Chapters Another amazing day in Ponyville, and Fluttershy was getting ready to make a huge feast because all her best friends, the representatives of the Elements of Harmony: Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Princess Twilight Sparkle, were coming over to celebrate the anniversary of the day they met.
Fluttershy looks around her kitchen, “Angel?” Fluttershy calls to her pet bunny rabbit, Angel comes hopping excitedly into the kitchen, Fluttershy turns and looks at him and then looks around again “Angel have you seen my bucket of blossom berries?” she asks him, still looking around aimlessly, Angel just shrugs and hops away as if he has something better to do than help his dear friend. Fluttershy looks around again, hoping somehow the berries would just magically appear on the kitchen counter; Fluttershy sighs, no matter what, if Fluttershy wanted her perfect meal she’d have to go get more berries, and she was not very happy with where she needs to go.
Fluttershy grabs her satchel
“Okay Fluttershy. . . your fine . . . you can make it . . . even if it is in the . . Everfree Forest,” a cold spark runs down Fluttershy’s spine, She looks around
“Angel?” she softly calls the bunny’s name, Angel comes hopping in happily, Angel looks at Fluttershy as if to say “Yes? What do you need?” to her. Fluttershy looks apologetically at the little bunny
“Angel, would you . . possibly . . perhaps . . maybe . . Please accompany me on my trip?” she speeds through the last part, practically begging the little bunny, Fluttershy didn’t like going into that forest at all, but at least she wouldn't be alone this time; But despite what Fluttershy thinks, Angel is more than happy to go with her. He jumps with excitement, as if to say “Really? A walk? Through the forest? I’m in!”, Fluttershy lets out a sigh, “Oh thank you, thank you Angel, but if we’re going to go we better leave now, it looks like it’s going to storm, and we wouldn't want to get stuck in the storm . . . Especially not in the E-Everfree F-forest,” she stumbles on every word mentioning that dangerous forest.
Fluttershy walks out the door of her cottage, her satchel draped over her neck, and she and Angel start walking down the path to the Everfree Forest.
As Fluttershy and Angel were walking down the path they stopped at the local garden to get some vegetables for the party; Fluttershy picks some juicy green lettuce, while Angel picks some scrumptious carrots. When they’re done picking veggies, Fluttershy walks up to the check-out stand. The green sales pony with a visor on looks worn, her jar of earnings is very low.
“That’ll be five bits, Ma'am.” Says the pony; Fluttershy looks in her bag and is about to bring out five bits but stops herself. This pony must be exhausted, I don’t really need these bits, while she needs them very badly, Fluttershy thinks to herself; Instead of pulling out five bits, Fluttershy takes out a little pile of twenty bits and puts it in the earth pony’s jar. The green pony looks up with wide, grateful eyes, smiling. Fluttershy nods her head to her and flutters away with Angel resting on her back. Fluttershy feels warmth fill her entire body from her head to hoof, she’d really helped that poor earth pony. She really wished she could have given more, but being a pegasus without any job, money can be really tight At least she gave something.
~~~~~~
Finally, Fluttershy and Angel arrive at the Everfree Forest,
“H-how about Y-you go first A-Angel? I-I have to Uh . . . Pick Lemon grass! That’s it! I need to pick Lemon grass! So . . . You can just go into the forest and I’ll be Uh picking Lemon grass,” Fluttershy says; But Angel won’t take that for an answer, Angel pushes scared little Fluttershy into the forest and under its blanket of dark shadow. Fluttershy is determined to go through the forest without running away, so she shrugs away from Angel and marches right into the forest, But when they get in there, Fluttershy is a scared mouse. However, she doesn't run out. “You can do this Fluttershy, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” she tells herself as she slowly walks along the long narrow path through the forest. Finally, when Fluttershy starts to more comfortably walk through the forest with Angel, CRACK! The lighting cracks like a bullet,
“Aaaaah!” Fluttershy screams and runs as fast as she can deeper into the forest, her pink mane streaming back as she runs faster than ever before. When Fluttershy finally stops, she pants as she looks around for the path to go home, but she couldn’t find the path. Fluttershy was lost.
