The kettle started whistling downstairs, alerting everyone in the house. It was like a rooster call. Ever since Whooves... Who... the Doctor took residence in Ditzy Doo’s home, he noticed it would go off in every morning, calling everyone to breakfast.

“Another average day.” the Doctor mumbled groggily as he got up. He slapped himself with the soft part of his hooves to get the night out of his head... then he crashed right back into bed. "...Just a few more minutes."

Technically, he could force himself awake. He could do that. It wouldn't even be hard. Not even a little bit. The only reason he didn't do it was, he just didn't want to. After all, it wasn't like he had anything useful or interesting to do today.

Doc was now staying at Ditzy's place for rent... well, sort-of rent, since he'd yet to get his hooves on some money to pay for his stay and meals... Which he actually didn't need that much of, but apparently Ditzy had a different opinion on the matter. Something about wanting the others to get to know him better, and listing the requirement that he'd at least join the rest for meals.

The Doctor decided it'd be best to forgo the inn, try someplace less... public. Keep as low a profile as possible. The last thing he wanted was to attract undue attention, in a world where... in a place like this.

Being stranded in an entirely different world, within an entirely different body, in a society that was apparently content to just rely on their betters to decide their fate to such a disturbing point, that they had no qualms with having their social roles branded to their sides like animals, and they were all so unnaturally happy... None of these things were enough to freak him out. The fact that he didn't know where his ship was, which was a conscious, living, feeling creature, and the creeping feeling at the back of his neck that told him that he was supposed to be scared for her, he could handle that as well. None of that was even the worst of it.

There was even worse than all of that. A travesty to sanity which he saw with the changing from day to night. To see the sky being pulled across the horizon like drapes. To find such a fundamental fallacy be created by magic. To desperately try to find a logical explanation, but only find insanity as an answer...

The only reason why Ditzy allowed him to stay in her house that night, in the same house as her sister and daughter, was because he had nowhere else to go, and because of how... broken he looked. Because despite his strangeness, he was still a fellow pony, and one that really needed a friend right now...

At least that was what she thought at first. As time passed, however, it became abundantly clear that he was not a normal pony.

He'd recovered by the next day enough to go out, but he tried to keep his socializing to a bare minimum. He never felt so afraid in his life, he didn't have any desire to socialize whatsoever until he finally got his bearings, out of fear of being found out. If he wasn't at the library, asking for orders on books he'd hoped might still help him understand this world better, or silently looking through dumpsters at night in order to scavenge parts to make a detector to locate his Tardis(*), or upgrade parts for said detector once the previous version didn't work, or some other contraption (like a recharging station for his screwdriver, or an electric razor, or even a telescope), then he was tinkering away in his room, trying to unlock the workings of magic. Unfortunately, he was stranded, forced to poke around in the dark.

Eventually Ditzy needed to buy him a few things he just couldn't scavenge or manufacture with his tools. Including a toothbrush. With the money from his practically worthless gems. The gold was entirely worthless in their economy, they were actually using magically reinforced bits which couldn't be magically counterfeited or teleported out of your purse. Also, they were easier to manipulate with hooves, apparently. Some sort of magnetic effect taking place on their 'unconventional magic'.

Apparently using gems, which essentially amounted to truffles in both role and scarcity, did not catch on as well as it did in our world.

It wasn't exactly easy for Ditzy's family at first, but they were understanding. They figured that he was friendly enough, and if Ditzy trusted him, then they could trust her judgment.

For the Doctor in particular, it was... okay. It was definitely better than being hungry on the road or sleeping under the clear sky (**). Still, it was far too average and slow for his liking.

He always told himself he would enjoy a little downtime like this. Away from the all too frequent life-and-death situations. But now that he finally did get a break, he was afraid that the universe might implode because he hadn’t been checking on it anymore.

This forced vacation was not to his liking at all.

Ditzy knocked at his door, waking him from his brooding and telling him to get out of bed. She knew he would probably try to sleep in again.

“Hurry up out of bed, or there won’t be anything left!”

“I hardly think that’s the case." he yawned at her. "You always make more than you lot would eat. I’ll just make due with the leftovers… Might catch a few more minutes…” as he doze off.

“Alright, you asked for it. Dinky!” she called towards up-stairs.

Soon enough, a cheery little voice responded, “Yeah, mom!”

“The Doctor needs help waking up again!”

“Okay, mom!”

A few moments later, a little purple unicorn with a blond mane rushes down the stairs, giggling, with a bucket of water levitating close by as she went straight through the respective door.

There was the sound of splashing, followed by the words, "I suppose I won't be needing a shower today."

With all the ruckus, the last occupant of the household thought she’d make herself noticed as well. A purple colored, blond maned earth pony, same as her niece, but otherwise the spitting image of her sister. Same golden eyes, same hair, only much longer and kept down, covering her forehead as opposed to Ditzy's straight style. Other than that, there was the magically preserved lily she always wore in her hair.

“It’s a wonder he didn’t learn his lesson by now, isn’t it?” Doseydotes started in a playful tone.

