the Doctor’s house, and when he went inside, he flicked a switch to bring the dark living room to life. She followed him into the building but stopped at the sight of what lay inside.
An endless array of gadgets spread all across the room, from the ground to the tables, and some even hung on the ceiling. Computers spread across some sides, revealing numbers and equations that flew over her head. She eyed most of the objects, thinking as to what they’d do, if they do anything. Looking around again, she failed to see any normal furniture. No couches, and little space to actually sit down.
“I’ve never seen anything like… any of this before,” she said, gesturing out across the room. Saying this as opposed to something like, “Weird, weird, and extremely weird,” sounded preferable.
“Well, that’s to be expected. I don’t know many ponies that are fascinated with the sort of stuff I’m into. Everyone’s all about the magic of things, not asking for many explanations.” He scoffed. “You silly ponies fail to understand the beauty of science! Perhaps I’m just in the wrong place…” He shrugged, kneeling down while moving different objects aside in search of whatever else he needed.
“So what do you need? Will it help us find everypony?”
In a second, he straightened his posture and turned back to her. He grinned widely, almost like a madman. “Yes! And of course, the one behind all of this. I just need to find it… hmm, hold on.” And he dived his whole head into a pile of what appeared to be junk, but he’d likely disagree about that.
When he pulled back, he held a square metal object in his grasp. With a press of the button on the side, it whirred to life with a small start. And a radar at the top echoed, but nothing else changed otherwise.
“What is that?” she asked, trying to hide back her surprise.
“Don’t have a name for it, but it does go doot! An adorable little noise. When there’s a particularly strange source of magic, it goes off. Not just regular magic from unicorns, because this thing would go off too much. And not… not Discord weird, thankfully. Because this manipulation magic from music is more like a curse, so there’s got to be a source to track. But if we try and use this on our walk through the forest, then we can find the source. So long as we’re careful and sneaky, we could find him without getting caught.” The more he explained, the more animated his expression grew. And he even waved it around in quick, dance-like movement.
“Well, that’s good,” Roseluck giggled. “But… why couldn’t it find out where it was coming from before?” It would’ve been nice to use a few days ago!
“Not a large enough radius. This small thing can only do so much. If we search around the Everfree Forest, we’ll have a better field to search around. Hopefully,” he muttered in equal disappointment, but he gave it a small pat. “Better than nothing, though! We should get going. Don’t want it to get dark before we find them.”
“Yes,” was her immediate response, the memories of the forest last night the least welcoming.
***
The entrance of the Everfree forest stood before them. The sky looked normal, and no noises could be heard. So far, she had no reason to feel nervous, yet she rubbed her foreleg anyway.
“I’ll be honest, I’m, uh… I’m still worried,” she muttered as they entered the forest. “About what’s in there.”
“Oh, it could be far worse!” the Doctor said. With his gaze away from her, he failed to see the tightening of her expression. “Maybe we’ll miss them! Or find that friendly little spider.”
“That doesn’t exactly make it any better,” she said under her breath. She raised her voice to add, “But I’ve never really been in here. Lots of ponies don’t just… just go in there, and it’s for a good reason. It’s too dangerous.”
“We were here for the situation with the Isos, remember?” His eyes shined.
“B-but weren’t we outside the forest? We never really went into the… the really dangerous parts. I’ve only heard of the stories, but there are t-timberwolves and bears and tons of other creatures. Creatures that probably bite and just… they just sound awful, okay?” She grit her teeth.
“Then we’ll keep an eye out for them.”
They arrived to the entrance of the forest, and her hooves instantly began to quake. Despite the brave face she pulled, she could feel it cracking as the whistles of unknown creatures echoed from inside. There was that one spider, but how many would act the same?
“And this place is weird… aside from that! It’s not under control of the Pegasus weather. The weather just… it just happens!” A shiver crawled down her spine as she looked up at the sky. Through the shades of the trees, clouds breezed through the sky—on their own schedule.
The Doctor nodded curtly and reached up to grab a branch of a tree. “As it should. Nature should be natural. It’s in the name! Nature, natural.” He tilted his head to the side with a crooked grin.
Roseluck shook her head. “I guess, but… it’s still weird.”
Atop the branch, he reached up as high as he could, standing on the edges of his back hooves and dangling one forehoof against a branch above him.
“Anything?”
A moment of quiet, and once his face lit up. “Something! A little bit northeast, and pretty far away, but a signal is better than nothing.” He jumped from the branch, though he lands with little grace and some stumbling in the end. Under his breath, he muttered something about not getting used to something, but Roseluck failed to catch it all.
Straightening himself up, Doctor Hooves pointed forward. “Onward, Roseluck!”
And he all but skipped deeper into the mouth of the Everfree. Roseluck smiled a little, despite herself, and hurried to keep up with him. Losing him so instantly while travelling inside was one of the last things she wanted to happen at the moment.
Crickets chirped somewhere far off. They had to walk over thick bushes, some of which were filled with thorns, and duck under low branches. Flowers were a treasure to her, but all this bothersome foliage started to make her grumble under her breath. To her left, path caught her attention, and off in the distance, she caught a door dug into a large tree.
“I’ll never understand zebras.”
The Doctor stopped and gave her a quirked brow, but he grinned. “Now that’s a little rude, I think. And a bit random, though random pieces of conversation will make time go by quicker. Why’s that?”
Her eyes pointed down the path. “She’s the only one I even know of that decides to live here. Fluttershy kinda lives at the edge of the forest, but she doesn’t live in it. Zecora’s all the way in the middle of this place! How could she possibly live around here?”
“She’s loads of fun, actually. I visit her from time to time, have drinks, talk about this and that and that and this.” With each word, he swerved his body around.
She rolled her eyes.
“Even her speech is fun. It gets contagious, and often, I’ll start joining in with the rhyming. That’s fun, too! Even if her magic and potions still befuddled me.” He shrugged, and then directed them at a sharp east. “You just have to get to know her.”
“Well, I don’t really know her. I don’t talk to her, actually. Maybe once or twice, I did.” She paused, and a little hope rose within her. “Do you think she could help?”
“I asked her after you went home,” he replied, eyes falling. “She heard the noise but couldn’t trace it. Almost like the music was everywhere. So searching for it through ears would be fruitless.”
Roseluck simply made a noise of disappointment.
The forest’s mass was larger than she anticipated. And filled with more flora, certainly. They had to brush past thick bushes and even a few thorny plants. Roseluck could feel a prick in her side, but only for a second. Doctor Hooves moved forward, so she had to catch up. It was as if he was barely phased by his surroundings.
Her… not so much.
She gave small attempts to try and enjoy something of this place. Some plants and flowers bloomed that she had not seen in Ponyville, such as a red flower with white spots, and whenever a strange animal crossed their path, it either ignored them, or the Doctor guided them around it. The strangeness and mystery of the forest intrigued the Doctor. They ranged from bears that strolled with the lunch in their teeth, too satisfied with their findings to bother the ponies, to flocks of butterflies, completely harmless. She guessed they were wandering in a safer part of the woods.
But she almost swore there were whispers, and the darkness in between the trees brought more shivers across her spine. And though they were blessed with what types of creatures they had seen, she peeked around every corner in concern for other, more dangerous animals lurking about.
About an hour in, she sighed, and she wiped a hoof across her forehead, drops of sweat sticking to her forelocks. “Doctor, how much longer will this take? I mean, I feel like we’ve been trotting in circles. Like… we’re not getting any closer.”
The Doctor stuck his tongue out as he whacked the side of the device. “Well… hmm.”
“W-what? Something wrong?”
“The directions does appear to be changing quite a lot. I didn’t notice, but… see?”
He leaned toward her, bringing the device into her face. One minute, the red dot appeared and disappeared further northwest. After a few steps forward, the dot changed its mind and moved into the opposite side, more south. Roseluck’s eyes grew smaller.
“What is it doing?” Roseluck squawked, then covered her mouth. Birds from the trees flew off in fear.
“It is possible that the magic is interfering… on purpose. Fighting back! Could be, at least. You never know,” he mused.
“How could it be tricking that thing?!” she shouted, then caught herself. She covered her mouth once more, then continued in a low whisper, “How does magic interfere with strange technology that doesn’t… that doesn’t even know it exists?!”
“I share the same irritation with the anomalies of magic,” he grumbled, his lips pouting out similar to an annoyed child. “Besides, I just made this about a week back. I haven’t had the chance to use it yet, technically.”
“Seriously?” She couldn’t help her exasperated tone, but he failed to notice it anyway and just nodded. Roseluck clutched her head, and dread washed over her. “Then what if we’re going in the wrong direction?”
“Then we keep going! And look, we haven’t found trouble yet. Well, trouble usually finds me, but that’s the fun part.” His smile grew, the kind of oblivious look that drew in more anger and even panic into the mare.
