The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy arrive in the England of the Doctor's universe on Christmas Eve of 2010. What waits for them includes an icy storm, something from Derpy's past, and a reunion with a lost friend.
The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy finally arrive in the Doctor's universe, and just in time for Christmas. The Christmas cheer ends, however, when a group of odd enemies attacks a cozy country hotel. In order to defeat these strange foes, Derpy will have to face something from her past and Twilight will have to help the Doctor reunite with a lost friend.
Outside the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Derpy opened the TARDIS doors and was greeted with a brisk winter wind.
"It's cold!" she exclaimed as she took a few steps back.
"One second!" said the Doctor as he disappeared into the depths of the TARDIS. He returned about a moment later with a load of winter clothing held in his hooves. "There ya go!" The Doctor put on a long, brown overcoat over his brown suit, Twilight put on some boots, a scarf, and some earmuffs, and Derpy put on some boots, a scarf, and a thick, blue jacket.
"See? I told you it was a good idea to pack some pony winter's clothing into your wardrobe," said Twilight with a smirk.
"Yes, all right. Thank you, Twilight." The Doctor rolled his eyes as he made his way over to the doors. Derpy couldn't help but giggle in response.
Twilight gave off a gasp of surprise as the cold wind began blowing against her. A wide snow-covered countryside spread out before them. A cluster of trees surrounded the TARDIS, hopefully hiding it from view.
"So, Doctor, are you sure that this is your universe?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, I am sure. I checked the monitors in the TARDIS and they said that we are in the England of my universe in 2010," the Doctor replied. He looked around and chuckled. "You know, it's funny. I haven't realized how many times I've visited this one country on this planet. At lot seems to happen in England, for some reason."
"Ooh! Look at that!" said Derpy as she pointed over a line of hedges. A tall, Victorian-styled building was situated a few yards away. It appeared to be six floors tall with certain towers that resembled that of an expensive 19th century estate. There was a large circular driveway in front of the building that connected to a road that stretched off into the white countryside. Derpy could make out a frozen swimming pool in the distance while the Doctor could recognize a tennis court and a parking lot.
"I wonder if they have cricket," the Doctor said to himself.
"What?" Twilight asked.
"Oh nothing. Just giving in to past hobbies."
"What is that place?" Derpy asked.
"The Beckwithshaw Hotel."
"Have you been here before?"
"No. That's what the sign says." The Doctor pointed over to a sign over the front doors that read: The Beckwithshaw Hotel.
"Oh." The three ponies suddenly ducked behind the hedge as a car rolled up to the front of the hotel. A group of hotel staff began walking out of the hotel and towards the car. The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy backed away from the hedge and towards the TARDIS.
"Who's in for a country stroll?" asked Twilight suddenly. "Besides, you still owe me a walk, Doctor." The Doctor blushed a bit as Derpy looked at him and Twilight awkwardly.
"Uh...sure," the Doctor replied.
"Are you sure that the TARDIS is safe?" Derpy asked. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and aimed it at the TARDIS. Twilight and Derpy watched as the blue box faded from view.
"I think that should keep it safe while we do a bit of exploring." Derpy smiled as she began walking off.
"Let's just be careful and make sure that nopony, or no one, spots us," said Twilight.
"Don't worry. I still have our two remaining perception filters if any of us needs to make a quick getaway," the Doctor added with a smirk as he followed after his two companions.
Meanwhile, a young black man stepped out of the car that had pulled up in front of the Beckwithshaw Hotel.
"Mr. Temple?" asked one of the staff members.
"That would be me, yes," replied the man.
"Welcome to Beckwithshaw Hotel! May we take your luggage?"
"That would be nice. Thank you." Mr. Temple walked over to the other side of the car as the staff members came forward and began unloading some of the luggage. The passenger door of the car opened and out emerged a woman with fair skin and red hair. "Need some help, dear?"
"Oi! I think I can get out of a car on my own, dear," replied Mrs. Temple. The couple proceeded to laugh before Mr. Temple gave his wife a soft kiss on the cheek. Mrs. Temple then reached into the back seat and grabbed a computer bag.
"Need some help with that?"
"Shaun, I'm fine."
"Okay." Shaun Temple raised his arms and smiled in defeat. He knew this was a battle that he had no hope of winning. The couple began walking towards the hotel when they were greeted by a short, plump man in his early sixties.
"Ah! I've been expecting you two," he said happily.
"We can see that," replied Mrs. Temple. The man stepped forward and shook both Shaun and Mrs. Temple's hands.
"Mr. Temple and Mrs. Temple-Noble. I am so pleased to have you two visiting us for the holidays."
"Just go with either Mrs. Temple or Mrs. Noble. I prefer not to use the whole Temple-Noble combination."
"Alright then. I am Mr. Franks. Please allow me to show you to your rooms."
"Thank you. Come along, Donna," said Shaun. Donna Noble smiled as she followed her husband and Mr. Franks into the hotel.
Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
It seemed to grow colder as the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy continued their stroll through the snow-covered English countryside. The Doctor took in a deep breath of air and exhaled happily.
"It sure feels good to be back in my own universe," he said.
"Nothing here feels very different from our own universe," Twilight stated. Just then, the sound of children laughing began echoing through through the air. The Doctor looked and could just make out the sight of children drawing near.
"Quick! Behind this bush!" The three ponies crouched behind a bush as the two children ran past.
"Come on, Scott! We need to get back to the hotel before Mum begins to worry!" said the girl.
"Can we stay out here a bit longer? It's Christmas Eve and Mum's going to want to do all of her traditions and stuff," the boy known as Scott groaned in reply.
"No! Now come on!" Scott groaned again before following his sister in the direction of the Beckwithshaw Hotel. The three ponies stood up and continued on their way.
"So it's Christmas Eve! What a great coincidence!" the Doctor said with delight.
"I remember you mentioning Christmas back in Ponyville," said Twilight. "Could you explain more about it?"
"Certainly." As the Doctor began explaining the concept of Christmas to Twilight, Derpy's attention was pulled towards a frozen pond located a few feet away. Something seemed off about it. She turned towards the pond and began to approach it. Within seconds, she was staring into her own reflection in the frozen water. The ice glistened in the winter sun as Derpy examined her reflection. She smiled.
"Ditzy," whispered a voice. Derpy jumped and nearly fell onto the icy pond in front of her.
"What?!" asked a surprised Derpy.
"Ditzy. Come to me." Derpy was beginning to shake in her boots. She partly felt that she was going insane. "Please come home."
"Get out of my head!"
"Derpy?" asked a concerned voice. Derpy jumped around and was relieved to see the Doctor and Twilight standing in front of her.
"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked. Derpy turned back towards the pond and shook her head.
"No. Nothing's wrong," Derpy replied.
"Well...you want to come along then?" asked the Doctor. Derpy smiled and walked away from the pond as fast as her hooves could carry her. Twilight followed after Derpy while the Doctor took a quick glance at the pond. He shrugged his shoulders and continued on his merry way.
Room 410 of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
"And here's your room," said Mr. Franks happily as he opened the door. Donna and Shaun smiled as they entered the room. It was a large suite that came with a marble bathroom, an HD television, a velvet carpet, a large king-sized bed, a mini refrigerator, and several other accessories. Their luggage had already been taken up to the room by the staff.
"It's perfect. Thank you, Mr. Franks," said Shaun as he once again shook their host's hand.
"Anytime. Anytime. Enjoy your stay." Mr. Franks smiled again as he closed the door. Donna ran over to the bed and fell onto her back.
"Now this is how to take a vacation!" Donna exclaimed. Shaun sat on the edge of the bed, leaned over, and kissed Donna on the lips.
"And it's all thanks to you," he said.
"Nah. Not really. We have that lottery ticket to thank for it."
"Speaking of the lottery ticket, did you ever find out who gave it to you?" Donna's face seemed to go blank for a moment. She sat up and exhaled softly.
"No. I never did. I asked Mum and Granddad but all they said is that it was from a friend. I wish I could remember who it was." Donna turned to look out the window. The snowy grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel opened up into the wide English countryside. Donna stood up and approached the window. Her eyes were drawn towards a frozen pond that she could see in the distance.
"She is returning," whispered a soft voice in Donna's ear.
"Hmm?" Donna asked as she turned towards Shaun. "Did you say something?"
"No," Shaun replied. Donna turned back towards the window.
"They are returning," whispered the voice. "The lost child and the lost friend. They are returning." Donna froze in place. Her head seemed to grow hot. She grabbed her temple and caressed it slowly. She groaned in annoyance and Shaun proceeded to stand up, walk over to her, and begin massaging her shoulders.
"Is something wrong, Donna?"
"No, it's just...my head...I...I...I'm going for a walk!" she replied.
"I'll come with you then."
"I want to be alone right now!" Donna pulled her coat back on and began walking towards the door.
"Donna? Is something wrong?" Donna turned back towards Shaun and smiled.
"No. I just need to think about something." Shaun watched in confusion and Donna walked through the door without another word.
Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Derpy found a nice spot to sit under a large tree on a hill. She, the Doctor, and Twilight had already walked a good distance away from the hotel. The Doctor and Twilight sat together and continued to discuss Christmas.
"That's really interesting! I can't wait to write the Princess about this," Twilight stated.
"You go and do that then," said the Doctor with a smile. The chestnut stallion turned around to face Derpy. She appeared to be in deep thought, which was something that was not a usual activity of Derpy Hooves. As Twilight examined the scenery, the Doctor stood up and walked over to Derpy. "Hey. Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh...I'm fine," she replied. The Doctor sat down next to her.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Derpy, you can tell me if there's anything going on. You trust me, don't you?"
"Of course!"
"Then, are you absolutely sure that there's nothing going on?" Derpy was silent for a moment. She scratched one of her ears, sighed, and stared out towards the bleak horizon. She took a mental note of how colorless the winter sky was. She thought back to the pond and the voice she had heard. What the voice had said scared her. She felt as if she knew the voice, and yet she didn't. She didn't want to think about it. Her mind slipped away from the thought of the voice and back to the Doctor. She turned towards the Doctor and shook her head.
"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong." The Doctor was silent for a moment. He examined Derpy closely with his ancient eyes. Derpy was panicking on the inside. There was no way the Doctor would be able to see through her façade. She expected him to question her further but he simply nodded and turned towards Twilight and the horizon.
"A winter in England in something to cherish. I can remember all of the peaceful moments I shared with my companions in this country." A sad smile appeared on the stallion's face as he proceeded to let out a chuckle. "It's funny."
"What is?" Derpy asked.
"I used to never be one for looking back. Ever since my regeneration I've had this endless need to look back. On everything I've done. Everyone I've met. All the things that have happened, are happening, and have yet to happen. My past: scattered throughout the whole of the universe and those far away." The Doctor leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. Derpy smiled and turned towards Twilight, who was still busy examining the English countryside. Derpy stood up and walked over towards the edge of the hill they were on. She looked towards the Beckwithshaw Hotel. The cluster of trees concealing the invisible TARDIS was the first thing she focused on aside from the hotel itself. Her eyes then drifted over towards the pond that she had been standing over a little while earlier. There was something about that pond. Derpy knew that there was something different about that pond. Something lurked inside it. Something...conflicted.
"Come home, Ditzy," Derpy heard the mysterious voice whisper. Derpy's heart began to beat like a quick drum. "Come home to me. Come home to us. I, we, have waited for so...so long."
"Get out of my head," Derpy said angrily under her breath. "Get out of my head, whatever you are!"
"She is coming. The Lady Time-Lord is returning." Derpy couldn't help it. Her eyes were pulled in the direction of the pond. Then, in the blink of an eye, Derpy was floating underneath the surface of the pond. She wasn't physically in the pond, for she could breathe and was in a spiritual state, but she could still feel the icy water brushing against her coat. The light of the winter day shone through the ice above her. Derpy looked below to see an endless abyss stretch down into infinity. She looked up just in time to see the figure of a woman appear on the side of the pond. Derpy couldn't identify who the woman was. The woman knelt down on the side of the pond and tapped the ice. "Come to us. Come to me." Derpy looked down and saw an army of blue eyes rising from the depths of the pond. Derpy didn't want to find out what was coming up. She swam towards the surface but couldn't break through. The creatures were swimming up faster and faster.
"LET ME OUT!" Derpy cried as she banged against the ice. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!" The woman on the side of the pond didn't seem to hear her cries. Derpy looked down to see one creature rising towards her. "LET ME OUT!" The creature phased through her body and smashed into the icy surface of the pond. A large crack appeared in the surface of the pond and the woman jumped back.
Derpy gasped and found herself standing back on top of the hill. Twilight was approaching her with a curious look on her face.
"Are you okay, Derpy? You sort of froze there for a moment," she said. Derpy turned towards the Doctor, who was still leaning his head back on the tree trunk, and then turned to look at Twilight.
"She's coming, Twilight," said Derpy with an emotionless face.
"Who is?"
"The Lady Time-Lord is coming." Derpy turned away from Twilight and looked out towards the horizon.
"Derpy, what are you talking about?" Derpy smiled nervously and chuckled.
"I have no idea."
Outside the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Donna stepped through the front doors and into the cold outdoors. She placed her hands in her coat pockets as she made her way across the white grounds of the hotel. The air felt blunt and cold against her face and her eyes burned with each breeze. Donna wished to head back inside and cuddle up with Shaun in her suite, but she had something to check out first.
It didn't take her long to find the frozen pond that she had spotted from her window. It didn't look that special. It looked like any other frozen pond. And yet, Donna felt as if there were something...off about it. Every part of her body was telling her that something was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She knelt down on the edge of the pond and tapped her fingers on the surface. She waited a few seconds. Nothing happened. Donna rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Figures," she stated with disappointment. She stood up and was about to head back to the hotel when, suddenly, the ice cracked. Donna jumped back as a large crack suddenly formed on the surface of the pond. "What the hell?"
"She is returning," whispered the cold voice. Donna froze in her place. The inside of her brain grew hot as the voice whispered to her. "She is returning. The lost child is returning. You are returning." Donna felt her muscles tighten and her breaths grow raspier. "You are returning and it shall die. You are returning, Donna Noble."
