Doctor Who: The Equine Doctorby CTOONfan1ChaptersPrologueChapter 1Chapter 3Chapter 2PrologueNothing was truly out of the ordinary that day. The birds chirped as they flew over the bustling town of Ponyville. The citizens of the town were doing their daily activities as they have every day. Yes, all was peaceful in the land. All was quiet. Suddenly, a strange blur sped through the main street, disrupting the peace that the town once had. The creature, whatever it was, didn't seem to take into account the livelihoods it was ruining as it knocked over several stands full of freshly grown fruit. The town was left in a state of confusion as they watched it continue to run down the dirt road. This led them to not pay much attention to the Earth pony that was chasing it, pegasus in tow. "Wh-what is that thing?" the gray pegasus asked, flustered having to keep up with the surprisingly fast colt. "I have no idea, Derpy," he said, a look of delight on his face. "Isn't it wonderful?" "Wonderful? It just demolished half of the marketplace!" "Like I haven't done worse on a good day. It's wonderful because I've never seen this species before. In all of my travels, I have no memory of anything like it. It's brilliant!" "If you - OW - say so - OOF!" The poor girl couldn't help but bump into fallen debris. Not being the most coordinated of ponies doesn't help when there are things constantly in your way. She wouldn't try so hard to keep up with him, but after all the time she's been with him, she knows what drives him like this. This was what he lived for. He had told her so many stories about things he had seen and done. He had lived for such a long time, and seen almost everything you could imagine. That's why he gets so excited when something new comes along. Even when she first ran into him, he was excited just by his own four hooves and the world that was so normal to her. "Come on! He's getting away!" She heard him call to her and snapped out of it. The colt quickly boosted his speed, leaning into a turn as the thing started running for the Everfree Forest. "We're gonna lose it in the forest!" she screamed, aware of how thick and monster-infested those woods were. "Oh no we're not," he said, focus still on the task at hand. "Allons-y!" "Okay, girls. Ah think we can confirm bear wrestlin' has nothin' to do with our cutie marks." Apple Bloom was sore in places she didn't think could be sore. She and the other crusader barely escaped the clutches of a rather angry bear during their latest attempt to find their place in the world. Sweetie Belle seemed almost in a state of shock from the experience: her pupils small and her face, normally a shade of white anyway, was incredibly pale. Scootaloo seemed the most unaffected by the event, besides the large chunk taken out of her hair. "H-h-how does Fluttershy do it?" Sweetie Belle said, staring off into nothing. "S-s-she got that bear to s-s-stop so easily." "Well Fluttershy's got that… animal thing," Scootaloo waved her hoof in the air while trying to describe it.. "But did you see her scare that bear off? It was all 'RAWR!', and Fluttershy was like, 'Nope', and the bear was all like, 'Oh no! The mighty Fluttershy! I must flee!' It was awesome!" 'Is she serious?!' Apple Bloom thought. Walking up to her friend, she said, "How can y'all be so happy right now? We nearly died!" "Yeah, but we didn't," she rebutted. "Besides, we got so close to wrestling it. We were on its back!" "Yeah, but it's not like it would let us tackle it to the ground! I mean, look at Sweetie Belle!" She motioned to her barely moving friend. "I'm not even sure she still knows what's goin' on!" "I… bear… so much… boom!"The poor purple maned filly wasn't even forming complete sentences anymore. "Also, the last time I checked, your mane wasn't this short," Apple Bloom said, flipping the end of Scootaloo's trimmed mane with her right hoof. "Okay, I admit it. Trying to wrestle a 200-lb bear wasn't my best idea." she said, walking away from her friends. She started contemplating something, which sent a chill down Apple Bloom's spine. After that last brilliant idea, she didn't know what will come out of her mouth. "Got it!" She turned back to her friends. "Who's up for Cutie Mark Crusader Deep Sea Archery?" "Y'know what?" Apple Bloom said, faking a yawn. "I'm mighty tired. I should probably just head on home. Maybe we'll do it later, Scoots. See ya!" And with that, she bolted as far away from the current situation as she could. "Aw. Too bad." said Scootaloo, her head hanging in disappointment. "Well what should we do now, Sweetie Belle?" There wasn't a response. "Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo turned to her friend, and poked her with a hoof. Sweetie then proceeded to collapse to the floor, strangely in the same position as she was standing up. Apple Bloom just needed to rest for a while. She didn't mean to be so rude to Scootaloo. She meant well and all, but sometimes things just go a bit too extreme. 'Maybe this is just the risk you have to take to get your cutie mark.' she thought. And it made sense to her. If you don't try everything, why try at all? A small lake was coming up on the left. She stopped a moment and thought she probably could use a bath. Her coat may have gotten dirty in the struggle, and Applejack would be suspicious if she saw her like that. Apple Bloom ran to the lake and saw her reflection. She actually looked pretty clean now that she saw herself. Her face was a bit dirty, though. She stuck her head underwater and moved it around to shake loose the filth. She kept it underwater for a second just to relax and pulled herself out. She could've sworn she heard a whooshing sound as she pulled out. She didn't pull her head out that fast, did she? One quick look, and she saw her bow was slightly off. She fixed it quick, and everything was as if it didn't happen. She took one last look, and, with eyes closed, turned around and walked toward home. Her nose hit something hard. It caused her to fall backward and land on her rump. As she looked up to see what got in her way, she saw something almost unnatural. She got back up and walked around it for a closer inspection. It looked like a blue box with windows. There were the words "Police Public Call Box" written on the sides of it. On the part where she bumped into, she saw there were double doors with a sign on the left giving some sort of instructions. This mysterious item confused her. She knew it wasn't there a second ago. Heck, she was standing in the exact same spot it was now only a minute ago! She looked around. Nopony was around to drop the box off, and she didn't think a unicorn's magic could levitate things that far away. In any case, the door to the box really made her curious. What could be inside such an out of place thing? Curiosity overwhelming her, she reached a hoof up and touched the handle. The door shook a little and she jerked her hoof back. Something was in there! She didn't want it to see her. What if it was dangerous? Thinking as quickly as she could, she ran straight into the nearest bush, and peeked at the box as its cargo opened the door wide and stepped out. Her eyes grew wider than she knew they could go. The creature definitely wasn't a pony. To tell the truth, she didn't know what this thing was! "You are NOT getting away from me!" the colt said, still chasing the creature who was now trying to lose him through the Everfree Forest. Not being used to walking on four hooves, the creature was succeeding at throwing him off through the trees. It's not like he hadn't faced tougher trials in the past, but back then he had perfect balance. Still he was determined to understand what that thing was. He couldn't even get a good look at the poor thing it was moving so fast. He didn't know much, but if there was anything he could tell, this thing was afraid. Of what, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he wanted to help him in any way he could. He knows what it feels like to be alone and scared. The creature seemed to realize that he wasn't going to lose this guy. He quickly turned to the left, being disguised by some trees. The colt knew exactly what he was trying to do, and he proceeded to, as quickly as possible, make the very same turn to pursue the beast. He then proceeded to run face first into a tree. Everything was blurry until he heard the familiar thumps of his companion arriving. She let out a final "ouch" as she made it to help him back up. "Are you okay?" She looked around. "What happened to the monster?" "It's not a monster," he said, checking to see if his muzzle was still in its socket. "It's alien. And it got away. Not sure how, though. I was watching it clear as day, and it just… disappeared." Derpy thought about it for a second, and said, "Do you think it could've teleported?" "No," he said. "It wasn't magical. I would've heard something." He gave another scan of the area, and said, "In any case, it looks like we're at a dead end. We'll wait for it to show its face again, y'know if it has one, and then we'll figure this whole thing out." "But what if it doesn't show its face again?" "Oh it will. I've seen this sort of thing enough times to realize that these things pop up again eventually." As they began their walk back to town, Derpy asked, "Do you really think we can get this thing?" "Of course," he friend reassured. "Do you remember who you're talking to?" "Barcelona!" The strange creature said as he stepped out of the box. "Finally some time for rest, relaxation, and…" He lowered his sunglasses to show his eyes as he examined the sight in front of him. "… brightly colored… everything." Apple Bloom didn't know what to make of him. At least she thought it was a colt she was looking at. He stood up on his hind legs like a diamond dog. His body seemed almost completely hairless save for the mane cut short on top of his head. What covered the rest of him beside his head was a brown suit with a buttoned-up shirt under it, strange coverings on his hind legs, some type of shoes, and… a bowtie? Whatever he was, he didn't have very good taste. Just as quickly as he left it, the thing went right back into the box. She could hear him doing stuff inside. He seemed to be talking to himself. "I know I specifically set the controls to Barcelona. This isn't Barcelona. This isn't even the CITY Barcelona! Kind of a letdown, to be honest. Where are we anyway?" We? Is there somepony else in there with him? How could somepony even fit in that thing with him? "Well this can't be right." He started talking again, so Apple Bloom redirected her attention. "According to this, I'm nowhere near where I set the coordinates. In fact, I don't think I've ever been to this part of the universe." There was a short pause, and then he started talking quieter. "A new world to explore. Not passing this up." He stepped back outside of the box, and said, "Alright, Not Barcelona, what secrets do you hold." He gave the area a quick look around. "The environment seems almost Earth-like, but the colors are much more vibrant." He approached a tree, and started feeling it with his front hoof. "The trees feel very… treeish. I really don't know what I was expecting." He left the tree and bent down to the ground. "The grass is apparently much greener on the other side of the universe, and the dirt taste…" He scraped the ground and put an appendage coming out of his hoof to his mouth. "… like dirt. Which is sort of a good thing… but a bit disappointing." He wiped his tongue of leftover ground on it. "Not to mention disgusting. "Overall this place just seems like a more stylized Earth, as if I walked into some sort of cartoo… wait." The colt paused for a moment. "Something doesn't feel right." He tapped the ground with his right hind hoof. "The planet isn't turning." He went back to the ground and put his ear to it. "The planet is absolutely still in it's orbit. But that makes no sense." He looked back up. "The Sun is clearly moving across the sky at a relatively normal pace. How can that… unless… no…" He stared up at the sky for a little longer, and almost seemed stunned. "Unless the Sun is orbiting the planet. That's a new one." Apple Bloom couldn't have been more confused. This guy just seemed to be shouting a lot of nonsense and eating dirt. She figured he wasn't any kind of danger. It was more like he was a loon. Then again, a crazy person could be dangerous. Seeing if she could maybe try talking to it since it obviously could talk, she left the bushes and slowly walked towards the creature. She wasn't sure how he was going to behave once she met with him, but from the way he was acting he'd probably try sticking her in his mouth. …With that thought in her head, she turned around and started to walk away. "Well hello there." She froze in place. Was he addressing her? She turned her head to face the colt, who was now looking directly at her. There wasn't any escaping now. "It's okay," he said. "I'm friendly. You don't have anything to worry about. Come on." She slowly turned around, and started walking towards him. He bent low to the ground and stretched out his forelegs and kept motivating her to come to him. She didn't know why she trusted him so much, but she just… did. She couldn't explain it. As she finally got close enough to the thing, he reached out his right foreleg and started to rub her head. It seemed weird to her, but she wasn't going to tell him to stop. It felt really good. "You seem equine in nature. Quite smaller than the ones on Earth, muzzle a little shorter, eyes wider, but still equine all in all. Who would've known I'd be finding alien horses on my vacation trip." Horse?! "Hey!" she screamed. "Ah am not a horse! Ah'm a pony!" This seemed to surprise him. He almost seemed at a loss of words, which was a surprise to her as well. "Scratch what I just said. I found talking alien ponies on my trip." He stopped rubbing her head (which saddened her a little) and sat down. "So… you speak English. At least I'm pretty sure since the TARDIS doesn't seem to be translating right now." "TARDIS?" Apple Bloom asked. "And why is it such a shock I can talk? Ah'm not a baby!" "That's not what I meant, and it doesn't matter," the colt said. "I've seen a lot of things talk. This isn't that big of a surprise. So tell me, my little pony. What's your name?" She looked at the ground for a second? Was