“This is awful. Doctor, what if we’ve been going in the wrong direction the whole time?” Her voice shook. “What if we’re nowhere near where that pony is?”
He only stared at the device, even tore the back of it open. Wires stuck out from its insides, but he made no attempt to answer her question. A creature howled out in the distance, and her hooves shook.
“I don’t think I can do this,” Roseluck said. “Can’t we try tomorrow?”
“Roseluck,” he addressed her with stern strictness in his voice. She froze up, shoulders stiff, and she looked up at him with scared eyes. “I know you’re scared, and what we have to go by isn’t a lot, but we need to keep trying. Ponies are relying on us, Roseluck, and we owe it to them and our friends to try and try, until we get there.”
“You don’t need me,” she whispered. “I’m here just because… just because! I-I...” Her voice caught in her throat, and she shook her head. “I’m going home. I’m sorry. I can’t.”
She turned around and ran. Ran far, far away. Even as she found it difficult to find a sense of direction, she ran with tears slipping from her face.
There was no sign of a clearing anywhere. Just as they had gotten lost in the forest together, she only made it worse, running off on her own. She knew this but kept going. There had to be an exit somewhere, right? She thought this, but as the thick of trees continued following her, her confidence in this faded.
She walked further and further, taking small turns. Her chest tightened as a light mist slipped across the ground. The fog weakened her vision, and she tried to see before her, perhaps a flower she had seen on the path on their way here or a clearing of sorts.
None came to her, and she looked over her shoulder every once in a while, as if feeling the Doctor’s gaze on her. Whether it was filled with disappointment or disgust at her abandoning him, it was only her guess. She wouldn’t blame him. I’d be no help, anyway. What can I do?
She wandered further until she looked above. The sky burned pink with wisps of orange. The sun was beginning to set. Roseluck wrapped her forelegs together as she sat down, panting to catch her breath. After running and hiding and crying, she felt tired. So tired. They’ll understand, right? I tried, but I can’t.
Roseluck kept searching for signs that she was near the edge of the forest, such as seeing the flowers she had seen on their journey here. But no red and white spotted flowers, and she could not find a group of drooping buttercups.
A roar screeched beside her, and she let out a scream before she could stop herself. Roseluck tried biting her lip to cut herself off, and her legs shivered underneath her. Shame washed over her, and she forced back more tears.
Who am I kidding?! I’m so stupid. Stupid stupid! What was I thinking? This isn’t me! Adventures and facing scary monsters! What am I doing here?!
Roseluck retreated into a high patch of grass that stretched over her head upon sitting down. It took only a second before she felt something crawl onto her leg. Whatever it was made a clicking noise, and when she looked down, a bug with large pincers greeted her. She shook it off with a shriek.
Curling herself into a protective form, she buried her face into her hooves. Her breathing calmed, but her brain kept racing.
Something crushed the ground underneath its feet, somewhere not too far away from her. Roseluck straightened herself and peeked through the grass.
“Doctor? Are you there? Listen, I’m just... ” Even though she had no way to tell it was him, the words spilled from her mouth anyway. When he didn’t respond, she stepped back. “Doctor?”
What if the pony they were searching for found her, or—
Her heart thudded when it came into view, only by silhouette. Even so, it was by no means pony sized. Stepping back, she pressed her body against the uneven bark of a tree.
A manticore stood before her, nostrils flaring. Its teeth shined as its lips curled back. When it hissed, her whole body froze. Roseluck’s hooves were planted on the ground. She wanted to move, she wanted to run, and she wanted to scream. But no. Staring at the giant animal growling before her made her thoughts shut down.
She. Couldn’t. Move.
“C’mon, now, run!”
She felt a hoof around one of hers, tugging her from her frozen stance. Without even knowing, her hooves followed where she was being dragged. It was enough to turn her gaze away from the growling manticore, waking her from the state of shock.
With a shake of the head, she turned to see the Doctor grasping her front hoof as he lead them away from the wild creature. Behind them, the manticore followed, and Roseluck struggled to ignore how close those paws were.
The Doctor and Roseluck ran, dodging trees and other passing animals, some docile and some hissing as they brushed past them. Yet the manticore continued tracking him. And eventually, thunder clapped, and with a glance above, they saw the skies become gray with clouds.
However long they ran, her legs soon began to tire all over again, aching with each step. Panting, she could feel her grip loosen against the Doctor’s. Drops fell from the sky. “Doctor, we can’t keep running!”
“I’m thinking, I’m thinking,” he muttered.
Behind her, the manticore growled. Her skin crawled. She wanted to keep her strength, but it was tiring. She looked around, but it was all the same; trees and small birds and animals hiding in bushes as the frightening monster chased the ponies.
Nowhere to run or hide. And the more they ran, the more lost they would get. And when the thin veil of fog spread into the air, walking forward became a blind task. Roseluck told herself to keep going, despite exhausted hooves.
She was about to make another turn, but the Doctor tugged at her hoof before she could. She was forced to the ground by the Doctor’s grasp, landing on the grass beside him. Adrenaline still rushing through her, she panted as they sat down in the grass. And with a glance around, she realized the Doctor found a tree, stripped of bark halfway down. It was big enough for them to hide inside.
“And safe! Hoohoo. Oh, I don’t often deal with these creatures. Not too knowledgeable on them, to be honest. So I just stuck with the old run and sneak tactic.” He flashed a grin at her. “Foolproof.”
Roseluck stared at him, expecting him to yell or cast a look of chagrin. Yet his smile looked as bright as ever, even with the wrinkles in his features. Staring at him now, though, looking like he wasn’t disappointed or upset, it only drove guilt further inside her.
Why am I here?
For your friends, you idiot. How could you forget that?
“I just hope it doesn’t come back,” she muttered. She leaned back and rested against the bark of the tree.
“Manticores often are not that violent. It’s likely in a bad mood. I’m not quite good with animals, sometimes.” He paced around the surprisingly large interior of the tree.
Roseluck chose to ignore him, instead focused on the rain outside mixed with a fog that gradually began to thicken. The Doctor peeked out, as well, squinting around the area. Though he took a few cautious steps back into the forest, he didn’t stay long. Within a few seconds, he came back with his mane already dripping with rainwater. “Well, it won’t do us any good to try and walk blind out there.”
As her mind calmed down, Roseluck said nothing. She looked at the grass, eyes turned away from the Doctor and afraid that one more look would at him would make her burst into tears.
Unable to catch her gaze, the Doctor continued, “Although, it would be a good idea to keep an eye out in case our little kidnapper comes by. We could give him--or she, we never really clarified either--a good ol’ scare. Mmh, best not to approach them until we find And you’re being exceptionally quiet,” he finished with a sideways glance and a small pout.
Roseluck looked up, but again said nothing.
“Not a word… Now, what’s the matter? A little rain and fog isn’t that bad.” He peeked out. “We’ll be out as soon as the storm calms.”
“I’m an awful friend,” she muttered under her hooves.
“What?” Doctor Hooves’s shock was crystal clear, and she gave him a weird look. Then he leaned down toward her and asked with genuine curiosity, “Now what makes you say that?”
She glared at him. “I ran off… like an idiot!” She kicked the dirt in front of her. “I didn’t want to, but I panicked! I’m just… I feel dumb for doing that.”
“Well, you were scared,” he answered as if it were obvious. He shrugged. “That happens.”
“I bet if that manticore wasn’t so mad, and we weren’t so lost, I’d be back in Ponyville by now.”
Doctor Hooves sat down beside her. “Then it looks like you’re stuck with me them!” he said and flashed a goofy, toothy grin. When she didn’t laugh or so much as smile, he added, “Miss Luck, there’s no need to be down on yourself like this. If you went home, no one would mind. I’d miss the company, and I’m sure you’d be great help, but I’d understand. I was worried that you got lost, so I followed you.”
“I-I know. And thank you.” How could she explain it? She jumped onto her hooves and did what he did before; paced around the room. It made it easier for her to share her thoughts. “I want… ugh, I want to do more, I really do.”
“Such as?” When she glanced at him with a bit of confusion, he added, “Just asking.”
“Like, well, I want to find who took my friends and give him a good kick. ‘Cause he at least deserves that. But…” She looked down and realized her hooves were shaking. “I don’t have that in me. I do want them safe, but I’m worried I can’t actually do anything about it. Like I can’t bring myself to do it.”
Doctor Hooves grinned. “It wouldn’t be… ‘proper’, no, but yeah, that’s a start.” He chuckled. “You’re already using your imagination so, I dunno, it’s a start. Maybe you could give him that good kick, and I’ll find the others while he’s distracted.”
Roseluck’s eyes widened, but she also had to bite back laughter. “Well, don’t leave me alone with him, please.”
