Of Princesses and Time Chargers

by Shotoman

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Doctor Whooves, Princess Celestia, Crossover
Length: 10539

Celestia and the Doctor are friends!

Princess Celestia is an ageless, immortal being. Almost entirely unique except for her sister Luna, and she was gone for a thousand years. One would assume that no other pony in the entire world could possibly be able to truly relate. One would be wrong. There is one other. He's no all-powerful alicorn. His greatest power is his intelligence. He comes and goes at will, but always seems to be there during her worst moment. Sometimes he has a different face. Once he was a unicorn. And at times, it seems she meets him out of order. But he's a fantastic friend. Simply fantastic.

*Note: Even more than "A Friend of the Night" this story is going to be more along the lines of a series of interconnected short stories. Some chapters might end up being a bit short as a result.*

Published 2012-06-10 13:54:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-08-17 10:54:47 UTC

Prologue

Of Princesses and Time Chargers

by
Shotoman

Prologue

Though the Forest of Everfree was literally her own back yard, right at this particular moment the little filly was not finding it especially inviting. After all, it was dark, and she had been lost for hours now. “Lulu! Whew aw you?” the young child called out, for possibly the hundredth time. Her white coat was dirty, her usually flowing pink hair was drooping and listless. She was too young for either her unicorn horn or her pegasus wings to help her out too much—she had yet to even begin thinking about her cutie mark. She made a mental note to never play Hide 'n Seek ever again.

The little filly was distracted by the overall creepiness of the forest and her fear at being lost, and bumped right into something, knocking her on her flank. She looked up, and saw she'd run into a chestnut colored stallion with an uncontrollably curly brown mane and tail. Upon his head he wore a brown floppy hat, and around his neck he wore a tacky multicolored scarf that was so long he had it wrapped around his torso a couple of times. Emblazoned upon his flank was an hourglass.

The strange pony's wild blue eyes turned down to the little alicorn filly in front of him and he smiled, revealing a set of rather large teeth. “Hello,” he said, in an accent the youngster could not identify due to Trottingham not existing yet, holding out a small white bag. “Would you like a Jelly Filly?”

The filly shot the odd stallion a look. “I'm not suppowsed to talk to stwangews.”

The stallion put his bag of candy away and began talking in a strangely...energetic fashion. “Good show, good show. Excellent advice. And let me tell you, you will not find a pony stranger than me.” The stranger sat down. “So let's introduce ourselves and not be strangers anymore. I'm the Doctor.”

The filly raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Doc-tah? Oh, you're a doctor?”

The Doctor's smile turned wry. “Oh, I'm so much more than a doctor. I'm the Doctor. The definitive article, you might say.” At the young one's confused look, he shook his head. “Never you mind. Just call me the Doctor. And your name?”

The little filly shifted slightly nervously. “Cewestia.”

“Well then, Little Celestia, now we aren't strangers anymore.” The filly remained somewhat unconvinced. “Hmmm. Tell you what. What would you say if I told you I was a completely harmless pony?”

Celestia eyed the Doctor critically. “I'd say you were wying.”

The chestnut pony smiled, flashing those large white teeth. “Very good. Now, what if I told you I just want to help you get home?” After a moment of contemplation, Celestia smiled. “Excellent. See, you're different than other ponies. You've got some very acute instincts on you. Instincts you should trust. So. What say we go about getting you home, eh?”

At the Doctor's prompting, Celestia climbed on top of the chestnut pony's back. The Doctor made his way through the forest quickly and deliberately. He obviously knew exactly where he was going. After a few minutes, Celestia began to recognize her surroundings. Minutes later, the Doctor parted some shrubbery and on the other side was the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Celestia immediately jumped off the Doctor's back and ran a few steps toward her home. She stopped and turned to face her new friend. “Thank you. Do you want to meet my famiwy?”

The Doctor smiled. “No, no. I was just...passing through. I really don't belong there. Now, run along. I'm sure we'll see each other again.”

Celestia smiled and ran back home with all her might. “Lulu! Lulu! I'm home!”

The Doctor watched until she ran through the doors, then turned around and went back into the forest.

Companions

Chapter 1

Companions

The Doctor ran down the metal catwalk, his scarf fluttering behind him as he went. He turned a corner just in time to avoid several red hot bolts of energy which scorched the wall. He continued running along until he reached a door that refused to open upon his approach. “Locked. Blast it.” He removed his hat and reached in to grab something from within.

