Weather Manifesto: Chapter 6: A New World

Rainbow Dash smiled as the IV was removed from her leg and she was given the okay to go. It hadn't been long at all, only about an hour as a precaution, but she was already tired of being cooped up. It hadn't helped that she'd been stuck in the wreck for three hours, the consequences of her choices literally surrounding her, pushing in from every side and demanding attention, but after all that dark, cold concrete she needed the open air and the light. With a quick flap of her wings to test them out, revealing no unexpected amount of soreness, but nothing too major, she took to the air, immediately reveling in the wind running through her mane.

Oh, this was it. This was what she truly lived for, what she'd almost given up for some stupid dream of power. How she'd managed those long days in the narrow halls she'd never know, but she was sure glad to be out of it... even if it did mean there would be some problems. What would happen to the weather? Or the ponies that had worked in the factory? Would they blame Ozone or Celestia for what had happened? Or her and Ink Well for trying to stop it? And, of course, largest of all, had she made the right choice?

Rainbow rolled in the air, her torn lab coat spinning around her, and caught a glimpse of Ink Well's paper hooked onto it. Ink Well... he really knew how to use words sometimes. With all that mess going on in there, he'd managed to silence the duel in her mind, letting the answer screaming from her very core be heard. She smiled, grabbing his paper in her hoof before spinning again, letting the coat flutter away to catch the wind and disappear behind her. She may not have one for all her questions, but the answer to her last one was a resounding 'Yes!'

Free of the lab coat, she flew up higher, gliding in a wide circle to survey the damage from the factory's crash. A huge gouge had been taken from the hill it had struck first, which had once been a smoking, misty mess, but had since cleared. Chunks of concrete, come as big as a house, littered a giant area, while metal of all sorts and sizes glinted warmly in the late afternoon light. The snowy hill had melted, the water pooling with the liquid rainbow around it and running through valleys where it could, while the mystic mushroom glade continued to hum with its own power. Passing by that, Rainbow could just barely spot one of the furthest pieces of debris, what looked like a shard torn from a holding tank, spearing out of the overgrown remains of a burned down house almost a half mile from the crash site. It was pure luck nopony lived in the area, really. It was doubtful they would have survived.

Rainbow Dash continued her descending circle slowly, passing over a surprisingly huge body of gryphons freed from the factory. The fact that they had all been in there, enslaved to work and toil for no good reason, just burned her up inside. How could anypony ever let that happen? How could anypony think that a good idea? The anger threatened to boil over until she saw Princess Luna talking to them, calmly working with each of them in turn, trying to get them where they belonged. With the crowd, she'd probably be working on it late into the night, if not into the next day. At least somepony is trying to make it right...

Relieved from her flight, Rainbow pulled straight up, letting her momentum peter out until she just hung there, gravity not yet noticing her, a gentle breeze brushing against her face. She then fell back over her body, diving straight towards the ground. At the last second she pulled up, her rainbow speed trail zipping behind her as she skimmed across the ground before digging in her hooves and holding out her wings, coming quickly to a dead stop with a smirk on her face. Still got it. She flapped her wings once to loosen them a bit, then rotated each of her legs in turn to do the same.

As she did, a voice called out to her, causing her heart to clutch in her chest. "Hey, Rainbow Dash? You have a minute?" Rainbow turned around slowly, recognizing the voice, but still nervous all the same. Trotting up to her was Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts, simultaneously her idol, her friend, and the pony that had crushed her dream just days before. Rainbow's feelings were pulled in too many directions by the sight, and so she just stood and waited, deciding to hear Spitfire out before coming to a conclusion. Spitfire had a friendly smile on her face when she reached Rainbow. "I didn't expect you to be flying so soon after the crash, 'specially not like that. Guess you must have gotten out alright."

Rainbow just shrugged, hiding the pain in her shoulder from the motion. "Yeah, I did. It's going to take a lot more than that to stop me from flying."

Spitfire removed the goggles and mask on her suit, showing both the tired, almost hunted look in her eyes and the dirt and dust that clung to her from her hours of digging, missing from where it was covered. "Well, you're lucky. A lot of ponies didn't make it through the crash. Though, with the way things look, maybe none of alive to begin with..." She shook her head slowly, going over what she'd seen with a concealed horror. But, after a moment, she was smiling again with some renewed energy. "But that's not what I wanted to ask you about. What happened to you after the tryouts the other day?"