“You can handle yourself,” he said with a knowing look, his tone brisk with confidence.
Roseluck shied away, rubbing the side of her head. “D’you think so? I’m, uh, I’m a bit of a mess. And… I haven’t been helpful, since my idea of looking out at night just made it worse.”
The Doctor rose his chin, looking at her without a word for a long moment. “You’re handling it pretty well, I say. And don’t worry about that mistake. Mistakes are a good way to learn. Such as this.” He waved the device that went boop. He shook his head. “Darn thing got us wandering around.”
“And they have Muffins ‘cause of me.”
The dark look in Doctor Hooves’s eyes returned, but it blinked away before she could properly respond. He sighed a long sigh. “Well, can’t be helped.” He forced a smile. “All we can do is find everyone and stop that pony from doing anything else.”
In the distance, something hissed in the midst of the rainfall. Roseluck bit her lip to stop her squealing as it drew closer.“What if something sees us?”
“Don’t be worried. A lot of the creatures here are harmless and just like looking for trouble. At least the side we’re on. The way toward the sister’s castle, is ah, well, let’s hope we don’t need to go there.” He laughed awkwardly, a hoof on his neck.
“Oh my Celestia,” Roseluck muttered, hooves buried in her face.
“No worries! Maybe the weather is calming down. Let me check.” He stood up and exited the tree.
Roseluck did not have to wait long, because seconds later, he returned inside. She let out a quick gasp. Drenched and dripping, head to hoof, he still wore a wild smile.
“Nope, not at all. And it’s cold, too! Ooh!” he said through his teeth. He shivered. “Great, wonderful, fantastic…” With a grumble, he sat back down. “Normally, a little cold wouldn’t be a bother, but it’s killer out there without a coat. An actual coat, not a fur one.”
“See? Weird weather!” She pointed as if needed. Her lips curved up.
Doctor Hooves chuckled. “I can see a smile on your face. Amused by this, aren’t you?”
“It was sorta funny,” she admitted with a blush.
He nodded his head. “I suppose it was. Now!” he said, raising his voice a touch. “We have some time to ourselves.” He sat himself down across from her. “Have any stories to tell?”
Roseluck recoiled. “Me? Not really. Why?”
“Well, we only just met, but I like to get to know the ponies who help me with these sort of situations. Plus, I simply just don’t know much about you.”
“I feel the same way, Doctor,” she answered, tapping her hooves together. She shook her head. “You like to tell me where you’ve been, what you’ve seen travelling all of Equestria, and they’re all great stories. I love hearing them, but I don’t know, there’s a lot to you I don’t understand.” Roseluck couldn’t meet his gaze, having admitted this much.
“I have my reasons,” was his response, curt.
“Well, so do I,” she answered with far less sharpness in her voice than his, all while meeting his gaze.
He considered this for a minute, opening his mouth to speak. Though he shut it, another moment later, he spoke up. “Alright, then. I can respect that. So how about this? One question each. But if it’s too big, we don’t have to answer it, so you can keep going until we both have a question answered.”
Roseluck stared at him. “... Okay.”
She hesitated and worried she would ask of something too personal, but on accident. Considering she knew next to nothing of him, this was not an impossible thought. As if she wanted him to become more upset, especially with her; all while they had to wait for this storm to end. However, her nosiness drove her to it, and one question stuck in her mind. At last, she spoke.
“Why do you call me Miss Luck? Everypony calls me Roseluck or just Rose. B-but not Luck. It’s a new one, which is okay, I suppose, but I-I’m confused. It was…” She groaned, covering her face with her hooves again. “Sorry, it—”
“Her name was Rose.”
She stopped and blinked. With a glance at him, his face showed a solemn countenance, and he did not look at her. He stared up, like he could stare at the stars, if the tree was not in their way. “Who?”
“My friend. The one I lost.”
“Oh… okay.” She paused, letting out a long breath. He looked so far away, and she wondered if he was thinking about this Rose. Where she was, what she was doing. Roseluck was, too, but only knew that Rose was not with the Doctor. And from how lost his eyes looked, it hurt. “I-I’m sorry.”
He didn’t answer.
“What, umm, what happened to her?” And she grit her teeth, wishing she would shut up just once.
He didn’t respond again, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. Too much, oh my Celestia! You’re ruining this “I-is she… is she dead?” You’re not good at this!
“No, no, she’s alive,” he responded immediately, but not in a defensive manner. “Very much alive.” His eyes grew, showing how tired he looked, how old he looked.
Then he blinked several times, and with a twirl around, he glanced at her, his eyes shining, crinkles showing on the sides of the eyes. “Now! My turn!”
It took her a moment to realize that that was that. Whatever happened to his Rose, she would not know, besides the obvious. She desired to know more, curiosity burning through her, but she kept her mouth shut for his sake. Noting how quick he jumped subjects, she did her best to give him a smile. “Great.” She rolled her eyes and took a peek outside while she waited.
“Let’s see—”
Roseluck’s eyes grew. “Doctor.”
“I won’t ask anything personal!” he replied with a small snap. “We barely know each other. I could just ask for your birthday, if you’re nervous about it. You could tell me your Zodiac, though frankly, I think those are a load of—”
“D-Doctor, please!” she pleaded under her breath and gestured through the entranceway. He followed where her hoof pointed.
Though the fog clouded their vision a great deal, they could still catch small silhouettes of animals flying or walking by, or the shadows of the trees. In their case, a silhouette of a pony rushed by them, a cloak billowing behind them.
“Could that be them?”
The Doctor smirked. “Couldn’t hurt to check. I still have my question, you know,” he said with a point. “Stay with me this time, alright?” He stared at her, waiting with a smile.
Roseluck nodded. “Promise, but… H-hey, wait!”
He was already running out. She had to hurry through the mist to follow his shadow.
The rain slowed down as they ran, but the fog shrouded the forest within minutes, misting all of the ground. Even when looking up, she could not tell of the weather. It became impossible to see much ahead of her, aside from shadows and a pony silhouette of the Doctor running forward.
Once she caught up with him, the Doctor placed a hoof to his side, right in front of her. She stopped, and through the fog, she caught that the stallion had stopped, too.
They pulled to the side, hiding behind the nearest tree they bumped into. Roseluck peeked her head out to see the stallion walking back to the path they were just on. She and the Doctor shied away but caught a look at the stallion. Though he hid himself in his dark cloak, she noticed he was a lanky sort of stallion.
“Hello?” the pony cried out--a stallion, with a twinge of fear in his voice. When they did not respond, his tone changed into one of anger. Golden eyes glinted underneath the cloak. “Who’s there?”
“He sounds mad,” Roseluck whispered through her teeth.
“Probably doesn’t like being followed,” he noted.
“Or caught.”
The Doctor nodded his head to the side. “That, too. Keep low.”
The stallion continued walking, with them far in tow. They hid in trees and bushes, their hoof steps cautious so as to not cause a raucous. One sound, and they would be caught. Against the hammering of the rain, however, and the whispers of the strange animals lingering in the distance, Roseluck figured whispering would be harmless.
“Do we really have to follow him? Can’t we get him now? When he can’t notice us,” she said through shivers.
“What if he never tells us where the missing ponies are?” the Doctor asked, turning back to her. “A search team could take days.”
Roseluck nodded. “Right.” She sighed. “If that is him… I just don’t like following him.”
A minute further, and the stallion stomped his hooves against the ground as he stopped again. Roseluck’s breath caught in her throat, and she bit her tongue. Again she shivered, but not from the rain or cold.
This time, she saw teeth rise up in a grin. “I know you’re out there, and why. Come and follow me, I dare you. Your friends would love to see you, I’m sure.” His lips curled into a frown before he continued on his path.
“Oh, I love dares,” the Doctor replied with a challenging voice. He tilted his head to the side. “How about you?”
She didn’t reply. Rather, she could feel her hooves shaking. It was not from the weather, nor from the fear those eyes of his gave her. That fear transformed into something else, and she clenched her hooves into the closest of a fist she could muster.
“Roseluck?”
She took a deep breath, eyes shut. When she opened them again, the Doctor was looking at her. Bowing her head, she said, “I just want to see where they are, and get this over with.”
The Doctor offered her his hoof, she took it, and they followed the hoofprints. Roseluck noticed that eventually, based on a sudden noise behind her, that dust swept onto the prints after a while.
“The hoofprints disappeared,” she noted, but he was already continuing onward.
***
Roseluck had long since lost track of time. The rain pattered, but far less vicious than previously. It had been a long time since they came into the forest, and she wondered what the time was. For how long had they wandered through this forest?
“Hold up.”
The Doctor spoke up for the first time in what felt like an hour. And it was easy to see why. With a look out, even through the fog, she realized that they had come into an opening. Away from the trees, fresh air bellowed.