"SHUT UP!" Donna screamed as she backed away from the pond. For a moment, she could see a pair of blue eyes glaring up at her. Donna grabbed her head. The image of a giant wasp as well as an erupting volcano flashed in her mind. She backed away from the pond and began running back towards the hotel. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
By the time she had gotten back to the hotel, Donna had forgotten about the eyes, the wasp, and the volcano; and her head had stopped feeling hot. However, she still remembered the voice.
"You are returning, Donna Noble," it had said. By the time Donna got back to her room, she had forgotten about the voice entirely.
Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Twilight was concerned. Something was definitely off about Derpy, but she couldn't tell what it was. She was also incredibly curious about the Lady Time-Lord that Derpy had mentioned. The gray pegasus continued to stare off towards the white horizon of the English countryside.
"Derpy?" Twilight asked. Derpy refused to look at Twilight. She seemed to be caught in a state of deep thought. Twilight backed away from Derpy and walked over towards the tree that the Doctor was sitting underneath. She sat down next to the stallion and he gave a surprised grunt before opening his eyes and looking at Twilight.
"Oh! Hello, Twilight! Sorry about that. I think I dozed off there for a moment," he said with an embarrassed grin.
"Doctor, is it just me or have you too noticed something off about Derpy?" The Doctor looked at Derpy and nodded.
"Yes. I've taken a notice to it."
"She just said something to me that I don't really understand."
"What did she say?"
"She said that the Lady Time-Lord is coming. Does that sound familiar to you?"
"Well there were many Lady Time-Lords once, they were obviously called Time Ladies. I don't recall that there was a the Time Lady."
"Whatever it is, it's cast Derpy under a spell or something." The Doctor stood up and approached the dazed pegasus. He walked in front of her and stared straight into her eyes. They didn't look as golden as normal. They looked...bluish.
"Derpy?" he asked. Derpy didn't respond. He clapped his hooves three times and there was still no response. "Anypony in there?" Suddenly, Derpy snapped out of her trance and jumped a good five feet into the air, causing the Doctor to jump a bit.
"What? Oh! Sorry about that!" said Derpy as she lowered herself smoothly to the ground with her wings. "I was busy thinking about something."
"I could see that. If it isn't too personal, tell me, what were you thinking about?" Derpy was about to respond when all emotion suddenly disappeared from her face. She was silent for a moment before shaking her head and returning to normal.
"I...I don't remember really. It must not have been that important."
"Tell me, does the phrase the Lady Time-Lord is coming ring any bells?" Derpy scratched her head for a second before shaking her head.
"No. I don't recall anything like that." The Doctor turned back towards Twilight. Twilight gave the Doctor a nervous stare and vice versa.
"Why don't we head back to the TARDIS?" the Doctor asked as he turned back to Derpy. "There's plenty more places in my universe that I'd like to show you."
"Okay!" Derpy replied with a wide smile. The Doctor and Twilight proceeded to follow after the bouncing pegasus.
Lobby of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Donna and Shaun stepped off the elevator. Mr. Franks was standing in the lobby while a few of the maids were busy dusting off the furniture.
"Enjoying your stay so far?" asked Mr. Franks.
"Yes. Once again, thank you for the room," Shaun replied. Mr. Franks let out a hearty laugh that made his belly jiggle. Donna had to muster up all the strength in her body to keep herself from laughing.
"It is my pleasure to help you two out! Anyone who's friends with Wilfred Mott, who also happens to have a bit of coin on them, is friends with me!"
"Yes. Granddad talked of you a bit. He had a lot of...well...interesting things to say," said Donna.
"That's good. So where are you two off to now?"
"Taking a scenic tour of the area, we are," Shaun replied.
"Oh! When you're done, I recommend eating at Chelsea's Place across the way. It's a little ways towards Harrogate but the food is worth it. Trust me." Mr. Franks patted his belly and laughed some more.
"Thank you. Come on then, Donna." Donna followed Shaun out of the hotel and towards their car, which had been parked in the parking lot by the valet. Donna was thankful that she had brought her extra-thick jacket with her for it was quite cold out.
"I kind of wish my Mum and Granddad were here...well...maybe not my Mum," said Donna.
"I'm sure they're happy celebrating Christmas on their trip to New York," said Shaun.
"I guess." Shaun unlocked the car and as Donna approached her door she heard the voice again.
"Fetch her. Fetch the child," said the voice. Donna froze for a moment. The voice didn't appear to be talking to her but talking to someone, or something, else.
"Donna? Are you all right?" asked Shaun. Donna snapped out of her trance and instantly forgot about the voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine! Let's go then!" she replied. She opened her door and slid inside. Shaun took a moment to look out towards the snowy countryside. He couldn't help but feel that something was off, and whatever was off was affecting his wife in strange ways. He shrugged the feeling off and slipped into his car. Shaun and Donna then proceeded to drive off into the English countryside.
Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy were still a little bit away from where the TARDIS was parked. Everypony was ready to move on to another place. Derpy, however, still felt a bit off.
"Could we maybe travel a day into the future? I'm really interested in experiencing Christmas first-hoof," said Twilight.
"Not a problem. Should be fun. Hopefully it'll be better than the last Christmas I had," the Doctor replied.
"What happened at your last Christmas?"
"Oh, you know. Old enemies returning, the Time Lords breaking through the time lock, the Earth nearly getting destroyed by my home planet, my friend nearly having her brain fried, everybody in the world turning into the exact same person, and me getting exposed to radiation that ultimately led to my regeneration. The usual."
"I swear, somepony should write a book on your life."
"I'm sure somebody has or will. We both know that somepony will. Remember what Charlie showed us?"
"I mean an accurate book on your life!"
"I guess that would be nice. But who wants to know about the life of an old Time Lord/stallion like me?"
"I would."
"Well, you're already a bookworm. You'll read anything that has a page and a cover."
"Are you saying that I don't count?"
"Well...yes and no, to keep the answer brief."
"You are impossible, you know that?!"
"I know; but you love me just the same eh, Twilight Sparkle?"
"Well, yes...I mean no! I mean yes! I mean...I don't love you but I...admire you." The Doctor smirked at Twilight and the lavender unicorn blushed in embarrassment.
"You're funny, you know that?"
"Forget what I said. Don't look at me!"
"I'm looking!"
"Stop it!"
"I'm looking at you, Ms. Sparkle!"
"Are you asking for a slap?!" The Doctor was about to respond when he suddenly bumped straight into Derpy, who had come to a sudden halt.
"Derpy? Is something wrong?" asked the Doctor. Derpy was shaking violently and her teeth were chattering. She then let out a scream and began backing up.
"They're coming for me! Oh, Celestia! They're coming for me!" she screamed as she fell back onto the snow.
"Who's coming for you?!" asked Twilight. Tears were rolling down Derpy's cheeks like mad.
"I don't know! But they're coming for me! They know who I am!"
"What are you talking about, Derpy?!"
"Is that what they call you now?" asked a chilling voice from nowhere. The Doctor and Twilight jumped and began looking around anxiously. There was nothing there. The Doctor tried to pick Derpy up.
"Come on! You'll be safe in the TARDIS!" he said. The sky began to cloud up and snow began to fall. Derpy jumped up and wrapped her hooves around the Doctor's neck. Their eyes met. The Doctor was slightly disturbed by Derpy's eyes. They were horrible inverted, partially blue, and looked completely and utterly mad.
"How can they know? How can they know about me?!" Derpy cried.
"I don't know! I don't even who you're talking about or what they know!"
"The Lady Time-Lord! She's coming, Doctor! She's my only hope!"
"Who is she?! Who is the Lady Time-Lord?!" the Doctor questioned. Derpy was silent for a moment. It was apparent that a dark magic of sorts was overcoming her. The Doctor wrapped his forelegs around Derpy for he could feel the strength draining from the pegasus's body.
"What in the name of Celestia is going on here?" asked Twilight under her breath as she looked around the snowy landscape as if expecting something to jump out.
"Doctor?" asked Derpy.
"Yes?" the Doctor asked in reply.
"I can't believe it...but I think it's her. I don't know how...but she's found me." Derpy began to cry some more. "I don't want to go back to her! Please don't let me go back, Doctor! Don't make me go back!" The Doctor felt a déjà vu chill rush up and down his spine. "You can protect me, Doctor, but you're going to need them as well."
"Who is after you? Who do I need to protect you? Twilight? I swear, Derpy, that Twilight and I are more than enough to protect you."
"No...you're going to need her as well. The Lady Time-Lord is returning."
"Who is the Lady Time-Lord?"
"Do you know what Lady Time-Lord crudely translates into through Latin and Italian?" The Doctor was surprised. How could Derpy know about the Latin and Italian languages? He had yet to tell her about the languages in his universe and he was sure that those languages didn't exist in Equestria. How could she know? Derpy brought her muzzle up to the Doctor's ear and whispered, "It means...Donna Temple-Noble." The Doctor's eyes widened in shock.
"Impossible!" As Derpy lost consciousness, a series of rotting, icy arms reached up through the snow and grabbed onto Derpy. They then began to pull Derpy under the earth.
"Derpy! Doctor!" Twilight cried. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and aimed it at the arms. One arm came up, knocked the Screwdriver out his his hoof, and grabbed onto said hoof. The Screwdriver flew off and landed in the snow nearby. Twilight aimed her horn at the arms but the arms were ready. Before Twilight could react, one of the arms through a ball of blue magical energy at her. In a flash of blue light, Twilight was frozen in a prison of ice that surrounded her entire body.
"Twilight," breathed the Doctor. The Doctor tried to break free but the arms were too powerful. More arms reached up and grabbed onto him and Derpy. The Doctor was still struggling madly as the arms pulled him and Derpy under the earth. The Doctor's last view of the surface was Twilight frozen in time in the middle of a snowy wonderland with a blizzard beginning to roll in.
Beckwithshaw Countryside, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Night had fallen by the time Donna and Shaun began heading back towards the Beckwithshaw Hotel. The light snowfall that had started earlier that day had begun to pick up rapidly in the past couple hours.
"That was a really good meal," said Shaun as he drove. "I'll have to ask Mr. Franks if he knows of any other good places to eat."
"Not tomorrow though, with it being Christmas and all," said Donna. Shaun chuckled.
"I still don't understand your disliking of Christmas, Donna." Donna's face became emotionless for a moment.
"I don't either. It's just...my Christmases haven't been that great. I mean, look at what happened last year! I can't even remember what happened!"
"I don't think you'd want to. It was very frightening...but it still was a Christmas to remember." Donna scowled at Shaun. "Oops! Sorry, dear."
"Don't worry yourself. I don't mind. Let's just hope that this Christmas is good."
The couple was silent as they made their way through the dark and snowy countryside. Snow rained down from all sides.
"Where on earth did this blizzard come from?" asked an annoyed Donna.
"I'm not sure," Shaun replied. "There was no word of it in the weather reports." Donna looked out the window and, for a second, saw something rush past the car.
"Did you see that?!"
"See what?"
"Something just ran past the car!"
"It might have been an animal or something."
"What animal would be out in this?!"
"You'd be surprised."
"It didn't look like an animal, Shaun."
"Maybe the snow's playing tricks on your eyes. That tends to happen when your vision is blurred." Donna turned away from Shaun and looked back out her window. The storm was getting quite fierce now. Donna nearly jumped out of her coat when another shadow flew by the car.
"There it was again!"
"I'm sure it's nothing, Donna."
"Don't you dare think I'm crazy!"
"I'm not saying that! I'm just saying that the snow is playing tricks on your eyes and-" A large black shadow jumped out in front of the car. It was impossible to make out what the creature was through the snow.
"Stop the Lady Time-Lord!" screamed the voice that only Donna could hear. Donna covered her ears as the shadow charged towards the car.
"SHAUN! LOOK OUT!" Donna cried. Shaun turned the steering wheel sharply to the left. The car slid on the icy road. The creature smashed into the side of the car, causing Shaun's window to shatter, and rolled over the roof. Donna screamed as the car veered off the road and began rolling over. Snow poured into the car through Shaun's damaged window as it rolled down a snowy hill. It seemed like forever but the car eventually came to a sudden stop by colliding with the side of a tree.
Everything was quiet for a moment. The car hadn't come to a stop while sideways or upside-down but it was still pretty badly damaged. Shaun was unconscious and snow was still pouring in through his broken window. Donna, on the other hand, had managed to survive the crash with only a few cuts. It took her a few seconds for everything to sink in. She unbuckled her seat belt and turned towards Shaun.
"Shaun? Shaun, are you okay?" she asked with a nervous crack in her voice. She reached over and began shaking her husband's shoulder. "Shaun? Shaun?! SHAUN?!" She unbuckled his seat belt and pulled him away from the side of the car that had crashed into the tree. Thankfully, a mound of snow had acted as a cushion between the car and the tree; thus preventing any further injuries. A trail of blood was trickling down Shaun's face and his skin felt cold. Donna reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. There was no reception. "Come on!" She looked through the window of her closed door and out upon the snowy hell outside. "I need to get help!" She opened the door and practically fell out onto the snowy earth. It was incredibly dark outside and the only source of light around was that of the car's headlights, which were still working. Donna reached into her purse and pulled out a flashlight, or torch as it's called by the British. She flipped the switch and began trying to get a visual of where she was. It was basically impossible to determine where she was or how far she was from the Beckwithshaw Hotel. She turned back towards Shaun in the car. "I can't leave him here. I've got to carry him."
Donna was about to reach into the car to grab Shaun when she heard something: the sound of heavy footsteps. He pointed her torch into the black snowy abyss around her in hopes of seeing someone.
"Hello?" she called out. "I've been in an accident! My husband needs help! Hello?!" Donna felt her heart freeze as that familiar, cold voice echoed back to her.
"Take them," it said. Donna gasped as a black shadow lunged at her through the storm. She dodged the attack and began to run. She came to halt as she thought back to Shaun.
"Shaun! SHAUN!" She turned back towards the car and screamed. An army of rotted hands were reaching up and pulling the car and Shaun down into the snowy earth. Donna was frozen with fear. She couldn't move. "SHAUN!" Donna felt her head grow hot as Shaun and the car disappeared beneath the snow. Donna's attention then turned back to that of the shadow, which was making its way towards her again. Donna turned around and broke into a run. Her heart was beating like a drum on speed and her brain was burning like hot coals as she made her way deep into the frozen abyss of the blizzard.
Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Donna didn't dare look back. She knew the creature was behind her and she didn't want to know how close it was to catching up. The light of her torch was barely enough to provide her safe passage through the storm. Snow pounded against her face and an icy chill bled its way through her boots and socks. This was exceptionally cold snow, no doubt about that. Every now and then Donna would hear the icy voice call out to the creature from the darkness. The voice seemed to cause Donna's brain to grow hotter and hotter.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Donna cried into the storm. "HELP ME!" Unsurprisingly, nobody responded to Donna's pleas for help. Donna also felt as if something was chasing her under the snow as well. What was happening? What was chasing her? Was Shaun all right? Would she survive this storm? Questions like these buzzed through Donna's head with every passing second. Just then, Donna could make out a series of lights in the distance. Could it be the hotel? "MR. FRANKS! ANYBODY! SOMEBODY! HELP ME!" Something suddenly grabbed onto Donna's ankle. Donna was running so fast that she managed to break free. She looked back to see an icy hand reaching up from the snow. In the distance, she could see the shadowy creature chasing after her. As Donna turned forward she found herself running into an icy figure of sorts. Donna fell back onto the ground. Her entire body ached. She looked up and pointed her torch and what she had bumped into. She cocked her head in confusion for standing before her was what appeared to be a lavender unicorn encased in an ice coating. "What the hell?"
Donna gasped as cracks began forming on the ice. Donna was too scared to move. There were icy arms beneath her, a shadowy creature behind her, and a thawing unicorn in front of her. Her head was growing quite hot now.
Twilight let out a loud groan as the ice around her shattered. She had no idea how long she had been imprisoned but she was glad to be free nonetheless. She looked around and noticed that it was now nighttime and a blizzard was blowing through. The cold did not feel good against Twilight's exposed coat.
"DOCTOR! DERPY!" she called into the night. There was no response. Twilight suddenly realized that she wasn't alone. She looked in front of her to see a woman lying on the ground and pointing a flashlight at her. Twilight froze. The woman grabbed her head and screamed.
"It...you...you...talked!" the woman gasped. Twilight wanted to slap herself. She had just exposed herself to a random human. Twilight looked at the woman and couldn't help but think that she had seen her somewhere before. She couldn't make out the woman's face entirely through the dark snow. The woman suddenly turned around and screamed. Twilight looked to see a dark creature rushing towards them. She jumped in between the woman and the creature and cast a powerful illumination spell. The creature came to a halt a few feet away from them. Twilight heard the woman shriek and Twilight couldn't blame her. The creature looked like it was made out of a combination of corpses and ice. A black ooz dripped from its mouth and its eyes were reflective like that of a frozen pond. The creature looked at the woman and roared before charging towards them.
"Get away!" ordered Twilight as she sent a blast of fire at the creature. The creature screamed as the fire caused part of its body to melt away. The creature lunged for Twilight and the woman but Twilight managed to pull herself and the woman out of the creature's path with her magic. The creature shot blades of ice out of its hand but Twilight deflected them with a magic barrier. She was beginning to feel weak. Her icy imprisonment had drained some of her energy. She needed to finish this fight quickly. She began charging up a powerful fire spell as the ice creature ran towards her and the woman. The woman screamed as the creature jumped into the air. Twilight groaned as a plume of fire shot out of her horn and crashed straight into the creature's chest. The creature let out a horrible yell as it faded away into ooz and ice.
Twilight let out a series of hoarse breaths. The fight had taken a lot out of her. She was happy that she was able to at least keep her illumination spell going. She turned around to face the woman she had saved. Her eyes widened. She could make out the woman's face fully now. She could see everything from her red hair to her fair skin and blue-green eyes. She had only seen the woman once before: on a monitor in the TARDIS.
"Donna Noble," Twilight said under her breath.
Donna stood up and stared at the unicorn before her. She didn't know what to think anymore. Her head was so hot now that it was practically unbearable.
"What's...going...on?!" Donna asked as she grabbed her head. "My head! Oh my head!" Odd images began flashing before Donna's eyes: a giant wasp, an erupting volcano, creatures of fat ascending into spaceships, a blonde woman, a giant library, creatures in metal armor, a giant spider woman, a blue box that was bigger on the inside, and...a man in a suit. "My head! Oh my head! My head!" Donna could feel a surge of energy rush up from inside her. Something was coming. She was...remembering.
Twilight didn't know what to do. Donna's eyes were glowing bright gold and streams of golden gas were flowing out through the pores in her head. Her skin was glowing and her body was shaking.
"This is just a dream!" Twilight cried in desperation. "This is just a dream! Fall asleep, Donna, and wake up! Fall asleep!"
Donna looked at Twilight as warm tears flowed down her face.
"It burns!" she cried. "Everything's growing hotter and hotter and HOTTER and HOTTER and-" Donna screamed as a golden light began pouring from her head. "I need...I need...I need...a...a...DOCTOR!" A stream of memories roared past Donna's eyes like a freight train. Donna began to fall to the ground and Twilight ran over to catch her. As soon as Twilight and Donna made contact, it happened. A surge of golden energy shot out through Donna's eyes and mouth as she let out a loud shriek. Twilight felt a wave of energy travel through Donna, into her own body, and out through her own eyes, mouth, and horn. Twilight screamed as golden energy soared through every inch of her body. A series of images flashed past Twilight's eyes: planets suspended together in space, a hand in a glass case, a man in a suit, and Donna, in a wedding dress, standing in the middle of a warehouse being flooded with fire and water as a giant spider woman screamed and the man in the suit looked on.
"Doctor!" called Donna in the memory. The humanoid Doctor looked down at Donna. "You can stop now!" The Doctor looked on as the water and fire swirled around the warehouse.
Then...everything stopped. The blizzard came to a stop, Twilight and Donna's screams came to a stop, and the rush of energy ceased.
"Doctor," Donna sighed as she lost consciousness. Twilight's eyes rolled up into her head as she followed suit.
Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Twilight spat a wad of snow out of her mouth as she woke up. She was lying on her side. She rolled over onto her back and looked up to see a clear night sky filled with stars. As she sat up she couldn't help but be confused by the sudden disappearance of the heavy blizzard that had been occurring right before she had blacked out. She rubbed the back of her head and coughed up a few more wads of snow.
"When will I have an adventure with the Doctor where nopony loses consciousness?" Twilight groaned as she rubbed her sore foreleg. Suddenly, Twilight heard a moan. She turned to her right to see Donna Noble lying on the snowy ground with her arms and legs spread out. She looked extremely pale and tiny bursts of golden gas were evaporating from her hair. Twilight couldn't believe that she was actually sitting a few feet from the Donna Noble. The companion who the Doctor had traveled around with before his arrival in Equestria. The companion who had to forget all about the Doctor or else her mind would burn. Twilight was beginning to panic as she thought back to the explosion of golden energy from within Donna as well as the flash of memories that had flowed through the two of them. Twilight hoped that Donna would be okay. She wasn't dead for she was still breathing but she looked quite weak. Twilight walked over to Donna and sat down next to her. She used her magic to lift Donna above of the snow a bit. Twilight's horn stung slightly. She was still suffering the after effects of her imprisonment as well as her fight with the ice creature. Twilight gasped as Donna's eyes suddenly shot open.
Twilight placed Donna back on the ground. Donna sat up and rubbed her temple. She still seemed to be out of it. Twilight wondered whether she should leave or stay. She decided to stay.
"My head," Donna moaned. Her head felt slightly hot but the feeling quickly melted away to be replaced with a sense of relief. Donna let out a loud sigh before taking in the scene around her: the calm winter night as well as the lavender unicorn. Her head was buzzing with thoughts. Some she was able to put together but others quickly slipped away. One thing that she was able to hold onto was her memory of that brilliant man in the TARDIS: the Doctor. She let out a laugh as she suddenly realized what had just happened. "I...remember." Donna smiled and let out another series of joyful laughs. "I remember the Doctor! I remember everything!" Donna felt an indescribable joy as she thought back on her adventures with the Doctor: from her first meeting with him in 2007 to her parting with him after the defeat of the Daleks. She even remembered the events of last year's Christmas that she had forgotten. "My head!" She grabbed her head and laughed again. "It doesn't hurt! It doesn't hurt anymore!" Donna jumped up off the snowy ground with a proud look on her face. "Aw yes! The DoctorDonna is back...I think." Donna grabbed her temple. She could still feel several thoughts floating around in her head but many of them she couldn't grasp and those she couldn't grasp faded away altogether.
"Donna Noble?" Twilight asked suddenly. Donna turned to face the unicorn in front of her.
"How do you know who I am? And...what are you?" Twilight figured that she might as well give it to her straight.
"My name's Twilight Sparkle. I'm a unicorn from the land of Equestria that exists in another dimension." Donna was silent for moment. She then nodded her head with an accepting look.
"I don't find that too hard to believe after all I've seen. But how do you know me?"
"Because...the Doctor told me about you." Donna's eyes widened. She rushed forward and stared Twilight straight in the eye.
"You know the Doctor?!"
"Yes. I'm currently traveling around with him. His Sonic Screwdriver's lying in the snow over there if you want physical proof." Donna turned away from Twilight and took a few steps towards an object lying in the snow. Donna picked up the Sonic Screwdriver and carefully brushed the snow off it. She clicked the button and the Screwdriver gave off its signature noise and blue light. An expression of happiness, relief, amazement, and anger appeared on Donna's face.
"He's here! He's really here! I can see him again! Oh! Just wait until I get a hold of him for erasing my memories! I'm going to slap him!"
"I can't believe it's really you, Donna," said Twilight. "I've heard plenty about you...and about what happened."
"At least the Doctor hasn't forgotten about me," said Donna. "And how did he come across you anyway? I thought travel between dimensions was impossible."
"Long story. Right now I need to rescue the Doctor and Derpy." Twilight began making her way towards the hotel. Donna followed.
"Who's Derpy?"
"She's a pegasus from my universe who's also traveling around with the Doctor. They were sucked under the earth by a bunch of icy hands." Donna froze in her tracks. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Shaun!"
"Shaun?"
"My husband! A bunch of icy arms took him as well!" Twilight sat down and began to think.
"This is so strange."
"Hmm?"
"Something kept calling out to Derpy. A voice. The Doctor and I heard it at one point."
"Was it an...icy voice?"
"Yes!"
"I've been hearing it too, though I kept forgetting about it due to the Doctor's fail-safe."
"A voice that both you and Derpy can hear calling out to Derpy, icy hands and ice monsters all over the place, and, to top everything off, you of all humans comes into the middle of this."
"And let's not forget the fact that I now remember everything about the Doctor." Twilight rubbed her temple.
"I actually have a hypothesis about why that happened."
"What is it?"
"We need to rescue the Doctor, Derpy, and your husband first!" said Twilight as she stood up.
"Tell me as we walk," said Donna as she and Twilight began making their way towards the hotel.
"Maybe, somehow, me touching you at that exact moment where your fail-safe was activated was what allowed your memories to return without your mind burning."
"I don't understand."
"I'm still cloudy on the details myself but I think the magical energies inside of me channelled the Time Lord energies out of you."
"Thus allowing me to keep my memories without my mind burning up!"
"Exactly."
"I guess I'll take that theory for now. I'm still trying to digest that I remember the Doctor as well as the fact that he's now traveling around with a unicorn and a pegasus from another dimension. So, Twilight, where are we supposed to start looking?" Twilight turned towards Donna with a determined look on her face.
"I know just the place."
Ice Tomb Beneath the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
The Doctor awoke and was relieved to find Derpy lying down next to him. At least she was all right. He quickly took note of his surroundings. He was lying on a cold, rocky surface. The ceiling above him was curved and appeared to be made out of ice webbing. The Doctor half-expected to see ice spiders appear at any moment. He sat up and dusted a few mounds of snow off his suit. The room they were in was huge. It was about the size of a ballroom. A large pond of water was situated in the middle of the room. It should have been pitch black in there but the ice webbing appeared to be luminescent. The Doctor could make out several tunnels in the ceiling and walls that extended off to who knows where. They were definitely underground. He could easily make that assumption. Just then, he heard a soft groan. The Doctor turned to see Derpy slowly awaken.
"Derpy? Are you okay?" he asked soothingly. Derpy nodded as she sat up.
"I think," she replied. "My head hurts...and I'm really cold."
"Me too." The Doctor couldn't stop thinking about what Derpy had said just before the hands had taken them. She mentioned Donna. Her knowledge of other languages was one thing but her knowledge of Donna was another thing entirely. As far as he could remember, the Doctor had only mentioned Donna to one pony: Twilight. And Twilight, as far as the Doctor was concerned, hadn't told anypony else about Donna. He had to ask her. "Derpy, how do you know about Donna Temple-Noble?"
"Who?"
"The woman you mentioned just before the hands grabbed us." Derpy scratched her head.
"I'm sorry, Doctor, but I don't remember much of what I said just before we were taken. I don't even think it was even me who said it. Does that sound crazy?"
"No. Something might have been speaking through you or directing your body to say things that you didn't mean to. But do you remember anything?" Derpy turned away from the Doctor.
"I remember the voice...and some of what she said."
"She?" Now that the Doctor thought about the icy voice more, he did remember it sounding quite feminine in nature. "Derpy...you know more than what you're letting on." Derpy refused to turn to look at the Doctor.
"I'm about as confused as you are, Doctor, but I think I know who's behind this."
"How? How can you know someone from my dimension?"
"Because the pony behind this isn't from your dimension. She's from Equestria."
"Who is she?" Derpy was about to respond when the cavern shook. The Doctor and Derpy looked up as a large white mass climbed out of one of the tunnels. Derpy gasped with fear. The Doctor stood up. The white mass consisted of an ice cage being carried by eight legs that resembled those of a spider. A pony was floating inside the cage and was connected to the mass by a series of veins and intestines. The spider/pony creature made its way down the wall and glided its way across the pond. The mass came to a halt at the edge of the pond and just a few feet from where the Doctor and Derpy were standing. The Doctor was able to get a closer look at the pony in the cage. It was a pegasus mare with a white coat and a golden mane. Her eyes were dark red. He looked for the mare's cutie mark but patches of thick ice covered the mare's flank.
"You are awake, Ditzy. I am so happy to see you again," said the mare in her icy voice. Derpy appeared scared at first but she cleared her throat and stepped forward.