The anger and the hurt all rushed back at once, the rejection at the tryouts stinging Rainbow with just its mention. "What do you mean 'what happened'? Seems pretty clear to me."

Spitfire seemed puzzled at that. "I mean, you just disappeared after the final phase. Didn't even stick around for the results. And you've been impossible to find since."

Rainbow turned her back on Spitfire, flicking her tail angrily. "After I was rejected and found out you didn't even think I was worth talking to I didn't see a need to stick around."

"What? Who told you that?"

The confusion in Spitfire's voice took some of the wind out of Rainbow's sails. "Ozone. He came up to me right after I finished my shoddy performance with a message from you to pack it up, that you didn't even want to deal with me."

Spitfire walked around her, looking her in the face. "Rainbow, I don't know why you listened to some random pony, but he wasn't from us. And your flight? Shoddy? I mean, yeah, you bobbled once, but even Soarin' does that from time to time. I don't think any of us ever have a perfect flight." Spitfire smirked at that, though her face soon went back to serious. "When you disappeared, we were really worried something bad had happened to our newest recruit." She looked out at the ruins and shuddered. "I guess we were right."

Rainbow's heart stopped, the whole world falling away as the important words reached her brain. "Newest recruit?"

Spitfire nodded. "We couldn't even find you to tell you. You didn't go back to Ponyville, and when she went to ask you friends, Fleetfoot ended up getting caught in the surprise party that was waiting for you. I don't think she'll be able to look at anything pink for a while without screaming. But you? You just fell off the map."

Rainbow's voice grew a little tighter, as though not wanting to break a spell. "I am the new recruit on the Wonderbolts?"

"Yeah." Rainbow's hooves shot to her mouth, looking like they were holding something back and causing Spitfire's head to tilt in confusion. "You okay there?"

After a few seconds, a shrill squeal broke from Rainbow's makeshift barrier as she threw her hooves around Spitfire in a hug. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!!! You have no idea how– I just can't believe I– After all these years I'm finally– THANK YOU thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Spitfire wrestled herself from Rainbow's hug, pulling herself free enough to breathe. "Woah! Easy! You're welcome, Dash. You earned it."

Rainbow saluted, still unable to contain her joy. "You just have no idea how much this means to me! I promise I won't let you down, Captain!"

Spitfire laughed. "At ease, Dash! I'm glad to have you aboard. Just make sure to heal up, alright? We expect you in once you're better."

"Of course! You can count on me!" Rainbow kept saluting as Spitfire left, who was chuckling even as she put on her mask and goggles again and got ready to work. As she left, the initial high faded from Rainbow's brain, letting a few other thoughts seep in. Ozone lied to me to get me to the factory. He tried to take my dream away just to learn about my Rainboom! If it weren't for him showing up, none of this would have happened! Rainbow started to get mad again, but the thought continued itself. If it weren't for him lying to you, Ink Well, Derpy and Dinky might have died in the factory, and all those gryphons would still be enslaved... Rainbow thought about that for a moment, the irony of the results of his action kind of funny to her. If it weren't for him trying to take her dream away, he'd still have a factory and nopony would know about any of this...

But it didn't forgive any of his actions over the last few days, and it certainly didn't forgive anything he'd done in the years he'd been the factory's head. She looked over to where he was in custody, surrounded by guards and shackled to the bed he lay unconscious in. She snorted again, looking away. "Whatever happens is too good for him."

The anger leaving her, she turned to the wreckage of the Weather Factory, determination on her face. She'd caused this mess, she might as well help the Wonderbolts clean it up. After all, she was one now.

With one more excited giggle, she galloped after Spitfire.

---

Ditzy and Dinky were together, just happy to be free and in the warm rescue tent. Ditzy wasn't fully sure how they were going to get home yet, or where they'd spend the night tonight, but she'd already asked for a letter to be sent to Golden Harvest saying that Dinky was safe, so the most important thing to worry about was over.

She ran a hoof through her daughter's mane, smiling as she slept soundly against her side. It had been a long and trying day for the little filly, far more than anything she was used to, and it had worn her out. But Ditzy was more than happy to be a bed for her. Now that they were together again, she was more than happy to do anything for her.

