Doctor Whooves: Remembrance

DONG

The bell rang out once more in his nightmare, a golden energy radiating from him while his colors shifted from brown to grey and back again.

I’m so sorry.

        He heard his own voice whisper through screams and the persistent bell. Tears rolled down his face outside the nightmare.

Tick, Tock, goes the clock...

He began to mutter in his sleep, the same word over and over again. Like it was cursed in his own mind.

We laughed at fate and mourned her...

        He burst awake screaming, his voice echoing around into the trees surrounding him. He looked around slowly and realized he was in the woods where he first landed, when Ditzy found him.

DONG

        The nightmarish bell rang out from nearby, causing him to jump in fright to his hooves. He looked around in fear before rushing out headway, the noise seeming farther with every step. He ran and ran till he realized where he was. He was standing in the Ponyville Marketplace. He glanced around in the early morning shadows and saw one pony working silently. The unicorn mare from the day before.

        “Miss, do you know the time..?” he asked upon approaching her, she looked up for a moment before returning to her business and speaking softly.

        “I know the time, but why does it matter to you?” he looked around before stating his reason.

        “I woke up in the woods nearby and I’d like to know how early it is,” she began to laugh quietly, like the laugh of someone who has done something very wrong.

        “The time, of course...” she looked up and her eyes were glowing. A bright green mixed with a dark blue, like an ocean that no one dared go near.

“It’s the beginning of the end, dear Doctor,” she smiled madly and screamed, her voice echoing throughout the marketplace and beyond. When the scream finally stopped she fell, stone cold, stone dead.

“Alright sir, from what we could tell you’re in the clear. She’d been dead long before you got here. Some sick reanimation spell got her up and walking,” the royal guard explained to the Doctor and Ditzy, the sun had just risen and the Doctor was arrested the moment the first guard arrived after the scream. Ditzy, being his only known contact, was brought in as well.

“So may we go officer?” Ditzy asked, looking very confused and scared due to her surroundings. The guard nodded and they were lead outside and escorted back to their home in silence. When they walked in Ditzy immediately turned around and barraged him with questions.

“What were you doing outside so early? Why were you talking to her? Why has she been... dead for so long and nopony noticed?!” she finished the last question as she broke into tears, the Doctor stepped next to her and hugged her gently,

“I don’t know, Ditzy... I woke up and heard this... Bell, and I ran, I ran as fast as I could and wound up in the Market, and she was there and she gave me a warning or something, said it’s the beginning of the end...” he let go of her slowly and she sat down, rubbing her eyes roughly with her wings before asking one last question,

“Did she say anything else? Anything at all?” he thought for a moment before he nodded.

“She called me Doctor, no name just a title, think she might’ve known me before... Before I forgot it all?” Ditzy stared at the ground for a moment before shaking her head quickly.

“N-no, it’s impossible, nopony recognized you or came when you were in the hospital, just me,” he sighed and nodded before standing up,

“I’m going to lay down for a bit, I’m... I’m just really tired right now...” he began to walk away but Ditzy placed a wing across his back.

“Hey, mister... Don’t get yourself in any trouble, alright? I’d feel horrible if something bad happened,” she pleaded, her eyes full of worry and care. He nodded to her and gave her a careful hug before retiring to his room.

Two hours later Ditzy walked in and spoke softly, as to not wake him up. Though he never fell asleep,

“Hey... I’m going to work alright? I managed to get the weekend off but it’s monday and I have to get back to delivering, I’ll see you when I get home...” she closed the door slowly and he sat up, he thought about rushing out to say goodbye but decided against it.

Better she thinks I’m sleeping off what happened this morning...

He rolled onto his side and thought about the previous events. The bell, the shopkeeper, the warning. Everything. What did it all mean? Twilight said something odd too the day before.

How many can you save, Doctor?

He jumped up, that title. It was used twice now. He looked around until he found the pocket watch, which he examined closely. Something told him this was, in some way, very important to him. Everything he came with was; the keys, the rod, the watch. Everything. He sighed, stood up, and stripped off the night shirt. He needed a walk to clear his head, to think better.

I could figure this out if I wasn’t so distracted...

He stepped out the guest room door and looked around, Ditzy had already left. He walked outside and headed towards the woods, the first place that came to mind.

He wandered the small forest in silence, waiting for that bell to ring out. He hoped it would this time, maybe it would lead him to something that could explain everything or, better yet, return his memory. He found the spot he landed and decided to work from there, searching the area for where he woke up until he found a small bit of paper. The very same Twilight gave him the day before.

Why is this out here..? I didn’t fall asleep with it...

He picked it up and flipped it around, a message appearing slowly on one side, a side that had small symbols in the corner.

How’s your newest friend, Ditzy is it? You keeping tabs on her old pal?

~signed, your best friend in the universe

He dropped the card and turned tail, taking off in a full sprint to the place Ditzy worked. He’d seen it before, passed it while they walked together. He knew she delivered mail, he had to know she was safe.

        He burst into the Post Office, everypony in it turning to glare at him. He looked around and saw Ditzy preparing to leave in the back. He rushed past the small crowd and jumped over the half door separating the waiting room from the delivery room. Ignoring the pony shouting at him to stop. He rushed up to Ditzy who jumped in surprise to see him.

“Oh! Mister, what are you doing here? You aren’t supposed to be back here,” a brown pony with curled black hair and three bags of money as a cutie mark walked up with a mild, devious smile.

“Yes, that’s right Ditzy, why is your friend here? You know the rule, correct? No guests allowed in the delivery room,” he spoke with obvious arrogance in his voice.