As he fumbled for whatever he was looking for, a pair of somewhat cylindrical metal beings turned the corner to face him. Each one had a single long eye stalk protruding from its domed head, and from roughly the center of their bodies protruded a long plunger-like device, along side a cylindrical device. They pointed the blasters at the brown pony and yelled simultaneously in strangely distorted voices, “EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!”

Suddenly one of the creature's eye stalks was sheared off. Standing upon the now wrecked piece of hardware was a brilliant white alicorn, her long pink hair flowing in a non-existent breeze, a golden sun proudly shining upon her flank. “MY VISION HAS BEEN IMPAIRED I CANNOT SEE!” the metallic creature shouted before a blue blur slammed into its side, knocking both of them off the catwalk and into the abyss below. The blue blur solidified into another alicorn, smaller than the first, midnight blue, with a lighter blue mane and tail, a white moon standing out against a splotch of inky blackness upon her flank.

Celestia turned to the Doctor with a tired look upon her face. “Why is it, Doctor, that everywhere thou takes us our magic is absolutely useless?”

“Come now. What's the point of going on an adventure if you can just point and zap your way out of every obstacle that presents itself?” the Doctor asked, removing a metal wand-like object from his hat, which he pointed at the locked door, which after a brief flashing of light and a buzzing sound, immediately slid open. “Now, come along girls. There's still a lot of running to do before we're done here.” Celestia and her sister Luna shared a wry glance at each other before following.

~DrW~

A small blue barn-like structure spun through the inky blackness, flying away from a much larger disk-shaped ship which at that point was being wracked with explosions. The doors to the barn creaked open as Celestia peeked out just in time to see the flying saucer erupt in a full fireball. As she closed the door and turned into an amazingly spacious control room—much bigger than it had any right to be, considering the size of the exterior—she saw the Doctor already scurrying around the circular control panel in the center of it all. “That was quite an adventure, wasn't it, ladies? A bit off course from Solaris VII, but with that contingent of Daleks out of the way, I don't see any reason we can't just continue along course.”

Celestia and Luna shared another glance, this one much less jovial. “Actually, Doctor,” Celestia began. “We think we'd like to return home.”

The Doctor stopped cold. “Home? Why would you want to go home?”

Luna stepped forward. “Please, Doctor. We have been traveling with thee for months. And it has been amazing, really. But we do have responsibilities awaiting us in Equestria. And the both of us feel that it's time to return to them.”

The Doctor's face fell, and Celestia turned a sad smile to him. “You once said there was no point in growing up if you couldn't be childish sometimes. That is a lesson neither of us will soon forget. But what would the point be in growing up without accepting our adult responsibilities?”

The Doctor sighed. “You're right of course. And the two of you do have amazing futures awaiting you, though difficult at times.” Luna couldn't help but shudder a bit as the Doctor turned his wild eyes to her, and she saw a melancholy there that seemed aimed at her. “So then,” he continued. “Equestria, Everfree Forest, Day 72 of 267 S.R., 2:30 a.m.; the very night I picked you up, about an hour later.”

“Doctor...?” Celestia asked, uncertainly.

“Oh, don't worry yourselves about this old space pony. I'll be fine. You two have a kingdom awaiting you!”

The Everfree night was interrupted by a loud, unnatural screeching sound, as a small blue barn slowly appeared from seemingly nothing. The twin doors opened and Celesia and Luna slowly exited, while the Doctor stayed at the threshold. Celestia turned to the chestnut pony and smiled. “Remember, Doctor. We may not be thy traveling companions any longer, but that does not mean we are not thy friends. Thou art always welcome and we expect thee to visit us.”

“Of course, of course,” the Doctor muttered in his inimitable absent mindedness.

“We are serious,” Celestia pushed. “You will always be our friend and we will always welcome you with open hooves.”

The Doctor finally smiled a genuine smile. “Of course, Little Celestia. Of course. No need to worry. I guarantee you'll see me again.”

And with that, the barn doors closed and with another round of screeching, it vanished.

