Wraithborn

'Doctor' Whooves strolled idly through Ponyville. Another beautiful Autumn day passed all around him. Marigold and Crimson trees lined the Promenade as citizens meandered through the town, each to their own. He began whistling to himself.

===============================================

Most people simply refer to me as Mr. Hooves. Well, it was a nice day, I'll give you that. You know? Autumn has always been one of my favorite seasons. Something about it just makes it...solemn for me.

I was just taking a stroll through Ponyville, nothing better than a walk to clear the mind eh? So here I was with nothing to do, just an average day right? Just an average Pony huh?

When I said that I didn't have a destination...I kinda lied. See the thing is, one of my friends Ms. Cheerliee asked me to come in since the class was learning about mechanics and well, I was the town mechanic. Clocks, carriages, doo-hickeys, you name it, I fix it.

I just had one stop to make first. It was a little hill, just past Sugar Cube corner a ways. To most ponies...they would just see a small clearing in a patch of forest. Within this patch they would see flat stones and pebbles piled upon each other.

I saw a graveyard.

You know what they say right? Let sleeping dogs lie. Well, they didn't say you couldn't spend a little time with them could you?

I'm sorry, where was I? Oh right! I was making my way to the schoolhouse, just finishing my visit to my friends of course. Though...I...I don't know if it was just my imagination but...I saw a butterfly landing on one of those graves.

Ah! Sorry! Sorry! I'm getting too sappy aren't I? Anyway, by now I was just making my way up to the schoolhouse.

Though I was a bit solemn. Visits to loved ones can do that to a stallion. So! I was just now passing through the door to Ms. Cheerliee's class who was just finishing up Basic Algebra.

"Class! This is Mr. Whooves! Say hello!" She chirped, the schoolkids all said their greetings, albeit it with serious lack of luster. Could ya blame em' though? It was late afternoon and they were just a couple minutes from leaving when I rolled in.

==============================================================================

Applebloom sighed as the brown stallion walked in. "This is Mr. Whooves! Say hello!" She chirped, Applebloom grunted her acknowledgments. Suddenly she felt a hoof tap her back. Turning she saw it belonged to Scootaloo who was desperately trying to suppress a grin.

"Hey Applebloom! Remember? Splashy-stallion?" She whispered snickering. Applebloom allowed herself a smile.

"Behave yourselves you two!" Shouted the ever watchful Cheerliee as she spotted the two conversing.

"Be thankful Mr. Whooves is taking time off from his work to visit us." She said. Applebloom chuckled sheepishly as she offered a meek apology. Turning her head back to Mr. Whooves she saw something.

A strange look passed over his face. If she could compare it to anything, she swore it to be the same look Applejack got when she visited their mother's grave. A sort of thousand-yard stare.

"Mr Whooves? Would you like to introduce yourself?" Quipped Cheerliee instantly snapping the stallion's gaze back to the class, that stare gone, replaced by a smile.

Even though she was young, Applebloom saw it was fake.

"Well....I'm from Trottingham and well...I used to always help my dad out....."

She stopped paying attention to his speech and more to him.

It was as if...it was as if his body lost his definition. It was like staring at mist, the way it changed and shifted. The chestnut brown seemed to mix with his dark-chocolate mane as he talked. Apparently somepony else noticed as well.

"Umm...Mr.? Why is your coat doing that?" Interrupted a voice from the crowd. Applebloom watched, her attention now perked.

Mr.Whooves looked down and sighed, instantly that wispy quality left him and he took the shape of a normal stallion.

"I guess y'all must have seen my normal form." He chuckled. Ms. Cheeriliee just stuttered.

"W-w-w-w-w what was that?" She asked, apparently the teacher was shaken.

He turned to her. "Hey Cheer? Promise me whatever you do, don't freak out." He said, Cheerliee just nodded, voice apparently not working.

And he sighed again.

And with it, his form left him.

(A/N: This idea had been plaguing me for some time now and I just had to get it out there. I know the intro sucked BIG time but the story I have planned for this is going to be so awesome! [rainbow kiss face] And I decided to take a different route with the good doctor because I could. I mean seriously, what if he isn't a reincarnated Timelord?)