Doctor Whooves: The Eighth Doctor

Doctor Whooves: The Eighth Doctor

Chapter 2

For a long time the Doctor’s Tardis console room had been a roundish white room with circles on the walls. The console itself had five panels, and a small glass cylinder that moved up and down when the ship was in flight. It was a simple design that the Doctor had enjoyed. Sure he had changed a few things over the years, but overall it stayed the same.

However after a while the Doctor had thought it was time to give the Tardis a homier look. So after fiddling around with the design circuits, he had finally designed a Tardis that felt more like home.

This Tardis was a large open area. It had elegant wooden bookshelves all around it, with books from all across the universe stacked on the shelves. The floor was made of strong everfree wood, with swirling lines and circles etched into each plank. There was also furniture, with comfortable read leather upholstery, and strong wood for the rest. In the far corner were two desks with many books, maps, and papers scattered on the top.

The console itself was a more steampunk like design. It sat on a slightly raised platform, with six large metal bars sticking up around it. Like previous consoles, this one had five panels, with many switches and dials around it. And there was also a glass cylinder that rose up to the ceiling. Inside it were two sets of metal rods attached to plates. One set was facing up, and the other was upside-down. When the ship was in flight, the two would move closer to each other, back away, and repeat again and again.

The whole cylinder let of a gorgeous blue light. Also there was a screen above that console, almost like a television screen. A chain was attached to the bottom so it could be pulled down.

Yes, it does seem a little bit strange, but to the Doctor, it felt like home.

Yet, it was also very quiet. Normally the room would either be filled with the sound of the Doctor talking, or the sound of the Tardis while in flight. But no; it was dead silent.

At least for a few minutes.

For with a great bang, the doors of the Tardis flew open. Shouting and the sound of gunfire filled the quiet void of the Tardis. Laser flew into the room, leaving burns on the areas they hit.

And in a flash something bolted through the doors, stopping just in time to close them with another loud bang. The figure slumped onto the floor, letting out heavy breaths. Sweat glistened from his body, and dropped to the floor like drops of rain.

The figure looked like and earth pony, and was a tan color. His mane was a sort of chestnut brown, and he had light blue eyes.

He wore an orange vest with red question marks on it. Over that he wore an off-white coat. A hat of the same color sat on his head, with a red band going around the bottom of it.

Finally, on his rump sat an image of an hourglass, which was a little more than halfway empty.

Reaching into his pocket with his hoof, the pony pulled out a hanker chief and began wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Terrible, utterly and completely terrible. I try to stop a war between those two planets, and each thinks I was sent as a spy. And what happens as a result; they team up to hunt me down. How can I help people if they just shoot at me” asked the pony, putting the hanker chief back into his coat.

“Note to self, never get involved in a war again” said the pony as he pulled himself off the floor. But the moment his rump left the wood, a voice ran through the Tardis.

“Welcome Back Doctor” said the feminine voice.

The pony, known as the Doctor, sighed. “I thought I disabled that function” he said. This feature was relatively new: when the Doctor was absent from the Tardis for a certain amount of time, the Tardis would welcome him back. However he quickly grew tiresome of it. All it did now was remind him of how alone he was.

Walking up to the console, the Doctor went straight for the one with the Time Dials on it.

“Now, where shall I go next” he asked. It seemed that even with a machine that could take you anywhere in time and space, it was still hard to come up with a location idea.

“We…I mean I, could go to Prance and eat some croissants. I could go to Earth’s moon and get some cocktails. (Sighs) Why do I not feel like those will be exciting” said the Doctor. “…why did Ace have to go” he asked himself.

Ace had been the Doctor’s companion for a while. The two had gone on many trips, and faced many monsters. The Daleks to the Cyberponies, they faced many a foe, but they always came out on top.

However, it there came a time when Ace thought she could be doing more for the world. It was only after giving a lot of thought that she had decided to go back to Equestria. She now runs her own Charity, and is helping ponies all over the world.

But now, the Doctor was all alone. No one to tell him to be careful, no one to tell him what they thought was right…and no one to talk to.

