Doctor Whooves: Remembrance

DONG

He turned over quickly, tossing the blanket covering him off the bed and onto the floor.

Can you save them Doctor?

He whispered something in his sleep, a word over and over. The same one as the night before.

Tick Tock, goes the clock,

He cried out into the room, his nightmares protruding into the physical realm.

We laughed at fate and mourned her...

He whimpered in his sleep, tears rolling down his face as he slept.

Tick, Tock, Goes the clock...

He sobbed silently, a force moving him, attempting to wake him from the nightmare.

Wake up Doctor... It’s nearly the end.

Wake up.

Wake “up, Mister!” Ditzy called to him in a quiet voice, he jumped awake and startled her. He looked around to figure himself out again before he asked,

        “What’s wrong, Ditzy..? You look upset,” she held a look of worry, tears on the edge of her eyes and she looked very shook up.

        “You were crying and screaming, and you kept saying one word, over and over again. You said it like it hurt to say,” she explained while pulling him into a tight hug.

        “Ah well, sorry if I scared you. I’ve been having nightmares recently. As far back as I can remember, which really isn’t that far... What word was I saying?” he asked, pulling slowly from the hug.

        “You kept saying master, over and over again. Any idea if it means anything? Maybe you were a servant before...”  she said, he blinked slowly while his coat faded in color, his eyes turning icey blue while his coat went grey. Ditzy noticed the change and quickly asked,

        “Does it remind you of something? Your coat is changing color again!” he blinked and shook his head, his color shifting back to brown quickly as it had started.

        “I’m sorry? I... Faded out for a moment, sorry,” he had a confused look that Ditzy returned.

        “N-Nothing... Anything planned for today?” she asked, wondering what switch that word hit for him.

        “No not really, don’t you work today?” he asked, she shook her head and smiled at him.

        “They said I could have today off, so we can do whatever you want!” she laughed softly. He grinned and placed a hoof on his chin, thinking about things they could do.  He sighed and, with a guilty look suggested,

        “Maybe we could go for a walk?” she stared at him unimpressed, making him feel worse for suggesting the same thing they’ve done since he arrived. She laughed and agreed.

        “I normally don’t get out much outside of work, so this is actually a nice change of pace,”

        They stepped into the woods that, for both of them, was becoming all too familiar. The Doctor walked ahead but Ditzy stayed a bit back.

        “Are you sure something might be here for you? Maybe, if there is, it’s really bad and scary,” he laughed and turned, looking at her with a confident stare.

        “Then I’ll face whatever monsters await me, I need to know who I was, who I am,” she smiled, something about that persistence she loved. How courageous he is in the face of the unknown.  They walked deeper into the woods, a heavy toned echo rang out from around them with every step. They walked in silence though, tracing the sound to its source. After what felt like hours of walking, they reached where the sound was the loudest. A greatwood tree. The sound echoed from it, like a warning.

        “That’s a weird tree, mister, I didn’t know trees could make that noise,” she stared at it before softly tapping it. It felt like a regular tree to her.

        “Something is off about it, it’s so... hard to focus on...” he stared at the tree but his gaze kept shifting away from it.

        “It’s like I know it’s there but... I don’t want to know,”  he shook his head quickly. Ruffling his mane in the process. They stood there in silence as the tone faded away for what seemed the last time, As it did not echo again after.

        “Well, that was boring, let’s go somewhere else. These woods give me the creeps!” she shivered and spanned her wings out, the feathers rippling as she did. He sighed and agreed before turning to walk out of the woods to the dirt road.

        They managed to find their way to the town square, to the surprisingly busy traffic of ponies travelling here and there around the town. They got bumped and moved by what seemed like every pony in equestria. They managed to break from the crowd into an a side road, which had far less traffic.

        “Is that normal around this time of year?” the Doctor asked while they took a breath, she giggled and nodded her head before explaining,

        “It’s Cider season, tons of ponies from all over this area show up for the apple families famous cider!” he thought for a moment, placing his hoof on his chin.

        “This may sound really... Stupid, but... What’s cider?” she stared at him in disbelief before grabbing his hoof and rushing him out.

        “Cider is amazing! It’s made with apples and is just so... Delicious!” she exclaimed with a glimmer in her eyes. He had a feeling he was in for a treat that was completely unexpected for that day.