"Is it?" her wally-eyed sister asked back. Ditzy caught that she was getting at something, just not what though.

The younger sibling gave her a knowing smirk, satisfied that the older took the bait. "I can't know, maybe you can tell me?"

The pegasus mare was about to answer, but as she noticed the familiar gaze, she realized what her little sister was hinting at. A small, innocent assumption, that she might've only taken him in because she had the hots for him. Dotes' sly grin was what disgruntled the mother more than the accusation itself, though. The only reason she started blushing was because she was caught by surprise, her bad eye drifting a bit from the surprise. As she usually reacted to such situations, she tilted her head and covered her bad eye under the cover of her hair, the other eye looking away until she regathered herself.

"How well do you know him, dear sister?" the younger sibling asked innocently.

Ditzy rolled her eyes. "Just get down for breakfast already..."

An average day. Luckily it’s far from uneventful.

The Doctor didn't even need to sleep as much as an average pony did. A couple hours were more than enough, he could go on for a few weeks in a row without rest, even though doing so would still put a damper on his mental capacities and health after a certain point. However, that didn't mean he was any good with mornings regardless. He often spent all day fussing about not being active enough, and the only time when that was not an issue, he needed to cut it short. You're darned right he wanted to take his sweet time waking up.

The Doctor hated going to sleep, but he didn't mind continuing to sleep once he was already in the process of doing so. In other words, you could say he was just a spoiled manchild like that, and you wouldn't be wrong in stating as such. He wouldn't even deny it.

As he got up and ready, all he could think about was the night sky. He couldn't think of anything else for the last week, and he couldn't figure out anything he wanted. The entire sky was dragged across like a canvas. The moon, the sun... Was it all part of some projection? He certainly hoped so. He shuddered at the thought that this world would be the only one on this plane of existence! The very thought made him run around crazily in the dark last night.

No, it was out of the question. There were a handful (hoofful) of other explanations for this. The rest of the universe was simply not visible. The planet was somehow separated, so the locals had to make their own cupola, together with their own sun for warmth, and moon for controlling the tides. They had magic, they had the means... but how would something like that come to pass? How could they become isolated, and what exactly was beyond that fake cupola?

The Doctor then realized that he was still at the table. He woke up from his little daydream and noticed the others were staring intently at him.

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” he asked, shaking out of his reverie.

Funny, he wasn't used to finding himself so immersed in thought so often. Then again, neither was he used to having such few distractions to keep him busy, such little adrenaline in his blood for such prolonged periods of time. Maybe it was just getting to him?

Dinky giggled at the weird looks on the mares' faces. She didn't seem to have a decent view, since the Doctor was thankfully looking away from the foal, out the window.

“No, it’s not that." Ditzy answered him. "It’s just that you sometimes seem so... distant, when you’re thinking. To say the least...”

“Really? Sorry about that...“

Yeah, really. By that, she actually meant he looked like some introspective sociopath or something... Why did she let him stay here again? Either way, it wasn't like he was trying to go out of his way to appear as troubled as possible. Besides ponies' general eye for detail and impressionableness, their facial features were a lot more prominent than human ones. Those big eyes and floppy ears would barely leave any room for lies and the such. Which would've been a problem for someone who didn't have a brain lobe dedicated to bodily functions...

Oh, wait. That only helps him be thoroughly aware of the state of his internal organs and bodily functions. Not facial expressions unconsciously caused by anxiety and the like. Well, darn. Guess he's stuck being an open book then. (***)

“It’s pretty rare for you to stay silent for so long,” Dotes cut in, focusing on her meal rather than on him.

“...Anyway, what were you planning to do today?” her sister cut in, apparently more patient with his indiscretions.

“I dunno. See if I can find a job?” he answered in a slightly ragged tone.

“And not get fired for once?” Dotes, trying to lighten up the situation.

“Hey, I can't help it! I have plenty of amazing skills, it's just that no one is looking for them.”

“Well, that’s one way of viewing it,” the younger sibling spoke again, culturing a soft chuckle.

“It is, isn’t it?”

Dinky started in, “What job did you do before you came here, Doctor?”

“Well, I can’t say I was being paid for what I did. I was like a… detective, in a way.”

“What’s a detective?” the foal followed.

“Well, when someone can’t figure something out, something that’s very important, or maybe someone is doing something bad. I had to fix things. I was Mister Fix-it.”

“Then why won’t you be a detective here too? There’s loads of things you can fix here.”

“Well, other than a few roofs and cupboards, there isn’t really that much I can fix around here.”

Ditzy was less than sympathetic to his plight. "At any rate, you could still ask around town. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find something fun.”

“Doubt it,” Doc proclaimed nonchalantly, sorting through his peas with his hoof-strapped fork.

"...Okay then, you can instead look for a job you can't stand. I'm still expecting that rent."

"By all means, not like I have a choice," as a hint of frustration surfaced in his tone. "Thanks for the meal, I've had enough. I'll just be off now."