~~~~~~
“Where are we Angel?” Fluttershy looks to her bunny for answers, Angel just shrugs, “We’d better find some shelter, there’s a lot of dangerous creatures out here.” Fluttershy says. So Angel and Fluttershy start walking together through the forest in search of shelter.
After about an hour or two of walking Fluttershy stops and sits.
“Phew, I’m very tired. I-“ she stops short, for in the bushes stands a tall blue box with the words ‘POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX’ written on the top of it,
“What is this?” Fluttershy asks no one . She’s scared, but all Fluttershy can think about is getting shelter from the horrible creatures that lurk in the forest at night. So Fluttershy tip-toes up to the box and taps on the door. The door slowly creaks open. and Fluttershy peers in.
“Oh my!” she exclaims as she looks into the blue box. “It’s bigger on the inside!” Angel’s mouth drops open wide when he looks in as well.
“Who owns this box?” Fluttershy asks, when suddenly she hears a crashing sound coming from inside one of the several corridors circled around a giant console used for who knows what,
“Hello? Is anyone there?” Fluttershy calls into the box as she lightly walks in about a foot. Suddenly the crashing stops,
“B-b-but how did you get in here?” The head of a pony sticks out from the corridor. He is a tan earth pony with a messy brown mane and an hourglass cutie mark. The silence Fluttershy is giving him was not making him happy at all. “Well?! How did you get in here?!!” he shouts, and, obviously frustrated, bangs his head against a wall and starts mumbling to himself. “I THOUGHT I fixed that! How can she be here?!”; But with all that’s happened to Fluttershy that night, she can’t take anymore, She bursts into tears. The pony’s frustrated look suddenly softens.
“I’m sorry,” he says “Come inside. I know you don’t want to sleep outside tonight. Come in and I’ll get you a room for the night.”
Fluttershy calms down and follows the mysterious pony down the long corridor.
“This is the TARDIS, it’s a time machine. Yes, I’m telling the truth, and yes that was just a swimming pool in the middle of a library we just walked past. This baby can travel anywhere in time and space.” The pony tells Fluttershy as they walk, Fluttershy just looks confused and keeps walking.
Finally they come to a bedroom, “Ah, here we are,” says the Stallion as he walks over to a dresser and opens a drawer to pull out some blankets and a pillow, “This is where you will sleep tonight. Feel free to wander the TARDIS or jump on the bed or something or other.”
Fluttershy slowly walks over to the bed and sits on it The stallion looks at her softly “Is there anything I can get for you? Anything you need? I've got it all,” he says softly. Fluttershy thinks for a moment, and then knows exactly what she needs
“What’s your name?” she asks. The pony gives her a clever look.
“I’m the Doctor.”
Fluttershy gives him a confused look“Doctor who?” She asks.
The Doctor gives her an expression somewhere between amused and a warning look “Dangerous question,” He says.
“After all the stuff I've gone through these few months, Dangerous doesn't scare me that much . . . Doctor who?” Fluttershy asks again.
The Doctor gives her a faint smile, “Just the Doctor. Really.” He says,
“Okay. . . Doctor,” Fluttershy says as she rests her head on the pillow.
“Goodnight . . . . Huh, I never got you name either . . ?” says the Doctor. “Fluttershy, Really.” Fluttershy smiles at him.The Doctor laughs “Well then, Goodnight Fluttershy.” He says as he turns out the light and walks out of the room.
“Goodnight . . Doctor.” Fluttershy whispers.
~~~~~~
“Fluttershy!” a voice calls Fluttershy out of her dream, “Fluttershy!!” It’s the Doctor. Fluttershy sluggishly get out of bed and drags her hooves out the room rubbing her eye,
“Doctor? Where are you?” She calls down a corridor. This place is like a maze with all its corridors, Fluttershy thinks.
“I’m in the Control room!” the Doctor calls back from down the corridor to Fluttershy’s left, so Fluttershy follows the sound of his voice. When Fluttershy gets to the Control room she suddenly remembers something-- or, more accurately, someone,
“ANGEL!! Where’s Angel?!” She screams, the Doctor just covers his ears and smiles.