“Well, might as well see where the vortex takes us” said the Doctor. Reaching up, he pushed a large leaver on one of the panels. Strangely, it looked like a bike handle.

“VOOM, VOOM, VOOM, VOOM” went the Tardis as the cylinders began to move up and down. After a few seconds the sound became quieter, meaning the ship was now in flight.

“Alright old girl, try to pick a nice place” said the Doctor. And turning away from the console, walked towards his favorite chair.

“RING, RING, RING”

The Doctor froze where he was standing. “Is that” he said.

“RING, RING, RING”

Turning around, the Doctor saw a small light flashing near the phone on the concel. “Who could be calling me? Not many ponies know my number” he said as he walked over to phone.

Next to the phone was a small green button, which was also flashing. Pressing it, the Doctor began to speak. “Hello, you’ve phoned the Tardis. This is the Doctor speaking” he said.

“Why hello there Doctor. It has been a long time hasn’t it” said a voice. It sounded a little evil, but had a hint of grandpa like kindness in it.

The Doctor’s eyes widened and his mouth formed into a smug like smile. “Judge Riper; the most powerful judge on all of Gallifrey. How could forget the Timelord that put my on trial all those years ago” he said.

“Nice to see you haven’t forgotten me Doctor. But I was a different stallion then; I’ve regenerated six times since that day” said Riper.

“So if I’m counting right, you only have one regeneration left” said the Doctor.

“Unfortunately your counting is spot on. But one remaining life isn’t going to deter me from doing my job. I’d rather die sitting on my podium than in a retirement home” said Riper.

“Well that shows you have a dedication to your way of life. However, I have the strangest feeling you didn’t call me for a friendly chat” said the Doctor.

“Oh yes, I was wondering when we’d get to why I called” said Ripper. His voice had turned very serious. "You remember the Master right”.

The Doctor’s face instantly changed to a glare, and he gritted his teeth hard. His voice was harsh and understanding. "Yes, I remember him. I haven’t seen him in a long time, but you don’t easily forget somepony like him”.

“Well you’ll be happy to hear that the Judoon captured him” said Riper.

“That’s impossible; the Master has been evading the Timelords for years. How could some Judoon have done it” asked the Doctor.

“He was found hiding out in the Zebra Lands on Earth. They cornered him, and it was a simple task of chaining him up and bringing him to the Shadow Proclamation. His trial ended just over an hour ago” said Riper.

“I’m not going to bother asking how it went. Just tell me the outcome” said the Doctor. He was eager to find out what had happened to his old enemy.

“The jury found him guilty of all charges” said Riper.

“I couldn't see why they wouldn't find him guilty. He's made quite a stir through the universe, ever since he left Gallifrey" said the Doctor, remembering the day the Master had run away from his large mess like a little foal running away to avoid a punishment. But he shook that thought away and refocused on Ripper. "So what was his sentence; Prison, Gallifrayain lab Ginny pig” he asked.

“He was sentenced to permanent death at the hands of the Daleks” said Riper. The glee slightly shown through his voice.

The Doctor’s mind stopped for a quick millisecond before ramping back into overdrive. “Well it’s what he deserved. And I can tell from the glee in your voice that you enjoyed watching it” he said.

"You know me Doctor; I love a good execution. I’m sure some ponies would say I act like a supervillain” said Ripper happily.

“They wouldn’t be too far off” said the Doctor quietly to himself. Although this recent news put his in a much happier mood, the conversation was getting too long. He was ready to end this call and go take a nap in his chair.

“Well thanks for the call Ripper, but I would like to get back to my travels” he said, and reached out to press the receiver button.

“Hold it Doctor, there’s more I need to discus with you” said Ripper.

The Doctor stopped, but kept his hoof over the button. It wasn't a wise idea to hang up on a Judge, especially if that Judge was Ripper.

“Fine, but make it quick” said the Doctor.

“Well I know you like to enforce laws, but how do you like having one told to you” asked Ripper. But he didn’t wait for a response before he continued.