it smart to give this guy her name? He just walked out of a box and ate dirt? In any case, it seemed like he could be trusted. "A-Apple Bloom. Who're you?" The man gave a snide smile at these words. "Who am I? "I'm the Doctor." "I'm the Doctor." ♪ The Doctor Apple Bloom Doctor Whooves Derpy Hooves in The Equine Doctor Written by CTOONfan1 Chapter 1"…Doctor?" said Apple Bloom. She still wasn't sure what to make of this guy. He didn't seem to be a threat, except maybe to himself. Plus, he acted as if he had never seen a pony before. She guessed it would be best to learn more about him. "Doctor what?" "Just the Doctor," he replied. She was confused. "Just the Doctor?" "That's right. D-O-C-T-O-R. That's my name." "Aw c'mon," she said, bending her legs a bit. "You've gotta have more to yer name than Doctor." "You're right." Apple Bloom perked up. "It's THE Doctor." She proceeded to slouch down. Standing back up, she took a look behind the him. "So what's the deal with the big blue box?" The Doctor turned to his box and said, "You mean this?" She nodded. He walked over to his oldest companion, leaned on her, and said, "Oh this is just my time traveling space ship that just happens to look like a blue police box from London, England, Earth. It's called the TARDIS." They sat in silence for a moment, but eventually Apple Bloom said, "Y'know if you didn't wanna tell me, I'da taken a "none of yer business," right?" He tapped his fingers on the TARDIS a few times, and said, "Well I suppose it's a bit hard to believe. Then again a world with talking ponies would also be a bit of a stretch for some. Still, you're pretty skeptic for a child. At least I believe you're a child. Not entirely sure about this planet." "Has anyone ever told ya you're a bit weird?" she asked. The Doctor smiled and said, "All the time. Now you've asked me plenty of questions, and while I'm always open for one, I'd like to ask you some of my own. Tell me: where exactly am I?" "Uh…" she looked around, trying to get a good grasp on exactly where they were. "I'd say we're about half a mile away from Sweet Apple Acres." He assumed that was a place and not a town. "No no no. I mean where is this. This area. Is this a town or a village of some sort?" "Oh! Why didn't ya say so? We're in Ponyville!" "Pony…ville." He turned around, talking to himself. "Okay think this through, Doctor. A village possibly full of talking ponies. Brightly colored everything. Apple Bloom's constant staring… Why are you looking at my bum?" Apple Bloom was surprised. How did he notice if he was looking the other way? "Sorry. I just wanted to see your cutie mark, but I can't tell what it is through your clothes." He turned back around, this time with him being confused. "Cutie mark? What's that?" "Y'know." She was the one who had to explain? "The mark you get on your flank when you've learned what yer best at in life." The Doctor furrowed his brow. He leaned slightly to the left, and noticed nothing of the sort on his new friend. It was extremely awkward to do knowing this was a child he was eyeing. "How come you don't have one?" She has asked that exact same question so many times to herself. Not once did she come up with an answer. Hanging her head, she sadly told him. "I haven't earned mine yet. I've tried almost everythin' I can think of, but I haven't earned it yet." "And these… 'marks'… do you have to… do something special in order for them to appear?" "I guess it depends on your definition of special." She tried to think of a good way to explain the thing everypony knew about. "If yer special talent's bein' an acrobat, I guess you'd be happy to find a tight rope or somethin' for a cutie mark sometime. If yer good with cleanin' and stuff, I'm sure yer happy to get a janitor related cutie mark, whatever that’d be. I guess a mop?" Brandings that associate what type of career you'll partake in for life? That didn't seem very appealing to him. He guessed on this world, people were happy having a place where they belonged. Though with that in mind, he started wondering what his cutie mark would be. The TARDIS? A sonic screwdriver? Whatever the case, he was being sidetracked. "In any case, how do you get a mark? Does someone give it to you or something?" "What? No. If it were that easy, don't you think I'd've asked someone for one by now? They just… appear, y'know?" "Out of nowhere?" he asked. "They just show up out of the blue when you learn what you're destined to do for the rest of eternity?" "Well yeah. I mean- wait a minute! Everypony knows this! Are you sayin' you don't know what a cutie mark is?" The Doctor nodded his head. "So you don't have ah cutie mark." He shook his head. "Huh. Ah guess you guys don't get them." "'You guys?'" he asked. Apple Bloom didn't realize how that sounded. "A-ah didn't mean it like that! I just meant-" "I know what you meant, Apple Bloom," He understood perfectly. "Are you saying you've never seen someone like me before?" She shook her head, confirming his suspicion. "And how long have you live in… 'Ponyville'?" "Uh… Ah don't think ah've ever 'not'." The Doctor stood up, and he began to pace back and forth. "So if you're telling the truth, this world hasn't seen anything like me, which I assume means homo sapien-like creatures. This town in a long time, at least. If that's the case, walking through the middle of town would be like dropping an iPad into a small village in Africa - they'll have no clue what I am and when they interact with me they'll begin to panic. That would make exploration difficult. "But here's the thing: I have to explore this world because the TARDIS doesn't take me just anywhere unless there's a reason. What that reason is, I have to find out on my own. So-" "Uh, mister?" The Doctor paused for a moment and looked down at Apple Bloom. "Could ya slow down a bit. I'm not followin'." He looked away for a moment, and said, "Sadly no. Long story short, though, is that I'll need a disguise so I can get around town. Now what can I disguise myself as?" He thought for a moment, and an idea came to mind. "Tell me, Apple Bloom. Are there any ponies about my height that you've seen?" "Well yeah." She knew of at least one who was as tall as him. "I know one. It's-" "Brilliant!" he said in delight. He looked left and right, and said in a softer voice, "Now I have to tell you something important. Come closer." Apple Bloom walked closer to the man. "A little closer." He bent down as Apple Bloom walked right up to him. He leaned close to her ear. "OW!" she screamed. She put her hoof up to wear the pain was coming from. Did he just pull out one of her hairs? "Thank you!" He said, walking back towards his box. "Now just give me a few minutes and I'll be right back with you." He entered the box and closed the door. Apple Bloom ran up to the door and banged on it as hard as she could. "HEY! Get back out here and tell me why you ripped out one of my hairs?!" "Just a moment!" She could hear rustling inside. "I'll be right out!" She really didn't know what to do. She should probably be getting home. Applejack's probably worried. … On the other hand, she was kinda curious about where this was going. She decided to sit down and wait for him, because honestly something about this stallion makes her curious. After waiting for a few seconds, she asked, "Um… what are ya doin' in there?" "Looking for something!" he said, his voice muffled like he was farther away. She tilted her head in confusion. "How hard can anything be to find in there?" "So it turns out that most of the Parliament had actually been replaced by a species of alien called Raxacoricofallapatorians. Ugly creatures, they are." "Raxicopo…. Raxicorn… Rax… UGH! What are they called again?" The Doctor chuckled. His pegasi friend always did have trouble with alien pronunciation. For a while now, he's made a habit of sharing personal experiences with her while she makes her mail run. He doesn't really have a job that needs to be done, so he accompanies her on her duties. "Raxacoricofallapatorians. They were the Slitheen family." "Slitheen… Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Sometimes she was so irritated by how the Doctor would choose the most difficult way to say the easiest things. 'We went fast through the Time Vortex' sounds easier than, 'Using the thrust of the dimensional rift, we were able to jet through the Time Vortex at supersonic speeds' or something like that. "Because that's just the family name," he explained. "Tell ya just that, and you'll start thinking there's a species called the Slitheen walking around. On the planet Slitheenia. Doing Slitheenian things." "Stop it, Doctor. I'm not stupid." "Oh c'mon, Derpy. You know I'm only kidding. You're one of the most intelligent ponies I've met here." Derpy blushed as she got mail out of her bag to deliver. "R-really? Thanks! You know, people don't really say that much because of my… you know. It's nice to hear something like that every once in a… you never let me go on this long." One look at him and she knew something was up. He was staring at the ground as he walked. More likely, he was staring at his hooves as he walked. "Doctor?" He sighed. "I've been stuck here for months, Derpy. Months. I don't have a clue where my TARDIS has gone, and we haven't been able to get a single inkling as to where it could be. I like it here, I do. It's so peaceful and friendly. I just wish I had my ship back." That wasn't the whole reason he was saddened. He just didn't want to tell her that he missed how life was before he got there. Always on adventure after adventure, exploring the universe all throughout time, and somehow running into trouble everywhere he turned. Not to mention the use of hooves over hands was really starting to get on his nerves. Staying in one place for so long hasn't happened to him in what was literally several lifetimes ago. It's the reason he was so invested in these strange monster sightings that kept popping up. Just a little excitement is what he needed, and this felt like the good old days. Derpy closed the mailbox and said, "I'm sure we'll get a lead somewhere. Until then, you're still the best time manager in Ponyville!" He couldn't help but laugh at this. Ever since he got there, the mayor found his great handle of time as a valuable asset. He's since been responsible for maintaining the current time on the town's clock tower, as well as a few odd jobs around town. He's still not sure how he was put in charge of the hourglass during the Apple family and Flim Flam brothers competition, but he wasn't complaining. "And besides," she said ,flying backwards to face him. "You've got me, right? I'm always here to back you up!" She proceeded to hit the next mailbox from behind, knocking it over, and collapse to the ground. Doctor put his hoof to his face. He chuckled a bit, and said, "I'll make sure to back up your back up. Deal?" Derpy laughed. "Deal!" *bang* *bang* *bang* Maybe she should've went home. The Doctor had been in his box for what felt like hours. She didn't have a watch, so that was estimating. She's been passing her time by banging her head over and over on the box's door. "You do realize time doesn't pass by faster that way, right? I should know, I've experimented." One of the first things she heard from him and forever. "Could you hurry it up? It been like a whole day!" "It's only been 22 minutes." "Felt like a day to me." She glanced at the handle. What in Equestria could someone do for 22 minutes in a box that small? Having had enough of this waiting, she got back on her hooves and reached for the handle. "Ah've had just about enough-" "Finished!" The Doctor quickly got out of the box and closed the door. Apple Bloom tumbled onto her back from the surprise. He was staring at something in his hand as he left, so when he looked down, he got a strange look. "Do ponies on this planet lay like that? Seems really awkward." Apple Bloom grunted. "No!" She rolled back on her hooves, and walked over to him. "Now what were you doin' in there so long?" She looked left and right. She started to whisper. "Ya can tell me. Is that thing an outhouse, and ya just had to take a big one?" "My TARDIS is not an outhouse!" He sounded offended by this statement. "If you must know, I was… oh! Ponies here use toilets. That's good. Started worrying I'd have to watch my step. Eh, never mind. What I've been doing was… this!" He held out a small metal object hanging by a chain. On closer inspection, it appeared to be some sort of clock. "Uh… you were looking for your watch?" "Watches!" Doctor smiled. "You've got those, too! Wow, this planet is brilliant so far!" He notices the girl's odd look. "Well yes, it's a watch. A pocket watch. I picked this up a few years ago on vacation to Florence. Oh that reminds me. I never gave her that wig back. Anyways, I've used this object to created a perception filter." "A… perception wha?" She coked her head slightly to the side. "Perception FILTER." he said. "It emits a telepathic field around the individual possessing it in order to delude the mind of others in order to go unnoticed for how they truly are. "I once used one of these to direct attention away from myself and a group of my friends, but I'm on a completely new planet. I want to actually talk to people. Well you're not really people, are you. Do you say people or something else?" He didn't notice how Apple Bloom didn't seem to be paying attention. He snapped his fingers, and immediately got her to refocus. "Hey! I just said impressive things and then asked a question. Did you hear any of that?" A head shake later, she said, "Ya do realize I'm only a kid, right? Ya lost me after you said that tele-somethin' or other word." He should've guessed explaining this to a small child wouldn't be easy. "Okay then. Visual demonstration. What do you think about… THIS!" He plopped the watch's neck chain around his head and let it hang. He put his arms up in the air, ready for a response. Apple Bloom blinked. "Wow. Ya look just like… yourself with a clock around yer neck." It was true. Apple Bloom didn't see any kind of change in the stallion's appearance. The Doctor blinked for a few moments, and then slapped his front hoof to his face. "Of course! It won't work on you because you've seen my face. Know what I look life. Your mind can't be tricked by it." He walked over to the lake, and said, "Now look," while motioning