“I put the little rodent thing in the nursery across the hall down the fourth corridor, he’s sleeping though, you should let the little guy have some sleep.” He says.
Fluttershy nods and walks up to where the Doctor is sitting right next to the TARDIS console,
“What are you working on?” she asks, still worrying about Angel bunny.
The Doctor doesn't look up from his work “I wanted to show you something, But –Err- I blew a fuse on the old girl. In other words-” CLANG! “-she’s not going anywhere.”
Fluttershy circles around the console of the TARDIS
“What does this do exactly?” She asks.
“This baby can travel in time and space, Anywhere you want to go, anytime and anyplace.” Says the Doctor, still not looking up. Suddenly the console starts rumbling and starts making a wheezing sound “There we go,” says the Doctor, obviously very proud that he could get it working again “Good as new . . . well, for over twelve hundred years old, yeah, I guess. So where do you wanna go?” he looks to Fluttershy, who is speechless
“Anywhere?” she blurts.
“Anywhere.” Says the Doctor. Fluttershy’s stunned, but she smiles.
“Take me somewhere amazing, Doctor, and surprise me.” She says cunningly.
The Doctor grins and walks over to a lever on the console “Well then,” He pulls the lever “Hold on tight!” he shouts over the wheezing sound filling the whole room. The whole TARDIS starts to shake,
“Why are we shaking?” Fluttershy calls to the Doctor.
“We’re traveling through time and space! There’s gonna be little turbulence!” he shouts back. Fluttershy laughs as she holds on for her life.
~~~~~~
“Ah, we’re landed.” Says the Doctor as he wipes his forehead with his hoof. Fluttershy smiles and looks toward the door
“Doctor, Where are we?” she asks, almost too impatient to find out. the Doctor laughs, amused by Fluttershy’s lack of patience “Well why don’t you go out there and see?” he says.
Fluttershy trots up to the TARDIS door, but before she can open it, the door opens itself, but Fluttershy isn’t paying attention to the door moving on its own,
“Oh My!” Fluttershy exclaims, what used the middle of the Everfree Forest is now . . . Ponyville in early years!
“Take a look!” calls the Doctor from inside the TARDIS.
Fluttershy slowly walks out the doors of the TARDIS. The noise of all the hustle going on around the town fills Fluttershy’s ears. Suddenly she jumps out of the way to dodge a galloping colt. Everypony is wearing ruffled clothing and big feathered hats. What will Everypony think? I’m not wearing any ruffles or anything, But when Fluttershy looks down at herself and sees that she had somehow got a ruffled dress on!
“B-but how did this get here?!” she exclaims. Fluttershy feels the top of her head and finds an oversized feathered hat atop her head, and she laughs.
The Doctor comes out wearing a checkered suit with on the top of his head a silk top hat, “Good day malady, may we take a walk together?” he asks in a gentleman like voice. Fluttershy giggles
“Good day to you too, good sir, and yes, a walk would be lovely,” she says, blushing as the Doctor grabs her hoof.
“Well then,” he says, holding his own hoof out to the side “Shall we?” he says, Fluttershy nods and starts walking with the Doctor down the dirt path.
~~~~~~
After about an hour of walking and window shopping, the Doctor and Fluttershy walks into a coffee shop, and an old bell chimes as they open the door and walk in.
“Hello! Welcome to Ponyville Summers coffee shop, Please take a seat and I’ll serve you shortly,” says a chipper waitress behind the counter making a pot coffee, so the Doctor and Fluttershy find an open table and sit down on both sides.
“Get anything you want. My treat.” Says the Doctor, tipping the brim of his hat down with his hoof
The waitress walks up to their table, she’s a young violet colored Pegasus Mare with a sky blue mane and powdery purple eyes, “Okay, what can I get for you?” she asks the Doctor and Fluttershy.
The Doctor laughs a comforting laugh. “Thank you Miss, I think it’ll be hot chocolates for the both of us,” he says, looking at Fluttershy giving her that ‘Is that good for you?’ look.
