Doctor Who-Brand New World

The Diva and the Traveler

Canterlot
4th of Summer, 1001 C.R., 9:54 pm

Fleur-De-Lis sighed deeply as she closed the door to her carriage, the muffled buzz of reporters’ questions fading behind her. She barely felt the jostle of the ride as her driver snapped the reins, urging the stallions forward. A faint curse from one of them reached her ears, but she paid it no mind.

“Another performance come and gone,” Fleur murmured to herself. “They love the mare they see, yet…”

Her gaze turned to the darkened sky beyond the carriage window, her gentle eyes clouded with melancholy. Fame. Fortune. Influence. Is this all there is? Is this all I’ve become?

Her question lingered, echoing in her mind.

Fleur closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift into the realm of her memories.

~~~

My goodness, Fleur! You’ve solved it already?”

The young mare looked up, exhaustion shadowing her bright smile as she levitated a stone tablet in the pink glow of her magic. Her professor, an older unicorn named Pick Axe, stared at her in disbelief.

“What? Did you think I couldn’t do it, Professor?” Fleur asked, feigning an exaggerated pout.

“No, no! It’s just…” The stallion averted his eyes sheepishly. “I didn’t think you meant it when you said you’d solve it in four days.”

“It would’ve been two if I didn’t need sleep,” she quipped, carefully setting the tablet down. “The encryption was tricky, but it was worth it. Can you believe this? A prophecy, long before the Princesses’ time, predicting their rise to power. Imagine what this could mean for pre-Equestrian studies!”

Pick Axe chuckled, the mare’s excitement lighting up the room. “You never cease to amaze me, Fleur. Your gift for deciphering is truly remarkable.”

Her smile faltered as she looked away. “I’m glad somepony thinks so.”

His expression softened as he placed a hoof on her shoulder. “This is about… her, isn’t it?”

Fleur’s ears flattened slightly at the mention, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she nodded, her gaze fixated on the ancient stone tablet as if it held the answers to questions far deeper than its inscriptions.

“She thinks this is all a waste of time,” Fleur said softly, her voice tinged with bitterness. “That I should focus on… practical things. Modeling. Public appearances. Being ‘seen,’ as she puts it.”

Pick Axe frowned but remained silent, allowing Fleur the space to vent her frustrations.

“I just don’t understand,” she continued, her magic brushing over the edges of the tablet as if its intricacies could soothe her thoughts. “What’s wrong with wanting to use my talents for something meaningful? Something that lasts longer than the next photo spread or social gala?”

Pick Axe let out a thoughtful hum, his old eyes reflecting both understanding and a touch of sadness. “Your mother… she may see the world through a different lens, Fleur. But that doesn’t mean your path is wrong. Sometimes… ponies only value what they understand.”

Fleur sighed, her shoulders slumping. “True…sad but true…I just wished she understood me…” She shakes her head. “Either way this is my last month studying under you. Mother has deemed it so.”

The professor sighed before moving towards the door. “Then…Heh…You better make this one hell of a month Miss Fleur. Think you can handle the team coming in tomorrow?”

She smiled her ears perking up slightly at his words. “You can count on me Professor” She casted a gaze towards the tablet, more importantly, towards the little blue box that sat on the corner of one of the edges. “You can count on it…”

~~~

Fleur-De-Lis opened her eyes, the memory slipping back into the depths of her mind. She sighed softly. Her gaze drifted to the left, where the Canterlot Public Gardens stretched out under the moonlight. With a frown, she tapped the window of her carriage and motioned for the driver to stop. Stepping daintily onto the cobblestone path, she informed him she needed some fresh air before continuing toward the castle.

Fleur lingered for a moment, casting a long look at the carriage before turning her attention to the castle ahead. She hesitated, one hoof poised mid-step, only to pull it back.

“What if… I just walked away?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the gentle rustling of the trees. “What if I left it all behind… just went where I wanted, without a care? Could I… could I really do that?”

She turned abruptly, taking a step in the opposite direction, but her hoof faltered again. “The real question is whether I have the courage,” she muttered, berating herself. Shaking her head, she let out a bitter laugh. “Maybe if I wander without looking… maybe I’ll find somewhere new.”

Fleur let her hooves carry her aimlessly through the night, her thoughts a whirlwind of doubt and longing. When she finally stopped, she realized she had stumbled into the royal gardens—a familiar labyrinth of hedges and pathways she hadn’t visited in years.

“This place…” she said softly, a wistful smile forming on her lips. “I used to come here as a filly, pretending I was off on adventures. Fighting imaginary villains, discovering hidden treasures…”

The memories came flooding back—the crisp smell of grass, the fluttering excitement in her chest, the tingling of her hooves whenever she made a new discovery.

But now, those once-vivid feelings felt distant, almost sickening in their bittersweetness.

“Still…” she whispered, tilting her head toward the sky.

The stars shimmered above, their light dancing in the inky darkness. Fleur’s gaze lingered on a single shooting star, its golden tail glittering as it streaked across the heavens.

“I wish…” she began, her voice trembling. “I wish I could have one last adventure. Just one… like when I was a filly.”