"Derpy? Who's Ditzy?" asked the Doctor although he could already work out the answer. Derpy sighed.
"It's who I used to be. I didn't always go by Derpy Hooves. I was born as Ditzy Doo."
"Why go by an alias, Derpy...er...Ditzy...er-"
"Please don't start calling me Ditzy, Doctor. I gave up that name long ago and I intend to keep it that way."
"But why, Derpy? Why did you give up your name? Tell me what's going on!" Derpy sighed again.
"I changed my name so that I could separate myself from her and so that she could never find me again." Derpy pointed up at the mare in the cage. The icy mare smiled. "I am confused about how you ended up in this universe and how you ended up like this."
"It's a lovely story, Ditzy. I will be happy to tell it to you and your companion. Oh how I've missed you!" said the mare with a cold smile.
"I'm not really sorry to say that the feeling isn't the same between us." Derpy stared at the mare with a expression of pure hatred. "It's been a long time. Hello, Mom."
Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Twilight and Donna stood at the edge of the pond and looked down at its reflective surface.
"I'm certain that this is where Derpy first heard the voice," said Twilight.
"I visited this pond earlier today. I heard the voice here as well," Donna replied. Donna knelt down and tapped the ice. The surface was still cracked from earlier. "Do you think they're underneath here?"
"There's only one way to find out. Stand back please." Donna stepped away from the pond as Twilight aimed her horn. There was a bright flash of light and the ice proceeded to crack and melt away. Donna gasped with surprise as a magical barrier suddenly formed around her and Twilight. "Down we go, Donna Noble."
Donna gulped as she and Twilight walked into the pond and disappeared beneath the surface.
Under the Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Donna watched as the cold water of the pond swirled about the exterior of the magical barrier protecting her and Twilight. She couldn't help but admire the wonders of magic and admit to herself that magic seemed to show some similarities to the advanced sciences of the future. She was still extraordinarily happy that she had her memories back. It was still impossible to comprehend that she had gone so long with no memories of the Doctor. No memories of her wonderful adventures and achievements alongside him. Donna wondered how the Doctor was now. Was he still the same man that she had left following their defeat of the Daleks or was he....different? She turned to look at Twilight's horn which was giving off a luminous purple glow. She smiled and gave out a quiet giggle. However, Twilight heard it.
"Something funny?" Twilight asked.
"No! Nothing's funny...it's just that I find your magic to be quite odd," Donna replied.
"I could easily say the same thing about devices in your world: cars, phones, the like. It all seems so alien. But, from what I've seen of my universe's future, we'll apparently have those technologies in no time."
"You seem to be pretty good with magic."
"Everypony says that back in my world." Donna smirked and Twilight sighed. "Yes, it's everypony in my world. Please don't laugh. I've heard enough of it from the Doctor."
"Don't worry. I won't dwell on it." Donna cleared her throat and gave a forced smile. "So, every...pony in your world says you're good with magic too?"
"Yeah. My friend Spike compliments my magic a lot...that is when he's not on the other end of an unpleasant spell."
"I guess stuff like this is only the tip of the iceberg with you."
"You could say that. Sometimes...I have my doubts."
"How so?"
"There are moments where I think I can't live up to what everypony else expects of me. I can admit that I've been able to perform great feats with my magic and others have acknowledged it...but there's always this part of me saying that I might end up disappointing them in the end."
"I can't really speak for what your true potential is, as I've known you for not even an hour, but from what I've seen I think it's safe to assume that you're no disappointment. I mean the way you fought off that ice creature was just...brilliant."
"It was nothing. Just some fire and protection spells. Simple stuff."
"It saved your rump and my behind from that creature. I would say that counts for something." Donna was silent for a moment. She looked at the unicorn before her and could see that Twilight still had doubts. Donna placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight looked up and Donna smiled soothingly at her. "I used to have doubts in myself as well. There were even a few points where I thought of myself as completely worthless, maybe even nothing. Turns out I was apparently the most important woman in the whole of creation." Twilight smiled and Donna sighed. "God, that sounded conceited."
"You must have done something big then," Twilight stated.
"You could say that," Donna replied with a smirk. "I'm guessing that the Doctor explained why he had to part with me but not how it all came about."
"That's about right."
"I'll tell you all about it but first...what's the Doctor like?"
"Why would you ask that? You already know him, right? Or have not all of your memories come back?"
"Don't worry, I remember everything. I'm just asking what the Doctor's like now. How does the Doctor come off to you? I'm just curious if he's changed as a person from the last time I saw him."
"It's pretty hard in trying to describe the Doctor. He's mysterious, yet I feel very close to him. He can be merciless and angry, but kind and welcoming. He can be shut off and secretive, but he can also be open and nostalgic of his past. I think we can both agree that he's a very interesting being."
"Yeah. That's sounds a lot like the Doctor I know." Twilight and Donna were quiet for a moment until Donna spoke up again. "I guess you want to know the whole story that led up to me losing my memories."
"I'd be very interested in hearing it," said Twilight with a large smile.
"I guess we have plenty of time to talk about it as this pond seems to go on and on," Donna stated.
"At least my hunch of this leading us to what we're looking for seems to be coming true. Anyway, I'm all ears."
"Yes. It all began when I delivered a message to the Doctor from one of his previous companions, Rose Tyler..."
Ice Tomb Beneath the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
"Hello, Ditzy," replied Derpy's mother. The Doctor felt his jaw drop.
"Derpy?" he asked. "Did you just call-"
"Yes," Derpy replied with a look of disgust and regret. "This thing is my mother, if you could ever call her one."
"Such harsh words, Ditzy. And after all I went through to be reunited with you," stated Derpy's mother.
"What makes you think that I wanted to be reunited with you?" Derpy turned back to her mother with a scowl. "Why do you think I kept running away from you when I was a kid?! Thank Celestia I was finally able to escape you and get a new life for myself!" Derpy's mother took a few steps closer but Derpy stepped back in response. "I hate you!"
"Please, Ditzy. Give Mommy another chance."
"Never!" Tears were beginning to form in Derpy's eyes. The Doctor could tell that this was probably bringing back a lot of unfavorable memories for Derpy. "You were a horrible mother, even when we still had Dad. You never loved me. You teased me and mocked me. You resented me and never treated me like your daughter...and yet you still kept running after me when I ran away! You made it your mission in life to make me miserable!" The smile on Derpy's mother's face faded away.
"Don't say that."
"Say what?!"
"I loved you, Ditzy, and I still do."
"No! You didn't!"
"Derpy," said the Doctor. "Maybe you should give-"
"No, Doctor! You don't understand what it was like!" Tears were now rolling profusely down Derpy's cheeks. The Doctor moved in closer to comfort her but she pushed him away slightly. "You don't understand what it was like...being raised by her!"
"I can try."
"So, Doctor, I don't think we've been properly introduced," said Derpy's mom as she butted in. "I'm Dahlia, Dahlia Doo."
"Uh...nice to formally meet you," the Doctor replied awkwardly. He then turned his attention back to Derpy. "I think it would be best if you talked about what happened. Allow me to try and understand."
"Fine...just keep her away from me!" Derpy snapped. The Doctor glared up at Dahlia and she proceeded to take a few steps back. "I...was a very different pony when I was Ditzy Doo. I was born with a lot of problems."
"Problems?"
"I was a bit...slow. Trivial things like textures and such annoyed me and being caught in large crowds would cause me to panic. I didn't have any friends when I was Ditzy Doo. She made sure of that." Derpy glared up at Dahlia but Dahlia just stared at her as if she were staring at an infant. Derpy continued. "She hardly let me outside. I still remember her referring to me as an embarrassment when she talked with my Dad."
"What about school?"
"I was homeschooled. Mom took me out of school after my first day. I got nervous in class and...wet myself." The Doctor felt a pit form in his stomach. He was beginning to realize that he hardly knew Derpy at all. She had secrets to hide just like him and, from the sound of things, she had good reason to. "She punished me every chance she got. It was clear that she never loved me. She never tried to help me overcome my obstacles. She just scolded me and insulted me. She even gave me the nickname of Derp Eyes. After my father left, she became worse. I eventually began running away in attempts to help both my life and hers for I felt that we would be better off apart. However, she continued to chase after me each time I ran away. One time I was gone for a week but she still managed to find me. I don't know why she kept bringing me home if she hated me so much. Finally, one day, I managed to escape for good. I flew to Cloudsdale and lived in the orphanage for a little bit. I attended school, made friends, and began to overcome the obstacles presented to me by my disabilities. I eventually moved to Ponyville and have lived there in peace ever since."
"Why did you change your name?"
"I knew that if she couldn't find me then she'd report me to the police. When I was checked in at the orphanage, I went by Derpy Hooves. The police would be searching for Ditzy Doo and not Derpy Hooves. I'm lucky that nopony ever saw through my lie." Derpy was shaking with anger and sadness now. The Doctor placed one of his forelegs around her. This time, Derpy didn't push him away.
"You little liar," said Dahlia as she loomed over Derpy and the Doctor. The Doctor looked up to see that Dahlia's eyes were redder and her face was contorted with hatred. "You have no idea how much I sacrificed for you! I tried my best! I really did! I tried to take care of you and help you through your disabilities! I tried to help integrate you into society. I tried to make you fit in! But you just kept foiling my plans for you at every turn! You were so disobedient and ugly! I sacrificed so much to try and help you fit in...but you were just too difficult!" Dahlia's voice was echoing around the cavern. Derpy glared up at her mother. "Why did I keep chasing after you?! Because, even through all the pain and embarrassment, I still loved you for you were my daughter. You were, and still are, my flesh and blood. How can a parent not hold an ounce of love for what they bear? I also knew that you were my responsibility. I couldn't let you run off into the world in the state you were in. I could never imagine that you'd ever be able to improve."
"No thanks to you, Mom."
"But...let us not forget the most important thing you left out! You said that your father, my husband, left. You lie, Ditzy. I always told you to never lie. Yet, here you are. You've lied about your name, you've lied about your past to your friends, and now you're lying about your father! I think your dear friend would be interested in learning what truly happened!"
"I knew it. One of your reasons for coming for me was so that you could punish me some more for something that wasn't even my fault!"
"It was your fault! Not a day goes by that I don't know that with every fiber of my being, Ditzy! You did it! It was you who killed him!" Everything fell silent. A tear fell from Derpy's eye and hit the cavern floor with a soft drip.
Under the Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Twilight sighed as she and Donna finally came to the bottom of the pond. They were far below the surface and the only source of light was that of Twilight's horn. A long, dark tunnel stood before them.
"Into the belly of the beast," gulped Twilight.
"Into the belly of the beast we go," Donna added. They nodded to each other and began their trek into the waterlogged cavern.
Ice Tomb Beneath The Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
"It wasn't my fault," Derpy argued. Dahlia slammed one of her cage's spider legs into the floor, causing the cavern around them to shake.
"You lie, Ditzy! Do you not remember what happened?!" Dahlia snapped. Derpy felt an intense cold rush over her. The Doctor took a few steps forward, putting himself in between Derpy and her mother.
"Perhaps you should tell your story now, Dahlia. I have to be honest that I'm quite curious about how you ended up in your...current state," said the Doctor. Dahlia seemed to cool down a bit but she appeared to still be pretty angry. She took a few steps back and let out a disgruntled sigh.
"Yes...I would be glad to." Derpy glared up at her mother angrily. The Doctor patted Derpy calmly on the shoulder and sat down next to her. Dahlia began her tale. "Looking back, I can admit that I was nowhere near the best of mothers. I was...a demanding mare. I wanted many things, most of which were denied to me. It wasn't until I met Ditzy's father, Duncan Doo, that I finally began to feel happy. Then we had Ditzy and...I felt disappointed. I guess a mother shouldn't feel this way about her daughter, but I did. I loved her dearly, and still do, but my desire for a perfect life with a perfect family just seemed to...take over. I tried my best to help Ditzy work with her disabilities but I grew tired. I wanted instant results but I discovered quickly that her disabilities would take a while to overcome. I went to many ponies in search of advice. Nothing helped. Absolutely nothing. She fought against every attempt I made to help her. Some of my methods may have been...wrong...but I tried to find some way of helping her. Duncan was the one who gave me the strength to continue on. He was a better pony that I was. He had patience and cared for everypony around him. He tried his best to satisfy my desires for the perfect life as well as tried his best to help Ditzy overcome the disabilities presented to her. I probably would have grown to become a better mother and Ditzy a better daughter...if it weren't for that day." Dahlia began to shake angrily. Her eyes glowed red but she took in a deep breath and relaxed herself.
"Dad was better than you," Derpy said harshly. "He never beat me or teased me. He never made me worry about the world waiting for me. He cared for me and acted like a parent should, more than what could be said about how you acted!"
"But what about you, Ditzy? You never tried to work with me. You always fought me. You showed no interest in trying to overcome your obstacles!"
"I had a lot of problems when I was younger! They were difficult to overcome!"
"Yet you still managed to overcome them in the end! Look at you now! I can honestly say that the Ditzy I see before me right now is a vast improvement from the Ditzy that lived with me. Why did you change for them? Why did you change for the ponies out in the world? Why couldn't you change when you lived with me? Why couldn't you just try to work with me?!"
"You'll never understand how horrible you were. The things you said to me...those were things that NO mother should EVER say to their daughter! Giving me the nickname of Derp Eyes, calling me an embarrassment, beating me for the most trivial of things, and everything else! How can you say that you loved me after what you did?!"
"Bending the truth as always, Ditzy."
"WHAT?!"
"Yes...I admit...I was a horrible mother...but you're not telling the whole truth!"
"Oh yes I am!"
"If you think you are then you have forgotten what truly happened all those years ago. I was a mediocre and developing mother when your father was around. It was only after the "accident" occurred that I found myself turning into the mother that you remember." Derpy fell silent for a moment. The Doctor turned between Dahlia and Derpy. "Are the memories returning, Ditzy? Do you remember what happened? How could I ever look at you the same way again? How could I ever not look at you without that tint of anger and sadness in the back of my mind? How could I ever become the mother I wished to be after what you did to your father?"
"It wasn't my fault!"
"YES IT WAS!" A few icy tears rolled down Dahlia's cheeks. "I remember the whole thing like it was yesterday. It was a hot summer day and you were busy listening to one of your father's crazy stories..."
Outside the Home of Ditzy Doo, Indigo Village, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 988 C.E.