After he left, Dotes called out, “Wow. Really, sis?”

“Well, I'm still expecting that rent.”

“Oh come on. It’s not like he didn’t pay for himself after all the work he did around the house. Plus, don’t you remember how long it took me to find a job?”

“Please, don’t remind me. You’ve tried out all over town until you settled at a shop...”

“As an assistant. And no, I didn’t settle with this job, I’m still looking for something I like.”

“Have you got a better idea of what that would be?”

“Oh, you know. Something that involves…”

“…travelling?”

“Aren’t you carefree! You already got to see all over Equestria, and now you won’t even listen to what I have to say!”

“Sorry, sorry,“ the mailmare tried to pacify her sister. Rivalry between peers is one thing, making borderline snide remarks regarding one's inability to do what she wants in life is already plain mean.

Dotes even knew a few other languages, since before wanting to travel. She would’ve tried being a mailmare herself, if only they’d send earth ponies out of town for deliveries. But they would only send pegasi, in order to make the delivery on time.

The conversations went on for a few more minutes, until Dinky interrupted. “Hey, what day of the month is today?”

The two mares made a gradual halt. They knew what Dinky was referring to.

"I... think I'll go check on him. Make sure he doesn't get lost or anything." Ditzy then quickly got up and dashed out of the house. The other two didn’t really have time to say anything.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was taking a stroll through town, trying to gather his thoughts. It was pretty deserted in the market. Usually, there are ponies around, but not even the shops were open this time. For a moment, the Doc thought he saw a hooded pony around the corner of his eye, but he didn’t notice it until it went around the corner of a building. He didn’t give it much attention, though, so he just went on his way.

The library was closed when he got there. It looked like Twilight and Spike were off somewhere. Oh well, suppose he’ll have to check back some other time.

“What am I going to do now?” he asked himself, looking for some other reason to delay the inevitable. He couldn't find one, and dropped his head in defeat, sighing heavily. "I suppose I should look for that job..."

So far, he had had enough time at his disposal to get completely used to his new limbs. Apparently this unconventional magic was very useful. It would've certainly been useful enough to bypass the need for opposable thumbs.

If you thought he was a major geek before, now he was a general. Before, he'd unwittingly go on tangents that would leave his listeners reeling in confusion. Now, he would still do that, but he seemed to make a habit of no longer limiting himself to either the fields of technology or temporal theory.

He wondered if his physical appearance wasn't the only thing that had changed.

He also seemed to have become more serious and solemn now, as opposed to his former, normally childish attitude. Quite the ironic contrast, considering his current surroundings. Thought maybe it was just the stress speaking.

He wasn't even simply grumpy or anything. He was just... off. Maybe the sudden change of pace was just wearing down on him more than he thought?

"Can't remember the last time I've been so inactive."

He also made a habit of talking to himself when he was alone.

As he went on, he started thinking about what he could do next. Of course, getting a job was the last thing on his list right now. Who cared about something as boring as a job, when you had a cross-dimensional dilemma to figure out?

"Let's see, there's new, there's unusual... and then there's this. A place where the very laws of physics are different. Something you only find in different realities..."

A different dimension. Where the very laws of physics were different. It was his first assumption. The fact that there were no records of a planet populated by ponies ever existing in our own universe suggested that much, at any rate. But why were they speaking English? They called it Equish, but it was still plain as day... then again, he did distinctly remember not being able to understand Ditzy in the beginning. Maybe his mind was changed as well, to understand the language as well. He didn't like that idea very much. Then again, he didn't like a lot of things around here.

No planetary movement, possibly no position in the cosmos either... He wasn't certain whether this place even truly existed. He was expecting the ground from under his feet to vanish at any given moment. He had half a mind to just suppose he went crazy. Or maybe he just hit his head too hard in the Tardis and was now witnessing a very odd coma. His mind trying to trick him into believing this world was real, by making it too impossible to understand at first glance, but which did make some twisted kind of sense in the grand picture. Like a reversal of finding out the things that didn't add up in a world designed to look normal, this one was a world where the Doctor needed to find things that actually did add up where nothing made sense.

Simply, it was so bad that it was good. He actually came to the conclusion that this really had to be a different universe, with its own personalized additions to its basic rules integrated seamlessly and balanced out. He'd studied his old universe, now he was looking at a completely different set of laws of physics, pretty much what a different dimension would entail. Like a dog coming across seeing the rest of the rainbow's colors, or a human being able to distinguish ultraviolet light.

He sighed, rubbing his temple. “They’re really something, these people here. That's for certain. Controlling the elements, using… magic, apparently. Apparently they evolved not with surviving and adapting in mind, but with maintaining the less natural... relatively speaking... forces of this world under balance. It does explain why they didn't have very many wars. They're not competitive creatures, they're designed to be caring and responsible ones. And they're in some sort of magical/natural harmony with the other races, which each have their own responsibilities. It's like a large organism. It's actually... kind of wonderful.”

He was heading towards town square to check for job offers, when he suddenly got hit by a pony. Hard.