And feet from them, a bridge stretched out. Underneath the bridge, a river rushed deep, deep down. The Doctor brought her attention back and pointed across the bridge.
On the other side, the stallion rushed into a cave, its mouth stretched high. The height of the cliff it rested inside of reached thrice the length of the cave’s entrance. A yellow glow encompassed vines and patches of grass. The flora swished and stuck onto the rock walls, covering the cave. The two could still see the dark entering between the vines, though. Even though it was surrounded by trees, she could see this with ease.
The Doctor scoffed. “Subtle.”
Roseluck slipped from the bushes with a look of wonder in her eyes. She began to step toward the bridge when the Doctor hissed her name. With a quick turn around, she pointed toward the cave across the bridge. “They might be in there, Doctor!”
The Doctor looked over her shoulder, and a wild look of shock appeared on his face. Without warning, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the bushes and trees. She yelped in protest but cut herself off when she saw the stallion exiting the cave. He ran across the bridge, his eyes burning, and even in the distance, she could hear him growl.
“I know you folks are followin’ me!” He cried out once he crossed. “Won’t do you any good, hiding like this. As soon as I find ya, you’re… you’re done for!”
He panted and took a long, deep breath. Roseluck saw shadows underneath his eyes, with his cloak slipping off. As if he caught this, the stallion pulled the cloak forward to continue hiding himself.
“I’ll find you, you creeps!” the stallion yelled as he ran forward, magic burning yellow. He swept his magic in a roaring circle of fire that did not burn the trees or grass. Roseluck stared at his magic with mixed emotions of awe and fear. They ducked away from the
He disappeared through the trees, and Roseluck stood up, eyes set on the cave. The Doctor waited, with Roseluck sticking by his side, although a bit jittery. They exchanged looks, and Doctor Hooves nodded toward the bridge.
They ran across the bridge, which creaked. Roseluck stumbled but caught herself by the rope edges. They reached the other side, with Roseluck hurrying ahead of the Doctor. The mouth of the cave did not concern them, although she expected some sort of magical trap once they stepped inside.
The thin hallway stretched longer than she expected, with torches lighting the way. They were dim, but they nonetheless guided the pair in the otherwise pitch black cave. The narrow walls soon expanded, and a burst of light blinded Roseluck for a moment. She blinked several times before adjusting to the light. She and the Doctor stepped into the new room.
And she saw them.
Sitting in a large cage among the other captives, were Daisy and Lilly. They stared off far in the distance, eyes misty and gray. As was Muffins, the only one taken the night after the group.
“Oh, my god,” she whispered, her voice cracking. She approached the cage, wishing she could pull them away. “You guys are here. Are you okay?”
“Everyone’s here, everyone!” He started laughing out loud. It rang out through the long mouth of the cave, sounding both delighted and manic. After a moment of calming himself, he joined her, squinting at the group of trapped ponies. “They can’t hear us. They’re still under whatever enchantment he’s caused.”
“But they’re here,” Roseluck whispered with a growing smile.
He nodded in agreement. “Now we just need to find the flute somewhere in here, and somehow reverse things. Oh, I hope it’s not a reverse song. I never could learn to play the flute, especially with these things.” He looked at his hooves with a hint of irritation, lips pouting out.
“What if he took it with him?” Roseluck asked. “We’ll never get to it until he comes back, and then what?”
The Doctor whipped out the sonic device from under his tie--she decided it was not the time to question this. “It might be around here somewhere.” He turned to her. “You look while I try to open this cage. It can’t hurt to look. If it’s not around, then we’ll wait for him to come back. I think two against one would help.”
Roseluck nodded and observed the small cavern. A light burned in the center of the ceiling, which did not reach very high--she could stand on her hind hooves and touch it no problem. A chair and desk sat on the other side of the room, with papers scattered throughout the desk. She peeked at a few, but most of them contained lines filled with musical notes. It was all foreign to her. Pushing all the papers to one side, she caught nothing else, sighing.
With a turn around, she saw a white cloth resting beside another chair in the corner. Underneath that cloth, something bulged. She walked over and reached under, wrapping her hoof around the item. Her eyes lit up as she pulled out a silver flute with strange engravings.
“Got it!”
“Drat.”
“What, what’s wrong?” She looked at the cage; so many ponies stared far off into the distance, and for a quick moment, she wondered if they knew what was happening. As if they were trapped in their mind, but could see everything. Roseluck wanted nothing more than for Lily, Daisy, and Muffins to know that they were safe now.
“I can’t get this open.”
“You said it opens things!” Roseluck shouted, burying a hoof through her mane.
“Well!” Doctor Hooves hesitated. “Not so much with wood. That’s a different story.”
Roseluck gawked. “Your device’s weakness is wood?”
“I take that tone offensively. It’s a wonderful device, and everything has its limits.” His voice rose as he gave her a sideways glance. “If we can just find something strong enough to break these wooden bars--”
The Doctor was cut off by a large sound that shook the cave. Roseluck squealed and covered the top of head as rocks rained from the ceiling. Her body shook as she waited for the crumbling to stop.
Then silence. Roseluck still hid away in the corner.
“Did you get hit?” the Doctor asked while approaching her and taking her by the shoulders.
“N-no.” She shuddered. “But what was…” Her voice faded as she looked over her shoulder.
Stepping into the cave, the unicorn stallion appeared. He had pulled his cloak’s hood from his face, revealing a cream colored stallion with orange hair sweeping on other sides of his face. The first thing she noticed was how young he looked, yet his narrowed eyebrows added wrinkles to his forehead and the bags sagging from his eyes. The stallion dropped the basket of fruit aside, his golden eyes shifting between her and the Doctor. Roseluck couldn’t see any anger or worry on his face.
Roseluck felt an unwelcoming, strange feeling rise into her mouth, like she ate something too disgusting to eat. Just by looking at this stallion, she felt utter anger strike her, and she shouted, “Who are you? What’s wrong with you, taking everypony like this?”
“Hmph.” The light colored stallion grinned, bringing a growl under Roseluck’s throat. “I mean, I’m assuming you’ve read my letter that I flew over from the forest. Soothing Tunes. And before you get angry with me, I’d appreciate it if you could give me time to tell my side.”
Roseluck took one look at her friends trapped behind the bars and shouted, “No! There’s no good reason for any of this! Now you need to let them out and--”
The Doctor grabbed her hoof, stopping her from taking another step. A step she didn’t realize she started taking towards the stallion. “How about a little explanation, then,” the Doctor sneered, “if you feel that will help your case?”
Soothing Tunes nodded, chin perched high in the air. “I visited Ponyville a while back. Three years ago, give or take a few months. You might not remember me much, I suppose.” He shot a look at Roseluck.
Her eyebrows narrowed, and she turned away from his gaze. “There have been lots of ponies that come to Ponyville to visit. It’s hard to remember everyone, especially if they haven’t been around for years.”
“Of course,” he scoffed. “Stupid town ponies like yourselves can’t even remember me. Pity.”
“Oi, no need to toss around any insults like that.” The Doctor stepped forward with a grimace, one leg standing between Soothing Tune and Roseluck. “Why don’t you tell us what’s supposed to be so familiar about you?”
Magic emanated from his horn, and Roseluck felt a tug at her hooves. She gasped and struggled to keep hold on the flute. The Doctor even grabbed onto it, but both of their strength could not beat him. Hooves could not beat magic here.
Soothing grinned at the instrument. “This flute has special properties. I bought it at a lil’ shop in Fillydelphia for fifty bits. Worth every piece, though it did cost me. See, once I play a song--any song, really, as long as it’s in tune--I can control small animals to do my bidding.”
“‘Course,” the Doctor grumbled with a roll of his eyes.
Soothing Tune deliberately ignored him and, clearing his throat, continued. “But ponies are different. Perhaps their brains are simply easier to control when they sleep, but all I can do is control them whenever they’re in their REM cycle. And I can control only so many before it starts to hurt or become difficult. But that was nothing, because eventually, the pain numbed, and I could hardly feel much. Practice does that, I guess.” He shrugged and spun the flute in the air. “
“But why?”
“I was always into music, since I was a child. I got my cutie mark while performing at a concert for my elementary school. I was well versed in using magic to control and play various instruments--most of them woodwind, actually.” He glanced at Roseluck, making her spine curl. “How did you get yours, miss?”
Roseluck blinked in confusion. “I mean, I-I got mine when I… it isn’t your business!” She shouted.
“But you’re a flower pony. You sell them, I suppose?” Roseluck opened her mouth to respond, but he did not give her the chance. “So what if ponies never paid you for your flowers, something you’ve cared for… goodness knows how long. And no one even bothers to pay attention to your work and talents.”