Dahlia Doo sat on the porch and let out a loud sigh. She had just finished sewing together a skirt that she had placed happily over her gift wrap cutie mark. Duncan Doo was sitting out in the middle of the yard talking with Ditzy. Ditzy laughed and Dahlia couldn't help but smile a bit. But she also couldn't help but feel guilty for the spanking she had given Ditzy earlier for smashing one of her friends' vases.
"It'll get easier," Dahlia said to herself as she rubbed her temple. "She'll become better when she grows up. I know it. Things will get easier." She looked at Duncan and smiled. "As long as Duncan's here, I know I can become the perfect parent that Ditzy needs. I just know it." Dahlia stood up and walked over to Duncan and Ditzy.
"Really?! You caught an entire piano in your hooves?!" Ditzy said in awestruck.
"Yep!" teased Duncan with a smirk. "Your daddy has skills, Ditzy." Duncan Doo was an earth pony with an orange coat, a blond mane, and a teddy bear cutie mark.
"I thought your skill was making toys."
"Well...that too." He grabbed Ditzy and hugged her close. "Love ya, kiddo."
"I love you too, Daddy." Ditzy suddenly became nervous as she saw her mom approach them.
"Hello you two," said Dahlia. Ditzy shrunk behind Duncan and Duncan patted her shoulder.
"Hi, Honey," Duncan replied.
"Were you telling her the piano story?"
"It's her favorite story now."
"I guessed as much." Dahlia gave a sad smile. "I was wondering if the two of you wanted some lemonade. Is is pretty hot out here after all."
"Sure. What about you, Ditzy?" Ditzy stepped out from behind Duncan and nodded. Dahlia knelt down in front of Ditzy and sighed.
"Ditzy...I'm sorry for spanking you earlier. But you had to learn your lesson. There's always a consequence. Do you understand?" Ditzy looked down and nodded. "Ditzy, please look at me when I'm talking to you." Ditzy looked up. "I promise that I'll try to be better." Dahlia turned to Duncan. "I promise that I'll try my best. But, Duncan, promise me that you'll always be there to help me turn into the best mother on this side of Equestria." Duncan placed a hoof on one of Dahlia's shoulders and smiled.
"I promise that I'll always be there to steer you in the right course, Dahlia," he stated. "The perfect mom is in you. You just need to know where to look." Dahlia nodded sadly and turned back to Ditzy.
"Well, I best go in and make that lemonade for you two." Dahlia stood up and walked into the house.
"Ditzy," said Duncan suddenly once Dahlia had entered the house. "Could you go over to the porch and get that towel for me? It's really hot today and I'm getting kind of sweaty."
"Sure, Daddy!" Ditzy replied with a smile as she flew over to the porch. Ditzy landed on the porch and grabbed the towel. She was about to fly back to her dad when she noticed something in the sky. It was a pegasus delivery carriage. The pegasi in charge of the carriage were flying extremely fast. Ditzy noticed something sticking out of the side. As the pegasi increased their speed, something large fell out of the carriage: a piano. The pegasi didn't seem to notice their lost cargo. The piano was falling faster and faster. Ditzy realized that her dad was sitting right underneath the falling piano and had no idea of what was falling towards him. She felt like calling out to him...but she didn't. The story of her dad catching the piano out of the sky was still fresh in her mind. She was happy when she realized that she'd be able to see her invincible dad do the act again right in front of her eyes. Any second now her dad would sit upright and catch the falling piano with his forehooves. He would then toss it around like a bouncy ball and lay it on the ground in perfect condition, just like he told her. She watched and held her breath as the piano drew closer and closer to the ground. Duncan looked up to see the piano falling towards him. His eyes went wide. There was no time for him to move. Ditzy watched as the piano fell on top of her father with a loud crash. Dust and wood flew up into the air and was scattered throughout the front yard.
Ditzy was confused. Why did her dad not catch the piano? She was sure that he was all right. He was invincible after all. He had told her himself. Ditzy waited for a few seconds, expecting her dad to pop out of the broken piano perfectly fine. Nothing happened. Just then, Dahlia ran through the front door with a tray held by one of her hooves. The tray held two glasses of lemonade.
"What in the name of Celestia was that noise?!" asked Dahlia as she looked around. She was surprised to not see Duncan anywhere. She looked at Ditzy and followed Ditzy's gaze towards the broken piano. "A piano? What the-" Dahlia gasped suddenly. She felt her legs go weak. No. It couldn't be. It couldn't have happened. Dahlia shook as she looked down at Ditzy. "Ditzy...where is your father?"
"He's under the piano. I'm waiting for him to come out," she replied. The tray and the glasses of lemonade fell to the ground with a loud smash.
"DUNCAN!" Dahlia broke into a run. Ditzy raced after her. Tears were streaming down Dahlia's face as she began tearing through the broken piano. "DUNCAN! DUNCAN! ANSWER ME!" She heard a weak cough. She tore more pieces of wood away to reveal the cut up face of Duncan Doo. Somehow, he was still alive...but it was obvious that he wouldn't stay this way for long. "Duncan! Stay with me, Honey! Please stay with me!"
Ditzy felt a odd feeling wash over her. She had never felt this feeling before. It felt stronger than sadness and worse than fear. It was a mixture of the two. Why did her dad look so horrible? He was invincible...right?
"Daddy?" Ditzy asked. Duncan turned his head to look at Ditzy. "What happened? I thought you would catch the piano like you told me you did before."
"WHAT?!" snapped Dahlia. "WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL FOR HELP! DID YOU EVEN WARN HIM?!"
"I...I thought he didn't need to be warned." Ditzy looked at Duncan. "Daddy, are you going to be-" Ditzy suddenly felt a hoof smack right into the side of her face. Ditzy fell to the ground as tears began to well up in her eyes. She looked up to see her mother glaring down at her angrily.
"NO! HE'S NOT GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT! HE'S DYING! WHY IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA DID YOU NOT TELL HIM TO MOVE?!"
"I-" Dahlia proceeded to slap Ditzy again.
"Dahlia," croaked the dying Duncan. Dahlia turned to look at her husband. "I'm sorry...but it looks...like I...won't be...able to keep...your promise...after all."
"No! No! Please! Duncan! Stay with me! Please don't go! I can't go on without you, Duncan!"
"I love you...Dahlia." He turned to Ditzy. "Ditzy...I love you too. Keep your...mother in check...okay?" Ditzy nodded through her tears of confusion and fear. "Ditzy...I...don't...blame...yo-" Duncan let out one last breath and his eyes grew dark. His body grew cold. He was gone.
"Duncan? Duncan?! DUNCAN!" cried Dahlia. Dahlia clutched the bloodied head of Duncan Doo in her forelegs. Tears were rolling down Ditzy's face as she looked at her father. She thought he was invincible. What happened?" Dahlia suddenly turned to Ditzy. "You! This is all your fault!"
"I...I didn't know, Mommy! I thought nothing could hurt Daddy!" Ditzy cried.
"You gullible idiot!" Dahlia cried as she slapped Ditzy again.
"Please! Mommy!"
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU'VE KILLED HIM! YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HIM BUT YOU JUST STOOD BY AND LET HIM DIE! YOU'VE KILLED MY HUSBAND!" Dahlia stood over Ditzy and proceeded to slap her again and again.
"Mommy! Stop!"
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU LITTLE MISTAKE! I WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!"
"I didn't know! It wasn't my fault! It wasn't my fault! It wasn't my fault!"
Ice Tomb Beneath the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Tears were rolling down Dahlia's icy cheeks now. Derpy was looking down in silence.
"You let your father die, Ditzy. You killed him," Dahlia stated angrily.
"Maybe...maybe it was my fault," Derpy said.
"No," the Doctor stated. Derpy and Dahlia turned to the Doctor.
"Doctor?"
"You were a 5-year-old with mental disabilities. When one is a child, their parents appear godly and perfect to them. A child with an enhanced gullibility trait would almost certainly believe everything their parents tell them. Your father told you he was invincible. You believed it. Your father said he could catch a piano with his hooves. You believed it. Yes, you could have saved him. But that doesn't mean you should be blamed for his death, Derpy."
"You weren't there, Doctor!" Dahlia snapped.
"I don't need to be! How can you blame a child with an innocent mind for the death of your husband? Could it have been prevented? Yes. But...it just happened to the wrong ponies...at the wrong time."
"Stop trying, Doctor," Derpy sighed. "You'll never be able to convince her. She'll never let me move on from what happened to my father."
"You're right! You deserved everything I gave you in that following year!" Dahlia snapped. She began to grow angrier and her eyes began to glow redder. "I wanted you to feel the pain I felt! You needed to take responsibility for your actions just as I had to take my responsibility of raising you! I had to raise you! I had to take care of you! You were my flesh and blood! You were my responsibility! I loved you, hated you, and took care of you despite of my conflicted feelings! Then...the day came when you disappeared for good." Dahlia was silent for a moment. She looked up at the ice web ceiling of the room. "At first, I decided to let you run away for good...but then I remembered Duncan. I remembered what he told me right before the accident. I realized that I was definitely not living up to his expectations. I ran out into the night in search of you. At first, it was for Duncan and maybe even for you...but then the memories of your father's death returned and I grew angry. I wanted to punish you some more. I couldn't wait to find you and take you home. That's when it happened. That's when I fell through."
"Fell through?" asked the Doctor.
"Yes. It was a hole in the fabric of space and time. I fell through it and ended up in this world, thirteen years ago. Did you really think that changing your name was what prevented you from returning to me, Ditzy? No. It was because there was no mother for you to return to. There was nopony to report your disappearance. I was taken out of our world and placed here. At first I was scared but then I discovered that I wasn't the only one." The ice web began to shake around them. The Doctor wished that he hadn't dropped his Sonic Screwdriver outside. "That's when I met him. He was like me: lost and afraid. We bonded and retreated underground when we realized that the creatures of this world didn't respond well to us. He's quite amazing, he is. When I got sick with an illness from this world, he created this new cage body for me. It made me stronger and healthier. It made me more like him. He's also the reason that I was able to find you again, Ditzy. He has a gift of perception, per say, and he told me that we'd be reunited again. I was so happy and now I'm overjoyed that it has come true. He also predicted that some woman from this world would prevent our reunion. But, no matter, I've already taken care of her and her mate." The Doctor felt another pit grow in his stomach. If everything was adding up the way it was, he really hoped that Dahlia wasn't talking about who he thought she was talking about.
"Who is this he of yours?" the Doctor asked. Dahlia gave a cold smile and laughed.
"My second husband. He'll never replace Duncan...but he's a good creature to be related to." Dahlia looked up towards the ceiling. "Honey! Come and meet my daughter and her companion!" The Doctor and Derpy looked up. The walls of the cavern began to shake and pull apart. Derpy screamed as she finally saw what was coming to greet her and the Doctor.
"Oh my Celestia!" Derpy croaked.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," said the Doctor as he stared up at the creature before him.
Under the Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
"That was quite an interesting story," said Twilight as she and Donna continued on their way. "I can't believe the Doctor didn't tell me the whole story!"
"Tell me about it," Donna said with a smile. "I think we're starting to go up."
"That's good." Twilight and Donna soon found themselves on a steep underwater incline. A few moments later, they were standing on the edge of a small pool in the middle of a tunnel constructed out of ice webbing.
"Well...this is certainly getting interesting," said Donna as she placed her hand on the wall. It felt like strands of ice and hair mixed together.
"The Doctor, Derpy, and your husband must be down here somewhere," said Twilight as she dropped the magical barrier.
"As well as the source of that voice."
"Right." Twilight and Donna took a few steps forward when the felt as if they were no longer alone. The companions turned and looked at each other. "You feel it too?"
"Oh yeah."
"Do you feel like you shouldn't look up?"
"Yeah."
"Are you going to look up?"
"Probably."
"Me too." Twilight and Donna gulped as they looked up at the ceiling. They both suddenly found themselves speechless from the sight of what they saw. Working its way through the webbing walls was an army of icy, rotten hands. These hands looked much worse than the hands Donna and Twilight had seen earlier for these looked moist and slimy. The walls around them began to shake as more hands reached out from all sides of the tunnel, even the floor and ceiling. A deep, icy voice echoed through the tunnel.
"Welcome, intruders. Allow me to escort you to the sac," ordered the voice. Twilight and Donna looked at each other.
"Run?" asked Twilight.
"Run," replied Donna with a nod. They both took off as the tunnel continued to shift and twist around them.
Under the Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Twilight and Donna ran as fast as they could as the hands continued to grab at their feet. Donna's heart raced like nothing she had experienced in a long time and adrenaline pumped through her body like a raging river. She suddenly found herself letting out a giddy laugh as she ran.
"Why are you laughing?!" asked Twilight as she jumped over a small crowd of hands.
"Is it bad if I say that I've missed this?" asked Donna as she ducked under a reaching arm.
"I dunno. Probably."
"Well I don't give a damn!" Donna laughed again as she and Twilight continued to run. It was upon making a sudden turn down another long tunnel that Donna remembered the Sonic Screwdriver bouncing around in her coat pocket. She pulled the Screwdriver out and pointed it at the arms in front of her and Twilight. "Doctor, don't let me down now!" She clicked the button and the Screwdriver's familiar ring ran out. The arms squirmed and shook upon being attacked by the Screwdriver's sonic waves. Some retreated back into the icy walls while some even exploded into clouds of snow.
"Nice one!" Twilight complimented.
"You keep doing what you're doing and I'll keep doing what I'm doing!" Donna exclaimed.
"Sounds good!" Twilight fired a magical blast at a few of the hands while Donna continued to use the Screwdriver. This helped them get down the tunnel, through another turn, and into a third leg of the ice cavern. But that's where everything went wrong.
Twilight and Donna had little time to react as tons of arms reached up through the floor all at once and proceeded to tear the ground out from beneath them.
"Hold on!" cried Donna as she grabbed one of Twilight's hooves with her hand. They suddenly found themselves falling down into a tunnel that had been located underneath the tunnel they had been in previously. The walls were slimier in this tunnel and were easy to slide on.
"There has to be something to grab onto!" Twilight yelled. But there was nothing. The ice walls in this tunnel were incredibly smooth and slick. There was nothing to get traction on. Donna looked ahead and noticed that the end of the tunnel was fast approaching. Then her heart stopped. The entire exit of the tunnel was bordered by rows of sharp teeth. They were going to slide out of the tunnel and into the belly of some foul beast. Donna tightened her grip on Twilight's hoof.