A yawn struck Ditzy full on, pulling her eyelids half-shut with it. In the morning. She'd do anything Dinky wanted in the morning. Just as she started to lay down her own head, a bright voice with a northern accent spoke to her, whispering so as not to wake Dinky. "Excuse me, miss. Banana nut muffin? Compliments of the doctor." A plate appeared before her, extended on a light brown hoof, the muffin sitting atop it. The warm, enticing smell drew her from her coming sleep as she took the plate, looking up at the pony that offered it. He had blue eyes and a shock of chestnut hair, a little nurse's hat sitting on his head.

"Thank you!" she said quietly, receiving a happy smile for it before the pony left. She smelled the muffin again, savoring the rich smell of her single favorite food. They'd even gotten the right flavor. How lucky! Gently, she nudged Dinky, causing the little filly to rouse sleepily, though she protested. Ditzy just smiled. "Don't worry, you can go back to sleep in a bit. I just think you should eat something. It's been a long day."

Dinky smelled at the air, her tired eyes eventually finding the pastry creating the wondrous scent. When she did, Ditzy split it in two, giving half of it to her and keeping half for herself. As the two of them ate, Ditzy thought about the day they'd had. Getting lost at the factory, getting taken to the tank, the running, the crash... all of that was so horrible. And yet, even then, it ended with her and her Muffin sharing a muffin in a nice warm tent, together, not a care in the world.

In the end, it was a good day.

---

The sun was slowly setting as Ponyville finally came into view, Ink Well's sore wings pushing him ever homeward. It had been a long flight, and during it every single bump and bruise on his body made itself fully known. But now, gliding by town hall just as the sun dipped beneath the mountains, his trial was over.

He came in for a landing at the end of his street, all four hooves touching the snowy ground, sliding slightly as he stopped. However, the instant his rear right touched land, pain sung through his whole form, causing him to topple over face-first in the snow. In the frozen cushion he slowly got his feet under him, gently putting weight back onto his legs. The pain was a strong throb, but it would be okay to move on. Stupid twisted ankle...

Ink Well hobbled the last block slowly, taking care not to stress anything lest real injury occur. He was lucky enough to get out of that factory with his life, a saving grace not entirely unexpected, but still much appreciated. Sure, he'd had a hunch it would turn out okay. After all, what he'd seen with The Doctor had come about, hadn't it? But it didn't make any of it less frightening, or threatening. Really, he'd be glad to see it behind him.

Ink Well reached the front of his house, the shop section dark, but the lights above shining brightly. He looked up at them, taking in the sight of his house, the most beautiful thing in the world to him right now, and sighed, a final relief washing over him. I made it. Just as he was about to walk for the door, it opened, revealing Roseluck waiting for him, relief and joy all over her face.

He lied. That was the most beautiful thing in the world. Without even a thought to his injured leg, he ran towards his house, his wife meeting him halfway, where they hugged, all the worry and fear both of them had held releasing, allowing nothing but happiness to pour forth. They stood like that for a long while, holding each other close in the dying rays of the sun, until eventually Ink Well's ankle began to act up and he was forced to break the hug. "I'm sorry I was so late, Rosy, it was all a little larger than I thought it would be."

Rose just shook her head, leading him into the house. "I could see the factory crashing from here! Please tell me you weren't in it..." She turned on the lights, spying in the light the bruises on his fur, the way he was favoring his rear back, the tattered state of his hat, and the small gash still open on his forehead. She sighed. "That's what I thought... You had me worried sick! And after this morning, that really wasn't a pleasant sight. I thought I told you to be careful." She hit him lightly on the shoulder, getting some of her frustration out. "And you were the one telling me not to push myself."

Ink Well smirked, letting her rant the restlessness out of her system. "I know, I know, I messed up. Believe me, there was nowhere I've wanted to be but here ever since I left. But for what had to happen... careful wasn't an option."

Ink Well moved through the shop and into the distillery, noticing the coolness that pervaded the air. Not a single one had been fired up all day. She must have really been sick... He turned to ask her about it when he was silenced by the seriousness of her look. She was smiling, but there was weight there, even before she spoke. She walked up to him, kissing him lightly on the forehead before putting her own against his and holding his jaw with her hoof. "You can't keep going on like this, Ink Well. One of these days something bad is going to happen to you, and then..." Her eyes shone for a moment, just the barest hint of tears to come before they were pushed away. "I don't even want to think about it."

"Oh Rose..." He brought his hoof under her chin, lifting her face so that their noses touched and he could look directly into her eyes. She was actually worried for him, even though she trusted his every movement. Really, he didn't blame her. He'd been worried himself for far too long. "I promise nothing like that will happen again." He kissed her gently, then made his announcement. "I'm quitting."