He gradually approached Roseluck as he spoke, until their muzzles were inches from touching. Roseluck lost her voice, even if she wanted to tell him how she didn’t see the similarities. That she would never go so far as to kidnap ponies if the same happened to her. But the Doctor spoke up before she did.
He stepped forward. “So you helped this town, and didn’t get the pay you desired? So you’re taking ponies captive to get what you want?”
Soothing Tune’s face perked up. “Very right. You see, I use this flute to control creatures. Not to do anything devious, not like that. There was an infestation of wild rabbits somewhere from the forest, I suppose. There were far too many for ponies to control.”
Roseluck’s eyes grew. “Our animal tender wasn’t there that day. We… almost lost all our crops. Most of our flowers were eaten so fast, we couldn’t stop them.” The memories rolled in, and she glanced back at the lanky stallion.
“So you used the flute to drive the rabbits away,” the Doctor continued for Soothing Tune. “And then you expected some sort of pay, and it didn’t fulfill what you wanted.”
“They never paid their dues! Like that kind of service comes for so little. I wasted my time helping their need, only to receive a small pay in return. Not enough for me to pay for my services. They owed me, and they still do. Most other towns have the decency to pay something grand.” The stallion glowered at the floor. “Even once I returned a week ago in hopes of getting that pay, they didn’t even remember me.”
“They probably had their reasons to not pay,” Roseluck muttered. It came into her head, the curious wonder as to how much his services were, according to him.
“Besides, do you really think capturing ponies for ransom will convince ponies to pay you?” The Doctor added.
“It’ll work. I’ll get what I want and leave before any trouble comes my way.”
“It already has!” The Doctor exclaimed. He gestured between him and Roseluck. “Cause if you’re think we’re here for tea, then you’re out of your mind.”
Soothing Tune. “I’m aware, but what can you do?”
The Doctor’s eyes flashed. “I wouldn’t doubt me, Soothing Tune.” He hissed his name. “Not when you have my friends in danger. Now you’ll give them all back--and for free, alright? ‘Cause what you’re doing, it’s wrong. And fairly illegal.” As he finished his sentence, his voice softened, lowering until he ended it with, “Stop before you do something you’ll regret.”
Soothing Tune stared at the Doctor with small, diluted eyes. Roseluck smiled a little, catching a look at the prisoners on the other side of the cave. She imagined seeing them free at last, holding Lily and Daisy until her hooves grew tired…
A golden glow caught her eye, and the door opened. Roseluck began to approach them, when music graced the air. Her eyes shrank as all the eyes of the captured ponies met Soothing Tune’s dark stare. His gaze turned to the other two, and she realized one thing: he wasn’t letting them out due to pure kindness. With a worried glance at the Doctor, he figured this, as well.
“Get out here, ponies.”
“You need to stop,” the Doctor demanded, hoof extended out. Through gritted teeth, he added, as if in a grave warning, “Soothing Tune, if we end this now, we can take you back to Ponyville. We can talk with the town, maybe get something for you. Anything. Just release them.”
“I apologize,” he said with no genuity to his words, “but I’ve gotten so far already. Backing down wouldn’t be any better.” With another blow into the flute, he muttered, “Get them.”
“Don’t you have anything for this?” Roseluck yelled as they stepped back, inching further toward the mouth of the cave. The ponies followed them at a rather fast pace, and when Roseluck realized they were circling the pair, she felt her body tighten. “Doctor.”
“Got one thing, and it’s called getting out of here!”
Mid-sentence, he dragged her away from the enclosing circle. He pushed two ponies aside for them to escape, and Roseluck caught up to him.
“Doctor! What do we do?” She shouted as they approached the bridge.
“We need a way to reverse that spell. Now that we know there's an enchanted artifact, maybe we can get Zecora's help!"
Their hooves clicked against the bridge. Roseluck ran faster, sweating already slipping into her mane.
As they came halfway across, she glanced to her side and realized Doctor Hooves no longer was running with her. She began to turn around when he shouted, “Keep going!”
Blindly following his orders, she rushed to the end of the bridge. And then she heard a snap.
When her hooves met grass, she looked over her shoulder.
The ropes of the bridge meeting at the middle snapped. Magic evaporated in the air above the broken rope.
Her eyes met with the Doctor, who was still farther off, just about to meet with the center of the bridge. As the ropes unfurled, the boards shook, and some pieces fell into the water. And with another shot of golden waves, the bridge broke at its halfway point. The Doctor’s eyes shrank, but he was quick to turn around and grab at the nearest rope that would keep him from falling.
“Doctor! Doctor!” she called out, her voice cracking. She stood right on the edge, hopelessly reaching out toward the gape of the river.
The Doctor was forced into the air, and for a split second, images of him being dropped into the water burned her mind. She shouted his name again, worry striking her tone. However, another bout of worry slipped into her as Soothing Tunes pulled the Doctor further into the sky. The two stallions were eye level with one another, and even though they were on separate sides of the bridge, Roseluck caught that dangerous, dark look his eyes. Unlike her, Soothing Tunes took it with a smirk.
Soothing Tunes gestured into the cave. The ponies that grabbed the Doctor dragged him farther away from her, and everypony returned inside the cave, leaving the wreck that was Roseluck on the other side of the broken bridge.
“No! Give him back!” She yelled out through tears. “Give them all back!”
The rain continued to fall. The fog lingered in the air. Hope was thinning.
She walked to the edge of the piece of land, looking down at the crashing waves below. Far far below. Stepping away, she looked over at the other side. The rope dangled pathetically, with the wind blowing it in the breeze. With the gap too wide, she had no chances of jumping over it.
Roseluck’s eyes wandered behind her, over her shoulder towards the forest. It was dark, and a creature howled from somewhere inside. Even if she could reach home without any injuries, she feared that Soothing Tunes would retreat, taking all the ponies away from his hiding spot. Or even worse, hurt other ponies simply because she couldn’t figure this out herself. She could not let any of that happen.
He needs me.
She took a long breath, shuddering from both the cold air and the pressure building in her shoulders.
They need me. Daisy, Lily, Muffins…The list went on, and it wouldn’t end unless she did something.
Roseluck ran along the edge. Somewhere, she had to come across another way to the other side. A connection of earth to the two sides, a fallen tree, anything. Even if she had to run for miles, she would find a way.
A bat dove from the trees and blurred past her. She waved it away with a screech before hurrying her pace.
She needed to find a way, and fast!
The rain had soaked her head to hoof. The ground was no better. Dirt coated her hooves and even other parts of her coat. The thought of a warm bath welcoming her home upon return made her run faster.
More noises reverberated from the forest, and she prayed to Celestia that they were not near. With no one to help her, she only had her hooves to aid her escape. And just the walk along the path proved to be tiring.
A peak of earth erected from the side. It was a slope that, at the very center, created very little distance between the two sides of land. Roseluck approached it with caution, stepping easily in fear of touching weak ground. When it did not break, she stood at the edge.
Reaching out was not an option. It was too far and too risky to try and attempt. She needed to jump to get to her friends, despite it being also somewhat dangerous. She forced herself to look away from the wild water below.
With a heavy gulp, she shut her eyes. Then opening her eyes again, she backed several feet back. With a quick kick against the dirt, and a burst of newfound courage, she trotted ahead and leaped at the last inch of earth underneath her hooves. She reached out her hooves to the other side as she soared through midair.
Rocks crumbled to the water, but her hooves gripped the edge with all her might. They quivered, but she held on. And perhaps it was her earth pony strength, but she pulled herself back up. Her whole body met the ground, and she sighed.
Her breathing became heavy for a moment, and she inched away from the drop to recover. Adrenaline had run its course fast, though she begged it would stay around for the rest of the night. It’d be really helpful right now.
With a sigh, she marched back toward the cave. Roseluck peered up as the sky gradually began to clear. Clouds parted to reveal a shining moon and stars that glittered like bright diamonds. She blinked a little, but then smiled at the painted sky.
It’s so late.
She yawned. Though tired, she knew she was far from done, and headed back toward the cave.
***
When she arrived, the vines covered the cave again. With a grunt of annoyance, she brushed them aside.
Arriving through the narrow hallway, she stepped quietly toward the room. Her heart pounded at the thought of facing Soothing Tunes alone. Even as an earth pony, she didn’t have much strength in terms of fighting, and she didn’t have the advantage of magic. Despite all of this, she had no choice but to face whatever awaited her at the end of the hallway.
Roseluck peeked around the corner, her eyes scanning around the area. On a seat perched by the opening, she saw Soothing Tune. She was tempted to step away at the sight, but then she caught another thing: his eyes were shut. With his slower breathing, and the way his body slacked against the chair, she visibly relaxed.
Sleeping. Sleeping! She would’ve sighed, maybe even teared up with relief. She pushed it away, however, and walked toward the room with great caution. Her hooves made scarcely any sound as she rounded the corner and stepping inside the large room.
