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Description
Derpy arrived at Dr. Whooves’s home and laboratory after work the next day.
“Are you their Doc?” she called, entering his lab with a happy trot.
“Over here,” he called from somewhere out the back.
Derpy made her way through until she found the Dr. in the library nook of his workshop, he was sitting in a large leather chair with a Chaiselonguen (*) next to him. In between the chairs was a small table with two classes of water and a pocket watch sitting on it. *(psychologist sofa)
“What’s all this Doc?” asked Derpy, coming over and unceremoniously taking a seat.
“I’ve been doing some research,” he said, holding his hooves together in front of him.
“Though I can’t physically heal you, I can address some of the weakness of your condition.”
“hmmm hmmm.”
“I have come up with a series of exercises that will assist you to concentrate.”
Derpy became distracted and started playing with the lamp.
“Derpy!” said the Dr. sharply.
“What? Sorry,” said Derpy, snapping back to attention, her eyes focusing for a moment. The lamp tottered dangerously back and forth before coming to a standstill.
“As I was saying,” the Dr. continued. “I’ve been doing some research and I believe a part of your problem is psychological.”
“Psycologi…what?” she questioned.
“I think a part of your problem is your mind reinforcing this persona of yours.”
“My persona?”
“Yes, the image you have of yourself. How you think you should act around others.”
Derpy contemplated this for a moment.
“I am doing this to myself?” she asked honestly, a little bewildered.
“Subconsciously… possibly,” he continued.
“So that is what the watch is for” Derpy pointed out, seemingly randomly. “You are going to hypnotize me!” she said, clapping her hooves together.
Dr. Whooves looked impressed.
“See, there is more to you… when you want there to be,” he said reassuringly.
Derpy started playing with the watch.
“When you are not being distracted that is,” he continued, more impatiently.
Derpy let go of the watch and sat back shyly.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Do you want to improve yourself?” the Dr. asked challengingly.
“Yes!” said Derpy with conviction, her eyes focusing for a notable amount of time.
“Well then, let me tell you about your training.”
Derpy and Dr. Whooves spent the next few hour talking about her exercises, there was some reading and writing tasks, some meditation, some exercises that were part balance, stretching, dance and combat practice and some art, as well as talking.
Derpy found it difficult to concentrate but tried her best. The Dr. patiently bringing her back on topic as needed. To assist her, he did some hypnotization at specific points of her training.
After about another three hours both were exhausted, it had been a big day, but the Dr. seemed happy with their progress.
Over the next half a year Derpy regularly did her exercises diligently, often under the supervision of the Dr. when he could spare the time. She was regularly hypnotized to assist her concentration while practicing at the lab and had become proficient in the forms that they did together, which included elements of dance as well as a fighting forms. Dr. Whooves seemed to enjoy having a partner to practice with and the two would dance and spar together. After a while Derpy also began to help around the lab, which also became part of her training.
Though there had also been some improvement to her clumsiness outside of her training sessions, Derpy was a bit frustrated that most of her improvement over the last half a year seemed to solely to come when she was hypnotized, and not in her day to day life.
It was winter and fresh snow lay outside as Derpy arrived for her daily practice.
“Hello doc!” she called out as she entered the lab.
As had become her habit, she took a deep breath and her eyes focused for a moment. She was ‘feeling’ the effects of her suggestive hypnosis in connection with entering the lab. With more pronounced grace, she took off her scarf and coat, hanging them up on a hook carful.
“Where are you hiding!” she called out.
“Over here Derpy,” replied the Dr.
Derpy trotted over to a large invention. The Dr. was laying underneath the contraption fiddling with a few valves and a pump. Despite working, he still had on his signature long scarf.
“Darn the luck,” he said, wiping his brow. “I need a few more liters of compound D-12.
“I can mix it up for you,” said Derpy, moving over to a nearby table with a bunch of beakers and chemicals.
“Same concentration as last time?” she asked.
“Absolutely, thanks Derpy.” Replied the Dr.
He was in an awkward position so was grateful that he did not have to get up. Laying back while he waited, he looked over at the blond filly as she calmly mixed the chemicals. He smiled to himself, even the idea of having Derpy near such a table full of breakable and dangerous items would have been unthinkable half a year ago. Yet, there she was, mixing away competently. She had become quite an asset in the lab.
“Well look at you,” he said happily.
“Hhmmmm…?”
“Look how careful and concentrated you have become,” he continued. “I am very proud of you Derpy.”
“Thanks Doc,” she replied with a smile, though it then turned into a frown.
She finished adding the ingrediencies and turned back to face him while she mixed them together in a larger beaker.
“I just wish I could be like this when I am outside of the lab as well.”
The Dr. smiled knowingly, he had been waiting for such an opportunity.
“And why can’t you?”
“You know very well that the hypnosis only works when I am hear,” she replied.
The Dr. thought for a moment.
“Do you remember when I said… that a lot of what was holding you back was your own image of how you think you should behave around others.”
“Yeah,” Derpy replied, a little frustrated. “But it doesn’t help if I am still clumsy and unconcentrated, which I can only stop doing with your help and that watch.”