"What?" She asked it as a question, but it was undeniable that she lit up when he said it.

Ink Well just smiled. "I'm quitting. That was the last investigation I'm ever going to do, and after this next article, no more. Just fiction writing from here on out."

Rose threw her hooves around him, pulling him into a close hug. "I hoped you'd say that. I had no clue how I was going to get you to otherwise. And, I have an announcement of my own..."

Ink Well cut her off, pulling away a little to look into her face again. "Not quite yet, I wasn't done with mine. I... have a confession. I kind of..." he'd been dreading it the whole way here, not at all sure what her reaction would be, but it was now or never. "I kind of have been making a lot more money than I've been letting on."

Ink Well cringed, expecting Rose to be upset. She kept a strict track of their finances, something like this was sure to set her off. So the next few words from her mouth took him completely off guard. "I know. So have I."

Ink Well looked at her, all guard dropped in the confusion. "Huh?"

Rose sat herself next to him, leaning into him a little. "I know all about the money from the magazines and all the investigations, and I also know how much you're getting from the play and your two books, and I don't mind."

Ink Well looked down at the rosy mane leaning against him, not entirely sure this was actually his wife. "But you're always worried about not spending anything and how the shop is barely pulling through. How can you not be mad?"

Rose just smiled up at him. "Because I do it too. The shop has been doing amazingly ever since the opening, with sales from as far as Las Pegasus and Canterlot coming in so often these little stills barely keep up. But... money does weird things to ponies, so I stash the extra away and live like we're running low because it keeps me from going weird. I'm used to the shop barely making it by, why should a few extra bits make me act any different?" During her speech Ink Well had grown a smile that slowly spread across his face, turning into chuckles and full on laughter as she finished and drawing a confused look from Rose. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just, I had the exact same thought this morning when I was debating how to break this to you. To think you've been doing the same..." He couldn't hold back his laughter any more, but he did manage to bottle it after a bit to finish his thought. "I just didn't know quite how well we worked together."

Rose pushed him again, holding back her own laughter from his explanation. "Hey, you married me. I thought that meant you knew what you were getting into."

He hugged her close with a wing. "It doesn't mean you can't still surprise me. Oh, and speaking of surprises..."

This time it was Rose that cut Ink Well off. "Ah! You finished your announcement, I get to do mine." She waited for him to nod, signaling she had his full attention, before going. "After you left, I went to Sunshine about the cold. You know, getting medicine so it clears up before Hearth's Warming Day? Anyway, when I described all of my symptoms and what had happened, she decided to run a few tests. And, well... I'm pregnant."

Ink Well looked at her, not wanting to react until he was sure he heard her right. "You're what?"

Rose smiled a little, leaning into him again. "I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father."

Comprehension hit with the note from earlier, almost stifled by the thought of what might have happened had he not made it out, but both were swept away by the excitement that ran through Ink Well's veins as he hugged his wife even closer. "That's wonderful Rosy!" He then looked down at her stomach, like he could somehow see the life that was growing there. "How long until the happy day?"

Rose shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. We really need a unicorn to analyze it any more, but I'm gonna be a mom."

Ink Well held her for a few moments, a smile playing on his face. "You know, that almost fits too well with another thought I had, but... you know that townhouse a few streets over? The one you've had your eye on?"

Rose turned around, anticipation in her eyes. "No..."

Ink Well nodded, "I'll put in the paperwork tomorrow." Rose shot forward at that, kissing him deeply before pulling him into another hug. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Rosy."

The two of them sat in the distillery for a long while, enjoying each other, being together, and the life they'd made and would be setting out on together. Even when Ellipsis came downstairs, they didn't stop, just adding the dog to the family hug.

There were dark things in the world. Things that would need to be taken care of, things that would need to be chronicled and written down. But they could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, the world was just the two of them, and it couldn't be happier.