"Twilight! Do something!" Twilight aimed her horn at mouth at the exit of the tunnel and fired a few various blasts of magic. None of them had any effect. That's when Donna saw it: a jagged limb of ice webbing sticking out of the otherwise smooth and slick wall. This was her and Twilight's last chance. Donna quickly shoved the Sonic Screwdriver back into her coat pocket, thus freeing her other hand, and grabbed onto the ice limb in the nick of time. For a moment, Donna felt relieved that she had saved her and Twilight...but this feeling didn't last for long. She quickly realized that now she and Twilight were trapped. There was no way out instead through the monster's mouth. The teeth chewed away at the exit of the tunnel while a series of long, wet tongues began to crawl out of the mouth and up the tunnel towards Twilight and Donna. Donna looked down at Twilight. "Any ideas?"
"I'm trying to think! This creature seems to be impervious to magic in some aspects; but it has to have a weakness! Everything has a weakness!" Twilight looked around frantically. Then she remembered something. She looked up at Donna. "Donna! Where did you put the Sonic Screwdriver?!"
"In my upper left coat pocket!" Twilight focused on the pocket that Donna had identified. Her horn began to glow and the Screwdriver slowly levitated out of Donna's pocket. Twilight aimed the Screwdriver at the mouth.
"My magic has no effect...but let's see what Time Lord technology does!" Using her magic, Twilight activated the Screwdriver. The monster screamed and snarled as the Screwdriver's waves pounded against its mouth. "It's working!" She spoke too soon. The creature suddenly stretched one of its tongues upward and knocked the Screwdriver away. "NO!" Twilight tried to call the Screwdriver back to her but the monster managed to keep it out of her magical grip. Twilight stared in shock as the monster swallowed the Screwdriver. "Donna...I'm sorry."
"Don't worry yourself. We'll find a way out. Either that or the Doctor will save us," Donna said with a shaky voice. Twilight gulped. Two tongues grabbed onto Twilight's lower legs. Donna grunted as she felt her grip on Twilight's hoof loosening.
"Just let me go!" Twilight pleaded.
"Oh no! Don't give me that! If this creature's going to take us then I'm going to give it one hell of a fight beforehand!" Twilight smiled up at Donna with admiration.
"I can see why he chose you as a companion." Donna smiled down at Twilight.
"Thanks. The feeling is mutual." Twilight laughed just before the tongues gave another, heavy tug. Donna couldn't hold on any longer. Donna's heart skipped a beat as she found her link with the unicorn severed. The world seemed to fall silent as Donna watched Twilight fall down into the creature's mouth. Donna was screaming and yelling for Twilight and Twilight was yelling back, but Donna couldn't hear anything. She felt like she was going into shock. Donna kicked and yelled as the tongues began wrapping around her legs. She could feel the ice limb that she was hanging onto beginning to break. Donna closed her eyes. "This can't be the end. This can't be the end. This can't be the end." She was about to let go when she heard it: the sound of the Sonic Screwdriver echoing from deep within the creature. The creature began to cry and scream and thrash around angrily. Donna had no idea what was going on. The creature suddenly froze and then began to shake like an earthquake. Donna looked deep into the creature's mouth and could make out a geyser of green liquid rising up from deep within. She looked up, rolled her eyes, and sighed, "Allons-y."
Donna closed her eyes and held her breath as the geyser of green sludge shot up into the downward tunnel and knocked her away from the ice limb. The liquid felt hot, cold, smooth, and chunky all at the same time. She didn't even want to think about what the liquid consisted of. She could hear Twilight's cries in the distance but couldn't make heads or tails of where she was going. She didn't know if she was shooting back up the tunnel, being pulled deep into the creature, or just being tossed around like a piece of garbage.
Eventually, after what must have felt like an eternity, everything came to a stop. Donna let out a gasp of air as she found herself landing on a solid stone surface. She quickly turned around to get a look at her surroundings. She looked above her to see a tunnel exit protruding out of a curved wall of ice webbing. She assumed that had been the tunnel she and Twilight had come through. However, her attention was quickly drawn to another sight that made her skin crawl. She was lying in the middle of a large underground chamber about the size of two ballrooms. In the center of the chamber there was a fairly large pool of water. Rising out of that pool of water was what appeared to be a massive, pink, icy worm. The worm's skin was reflective like glass but also looked chipped and torn. Donna gasped as she saw that hundreds, if not thousands, or rotted icy hands were protruding from the worm's skin. The hands hadn't belonged to several creatures...they were all part of one creature. Donna felt her body going into shock as she took in the reality of what she was seeing. A stream of green sludge was pouring out of the worm's mouth. Donna looked and noticed that Twilight was lying on the ground just a few yards away. She also noticed that there were several peculiar objects lying about: various toys, pieces of cars, and several other miscellaneous objects. However, Donna's eyes quickly fell on a license plate that had landed next to her...it was the license plate that had come from her and Shaun's car.
"No," Donna choked. "No...Shaun." She then looked up again as the worm stopped puking. It turned its attention on Donna. Its mouth was huge, almost the size of a cave entrance, and its eyes were the size of monster truck tires. Donna couldn't stop staring into its eyes. Its black and frightening eyes. Then it spoke to her.
"The Lady Time-Lord. You must be destroyed! You will ruin my love's reunion!" stated the worm. Donna began crawling back and pressed her hand forward as the worm started to bend down towards her.
"No! Get back! Get back! Leave me alone!" Donna cried. She suddenly found her head and her outstretched hand growing slightly hot. "My...my head!" Just as the worm was about to devour her, a blast of gold and purple energy shot out of Donna's hand and slammed straight into the depths of the worm's open mouth. The worm screamed and roared in pain. Several of its icy hands disintegrated. Donna watched as the worm quickly retreated back into the pool in the center of the room and disappeared. For a few seconds, Donna was in shock. She felt an intense pain ringing out from her hand that had fired the blast. She looked at her palm to see that it was slightly burnt. "How...how did I do that?" She didn't have much time to think about this for at that moment Donna decided to turn her attention to Twilight. Donna stood up and ran over to the unicorn. "Twilight? Twilight, are you okay?!" Twilight moaned in response and sat up, scraping some of the sludge out of her mane.
"Did...did I just get puked out by a giant worm?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah." Donna said this with a loud sigh and an awkward nod.
"Good...that means I'm not drugged." Donna and Twilight couldn't help but laugh at her remark. Twilight then turned her attention to Donna's burnt hand. "Donna...how in the name of Celestia did you do that?"
"I have no idea. I was just really scared and...it just happened." Donna looked at her hand and felt her head. "Something strange is going on, Twilight. I feel like...something inside me is escaping...or leaving or...dying."
"What could it be?"
"I don't know; but we can think about it once we find the Doctor." Donna stood up and helped Twilight get back onto her hooves. "That was quick thinking on your part, Twilight. Finding the Sonic Screwdriver in the worm's stomach and activating it. That was a smart move." Twilight looked at Donna with a bit of confusion on her face.
"That's just it. I'm not the one who used the Sonic Screwdriver." Donna fell silent.
"Well...if you didn't use it then who the hell did?!" At that moment, Donna and Twilight heard a groan from nearby. They turned to see a figure lying in the sludge a few feet away. It was a human: a man to specific. The Sonic Screwdriver was held firmly in his hand. The man lifted himself off the ground and turned to Donna and Twilight. Donna gasped and a huge smile appeared on her face.
Shaun Temple, in a dazed and shocked state, presented the Screwdriver and said, "I think I'm the one you're looking for."
Ice Tomb Beneath the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
The Doctor and Derpy looked up in shock at the giant worm slithering its way through the walls of the cavern around them. The hands that protruded from its skin clawed away at the icy webbing.
"Doctor?" Derpy asked as she found herself choking on her words. "What the hay is that?!"
"Derpy, I honestly have no clue," the Doctor replied. "And I hate having no clue!" Derpy looked at her mother with a look of disgust.
"You...you married this...this thing?!" Dahlia looked at her daughter and nodded. Derpy shrugged her shoulders a bit.
"You two make a good couple."
"Oh you have no idea, Ditzy. We have such big plans for the three of us," Dahlia replied with a giddy chuckle.
"What sort of plans?"
"Well...first I'll have Jimmy here, I call him Jimmy because his real name is just too hard for my pony mouth to pronounce, perform the procedure that he performed on me on you." Derpy felt a pit form inside her stomach. "I'll make sure to have him do some...alterations to turn you into the perfect daughter. Then, together, the three of us shall turn this planet into our playground, our dream home."
"No! You can't!" the Doctor protested.
"It is already decided, Doctor of Gallifrey," said Jimmy with a snarl. "You cannot change my love's decision."
"Maybe I can't...but I can stop you."
"Just try, Doctor." Jimmy popped his large worm head through the ceiling. Derpy screamed at the sight of it and the Doctor couldn't blame her, for he was an ugly sight to behold. He looked down at Dahlia with a loving smile, which sent chills up the Doctor's spine. "My love, I have already begun to attempt the disposal of the...other half of the problem."
"Good," said Dahlia with a cheeky grin. "The sooner we get this Doctor, that unicorn, and that Noble woman out of our hair, the better." The Doctor felt as if a bomb had just been dropped on his head.
"What did you just say?!" the Doctor asked suddenly. Dahlia turned to the Doctor and chuckled.
"Yes, Doctor. Your old friend Donna Noble is here with us. Jimmy has just telepathically shown me that he...recently attempted to dispose of them. Apparently your companions are much more capable than what was initially expected. No matter. They will be taken care of eventually." The Doctor was in shock. So, his hunch was right. Donna was here! She was really here! But how?! The Doctor knew that Donna would have either been knocked out by his fail-safe or burned up by her returning Time Lord knowledge upon seeing all this, let alone coming across Twilight. Could...could she have somehow survived...and...did she remember? The Doctor had no more time to contemplate this as Jimmy began sending down long tongues to capture him and Derpy. "First you two, then the Lady Time-Lord and her band of annoyances, then the hotel above us, and then-"
"Let me guess. The world?"
"Exactly! I know that sounds clichéd but...I don't really care at the moment." The Doctor grabbed onto Derpy and Dahlia let out another cold laugh as Jimmy's tongues grew ever closer to grabbing onto them.
Ice Tomb Beneath the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
"SHAUN!" cried Donna happily as she ran forward and gave her husband a bone-breaking hug. Shaun couldn't help but laugh as Donna hugged him.
"I'm...not entirely sure what's going on right now but I'm certainly glad to see that you're okay, Donna," Shaun said with a smile.
"You're the one who used the Sonic Screwdriver?!" Shaun looked at the Screwdriver and shrugged his shoulders.
"Uh...I guess, if that's what this is called. I remember waking up inside that worm, floating in God knows what. Things were silent for a while and I kept blacking out. Then I heard your voice. I remember seeing something fall into the place I was trapped in. I swam over to it and picked it up. It looked like a weapon and I hoped that it would get me out of there. So I activated it. Then...I got puked out." He looked at the Screwdriver and then back to Donna. "Donna...how exactly do you know what this is? I didn't even know what it is."
"Let's just say that I recently gained some memories that I lost. For now, I'll say that this Sonic Screwdriver belongs to a friend of mine. The same friend who I assume is probably the one who gave us that winning lottery ticket." Shaun looked really confused and Donna didn't expect any other different reaction. She stood up and helped Shaun to his feet. "Don't worry, Shaun. I'll explain everything once we stop that worm." Shaun's eyes grew a bit wider as he saw Twilight approaching him and Donna.
"So this is Shaun," said Twilight.
"Is...is that a purple unicorn?" Shaun asked.
"Yeah, it is. Shaun meet Twilight. Twilight meet Shaun. Now let's get moving!" Donna exclaimed as she made her way over to the pond. Twilight and Shaun followed her to the edge of the pond. "Something tells me that the Doctor is on the other side of this pond. There's probably a tunnel underneath it."
"I'll lead the way," said Twilight as she produced another magical barrier. Shaun was again surprised. Donna took the Sonic Screwdriver from Shaun's hand and stored it in her pocket.
"Those must be some weird memories that you remember, Donna, because you don't seem surprised by any of this," said Shaun as he shakily began following Twilight and Donna into the pond. Donna wrapped one of her arms around Shaun and laughed.
"Oh, Shaun...you have no idea," Donna said with a smile.
"Doctor? What do we do?" asked Derpy as the tongues reached down towards her and the Doctor. The Doctor looked around the cavern. There had to be a way out. There was always a way out. That's when his eyes fell upon a tunnel entrance situated towards the ceiling of the cavern. He took one of Derpy's hooves and made her grab onto his suit collar.
"Fly and hold on tight," the Doctor instructed. Derpy, getting what the Doctor meant, nodded and began flapping her wings.
"You cannot escape, my dear Ditzy!" cackled Dahlia as she charged for the two ponies. That's when Derpy took off. Somehow, Derpy managed to keep a firm grip on the Doctor's suit as she took off into the air. The Doctor grabbed onto Derpy's other hoof to make the job a bit easier for her. Jimmy shot several of his tongues after them and Dahlia began climbing the wall of the cavern.
"You've got it! You've got it, Derpy!" said the Doctor as they grew near to the tunnel. Derpy's wings and forelegs were growing tired but she didn't care. She had to get out of there. She had to get away from her mother and the worm known as Jimmy. Derpy looked to see that her mother was quite a fast climber in her spider cage.
"DITZY!" Dahlia cried as she ran along the wall towards the tunnel that Derpy was flying towards.
"Sorry, Mommy. It looks like I'll be getting away again," Derpy said coldly. With that said, Derpy gave into gravity and allowed herself and the Doctor to fall into the tunnel.
The tunnel was at a downward angle and the walls were slick and smooth. Derpy screamed with excitement and fear as she and the Doctor slid through the tunnel. She could hear something following them which she assumed was either Dahlia or Jimmy, and she was leaning towards the latter. The Doctor let out a shrill scream of excitement as he slid through the tunnel.
"I must admit that this is quite fun! Woo-hoo!" the Doctor cackled.
"How is this fun?!" asked Derpy.
"Who doesn't like slides?!"