Her heart sank when she found him. The Doctor was tied by strong ropes in a chair beside Soothing Tune. Even his mouth was tied by a small cloth, although his eyes could be seen, those eyes that had morphed into a darker shade. When his gaze met hers, though, they widened.
She smiled. “It’s okay,” she mouthed.
The Doctor’s eyes lightened.
Roseluck looked around, then back at him. “Where is it?” she whispered into his ear.
His eyes shifted over to the cloth that was the stallion’s cloak littered on the floor. A small lump hid underneath the dark cloth, and she nodded at the Doctor before trotting over to the cloth, tensing at the lack of distance between herself and Soothing Tune. His snoring was plenty loud in her ears. She lifted the cloth to reveal the flute resting underneath, shining silver once it hit the pale lights of the torches.
Once she pulled the cloak to the side, she took the flute and stared at it. What could she do? Now that she had it, what was the next part?
Then something took her around the foreleg, the one not holding the flute. Her whole body froze for a second before she peered up. Soothing Tunes glared at her, shock apparent in his eyes. His eyebrows narrowed.
“Give that back!” the stallion yelled, his horn bursting alight with a yellow aura.
Roseluck yelped and did the first thing that came to mind; with a swift rise of her hoof, she smacked him across the face with his flute.
Soothing Tune recoiled back in pain and more shock, blinking before realizing Roseluck was kneeling on the ground. Roseluck clutched the flute in her grasp, tightening her grip as his glare tightened. His nostrils flared.
The Doctor yelled something she could not decipher due to the cloth. However, she did what she was certain he had said, or something along the lines:
Run.
She ran out of the cave, bringing the flute into her mouth. Magic shot the walls, bringing rocks and debris raining down. With a cry, she dove into the narrow hallway.
Behind her, she could hear magic shooting toward her. She ducked and moved as best as she could. The grass burned before the magic dissipated. And once she retreated into the trees, it shot one of them, leaving it a shriveling old form. The mare kept running.
Her hooves didn’t stop until they tired themselves out. Exhaustion washed over her, and her lack of sleep began catching up on her. She leaned against a tree and had to catch her breath again. Escaping was no longer an option. Glancing around, she saw no sign of him.
The flute rested in her hooves now. Her eyes lingered over it, trying to see if there was any sign of a way to break the spell on her friends. Yet nothing. It was nothing but a silver flute. There were surely magical qualities embedded somewhere within it, but to her, it looked normal.
What do I do what do I do what do...?
Hoofsteps. She concealed herself behind the tree, her heart pounding hard against her chest. Eyes squeezed shut, she heard hoofsteps walking around her.
“Where are you?” Soothing Tune asked somewhere. His voice was low, but she heard each word loud and clear. More hoofsteps, and he called again. “Get out here!”
Biting her lip was all she could do to keep herself from so much as breathing too loud. She waited with great patience for his steps to quiet down. Eventually, he had to lose track of her. That, she felt certain of. Or at least, she wanted to.
A minute passed by, and she could no longer hear him too well. His last yell for her came too far north, and she shuddered a breath and collapsed onto the grass. Her body shook, but looking into her hooves, she knew there was more to be done.
She needed to get rid of this thing. It was nothing but trouble. But what defeated strange magic like this? Roseluck poured through her head of any sort of situation like this, some way she could end and destroy the trouble it caused…
Once the sparks hit, Roseluck stared at the flute one more time, before deciding on something. With nothing else to go on, she looked around. A large rock caught her eye, and she pleaded inside her head for this to work.
With a heavy groan, she rose the rock into the air before thrashing it against the flute. A tiny crack could be heard, and she looked down with a groan. It had thin cracks, but did not break in its entirety. She did it again, with the volume of impact growing. Worse, the hoofsteps stopped, almost like her heart did at the pure silence.
“What’re you doing?!” he yelled.
Grunting, she picked up the rock again, sweat pouring down her face. Her muscles ached, but she begged them to not give in. Not yet. She smacked it again. The cracks grew, but it needed more than two impacts of a rock to break it. Worth a lot of bits. I guess it was worth it, she thought grimly as she threw it down again.
Through trees, and in the corner of her eyes, a shadow of a lanky stallion appeared. His eyes grew.
“Get over here!”
She screamed, while bringing the rock down onto the flute one more time. It’s cracks deepened. Panic surged through her like electricity at the stallion’s outburst, and she rose onto her hind hooves. Mustering the remaining strength in her legs, she brought one hind leg down onto where the cracks crawled on the flute.
Craackkk.
Soothing Tune burst through the trees, and his screaming echoed in her ear, as did the sound of the snapped flute. In between the two halved pieces, wisps of red magic slipped from the holes. It exploded in the air before her, leaving nothing in its wake. There was pure silence for a moment, and Roseluck felt her body slack onto the ground. The bottom of her hoof ached, but it was the least of her worries.
When he turned back at her, dark yellow eyes dug into her heart. She tried to stand up, but Soothing Tune leaped at her. He pushed her onto the ground, her body pressed against the grass and dirt. Her head spun from the impact for a few short moments.
Despite his lanky appearance, his hooves pinned her down with great strength. She could only struggle in his hold.
She winced, feeling his grip tighten around her fore fetlocks. Looking up, all she saw was angry, golden-brown eyes.
“I wasn’t going to actually hurt them, ya know,” he whispered, inches from her face. He rolled his eyes. “They weren’t anything to me. They were just pieces for getting the money. Like pawns on a chessboard, you know?” He stared back at her, as if expecting her to answer.
Roseluck tried to speak, but couldn’t.
His face hardened. “But you ruined that. You, and that Doctor.”
She hated herself for crying now. “Y-you’re getting in so much trouble for nothing,” she whimpered through her tears, to which the stallion simply groaned. “You wanted money and didn’t get it, and now you’re risking ponies’ lives just ‘cause of it! It’s… stupid!” she spat.
“I’m not here for criticism! They were never going to be harmed. I wasn’t planning on that, remember?” He frowned at her, and his voice lowered. “Then you and that Doctor had to screw up everything! So I guess that’s out of the question!” His hoof rose into the air.
Roseluck let out a forceful cry with shuddering breath. Her eyes shut.
When she heard a smack, she cringed, as if she expected the sound to land against her head. Instead, she heard a body fall to the ground, the hooves around her losing its grip. Opening her eyes, she saw Soothing Tunes shaking his head. Roseluck pushed herself away from him, until she looked up and saw Muffins flying a few inches from the air.
Muffins looked down at the dazed Soothing Tunes, her eyebrows knitted downward. Roseluck wrapped her hooves around herself.
“I… he-he tried to hurt you. Did…” Muffin’s face softened, her eyes large and filled with concern. She flew over to Roseluck and took the earth pony’s hooves in hers. “Did he hurt you?”
Roseluck gulped. “No, you came just in time.”
Muffins looked her over and pulled her into a hug, squeezing her body against hers. “You’re still shaking. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Roseluck gave out a relieved laugh and rubbed the tears from her face. “I will be when I know everypony’s okay.”
Smiling, the pegasus pulled away from the hug. “Yeah! You saved us, Roseluck. But,” she added, shooting a look at Soothing Tunes, who was brushing his bruised cheek, “we still need to deal with him.”
Soothing Tunes at last rose to his hooves, rubbing his face where Muffin smacked him. Then his horn glowed.
Roseluck reached out for Muffins and tore her away from a beam of magic directed at them. Muffins yelped as they landed onto the ground. The beam did not even touch them, though they heard a shot explode somewhere deeper in the forest. Muffins turned around, as did Roseluck, and Soothing Tunes was trotting towards them. They flinched at his burning gaze.
When he looked up and over them, however, he stopped.
“You tryin’ to hurt Rose and Muffins? Get out of here!”
“You’ll have to take us before you get near them!”
Before she could blink, Lily Valley and Daisy approached her, standing in front of her. They turned toward the stallion, and Roseluck looked between her friends to see Soothing Tune’s ears peel back.
“I mean, you did take us.” Lily blushed and tilted her head. Then she narrowed her eyes again. “But now we’re back!”
“And you’re sooo not touching our Rosie,” Daisy said. “Especially since she saved our flanks.”
Tears stung Roseluck’s eyes as a large smile grew on her face. Soothing’s hardened expression cracked. He began to open his mouth, but instead of responding, he pushed the pony closest to him, Lily, aside and into the three mares. Muffins squealed, and Daisy caught her friend before she fell to the ground. Roseluck stood up, and Soothing Tunes ran off.
Until the Doctor stepped into the stallion’s path, flashing a wide smirk of pearly whites. Ponies joined behind him, all either angry and with smirks.