As if in response to her words, the star’s path grew erratic, zigzagging in wild angles. Fleur’s brow furrowed.

“No… wait…” she muttered, realization dawning. “It’s… getting closer?”

Her heart raced as the glowing object grew larger, its shape becoming clearer. It wasn’t a star at all—it was something else entirely.

Before she could process what she was seeing, it came hurtling toward her.

“Oh dear!” Fleur yelped, ducking just in time. The object whooshed past her, shaking the ground with its impact. A loud crash echoed through the gardens, followed by the sound of earth being torn apart.

When the noise subsided, Fleur cautiously opened her eyes. The once-pristine garden was now a scene of chaos. Smoke and dust hung thick in the air, and several hedges lay flattened in the object’s wake. Fleur coughed, her eyes stinging as she tried to peer through the haze.

“What in Luna’s name was that?” she exclaimed, her voice quivering.

Moving carefully, she followed the path of destruction. Her eyes would adjust, looking over the mess…whatever that was had created, “I… I should leave,” she murmured. “I don’t know what this is or what happened, but—”

Her words were cut short as her head bumped into something solid. Frowning, she reached out with a tentative hoof. It was smooth and cool to the touch, distinctly wooden. She took a step back, eyes widening slightly

“A… blue box?”

The object stood awkwardly at an angle, its surface scorched but intact. Fleur stepped closer, squinting to read the words printed above the door:

Police Public Call Box.

Fleur raised her hoof hesitantly, the urge to knock battling with the instinct to stay far away. Curiosity won out, and she gently tapped on the box’s surface. Before her hoof could land a second time, the doors swung open with a loud creak, causing her to leap back with a startled gasp.

The interior was dimly lit, but she could make out vague shapes and shadows that seemed far too expansive for what should fit inside the modest exterior. Her breath caught in her throat.

“What… what is this?” she whispered, eyes wide.

Before she could get a closer look, a loud thud echoed as something tumbled out of the box, landing in a heap on the ground in front of her. Fleur froze, her heart pounding as she stared at the figure.

It was a stallion, brown-furred and wild-maned, his body shimmering faintly with golden motes of light. The strange glow dissipated into the cool night air as the stallion groaned, shifting slightly on the dusty ground.

“W-what in Equestria…” Fleur stammered, instinctively taking a cautious step back.

The stallion’s eyes fluttered open—deep blue, piercing, and filled with a mix of confusion and irritation.

“Ugh… Okay, not my best landing,” he muttered, his voice hoarse. He blinked blearily at Fleur, tilting his head as though trying to focus. “You there… white… pink thing. Bit of advice—crossing red and blue wires? Bad idea. Never works like it does in the movies.”

“Right! Assessment time!” He held out his foreleg. “Hands? No hands. Hooves? Yes, hooves. New and… strange. “Brown fur… tail… Equus ferus caballus, if I’m not mistaken. A horse, then? Fascinating. Never been a horse before. And—oh, what's this?! In hour glass on my flank.” He giggled. “Oh…well that's very on-brand, wouldn’t you say?” The giggled turned into a laugh. “Ha! See what I did there?”

Fleur stared, utterly dumbfounded. “I… I don’t…”

He turned to her abruptly, a manic grin spreading across his face. “Quick! What color are my eyes? Go on, don’t be shy!”

“B-blue,” Fleur stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Blue! Fantastic! Never had blue eyes before—well, there was that one time, but let’s not dwell on the past.” He paused, coughing violently, a shimmer of golden particles escaping his mouth. He frowned, his tone turning sour as he spoke. “Oh…oh well…bugger…”

He promptly fainted.

Fleur gasped as the strange stallion collapsed into the grass with a dull thud. For a moment, she stood frozen, her mind racing to process what she had just witnessed. The golden particles still lingering in the air shimmered faintly before fading into the night.

She hesitated, glancing around the garden as if expecting someone—or something—to explain this bizarre turn of events. But the only sound was the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze and the faint hum of crickets in the distance.

Her gaze fell back to the stallion, now motionless but for the shallow rise and fall of his chest. Fleur took a tentative step closer, her nerves tingling with both fear and curiosity.

“Are you… alive?” she whispered, her voice trembling as she crouched down.

The stallion groaned faintly, his head lolling to the side.

“Well, that answers that,” she muttered, relief washing over her. Fleur reached out with her magic, carefully lifting him off the ground. Despite his size, he felt surprisingly light, almost as if he were hollow. She adjusted his weight across her back, her legs trembling slightly under the unfamiliar burden.

“This… this isn’t normal,” Fleur murmured to herself, glancing toward the strange blue box standing silently a few paces away. The scorch marks covering its surface, the faint hum of energy emanating from it—it was unlike anything she had ever seen.

Her curiosity flared, tempting her to take a look inside, but a low groan from the stallion on her back snapped her out of it.

“Right,” she said firmly. “First things first—getting you some help.”

~~~

In the shadows of the ruined hedges, a viscous pink ooze seeped from beneath the blue box. It bubbled and hissed, slithering toward the darkness.

It needed to run.

It couldn’t let him find it.

Not yet.

Not before it had fed.