“Did someone get the number on that car?” Doc asked, dizzily.

Ditzy didn't have trouble dealing with the aftermath of the collision. Suppose she had enough practice with crashes. She immediately got to dragging him back on his feet and shaking the stars and sluggishness out of him. “No time for cars, Doctor! I’ve been looking all over for you! Where have you been?”

“Oh, hello to you too," the Doctor offered with mild annoyance but a lot of humor. "I was around town, why? What’s the matter?”

”Around town?! Didn’t you meet… Ze-Zecora?” she spoke as she looked around them wearily.

“...Who?”

“Zecora! It’s this really weird pony that comes to town once every month! And today is that day!”

The reason why Ditzy was so panicky was completely lost on the Time Lord. He just stared at her, studying her as one would study a mathematical problem. “So, what exactly is the fuss about? What’s so scary about this Zecora?”

The mailmare shifted nervously. She looked like she was speaking some terrible secret. “Well, she wears a cloak… You can barely see her face, and her eyes look like they’re glowing! Pretty creepy… Everyone in town is afraid of her…”

The Doctor drew back, a bit surprised and very off-put. “Excuse me? Let me get this straight: you let a stranger live in your house, but your whole town is too afraid to approach a newcomer?”

“That’s different! You…”

“No, that’s not different. That’s rude! You’re all very rude to do this! Have you even considered you might hurt her feelings?”

“I…”

The Time Lord didn't even wait for her to reply. “Come on, we’re going to look for her.”

“What? Why?”

“To apologize. Plus, I might be interested in knowing her. Where do you think she is?”

His landlady turned to lead him back home, not at all liking the idea of what the Doctor was saying. She spoke nervously, “She probably went back home already. You can’t find her in town, so let’s just…”

“Ditzy.”

Seeing that her attempt failed, she stopped, gulped as she turned around to face him. Her tenant’s serious and borderline disappointed attitude, combined with her sense of guilt, convinced her to give up on even trying to argue with him.

“Do we really have to?” was all that the mare managed out nervously.

“Yes. Now where does she live?”

“In the Everfree Forest,” she sighed in defeat.

“Do you know where exactly?”

“…I’d get a bird's eye view of her hut during my deliveries(1). A brief one, cause of how thick the thicket is, but... I know how to get there.”

“Okay, then. Off we go.” The Doctor started on his way to the edge of town.

“What? Now? Just like that?”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right. I think we should bring a present of some sort. It’s the neighborly thing to do, if I’m not mistaken… What do you bring to greet a new neighbor?”

“I don’t know… A fresh pie?”

“Great! Let’s check if the bakery is open yet.”

There was no trouble on the way, except for the fact that the Doctor seemed to be a little short on coin. Big surprise. Luckily, one of them was a working mailmare. Still, she afforded to draw his attention, “This is going on your tab.”

It was about half past nine, when the two equines found themselves facing the Everfree Forest.

Ditzy was having second thoughts. “Uhm, maybe we could do this another time?”

“Of course we could. But we won’t.”

The mailmare groaned. “Why does she have to live in the Everfree Forest, anyway? It’s dangerous out there!”

"I don’t know. Maybe because everyone in Ponyville is afraid of her?”

“Oh… “

“All alone, in the forest. Far away from her kin…”

“Okay, okay, I got it!”

“Huh? Got what?” Seriously, he was just trying to make conversation, he wasn’t trying to make her feel bad on purpose.

So they went in.

It was dark. The canopy was so thick, there would scarcely be a few rays of light protruding through every few dozen feet. The trees themselves were ancient, towering high above.

Considering Town Hall was about fifty feet tall, and on average, every tree here was going further up by far, you could only imagine how tall the vegetation here was. Of course, you couldn't possibly determine on first glance.

"This one is three hundred and sixty feet high. Give or take."

...Right.

"Why feet?" the mare beside the Time Lord inquired of him.

"Why feet?... Oh! Sorry, I thought you used the Imperial System, since..." since Equestria presented so many similarities to America. "... yeah, sorry, never mind. What do you use, then? Strides?"

She wasn't sure what to respond to that. She just gave him a look for a few seconds. "..Yeah. We measure in strides. Which is the Equestrian system. Don't know about any Imperial one."

"And you shouldn't! It's a few planets away."

"Right... Maybe we should be focusing on where we're going? It's pretty easy to get lost in here."

"No problem. You could fly and see where we are, couldn't you?"

"I guess."

"You guess? You mean you're not sure yourself?"

"No, no, I mean... The canopy is pretty thick, but I think I can manage to climb through it. It's just... that being here at all is kind of unnerving."

They spent almost two hours in that forest, going through quite a few twists and turns. There were oscillations in the ground's level (hills that were too steep, sometimes even ravines, tiresome hills) and dead ends caused by the thick canopy and massive trees' roots. At one point the two equines went the long way around a particularly thick section of the forest where they couldn't see two strides ahead of them, not wanting to deal with any potentially dangerous creatures laying in ambush. Ditzy needed to fly up a total of seven times in order for them to redirect themselves.