Fluttershy nods and smiles at the waitress. The waitress nods as she writes down the short order. “Okay then, it’ll only take a minute.” She smiles at them and walks away.
The Doctor unfolds his napkin to reveal a knife, a fork and a spoon, and the Doctor starts setting the table. “So, Fluttershy, what’s your story? I mean, you came to my TARDIS cold and tired and scared, I gave you a place to sleep, and I have brought you to Ponyvilles early years. So what was Fluttershy before she met me?” he asks. Fluttershy laughs, thinking, This pony has brought me hundreds of years into the past and HE wants to know about ME?
“Well, I grew up in Ponyville, and I work with animals a lot, hence my cutie mark. Um, there’s not much to me except my friends: Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and –as you must know her- Princess Twilight Sparkle. But Princess Twilight’s the special one, not me, I’m just some shy pegasus that likes to helps animals, You though, Your somepony special . . . Ponies only wish to be like you.” She takes a deep breath in and the exhales.
The Doctor sits for a minute in silence, and Fluttershy looks down at the old fashioned place mat. “You are not nothing, you are far from nothing,” Fluttershy looks up at the Doctor, and he continues. “You get up every morning to help animals and help you friends and be their friend. No one could ask for a better friend than you,” he says. Fluttershy feels her cheeks starting to burn. Fluttershy and the Doctor get up from the chairs and Fluttershy pulls The Doctor into a hug,
“Thank you,” she says, squeezing him tight, she looks at the Doctor and sees his tough eyes fighting back tears. Is he . . . Crying? “What is it?” she asks the Doctor, who gives her a faint smile.
“I can barely remember the last time I was this happy,” he says. After a moment Fluttershy pulls away and sniffs, giving a faint laugh as she rubs her eye
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to cry or anything,” Fluttershy says.
The Doctor looks directly at her .“Fluttershy, it should never be an embarrassment or a disgrace to cry when you're sad or happy or angry, so do not apologize.” He tells her, and Fluttershy feels her blood rushing to her cheek. The Doctor and Fluttershy sit back down; Fluttershy can tell that the Doctor is staring at her. She doesn't want to show the Doctor her bright red eyes and cheeks, but she can’t help it; She looks up to see the Doctor looking at her as if he can see through her skin and to her heart.
After a moment of silence, the Doctor just breaks out in uncontrollable laughter. For a moment Fluttershy just looks at the Doctor, confused, but she can’t help it; She breaks in a giddy laughter. The both of them just keep laughing, ignoring the customers all around them starting to stare, just laughing without a care in the world. They keep laughing until the waitress breaks the laughter by bringing their hot chocolate. She sets them down, one by the Doctor and one by Fluttershy. “That’ll be four bits, please,” she tells them.
The Doctor reaches into his suit pocket and pulls out a small sack of money with a lot more than four bits, and slips the pouch into the waitress apron and leans close to her. “Keep the change,” he whispers to her.
The waitresses eyes widen “Thank you, Thank you very much, kind sir!” she exclaims.
“HEY! CAN I GET MY COFFEE ALREADY?!” some angry stallion shouts at the waitress. The waitress jumps and she hurries back to the counter to finish the pony’s coffee.
Fluttershy looks at the Doctor in awe. The Doctor looks puzzled “What? Haven’t you tipped a waiter or a marketer before?” he asks her. Fluttershy nods.
“Yes of course I have. It’s just that you travel in time for a living an-”
“Time and space,” the Doctor cuts in. Fluttershy rolls her eyes in sarcasm and carries on.
“You travel in time and space for a living, with no real job or employment . . . yet, you’re still able to just give away bits just like that . . . Where do you get all that money?” Fluttershy looks at the Doctor, longing for an answer; the Doctor gets up from his chair, walks over to Fluttershy and leans close to her ear.
“Some things are better left a mystery,” he says. A chill goes down Fluttershy’s spine. The Doctor leans back from her ear, “We should go, C’mon.” he says. Fluttershy scoots back her chair and gets up and follows the Doctor out of the coffee shop.