A Fixed Point

Chapter 2

A Fixed Point

Tears ran freely down Celestia's face as she continued gazing at the new face of the moon. She hadn't even noticed that five of the Elements of Harmony had fallen in formation around her, nor did she notice that the elaborate headpiece which was the Element of Magic had vanished off her head. The home she had known her whole life was now nothing but ruins, the forest surrounding it dull and wild. Celestia herself took no mind of any of it—at least not yet. All her focus was on the full moon above her, the new pattern upon its face taking the form of a unicorn in profile. The white alicorn with the multicolored mane had a great many thoughts and questions floating around her head. Why had this happened? Could she have done something different? A single word was all that escaped her lips. “Luna...”

The sudden screeching that interrupted her grief was not met with much enthusiasm.

Celestia turned to see the familiar blue barn fading into existence behind her. The door to the barn opened and out stepped...well, Celestia's magical senses told her he was the Doctor, though he looked absolutely nothing like he had during the time she had known him. He seemed younger than before, somehow. His once chestnut coat had been replaced by a sky-blue one, his once uncontrollable brown mane and tail replaced with much more manageable golden hair, and he was wearing a tan vest with—of all things—a piece of celery on his lapel. The only physical thing that remained the same was the hourglass cutie mark on his flank. Yet Celesia had shared too much time, too many adventures with the strange pony-like being from Gallopfrey to be fooled by something as simple as physical appearance. This was most definitely the Doctor.

“Where were you?” she asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously. The greeting the other pony was about to give froze immediately in his throat. This was obviously not the hello he was expecting. “WHERE WERE YOU?” Celestia repeated, the full force of the Royal Canterlot Voice erupting from her lips. “YOU HAVE SAVED THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE SO MANY TIMES! I KNOW; I WAS THERE FOR SOME OF THEM! SO WHERE WERE YOU NOW WHEN MY OWN WORLD WAS CRUMBLING AROUND ME?”

“Now, steady on...”

“STEADY...? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED TONIGHT? ANY IDEA WHAT I HAD TO...? What I had to...?”

The smile returned to the Doctor's face—this time quite sad. “Yes. I do.”

Celestia's face contorted in anger for moment, but the anger deflated, and she flopped down to the ground and the tears came anew. “Why weren't you here?” she asked once more, anger replaced with despair in her voice.

The Doctor sighed. “I couldn't be. Oh, I argued with myself for decades over the issue—distracted myself with, well, you know what I distract myself with. But I literally could not be here. Not for this.”

“Why not?”

The Doctor gave a rather awkward grin and rubbed the back of his head. “For ponies in general—yourself included these last few centuries—time is just a linear progression of event to event, but to a time traveler, it's much more complicated. Most events can be changed, for better or worse, without any major damage done to the fabric of the universe. But, there are some points which serve basically as lynchpins. These points must remain unchanged, or the consequences would be disastrous for everything everywhere.”

“And-and tonight was one of these...lynchpins?”

“Unfortunately yes. Any influence I might have had tonight could have proven fatal.”

“What, then, are you doing here now?” Celestaia asked of her friend. The Doctor looked rather uncomfortable for a moment and his eyes darted toward the barn. Celestia turned incredulous. “You wish to take me adventuring with you? Now?”

“Oh, no. No no no no no no. I was hoping to take you on a trip, but just a quick one. Five minutes—ten on the outside. No daleks, no cyberponies, no sontaurans, no running. Cross my hearts. Both of them.”

“For what purpose?”

The Doctor smiled. “I am your friend, remember? I'm attempting to show you that no matter how things seem now, they will be okay. I'm just in a rather unique position to show you thus definitively.”

Celestia thought for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. I will give you ten minutes.”

The Doctor led the way as Celestia ducked into the small barn. Though she had spent months within the ship, those months were so long ago that even with conscious knowledge of it's impossible scale, she still couldn't help but to be impressed at the fact that it was, well, bigger on the inside. Despite all that had occurred, Celestia couldn't help but smile nostalgically. “Hello, Old Girl,” she found herself muttering, even as the Doctor began his frantic little dance around the controls in the center of the room.

Celestia almost reflexively sat on the ground as the screeching began. As the trip began, the room shook and rattled. “I would have thought you would have improved your piloting skills over the decades,” she grumbled irritably as a loose...something...nearly hit her in the head.

“I've told you before, the TARDIS was built to be piloted by six Time Chargers. I'm but one. It'll only last for a moment.”