to the water. A bit suspicious that he could just be some crazy guy with a box, she slowly walked over to the lake. She looked down, expecting to just see their reflections, but ended up tumbling back at what he saw. "You seem to do that a lot. Do you have some sort of problem with standing upright?" "B-b-but… but that's not…" She couldn't seem to find the words to describe what she saw. "That's not you!" He loved these reactions. "Actually it is. Just a different me." Staring back at the Doctor from the calm stretch of water was a stallion. A stallion close to the same color as his jacket, same colored eyes, and roughly the same size as him. He still wore the jacket and bow tie, although she didn't understand why. On his head was a horn about one third a meter long and on his back was a pair of wings, of which he currently had unfolded to show their large glory. "But… but… but you don't look anything like that!" she screamed, not letting herself understand. "What kind of spell changes what ya look like in a mirror?" "It's not magic," he said. "It's a perception filter. To you, I look like me with a clock around my neck, but to everyone else, this is what I look like. That hair I plucked from your head was full of pony DNA. Can you believe it? I was able to run that DNA into the perception filter, and it allows me to disguise myself as a pony version of me! Isn't this amazing? I'm so tall! The back legs are controlled by my mind, so I can move them freely. And look!" He turned to the side. "An hourglass for one of those "cute marks" you were talking about!" Two things rang through her mind as she saw this. One, how could this guy make something like this. Two, how does he get a cutie mark in his first second as a pony when she can't get hers after hundreds of attempts?! "One problem, though. I've tried rewriting the layout on the filter several times, but for some reason I couldn't get rid of this horn or wings. I mean really! A pony with a horn and wings. How bizarre is that?" He looked to Apple Bloom, and the pony in the water mirrored him. "Do you think people will notice? I mean, you said there were ponies this tall, right? Do you think they'll notice the horn and stuff?" She didn't know exactly how to explain to him these 'odd' things he's talking about would pretty much make him royalty. "Well ya might get a few stares. There is one thing that ponies might think looks a li'l bit weird, though." "Really? What?" She looked back down. "Why does your pony self got red hair?" The Doctor looked back down, and he was sad. Yes, he modified the filter to make his pony self have a red mane and tail. He thought that this was his best chance. But seeing it now… "It does look a bit weird, doesn't it?" He sighed and pulled out a brown device from his pocket. He pointed it at the watch, and a green light and high-pitch noise came from it. The reflection then changed its color so the hair now looked exactly like his actual haircut. "Better?" "Better. Uh... what is that?" "Sonic screwdriver," He waved it at her, and looked down at the reflection. He noticed the screwdriver seemed to just be floating in midair with some sort of blue aura around it. He made sure to take a note of that as he placed the screwdriver back in his coat pocket. "Well then!" His eyes twinkled with curiosity. "Let's go meet some ponies!" Chapter 3“Wow... this is just terrible.” Time Turner and Derpy trotted over broken boards and collapsed signs as they took a look around the wreckage of the marketplace. Shop owners had gathered to mourn the loss of their work, and a few had begun gathering up the scraps of their stands. The mayor walked up behind them, going to Turner and saying, “We’re at least lucky no one was injured in the mess. Stands can be rebuilt and food can be grown, but if a single pony was injured because of this... it would be unfortunate.” Derpy approached one pile of wood in particular, and rummaged through the debris. She managed to find something there: a crumbled, crushed muffin, the blueberries visible in the dent made from the plank that was on it. “Souflay’s stand. I’d always stop by on my route, and he’d give me a fresh muffin right out of the oven.” She looked around, wondering if she could spy him anywhere. “Where is he?” “He’s fine,” Mayor Mare asured her. “He’s gotten a few days off until we can sort through this. Don’t worry, though. Those affected will be paid accordingly for the damages.” “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!” They turned to the sound of agony coming from none other than Time Turner. Derpy ran to his side and asked, “What? What’s wrong?” “Why... why, why, why... out of every single thing here... DID THIS SURVIVE?!” Confused, she turned her direction in front of him. What he was cursing was a stand on wheels, but not just any stand. This stand sold a certain type of fruit... pears. “Isn’t it just some kind of luck? Why couldn’t the cherry stand survive instead? I could at least make a good pun from that. But no. We get pears.” He actually sounded devastated by this. Derpy couldn’t understand his fixation on this fruit, but her train of thought changed when she noticed the stand next to them. A familiar sign was sticking out of the ground, and when she went to move it over, she was saddened to know who it belonged to. “Oh no...” Time Turner stopped his tirade against the evil pears to notice what was making his companion upset. As he approached the wreckage himself, he saw the sign was decorated rather beautifully with a golden paint, making extravagant symbols as it formed around a single apple. “The Apple Family’s stand.” A closer inspection revealed the sign to be surrounded by various types of apple delicacies - pies, tarts, fritters, and even some jars once filled with juice - now crushed and destroyed under the weight of what they once rested upon. “This is so sad,” Derpy said, both eyes focused on the mess. “Well they can rebuild the stand, of course. Plus, the desserts and such can be remade. Last time I checked, apples DO grow on trees around here.” “That’s not the sad part... wait. Why are you so sentimental about the apples? Doesn’t one a day keep the Doctor away?” She crossed one hoof over another. He gave her a look of annoyance “Oh c’mon, Derpy. You know I don’t hate apples.” Under his breath, he whispered, “If I ever find who came up with that phrase...” “But that’s not what’s sad about it.” He redirected his attention back to her, now curious on what she meant by that. “You see... that stand... that stand was-” “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Whatever Derpy was about to say was cut short by a loud cry coming from the mayor. They immediately rushed to her side. With her now was a white mare with black hair that Time Turner believed to be her assistant. The mayor herself appeared to be in distress, panting heavily with panic in her eyes. “What is it?! What’s wrong?” Derpy tried comforting the panicking political leader, but all attempts to calm her down seem to fail. “Eh geh geh,” she said. “Hah blah tr-tro... rooooooo roy-roy...” Turner turned to the assistant and asked, “What’s wrong with her?” “I-I’m not sure... all I did was tell her that preparations were ready for the representative from Trottingham-” The mayor, in a burst of fear, screamed, “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!” Frantically, she zipped back and forth between the two ponies, screaming, “How could I possibly forget something as important as this?! A representative from the city of Trottingham is visiting Ponyville on their path to Canterlot. When they arrive, they’re going to see... THIS!!!” She motioned to the surrounding area. “W-well...” Turner tried to think of something to calm her down. “He might not mind-” “I don’t want to risk that! If he sees this, it could be an embarrassment on royal levels. Quite literally!” She looked around. “Why are you all just standing around?! Pick up plywood and hurry!!!” She grabbed a plank in her mouth, and threw it in a nearby trash can. She continued to do this pattern, clearing an area of debris. “Right! No job’ll be done from standin’ around shooting the breeze. C’mon, Derpy!” He led his friend back to the pile they were at before, and proceeded to follow in the mayor’s example. Derpy wanted to focus on the job at hand, but something was eating at her for a while now. The stallion moving the boards into sections on what to pick first was just about to tell her something before this mess was their responsibility. Now that they were at peace again, maybe it was time for her to see what he was going to do. “Um... Doctor?” Turner spit a piece of wood into a nearby dumpster. “Yes?” “R-remember when we were at my house?” “You mean ten minutes ago? Yeah.” “W-well...” She didn’t know if she wanted to know now. What if he wasn’t trying to say what she thought he was? Maybe it would be best to not ask. On the other hand she already had his attention, and she asked about this morning. If she withdrew now, he would only ask more questions. She knew that she had to face her fears and make him answer her. She must! This could be her only chance! She took a breath and calmly asked, “DOCTORWHATWEREYOUGOINGTOASKMEEARLIER?!?!” Dead silence. At least she meant for that to be calm. She was lucky the mayor wasn’t around for that, otherwise she’d have to explain when Time Turner got a medical degree. “Uh...,” Turner said, wide-eyed and confused, “it doesn’t really matter now. The moment’s passed.” “Well, you see, I was just curious since we were interrupted when you were trying to ask me, and now that we’re...” She quickly looked around, noticing all those helping with clean up around her. “...alone... how about you ask me now.” “Eh... I don’t think it really matters anymore. It’s not really the time now, anyway.” She was beginning to become impatient. “Well let’s pretend hypothetically that we were still at my house,” She leaned in a bit when she said hypothetically. “Why don’t you ask what you were going to ask, and I’ll answer it as if we were going to do it right now.” There was an awkward silence. “Just hypothetically speaking, of course.” He appeared to be thinking about it for a moment, but finally he said. “Okay then! Let’s give it a go, shall we?” He held up a hoof to his mouth, and coughed to clear his throat. “Well then, Derpy! Here we are at your house!” He was actually going to act like they were at her house. This should be interesting, she thought. “Yeah... Doctor. Well I... guess I better be going now!” “Oh! Wait! While you’re here, I was wanting to ask you something.” “Yes?!” She started twitching in anticipation. “I mean, us being together right now, I don’t feel like I shouldn’t ask.” “Yes?!?!” “Derpy... I was wondering if you-” His ears perked up. Turning to face behind him, he said, “...heard something just now?” “YES!!!” “Good. I thought it was just me.” He broke out into a sprint between two tents. “C’mon. We’ll be back to work on the wreckage before Mrs. Mare even notices.” As Turner disappeared from sight, Derpy stood there with a smile on her face and confusion in her head. Shaking it out, she unfurled her wings, took off from the ground, and followed the clueless Time Lord. “Wait for me, Doctor!” Maybe she could get it out of him later... “We’re almost there!” “I can see that.” Maybe it was unfair that the Doctor was taller than Apple Bloom by so much, because he was able to see the small town just ahead. If he heard Apple Bloom correctly, the town was called “Ponyville”, which to him still sounded like a strangely straightforward name for a village of ponies. Still, he was excited to finally make it. The short walk almost felt like it took four months from all his excitement. A new species to familiarize himself with, and he can do it while blending in to the people. One thought came to mind, though. “Apple Bloom? You did say there were ponies who look like the filter does, right?” “Uh... yeah?” “Well... I was wondering about the ratio of ponies like this versus ponies like you. That way I can get a better understanding of how to act. Should I be careful of what I say, or could I run into the streets, wings unfurled? Honestly, I’d probably do that, anyway, even if it was a big ratio.” She was afraid of this. He’s asking about alicorns, which Apple Bloom’s pretty sure is a rare breed. Telling the truth might stop him from entering town... and on the other hoof, that could be a good thing. If he’s really so unused to being around other ponies, then he could end up looking stupid and blow his cover. If she can get it out of the way, that might not be a problem. “Hey, Doc?” “What is it, Apple Bloom?” “APPLE BLOOM!” The shriek of young voices were heard as two fillies ran up to the two. Apple Bloom was surprised, as she was sure Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle would’ve been off doing CMC-related activities. “Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? What are y’all doin’ runnin’ like that?” They stopped in their tracks, took a moment to catch their breaths, and Scootaloo said, “We came to see if you were alright. I got Sweetie Belle to calm down enough to do more crusading!” “By ‘calming down’,” said Sweetie, “she means she threw things at me until I moved again.” She rubbed a sore spot on her head. “It worked, right?” Scootaloo asked. Looking back to Apple Bloom, she looked up and froze. Sweetie Belle, taking attention away from her throbbing head, did the same. Both fillies dropped their chins at the large creature before them. ‘Well it was too late to turn back,’ Apple Bloom thought. The filter thing must’ve not worked or something, because they were acting way too over the top for seeing an alicorn. “So you see my friend here, huh?” “You’re... you’re...” Scootaloo said to the Doctor, still blankly staring. The Doctor was actually feeling a bit nervous himself at this point. Was the design of the perception filter just not believable enough? Sweetie finally was the one to speak up. “You’re... you’re a PRINCE!” “Ah know, girls, but you’ve got to understand he’s.... a what?” Sweetie and Scootaloo rushed up to the desguised Time Lord, and Scootaloo said, “I can’t believe you’ve actually made friends with a prince, Apple Bloom!” Even though a bit surprised by the two kid’s words, the Doctor managed to work something out that Apple Bloom failed to mention: ponies this size and with these features did exist. Those ponies, though, were royalty. Now that these two have seen him, he’ll just have to adjust to the situation. “Quite right, she is!” he blurted to Apple Bloom’s surprise. “I met Apple Bloom here right outside Ponyville, and since I was already headed there, I figured, ‘Eh. What the he... ck?’” Have to watch the language around impressionable children. “So me and her got to talking, and now we’re best of friends. Isn’t that right, Apple Bloom?” She couldn’t make words anymore. Everything coming out of her mouth was white noise. What was this guy doing?! “Wow!” Scootaloo said, completely believing the clever lies. “So why are you coming to Ponyville, anyway? Making plans to meet the princess in Canterlot?” Canterlot? The Doctor smirked at the pun, intentional or not. “Uh, yes! Of course, seeing as how Canterlot is... on the way?” He glanced at Apple Bloom. She was able to force out a nod. “... I thought that I would stop by Ponyville and get to know the townsfolk. Take in the culture, eat the food, all of that good stuff!” “That’s so cool!” Sweetie said, incredibly happy to meet the ‘prince’. Apple Bloom was recovering, but still completely surprised. This was actually happening! Her friends were believing the crazy talk of a madman! “Do you mind if we escort you the rest of the way to town Prince...” Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin. “Actually, I don’t know your name.” “Yeah, what’s your name, your highness?” “Oh, excuse my rudeness. I’m the Do- uh, I mean, uh...” What would his name be? I mean, I suppose his name could be “The Doctor”, but Prince Doctor seems a bit silly to him. Apple Bloom was also feeling the pressure. Quickly, she tried to think of a good fake name for the guy. ‘Let’s see... hourglass cutie mark... thing for watches... blue box he called a time machine...’ Light bulb! “Uh... my name... is...” “Prince Chronos!” Apple Bloom appeared out of nowhere, surprising the Doctor. “His name is Prince Chronos.” “Chronos?” Doctor asked. Apple Bloom nudged him with her hoof. “I mean, Chronos! Yeah, that's it. I am Prince Chronos. A pleasure to meet both of you!” Sweetie and Scootaloo both smiled, and Sweetie said, “It’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. Chronos!” “C’mon!” said Scootaloo. “We’re almost to town!” “Hehe...” Doctor got to a knee, and whispered to Apple Bloom. “Chronos? Really?” “You were dying there,” she responded. “Besides, it fits. You’ve got that whole ‘time’ thing after all.” “Yeah, but I could’ve come up with a better name than that! Like, I don’t know, uh... Clockson! That’s a cool name!” Apple Bloom was happy she didn’t leave the naming to him. "Yer Chronos." "Fine." “Hey! Are you coming or not?” They looked up, and the two crusaders were staring at the two, waiting. The Doctor, ready more than ever, hopped back up and said, “Coming!” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but wonder if this was going to end well for them, seeing as how weird the man was. Then she overheard the Doctor talking: “See I was just wondering, why do you assume I’m going to meet with a princess? Wouldn’t it make more sense to visit the queen?” This wasn’t going to end well at all. Author's Note Hey, remember how I had this story I was writing, then I left it on a cliffhanger and didn't update for several months? I have to stop doing that, or the story will finish after the show does. I was gonna make it longer, but you've been waiting long enough as is. Hope you enjoy! Chapter 2Derpy and the Doctor, after a long day of delivering other people's mail, finally arrive at Derpy's home. "Finally! I was starting to think we were in a temporal loop. So many houses look alike in this place." "Oh c'mon, Doctor!" she said with a smile, putting a hoof up to her door. "It's not that bad. I mean, I guess it is at first, but over time you get used to it." "By over time, do you possibly mean more than two months. Because that's how long we've been doing this together. Two months, a week, and 6 days." She gave a surprised look at this remark . "You've counted the days?" "I guess you can say that- well… maybe not counted as much as recalled it- well… not really recalled it either. I just know that's how long it's been. Funny thing, really." "O… kay. Well I guess you'll be off then?" The Doctor was able to book a room in a local motel for free. Working for a government official had its advantages, she guessed. He cocked his head. "I suppose I could, you know. Go back to that stuffy old motel room and just mumble to myself all night, but y'know… I was thinking of something different." She lowered her hoof and turned to face the stallion. "Different?" With a sincere smile, the Doctor looked right into the one focused eye, which he believes is her left one, and said, "Derpy Hooves, would you -" "TIME TURNER!" A shrill voice broke the Doctor's focus. He recognized that voice to be Mayor Mare's. He also recognized the name she was calling. As calling yourself the Doctor often gets strange looks and a large number of questions, he decided it would be better to create an alias to go by while staying here. Eventually he went with the coolest name he could think of. He decided it was probably best to get into the state of mind for this encounter. Time Turner turned to be exhausted mare and said, "Good afternoon, Mayor! How's your day been?" A few gasps later, she put on a smile and said, "Oh just fine, Turner. All is peachy. Y'know, except for how the market square is in shambles…" Turner looked left and right. "Oh right. The monster did cause a bit of damage, didn't he?" "A little!" she screamed. "If this is a little bit of damage, I'd love to see your definition of a lot of it!" "Eh, actually, I think you wouldn't want to see that." There was a pause. "Why would you want to see more damage? We've got enough to deal with as is." She sighed, exhausted from her day of filing insurance reports and preparing an order of several stands. "The point is I could really use your help tidying up. With all of the destruction that thing has caused, we'll need all the help we can get clearing the debris. If you weren't busy, I would very much appreciate a helping hoof." "Well you see-" "Of course you don't have to help us with the destruction you had partially caused," she said, walking away ever so slowly. "I mean we are paying for your stay here in Ponyville, as well as any food costs and additional fees. If you don't feel helping to clean our destroyed marketplace would return the favor, I guess that's your choice…" At this point in his stay here, Time Turner could tell a lot of things about Mayor Mare. One of those things was that she was money grubbing, and would hold anything money related over a person's head until the debt was repaid. He heard a local apple farmer is still in debt to her over some sort of roof fiasco. Without a well-paying job, this wasn't something that would happen anytime soon. He was being paid well enough to get by, but he felt the mayor had some sort of scheme keeping him in this town. Kicking his hoof, he said, "Well alright then! Always willing to help!" "I've noticed…" Derpy mumbled to herself. As he was walking to the cleanup site, Turner turned to Derpy and asked, "Hey! Aren't you coming along?" She looked at the door. She was just going to fix some muffins and rest. But on the other hoof, the Doctor was going to ask her something before he was interrupted. Maybe tagging along would… "Well okay. If you insist." She flapped along behind him as he led the way, giggling a bit at what might come. The Eleventh Doctor and Apple Bloom were still on their way to town when curiosity got the better of him. "Hey, Apple Bloom. Do you mind if I ask a few questions?" "Shoot." "Why was there a weird glowy thing around my sonic screwdriver when it was in my hands?" He got it out and held it in front of him for emphasis. "Your… wha?" She gave a confused look to him. "My sonic screwdriver," he said, putting it in front of her. "You know, this thing. It's really… sonic and stuff." He turned on the device and waved it around. "I know what that is, but it doesn't really answer that question of what either." She looked around, trying to think of a way to not sound dumb when she says it. "…what are hands?" The Doctor stopped in place, causing the filly to stop with him. "Riiiight. Different anatomy, different names. Okay, speed lesson. Hands." He waved jazz hands at Apple Bloom. "Fingers." He wiggled his fingers when he stopped waving his hands. "Arms." He put his left hand on his right arm and then vice versa. "Feet." He lifted his right leg in the air and slapped his foot a few times. "I don't think there's much else I'm missing, but if it comes up, I'll let you know. Any questions?" She thought about it for a moment, before saying, "Nah." "Good. We should be smooth sailing." He continued their stroll to town. "Now back to my first question about the weird glowy stuff. What is that?" "Y'mean magic?" He squinted his eyes at that word. "'Magic'?" "Yeah, magic. Y'know, with a horn. It's all… glowy and stuff." She got a real enjoyment out of reversing his sly mocking from earlier. The Doctor grew a sly smile of his own. He had never found a piece of “magic” that wasn’t just an extremely advanced form of science in some way. Still, Apple Bloom was a child, and she didn’t know any better. Who was he to ruin the child’s imagination. “Oh of course! Magic! That explains that. The weird glowy stuff was just magic levitating my screwdriver in thin air.” “Uh... yeah?” “Now tell me, Apple Bloom, can other ponies besides me cast that type of magic?” “Yeah again. Usually they can do more that just levitation, though.” Hearing this, he decided to humor the girl. He stepped right in front of her and held his arms out. “Well then. Do some magic on me! C’mon, make me disappear into thin air, or turn me into a bunny rabbit or something. Maybe poof me up a fez to wear, if you like.” If it was real, he wanted his priorities straight. She raised an eyebrow. “Y’know I can’t do that.” “Aw, that’s too bad,” he said in a sad tone he was completely faking. “Maybe one day you’ll be powerful enough in the wizarding arts to. Keep practicing!” He returned to walking as she stood in place. “Stop fooling around!” she screamed. “Y’know Earth ponies can’t use magic.” “Maybe you’re just not try-” He stopped again, now raising his hands to his head. "Wait, wait, wait. Earth pony? How can you be an Earth pony? You look nothing like ponies from Earth." "What’re ya talkin’ ‘bout? Does it look like I've got wings or a horn?" His eyes grew wide before thinning into a squint. "Wings… and horns. Y-you mean like… pegasi and unicorns. Like the thing the perception filter disguises me as?" "Um… yeah." She raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, for a grown up, ya don't know much." The words she just said weren't reaching the Doctor's ears. He was too distracted by the millions of thoughts going through his head all at once. If this was true, then what did this mean for Earth's ancient mythology? Could it be possible that these creatures made their way to Earth at some point? Maybe a psychic link implanted the image into their minds through some sort of… he didn't know. What he did know is that this could change his perception on many things. He bent down to Apple Bloom's level and held her still. "Listen to me, Apple Bloom. Just listen. I need you to tell me the whole honest truth and give it to me straight." He breathed in and braced for what he would hear. "If we go into town right now... will there be unicorns and pegusi walking around?" Staring blankly for a moment, she looked to the left for a moment and looking back before saying,”Unless some of them are flying... yes?" With that, he grew a smile that almost reached ear to ear. He let go of Apple Bloom and stood up, doing a twirl before letting out a cry of accomplishment. "Yahoo! Oh, this is amazing! Just amazing! The ponies, the world, the strange glowy stuff, and now I’ve just discovered the stories humans would tell their young at night are completely true! It's just all so cool! So very cool, cool, cool!" Apple Bloom looked suspiciously at him. “Everything?” “Yes. Everything.” Giving a cocky smile, she asked, “Even the bowtie?” He stepped back and put a hand over one of his hearts. “Especially the bowtie! It’s the epitome of cool.” He straightened the bow tie, which by the day was feeling less loved, and said, “If it wasn’t for my high right now, I’d be so cross with you. Didn’t your mother ever teach you to not mock a fellow’s neckwear?” The moment he said it, he could tell that something was wrong. Apple Bloom looked so depressed almost immediately after. “Not really,” she said, quieter than she had ever spoke to him before. “My parents aren’t really... around anymore.” His throat felt like a rock was lodged in it. He didn’t think that this was even a possibility, and in hindsight he saw how rude it was. “Oh... I’m sorry. Then who do you stay with?” “My brother and sister, and my Granny.” “I see.” He couldn’t help but feel bad for the girl. “If you don’t mind my asking... what happened?” I dunno,” she said. “Applejack won’t tell me straight.” “And by Applejack, you mean...” “My sister.” “Gotcha,” he held a hand up for a moment, processing the Apple in both of their names before saying, “Well what do YOU think happened to them?” She thought about it for a moment before saying, “I think they’re off on some sorta business trip or somethin’. They’ll probably be back eventually, right?” He didn’t want to approach this directly. Best to keep her happy. “Yes, of course. They’re on a business trip! They’re probably exploring to world, seeing new sights, and will come home one day with a bag of money and a story for every day of the year.” This seemed to brighten up her mood. “We should really keep going.” She strolled along with a bounce in her step as the Doctor followed, feeling some strange case a deja vu in the whole situation. Somewhere completely different, a figure buried in shadow calls out to an unknown person. “Have you found him yet?” Several button mashes are heard before he holds up a hand and stops the unseen person. He leans forward to get a closer look at what they found. “Yes. We’ve got him. You may think you’re clever, but I know more than you could imagine. Yes... I will find you... Doctor.”