--- One Month Later ---

Ditzy was outside as soon as the mailpony had left to collect the mail. Today was a special day, for it was the day that Ink Well's article would print and everything would be answered, and she couldn't wait. A lot had happened since, with all the celebrations around Heath's Warming and New Years Day, including the big Hearth's Warming House Warming party Pinkie Pie threw for Ink Well. All of Ponyville had been invited to their house, which really wasn't all that big, and celebrated the whole night away with games and dancing and gifts. Ditzy hadn't brought anything, since she was still a little strapped for bits since leaving her job, but she was there to see Rainbow Dash give him back his bag, tattered and barely holding together from the crashing of the factory. He ran to it like a foal to a candy store, thanking Rainbow Dash over and over again and saying how much it meant to get his bag back. Rarity gasped as soon as he'd tried to put it on, offering to make him a new one on the spot, but he'd refused. "This one's got a lot of history in its seams," was all he'd say to her, and once he hid it from her searching, the party went back into full swing. It had been a wonderful evening, but somehow Ditzy was sure today would top it.

However, when she opened her mailbox, she found not one but two magazines waiting for her, both her usual Bloomberg Weekly and, with an artful painting of the Weather Factory mid-fall on its cover, The Manehattanite. She was confused by the second one because she didn't much like the fancy style of the magazine and had trouble with the tiny print it used. She also knew Golden Harvest didn't much like reading and, in fact, thought magazine subscriptions silly, so for a new subscription to suddenly show up, it had to be a mistake. Puzzling over the presence of both magazines, she took them inside, going to the nice spot in the living room where she liked to read.

She plopped down on her comfy cushion, tossing The Manehattanite onto the table and about to disregard it when a note slipped out, catching her attention. It read: Ditzy, if you're going to read a version of my article, please read this one. It's the only one that the magazine didn't cut anything from, and I think you'd prefer the whole story. ~Ink Well Curious as to what he meant, she looked at the article in the Weekly, then in the Manehattanite and found the second one to be five pages longer, even with the smaller print and the two columns to a page. Surprised by the sheer volume of the difference, she tossed the Bloomberg Weekly aside, ready for everything Ink Well had to offer.

He didn't disappoint.

Not only did he cover the holding of the gryphons and the harvesting of the dead ponies, but he went into the energy and magic production, the various methods that had been tried over the years, the scope and reach of the Weather Factory's collection activities, and even got a psychological report on the members of the factory after it had crashed. To top it off, both herself and Rainbow Dash were quoted in the article for what they had witnessed and experienced. Ink Well had also written in everything that had come about in Ozone's trial, which had found him unanimously guilty of crimes unspeakable and had him sentenced to life in the Canterlot Dungeon. But even that wasn't the most impressive thing.

Within the article was a series of statements from Princess Celestia herself, admitting not only to the founding of the Weather Factory for magic harvesting purposes, but also that she did, in fact, give consent to both the initial body snatching and the captured Windigos as 'acceptable means to ensure a prosperous society.' However, she claimed to have no knowledge of anything that had transpired in over three hundred years there, stating that she had simply neglected to oversee the factory in the time since and apologizing for everything that happened to the gryphons there and for the lives lost within the concrete walls. "It is a dark, barbaric stain on Equestria's bright history," she said. "One that will never be repeated."

The article ended with some predictions on how the fall of the factory might affect the nation, but was surprisingly impartial, just a detailed account of everything that had happened and everything that could. Ink Well wrote as though he hadn't been there, laying down the facts for the reader to draw conclusions from, but it was certainly effective. Over two hours after she started it, Ditzy finally put down the article, stunned by everything she had read and reread. She had been there and she didn't even know a tenth of it. Nopony had.

Golden Harvest came in from outside holding a bag of groceries and kicking the snow off of her boots, having slipped out at some point while Ditzy was reading. "Ah! Ditzy, I see you finished your read. Was it everything you were expecting?"

Ditzy looked at her, considering the best way to respond to that question. "No. Not at all. It was a lot more."

Golden looked at her, just the slightest hint of worry on her face. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

Ditzy nodded, getting up and walking towards the door. "Yeah, I'm fine Golden. I just need to clear my head a bit. How's Dinky today? I must have missed her going to school."

Golden nodded. "She's fine, all smiles and sunshine, like always." Golden always seemed nervous on this subject now, ever since Dinky had been taken under her care, but her efforts had redoubled since. She kept very good track of Dinky, almost outdoing Ditzy some days, and she would never let anything happen again.

However, Ditzy didn't even note her nervousness. She grabbed her scarf and slipped on her boots. "Oh good. I'll be back in a bit." She then stepped out into the biting winter air, letting both her thoughts and hooves wander.

