Gray and blonde flung in front of his eyes and the only thing he could remember was screaming as he watched her wings flap fruitlessly before she crashed through the stone pillar and then crumbled lifelessly to the marble floor. His dark brown eyes swiveled to stare into the blue optic in front of him and he snarled, his front hoof pawing the ground angrily.

"No one… Touches. My. DERPINA," The Doctor screeched bucking at the Dalek directly behind him, shattering its optic and impaling its perch deep into the casing. He dove between the two others attempting to hold him captive and quickly snatched his screwdriver in his teeth.

It was illogical.

Senseless.

Against everything he stood for as a Time Pony.

But they had crossed the line when they broke her.

His companion—his Derpy Hooves.

Everything was a blur around him as he aimed at metallic bot to metallic bot, his muscles tense and his heart pounding. The dying screams of the Daleks was not payment enough for the damage they had inflicted on that innocent Pegasus.

Eventually, the Doctor dropped , his sonic screwdriver tumbling from his mouth as he watched the final Dalek collapse into pieces. His dark eyes blinked close for a brief moment before he weakly rolled onto his feet and limped towards a crumpled, gray figure. "… Derpy…?" he croaked, his nose softly touching the damp crook of her neck. "… Derpy?" he tried again, carefully taking a few strands of hair in his lips and brushing them from her face.

She took a weak breath and then her eyes slowly inched open. His heart leaped and he rested his forehead against hers. "You okay, Doc…?" she whispered, voice barely audible to his pounding ears. He tried to answer but simply nodded against her sweat coated hair. "That's really good, Doc…"

"Shh… don't talk," he whispered, stepping away for a brief moment to retrieve his screwdriver. He stumbled on its controls before he was able to properly aim and scan the broken form of his beloved companion. The mail pony's crossed eyes tried to focus on him and make out his expression.

"… It don't hurt, Doc."

"… I…" He sighed and dropped beside her, his mind whirling to think of the quickest way to help her. "… I know it doesn't , Derpy…" he sighed, placing a hoof around her to hold her closer to his side as he tucked his head over hers. He listened intently to her heart beat, desperately wishing he could make it pump regularly. The blonde Pegasus turned her head to press her ear against his collar and her eyes drooped lightly.

"… I like the way your hearts sound, Doc," she murmured, interrupted by weak wheezes and coughs.

"It's the magic of two hearts," he whispered, softly touching her broken wing and lightly easing the snapped bones into place. Derpy's pupils shrunk and she tried to struggle away. He immediately retracted his hoof and kissed the underside of her jaw. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't touch it again."

He lost track of time after that, simply enjoying the last moment he was having with his pony companion. It could have been seconds, hours, millennia—he could care less. Every moment was focused on the uneven breaths and heart beats. Upon first meeting Derpy Hooves, he had no clue how attached he would become to her quirky personality—he could have never imagined how much it would kill him if he were to lose her.

"… Doctor?"

"That's me," he murmured.

"… wibbly-wobbly…"

"… timey-wimey," he weakly laughed, which in turn made her grin, despite her pain. She was strong, despite her odd behavior and crooked eyes, she was strong in personality and physical attributes. Making a joke in such a dark time kept their minds from the dark incident that had just occurred. Her ability to make anything happy and bright was one of the many reasons he lov—the Doctor blinked.

… loved her.

While Derpy may not have been his initial choice in a romantic partner, it suddenly made complete sense to the stallion. She could make him laugh even when the situation was grave. She reminded him to smile and embrace the insanity of the moment. Her golden gaze, crooked, but beautiful, seemed to light up the darkest of evenings.

"… Derpy, this is going to hurt, but I need you to trust me," he stated, rolling onto his feet.

"Always trust ya, Doc," she said, forcing a grin as he tucked his head under her bruised rib cage. She winced and whimpered as he moved her cracked spine, listening as he whispered apologies. Finally, he had her carefully draped across his back and slowly began walking towards the door of the TARDIS. His steps were cautious, as he did not wish to inflict any more pain than necessary on the broken Pegasus. He gave her a soft glance and she grinned at him, waving her hoof weakly to show she was fine.

Doctor Whooves smiled back and then picked up his screwdriver, handing it to her softly. "Take care of this for me, allons-y?"

"Got ith," she answered, smiling around the metallic object.

He gave her a loving look. He paused a moment and then turned his head to give her crest a soft kiss. "… you're a strong little pony, Derp," he whispered, making her grin widen as she turned her head up into his muzzle. "… and I am lucky to have you."