After an hour, Ditzy was much less preoccupied by what might be skulking in the shadows, beyond their ability to perceive them, and more bothered by the fact that they spent much more time than they should have in that damnable forest. Somehow, she figured that since she accompanied the insane stallion that far, she might as well help him all the way. She could always book it if anything happened anyway. After all, you don't need to be able to outrun the manticore on your trail, only the slowest member of your group. She was just curious if the Doctor REALLY had reason to be as confident as he was.

There were no pathways, no dirt roads and no signs. If there ever was a stone road, or even a town here, then the forest had had ample time to claim it. Empires fall within hours, storms bring down houses. Here, these massive trees grew unhindered by the petty masonries of housing that weren't even designed to withstand anything but pegasus-made storms. A thousand years, and the magics that governed here led nature to absolute dominion.

Eventually, they managed through. No beasties appeared to have decided to show themselves, which Ditzy found rather curious. Relieving, but still odd. Although she could've sworn she saw something moving behind some of the trees. But as they got closer, there wasn't anything there. The mailmare just decided it to have been her nerves playing tricks on her. Yeah, that had to be it.

It was certainly reassuring to see the Doctor acting more serious in their current circumstances. Though he did sometimes seem a little too... intense, from time to time.

The cottage itself was a tree. One that was rather on the gnarled side, with several potions and poultices hanging from the branches, giving off strong scents. Suppose those kept the predators away. There also seemed to be a couple weird masks, which she first assumed were there to scare ponies. But then the Doctor told her otherwise. Supposedly they were actually there for the sake of greeting visitors...?

Other cultures are weird.

"Come on, let's go and say hello,” the time stallion took the initiative.

“After you,” Ditzy responded, not sharing his excitement.

She was still not looking forward to this encounter. Still, here they are. Best hope the Doctor was right. She stays close behind him as he knocks at the door. When it finally opens, she cowers behind him, so you could hardly even see her.

“Hello there. I’m the Doctor, and this is Ditzy Doo. We wanted to pay you a visit.” he said in his typical, joyous tone.

Before them stood quite a peculiar view for our dear pegasi, but not for the Doc. Ditzy never saw anyone like that. The Doc, however, already saw people of black, green, blue or any other color, shape or size many times before.

The zebra started speaking, whimsically, “Oh? You came to visit me?... How is it you come here, so willingly?”

“Well, we just thought we’d be neighborly." he returned the favor.

Zecora chuckled, being quite glad for the visitors. “And what of your acquaintance? She seems restless.”

“Oh, don’t worry, she’s just slightly nervous. Say hi to the nice lady, Ditzy.”

“Uhm… hi. Are you rhyming?”

The zebra responded with a warm laugh. Everything went better than expected.

They went in, chatted, had pie with some blueberry tea, laughed... Zecora really had some intriguing things to offer in terms of small talk. Several brushes with danger in the Everfree, though nothing she couldn't handle. Several wonders that only she could witness here. She also spoke about the Zebraconian Isles with great fervor, the two guests couldn't bare to interrupt her.

Unfortunately, eventually, the Doctor decided to drop the bomb, “So Zecora, why are you here? All alone, in the wild… You’re pretty far from your homeland as well. I can only guess you're not here for the scenery.”

The hermit's smile diminished.
“You are right to wonder these things, my friend. Indeed, to live here I did not fully intend.
Alas, I’ve come to make sure the herbs here are attended, and see to it that they might be used, whenever they might be needed.
A cause which does actually prove wholesome, even if at times it might feel lonesome..."

"Oh, an herbalist then? Well isn't that interesting." Doc nodded.

"Also, there was a message which I’ve been only recently asked to forward; a premonition that our Elders foretold. One which includes you, Time Lord...”

“Me?" the Doctor verified, not too surprised. "How do your elders know about me?”

Ditzy Doo felt a bit left out of the conversation. “What is she talking about, Doctor? What’s a Time Lord?”

“Let's just say it’s what the hourglass on my side was probably meant to represent. It's not a talent in spinning hourglasses or keeping time. Rather, a representation of my identity in a way."

"So what would that identity be? Who are you, really?"

Zecora's inquiry gave him pause.

"Right now? I don't know yet. Until recently, I knew myself to be someone who travels around, helping people who needed help on my way, fixing problems which no one else could solve... Which most often had to deal with time travel or other such outrageous happenings...
But now, well, your guess is as good as mine. I just didn't have the chance to test myself yet, and I've certainly not been very helpful ever since I arrived."

The zebra looked as though she would've had something to add in reply.

"Anyway," the Doctor continued, walking closer towards the zebra, "I presume you know about my identity from your esteemed elders?" he went on, pacing around in front and between the two mares. "Knowledge which, I'll just make a wild guess and say that, they wanted you to use in order to gain a bit of leverage on me. To gain my trust. What exactly is it that you need my trust for?"