Back in the TARDIS, The Doctor plays with the levers and buttons and switches on the TARDIS console when he asks “Fluttershy, um... random question, but . . . What were you doing yesterday in the Everfree forest?” Fluttershy thinks about, suddenly she remembers, THE PARTY!! ,
“Oh no!” she exclaims.
“What is it?” the Doctor asks her.
Fluttershy slaps her forehead “I was in the forest to find blossom berries for the feast I was making for that night! And I missed it!!” she starts to shout.
“Okay, first things first. Calm down. Now, what kind of machine is this?” the Doctor points to the TARDIS console.
Fluttershy rolls her eyes, How can he be quizzing me at a time like this?!, “It’s a machine that bigger on the inside and can travel anywhere in time an-” it hits her “It’s a time machine!!!” she exclaims, relief washing over her.
The Doctor claps his hooves together., “Yes! I can take back to your cottage and since you need berries,” he trots to what looks like a closet and goes in, when he comes out, he’s carrying a basket of blossom berries! He hands the basket to Fluttershy.
“Oh, thank you, Doctor!” she hugs him.
“Well then, malady,” the Doctor says as he pulls away, “We’d best be off.” He and Fluttershy trot back up to the console, the Doctor pulls and switches and pushes buttons and levers and things all over the TARDIS,
“And,” he says as he pulls a big blue lever “We’re off!”. The whole TARDIS starts shaking and wheezing like before, Fluttershy laughs from experience, and the Doctor smiles. “Ponyville, in 2014!” he shouts as he sways his head back.
Fluttershy is so happy, she can’t help it. “Whooooooo!!” she shouts at the top of her lungs.
~~~~~~
Finally, the shaking and wheezing stops. “Well, here we are,” says the Doctor kind of slowly. He knows this is where this ends. Fluttershy also knows but is afraid to admit it. Fluttershy walks slowly to the TARDIS doors, but as she’s about to push open the doors, she spins around and looks at the Doctor.
“Will I ever see you again?” she asks him.
The Doctor looks up and his expression in a jumble, as if just saying Huh?, he looks at the ceiling, “I don’t know,” he says “We might, but it isn’t likely.”
Fluttershy looks at the floor. Finally, she opens the doors. “Goodbye Doctor.” She walks out the TARDIS doors to find herself in front of her cottage. Wow, it’s like I’ve been gone for months. Fluttershy goes in and walks into the kitchen. The feast was still fresh. Fluttershy places the basket of blossom berries and looks around.
The Doctor is playing with his levers and buttons, “Why are you so emotional? She was just another pony, nothing special about her,” the Doctor tells himself. He stops and looks at the floor. Suddenly, Fluttershy runs back into the TARDIS and runs up to the Doctor, What is she doing back here? she has her berries and she’s home wh-, the Doctors thought train is stopped short by a pair of soft pink lips pressing to his, the Doctor presses into the kiss, warmth spreading through his entire body. Fluttershy pulls back
“Thank you Doctor. Please, come see me again.” She lets go of him and turns and runs out the doors of the TARDIS. When Fluttershy gets back in her cottage she goes straight to cooking her feast, smiling the whole time she cooks. Suddenly, she hears the TARDIS’s wheezing. The Doctor is leaving me. All of a sudden, Fluttershy hears the doorbell ring. My friends! Fluttershy rushes to the door, “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!” all her friends shout as Fluttershy opens the door.
Fluttershy smiles. “Hello, everypony!” she says cheerfully.
“Hey girl! Aren't you gonna invite us in?” Pinkie Pie asks, so bouncy it’s hard to look at her without getting dizzy.
Fluttershy grins “Of course, you guys, please, come in.” she says as she makes way for her friends to come in.
~~~~~~
At the dinner table: Fluttershy and her friends talk loudly amongst themselves. “So, Fluttershy, what have you been doing this week?” Twilight asks, curiously leaning over the table looking at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy thinks about her week very hard so she doesn't forget anything, “Well, since you mention it . . I needed more bossom berries for the pie, and I had to go to the Everfree forest to get some.As I was walking through the forest . . . ” Fluttershy starts to tell the story of how she met the Doctor and how he showed her that all the most amazing things don’t look amazing at all.
The End.