PrologueNothing was truly out of the ordinary that day. The birds chirped as they flew over the bustling town of Ponyville. The citizens of the town were doing their daily activities as they have every day. Yes, all was peaceful in the land. All was quiet. Suddenly, a strange blur sped through the main street, disrupting the peace that the town once had. The creature, whatever it was, didn't seem to take into account the livelihoods it was ruining as it knocked over several stands full of freshly grown fruit. The town was left in a state of confusion as they watched it continue to run down the dirt road. This led them to not pay much attention to the Earth pony that was chasing it, pegasus in tow. "Wh-what is that thing?" the gray pegasus asked, flustered having to keep up with the surprisingly fast colt. "I have no idea, Derpy," he said, a look of delight on his face. "Isn't it wonderful?" "Wonderful? It just demolished half of the marketplace!" "Like I haven't done worse on a good day. It's wonderful because I've never seen this species before. In all of my travels, I have no memory of anything like it. It's brilliant!" "If you - OW - say so - OOF!" The poor girl couldn't help but bump into fallen debris. Not being the most coordinated of ponies doesn't help when there are things constantly in your way. She wouldn't try so hard to keep up with him, but after all the time she's been with him, she knows what drives him like this. This was what he lived for. He had told her so many stories about things he had seen and done. He had lived for such a long time, and seen almost everything you could imagine. That's why he gets so excited when something new comes along. Even when she first ran into him, he was excited just by his own four hooves and the world that was so normal to her. "Come on! He's getting away!" She heard him call to her and snapped out of it. The colt quickly boosted his speed, leaning into a turn as the thing started running for the Everfree Forest. "We're gonna lose it in the forest!" she screamed, aware of how thick and monster-infested those woods were. "Oh no we're not," he said, focus still on the task at hand. "Allons-y!" "Okay, girls. Ah think we can confirm bear wrestlin' has nothin' to do with our cutie marks." Apple Bloom was sore in places she didn't think could be sore. She and the other crusader barely escaped the clutches of a rather angry bear during their latest attempt to find their place in the world. Sweetie Belle seemed almost in a state of shock from the experience: her pupils small and her face, normally a shade of white anyway, was incredibly pale. Scootaloo seemed the most unaffected by the event, besides the large chunk taken out of her hair. "H-h-how does Fluttershy do it?" Sweetie Belle said, staring off into nothing. "S-s-she got that bear to s-s-stop so easily." "Well Fluttershy's got that… animal thing," Scootaloo waved her hoof in the air while trying to describe it.. "But did you see her scare that bear off? It was all 'RAWR!', and Fluttershy was like, 'Nope', and the bear was all like, 'Oh no! The mighty Fluttershy! I must flee!' It was awesome!" 'Is she serious?!' Apple Bloom thought. Walking up to her friend, she said, "How can y'all be so happy right now? We nearly died!" "Yeah, but we didn't," she rebutted. "Besides, we got so close to wrestling it. We were on its back!" "Yeah, but it's not like it would let us tackle it to the ground! I mean, look at Sweetie Belle!" She motioned to her barely moving friend. "I'm not even sure she still knows what's goin' on!" "I… bear… so much… boom!"The poor purple maned filly wasn't even forming complete sentences anymore. "Also, the last time I checked, your mane wasn't this short," Apple Bloom said, flipping the end of Scootaloo's trimmed mane with her right hoof. "Okay, I admit it. Trying to wrestle a 200-lb bear wasn't my best idea." she said, walking away from her friends. She started contemplating something, which sent a chill down Apple Bloom's spine. After that last brilliant idea, she didn't know what will come out of her mouth. "Got it!" She turned back to her friends. "Who's up for Cutie Mark Crusader Deep Sea Archery?" "Y'know what?" Apple Bloom said, faking a yawn. "I'm mighty tired. I should probably just head on home. Maybe we'll do it later, Scoots. See ya!" And with that, she bolted as far away from the current situation as she could. "Aw. Too bad." said Scootaloo, her head hanging in disappointment. "Well what should we do now, Sweetie Belle?" There wasn't a response. "Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo turned to her friend, and poked her with a hoof. Sweetie then proceeded to collapse to the floor, strangely in the same position as she was standing up. Apple Bloom just needed to rest for a while. She didn't mean to be so rude to Scootaloo. She meant well and all, but sometimes things just go a bit too extreme. 'Maybe this is just the risk you have to take to get your cutie mark.' she thought. And it made sense to her. If you don't try everything, why try at all? A small lake was coming up on the left. She stopped a moment and thought she probably could use a bath. Her coat may have gotten dirty in the struggle, and Applejack would be suspicious if she saw her like that. Apple Bloom ran to the lake and saw her reflection. She actually looked pretty clean now that she saw herself. Her face was a bit dirty, though. She stuck her head underwater and moved it around to shake loose the filth. She kept it underwater for a second just to relax and pulled herself out. She could've sworn she heard a whooshing sound as she pulled out. She didn't pull her head out that fast, did she? One quick look, and she saw her bow was slightly off. She fixed it quick, and everything was as if it didn't happen. She took one last look, and, with eyes closed, turned around and walked toward home. Her nose hit something hard. It caused her to fall backward and land on her rump. As she looked up to see what got in her way, she saw something almost unnatural. She got back up and walked around it for a closer inspection. It looked like a blue box with windows. There were the words "Police Public Call Box" written on the sides of it. On the part where she bumped into, she saw there were double doors with a sign on the left giving some sort of instructions. This mysterious item confused her. She knew it wasn't there a second ago. Heck, she was standing in the exact same spot it was now only a minute ago! She looked around. Nopony was around to drop the box off, and she didn't think a unicorn's magic could levitate things that far away. In any case, the door to the box really made her curious. What could be inside such an out of place thing? Curiosity overwhelming her, she reached a hoof up and touched the handle. The door shook a little and she jerked her hoof back. Something was in there! She didn't want it to see her. What if it was dangerous? Thinking as quickly as she could, she ran straight into the nearest bush, and peeked at the box as its cargo opened the door wide and stepped out. Her eyes grew wider than she knew they could go. The creature definitely wasn't a pony. To tell the truth, she didn't know what this thing was! "You are NOT getting away from me!" the colt said, still chasing the creature who was now trying to lose him through the Everfree Forest. Not being used to walking on four hooves, the creature was succeeding at throwing him off through the trees. It's not like he hadn't faced tougher trials in the past, but back then he had perfect balance. Still he was determined to understand what that thing was. He couldn't even get a good look at the poor thing it was moving so fast. He didn't know much, but if there was anything he could tell, this thing was afraid. Of what, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he wanted to help him in any way he could. He knows what it feels like to be alone and scared. The creature seemed to realize that he wasn't going to lose this guy. He quickly turned to the left, being disguised by some trees. The colt knew exactly what he was trying to do, and he proceeded to, as quickly as possible, make the very same turn to pursue the beast. He then proceeded to run face first into a tree. Everything was blurry until he heard the familiar thumps of his companion arriving. She let out a final "ouch" as she made it to help him back up. "Are you okay?" She looked around. "What happened to the monster?" "It's not a monster," he said, checking to see if his muzzle was still in its socket. "It's alien. And it got away. Not sure how, though. I was watching it clear as day, and it just… disappeared." Derpy thought about it for a second, and said, "Do you think it could've teleported?" "No," he said. "It wasn't magical. I would've heard something." He gave another scan of the area, and said, "In any case, it looks like we're at a dead end. We'll wait for it to show its face again, y'know if it has one, and then we'll figure this whole thing out." "But what if it doesn't show its face again?" "Oh it will. I've seen this sort of thing enough times to realize that these things pop up again eventually." As they began their walk back to town, Derpy asked, "Do you really think we can get this thing?" "Of course," he friend reassured. "Do you remember who you're talking to?" "Barcelona!" The strange creature said as he stepped out of the box. "Finally some time for rest, relaxation, and…" He lowered his sunglasses to show his eyes as he examined the sight in front of him. "… brightly colored… everything." Apple Bloom didn't know what to make of him. At least she thought it was a colt she was looking at. He stood up on his hind legs like a diamond dog. His body seemed almost completely hairless save for the mane cut short on top of his head. What covered the rest of him beside his head was a brown suit with a buttoned-up shirt under it, strange coverings on his hind legs, some type of shoes, and… a bowtie? Whatever he was, he didn't have very good taste. Just as quickly as he left it, the thing went right back into the box. She could hear him doing stuff inside. He seemed to be talking to himself. "I know I specifically set the controls to Barcelona. This isn't Barcelona. This isn't even the CITY Barcelona! Kind of a letdown, to be honest. Where are we anyway?" We? Is there somepony else in there with him? How could somepony even fit in that thing with him? "Well this can't be right." He started talking again, so Apple Bloom redirected her attention. "According to this, I'm nowhere near where I set the coordinates. In fact, I don't think I've ever been to this part of the universe." There was a short pause, and then he started talking quieter. "A new world to explore. Not passing this up." He stepped back outside of the box, and said, "Alright, Not Barcelona, what secrets do you hold." He gave the area a quick look around. "The environment seems almost Earth-like, but the colors are much more vibrant." He approached a tree, and started feeling it with his front hoof. "The trees feel very… treeish. I really don't know what I was expecting." He left the tree and bent down to the ground. "The grass is apparently much greener on the other side of the universe, and the dirt taste…" He scraped the ground and put an appendage coming out of his hoof to his mouth. "… like dirt. Which is sort of a good thing… but a bit disappointing." He wiped his tongue of leftover ground on it. "Not to mention disgusting. "Overall this place just seems like a more stylized Earth, as if I walked into some sort of cartoo… wait." The colt paused for a moment. "Something doesn't feel right." He tapped the ground with his right hind hoof. "The planet isn't turning." He went back to the ground and put his ear to it. "The planet is absolutely still in it's orbit. But that makes no sense." He looked back up. "The Sun is clearly moving across the sky at a relatively normal pace. How can that… unless… no…" He stared up at the sky for a little longer, and almost seemed stunned. "Unless the Sun is orbiting the planet. That's a new one." Apple Bloom couldn't have been more confused. This guy just seemed to be shouting a lot of nonsense and eating dirt. She figured he wasn't any kind of danger. It was more like he was a loon. Then again, a crazy person could be dangerous. Seeing if she could maybe try talking to it since it obviously could talk, she left the bushes and slowly walked towards the creature. She wasn't sure how he was going to behave once she met with him, but from the way he was acting he'd probably try sticking her in his mouth. …With that thought in her head, she turned around and started to walk away. "Well hello there." She froze in place. Was he addressing her? She turned her head to face the colt, who was now looking directly at her. There wasn't any escaping now. "It's okay," he said. "I'm friendly. You don't have anything to worry about. Come on." She slowly turned around, and started walking towards him. He bent low to the ground and stretched out his forelegs and kept motivating her to come to him. She didn't know why she trusted him so much, but she just… did. She couldn't explain it. As she finally got close enough to the thing, he reached out his right foreleg and started to rub her head. It seemed weird to her, but she wasn't going to tell him to stop. It felt really good. "You seem equine in nature. Quite smaller than the ones on Earth, muzzle a little shorter, eyes wider, but still equine all in all. Who would've known I'd be finding alien horses on my vacation trip." Horse?! "Hey!" she screamed. "Ah am not a horse! Ah'm a pony!" This seemed to surprise him. He almost seemed at a loss of words, which was a surprise to her as well. "Scratch what I just said. I found talking alien ponies on my trip." He stopped rubbing her head (which saddened her a little) and sat down. "So… you speak English. At least I'm pretty sure since the TARDIS doesn't seem to be translating right now." "TARDIS?" Apple Bloom asked. "And why is it such a shock I can talk? Ah'm not a baby!" "That's not what I meant, and it doesn't matter," the colt said. "I've seen a lot of things talk. This isn't that big of a surprise. So tell me, my little pony. What's your name?" She looked at the ground for a second? Was it smart to give this guy her name? He just walked out of a box and ate dirt? In any case, it seemed like he could be trusted. "A-Apple Bloom. Who're you?" The man gave a snide smile at these words. "Who am I? "I'm the Doctor." "I'm the Doctor." ♪ The Doctor Apple Bloom Doctor Whooves Derpy Hooves in The Equine Doctor Written by CTOONfan1