“Law 553 of the Shadow Proclamation states that if the death penalty is sentenced, the criminal is allowed to speak his final request. And if it is doable, then it is granted” he said.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, wondering where this was going. “Yes, and what does that have to do with me” he asked.

“The Master’s final request was that you transport his remains back to Gallifrey. Seeing as that is a simple task, it must be carried out. Therefore, you must come to the Shadow Proclamation to collect his remains” said Ripper.

The Doctor’s eyes widened when hearing this news. He and the Master had been enemies for centuries. Everything the Master did that involved the Doctor caused problems. One time he had teamed up with the Master to save Gallifrey, and because of him ended up regenerating into his fifth life.

“Sorry Ripper, but that’s not something I’m going to do. Get somepony else to do it. Now I think I should go to the planet Midnight to celebrate the death of the largest thorn in my flank” said the Doctor, almost smiling.

“I’m afraid that’s going to have to wait Doctor. You see, since you are still under the rule of Gallifrey, and you owe us that one favor for clearing all your past charges, you have to do this. This will show others that the Doctor can forgive his enemy and fulfill his last request. It’ll be good moral for other Timelords” said Ripper.

“I’ll never forgive the Master. He passed that line far too long ago” said the Doctor. His face and attitude were quickly turning angry.

“You don’t have to forgive him; it was just a rouse to get you to agree. Now I’m tired to talking about this Doctor. You are to report to the Shadow Proclamation at once to collect the remains. I’m sending the coordinates now. I expect to see you here in no longer than one minute” said Ripper. Then all that could be heard was a beeping noise; Ripper had ended the call.

Sighing, the Doctor walked over to the main control panel. The pull down screen that was above it flashed a quick series of codes, but they soon disappeared. Naturally, the information had been implanted directly into the Tardis’ mainframe.

The Doctor put his hoof on the main lever. “Well, here we go again” he said. Then with a quick yank, pulled the lever all the way down.

The whole room shuddered as the Tardis changed course to the Shadow Proclamation, blasting quickly through the time vortex.

*******

“VOOM, VOOM, VOOM, VOOM…bang” went the Tardis as it touched down after the quick flight.

The Doctor walked over to the pair of police doors that sat not too far away from the console.

“Last chance to turn around Doctor” he said to himself. But he knew he couldn’t turn back, not when he had already come this far.

Undoing the lock attached to the door, he pushed it open with a nudge from his hoof. The Doctor quickly walked through the door, leaving the console room empty once again.

*******

It had been many years since the Doctor had last been to the Shadow Proclamation.

When he had last seen it, it had been just one building located near the edge of the Star Swirl galaxy. The building itself wasn’t all that glamorous, but it suited them at the time.

So naturally, he was a little surprised to see the new headquarters.

The Tardis had landed near the edge of the left asteroid. It was only a push away from the dark void of space.

The Doctor studied the new glowing blue builds for a few seconds.

“Too flashy if you ask me” he said. But he didn’t have time to stand around and examine things. So turning in the direction of the bridge, he set off for the main building.

*******

It took him a good ten minutes of walking, but he finally reached the large front doors of the Proclamation.

“Now, where’s the doorbell” he said, looking along the sides of the door frames. For a highly rated security team of ponies, they never did make it simple for someone to announce their presence.

“State your name, rank, and intention” said a voice.

The Doctor was caught off guard by the voice. But as he looked around, he couldn’t find the pony the voice belonged to.

“Who said that” he asked.

“I repeat; State your name, rank, and intention” said the voice again.

The Doctor stood silent for a minute. How was he supposed to answer something he couldn’t see?

“If an answer is not given now, you shall be assimilated” said the voice.

Well that was enough to get the Doctor talking. “The Doctor, Doctor, and…collecting the Master’s remains” he said, still a little unsure if he was saying the right thing.

“One moment” said the voice.

A whole minute went by, and not a word was spoken. Then the voice spoke again.

“Welcome Doctor to the Shadow Proclamation. Please be aware that any crimes committed while here will cause your immediate imprisonment” it said.