The blue Time Charger was correct, and moments later the screeching and shaking stopped. Getting to her hooves, Celestia asked the Doctor, “Where and when are we?”

The Doctor's smile never wavered. “Canterot Castle, your soon-to-be new home, in the year of 1001 C.R.”

“C.R.?”

“Oh, yes. Your, ah, battle resulted in a renumbering of the calendar. Now, go ahead and take a look.” Celestia hesitated a bit at the doors. “Well, go on.”

Celestia opened the door and found herself staring directly at a marble wall. “What...?” she murmured.

“Oh!” the Doctor exclaimed, smacking himself in the forehead. “One moment.” The Doctor tapped a few more controls, and the TARDIS rose several hooves, so that instead of a wall, Celestia was looking through a window.

Gazing in, Celestia discovered a brightly lit marble hallway, of an elegance that even the old castle in Everfree lacked. It was actually a bit more...pretentious than she would choose as her home, but the alicron knew her subjects well enough to know that they would have built this castle for her and would have insisted upon only the best.

Celestia had only a moment to contemplate this fact before she heard laughter emanating from down the hall. Shifting her gaze for a better view, the royal alicorn gasped. Stumbling down the hallway was herself, splotches of rainbow colors covering almost every part of her coat. Undignified though it was, this was not what caused the princess to gasp. It was the reason her future self was having so much difficulty walking down the hallway. Adhered to the future alicorn's side, stuck upside down and with her legs wheeling in the air, laughing all the while, was Luna.

The Celestia within the castle suddenly stopped, as if remembering something, and cast her gaze out the window. The two white alicorns met their gazes, and the smile on the future Celestia softened into something less jovial, but no less happy, and she nodded her head briefly to her sister before winking.

“Sister, is something the matter?” Luna asked.

“Nothing, nothing, Luna,” the future Celestia said with a smile. “I just needed to take a moment to regain my balance.”

“We are not that heavy,” Luna complained.

“I don't remember implying you were,” Celestia replied with an impish smile as she continued her way down the hall.

“I do apologize, Little Celestia,” the Doctor stated. “My intent was to show you a more...dignified scene, but you know how the Old Girl can be.” With that, the Doctor glared back at the TARDIS control console, which actually buzzed at that moment as if blowing him a raspberry.

“Oh, do not apologize,” Celestia replied, tears pooling in her eyes. “It was perfect. Just...just perfect.”

The Advisor

Chapter 3

The Advisor

Day court was so very nearly over, and Celestia sighed with relief. True, the day wasn't a complete waste. She had helped several ponies with legitimate needs, and their thanks were enough to remind her why she did this in the first place. But on the other end of the spectrum, she had spent the vast majority of the day dealing with trivial little concerns brought up by overreacting nobles and upper class. The only one of those that did not somehow grate on her nerves was that newcomer to the ranks of big business—what was his name? Fancy Pants? Yes. Fancy Pants. That one was one to watch out for. His business sense and ambition were strong, but only because he legitimately desired to leave Equestria better than he found it, and he simply determined that having both money and social standing would best put him in position to do just that. Oh, Celestia hoped that he would keep that somewhat naïve drive when he inevitably reached his goals.

But now she was getting off track; there was still one more request to see to.

Celestia smiled as a distinguished tan pegasus stallion with an immaculately—though not pretentiously—groomed mane and tail entered the throne room. He wore the uniform of the Equestrian military, and his mustache was carefully groomed to be notable but not garish. He bowed politely for the princess, who smiled warmly in return. “Hello, my dear Brigadier,” she said. “It is a pleasure to see you today.”

The Brigadier himself smiled broadly. “The pleasure, as always, is mine, Princess. Even if my presence here is due to an...unusual circumstance.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow quizzically. Her old friend had certainly caught her attention. “Go on,” she encouraged.

The distinguished pegasus nodded. “Yes, well, no more than two days ago over in Trottingham, we encountered a...” he paused, trying to find a way to accurately describe just what he and his stallions encountered. He apparently gave up and shrugged. “...spot of bother of a very unique sort. The full details will be in the official report, though suffice it to say we likely would not have survived had it not been for the appearance of one, ah, particular stallion.”

The Brigadier had Celestia's full attention now. “This stallion. Is he here with you now?”