Chapter 1"…Doctor?" said Apple Bloom. She still wasn't sure what to make of this guy. He didn't seem to be a threat, except maybe to himself. Plus, he acted as if he had never seen a pony before. She guessed it would be best to learn more about him. "Doctor what?" "Just the Doctor," he replied. She was confused. "Just the Doctor?" "That's right. D-O-C-T-O-R. That's my name." "Aw c'mon," she said, bending her legs a bit. "You've gotta have more to yer name than Doctor." "You're right." Apple Bloom perked up. "It's THE Doctor." She proceeded to slouch down. Standing back up, she took a look behind the him. "So what's the deal with the big blue box?" The Doctor turned to his box and said, "You mean this?" She nodded. He walked over to his oldest companion, leaned on her, and said, "Oh this is just my time traveling space ship that just happens to look like a blue police box from London, England, Earth. It's called the TARDIS." They sat in silence for a moment, but eventually Apple Bloom said, "Y'know if you didn't wanna tell me, I'da taken a "none of yer business," right?" He tapped his fingers on the TARDIS a few times, and said, "Well I suppose it's a bit hard to believe. Then again a world with talking ponies would also be a bit of a stretch for some. Still, you're pretty skeptic for a child. At least I believe you're a child. Not entirely sure about this planet." "Has anyone ever told ya you're a bit weird?" she asked. The Doctor smiled and said, "All the time. Now you've asked me plenty of questions, and while I'm always open for one, I'd like to ask you some of my own. Tell me: where exactly am I?" "Uh…" she looked around, trying to get a good grasp on exactly where they were. "I'd say we're about half a mile away from Sweet Apple Acres." He assumed that was a place and not a town. "No no no. I mean where is this. This area. Is this a town or a village of some sort?" "Oh! Why didn't ya say so? We're in Ponyville!" "Pony…ville." He turned around, talking to himself. "Okay think this through, Doctor. A village possibly full of talking ponies. Brightly colored everything. Apple Bloom's constant staring… Why are you looking at my bum?" Apple Bloom was surprised. How did he notice if he was looking the other way? "Sorry. I just wanted to see your cutie mark, but I can't tell what it is through your clothes." He turned back around, this time with him being confused. "Cutie mark? What's that?" "Y'know." She was the one who had to explain? "The mark you get on your flank when you've learned what yer best at in life." The Doctor furrowed his brow. He leaned slightly to the left, and noticed nothing of the sort on his new friend. It was extremely awkward to do knowing this was a child he was eyeing. "How come you don't have one?" She has asked that exact same question so many times to herself. Not once did she come up with an answer. Hanging her head, she sadly told him. "I haven't earned mine yet. I've tried almost everythin' I can think of, but I haven't earned it yet." "And these… 'marks'… do you have to… do something special in order for them to appear?" "I guess it depends on your definition of special." She tried to think of a good way to explain the thing everypony knew about. "If yer special talent's bein' an acrobat, I guess you'd be happy to find a tight rope or somethin' for a cutie mark sometime. If yer good with cleanin' and stuff, I'm sure yer happy to get a janitor related cutie mark, whatever that’d be. I guess a mop?" Brandings that associate what type of career you'll partake in for life? That didn't seem very appealing to him. He guessed on this world, people were happy having a place where they belonged. Though with that in mind, he started wondering what his cutie mark would be. The TARDIS? A sonic screwdriver? Whatever the case, he was being sidetracked. "In any case, how do you get a mark? Does someone give it to you or something?" "What? No. If it were that easy, don't you think I'd've asked someone for one by now? They just… appear, y'know?" "Out of nowhere?" he asked. "They just show up out of the blue when you learn what you're destined to do for the rest of eternity?" "Well yeah. I mean- wait a minute! Everypony knows this! Are you sayin' you don't know what a cutie mark is?" The Doctor nodded his head. "So you don't have ah cutie mark." He shook his head. "Huh. Ah guess you guys don't get them." "'You guys?'" he asked. Apple Bloom didn't realize how that sounded. "A-ah didn't mean it like that! I just meant-" "I know what you meant, Apple Bloom," He understood perfectly. "Are you saying you've never seen someone like me before?" She shook her head, confirming his suspicion. "And how long have you live in… 'Ponyville'?" "Uh… Ah don't think ah've ever 'not'." The Doctor stood up, and he began to pace back and forth. "So if you're telling the truth, this world hasn't seen anything like me, which I assume means homo sapien-like creatures. This town in a long time, at least. If that's the case, walking through the middle of town would be like dropping an iPad into a small village in Africa - they'll have no clue what I am and when they interact with me they'll begin to panic. That would make exploration difficult. "But here's the thing: I have to explore this world because the TARDIS doesn't take me just anywhere unless there's a reason. What that reason is, I have to find out on my own. So-" "Uh, mister?" The Doctor paused for a moment and looked down at Apple Bloom. "Could ya slow down a bit. I'm not followin'." He looked away for a moment, and said, "Sadly no. Long story short, though, is that I'll need a disguise so I can get around town. Now what can I disguise myself as?" He thought for a moment, and an idea came to mind. "Tell me, Apple Bloom. Are there any ponies about my height that you've seen?" "Well yeah." She knew of at least one who was as tall as him. "I know one. It's-" "Brilliant!" he said in delight. He looked left and right, and said in a softer voice, "Now I have to tell you something important. Come closer." Apple Bloom walked closer to the man. "A little closer." He bent down as Apple Bloom walked right up to him. He leaned close to her ear. "OW!" she screamed. She put her hoof up to wear the pain was coming from. Did he just pull out one of her hairs? "Thank you!" He said, walking back towards his box. "Now just give me a few minutes and I'll be right back with you." He entered the box and closed the door. Apple Bloom ran up to the door and banged on it as hard as she could. "HEY! Get back out here and tell me why you ripped out one of my hairs?!" "Just a moment!" She could hear rustling inside. "I'll be right out!" She really didn't know what to do. She should probably be getting home. Applejack's probably worried. … On the other hand, she was kinda curious about where this was going. She decided to sit down and wait for him, because honestly something about this stallion makes her curious. After waiting for a few seconds, she asked, "Um… what are ya doin' in there?" "Looking for something!" he said, his voice muffled like he was farther away. She tilted her head in confusion. "How hard can anything be to find in there?" "So it turns out that most of the Parliament had actually been replaced by a species of alien called Raxacoricofallapatorians. Ugly creatures, they are." "Raxicopo…. Raxicorn… Rax… UGH! What are they called again?" The Doctor chuckled. His pegasi friend always did have trouble with alien pronunciation. For a while now, he's made a habit of sharing personal experiences with her while she makes her mail run. He doesn't really have a job that needs to be done, so he accompanies her on her duties. "Raxacoricofallapatorians. They were the Slitheen family." "Slitheen… Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Sometimes she was so irritated by how the Doctor would choose the most difficult way to say the easiest things. 'We went fast through the Time Vortex' sounds easier than, 'Using the thrust of the dimensional rift, we were able to jet through the Time Vortex at supersonic speeds' or something like that. "Because that's just the family name," he explained. "Tell ya just that, and you'll start thinking there's a species called the Slitheen walking around. On the planet Slitheenia. Doing Slitheenian things." "Stop it, Doctor. I'm not stupid." "Oh c'mon, Derpy. You know I'm only kidding. You're one of the most intelligent ponies I've met here." Derpy blushed as she got mail out of her bag to deliver. "R-really? Thanks! You know, people don't really say that much because of my… you know. It's nice to hear something like that every once in a… you never let me go on this long." One look at him and she knew something was up. He was staring at the ground as he walked. More likely, he was staring at his hooves as he walked. "Doctor?" He sighed. "I've been stuck here for months, Derpy. Months. I don't have a clue where my TARDIS has gone, and we haven't been able to get a single inkling as to where it could be. I like it here, I do. It's so peaceful and friendly. I just wish I had my ship back." That wasn't the whole reason he was saddened. He just didn't want to tell her that he missed how life was before he got there. Always on adventure after adventure, exploring the universe all throughout time, and somehow running into trouble everywhere he turned. Not to mention the use of hooves over hands was really starting to get on his nerves. Staying in one place for so long hasn't happened to him in what was literally several lifetimes ago. It's the reason he was so invested in these strange monster sightings that kept popping up. Just a little excitement is what he needed, and this felt like the good old days. Derpy closed the mailbox and said, "I'm sure we'll get a lead somewhere. Until then, you're still the best time manager in Ponyville!" He couldn't help but laugh at this. Ever since he got there, the mayor found his great handle of time as a valuable asset. He's since been responsible for maintaining the current time on the town's clock tower, as well as a few odd jobs around town. He's still not sure how he was put in charge of the hourglass during the Apple family and Flim Flam brothers competition, but he wasn't complaining. "And besides," she said ,flying backwards to face him. "You've got me, right? I'm always here to back you up!" She proceeded to hit the next mailbox from behind, knocking it over, and collapse to the ground. Doctor put his hoof to his face. He chuckled a bit, and said, "I'll make sure to back up your back up. Deal?" Derpy laughed. "Deal!" *bang* *bang* *bang* Maybe she should've went home. The Doctor had been in his box for what felt like hours. She didn't have a watch, so that was estimating. She's been passing her time by banging her head over and over on the box's door. "You do realize time doesn't pass by faster that way, right? I should know, I've experimented." One of the first things she heard from him and forever. "Could you hurry it up? It been like a whole day!" "It's only been 22 minutes." "Felt like a day to me." She glanced at the handle. What in Equestria could someone do for 22 minutes in a box that small? Having had enough of this waiting, she got back on her hooves and reached for the handle. "Ah've had just about enough-" "Finished!" The Doctor quickly got out of the box and closed the door. Apple Bloom tumbled onto her back from the surprise. He was staring at something in his hand as he left, so when he looked down, he got a strange look. "Do ponies on this planet lay like that? Seems really awkward." Apple Bloom grunted. "No!" She rolled back on her hooves, and walked over to him. "Now what were you doin' in there so long?" She looked left and right. She started to whisper. "Ya can tell me. Is that thing an outhouse, and ya just had to take a big one?" "My TARDIS is not an outhouse!" He sounded offended by this statement. "If you must know, I was… oh! Ponies here use toilets. That's good. Started worrying I'd have to watch my step. Eh, never mind. What I've been doing was… this!" He held out a small metal object hanging by a chain. On closer inspection, it appeared to be some sort of clock. "Uh… you were looking for your watch?" "Watches!" Doctor smiled. "You've got those, too! Wow, this planet is brilliant so far!" He notices the girl's odd look. "Well yes, it's a watch. A pocket watch. I picked this up a few years ago on vacation to Florence. Oh that reminds me. I never gave her that wig back. Anyways, I've used this object to created a perception filter." "A… perception wha?" She coked her head slightly to the side. "Perception FILTER." he said. "It emits a telepathic field around the individual possessing it in order to delude the mind of others in order to go unnoticed for how they truly are. "I once used one of these to direct attention away from myself and a group of my friends, but I'm on a completely new planet. I want to actually talk to people. Well you're not really people, are you. Do you say people or something else?" He didn't notice how Apple Bloom didn't seem to be paying attention. He snapped his fingers, and immediately got her to refocus. "Hey! I just said impressive things and then asked a question. Did you hear any of that?" A head shake later, she said, "Ya do realize I'm only a kid, right? Ya lost me after you said that tele-somethin' or other word." He should've guessed explaining this to a small child wouldn't be easy. "Okay then. Visual demonstration. What do you think about… THIS!" He plopped the watch's neck chain around his head and let it hang. He put his arms up in the air, ready for a response. Apple Bloom blinked. "Wow. Ya look just like… yourself with a clock around yer neck." It was true. Apple Bloom didn't see any kind of change in the stallion's appearance. The Doctor blinked for a few moments, and then slapped his front hoof to his face. "Of course! It won't work on you because you've seen my face. Know what I look life. Your mind can't be tricked by it." He walked over to the lake, and said, "Now look," while motioning to the water. A bit suspicious that he could just be