“Such a cheery look on things” said the Doctor.

The doors gave a creaking noise as they slowly swung open.

“Please step inside, a Proclamation guard will take you to Judge Ripper” said the voice.

So the Doctor walked through the doors into the main lobby.

He almost had to shut his eyes. The light reflecting off the tiled floors was very bright. But his eyes soon adjusted and he looked around the lobby.

Without the reports crowding the place, it had a much larger feel to it. The floors were now visible, letting them shine like a freshly polished mirror. The Doctor found it amusing to look down and see himself staring at him.

“Starting to get a few grey hairs” he said, noting the one or two grey hairs sticking out against his brown mane.

“Are you the Doctor” said a voice.

Looking up, the Doctor saw a light green stallion with black hair standing in front of him. He was wearing what looked like a Canterlot guard uniform, but it was colored light blue with the Proclamation symbol etched onto the side.

“Yes I am. And are you the guard that’s supposed to take me to Ripper” asked the Doctor.

“That’s correct. Now would you please fallow me” he asked, and then started walking towards a hallway leading away from the lobby. The Doctor quickly fallowed behind him.

The hallway was lined with doors, many of which had names of the ponies who office it was etched into it. It almost felt like one of those weird government buildings usually seen in Manehattan or Trottingham.

As they walked through the hallway, the Doctor was observing the guard more closely.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but that armor doesn’t look like it would do very well at protecting you. Shouldn’t you be wearing high class armor, since that’s what most ponies wear out in the field” said the Doctor.

“I’m not one of the ponies that work out on the field. I’m just a patrol guard here. My job is to make sure no one goes where they’re not supposed to and keep journalist out of the council’s hair. Well, expect this morning. There were so many people here that they had to call in the Judoon to keep them from busting down the chamber doors” said the guard.

“Yes, I can see people wanting to know about something like this. Where they ever told who was put on trial” asked the Doctor.

“Nope, we decided to keep the word hush-hush until the remains are back in the hands of the Timelords” said the guard.

“Well I can see why. Wars have been fought for just one drop of Timelord blood. Who knows what would happen if they heard a whole body was up for grabs” said the Doctor.

The guard rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, actually, there isn’t a body left. The Dalek fired on him for so long that his whole body melted. It’s just a pile of goo now” he said.

The Doctor’s face cringed up a little bit. “That must have been a sight to behold” he said.

“Yeah, glad I wasn’t in the room. The janitors were cleaning up the room for an hour because some ponies couldn’t hold onto their lunch” said the guard.

The Doctor wanted to say something, but then the guard stopped.

Looking around, the Doctor saw that they had left the main hallway and entered a smaller one. It had only one door at the end, and the name carved into it said “Judge Ripper”.

The guard knocked on the door three times, and then waited.

“Who is it” said a voice from the other side.

“Safeguard sir. I’ve brought the Doctor” said armored pony.

“Excellent, send him in” said the voice.

The guard pulled down the handle and pushed the door open. He and the Doctor walked in, and the door immediately shut behind them.

The room was fairly large; big enough to hold at least thirty or more ponies at one time. The walls were made of elegant wood, with framed pictures hanging on each of the four.

The floor was tiled, which looked like granite, but colored light blue. And at the farther side of the room sat a large wooden desk. It looked to be made of red oak, and had the Shadow Proclamation insignia carved on the front.

Judge Ripper was sitting at the desk, looking through a few papers. But when the door closed, he looked up at us.

He took the glasses he was wearing off his nose. “Thank you Safeguard, you can go back to your patrol now” he said.

“Yes sir” said Safeguard, and turning around, he opened the door and left the room.

Ripper pushed his papers to the side, and then turned to the Doctor. “Please, take a seat” he said, waving a hoof over at a pair of chairs in front of the desk.

“Thank You” said the Doctor. He walked over to the chair and took a seat.

Ripper looked at a clock that was at the edge of his desk. “I called you four minutes ago. For someone with a time machine that can go anywhere and anywhen, you do like to keep people waiting” he said.