"Ponies who are being chased by giant worms as they slide!"
"Fair enough." The tunnel twisted and turned and Derpy felt as if her stomach was going to fly out of her mouth. Up ahead, she could see the end of the tunnel.
"Doctor! The exit's coming up!" she warned.
"Yes! I can see that!" the Doctor responded. The Doctor and Derpy slid through the exit of the tunnel and found themselves falling from the top of another huge cavern. Derpy used her wings to stop her fall but the Doctor, being an earth pony, kept falling.
"DOCTOR!" Derpy was about to fly towards the Doctor and attempt to catch him...when something else beat her to the punch.
Twilight, Donna, and Shaun carefully made their way through the tunnel under the pond. After a few minutes of walking in silence, they found themselves walking out of another pond and into another large cavern.
"This looks almost exactly like the cavern we just left!" Donna groaned as Twilight dropped the magical barrier.
"At least this one's not covered in sick," said Shaun with a shrug.
"One upside, at least."
"Wait a sec...do either of you hear that?" Twilight asked. Donna and Shaun fell silent. They could hear a series of screams and yells growing closer and closer. They looked up towards a tunnel entrance that was situated towards the top of the cavern. Just then, two ponies fell out of the tunnel. One opened its wings and began to fly while the other fell. Twilight's eyes widened as she realized who it was.
"DOCTOR!" cried Derpy Hooves. Twilight aimed her horn up at the falling Doctor and caught him with a simple levitation spell. Derpy glided down to the ground and Twilight sighed as she set the Doctor on the ground softly.
"Well...that certainly got the hearts racing!" said the Doctor as he attempted to get his footing. Derpy landed next to him and helped him keep his balance.
"Doctor? Are you okay?"
"Doctor?!" asked Donna as she stepped forward. The Doctor turned his attention to Donna and he froze. For a moment, everybody and everypony was silent. The Doctor gave a smile and sighed with relief.
"Donna Noble," he said. Donna turned to look at Twilight.
"You didn't tell me that he's a horse!"
"The correct term is "pony" and...sorry. I guess I forgot to mention that," Twilight said with a blush.
"Yeah...you kinda did." She turned to look at the Doctor. She took a hard, long look at him. He may be a pony, but he appeared to have many similarities to the Doctor she had once known. Similar hair style, similar clothes, similar voice, and...even those same, old, sad eyes. "But...it doesn't matter."
The Doctor took a step forward and Donna took a step forward. Soon they were walking towards each other, and then running towards each other. The two lost friends reunited with a big hug. Twilight gave a happy smile, Derpy gave a look of confusion, and Shaun gave a mixed look of happiness and confusion.
"You...you remember?!" asked a shocked and happy Doctor. Donna broke the hug and proceeded to smile and nod at the Doctor. The Doctor smiled back. Donna's smile suddenly faded away and the Doctor was met with a quick slap to the face.
"Yikes," said Shaun as his eyes widened a bit.
"She really meant it," said Twilight with a look of admiration and surprise.
"Oi! Ow! What was that for?!" asked the Doctor as he rubbed his cheek.
"That's for erasing my memories!" Donna stated angrily.
"What?! This is what I get for saving your life and giving you a winning lottery ticket?!"
"Nah." Donna's smile returned as she gave the Doctor another long hug. "That was for saving my life and giving me a winning lottery ticket." The Doctor smiled and gave a giddy laugh.
"Same old Donna Noble. Or should I say Donna Temple-Noble?"
"Nah."
"Um...I hate to be a killjoy but can we all catch up after we get out of here?" asked Shaun.
"Yes! Of course!" said the Doctor as he walked over to Shaun and quickly shook one of his hands. "Hello, Shaun! Nice to formally meet you! Anyway, so...anybody or anypony know a way out of here by any chance?"
"I think it's obvious that none of us knows a way out of here," said Twilight.
"Ah yes. Good observation, Ms. Sparkle." The Doctor gave Twilight a quick hug. "Nice to see you in top shape and unfrozen, Ms. Sparkle. But...I think I smell something funky."
"Trust me, you don't want to know," said Donna. The cavern walls suddenly began to shake.
"Doctor! They're coming!" Derpy warned.
"Yes...it appears they are," the Doctor gulped.
"Here," said Donna as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the Sonic Screwdriver. "I think you probably want this back." Donna tossed the Screwdriver to the Doctor and he caught it. "If it's the worm then use that. The Screwdriver causes it to feel pain."
"Good to have you back, Donna." Donna smiled. Just then, Jimmy the Worm smashed through one of the upper tunnels. He was followed by Dahlia.
"Ah! Look what we have here, dear! Everybody and everypony that we have to dispose of here in one spot! This should make everything much simpler!" Dahlia cackled.
"Is...is that an ice pegasus in a spider cage?" Twilight asked.
"That's my Mom for ya," Derpy sighed. Twilight looked at Dahlia and then back at Derpy.
"Did you just say that thing is your Mom?"
"Long story. We can discuss it later." Jimmy roared as he began to bore down on the group.
"Scatter!" yelled the Doctor. The group broke up as Jimmy slammed into the ground. Derpy and Donna ran in the direction of the pond while the Doctor and Shaun ran in the other direction and Twilight ran off on her own. Derpy and Donna turned to each other and Donna shook one of Derpy's hooves.
"Derpy Hooves," said Derpy.
"Donna Noble. Pleasure to meet you," said Donna. Just then something flew over their heads and landed in front of them. It was Dahlia.
"I'm not letting you get away that easily again, Ditzy," Dahlia giggled.
"I thought your name was Derpy."
"Long story," said Derpy. Dahlia proceeded to lunge at them. "Look out!" Donna and Derpy jumped apart as Dahlia barely missed them. Donna looked back to see the Doctor, Twilight, and Shaun trying to face off with Jimmy. But she couldn't focus on them long for Dahlia lunged at her and Derpy again. She was starting to wish that she had a Sonic Screwdriver of her own. She and Derpy didn't really have any weapons on them to defend themselves against Dahlia. Donna then suddenly reached into one of her coat pockets and picked out the most blunt object she could find: her flashlight. Dahlia was beginning to advance on Derpy. Donna looked at the flashlight, turned to look at Dahlia, and shrugged her shoulders.
"What the hell?" Donna chucked the flashlight as hard as she could at the back of Dahlia's head. It was a direct hit. "Yes!" However, all the flashlight managed to do was tick Dahlia off even more. She turned around to look at Donna. Her eyes were completely red. Donna gave a nervous smile before turning around and running. Dahlia proved to be too quick for her and suddenly Donna found herself bound by one of Dahlia's spider legs.
"Leave her alone!" ordered Derpy as she flew over and grabbed onto her mother's back. Derpy punched and kicked at her mutated mother. Dahlia still managed to keep her grasp on Donna tight. Dahlia managed to send one of her legs up and grab Derpy as well.
"You've been very naughty, Ditzy. I think it's time for your operation to begin," Dahlia chuckled.
"No! Let me go!" Derpy continued to struggle but Dahlia was holding on tight. Donna tried to break free but it was no use. Suddenly...she began to feel hot. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Something was inside her. Something needed to come out. She began to feel woozy.
"My...my head," Donna groaned as the world began to spin around her. Dahlia turned to look at Donna and shrieked. Derpy's eyes widened. Gold and purple gases were evaporating from Donna's body. Her eyes were glowing with a pure white light. Dahlia fearfully raised one of her legs and prepared to finish Donna off. Just then Donna broke her arms free, lunged forward, and wrapped her arms around Dahlia Doo. Whatever was inside her, whatever was escaping...it was making her do this. Donna spoke again; but this time it sounded as if two people were speaking together. "I feel...so much anger. So much pain. So much...guilt. Love lost and shunned. Feelings buried for hatred. A damaged child and a conflicted parent. A forgotten love. A shunned love. A burning guilt. Is this truly what you've always wanted, Dahlia Doo?" The somewhat possessed Donna reached her hands up and wrapped them around Dahlia's head. Dahlia screamed as golden energy began passing through Donna's hands and into the depths of her mind.
Indigo Hospital, Indigo Village, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 983 C.E.
Donna felt weightless. She couldn't tell where she was. She turned to her right to see a cloud of white and gold shimmering next to her. It was hard to identify what the cloud was but it was clear that it was alive. Donna looked forward to see that she was standing in a hospital room. Dahlia Doo was lying in the bed, and she looked normal (as normal as a pegasus could look from a human's point of view anyway). In her forelegs, she was holding and cradling a young Ditzy Doo, who would later go on to be known as Derpy Hooves. Donna understood everything that was happening around her. She was witnessing a memory: a memory of Dahlia Doo. She was linked with Dahlia's psyche and could identify everything that was happening before her. Donna heard the door to the room open. In walked a pony doctor as well as Dahlia's husband Duncan. The doctor nodded to Duncan and left the room, closing the door behind him. Duncan approached the side of the bed and smiled at his newborn daughter.
"She's beautiful," he said.
"She is...isn't she?" Dahlia asked. The infant Ditzy looked up at her parents and smiled. Dahlia couldn't help but look unsure.
"Is something wrong, Honey?"
"It's just that...I'm still unsure about myself. What if I can't be a good mother?"
"I think you can. As long as you want to be a good mother."
"I do...but...I need you to be there with me, Duncan. I have a feeling that I'm going to screw everything up." Duncan placed a hoof on Dahlia's shoulder.
"Don't think like that. I promise, as long as I'm around, you'll be a fantastic mother."
"Do you think so?"
"I know so." Ditzy gave off a series of baby noises and Duncan and Dahlia smiled down at her.
"What should we name her?" Dahlia asked.
"Why don't you decide?" Duncan asked in response. Dahlia turned to Duncan with a look of uncertainty. "Your next step at being a good mother: giving your daughter the right name." Dahlia looked down at her infant daughter and gave a tired smile.
"Ditzy...Ditzy Doo. That's her name."
"That's a nice and...unique name. Just out of curiosity, why that?"
"I don't know. It just feels right." Dahlia lifted Ditzy closer and kissed her on the cheek. "Hi, Ditzy. I'm your momma. Yes I am! Yes I am!" Ditzy smiled up innocently at her mother, unaware of the dark events that lay in her future. The scene began to fade. Donna felt woozy again. Before the scene faded completely, Donna remembered something that the icy voice of Jimmy the Worm had predicted earlier.
He had said, "You are returning and it shall die. You are returning, Donna Noble."
Ice Tomb Beneath the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Dahlia screamed in pain as she let go of Donna and Derpy. Derpy took this chance to fly herself as far away from her ice mother as possible. Donna, although feeling a bit weak, managed to crawl herself away from Dahlia. She turned to look and see how the Doctor was holding up against Jimmy.
Twilight helped Shaun get to safety as the Doctor continued facing off against the giant worm. The Sonic Screwdriver's effects were beginning to decrease on the worm. The Doctor assumed that it was now only a matter of time until Jimmy grew used to the Screwdriver's effects. There had to be a way out of here. There had to be a way to defeat Jimmy and Dahlia. The Doctor's eyes fell on the pond of water in the center of the room. He got an idea. It was a mad and suicidal idea...but it appeared to be their only chance. He distracted Jimmy with a blast of the Screwdriver before running over to the pond. Jimmy turned his attention from the Doctor to Twilight and Shaun. He then looked to the ground.
"Children...come and feast," he said. Twilight watched as several ice monsters resembling the one that had attacked her and Donna above ground began to climb up from the icy earth.
"What are those things?!" asked Shaun as he began backing up.
"Bad news," Twilight replied as she readied her horn.
Dahlia, meanwhile, broke out of her state of confusion and began looking for Derpy. Derpy was preparing to fight against her mother again when she noticed something: Dahlia was crying. And this wasn't just normal crying for she looked completely and utterly broken.
"Where is she? Where is my Ditzy? Where is my Ditzy?!" she cried. Dahlia then turned to Derpy. A river of icy tears was streaming out of both her eyes. Her eyes looked less red and more...blue. Derpy remembered that blue had been Dahlia's original eye color. Dahlia stretched out her pony arms and began walking towards Derpy. Small wisps of golden steam appeared to be smoking out of Dahlia's head. "It's okay. There's no need to be scared. Mommy's here!" Derpy didn't know what to think. Was it a trap? Had her Mom gone even more insane than she already was? Or...had something changed?
The Doctor looked around the room as he reached the side of the pond. Twilight and Shaun were facing off against an army of ice monsters who were apparently Jimmy's children. The Doctor assumed that Dahlia was the mother (a thought that created a bad taste in the back of the his mouth). Donna was trying to pick herself off the ground for she was still weak and Derpy was facing off against a now depressed and broken Dahlia. The Doctor turned and saw that Jimmy was charging for him again. The Doctor didn't have time to warn anyone or anypony else. He had to do this now. He clasped the Screwdriver tightly in his hoof before jumping down into the pond. Jimmy came to a halt at the edge of the pond and prepared to hop in after the Doctor...when something happened. The pond began to bubble. The ground and walls of the cavern suddenly began to shake.
"What's happening?!" asked Derpy.
"An earthquake?" Twilight guessed.
"We don't get earthquakes here," Shaun replied. Donna looked at the bubbling pond. A pit formed in her stomach. She could feel the ground underneath her growing hot, and she had a feeling that it had nothing to do with her.
"Doctor...what are you doing?" she breathed. Not a moment later, the pond erupted into a massive geyser that seemed to shoot straight up through the ceiling of the cavern. Donna looked down as the ground beneath her began to crack and bubble. Hot water began seeping through the cracks. Donna shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "Again? Well...allons-y, I guess." Donna closed her eyes and held her breath like she had done earlier as a geyser opened up underneath her.
Lobby of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Mr. Franks stood at the front entrance of the hotel, drinking a cup of hot cocoa. The sky looked brilliant now. He had had his doubts earlier due to the blizzard; but the mysterious disappearance of said blizzard had opened up the night sky to a wondrous display of stars. Mr. Franks looked at his watch. It was fifteen seconds to midnight: fifteen seconds to Christmas Day, 2010. He took another sip of cocoa and smiled as the final ten seconds began. He began to count them down.