        They arrived at the start of the massive line. Which was barely nudging forward. They looked around and noticed no one else was coming so they took the chance to look around a bit more. This time though, in the apple orchard.  The Doctor found an apple and took the opportunity to pick it up and eat it. But to his complete surprise he seemed incapable of lifting it with his hoof.

        “What the... Ditzy!” he called to the wandering pony. She walked over to see the problem to find him placing his hoof against an apple and pulling it away, achieving nothing.

        “Are you trying to pick it up? Because I think you’re doing it wrong...” she noted, watching him struggle. He groaned in frustration loudly before begging her for help.

        “Explain to me how in this odd world I pick things up! I’ve done it before and I’ve seen you do it but now when I think about it... I can’t!” she giggled as he punted the apple away with his front left hoof. Giving it a victorious glare before turning to her for guidance.

        “Well, you don’t think too hard about it. Just put your hoof there and...” she stepped near the apple and put her hoof on it, “Voila!” she lifted her hoof and the apple stuck. He stared at the apple in malcontent.

        “Actually, I just don’t think that apple likes me,” he uttered with a grunt, “Knows I was going to eat it, so it wouldn’t let me pick it up!”she laughed quietly before biting into the apple. He stared in disbelief and made a series of choking like noises.

        “What? Oh! The apple, sorry!” she held the bitten apple towards him and he stared at it even deeper.

        “Actually, you have it. The apple expects me to eat it,” she looked at him curiously, her right eye focused on a passing cloud. After a few seconds she shrugged and bit into the apple again. He grinned victoriously and turned to head back to the line. But to both their surprise they instead ran face-first into a peculiar blue coated, blond maned, unicorn.

        “Oh! Sorry, I’m just...” the pony’s speech faded into silence as he stared at the Doctor. Both of them staring right into eachothers eyes.

        “Do you two know each other?” Ditzy asked when she noticed them staring. The Doctor blinked before shaking his head roughly, like he was exiting a trance.

        “What? No, I don’t think so, but I might’ve. Do we know each other? Sorry i have a horrible case of amnesia, can’t remember a thing!” he explained to the blue Unicorn.

        “Erm... No! Of course not, never met before. Though now is a wonderful time to start. My name is...” he paused, the Doctor looked on curiously and questioned,

        “Your name is...? Ah it doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you mine when I remember it, and you do the same!” the unicorn nodded before speaking once more.

        “Alright then, but I do remember my name, most call me Professor. Though the looks I get for a name like that! Doesn’t match my cutie mark or myself as a pony, really,” he nodded to the hourglass and drum set on his flank. A very odd combination of items, Ditzy this time questioned the peculiarity.

        “Er... Professor, hope you don’t mind me asking but... What does an hourglass and drums have to do with each other? Do you keep rhythm really well?” he glared at her for a split second before explaining thoroughly.

        “I suppose that’s one way to say it. I keep time for a marching band. I’m the best at it! Though I expected it to be something with brass instruments, in reference to my... Name,” he said name with what seemed to be a hint of disdain. Both the Doctor and Ditzy noticed but said nothing of it. It wasn’t their business so they silently agreed not to get involved in it.

        “Anyways, I ought to be off. Things to do, pe-ponies to see!” he stuttered shortly, his eyes shifting for a split second before he raced off through the orchard, vanishing into the trees.

        “That’s all everypony! we’re all out ah cider for today!” the orange mare called out, many ponies groaning, the loudest being a cyan pegasi somewhere in the middle. Ditzy sighed and the Doctor shrugged.

        “Well, maybe tomorrow we can get some cider! We’ll get here really early though. But oh is it worth it!” she smiled in anticipation before her face turned to a more displeased look. She shook her head and turned to walk back into town.

        “You’ll have to wake me up, haven’t been sleeping too well, I think it’s the nightmares...” he thought hard trying to remember them, a headache approaching slowly.

        “Anyways, yeah! Cider tomorrow morning,” he agreed, his head clearing of the memories that nearly returned to him.

        They walked into the town square, this time it was much more empty. The only sounds were the occasional pony voice and the fountain in the center. They wandered around aimlessly, hoping to find something interesting or at least entertaining. They find their solace, surprisingly enough though, in the library. Where Twilight was ecstatic to find them there once more.