“You are still worried that you will do or say something wrong?”
“Of course,” she replied.
“Sounds like what is holding you back is fear.”
Derpy’s eyes focused and she gave the Dr. a confused expression.
“Derpy, I think it is time that you know. I actually stopped the hypnosis in Autumn.”
Derpy stopped mixing.
“What?” she said. “But we still do the watch thing regularly.”
“Yes, I just kept it going as a placebo. You haven’t needed any help for some time now.”
Derpy looked down at her hooves as well as the glass backer she was holding.
She began to shake a bit, suddenly vary scared that she would break something.
“Are you sure?” she said unbelieving. “I still feel totally different when I come into the lab.”
She carefully put the beaker back onto the table, seemingly scared to hold it anymore.
Dr. Whooves began to crawl out from under the contraption. Derpy looked around with concern, worried that she was too close to something dangerous.
“That is all you,” he said, dusting himself off and putting his scarf in order. “You now decide how concentrated and careful you want to be and when.”
Dr. Whooves walked over and put a reassuring hoof on the fillies’ shoulder.
“But. But I can’t!” Derpy said, confused. “How do I know when to be more concentrated… and when to be… well, me?”
“Both ‘are’ you” said the Dr. reassuringly, “You don’t have to decide between the two. You can still be the bubbly and carefree Derpy we all love and be careful and concentrated when and where you want.”
Derpy rubbed one front hoof against the other, uncertain.
“I don’t know Doc… can I really…”
Suddenly there was a loud bang from outside as a large magical discharge expanded past the building. It was so powerful that the room began to shake and rumble.
“It wasn’t me!” said Derpy as a reflex, shrinking into herself a bit.
The Dr. looked out of the window with a critical eye, while still comforting Derpy.
“Looks like something from Princess Twilight,” he said, noting the colour and power.
“That is why I am so focused on the science of the magic in this world,” he said, suddenly distracted.
“Scientific Magical artifacts. that’s the key!” he continued, indicating to a series of smaller objects. Some of which began to glow after the magic discharge.
“Oh no,” he said suddenly, his face full of concern. “The magic charged up the portal key!”
“The what?” asked Derpy.
“Look out!” called the Dr.
But it was too late, one of the artifacts discharged a burst of magic and after bouncing off a large mirror hit the two ponies, who disappeared in a bright flash.
Derpy opened her yes to see herself and the Dr. suddenly in the middle of a dense, snow covered forest.
“Where, where are we doc?” she asked.
The Dr. looked around with concern.
“I think… I think we are…”
He was interrupted by a loud howl nearby, quickly followed up by a few further away.
“Timberwolves!” exclaimed Derpy in fright.
“I feared as much,” said the Dr. analytically.
“We have to get out of here,” he stated in his professional tone. Looking at the overcast sky through the dense branches of the deep forest and around to try and get his bearings.
Being winter, the light was fading early, but this made it easier to orientate through the light snowfall.
“Can you fly up?” he asked Derpy, who was backing up against him in fear.
Derpy looked up. Despite having no leaves, the branches were so dense that shadows played in the canopy, a set of yellow eyes looked down at them form one.
“I don’t think so” she said in fear.
The Dr. frowned. Another howl sounded; this time closer.
“We will have to run then,” he said in a determined tone. “Come on, this way”.
The two ponies galloped through the forest at full speed, shadows with glowing eyes followed them from the sides as well as the forest canopy.
Suddenly there were two wolves in front of them, blocking their way.
Derpy yelped in shock.
The Dr. did not flinch.
“Stay back,” he shouted, as he launched himself at the two wolves.
Derpy watched as the Dr. fought the two timber creatures. Had she been of a calmer frame of mind she would have recognized the form that she had ben training with the Dr. over the last few months.
Dr. Whooves did a spin kick that shattered one of the wolves then ducked and flipped the second wolf over his head as the creature lunged at him, sending the hapless magical creature into a large tree trunk where it exploded into individual bits.
Derpy clapped in glee but quickly stopped when out of the surrounding forest, five other wolves appeared.
“Derpy!” shouted the Dr. as he galloped back to the scared filly.
The wolves closed in and Dr. Whooves jumped onto Derpy and slammed his one hoof into the other.
There was a loud bang and a sphere of magic expanded out from the two huddling ponies, disintegrating the lunging wolves.
Derpy opened her eyes as the Dr. got off her, he was panting furiously, and she could see a small device attached to his one hoof’s that she hadn’t noticed before.
“What was…” she started.
“Look out!” shouted the Dr. jumping back onto Derpy as a large branch crashed down onto them, torn loose by the protective magical blast.
Derp could feel that something had hit the Dr. as he was pushed down onto her and suddenly went limp.
“Doctor!?” exclaimed Derpy as she pushed herself out to the side. Pulling the doc out from under the branch she could see that he had taken a big hit.
“No no no no no” she said, holding her hoofs to her face.
Looking around, she could see that the wolves were already starting to reassemble themselves, it was only a matter of time.
Her eyes focused as she gathered herself.
“comeoncomeoncomeon” she started to say in desperation.
“You got this you got this you got this!”