“Sorry sir, I just arrived in ponyville a few days ago, I woke up from a long fall and have amnesia, I freaked out and had to make sure she’s alright,” the Doctor explained, hoping to spare Ditzy any humiliation. But to his dismay the colt went on.

“Well, that’s very unfortunate, but as you can see she is quite alright. But due to your intrusion I think she is due for punishment, maybe a deduction in her pay?” he grinned at both of them, practically begging for the reaction.

“But, Mr. Rich sir! I’m already below minimum wage and any less and I won’t be able to afford enough food for the both of us!” she exclaimed, her voice cracked from holding back tears. The Doctor stepped up as his color began to fade.

“Mr. Rich, you don’t need to punish her for my mistake, if anything punish me. Force me to work here or something, don’t make her suffer,” the brown colt laughed calmly before stepping close to the Doctor.

“That’s exactly what I’m doing, I’m punishing you. What else do you have to lose other than her? So I’ll make her life worse so you’ll learn your mistakes,” he grinned waiting for a reaction. The Doctor stared into his eyes while his own flicked to a bright icey blue. His coat shifting to a darker grey slowly while his mane went near black. The nearby ponies watching and whispering about him, the colt whose coat changes color. The Doctor rammed his forehead into the rich arrogant colts and pushed him back.

“You are horrible, the kind of pony everypony here probably dreads becoming or meeting. A pony who without a second doubt would kill another just for a few extra dollars. You’ll make her suffer because that means you’ll make more money,” the Doctor growled at him, a golden shimmer flowing across his coat. Filthy Rich grinned and pushed back,

“And who are you? Some forgotten feather brained pony who probably couldn’t keep his own drink down and lost his mind with it? Managed to trick the one pony in the world dumber than him into bed to get a few free meals?” He smiled with satisfaction, feeling as though he won.

Until the hoof slammed into his jaw.

“Don’t insult him! He’s my best friend and the only great friend I’ve ever had. You may not know how it feels to really care for somepony but that gives you no right to make everypony hurt!” she shouted at the downed colt. Who stared at her in shock.

“Somepony, A-arrest this mare! You saw her!” he called out, but to no avail, every pony nearby simply went back to their work, as if nothing ever happened. The colt jumped up and rubbed his jaw. He glared at every pony in the room before his gaze kept on the Doctor.

“You think you’ve won, that you made you and your dumb little...” the Doctor stepped forward and glared at him,

“I dare you to finish that sentence, I dare you. You’ll leave this building, and you won’t come back. Is that clear?” he muttered to him, when Filthy Rich began to speak up to protest he raised his voice and shouted, “I said, Is that clear?!” This time he nodded and ran out of the building. When he was gone he sighed and turned to Ditzy,

“I’m sorry, I... Lost myself, I hate feeling like this...” He explained, his color slowly fading back to brown. The colors dripping along him and mixing till his coat was back at it’s regular shade of light brown.

“It’s alright, he’s always been a... Well a jerk to me, you honestly did me a favor getting him out of here,” she explained, giving him a quick and soft hug. He laughed but then gave her a serious look.

“Yeah, I suppose I did. Anyways, I don’t ever want to see you hit somepony again. I can’t explain why but... I hate it, violence. The thought in my head alone feels wrong, out of place,”  he requested, placing his hoof on her shoulder. She stared into his eyes before nodding,

“I understand, it felt wrong for me too, as much as he really did deserve it,” she giggled and they stood there silently for a few seconds.

“You should er... Get back to work probably, don’t need any more reason to get fired,” the Doctor finally said, she looked around before nodding in agreement,

“yeah, you’re right. So, you’ll be going then?” she asked, her face a faint pink,

“I suppose so, talk to you when you get home then, alright?” he said awkwardly, they hugged and he walked out, opening the half-door this time. Bowing his head to ponies in apology as he walked out. When he left the building he headed back to the house. But before he opened the door he turned to the woods. He had to check the note. Maybe he was missing something.

In the woods the note was still sitting there, the same warning practically floating on the parchment. A false warning, to get him riled up maybe? He picked up the note and placed it between his teeth and walked back to the house. He walked to his room and stared at the note. The words written didn’t seem right, they weren’t written on it he could tell. It was like staring at the pocket watch or the keys. He couldn’t focus on any of them very much, couldn’t pay too much attention to it. He set the note card on the bedside table with the other various items, the moment it touched the table the text shifted and changed on it. He jumped in surprise and shifted to read it.

Sorry, did I scare you? Not trying that a bit, just testing you I promise! Just

harmless.

Little.

Tests.

Signed, your best friend in the universe

He stared at the message and sighed. Not only is it magic, who ever it is that controls it knows something about him that he either doesn’t know, or can’t remember. He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling, hoping he would find some answer in sleep.

He awoke some odd hours later to Ditzy’s voice, she was humming a song. He guessed she had just gotten home and he got up, yawned, and stepped out of the room.

“Hey, Ditzy. How was your day, except for this morning?” he called out as he walked into the living room.

“It was good actually, I think I got a bit more respect now, nopony said anything rude and they were all nice,” she said with happiness showing in her voice. She stepped into the room, a large smile spread across her face as she sat down next to him. She looked to the ground for a few seconds until, to the Doctor’s surprised, she kissed his cheek softly. His face turned red in an instant and he stuttered to speak,

“Ah, what was that about?” he asked when he managed to collect his words. She simply giggled and shrugged.

“You’ve done a lot for me in these past few days, you’ve saved me mister,” she blushed softly. He looked up to the ceiling and sighed.

“I suppose it’s only fair, you saved my life, so I have to save yours,” he said quietly, she laughed and turned to face him.

“You’ve saved my life plenty, mister. You don’t owe me anything,”