Ever since the whole Weather Factory incident the world had been a lot larger, and it had been getting to Ditzy as time had passed. Her world had been very small, just herself, her job, and Dinky holding all of her focus. And then she met Ink Well again, and they entered this little factory to deliver a box. In the end the box held the key to a realm of secrets, revealing infinitely more questions than answers, and though Ditzy had simplified her world, dropping her job from the picture, it seemed to be growing instead of shrinking.

Except, she couldn't quite put her hoof on why. She couldn't explain it, but she just had a feeling that something big was going to happen deep down in her heart. One of the times when it struck particularly strong, she tried to think about it, to follow the path that might reveal why. But as she did, her mind turned up the wall of fog, pushing her away. It seemed to be doing that a lot more lately. Every little thing caused her to start thinking about... something. Something tugging at the back of her mind. It was important, but the fog held it just out of reach...

And she had a lot more time for thinking lately. On Hearth's Warming Day, Ink Well arrived at her house asking if she'd found a job yet. The truth was that she hadn't bothered to look, since she'd already been fired from most of Ponyville, so she said 'no.' When he heard that, he did something that she'd have never expected: he offered to pay for Dinky's care. Enough to keep the two of them fed and happy wherever they may want to go, and even offering to pay for Dinky to go to a high-end magic school in Canterlot is Ditzy so chose. The offer was too kind, and Ditzy had tried to politely refuse to no avail.  In the end, she had to accept it, and already a cheque had arrived for a generous amount... She never had to work a day, if she didn't want to, and she'd have to repay him for that one day. For everything that he'd done for her. She wasn't sure how yet, but she would.

Stopping for a moment, she found that her wandering had taken her into Whitetail Woods, the many leafless trees giving a still air to the place, managing to hold back the little breezes even without any buffers. But, on the edge of her hearing, there was something making the faintest noise above her.

Ditzy looked up, her head tilting as she watched what looked like a blue box scream across the sky, smoke and fire billowing out behind it. It zigzagged and twisted a couple times, shooting sharply to the side and not moving like anything she'd seen fly before. Then, as if noticing her, it changed directing, flying straight at her in a giant fireball. Panicked, she jumped aside at the last section, hearing snow sizzle and melt behind her as it smashed into the ground.

As soon as it landed she was up and searching for it, though the look wasn't hard at all. Right behind her was the very large, slightly scorched blue box smoking in a small crater, the words 'POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX' barely readable through the smoke, though they didn't mean anything to Ditzy. Cautiously she stepped towards it, her foggy memory put on hold with the new puzzle before her.

Just as she got into range to consider poking it, a door on the front burst open, a fresh batch of smog belching from it and straight down Ditzy's startled throat. She began to choke, coughing, though hers were joined by somepony else inside the cloud. Ditzy squinted to look through it, watching with wonder as a pony stumbled backwards from it on his back hooves, coughing and waving a hoof to get rid of the smoke. He had on rather nice, if slightly outdated, clothing, but it was all much too large for him, his trousers pooling on the ground while the jacket and vest nearly slipped off of him, his shirt only staying on for the ascot tying it down.

Before Ditzy could consider the sight, the pony spoke in a bright northern accent. "Ah! Okay, girl, I think I get the idea with the smoke. Look at what you did to my clothes! All stretched out. They'll never fit. Granted, I suppose slipping through a rift in dimensions might stretch things out. I'm not sure. I haven't had much practice with this before... I think. Have I? I'm not sure."

Watching the brown pony with the chestnut mane argue with himself was fun, but Ditzy had a curiosity that needed to be sated, and she had a feeling his conversation wasn't going anywhere. "Excuse me? Are you alright?"

The light brown pony perked up at that, turning around and smiling. "Yep! I'm fine. Fantastic, really! Ooh. I rather like that word. Fantastic. Never had much of a ring before, but this voice, I think it could handle it." After a moment he looked confused, looking at Ditzy, then at the empty woods around him, then back to her. "A pegasus? In a snowy climate? That doesn't seem right. First off, you don't exist for another few thousand years if my guess is correct, and even then only in a few geneticist's personal zoos, and second pegasi seemed to like steppes, not snowy woods. You're not in the right place at all."

"What do you mean by that? My house is just over there in town."

The brown pony looked a little more confused. "A talking equine? Now that's a new one. Must have landed on a tourist planet." He tapped her on the head with a hoof, frowning a little. "Except you don't feel like a robot. Do you feel like a robot, Miss Talking Equine?"