Zecora got up to pace in front of them.
"I will admit, this premonition might prove... unseemly.
It would undoubtedly fall the crest of a lesser pony,
But you mistake my intentions, assuming too many.
I am not one to resort to such manner of trickery."
She paused to look back in his eyes.
"...At any rate, you might not believe me either way.“

“Try me,” was the Doctor's simple return.

Without a word, she proceeded towards the fireplace, with a bag of powders in her mouth. She poured a few over the flames, afterwards chanting something in a foreign language. Then the flames grew blue and bright, and images started to manifest within the smoke. Terrible images, shapes of ponies cowering in agony.

“There’s a terrible plight that the Elders foresee! One that threatens all! Be they beast or pony:
Be them small or grand,
From sea, sky or land;
All of them creatures will cower and cry; when Woven Misfortunes will pass through the sky.”

“Woven... Misfortunes?” he interrupted.

“If you wouldn’t mind…”

“Oh, sorry.”

“As I was sayin’, the dark day be comin’
But it can be prevented, for the prophecy stated:
That for this all to unfold, is required a heart - ages old
To be chained and broken; and the Doctor forgotten.
So be careful, old one; you must tread lightly
For if you fall, we follow shortly.”

And... pause for about 5 seconds, until the smoke finally dissipates completely. During which both Ditzy and the Doctor were looking intently at her, hoping her to eventually say she was kidding or something.

She was not kidding.

The two guests then took turns, starting with the Time Lord, “Oh……kaay. No pressure then.”

“Nope.”

“None.”

“Uh-uh.”

“None whatsoever…”

Talk about bad first impressions. If they were to believe what the raving hermit was saying, it appeared that they had something pretty bad that was going to happen in the future. And all they had to go on was a shoddy prophecy: Woven Misfortunes in the sky, the Doctor forgotten… and the elements explaining the massive are of effect. And, of course, there wasn't a bloody clue as to what could actually help stop the bloody thing. Just as typical for premonitions. They couldn't contain spoilers, otherwise they'd affect the outcome. It wasn't cheating, it was just not fair...

They were still trying to figure out just what they were told. Ditzy thought to attempt at a comparison in order to get a better idea.

“Let me ask you this, Zecora: is this going to be anything like the Last War?”

“I’m sorry, my dear, but I cannot say; the message was in too much disarray."

The Doctor was more skeptical in his interruption. "All I've seen was a light show. I might not know very much about the magics in these lands, but I hold a bit of a doubt regarding the validity of your story. What do you have to back up your claims?"

There wasn't much they could expect as proof to back up her tale, other than the information she apparently had access to about them. Still, the Doctor had to wonder how she knew where she could find the right character.

“For what it's worth, old one, I must offer my apologies; Such grave knowledge, I would not wish upon my enemies;
But this knowledge I must disclose. As it's for your sake, it is for ours.
It is as I said, as I've been shown and told. It is for the sake of many, this distress you must hold.
I've held nothing back, as I've been lead. I now only hope that my message doesn't fall dead.”

“It's a wild tale..." he muttered her way. Zecora didn't seem to have much response ready. He sighed. "So suppose I do believe you. You were sent here by your elders. And you knew how to find me. All you had to do was to simply wait for me to arrive at your hut?"

"I came here out of personal reasons...
Only recently have I received these instructions.
And as for this fortunate turn of events,
I assure you it was beyond my expectations.
Today, I searched for signs of your presence
But suffice to say, I was not helped by my appearance..."

Ditzy's ears drooped further when she heard that last bit. Zecora was evading eye contact.

She considered saying something. An apology in the name of everyone in town... But that would've been a bit... dishonest.

"Mind lending me a few minutes with your source, then?" the time stallion asked, still eying her with reserved doubt.

The hermit eyed him evenly in return.
"You will receive that honor sooner than you'd expect.
Just bear my revelations in mind, and when your proof you meet
Remember to hold your hope close and your resolve tight,
As for your rightful travels you will most likely have to fight."

He stared at her. It seemed that was all she was going to tell him. He sighed and got up from his seat. "Sooner than I'd expect then. Thanks, that certainly narrows it down. If you don't have any other mysterious warnings and blaring lack of proof, I believe I'll go outside for a breath of air."

He looked towards Ditzy once before closing the door. She seemed she had further questions. "So... is it true then?"

Zecora sighed.
"It does not matter, I have given my warning. I have no proof, only ill tiding.
I wished not for your agreeing, but for the Doctor's forward knowing."

"But you did wait to tell us. I imagine you were fully aware of how we'd react."

She nodded sadly in return. Ditzy looked out the window, found the Doctor pacing angrily outside.

"Why him? What's so special about the Doctor?"

"Why don't you ask him? He's the one who needed to leave the room.
Do you not wonder why he needed time alone?"

"Maybe... I should talk to him."

"Indeed.
But before you leave,
There is something you could heed."

"...You want to tell me something?" was Ditzy's confused reaction.