“I’m afraid you’re done here, Soothing Tunes.”
His teeth showing in his rage, the unicorn shot a golden ray at the Doctor. Roseluck stepped forward, but if he was anything, the Doctor was quick, sashaying away from the magical shot. Even as Soothing Tunes continued firing shot after shot, they never hit, and the misfires became klutzy and too inaccurate in his desperation.
Soothing Tunes stepped back, but Lily snuck behind him and pulled out a hoof behind him. He tripped, falling on his back and back onto the grass. Daisy grinned, with Roseluck giving her a similar look. Their faces fell, however, as the Doctor walked over to Soothing Tunes, who backed into a tree.
“Let’s get one thing clear,” said the Doctor in a grave tone, standing over the defeated stallion. “You’ve endangered the lives of these ponies, including those I care about. That’s not a very smart thing to do when I’m around. I warned you before about taking a wrong step, and almost hurting someone crossed that.”
The fallen stallion was shaking by now, but the Doctor continued.
“I’m aware that this… place is far more lenient in its punishment, but I will warn you that if they weren’t here, I would not let you off easy.”
“Doctor.”
Muffins placed a hoof on his shoulder, and he turned to her, eyes softening. She took the Doctor to the side, leaving a shivering, defeated stallion on the ground.
Soothing Tunes, through the corner of her eyes, looked away from them all, paying more attention to the dirt on the ground. Misunderstood or truly a danger in his instability, she’d never know. And she didn’t want to find out anytime soon.
Ponies began rounding him up, tying him with the same ropes he used for the Doctor. Mayor Mare would decide what to do with him. Roseluck didn’t want to worry about him any longer.
With the adrenaline at its end, Roseluck turned around to her two friends. Daisy and Lily stared at her, eyes glossed over and actually staring at her. And she couldn’t help but laugh in pure bliss—and perhaps disbelief. How long had it been?
Okay, a few days, but it felt like so much longer. And there they stood, no longer cursed, but bursting into beams and tears as they ran to her.
The impact sent them onto the ground, dirt scattering around. But at the moment, dirt in their manes mattered little as they embraced one another.
“You’re all okay, right?” Rose asked, her expression straightening for a moment.
“Now we are!” Lily exclaimed.
“Cause of you!” Daisy finished, and they both nuzzled her. All three were laughing through their tears. Once they sobered up, she added, “And hey, you saved everypony. That makes you a hero, Rosie!”
Roseluck stiffened as they started standing back up. “Well, it wasn’t just me—”
Another pony forced her from Lily and Daisy, but before she could protest, she saw who it was and smiled.
“Roseluck, you did it! You saved everyone!” the Doctor cheered, holding onto her by her shoulders. His eyes lit up like sparks of electric blue, the happiest she had seen him in these past few days.
She couldn’t help but feel a touch of pride, knowing it was all because of her. Her cheeks burned as she shied away from his gaze. “I-I mean, I wouldn’t be here without you o-or Muffins to help—”
“Oh, the rescue was all you, Rose!” He picked her up, lifting her into the air. She let out a squeak of surprise, but he didn’t notice in his excitement. In a blink, he brought her down only to pull her into a tight hug. “Brilliant, just brilliant!”
Roseluck’s hooves made it to the ground when he put her down. Amethyst Star pointed out to the forest, where on the other side was home. “It may be dangerous, but it’s our only way home. Does anypony have a way out, since the bridge is down?”
“Well, I can’t carry everypony.” Muffins thought over that for a moment. “Well, I could take you one at a time, but that would take a while. And I’d hate to have some ponies stay in the forest too long.”
“Then let’s not do that!” Daisy panicked. She brushed her mane from her face, sighing.
Roseluck gestured behind her. “I found another way to get over here. You need to jump, but it’s not as dangerous. It’s a little far, but…”
“Better than nothing,” Lily breathed with relief, with Roseluck humming in agreement.
As the ponies all headed forward, with Roseluck at point, Daisy and Lily walked over to her. They both had a bounce to their step. “So, you ready to go home?” Lily asked. “It’s been a crazy night.”
“It’s been a crazy few days,” Roseluck corrected her. She looked up, realizing they were surrounded by pure purples and blacks of the night. Another yawn escaped her.
“So a forest walk is probably a cake walk. Then it’s pillows and hot chocolate.”
“Hot chocolate, yes!” Roseluck’s excitement woke her up a touch. “Oh, Lil, you make the best hot chocolate.”
They smiled at one another. She glanced at the Doctor, who was talking to Muffins in a whisper away from the crowd of ponies in the back. They both had serious looks on their faces. At one point, Muffins peered at Roseluck, and a suspicion crawled over and told her they were talking about her.
Then she glanced back at her friends, who stargazed at the lights in the sky. With a sigh, they reached the point where everyone had to jump, and Roseluck began her jump to demonstrate. Her worry about falling was nothing compared to the thought of sitting in a comfy house with Lily and Daisy keeping her company.
Whatever her new friends were talking about could wait.
Roseluck took her time walking outside and approaching Daisy and Lily. Sighing, she turned to Daisy. “You know I had a long day the last few days. I’m lucky I got up early.”
“You’re telling me!” Daisy exclaimed. “The both of us were mind controlled and barely remember anything. Our poor gardens! They've been neglected!”
"Abandoned!"
Roseluck cringed, wishing to join in on their melodrama but deciding against it just this once. “Oh, right.” She glanced at the beds of flowers in front of their houses. Though they were far away from wilting, she could sense the roses and other variants were lacking the love and comfort they normally gave the flowers. They slumped just a bit to the side, like a cry for help. She could sense their loneliness, their want for their needs. And as of the past few days, they were the last things on her mind.
Lily nudged Daisy. “Don’t worry about it, Rosie. We won’t make a big deal out of it this time. You know, 'cause of what happened.”
“I guess,” Daisy said, with a sigh of remaining disappointment. She then flashed a smirk. “We’re just glad that it’s all over with.”
"'Cause of you!" Lily giggled behind her hooves.
Roseluck's face burned. "Oh, come on! I told you to stop making a big deal out of that." She buried her face into one of her hooves as if to hide herself from her friends.
They laughed again. "You're so cute when you're flustered," Daisy mused once their laughter quieted down. "But in all seriousness, Roseluck, it is 'cause of you that we're back home." She added in a sigh. "Let's just hope nothing else tries to drag us away next week."
“Yeah, next week we’ll have, like, an infestation of… snapping turtles,” Roseluck joked. Though she laughed, the idea didn’t sound too absurd, in comparison to the other things they’ve dealt with.
“That sounds adorable yet terrifying,” Lily quipped, eyes wide. She began jumping up and down. “I’m ready! Where are they?”
“Roseluck!”
Turning around, Rose caught Muffins gliding down towards her, her wings flapping rapidly even a few feet from the ground. Once she met with the ground, the pegasus stumbled until Rose caught her.
“The Doctor wanted to find you!” Muffins beamed, practically shaking her shoulders. “Oh, sorry!” She stopped and stepped back, her excitement fading only slightly. “But it’s super important and you should go see now! It seems like he really wants to see you for… something.”
Roseluck didn’t need to look back to see Lily and Daisy’s smirks. They started snickering behind her, and even Muffins glanced at them over Rose’s shoulder. The earth pony shook her head. “Just ignore them.”
“Oh, Rosie!” Daisy feigned exasperation as they approached her, one hoof from each wrapped around her. “Ignore us all you want. We’ll still love you. And don't forget, we still need a spa day for ourselves sometime later. My treat!"
Roseluck practically swooned at the idea of going to the spa, and the lingering ache in her hooves only further convinced her it was of upmost importance to go. "As soon as I get back, promise."
Lily giggled. “Yeah, now go talk to Doctor Hooves. Tell him I-er, we said hi.”
“Yeah, Lily said hi.”
The bashful mare scoffed at Daisy with pouted lips and pushed Roseluck toward Muffins. “Whatever. Tell him somepony said hi! Now go, go!” Lily pleaded, her face a bright red.
The four mares waved as Roseluck and Muffins walked away. Once they were out of hearing distance from the other Flower Ponies, Roseluck’s patience faded.
“So,” she began, eyebrows raised, “what’s the surprise?”
Muffins grinned, while also chewing her bottom lip. “I can’t tell ya. But that’s also cause I don’t know. Well, I might have an idea! Even if I did tell you, though, you wouldn’t believe me until you saw it for yourself.”
“It?” she repeated. Muffins’s stammering only further confused her.
“Eep!” Muffins jumped back. “No more hints, no more hints—I, oh, look! Here we are!” She gestured to the Doctor’s house. Even from outside, the two could hear rustling from inside. Rustling of metal and whatever sort of creations or messes the Doctor was playing around with. And without the door open, they could tell something out of the norm was certainly part of the noises inside.