Ditzy furrowed her brow, not making any sense of what she'd just heard. "I'm not an Equine. I'm a pony. And my name's Ditzy Doo, though my friends call me Derpy, but-"

"Ah! Derpy! Wonderful, like the ring of that too. Derpy. Fantastic! Kind of innocent, but fun at the same time. Goes with the eyes." He poked her on the nose, laughing as he did. "Derpy. Ha." He looked at her unamused face and seemed to sober up considerably. "Anyway, I seem to have crash landed on your planet. Terribly sorry, I'll be on my way, just need to go inside and grab some tools and all will be well. Have a nice snowy time." With that he turned around, walking awkwardly back into the large smoking box on two legs.

Ditzy watched him go, a smile forming on her face. "You are a really weird pony, you know that?"

"Weird? I will have you know I'm a perfectly normal..." Her words seemed to hit him then. "Wait, I'm not a pony. I looked a lot more homo sapiens last I checked."

Ditzy giggled a little. "Homowhat? You look like a pony, from the tip of your hooves to the tip of your tail."

The brown pony frowned, crossing his forehooves. "I do not have a tail! I know for a fact that you are lying to me, because when I turn around, I am not going to find ohmygoodness that's a tail. And chestnut? Again? I was really hoping it would at least be ginger." He then looked the rest of his body over, including his forehooves trapped in his clothing. "Huh, I appear to be some sort of small equine. No wings... Shame. I would have liked wings." He looked at her with his bright blue eyes. "Do you like wings? They must be nice."

"They are." Ditzy wasn't sure why, but something in the back of her mind was telling her to go with him... but he'd crashed. Where would he be going? "Anyway, I saw your... er, box crash and I was just wondering if you were alright, Mr...?"

The brown pony looked at her for a second, then recognition dawned. "Oh! Right, sorry. Call me The Doctor."

"Doctor what?"

"Just 'The Doctor' is fine. And yes, I did crash, but I think the fires have stopped, so it should be alright. However, since I seem to be somewhere I cannot identify and suddenly transformed into a horse-"

"Pony."

"-a pony, sorry, I could be doing better." He turned to enter his box again, sinking to all four hooves for the first time, the strangest expression coming on his face. "Okay, that's weird. I would have thought that uncomfortable or odd or something, but that just felt natural. The body must be more in tune with the world than I expected... I must figure out a term for that." He walked into the blue box, shutting the door behind him and leaving Ditzy alone in the snow again.

She stood there for a second, not entirely sure what was going on, when the door opened, The Doctor's head sticking out. "I'm sorry, this might seem a bit odd, but would you like to come with me?"

Ditzy raised an eyebrow. "With you where? It's just a box."

"No it's not! It's a TaRDiS! Here. Step inside." He opened the door, offering her a way in, which she accepted, stepping inside the odd blue box.

And into an amber colored wonderland, far larger than the box could contain. The room was a dome surrounded by little hexagon fixtures and supported by columns that seemed to grow through the space. A metal grille platform sat raised in the center, with a green glowing glass tube rising from it to the ceiling, a massive bulb at its base, while there were some doors behind it that looked far too big for a pony. Something about the space felt... right. And wrong.

Ditzy's head felt like it was being split open, causing her to stumble from the blue box and back into the snow, clutching at it with her hooves. Something... something REALLY wanted to get out of her memory. It was begging now, but she just... couldn't...

The Doctor watched her from his box, a look of confusion on his face. "I'm sorry, it normally doesn't have that reaction on people. Normally they only start doing that when I tell them it's a time machine."

Ditzy managed to pull her head together, standing up on wobbly legs. "A time machine? That magic blue box?"

"Yup!"

"Prove it." Ditzy covered her mouth as soon as she said the words, confusion in her own mind. Why am I so adamant about it? It's magic, why can't it be a time machine?

The Doctor just smiled mischeivously. "Oh? Alright. Tell me... your favorite comfort food and the last time you really needed it."

Ditzy was taken aback by the challenge. He's actually going to do it? Okay... "My favorite food would be a banana nut muffin, and the best time would be... A month ago, after the fall of the Weather Factory."

The Doctor nodded. "Alright, be right back." The door closed, and after only a moment, this noise ran through the woods, accompanying the light on top of the box flashing on and off.

But the sound... it was familiar. It was right on the tip of her tongue! Why did she know it? She had never seen that box before, nor that pony. How could she possibly...