Zecora fixed her with her best attempt at an impartial expression.
"The Doctor no doubt does many secrets own.
Leaving far more things unknown than known."
She got up and went for a bookshelf. She looked over the titles as she continued.
"But once you do finally know the truth,
About his past; About his path."
She found what she was looking for, and took the book in her fetlock and started searching for the right page.
"...Suppose you were to believe my omen,
What would you decide to do then?"

"What are you looking for?"

"History is not only written by victors, but also by certain kinds of travelers.
Tell me, Ditzy. Do you recall the story of The Unicorn's Folly?"

The zebra showed her the page she was looking for, depicting a pony's tale which was only meant to serve as a warning for irresponsible unicorns. Ditzy couldn't remember all of the details, but it went somewhat like this:

Once, an unnamed unicorn tried to use her magic to go back in time to undo a terrible mistake, but in doing so she only succeeded in causing things to grow worse. She continued to try again and again, until she finally grew mad. The end.

This used to be the best kind of tale one could find a few hundred years ago. Nowadays, there still are such tales, and no one bothered to rework them. There was also the tale that taught about the dangers of using love potions, the one about the colt who cried timberwolf, the one about the filly and colt siblings who didn't go to bed on time and were eaten by Nightmare Moon...

Ditzy would try to tell her own daughter abridged versions. Not because they were that scary... well, not only. But because it was so hard to pick up anything useful from such careless writing. They were more likely to cause reverse psychology on foals instead, or sometimes even worse. They would leave room for misinterpretation and offer ideas to, say, actually try using dangerous potions, even offering instructions on how to make said potion/poison.

The mailmare was perplexed. Why was she being reminded of this tale? Well, she didn't need to wait long before Zecora continued.

"Did the Doctor tell tales of traveling through time?
Perhaps you found them and truth to chime?"

Ditzy only bothered to nod her head in return. "They do seem a bit consistent at times..."

"And did you ever wonder what's on his mind?
Why he seems afraid of what you might find?
What could possibly cause him such distress?
What lies under his mask of happiness?"

"...Do you know?"

Zecora smiled briefly, before continuing solemnly again.
"There are certain things that no pony should try
For down that road only madness does lie.
Just like the lesson failed in the Unicorn's Folly,
There are some things not meant for the mind of a pony.
However, listen closely, for this is fact,
What I say next is truth and exact.
Beyond such madness lies something far worse.
An understanding which is the Doctor's curse."

Ditzy couldn't look away from the zebra. She wasn't flinching, there didn't appear to be a chip of lies hidden within those rhymes.

Zecora sighed and looked back out the window, finding the Doctor in the eye as he just started trying to read their lips. He moved away and got back to his pacing and berating, then the zebra continued.
"I am saying that his heart and soul are incredibly heavy,
And that he is afraid to confide in another pony.
They say that in his heart, ancient loneliness does nest.
If only there were somepony willing to help him rest..."

Ditzy's ears perked up as she heard those last words. Her eyes snapped away from the window to Zecora, who was now smiling warmly, as well as knowingly. She blushed in response and deadpanned, to which the zebra chuckled.

The mailmare let off and sighed. "He's not exactly that easy to get through, but okay. I suppose I can try being a little more persuasive."

"I'm happy to hear it, though I suppose you should be going.
I doubt we'd want to further keep him waiting.
I will try to be more hospitable next time,
As I hope there will indeed be a next time."

As the mailmare exited the hut, she overheard the Doctor mumbling to himself. It was apparent that he was even less happy now about what he's come to know than when he got out. Actually, he seemed affected quite profoundly.
"...Not again! I won't be responsible for the downfall of yet another civilization...”

"What did you say?"

"Oh! Ditzy... I didn't hear you coming out, ugh..."

Her look was pleading for an explanation, but his gaze was looking to avoid. He started for the path back to town.

"We should probably be on our way. It's a long trek through the woods, and I don't know how well the evening sunlight might be able to travel through these dense foliage..."

She wasn't going to insist. At least not in the middle of the wilderness, where any manner of dangerous beasts could be stalking nearby. That is, she didn't want to insist, but the whole thing stunk too much for her to be able to ignore it for very long.

They knew which way to go, but that only offered their journey to be shortened by half an hour. Twenty minutes in, Ditzy couldn't take it any more. "I know something's wrong, Doctor. You're way too quiet. What's the problem?"

He was expecting this. He didn't take long at all to react, "My problem is mine. Mine alone. I don't need you to worry about me. You've got your own life to worry about. I don't even know why you came with me."

"Why I came... You dragged me into this!"

"Oh, let's not make it sound like something it clearly isn't. I asked you to show me where it is. You didn't need to humor me, you could've just given me a map! Who goes venturing in the woods with some stranger they met a week ago?"

"And who even lets him live under the same roof as their daughter?!"

They stopped walking. Ditzy was surprised. She didn't even realize what she was saying until after she said it.

The answer here was, that the Doctor simply has that effect on people. Usually. He only gives them a small taste of all the wonders the universe has to offer, and then holds them as prisoners of their own deathly curiosity and thirst for travel and adventure. He abducts them, as stray pets. Loyalty would come later. He fiddles around in other people's minds. Figures out how they tick, then makes them tock by his own design. If it isn't intentional, then it is by accident. Maybe even unconscious.