With every repeated line, her voice got stronger and calmer.
Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, her eyes focused on the Dr.
There was a few more howls in the distance, even more wolves were coming.
Derpy ducked under the unconscious doctor until he was on her back. Using his scarf, she tied him more firmly to her back with her free hoof and her teeth. All of that experience carrying bulky and heavy loads on her mail runs coming in handy.
One of the wolves had reassembled, and approached the two, growling,
Derpy ignored the wolf and with great effort raised herself and the unconscious Dr. off of the ground with a leap and a mighty flap of her wings. Seasoned Pegasus mail-ponies were known for having greater lifting power and weight carrying stamina then even Wonderbolts . And Derpy regularly carried ridiculous heavy loads.
Hovering for a second, she shouted “let’s go!”
Her eyes focusing and her pupils grew small in concentration.
Accelerating at an eye watering pace she flew through the trees at a suicidal speed. Staying low to avoid branches she ducked, weaved and did some insanely sharp turns to avoid trees and the occasional wolf who would lung at her from out of the shadows. Always mindful of her cargo, she positioned herself so as to not let him slip off or hit obstacles.
With a few more turns and weaves that would have impressed even Rainbow Dash she broke free into a small clearing and flew up into the sky. One last timber-wolf trying to jump up after her.
With a triumphant shout Derpy accelerated into the late evening sky. There was only light snowfall and she could make out the lights of Ponyville in the distance.
Taking a few breaths to regain her stamina, she heard the Dr. groan ever so lightly.
“Don’t worry Doc, we’ll soon have you to the Doctors…”
Derpy’s eyes finally started to return to normal and began to drift a bit.
“I mean the other doctor, doc,” she said with a goofy grin.
Shrugging her shoulders in a typical Derpy fashion, she flew off at a sustainable pace, a smile on her face.
Nurse Snowheart was walking by the entrance area when Derpy suddenly burst, not crashed, through the entrance, a flurry of snow following in her wake before the door shut again.
Nurse Snowheart put her hoof to her face in shock, reeling back at the sudden entrance.
Sliding expertly to a stop, Derpy panted furiously, looked around until she saw Nurse Snowheart, her eyes focused.
“The Doc was knocked out by a falling branch!” she said clearly and distinctly, despite being out of breath. “You gott’a help him.”
Nurse Snowheart acted quickly.
“Ill get a stretcher,” she said, dashing off.
Derpy began to shake from the exhaustion but still managed to carefully lower the unconscious Dr. Whooves off of her back. When the nurse returned Derpy and the nurse lifted him up and placed him on the stretcher, after which Derpy collapsed onto a nearby bench, exhausted.
Doctor Horse came galloping in, having been notified.
“I have him, thanks nurse,” he said. Taking a quick look at the exhausted Derpy, he noticed that she was also injured.
“Make sure she is OK as well,” he instructed before dashing off with new patient.
Derpy soon found herself in an examination room with the nurse tending to her scratches and bruises. Derpy was sitting there quietly, breathing much slower now, but still a bit labored.
“I’m impressed Derpy,” said the nurse suddenly.
Derpy looked up at the kind medical pony.
“Normally it is you that needs to be patched up,” nurse Snowheart continued. “But we haven’t seen you regularly since summer… and now you even save another pony.”
Derpy smiled goofily.
Doctor Horse entered the room.
“Is everything ok?” he asked the nurse.
“Just a few bumps and scratches… there you are, all finished up.”
“Is the doc ok, doc?” asked Derpy as Doctor Horse checked her chert.
“He is fine, a slight concussion and a broken rib but nothing critical”
“Is he awake? Can I see him?” asked Derpy.
“He is awake,” confirmed the medical Pony. “You can see him shortly once you are done here.”
A few minutes later, Derpy entered Dr. Whooves room to find the Dr. looking tired but awake.
“Derpy” he said with a smile.
“Doc!” Derpy exclaimed, rushing over to give him a hug.
Dr. Whooves flinched as she came too close to his broken rib.
“Sorry,” said Derpy, moving back and putting her hooves in front of her mouth shyly.
The Dr. shifted a bit to make himself more comfortable. He gave her a big smile.
“No big thing,” he said. “You saved me after all.”
“Well you saved mine first,” Derpy replied with a smile.
“And I was the one to put us in danger in the first place… so I think you have one up on me there.”
Derpy moved to give him another hug.
“Careful,” he said in warning.
Derpy’s eyes uncrossed for a moment and she careful positioned herself as to not go near the effected rib with her embrace.
“You still don’t believe that you can use your training when and how you want to?” he asked in a soft voice, her ear being so close.
“I think I am starting to,” she said softly in reply.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to continue my training,” she continued confidently, before returning to her normal cheery disposition. “If you’ll let me.”
“Good. Because I have gotten used to having you around,” he said as she carefully pulled back.
The two ponies shared a kind smile.
“So… do you want a muffin?” Derpy suddenly asked, her tummy rumbling. “Since I was so often hear I made sure that Pinkie Pie stocked the cafeteria.”
Dr. Whooves smiled.
“Sure thing,” he said, as the grey filly cantered out of the room in her search for food.
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