“I am,” a new voice said as he entered the throne room. Celestia blinked in surprise. This time he was a unicorn, deeper blue than his previous appearance and much older looking with a curly gray mane and tail. The outfit he wore could almost be overdressed at the Grand Galloping Gala, let alone a relatively private meeting such as this. But, as his hourglass cutie mark and Celestia's own magical senses would attest, the newcomer was indeed the Doctor.

“Why, Doctor, this is a surprise.”

The unicorn before her appeared rather confused. “I'm sorry, but...do you know me?”

Now Celestia was confused—and a bit hurt besides. “Yes. We traveled together for a time. It was centuries ago now, but I would have thought you wouldn't have forgotten.”

The Doctor became surprisingly irate. “Oh, what will I possibly be thinking? It's not like I won't remember this when it happens.” The blue unicorn sighed. “I'm sure I'll have a good reason when the time comes. It is me after all.” The Doctor turned his attention back to the Princess, who was regarding him with a shrewd expression. “Princess, I'm afraid this will be a mite difficult to explain, but if you could bear with me...”

“The Doctor I met in my past is actually you from your future, so while I know you, you have yet to meet me,” Celestia interrupted with her mischievous smile.

The Doctor was actually stunned speechless for a moment. “So you traveled with me for some time, then?”

Celestia's smile deepened. “Oh, yes. We became quite close friends. You helped—or, rather will help; tenses are rather muddled whenever you are involved, aren't they?—me through a rather black point of my life some time ago.”

The Doctor held up a hoof. “We'll have no more of that, thank you. It may be your past, but it's my future, and knowing too much of one's personal time line is a risky business to say the least. Especially when one's time line is as...convoluted as mine.”

“Of course,” Celestia conceded. She turned her attention to the Brigadier. “You don't seem nearly as confused by our conversation as I would have thought, old friend.” Her look became knowing. “You've known the Doctor longer than you've implied, haven't you?”

The pegasus smiled. “I suppose the cat is out of the bag, as it were. I have had a few encounters with our mutual friend in the past...though I do admit this is the first time I've seen him with his current face.”

“Yes, he does that.” Celestia's demeanor became all business. “Now, then. Why have the two of you come before me today? It must be something important if you've so willingly made yourself known to me.”

The Brigadier nodded to the Doctor, who stepped forward. “Before I begin, Princess, are you aware of exactly what I am and where I come from?”

The white alicorn nodded. “Yes, Doctor. I've heard you speak of the Time Chargers of Gallopfrey with equal parts admiration and disdain.”

A smirk appeared on the old unicorn's face. “That certainly does sound like me. And you knowing about my home world does make this much easier. To make a very, very long story short—I have been banished.”

Celestia's expression changed to one of alarm. “Banished? Whatever for?”

“They never did appreciate my adventurous nature. All the meddling I've done in the timestream finally caught up with me, no matter how well intentioned. The Council decided since I liked Equestria so much, I could live the rest of my life here. Now, I'm rather sorry to say the TARDIS is nothing more than a blue box that's bigger on the inside.”

The Princess of the Sun gazed sympathetically at the blue unicorn. “I am so sorry, Doctor. Is there anything I can do?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. Now that I'm, ah, grounded, I could use a place to stay. Things to do. And as I'm sure you probably learned though our travels, your world is an increasingly tempting target for those that would do you harm, due to your wealth in resources and magic, coupled with your comparatively primitive culture.”

“Primitive?” the Brigadier spoke up indignantly.

The Princess nodded understandingly. “I've seen plenty enough to know that though his word choice is blunt the Doctor is nevertheless accurate.” She turned back to the Doctor himself. “Once again, what can I do for you?”

The Doctor's expression was indicative of eating something most sour. “I am here to...offer my services to the crown. If I am to stay here for any length of time, I may as well make myself useful. If you've seen half of what I suspect, you know having me on board will prove most useful.”

Celestia smiled. “Doctor, though you may not know it, I owe you a great debt. I would gladly keep you as a guest of the castle if you so chose, though I know you would never go for such a thing. You're too much the busybody. Instead, I will move forward with a military initiative I've been planning for some time now—we are an inviting target, as you say—and would be honored if you'd sign on as an adviser. Your unique knowledge of the dangers beyond the stars will prove most beneficial, I think. You'll be provided with lodgings and a workplace and anything you may require to get the Old Girl up and running again.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Princess?”