Now, however, was not the case. Now, he was simply charming enough to convince her to go this far. Confident enough to make his will intriguing enough to accept. Interested and good-willed, she took pity of him and felt responsible for his well-being. But mostly, she was charmed. She truly felt compelled to follow this enigmatic man, whose every word would only hint at untold, boundless knowledge.

He doesn't have a history, he doesn't have any contacts anywhere else in Equestria. He's a stranger without an agenda. No one would take him in. Ponyville has an inn, but he doesn't have any money to lodge there.

Only she knew anything about him. And as fate would have it, she was also among the only few who would consider believing any of those impossibilities that were his realities. Everypony else would hide every time Zecora would visit... even her. She didn't even realize that she was just another victim of ill-found rumors...

Rumors. Right... it sounds so harmless.

Ditzy wanted to tell him a lot of things, but she doubted he'd appreciate any of them. Or at least take them seriously enough. Instead, she just put a pin on the issue and took light of everything. "Wow. That escalated quickly."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I usually drive the people around me insane."

Chuckles, then she went again, "What was I supposed to do when you came to my house looking for somewhere to stay?"

He didn't answer. She followed shortly, "The reason why I trust you not to be a psychopath is because, despite all that you do, despite how strange you go out of your way to make yourself out to appear. Despite all of the little annoyances you cause and questionable things you say, you're actually a very nice person. Despite how hard you're trying to push everyone around you away, you're still a good pony. That, and I knew that if you had even a bit of common sense, you would want to act as low profile as possible, and avoid upsetting me since you kind of need me. We both know how anyone else would react if they heard half the stuff you told me..."

"So if you can't trust me to be a decent person, you can at least trust me to have enough common sense to want to act the part? Very well. But what if I don't actually have that much common sense?"

"I really doubt anyone would be capable of always acting as sensitive and good-willed as you are and not mean it."

"...You should know better."

Ditzy stopped again. The Doctor did the same as he noticed precisely two moments after, his reaction time being just that good.

He smiled his aloof, fake smile at her again and spoke, "Just because someone is a good person, doesn't mean they're good for you, Ditzy. Whether I'm a good person would be subject to interpretation, but I most certainly am not the kind of person that's healthy to be around."

After a few moments of just staring at each other, the Doctor attentive for the smallest detail, the mare surprised and worried. Eventually he finally had had enough and turned around.

Ditzy grabbed him by the fetlock. He didn't look back. He just waited. A short delay longer and Ditzy finally spoke, carefully. "I don't know what's going on in your head, but I can figure out on my own that it's not healthy. You need to tell me what's wrong."

Another silent pause later, he finally answered, "Maybe later."

Author's Notes:

Just putting this out there, the Royal Canterlot Voice should actually be called the Royal Equestrian Voice.

(*) Like he did in the episode called the Lodger.

(**) Even if he could apparently last longer than a normal pony, there were still diminishing returns (take that, Tardis Index!).

(***) Which wasn't a problem for me in the slightest. I'm all for making his life as miserable as possible, within common sense, of course. Yes, I'm very much jealous over his superior biology and presence in Magic freaking Ponyland. But I'm not about to ruin the story by making ponies act stupidly cruel to him for the sake of cheap laughs.

Either way, he better earn his gifts, or I might be forced to throw a few tragedies his way. That seems to be the go-to tactic, right? He never dies, although he faces deadly enemies at a regular basis. He keeps escaping by a hair's length, despite all the background characters that keep dying, otherwise how are we to take those bloodthirsty monsters seriously?... Okay, I'll stop ranting.

(1) When she'd take shortcuts over the Everfree to get to other towns and cities. Because otherwise she'd have to spend half an hour to go around it. The risk is barely even there, she could always just rest on a cloud on the way... either way, she has two reasons why she'd prefer if her boss didn't find out.

By now, you might've noticed the amount of variables I deal with.
It's also pretty hard to make Zecora rhyme and make the appropriate sense at the same time.

Was I too blunt with the whole alone-in-the-Universe rant? Maybe I should've taken my time and integrated that into a decent conversation...
Nah, buck it. This story is dragging along for far too long anyway.

For Doseydotes' picture, go here http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_ponies/Earth_ponies , then hold ctrl+f, then type out her name to find her more easily.
You might be wondering about her cutie mark, which is conveniently missing from the picture. That's on purpose. She resembles Ditzy and Dinky, plus she doesn't have a canon emblem. A blank slate, perfect!
I took the liberty of having her trademark lily appear on her sides, only breaking off and blowing in the wind. It's not supposed to signify that she's jealous of her sister for being able to fly, but that like her sister, she has a gentle touch. Get your mind out of the gutter.
Again, she didn't have any reason to feel jealous. Her older sister doesn't even have anything to gain from her talent beside being sort-of uniquely qualified during Winter Wrap Up despite her disability.