some crazy guy with a box, she slowly walked over to the lake. She looked down, expecting to just see their reflections, but ended up tumbling back at what he saw. "You seem to do that a lot. Do you have some sort of problem with standing upright?" "B-b-but… but that's not…" She couldn't seem to find the words to describe what she saw. "That's not you!" He loved these reactions. "Actually it is. Just a different me." Staring back at the Doctor from the calm stretch of water was a stallion. A stallion close to the same color as his jacket, same colored eyes, and roughly the same size as him. He still wore the jacket and bow tie, although she didn't understand why. On his head was a horn about one third a meter long and on his back was a pair of wings, of which he currently had unfolded to show their large glory. "But… but… but you don't look anything like that!" she screamed, not letting herself understand. "What kind of spell changes what ya look like in a mirror?" "It's not magic," he said. "It's a perception filter. To you, I look like me with a clock around my neck, but to everyone else, this is what I look like. That hair I plucked from your head was full of pony DNA. Can you believe it? I was able to run that DNA into the perception filter, and it allows me to disguise myself as a pony version of me! Isn't this amazing? I'm so tall! The back legs are controlled by my mind, so I can move them freely. And look!" He turned to the side. "An hourglass for one of those "cute marks" you were talking about!" Two things rang through her mind as she saw this. One, how could this guy make something like this. Two, how does he get a cutie mark in his first second as a pony when she can't get hers after hundreds of attempts?! "One problem, though. I've tried rewriting the layout on the filter several times, but for some reason I couldn't get rid of this horn or wings. I mean really! A pony with a horn and wings. How bizarre is that?" He looked to Apple Bloom, and the pony in the water mirrored him. "Do you think people will notice? I mean, you said there were ponies this tall, right? Do you think they'll notice the horn and stuff?" She didn't know exactly how to explain to him these 'odd' things he's talking about would pretty much make him royalty. "Well ya might get a few stares. There is one thing that ponies might think looks a li'l bit weird, though." "Really? What?" She looked back down. "Why does your pony self got red hair?" The Doctor looked back down, and he was sad. Yes, he modified the filter to make his pony self have a red mane and tail. He thought that this was his best chance. But seeing it now… "It does look a bit weird, doesn't it?" He sighed and pulled out a brown device from his pocket. He pointed it at the watch, and a green light and high-pitch noise came from it. The reflection then changed its color so the hair now looked exactly like his actual haircut. "Better?" "Better. Uh... what is that?" "Sonic screwdriver," He waved it at her, and looked down at the reflection. He noticed the screwdriver seemed to just be floating in midair with some sort of blue aura around it. He made sure to take a note of that as he placed the screwdriver back in his coat pocket. "Well then!" His eyes twinkled with curiosity. "Let's go meet some ponies!"
Chapter 3“Wow... this is just terrible.” Time Turner and Derpy trotted over broken boards and collapsed signs as they took a look around the wreckage of the marketplace. Shop owners had gathered to mourn the loss of their work, and a few had begun gathering up the scraps of their stands. The mayor walked up behind them, going to Turner and saying, “We’re at least lucky no one was injured in the mess. Stands can be rebuilt and food can be grown, but if a single pony was injured because of this... it would be unfortunate.” Derpy approached one pile of wood in particular, and rummaged through the debris. She managed to find something there: a crumbled, crushed muffin, the blueberries visible in the dent made from the plank that was on it. “Souflay’s stand. I’d always stop by on my route, and he’d give me a fresh muffin right out of the oven.” She looked around, wondering if she could spy him anywhere. “Where is he?” “He’s fine,” Mayor Mare asured her. “He’s gotten a few days off until we can sort through this. Don’t worry, though. Those affected will be paid accordingly for the damages.” “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!” They turned to the sound of agony coming from none other than Time Turner. Derpy ran to his side and asked, “What? What’s wrong?” “Why... why, why, why... out of every single thing here... DID THIS SURVIVE?!” Confused, she turned her direction in front of him. What he was cursing was a stand on wheels, but not just any stand. This stand sold a certain type of fruit... pears. “Isn’t it just some kind of luck? Why couldn’t the cherry stand survive instead? I could at least make a good pun from that. But no. We get pears.” He actually sounded devastated by this. Derpy couldn’t understand his fixation on this fruit, but her train of thought changed when she noticed the stand next to them. A familiar sign was sticking out of the ground, and when she went to move it over, she was saddened to know who it belonged to. “Oh no...” Time Turner stopped his tirade against the evil pears to notice what was making his companion upset. As he approached the wreckage himself, he saw the sign was decorated rather beautifully with a golden paint, making extravagant symbols as it formed around a single apple. “The Apple Family’s stand.” A closer inspection revealed the sign to be surrounded by various types of apple delicacies - pies, tarts, fritters, and even some jars once filled with juice - now crushed and destroyed under the weight of what they once rested upon. “This is so sad,” Derpy said, both eyes focused on the mess. “Well they can rebuild the stand, of course. Plus, the desserts and such can be remade. Last time I checked, apples DO grow on trees around here.” “That’s not the sad part... wait. Why are you so sentimental about the apples? Doesn’t one a day keep the Doctor away?” She crossed one hoof over another. He gave her a look of annoyance “Oh c’mon, Derpy. You know I don’t hate apples.” Under his breath, he whispered, “If I ever find who came up with that phrase...” “But that’s not what’s sad about it.” He redirected his attention back to her, now curious on what she meant by that. “You see... that stand... that stand was-” “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Whatever Derpy was about to say was cut short by a loud cry coming from the mayor. They immediately rushed to her side. With her now was a white mare with black hair that Time Turner believed to be her assistant. The mayor herself appeared to be in distress, panting heavily with panic in her eyes. “What is it?! What’s wrong?” Derpy tried comforting the panicking political leader, but all attempts to calm her down seem to fail. “Eh geh geh,” she said. “Hah blah tr-tro... rooooooo roy-roy...” Turner turned to the assistant and asked, “What’s wrong with her?” “I-I’m not sure... all I did was tell her that preparations were ready for the representative from Trottingham-” The mayor, in a burst of fear, screamed, “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!” Frantically, she zipped back and forth between the two ponies, screaming, “How could I possibly forget something as important as this?! A representative from the city of Trottingham is visiting Ponyville on their path to Canterlot. When they arrive, they’re going to see... THIS!!!” She motioned to the surrounding area. “W-well...” Turner tried to think of something to calm her down. “He might not mind-” “I don’t want to risk that! If he sees this, it could be an embarrassment on royal levels. Quite literally!” She looked around. “Why are you all just standing around?! Pick up plywood and hurry!!!” She grabbed a plank in her mouth, and threw it in a nearby trash can. She continued to do this pattern, clearing an area of debris. “Right! No job’ll be done from standin’ around shooting the breeze. C’mon, Derpy!” He led his friend back to the pile they were at before, and proceeded to follow in the mayor’s example. Derpy wanted to focus on the job at hand, but something was eating at her for a while now. The stallion moving the boards into sections on what to pick first was just about to tell her something before this mess was their responsibility. Now that they were at peace again, maybe it was time for her to see what he was going to do. “Um... Doctor?” Turner spit a piece of wood into a nearby dumpster. “Yes?” “R-remember when we were at my house?” “You mean ten minutes ago? Yeah.” “W-well...” She didn’t know if she wanted to know now. What if he wasn’t trying to say what she thought he was? Maybe it would be best to not ask. On the other hand she already had his attention, and she asked about this morning. If she withdrew now, he would only ask more questions. She knew that she had to face her fears and make him answer her. She must! This could be her only chance! She took a breath and calmly asked, “DOCTORWHATWEREYOUGOINGTOASKMEEARLIER?!?!” Dead silence. At least she meant for that to be calm. She was lucky the mayor wasn’t around for that, otherwise she’d have to explain when Time Turner got a medical degree. “Uh...,” Turner said, wide-eyed and confused, “it doesn’t really matter now. The moment’s passed.” “Well, you see, I was just curious since we were interrupted when you were trying to ask me, and now that we’re...” She quickly looked around, noticing all those helping with clean up around her. “...alone... how about you ask me now.” “Eh... I don’t think it really matters anymore. It’s not really the time now, anyway.” She was beginning to become impatient. “Well let’s pretend hypothetically that we were still at my house,” She leaned in a bit when she said hypothetically. “Why don’t you ask what you were going to ask, and I’ll answer it as if we were going to do it right now.” There was an awkward silence. “Just hypothetically speaking, of course.” He appeared to be thinking about it for a moment, but finally he said. “Okay then! Let’s give it a go, shall we?” He held up a hoof to his mouth, and coughed to clear his throat. “Well then, Derpy! Here we are at your house!” He was actually going to act like they were at her house. This should be interesting, she thought. “Yeah... Doctor. Well I... guess I better be going now!” “Oh! Wait! While you’re here, I was wanting to ask you something.” “Yes?!” She started twitching in anticipation. “I mean, us being together right now, I don’t feel like I shouldn’t ask.” “Yes?!?!” “Derpy... I was wondering if you-” His ears perked up. Turning to face behind him, he said, “...heard something just now?” “YES!!!” “Good. I thought it was just me.” He broke out into a sprint between two tents. “C’mon. We’ll be back to work on the wreckage before Mrs. Mare even notices.” As Turner disappeared from sight, Derpy stood there with a smile on her face and confusion in her head. Shaking it out, she unfurled her wings, took off from the ground, and followed the clueless Time Lord. “Wait for me, Doctor!” Maybe she could get it out of him later... “We’re almost there!” “I can see that.” Maybe it was unfair that the Doctor was taller than Apple Bloom by so much, because he was able to see the small town just ahead. If he heard Apple Bloom correctly, the town was called “Ponyville”, which to him still sounded like a strangely straightforward name for a village of ponies. Still, he was excited to finally make it. The short walk almost felt like it took four months from all his excitement. A new species to familiarize himself with, and he can do it while blending in to the people. One thought came to mind, though. “Apple Bloom? You did say there were ponies who look like the filter does, right?” “Uh... yeah?” “Well... I was wondering about the ratio of ponies like this versus ponies like you. That way I can get a better understanding of how to act. Should I be careful of what I say, or could I run into the streets, wings unfurled? Honestly, I’d probably do that, anyway, even if it was a big ratio.” She was afraid of this. He’s asking about alicorns, which Apple Bloom’s pretty sure is a rare breed. Telling the truth might stop him from entering town... and on the other hoof, that could be a good thing. If he’s really so unused to being around other ponies, then he could end up looking stupid and blow his cover. If she can get it out of the way, that might not be a problem. “Hey, Doc?” “What is it, Apple Bloom?” “APPLE BLOOM!” The shriek of young voices were heard as two fillies ran up to the two. Apple Bloom was surprised, as she was sure Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle would’ve been off doing CMC-related activities. “Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? What are y’all doin’ runnin’ like that?” They stopped in their tracks, took a moment to catch their breaths, and Scootaloo said, “We came to see if you were alright. I got Sweetie Belle to calm down enough to do more crusading!” “By ‘calming down’,” said Sweetie, “she means she threw things at me until I moved again.” She rubbed a sore spot on her head. “It worked, right?” Scootaloo asked. Looking back to Apple Bloom, she looked up and froze. Sweetie Belle, taking attention away from her throbbing head, did the same. Both fillies dropped their chins at the large creature before them. ‘Well it was too late to turn back,’ Apple Bloom thought. The filter thing must’ve not worked or something, because they were acting way too over the top for seeing an alicorn. “So you see my friend here, huh?” “You’re... you’re...” Scootaloo said to the Doctor, still blankly staring. The Doctor was actually feeling a bit nervous himself at this point. Was the design of the perception filter just not believable enough? Sweetie finally was the one to speak up. “You’re... you’re a PRINCE!” “Ah know, girls, but you’ve got to understand he’s.... a what?” Sweetie and Scootaloo rushed up to the desguised Time Lord, and Scootaloo said, “I can’t believe you’ve actually made friends with a prince, Apple Bloom!” Even though a bit surprised by the two kid’s words, the Doctor managed to work something out that Apple Bloom failed to mention: ponies this size and with these features did exist. Those ponies, though, were royalty. Now that these two have seen him, he’ll just have to adjust to the situation. “Quite right, she is!” he blurted to Apple Bloom’s surprise. “I met Apple Bloom here right outside Ponyville, and since I was already headed there, I figured, ‘Eh. What the he... ck?’” Have to watch the language around impressionable children. “So me and her got to talking, and now we’re best of friends. Isn’t that right, Apple Bloom?” She couldn’t make words anymore. Everything coming out of her mouth was white noise. What was this guy doing?! “Wow!” Scootaloo said, completely believing the clever lies. “So why are you coming to Ponyville, anyway? Making plans to meet the princess in Canterlot?” Canterlot? The Doctor smirked at the pun, intentional or not. “Uh, yes! Of course, seeing as how Canterlot is... on the way?” He glanced at Apple Bloom. She was able to force out a nod. “... I thought that I would stop by Ponyville and get to know the townsfolk. Take in the culture, eat the food, all of that good stuff!” “That’s so cool!” Sweetie said, incredibly happy to meet the ‘prince’. Apple Bloom was recovering, but still completely surprised. This was actually happening! Her friends were believing the crazy talk of a madman! “Do you mind if we escort you the rest of the way to town Prince...” Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin. “Actually, I don’t know your name.” “Yeah, what’s your name, your highness?” “Oh, excuse my rudeness. I’m the Do- uh, I mean, uh...” What would his name be? I mean, I suppose his name could be “The Doctor”, but Prince Doctor seems a bit silly to him. Apple Bloom was also feeling the pressure. Quickly, she tried to think of a good fake name for the guy. ‘Let’s see... hourglass cutie mark... thing for watches... blue box he called a time machine...’ Light bulb! “Uh... my name... is...” “Prince Chronos!” Apple Bloom appeared out of nowhere, surprising the Doctor. “His name is Prince Chronos.” “Chronos?” Doctor asked. Apple Bloom nudged him with her hoof. “I mean, Chronos! Yeah, that's it. I am Prince Chronos. A pleasure to meet both of you!” Sweetie and Scootaloo both smiled, and Sweetie said, “It’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. Chronos!” “C’mon!” said Scootaloo. “We’re almost to town!” “Hehe...” Doctor got to a knee, and whispered to Apple Bloom. “Chronos? Really?” “You were dying there,” she responded. “Besides, it fits. You’ve got that whole ‘time’ thing after all.” “Yeah, but I could’ve come up with a better name than that! Like, I don’t know, uh... Clockson! That’s a cool name!” Apple Bloom was happy she didn’t leave the naming to him. "Yer Chronos." "Fine." “Hey! Are you coming or not?” They looked up, and the two crusaders were staring at the two, waiting. The Doctor, ready more than ever, hopped back up and said, “Coming!” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but wonder if this was going to end well for them, seeing as how weird the man was. Then she overheard the Doctor talking: “See I was just wondering, why do you assume I’m going to meet with a princess? Wouldn’t it make more sense to visit the queen?” This wasn’t going to end well at all. Author's Note Hey, remember how I had this story I was writing, then I left it on a cliffhanger and didn't update for several months? I have to stop doing that, or the story will finish after the show does. I was gonna make it longer, but you've been waiting long enough as is. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 2Derpy and the Doctor, after a long day of delivering other people's mail, finally arrive at Derpy's home. "Finally! I was starting to think we were in a temporal loop. So many houses look alike in this place." "Oh c'mon, Doctor!" she said with a smile, putting a hoof up to her door. "It's not that bad. I mean, I guess it is at first, but over time you get used to it." "By over time, do you possibly mean more than two months. Because that's how long we've been doing this together. Two months, a week, and 6 days." She gave a surprised look at this remark . "You've counted the days?" "I guess you can say that- well… maybe not counted as much as recalled it- well… not really recalled it either. I just know that's how long it's been. Funny thing, really." "O… kay. Well I guess you'll be off then?" The Doctor was able to book a room in a local motel for free. Working for a government official had its advantages, she guessed. He cocked his head. "I suppose I could, you know. Go back to that stuffy old motel room and just mumble to myself all night, but y'know… I was thinking of something different." She lowered her hoof and turned to face the stallion. "Different?" With a sincere smile, the Doctor looked right into the one focused eye, which he believes is her left one, and said, "Derpy Hooves, would you -" "TIME TURNER!" A shrill voice broke the Doctor's focus. He recognized that voice to be Mayor Mare's. He also recognized the name she was calling. As calling yourself the Doctor often gets strange looks and a large number of questions, he decided it would be better to create an alias to go by while staying here. Eventually he went with the coolest name he could think of. He decided it was probably best to get into the state of mind for this encounter. Time Turner turned to be exhausted mare and said, "Good afternoon, Mayor! How's your day been?" A few gasps later, she put on a smile and said, "Oh just fine, Turner. All is peachy. Y'know, except for how the market square is in shambles…" Turner looked left and right. "Oh right. The monster did cause a bit of damage, didn't he?" "A little!" she screamed. "If this is a little bit of damage, I'd love to see your definition of a lot of it!" "Eh, actually, I think you wouldn't want to see that." There was a pause. "Why would you want to see more damage? We've got enough to deal with as is." She sighed, exhausted from her day of filing insurance reports and preparing an order of several stands. "The point is I could really use your help tidying up. With all of the destruction that thing has caused, we'll need all the help we can get clearing the debris. If you weren't busy, I would very much appreciate a helping hoof." "Well you see-" "Of course you don't have to help us with the destruction you had partially caused," she said, walking away ever so slowly. "I mean we are paying for your stay here in Ponyville, as well as any food costs and additional fees. If you don't feel helping to clean our destroyed marketplace would return the favor, I guess that's your choice…" At this point in his stay here, Time Turner could tell a lot of things about Mayor Mare. One of those things was that she was money grubbing, and would hold anything money related over a person's head until the debt was repaid. He heard a local apple farmer is still in debt to her over some sort of roof fiasco. Without a well-paying job, this wasn't something that would happen anytime soon. He was being paid well enough to get by, but he felt the mayor had some sort of scheme keeping him in this town. Kicking his hoof, he said, "Well alright then! Always willing to help!" "I've noticed…" Derpy mumbled to herself. As he was walking to the cleanup site, Turner turned to Derpy and asked, "Hey! Aren't you coming along?" She looked at the door. She was just going to fix some muffins and rest. But on the other hoof, the Doctor was going to ask her something before he was interrupted. Maybe tagging along would… "Well okay. If you insist." She flapped along behind him as he led the way, giggling a bit at what might come. The Eleventh Doctor and Apple Bloom were still on their way to town when curiosity got the better of him. "Hey, Apple Bloom. Do you mind if I ask a few questions?" "Shoot." "Why was there a weird glowy thing around my sonic screwdriver when it was in my hands?" He got it out and held it in front of him for emphasis. "Your… wha?" She gave a confused look to him. "My sonic screwdriver," he said, putting it in front of her. "You know, this thing. It's really… sonic and stuff." He turned on the device and waved it around. "I know what that is, but it doesn't really answer that question of what either." She looked around, trying to think of a way to not sound dumb when she says it. "…what are hands?" The Doctor stopped in place, causing the filly to stop with him. "Riiiight. Different anatomy, different names. Okay, speed lesson. Hands." He waved jazz hands at Apple Bloom. "Fingers." He wiggled his fingers when he stopped waving his hands. "Arms." He put his left hand on his right arm and then vice versa. "Feet." He lifted his right leg in the air and slapped his foot a few times. "I don't think there's much else I'm missing, but if it comes up, I'll let you know. Any questions?" She thought about it for a moment, before saying, "Nah." "Good. We should be smooth sailing." He continued their stroll to town. "Now back to my first question about the weird glowy stuff. What is that?" "Y'mean magic?" He squinted his eyes at that word. "'Magic'?" "Yeah, magic. Y'know, with a horn. It's all… glowy and stuff." She got a real enjoyment out of reversing his sly mocking from earlier. The Doctor grew a sly smile of his own. He had never found a piece of “magic” that wasn’t just an extremely advanced form of science in some way. Still, Apple Bloom was a child, and she didn’t know any better. Who was he to ruin the child’s imagination. “Oh of course! Magic! That explains that. The weird glowy stuff was just magic levitating my screwdriver in thin air.” “Uh... yeah?” “Now tell me, Apple Bloom, can other ponies besides me cast that type of magic?” “Yeah again. Usually they can do more that just levitation, though.” Hearing this, he decided to humor the girl. He stepped right in front of her and held his arms out. “Well then. Do some magic on me! C’mon, make me disappear into thin air, or turn me into a bunny rabbit or something. Maybe poof me up a fez to wear, if you like.” If it was real, he wanted his priorities straight. She raised an eyebrow. “Y’know I can’t do that.” “Aw, that’s too bad,” he said in a sad tone he was completely faking. “Maybe one day you’ll be powerful enough in the wizarding arts to. Keep practicing!” He returned to walking as she stood in place. “Stop fooling around!” she screamed. “Y’know Earth ponies can’t use magic.” “Maybe you’re just not try-” He stopped again, now raising his hands to his head. "Wait, wait, wait. Earth pony? How can you be an Earth pony? You look nothing like ponies from Earth." "What’re ya talkin’ ‘bout? Does it look like I've got wings or a horn?" His eyes grew wide before thinning into a squint. "Wings… and horns. Y-you mean like… pegasi and unicorns. Like the thing the perception filter disguises me as?" "Um… yeah." She raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, for a grown up, ya don't know much." The words she just said weren't reaching the Doctor's ears. He was too distracted by the millions of thoughts going through his head all at once. If this was true, then what did this mean for Earth's ancient mythology? Could it be possible that these creatures made their way to Earth at some point? Maybe a psychic link implanted the image into their minds through some sort of… he didn't know. What he did know is that this could change his perception on many things. He bent down to Apple Bloom's level and held her still. "Listen to me, Apple Bloom. Just listen. I need you to tell me the whole honest truth and give it to me straight." He breathed in and braced for what he would hear. "If we go into town right now... will there be unicorns and pegusi walking around?" Staring blankly for a moment, she looked to the left for a moment and looking back before saying,”Unless some of them are flying... yes?" With that, he grew a smile that almost reached ear to ear. He let go of Apple Bloom and stood up, doing a twirl before letting out a cry of accomplishment. "Yahoo! Oh, this is amazing! Just amazing! The ponies, the world, the strange glowy stuff, and now I’ve just discovered the stories humans would tell their young at night are completely true! It's just all so cool! So very cool, cool, cool!" Apple Bloom looked suspiciously at him. “Everything?” “Yes. Everything.” Giving a cocky smile, she asked, “Even the bowtie?” He stepped back and put a hand over one of his hearts. “Especially the bowtie! It’s the epitome of cool.” He straightened the bow tie, which by the day was feeling less loved, and said, “If it wasn’t for my high right now, I’d be so cross with you. Didn’t your mother ever teach you to not mock a fellow’s neckwear?” The moment he said it, he could tell that something was wrong. Apple Bloom looked so depressed almost immediately after. “Not really,” she said, quieter than she had ever spoke to him before. “My parents aren’t really... around anymore.” His throat felt like a rock was lodged in it. He didn’t think that this was even a possibility, and in hindsight he saw how rude it was. “Oh... I’m sorry. Then who do you stay with?” “My brother and sister, and my Granny.” “I see.” He couldn’t help but feel bad for the girl. “If you don’t mind my asking... what happened?” I dunno,” she said. “Applejack won’t tell me straight.” “And by Applejack, you mean...” “My sister.” “Gotcha,” he held a hand up for a moment, processing the Apple in both of their names before saying, “Well what do YOU think happened to them?” She thought about it for a moment before saying, “I think they’re off on some sorta business trip or somethin’. They’ll probably be back eventually, right?” He didn’t want to approach this directly. Best to keep her happy. “Yes, of course. They’re on a business trip! They’re probably exploring to world, seeing new sights, and will come home one day with a bag of money and a story for every day of the year.” This seemed to brighten up her mood. “We should really keep going.” She strolled along with a bounce in her step as the Doctor followed, feeling some strange case a deja vu in the whole situation. Somewhere completely different, a figure buried in shadow calls out to an unknown person. “Have you found him yet?” Several button mashes are heard before he holds up a hand and stops the unseen person. He leans forward to get a closer look at what they found. “Yes. We’ve got him. You may think you’re clever, but I know more than you could imagine. Yes... I will find you... Doctor.”