"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One," he said under his breath. A small chime rang out from his office in the hotel. He took another sip of cocoa and sighed with a big grin. "Merry Christmas." Suddenly, a loud roar began to reverberate through the air. It seemed to be coming from all around. Mr. Franks walked through the front doors and looked out upon the dark, snowy countryside. "What the devil?" Suddenly, a geyser of hot water shot out through the parking lot in front of the hotel. Mr. Franks was nearly knocked to his feet. Another one shot up towards the edge of the grounds. Then another shot up through the second parking lot. Then another appeared. Then another and another and another. Within seconds, the hotel was surrounded by a series of huge, steaming geysers. Mr. Franks stood in awe at the sight before him. "Oh of all things holy!" Other guests in the hotel were woken up and they proceeded to run to their windows to see the spectacle. As Mr. Franks listened to the roaring of the geysers, he could swear that he could hear screams too. Where they were coming from and who they belonged to he was not sure.
Grounds of the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Twilight coughed something fierce as she and Shaun landed in the snow. A shower of cold snow and hot water fell down upon them as they tried to get off the now soggy ground. Both Twilight and Shaun were soaked to the core and were simultaneously freezing their rear ends off and being chilled to the bone. Twilight looked up at the humongous geyser towering above her.
"What...the hell?!" asked a weakened and dazed Shaun.
"Just another last-second Doctor plan. Thank Celestia it managed to save us," Twilight sighed. Shaun began looking around frantically.
"What happened to Donna and your friends? And...where the hell did that worm go?!" Twilight suddenly began looking around too.
"They have to be here somewhere."
Donna picked herself off the mushy ground. Derpy had landed next to her and was following suit. Donna looked towards the Beckwithshaw Hotel which was surrounded in an aura of snow and geyser water. It looked beautiful in the glow of the full moon in the winter nighttime sky.
"That's one way to get out of a jam," Donna said as she shivered in the cold air.
"I guess," said Derpy as she stood up. The geysers were now slowly beginning to die down. "Where's the Doctor, Twilight, and...er-"
"Shaun."
"Right! Shaun. Where is he, the Doctor, and Twilight?" Donna looked around and shrugged her shoulders.
"They're around here somewhere. What I'm mostly worried about is where that worm and your mother went." Derpy suddenly gulped. That's when they heard a groan from nearby. Derpy and Donna looked to see the Doctor pick himself out of the snow and slowly begin trudging over to them.
"Hello there!" he said with a cheeky grin. Derpy and Donna ran over to him.
"Nice work, Doctor!" said Derpy. The Doctor presented the Sonic Screwdriver to them.
"Ah, it was nothing! I figured that there were a lot of water tunnels down in those icy tombs. All I had to do was heat up the water, build up some pressure, and there you go: a quick escape!"
"That's all good Doctor, and it's nice to be outside and all, but where's the worm and Derpy's mother?" Donna asked. The Doctor was about to reply when the ground underneath them began to shake. The Doctor and Donna found themselves flying up into the air as Jimmy the worm emerged from the ground beneath them. Derpy, meanwhile, was captured by Jimmy's hands. Derpy tried to break free but Jimmy was holding onto her tightly. The Doctor and Donna looked up to see Jimmy slowly bringing Derpy closer and closer to his mouth. "DERPY!"
The Doctor aimed the Screwdriver up at Jimmy but Jimmy proceeded to swing his giant tail at the Doctor. The Doctor tried to dodge but the tail was faster than he had expected it to be. The Doctor flew through the air and landed in a patch of snow quite a ways away. Donna tried to run to his aid but Jimmy began attacking her with his tail as well. She managed to dodge two attacks but was soon taken down by the worm. Derpy was still trying to break free.
"LET GO!" Derpy ordered. Jimmy snarled in response.
"No. You have lived long enough, Ditzy Doo. You've been a pain in my love's side for long enough. The best thing for my love isn't her reunion with you but your demise. Once you are gone, my love will finally have peace. I look forward to seeing what a failure of a child like you tastes like," Jimmy said in an even colder voice than normal. Jimmy's tongues extended from his mouth and wrapped around Derpy. Derpy could feel her heart race as she was drawn closer and closer to the rows of sharp teeth within Jimmy's mouth. She looked for somebody or somepony to come to her rescue: the Doctor, Donna, Twilight, or even Shaun. There was nobody or nopony coming. Was this the end? Was Ditzy Doo/Derpy Hooves going to meet the end of her life here at the mercy of a mutated worm from an alternate dimension? Derpy tried to break free from the tongues. The tongues only grew tighter the more she fought against them. Jimmy opened his mouth wide and prepared to bite down. Derpy was ready for the end when suddenly something white flashed past and cut straight through Jimmy's tongues. Jimmy let out a cry of pain as his tongues were cut. Derpy broke free and flew into the air. She looked around for her savior. Her savior was climbing up Jimmy's side. Derpy had to do a double-take. Dahlia Doo was climbing up Jimmy's side and was stabbing away at his body with her sharp, icy spider legs. Jimmy began to scream and cry in denial. "Why, my love?! Why?!"
Dahlia had a crazed look in her eye...but almost in a loving way. She looked like a mother bear fighting to protect her cubs. Her eyes were no longer red and were instead glowing with a bright, blue color.
"You will not hurt my Ditzy! You will not touch my Ditzy! I will die before I lose her again!" Dahlia cried as she continued to stab away at Jimmy's body. She sounded like a madpony. Derpy could tell that her mother had gone totally insane, even more so than how she had previously been, but she was insane in a motherly way. Derpy was in shock. She didn't know what to think.
"DERPY!" called a familiar voice. Derpy looked down to see Twilight and Shaun running in her direction on the ground below. They were making sure to keep a fair distance away from Jimmy. "LOOK OUT!" Derpy looked just in time to see Jimmy lunging at her. Derpy dived towards the ground to avoid Jimmy's attack. However, she ended up accidentally smashing into a mound of melting snow. Derpy looked up to see Jimmy preparing to attack again.
"STOP!" ordered Dahlia as she climbed onto Jimmy's face and stabbed one of his eyes. Jimmy yelled and began attempting to attack the crazed Dahlia. Dahlia proceeded to blind Jimmy by stabbing his other eye. The giant worm yelled angrily as it slowly began to die from blood loss. In a desperate attempt, it began gnawing at Dahlia's ice cage.
"I made you what you are...and so I shall destroy you!" Jimmy screamed before driving one of his teeth into Dahlia's body. Dahlia let out a shrill groan as her pony body was ripped away from the cage that she had been biologically bonded to. Before Jimmy could finish Dahlia off and eat her, he finally began to give in to his injuries. The giant worm fell to the ground with a loud boom. The wounded Dahlia rolled out into the snow.
Everything was silent. Derpy, Twilight, and Shaun watched as the dying Jimmy slowly melted away into blue sludge. Within seconds, there was nothing left of the worm. The wounded Dahlia, however, remained. She called out weakly for her daughter.
"Ditzy...Ditzy...Ditzy...please," she cried. Derpy stood there and stared at her dying mother. She didn't know what to feel or what to do.
"Go to her," said the voice of Donna Noble. Derpy turned to see the slightly injured Donna and Doctor approaching them. Donna looked at Dahlia, sighed, and then turned back to Derpy. "Believe it or not, there was actually a time where I think she genuinely loved you through and through." Derpy looked at Dahlia and wished to believe it...and, to an extent, she did. "Go to her." Derpy nodded before slowly approaching Dahlia.
The snow around Dahlia was painted with blood now and Dahlia was close to her end. Derpy stood over her. Dahlia looked up at Derpy and smiled weakly.
"My Ditzy. My little Ditzy. I am so proud of you," Dahlia cooed. Derpy tilted her head. "Mommy has been bad. She has been bad and there's nothing she can do to make up for it. I...I don't expect you to forgive Mommy. But...don't ever think that there wasn't at least one point in time...where I didn't see you as my little Ditzy." Derpy could feel herself tearing up. Why was she tearing up? She had hated this mare for years. And yet...she felt sad.
Derpy leaned in closer to her mother and said, "I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you for everything you did to me."
"I know."
"Why did you save me?"
"Because you're my little Ditzy. I never wanted you dead. I wanted the perfect daughter. But, in turn, I became the mother from hell."
"You were a horrible mother. I may never be able to forgive you for that...but...you...you still risked your life for me. You're still my mother. My dad saw goodness in you somewhere...if only...if only you had been able to find it." Dahlia smiled sadly up at Derpy.
"Come and give Mommy one last kiss before she goes to visit Daddy." Derpy felt an odd sensation wash over her. She slowly bent down and gave Dahlia a kiss on the forehead. Dahlia smiled as she looked up at Derpy. "Goodnight, Ditzy."
"Good...goodnight, Mom."
"I love you."
"I...I love you too." Derpy didn't even know if she meant it entirely. What she did know was that this was one of the few times, and the last time, in her life that she would be close to her mother. For just these few seconds, she looked at the mare before her and saw not a demon or a witch or a monster...but her mother. Derpy felt tears build up in her eyes. "I...I love you...Mommy." Dahlia smiled and let out one, last, long breath. Then her face became still. Her eyes became dark. Her skin became colder than what it originally had been. Derpy bowed her head in unsure respect as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Her mommy was gone. She had gone to visit Daddy.
Outside the Beckwithshaw Hotel, Outskirts of Harrogate, England, Earth, Winter, 2010 A.D.
Nobody at the hotel knew the truth behind what had led to the geysers the previous night. Some swore that they saw a giant creature out on the grounds around midnight but these rumors were quickly forgotten. The only people at the hotel who knew the truth were Mr. and Mrs. Temple, and they weren't telling anybody anything.
The morning sun of Christmas Day shone down from the sky as Donna and Shaun, with luggage in hand, made their way over to the blue box hidden away amongst a cluster of trees. Donna knocked on the front doors. A familiar chestnut stallion in a blue suit answered the door.
"Hello there, Temples!" the Doctor chuckled.
"Merry Christmas, Doctor," said Donna.
"Merry Christmas!" The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and was followed by Twilight and Derpy. The Doctor and Shaun exchanged polite nods. The Doctor then turned back to Donna. "I assume that you explained everything to him."
"That would be correct. He's now up to date with all of our adventures, Doctor."
"Giant wasps and living darkness...no wonder none of this freaked you out," Shaun chuckled as he kissed Donna on the cheek. Donna chuckled before turning to look at Derpy, who still looked quite down.
"How are you holding up?" Donna asked. Derpy shrugged her shoulders.
"We buried her out on the grounds. Out on that hill over there," Derpy said as she pointed towards a hill on the edge of the grounds. Twilight wrapped a foreleg around Derpy.
"I...honestly don't know what to say," said Twilight. Derpy gave a sad chuckle.
"Neither do I." She looked towards the sky. "I wonder if my Dad and Mom are together."
"I can't say anything for sure. But, maybe, her sacrifice for you counted for something," said the Doctor.
"I...hope." Derpy put on a small smile and fell silent. Everybody and everypony there felt that it was time to change the subject.
"There's been something I've been meaning to ask," said Twilight.
"And that is?" asked the Doctor.
"That energy that kept spilling out of Donna. What was that?" Donna looked at her hands and felt her head. Jimmy's message flashed through her head again.
"You are returning and it shall die," he had said.
"You are returning and it shall die," said Donna.
"What was that?" asked the Doctor. Donna felt her head again and tried to think of a complicated thought that only a Time Lord or Time Lady could think of. Nothing happened.
"I think I get it now."
"Get what?!" asked Twilight.
"That energy...it was the DoctorDonna."
"What?"
"Twilight, when you touched me as I began to remember, you caused a bunch of energy to spill out of me. That released energy was powerful enough to stop the blizzard."
"Yes. I remember."
"I don't think the energy stopped coming out. Something was leaving me. I could feel it. That energy was what was left of my Time Lord subconscious...I think."
"I understand," said the Doctor. "Twilight's magical energies opened up a mental doorway of sorts to let the Time Lord energies within you out. Thus, all of that energy that kept spilling out of you."
"It's dead, Doctor," said Donna. "The subconscious is gone and I have a fully human mind back. The DoctorDonna is dead." The Doctor walked up and placed a hoof on Donna's shoulder.
"The DoctorDonna may be gone but it's still nice to have Donna Noble in its place."
"Thank you, Doctor." The Doctor and Donna hugged each other one, last time.
"So where are you two going now?" asked Derpy. Donna and Shaun looked at their luggage.
"Probably back to good, old London. It'll be nice to get home after all this," Shaun replied. Donna smiled and then looked at the TARDIS. She smiled sadly and sighed.
"It still looks the same," she said. The Doctor looked at the TARDIS and smiled.
"It also looks the same on the inside as well," he said. Everybody and everypony was quiet for the moment. An idea flashed in the Doctor's eyes. "Donna...how would...would you be interested in taking a quick trip in the TARDIS?" A familiar lust for adventure appeared in Donna's eyes. She looked like she wanted to say yes but she looked at Shaun and shook her head.
"I...I can't. I have a life here on Earth now and-"
"Donna...go with them," Shaun said suddenly. The three ponies and Donna looked at Shaun in shock.
"Shaun-"
"I don't want to be the one to hold you back from an opportunity like this, Donna. You've waited long enough to see the Doctor again and I can see that you miss those days of traveling around with him. Go with him."
"What about you?" Shaun looked at the TARDIS and shook his head.
"I'm not ready to go touring all of space and time inside a police phone box. Maybe one day...but not today."
"Shaun...are you sure?"
"Yes. Go with them. I'll still be here on good, old Earth waiting for you." A smile appeared on Donna's face as she rushed forward and gave Shaun a passionate kiss. She then turned around to face the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy.
"So...is that a yes?" asked the Doctor.
"Of course!" Donna said happily as she grabbed her luggage. The Doctor clapped his hooves and the TARDIS doors opened.
"Welcome back on board the TARDIS, Donna Noble!" Twilight and Derpy smiled at each other as they helped load Donna's luggage in the TARDIS. Donna turned to face Shaun.
"I'll be home soon. I promise."
"Have fun!" Shaun said.
"Until we meet again, Shaun Temple," said the Doctor with a polite nod. Donna, Derpy, and Twilight waved goodbye as they boarded the TARDIS. The Doctor followed them inside and closed the doors. Shaun took a few steps back and watched as the TARDIS slowly disappeared into thin air. Once the blue box was gone, Shaun picked up his luggage and turned towards the road. He gave a smile of relief as he looked out upon the white horizon of the morning.