The Doctor huffed “sorry if I didn’t arrive the moment you put the receiver down” he said. He had never really like Ripper. Part of it was because he had caused the Doctor to regenerate into his third life. The other part was his personality. Ripper always considered himself to be above others. Plus, he always had a slightly evil part to him. But then, most Timelords have the same.

“Now now Doctor, we’re not here to get mad at each other. If you want that, call me after hours” said Ripper, giving a humorous smile.

“Har Har, that was so funny I forgot to laugh. Now can we actually get to why I’m here” said the Doctor. He wanted to get this whole thing done as fast as he could.

“Right. Now as stated Doctor; you agreed to bring the Master’s remains back to Gallifrey, as to fulfill his final request” said Ripper.

“I didn’t agree; you forced me to do this” said the Doctor.

“Not important, what is important is that you do this. Now as to what you are supposed to do. The remains will be given to you, and you are to seal them in a safe area while on the way to Gallifrey. In order to keep attention away from your Tardis, no Gallifrey or Proclamation ships will be fallowing you. Finally, you are to report directly to the Capital when you arrive. The guards will take his remains from there” said Ripper “Do you understand”?

The Doctor took in what he had to do. Yes, he was doing this, even though he really didn’t want to. But, if it really was this simple. Maybe…maybe it was time to let things in the past go, and give the Master his final wish to celebrate the now more peaceful universe that was to come.

“Yes, I understand” said the Doctor. He was no longer angry; now he was serious.

“Good. And I do believe I should now give you what you came for” said Ripper. Reaching over, he pushed a button that was on the side of the desk. There was a whooshing noise, and what sounded like a clunk.

Suddenly, an open appeared on the desk, and a small round container rose out of it.

The Container was very elegant. It looked like solid gold, and was split in two halves. The two halves were held together by large bolts, and a small ring was attached to the top.

“These are the Master’s remains. I now hand them over to you, and hope that you can safely return them to Gallifrey” said Ripper. He stared at the Doctor like he was staring at a criminal.

The Doctor eyed the container questionably. “Are you sure this container is strong enough to stop the Master if he tries to get out” he asked.

Ripper looked at him questionably now. “Doctor, he is dead. There is nothing left of him but what is in here. You don’t have to worry about him anymore” he said, but in a voice that sounded like he was trying to convince the Doctor rather than tell him.

The Doctor leaned back slightly in his chair “I always like to take precautions” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“Yes…I agree with you on that. But I have many things to do today Doctor, so I’m afraid I’ll have to cut our conversation short” said Ripper. Leaning over, he pushed another button on his desk.

“Safeguard, escort the Doctor back to his Tardis. Make sure no one fallows him, and no one talks to him” said Ripper.

“Yes sir” said Safeguard.

Ripper took his hoof off the button and looked back at the Doctor.

“Let me warn you of this Doctor. If any species, especially the Daleks and Cyberponies, get their hoofs on the Master’s remains, I shall personally make sure you go through three more lives by the time the High Council is done with you” said Ripper, now fully glaring at the Doctor.

“Whoa, Whoa, No need to get hostile Ripper. You can count on me. Nothing’s going to get these remains. Not as long as I have two hearts” said the Doctor, giving his chest a pound just to emphasize what he was saying.

“For you sake I hope so” said Ripper.

Before the two could say another word, there was three knocks at the door. Ripper pressed the same button as before. “Come in” he said.

The doors opened, and Safeguard walked in.

Ripper turned back to the Doctor. “Well it seems our time is over Doctor” he said. Then, he pushed the container over towards the Doctor. “Take Great Care”.

The Doctor took the container in his teeth, turned his head around, and very carefully placed in on his back. Since he didn’t have a horn, or wings so he could hold it in his hooves, his back was the best option.

“Have a nice day Ripper” said the Doctor as he turned to the door.

“Thank You, and have a good trip Doctor” said Ripper.

But the Doctor didn’t reply. He simply walked out the door, with Safeguard leading him to the exit.