“Now my work here is done!” Muffins gave her a salute, which Roseluck gave back, albeit reluctantly. “We should get something to eat later. All three of us! Later!” And she zipped away, bumping into a cabbage cart while shouting desperate apologies to the distressed merchant.
What she said still confused Roseluck, but she knew she’d get her answers soon. She trotted into the Doctor’s house, knocking on the door that was only open ajar. The contact against her hoof made it open out more with a slow creak, until she could fully see inside.
“Doctor?” She peeked her head into the disorganized room that was the Doctor’s… whatever room he called this. Living room? Building room? It was another question she’d bother with later.
His head popped out from behind a couch, his hair more unkempt than usual. “Roseluck! Morning! How’ve you been?”
“Great!” She walked over to him. “Muffins said you wanted to show me something. Something kinda important, I guess.”
His face lit up. “Right, right! That! Okay, let me just fix this!” He pulled out a metal bar with static shaking between two small antennas.
“What does that—?”
“Oh, I’ll tell you later.” He waved away the subject and trotted over to a wooden door in the corner.
Roseluck sneaked a look inside, only to see a pile of scattered objects and other forgotten debris. The dust told her these were all things thought useless or tossed for another day. Apparently able to read minds, he said, “The thing I have to show you is actually in the basement. Follow me.”
Another door to the right had a silver handle matching a silver lock. The Doctor waved his sonic device onto the handle and opened it, leading her inside. Whatever was below was shrouded in the dark. So Roseluck had to follow him down in slow steps.
The clacking of the floorboards was the only sound to be heard. Roseluck could only imagine what this mysterious and amazing stallion had to show her. Whether a new invention of his or whatever else, the ideas were boundless. And she wondered why she, of all ponies, got to see this thing.
After what you’ve done, perhaps he thinks you deserve it, she thought, and she couldn’t help but grin in the darkness.
It faded a bit. Or it’s no big deal. Roseluck, relax. What could be down here?
The Doctor turned on a light, brought to life by a lamp at the bottom of the staircase.
The basement was quite the opposite of his main room. His living room was a sign of an eccentric and intelligent owner. But the basement was dark and lonely, its song a mysterious quiet. Even when he turned on the lights, the room still lacked the excitement upstairs. Very few things lingered in the room, save a carpet, a dusty table, and something covered by a light brown tarp.
“Is that it?” She pointed to the tarp and walked towards it.
“Err, yes. I… well, what’s under it.”
Roseluck giggled. “I guessed that much.”
“Just promise you won’t faint,” the Doctor said, a worried look on his face. “I rarely have fainters, and the floor is not comfortable to land on, let me tell you.”
She blinked, then her smile grew. “Okay, okay, I promise, just show me!” Roseluck was all but bouncing in place as she waited, her hoof touching his. “You’re getting me all excited.”
The Doctor grabbed the brown tarp and pulled it off the tall mystery underneath it, revealing a blue box taller than both of them combined. Roseluck walked toward it, expecting it to do something extraordinary. Yet it just sat there, silent and still. Like any old box.
“A big blue box?” she said, feeling the door. It was wooden, covered in dust and a cobweb or two, but it felt strangely cool. Looking back at him, she smiled. “Did you make it? It’s really nice.”
He chuckled. “No, no. It’s what inside I want to show you. Only Muffins knows about it, so if you could keep it secret, that’d be wonderful. Don't want the town ponies to freak out over it and cause unnecessary commotion.”
This did nothing but pique her interest further. With a quick nod, she opened the door. Roseluck stepped inside with caution.
With one look inside, she was met with a golden room, larger than she thought the thin box provided. With metal grating walkway and a large machine surrounded by various buttons and levers, Roseluck stared on in awe.
Stared like she entered a new world, which… she felt she practically did.
She felt many other emotions crash inside her like waves, but the one most dominant was wonder, amazement. She walked to the back of the machine and saw a long corridor stretching deeper and deeper, one that she saw no end to, either.
Way longer than the box looked!
Almost tempted to step down the extended hallway, she took a step forward. Then she stopped.
With a spin around, she saw the Doctor leaning onto the doorway, watching her reactions. Roseluck struggled to keep her hooves from buckling underneath her. Her brain spun with all these questions, as this strange contraption suddenly swallowed the two of them whole and brought them to this new world, and abruptly, her own world changed. Just by observing this magical and magnificent room.
“Wh-what is this?”
“It’s the TARDIS.”
“TARDIS?” she echoed, still observing the room. Strange word. Fitting for a strange sight. She failed to notice the Doctor grinning at her. “O-okay.”
He nodded. “It’s an acronym. For ‘Time and Relative Dimensions in Space.”
“Space.” That word stuck out, and she mouthed it several more times. Looking around more, she could feel the world about to spin. Despite promising not to faint, she found it hard to keep focus, and this new information that entered her mind made her feel light headed. She held onto the console for support, and the Doctor approached her.
“Whoa, whoa careful there.” He chuckled a little awkwardly. “I did say no fainting, now, didn’t I?”
The close contact only made her look into his eyes. Those bright blue eyes. Eyes that held secrets and apparently more. Perhaps stories and sorrows and pains and demons that he concealed with strained smiles and spiels of nonsense.
She had seen many things in her life in Ponyville, especially once the Elements returned and brought with them a magnet of trouble and chaos. Monsters, malice, magic beyond her belief, destruction, so much… but—
“You’re, uh, not just a… a pony space explorer, I’m guessing.” She waved her hoof, trying to come up with the proper word. “Like, a secret astronaut.”
He just shook his head, his chin stuck out.
“So you’re not from around here.” She gulped.
He stepped back. “Good that you could rule that out.”
Roseluck attempted to follow him, but his hoofsteps were always a pace quicker. And his gaze constantly avoided hers. She looked down, thinking about all the knowledge this stallion spewed like they were the colors of the color wheel. All those flowers he spoke of as if they were real only she was sure they weren’t… but were they? “And… not just out of Equestria, right?”
“Not even close.” The Doctor peeked up from the devices and buttons on the console to see Roseluck’s eyes light up as the pieces fell into place. He paced around the TARDIS.
Once it clicked, her eyes widened. “Y-you… you’re from another planet,” she said. Not a question, but an answer. “An alien.”
“Even further, technically, but… that’s a long, long story.” He brought his head back down.
Roseluck, after spinning around multiple times to get a grand look at the machine, looked at the Doctor for a minute. The Doctor brushed the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly. She glanced at the center of the machine, quiet and still. No matter how many buttons and levers he pushed and played with, the machine did not respond.
“So, the-the time thing?” she stuttered.
He shrugged. “Hmm, well, I think that says enough. Hint: it’s not a giant clock or anything.”
“O-oh.” It hit her, and that rush in her head returned. She stepped back. Time travel! Traveling through time!
It shouldn’t have been surprising, in hindsight, but everything about this felt so incredibly impossible that she gasped at every piece of it.
The Doctor’s eyes hardened with concentration as he turned back to the quiet console. “It’s a lot to take in, even for ponies, despite them having all that magic and magical creatures, and I’m pretty sure there’s a time travel spell somewhere in those libraries of the princesses’, if you look hard enough.” He paused to look at her still wide-eyed expression, and he gestured to the small chair on the other side of the console. “If you want to sit down, well, there’s the chair, but it’s not really fit for ponies, per say.” He scratched his cheek.
With another gaze at the Doctor, she sat down on the only chair in the room. It was thin and long, not suited for a pony as he stated. She stayed there despite that.
Amazing, but… is that all?! There can’t be!
Suddenly she wanted more. It was if she had received a mere piece of bread and wanted a whole meal. Where was he from? How were ponies different from where he was from? Why was he here? Why was the machine broken? Could he fix it someday and travel through the skies and stars?
A burst of curiosity came to her that only often came through gossiping amongst her friends.
“A long story?” He nodded, and she smiled and couldn’t stop her eyes from practically glowing. She leaned out a little in the tight seat. “I’ve got time. I-if you’re okay with telling me, that is.”
The Doctor moved his gaze away from her again, and she tilted her head. Though she couldn’t see it, she imagined that faraway look in his eyes, thinking about that other world he called home. Possibly missing it? Now she understood what he was staring at when he thought others didn’t notice, or what he wanted to be looking at.
Maybe another time… But until then, I wonder what else there could be. Is this just the start?
She tossed him a gentle look, and she tapped her hoof on the machine. “So, uh, what’s this thing do? How does it work? It’s, ah, a lot bigger than it looks.”
“Does it? Hmm, I haven’t noticed?” He grinned, the cold in his eyes melting at the shift of conversation. She laughed, and the Doctor approached her, pointing to the very center. “You see, technically, the way it works is that the TARDIS is a whole other dimension…”