        “I actually found something! I found more of those odd symbols you were talking about in a different book, and they come from some ancient lost race,” she began with a glimmer in her eyes. Both the Doctor and Ditzy were taken aback by her sudden rush of excitement when they had only just walked in.

        “Er... And what’s that race, miss Sparkle..?” he asked with confused curiosity. She made a hysterical giggle and spouted,

        “That’s the thing! Nopony but Celestia knows that and she won’t tell anypony! So we’re going to find out!” she pulled several other books from the shelves. They guessed them to be the books containing the symbols. She opened them all at once, the books laying around her as she read each page swiftly.

“She’s really smart, isn’t she?” the Doctor asked in a whisper to Ditzy, who nodded in amazement at the efficiency of the purple unicorn.

“Well, so far I’ve noticed a few patterns,” she began, raising her head only to make sure they were listening, or still there. “These... Mysterious ponies, they had a few odd features. First of all! They don’t age, but they aren’t princesses or anything,” she noted, one book popping up with several confusing paragraphs on lost pony races.

“Next, they could use some form of magic, apparently temporal, but none of them where ever unicorns!” she explained, amazement hinted deep in her voice. The Doctor and Ditzy gazed on and listened. Both of them equally interested in this legendary discovery about a meager pocket watch.

“They also travelled a lot, you never really saw them in one place for long. And if you did see them, something interesting is always going to happen,” she said with a grin, another book flying up,

“The first Discord event, one was there. Lunas betrayal, another one! Almost every time they were there. But apparently a few centuries ago they vanished,” she started with a hint of sorrow,

“But! There is one very, very important feature of them. Every one of them has this same feature, it’s guaranteed on them and we may be the only ponies other than the princess to know this,” she continued, drawing both of them in with the suspense of what the thing was. They leaned in and she leaned down. Reading the books containing this knowledge once more to assure herself.

“They always had a binary vascular system,” she finished. When they both stared at her with utter looks of cluelessness, she explained the term,

“It means two hearts! They always had two hearts! Beating out of sync with each other, a four beat pulse,” Ditzy and the Doctor turned and stared at each other for a moment before she continued.

“But, sadly it’s all just myth and lore, this is probably just an heirloom,” she nodded to the pocket watch around the Doctors neck, which floated for a second from magic.  They sighed in unison before standing.

“Thanks for all your help, Miss Sparkle, but er... We should get going,” the Doctor bowed his head softly to her in thanks before turning to leave. Ditzy did the same and they headed to the door. But to both their surprise the door opened before they reached it, and in walked a familiar blue unicorn.

“Oh! Professor, I didn’t expect to meet you here,” the Doctor started, his eyes shimmering, for a split second, with familiarity.

“I actually come here quite often, I enjoy a good book now and then. I’ll take it Twilight is in today?” he asked, looking past the two ponies to the purple unicorn storing books.

“Hey, Professor! Just a minute!” Twilight called while the last few books stored themselves away. She walked up and, like any librarian, asked him what he’s looking for.

“Nothing of real interest, anything on Changelings? I feel like reading about creatures today,” he suggested with a soft grin. Twilight nodded and turned.

“Spike!” she shouted, a purple and green dragon rushing up with surprising speed.

“Can you get the biggest book on Changelings we have? Should be third row second shelf,” the dragon, Spike, nodded, “Right away!” he rushed off and climbed up the bookshelf. Grabbing quite a large book and walking, this time much slower. Back to Twilight and Professor, with the Doctor and Ditzy standing to the side.

“Here you go mister! The biggest guide on Changelings in this section of equestria!” the book floated from him and he looked up to the colt, who smiled down at him. To everyones surprise though, Spike suddenly screamed.

“T-teeth! Sharp teeth!” he exclaimed, having rushed behind Twilight. Everyone, including the clearly insulted Professor, gave him a look of confusion.

“Spike what are you talking about? Professor doesn’t have sharp teeth, he’s a pony!” Professor smiled to prove the point and, as stated, his teeth were flat as ever. Ditzy though flipped her eyes, her right eye going from looking up and away to her left looking the opposite way, while the right stuck centered. She started to speak before Professor spoke up.

