Hey everypony! I'm so sorry this chapter took so long but besides having massive writers block my computer wasn't letting me save for a while. So here it is (there, Sean, you can stop nagging me now. Jk, please keep it up, it makes me write when I know somepony is reading)

The alicorn lay sobbing in her room aboard the TARDIS. She couldn't believe Ditzy was gone. She couldn't believe she would never see the TARDIS again or travel the stars. Most of all she couldn't believe how much the Doctor had changed in such a short time. Now that she really thought about it, nopony changed that fast or that much. Something must have happened when he had gone off alone, that was when he changed. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure that this wasn't just some random mood swing, it was something bigger and Midnight was determined to find out what.

"Doctor, we need to talk, now," he glanced momentarily in my direction before returning half heartedly to flying the TARDIS.

"What is it Midnight?" he sounded annoyed

"I'm not going home. We are going back to Ponyville and you are apologizing for whatever it was you did," Midnight was rarely demanding towards the Doctor, but this was no normal circumstance. She needed to fix what she was sure was somehow Discords fault and she needed Ditzy to help her do it.

"Midnight, I honestly do not think Ditzy wants to see me right now,"

"Well of course not NOW, who knows where in time we are NOW. We go back to when you dropped her off!" He did not look like he was going to take her. "Fine! If you won't take me, I'll take you, it can't be too hard flying the TARDIS, I've seen you do it enough. Besides, she'll help me," the Doctor didn't even have time to finish his half hearted protests before she was at the controls. Soon he was hanging on for dear life as the alicorns inexperienced driving took them back to Ponyville.

"Here we are!" She panted "That... wasn't... so... hard!" That was a lie, but not an important one at the moment. They had landed in Ponyville, though a few days later than she would have liked, and nopony had more than a bruise or two.

"What was that?!" The Doctor cried "Hijacking my TARDIS? You could have killed me! Fine take it! I don't care!" Then softer, colder "Goodbye, Midnight star," then he left the TARDIS. Midnight smiled. Yes, he had yelled at her, but she had gotten him where she needed him so now she could fix the problem. She followed him out, prancing. The walk through town was silent between them. The Doctor following because he had nothing else to do so he might as well. They were still a few blocks from Ditzys house when a small filly looked their way and proceeded to stop them in their tracks. Looking at the grey stallion she demanded

"Are you the Doctor?" He looked at her blankly for a moment before slowly nodding. This seemed to enrage the little unicorn "You're the one who made my mommy unhappy. How dare you! My mommy is the bestest, most wonderfullest pony in Equestria and..." the alicorn, in her cloak, decided to intervene.

"Hello, you must be Dinky, your mother has told us so much about you! The Doctor and I are close friends of hers and we were just headed to your house so that he can apologize, right Doctor?" He didn't respond. Midnight smiled.

After a long stare down by Dinky she nodded and decided to trust Midnight. Sulkily, she walked with them to her house, telling them how sad her mother had been since she got back.

"She won't even touch the muffins I make her! Well, we're here, are you sure he'll apologize, he doesn't seem to want to, and my mommy won't want to accept if he does,"

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," her voice was confident, but a bit of doubt was starting to seep in, what if it wasn't?

The three ponies walked through the house. Midnight noticed the awful mess in the kitchen, evidence Dinky had been baking, and an empty darkness in the rest of the house, as if nopony had been there in a very long time. Dinky had said Ditzy hadn't known when she would be back, so she had been staying with a close family friend.

Ditzys room was upstairs.

"Mommy?" Dinky went in first, her voice cleared of its earlier spite. Ditzy tried to wipe away her tears.

"Hello Muffin, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine mommy, there's some ponies who want to talk to you," the others walked in. Ditzy soon had no trouble drying her tears. She bristled upon seeing the Doctor.

"What do you want?"

"Ditzy..."

"No Midnight, I want to hear what the Doctor has to say, I already know why you came back," she never took her eyes off him, well, not more than one of them.

"I don't have anything to say," Midnight and Dinky stared.

"Then maybe you should go," and he did.

"Hey! You get back here and apologize to my mommy!" Dinky raced after him, furious. The pegasus sighed.

"She's such a sweet filly, and she's right. Midnight, I can't sit in my room crying, I need to get back to my life," Midnight started to talk but was cut off "No, I can't. Not if the Doctor is going to be like this,"

"But..."

"I'm sorry,"

"Derpy you have to help him!" She blurted out, startling the pegasus. "Ditzy," she corrected herself "I don't think this is his fault. The Doctor had always been so kind, so energetic and involved. I mean, he did go off alone with that Discord fellow on the loose. Maybe..." by this point Ditzy was catching on.

"Yes..." the mare brightened "of course!" She raced out the door and Midnight smiled, perhaps a little too soon.

"Welcome back,"

"Doctor, wait!" The two mares caught up to their friend, who was sitting, being lectured by Dinky although she was talking more to herself than the stallion. He didn't even look up as they approached, but Dinky did.

"Mommy?"

"Hello Muffin, could I have a moment with the Doctor?"

"Well, okay..." she glanced up, unsure "but don't let him yell at you again, okay?"

The sweet fillies concern for her mother was greeted with a nod and Dinky stepped back to let them talk privately on the deserted street.

"I haven't seen mommy smile, really smile, since she left with him," she said 'him' with as much contempt as she could manage "What did you do?" The filly looked at Midnight as if she were the greatest hero in the world. Some marvel she was was seeing for the first time and who should be praised for her heroic acts. Midnight blushed shyly and momentarily was at a loss for words.

"I told her the truth. You see Dinky... the Doctor, well, he's kind of sick and your mother is the only pony who can make him better,"

"My mommy is fixing a Doctor?" Her amazement grew and Midnight giggled.

"Hello Doctor, how are you feeling?" She smiled sweetly at her friend.

"Does it matter?" Ditzys smile lessened a bit but she was no less determined. She chief her words carefully, still fearful that his now violent mood swings would come again but hopeful that they would not.

"Doctor, I need to know what's wrong, you aren't acting like yourself,"

"And what would you know about me?"

"I know you are happy, and gentle, and the kindest pony I've ever met,"

"You don't know anything!" He cried, and stormed off towards the TARDIS.

"You stop right there!" Ditzy called, stern, but not unkind "Do not walk away from me while I am talking to you! This is not who you are, I know you. But I think you've forgotten," Quickly she pulled off a necklace she had been wearing, on it was her TARDIS key. It dangled between them.

"Do you see this? This is the key you gave me. But it's more than that. This key means that you trust me, that you wanted me to travel with you. This key is something that we share," she was crying now "Doctor, I know you might not care, maybe you do want me to leave, maybe it is dangerous travelling with you, but you know what? I don't care. I kept this key with me all that time you were away. I never let go of it because no matter what you say we've been through too much to just forget each other. You gave me this key, Doctor, and I-I, I love you," the mare couldn't look at him. "Please come back to me,"

There was a moment that felt like a thousand years where nothing happened. Then, his dull fur brightened into its normal, cheerful brown.

Midnight covered Dinkys eyes.

Okay, I admit it! I ship these two, okay!? now please prepare for my who-knows-how-many-parts take on the Solar Empire/New Lunar Republic civil war and all of the flashbacks that go with it.