One Of Two

Red. It was everywhere, and it coated everything. The deep crimson seemed to seep into my vision with just the same hue as the blood on my hooves. I snarled in disgust at the hideously marred body beneath my feet. She always thought herself better than anypony just for her looks. Hah. Her self-proclaimed beauty was horribly disfigured with the death that had only recently come to her. A small voice in my head whispered tauntingly, "Everypony knows that everypony diesssss...." but it faded into nothingness. I've been getting these memories, but they are not mine. A small, haunting smile dragged into my lips. I am better than them.

With a jolt I woke up, my eyelids snapping open as my body startled itself into a living state. Then the pain hit me. "Oh Celestia." I rubbed my forehoof into my temple, attempting to drown out the dull ache that resided there. "That was one bloody awful dream. I can't believe I-" but then my eye was caught by a flicker of motion from outside my front window. I stood up, and limped across my flat. Well, it was a kind of flat. I opened the door with a flick of my hoof, and stepped outside to the welcoming view of Derpy.

The wall-eyed mare was struggling to fit a rectangular package into my neighbors circular mailbox. I laughed aloud, and Derpy's grey ears flicked to my general direction. She set the package down as best she could, and landed before trotting over to chat.

In fact, it was Derpy who greeted me the first day the T.A.R.D.I.S. landed me here in Ponyville, and she's been with me ever since. She actually taught me how to use my hooves to accomplish things instead of hands, as I was used to. I knew I could trust her with everything, and she even knew of my origin. Though I'm not entirely certain she understands the concept, she remains the truest friend I have.

"Hiya Doctor!" she called out as she neared me, a crooked smile perfectly matching her crooked eyes.

" 'Ello Derpy. How are you doing this morning?"

She grinned, "Great! I had an awesome dream last night that it was raining muffins! They were so delicious!"

I chuckled, "Yeah, I also had a weird dream. I was-" wait. I scratched my head. What was my dream about? I struggled to remember, and after a couple tentative seconds, decided that it wasn't important. However, straining for a memory hurt my head even more than before, and now the ache had turned into a lancing stab.

"Sorry, Derpy. I gotta dash, my head hurts something awful." She frowned slightly, but quickly perked up.

"Wanna meet at Sugarcube Corner later?" I nodded, and we went our separate ways.

"Nurse Redheart will see you now." A light blue mare looked at me with dull green eyes, clearly bored. I nodded, and began following her down the twisting labyrinth of hallways. We eventually stopped outside "Room Ten" as the plaque read. I laughed inwardly at the room number, then hurried inside under the blue mare's aggravated eyes.

I carefully closed the door behind me, and turned to view the room itself. A sort of laptop sat on a ledge alongside swabs and various other medical tools. In the corner squatted a chair, pressing against a bed, coated in the usual wax paper. I looked between the two seating areas and decided on the chair, it looked softer. The moment I sat down a white Earth pony opened the door I had only recently come in through.

She smiled slightly, though it looked rather fake. "Hello, I'm Nurse Redheart, and you must be-" she looked down at her clipboard that she held in her left hoof. "The Doctor?" I nodded, dreading when she asked about my age or name or origin or past. I shuddered, and the white mare looked at me with one eyebrow quirked. However, she continued her inquiry, "Doctor who?" I laughed, it was ever so amusing to see the confused look on these ponies' faces. I cleared my throat, "Just the Doctor please." She looked even further befuddled, but proceeded to take my vitals, still questioning away "Well, Doctor-" she stuck a thermometer in my mouth, "How old are you?" It was a childish question, but I answered it nonetheless. Scratch that, I answered it as best I could without dropping the glass tube in my mouth. "903" I glanced up at Nurse Redheart, Her questioning gaze had just turned itself into an incredibly frustrated stare. "For the love of Celestia! Can't you just answer anything truthfully? Or are you another drunkard who lives life waiting for the next shot?"

I plucked the thermometer from my mouth and adopted the most serious stare I could, but before I could answer her rant, she finished it with a line I hadn't been expecting "You're just like that other colt! Came in yesterday calling himself 'The Master' and wanted a cure for his headaches. I wouldn't help him and he left." Oh my Celestia. My mouth dropped. The Master. For some strange reason I recognized this name, though I've never heard it before. Yet somehow I have. Nurse Readheart continued as though my shock left her unaffected "He looked an awful lot like you as well." I gulped "Could I be him somehow?" Nurse Redhear laughed harshly, her pale pink bun shaking "Not unless you have Multiple Personality Disorder, in which case you'd have peculiar dreams and memories that you can't fully recall." She turned and left.

I still sat there. All of what she said came with the diagnosis was present. I shook my head violently. No. I'm not The Master. I'm the Doctor. Right? Maybe...