“Anyways, thank you Twilight for this book, and no hard feelings with Spike I hope! The light probably caught on my teeth just right to make them look sharp,” he smiled again and bowed his head to each pony, stopping at the Doctor.

“You’re an odd one, twice in one day this quick? Maybe we do know each other!” he winked, and grinned. A memory flashing through the Doctors head for a split second. Not long enough to remember, but long enough to strike a spark in his mind.

        They walked home in silence, neither of them saying a word of what happened at the library or anywhere else that day. When they reached Ditzys home, the sun was beginning to set.

        “I’ll start making dinner, you go clean up,” Ditzy requested while she went into the kitchen, he agreed and then added,

        “I’ll help you a bit when I’m done, can’t do much but I can try!” he went into the bathroom and turned the faucet on, using his hooves to throw water on his face. He looked up into the mirror and saw the golden shimmer. This time radiating from the pocket watch. He tapped the watch curiously, the golden shimmer slipping back into it as quickly as it emerged. He fiddled with it for a few moments before realizing it was pointless. It still wouldn’t open, the button seemed jammed. He sighed and walked out into the kitchen. Ditzy was finishing up the quick dinner she had prepared.

        “Well, that was quick, didn’t even give me time to help!” he laughed softly and sat at one end of the table. She walked over and set a plate down on her side. She turned back and quickly returned with his plate. Both of them were pretty bland meals. Salad and fruit, a banana on the side. They ate in silence which bugged the Doctor. Made it feel like something was wrong. They have never eaten in silence before.

        “Something wrong, Ditzy?” he asked once he built the courage, she looked up and shook her head quickly.

        “Just... Remembered something, it isn’t important anymore,” he didn’t believe it so he stood up and moved to her side and sat down. He turned and looked at her. Their eyes met for a moment before Ditzy turned to look at the table. Rather than embarrassment like she usually seemed to feel, this emotion was more sad. The Doctor knew something was wrong, he was sure.

        “You can tell me, whatever it is it’s upsetting you, and I don’t want anything to make you upset,” she sighed and turned to him, tears on the ridge of her eyes.

        “You want to know so badly? Fine,” she snapped at him, tears beginning to roll down her face. He was taken aback by the sudden change in attitude but he held his ground.

        “You, you’re what has me so upset,” she stated plainly, sadness flowing through her voice in a way it never should.

        “What? What did I do wrong?” he asked while his color faded, he knew what was coming.

        “You lied to me, mister. I trusted you and you lied straight to my face,” she exclaimed, her voice raising as tears ran down her face even quicker.

        “I-” he began but she cut him off, “Don’t even try and work your way out of this. You got me drunk and made me look like a fool in front of you. Not only did I do something so incredibly stupid and you LIED about me doing it,” she began, taking a breath to keep from getting angry before she continued, “But you denied me. I know I was drunk, I was being dumb.  But when I... Opened myself to you... You pushed me away...” she began to sob quietly. She folded her wings around her head and cried all the pain away. The Doctor moved towards her to comfort her but was greeted with a quick wing slammed against him.

        “I’m sorry... I had this feeling, I couldn-” he began before she shouted,

        “A feeling?! You pushed me away because of a feeling? You lied to me because of a feeling?” his color faded completely to a monotone grey. His mane and tail dark, nearly black in color. While his eyes were icy blue. He stared at the ground in silence as a few tears of his own dripped down.

        “Do you love me?” she asked quietly. He looked up and before he could answer, she asked again.

        “You’ve stayed all this time, worked so hard to defend me. Mister do you love me?” he opened his mouth to speak but closed it. Once he gathered his thoughts he glanced up and spoke softly,

        “I... Don’t know. I can’t remember anything from my past but... I care for you Ditzy, I truly do,” he leaned in to hug her but was pushed away by her wings roughly.

        “Not now, I need... I need to think,” she lurched up and ran into her room, the door slamming and locking behind her. He stared at the ground and began to cry silently. Tears dripping to the ground below him. He felt a pain he recognized, something from his past. Failure, regret, and loneliness all bundled into one. He stood up and walked to his own room. Though it was still fairly early, he decided to sleep. He discarded his tie, the keys, and pocket watch on the bedside table before slipping the hourglass shirt on and slipping into the bed. He stared at the ceiling in sadness, no tears left to shed, until he drifted into a sorrowful sleep.