Before her the box faded away, pulsing with each flash of the light before becoming a little less and less there, until it finally vanished altogether, only a whine singing out that it was ever there. Ditzy walked over the spot, surprised by the disappearance, until, like an explosion in her head, it all clicked.

She HAD heard that noise before. Years ago, right before her memory came back... It was still in fragments, but if she tried a little harder, perhaps...

Pain. Confusion. Helplessness. All the muscles in her body tensed at once as something happened. Something was moving inside her... Scared. She was scared, unknowing of what was going on. There was yelling outside, some sort of a fight, but it was drowned out by her own cries... There was a lot of noise, then... the gentle tapping of hooves on the floor.

"Oh, Derpy... what has he done to you?" The voice, comforting. Soothing. Suddenly, thoughts are holding together just a little better, until another spasm sends them all apart again. The footsteps get closer, and then, blurred from the tears, a light brown face. She blinks them away, and there are piercing blue eyes, ageless, gentle, loving...

The pain comes again, and with it a cry. A hoof is extended, touching her own. She is calmed. "Derpy... I... I was too late. I'm so, so sorry..." He leans forward, his forehead now inches from her own, and steps over her, brushing over her large stomach. As he does, another spasm forces the air from her lungs and more tears into her eyes. "You're going to make it through this. You've made it through much worse already. You're strong, stronger than you know. This is nothing... Just relax." Their foreheads touch, and a coolness sinks into her head, searching. Looking around. It is disgusted by what it sees. "How could he have done this? I can't..." He pulls his away, sadness in his eyes, infinite, and aged even more. "I cannot fix it, but I can try to ease the pain..." Again, foreheads touch, the cool presence enters her mind once more. It collects the shards, memories of the time. Each one jabs at her insides, drawing blood from her mind's own source...

She hasn't thought a sentence in months. Hasn't been able to. Each thought breaks like glass, and they cut her sanity to ribbons... The coolness brings them together, bundles them tightly...

The sharpness is gone, but a hole remains. Then, it is filled with fluff. Fog, cotton, swirling in her head, replacing the pain with gentle breezes... And the world goes dark. In it, his voice, clear as a bell. "I've done what I can, now I'll get you to the hospital. A real doctor is needed for this."

That sound. That wondrous, glorious noise...

The noise was growing louder, all around Ditzy where she stood, hooves around her head at the new memory. He knew what happened to her! Or... would know... it's a time machine. One day he would help her, save her from something unspeakable, replacing it with the fog... Why would he do that? What would be worse than losing a part of yourself, even just a memory? She had to know. She had to go with him.

She stood up, her headache clearing as the noise ended. Except, she wasn't in the woods, she was in his box, standing before him. He was wearing a nurse's hat, a smile on both his face and his bright blue eyes. "Did you enjoy your muffin?"

Ditzy smiled, nodding. "I did indeed! My compliments to The Doctor!" She then ran to the central bulb, eyes rolling over the panel, completely uncomprehending of their purpose. "So! How do we begin?"

The Doctor's face lit up. "So you're coming?"

Ditzy smiled at him, all the excitement in the world on her face. "You're offering me a ride in a time machine and think I'll say 'no'? You don't know me very well."

The Doctor shrugged. "Not yet, no." Ditzy's smile faded, her memory playing for just a moment in her head. But you will... It was stopped as The Doctor ran to the central bulb, smiling and motioning to the controls. "All of time and space is at your fingertip... err, hooftips, Derpy! Where would you like to go first? It's all as new to me as it is to you. Who knows? You may be a the guide."

Ditzy just shrugged, looking into the blue eyes that would one day show so much compassion. They seemed a lot younger now... "I dunno. Anywhere! Everywhere! Just make sure I'm home in time to pick Dinky up at school."

The Doctor smiled, flipping down a lever as he brought down his hoof. "Fantastic!" He then galloped around the bulb, pushing buttons and spinning knobs, hitting things and flipping switches, until, at the end of it all, he stood before one last lever, a joyous look in his eyes. "We're off!"

The strange blue box disappeared, its whine traveling on the winds, through the woods, through Ponyville, until, faintly, gently, it alighted on the ear of a certain author. He looked around, not fully sure he'd even heard it, but not at all sure how he could mistake it. After a moment, a thought seemed to occur to him, drawing a smirk on him. "There you go, Ditzy," he said to nopony in particular. "You've finally made it home."