Celestia's grin was again full of mischief. “I'm the last pony to think something as mundane as banishment would be enough to keep you in one place or time for very long.”

Regeneration

Chapter 4

Regeneration

Celestia was interrupted from her daily paperwork as a gray unicorn in UNIT's blue and red uniform burst in to her stateroom. She immediately pushed the pile of papers aside when she saw him. UNIT business had a disturbing tendency to be the single most important business of any given day it came up. “What can I do for you, corporal?”

The corporal gave the princess a wide eyed stare that caused a pit of worry to form in her stomach. It took a lot to unnerve UNIT members. “It's... it's the Doctor.”

The impassive mask Celestia wore before her subjects slipped slightly. “What about the Doctor?”

The corporal shifted from one foot to the other nervously, both the news itself and the fact he had to deliver it to Celestia causing him considerable stress. “W-well, he's back at his lab. There was, a situation and, ah, radiation, and... he's dying.”

The corporal was next blinded by a brilliant flash of light as a quick cacophonous pop assailed his ears. When the spots cleared, the Princess of the Sun had vanished.

~DrW~

The Doctor coughed as he gazed fondly up at the red-maned mare standing above him. “A tear, Wordsmith?” he asked weakly as a small smile formed on his lips. “Don't cry. While there's life, there's...” The Doctor sighed mid sentence and fell silent.

That was when Celestia appeared in a brilliant flash of magic. The sight before her caused her throat to tighten. On the floor was the Doctor's unmoving body, his latest companion—a news reporter if memory served—and the Brigadier standing above him. The look on the young mare's face answered the question before Celestia could form it.

“Tell me. Why are you crying?” a sudden voice asked.

The three ponies turned to see a maroon earth pony in ridiculous robes sitting on the couch in front of the window. The Brigadier cocked an eyebrow. Unexpected though this was, it was hardly the strangest thing to happen with the Doctor around. “Who is that?” he asked.

“The... the Hermit,” Wordsmith mumbled in minor shock.

“Well that explains everything,” the Brigadier muttered as he rolled his eyes.

“He's still alive, you know,” the Hermit explained. “He's a Time Charger. He's in the process of regeneration. Soon he will awaken with a new form.” The strange pony turned to Celestia. “As you've well seen, Little Celestia.”

Celestia gazed upon this intruder shrewdly. The Doctor as he lay here never called her that. That was something the future Doctor of her past would say. The Hermit grinned a grin she recognized in herself—one of equal parts wisdom and mischief. The truth of what he was saying suddenly dawned on her. “So all the faces I've seen him with in the past, that means that, each time, he's... died?”

The Hermit nodded. “Yes. That is a particular trait of we Time Chargers. Though there is a limit, it extends our lives almost indefinitely.” The Hermit cast a sad look at the unmoving Doctor. “This will he his third regeneration,” he said with a sigh. “I fear that if he continues this way he will die very young indeed by Time Charger standards.”

“Why are you here?” Celestia asked.

The Hermit smiled again. “You are not the only friends of the Doctor. I owe him much, and am here to give his regeneration process a little... push. The radiation is interfering with the process a bit. Now, please stand back and be aware, this process does affect the brain cells along with the more obvious traits.”

The three ponies did as they were instructed and stepped back a few paces as the Hermit closed his eyes. They watched in awe as the Doctor began to glow with a golden light that slowly built itself brighter and brighter, then suddenly erupted in every direction. Even Celestia, who moved the very sun each day, had to avert her eyes. “Well, here we go again,” the Brigadier—who knew something of the radical changes the Doctor was about to undergo—muttered under his breath.

When the light died down, Celesta's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't even notice that the Hermit was gone. For lying there on the ground, looking almost paradoxical in the finery of the life he'd been living up to this point, was the Doctor. Her Doctor. All teeth and curls. Celestia lowered her head to his level. “Doctor?” she asked tentatively.

The Doctor's wild blue eyes shot open and darted around, looking in all directions. He raised his head, looked Celestia in the eye, said a random collection of words, numbers, and oddball sounds, belched a stream of golden energy in her face, and fell unconscious again.

~DrW~

All was quiet in the Doctor's lab when he finally managed to sneak back into it. He didn't really see what the big deal was that he should be confined to a bed. Regeneration was a dodgy process, true, but a few hours of sleep and he was right as rain. Why couldn't the (heh) doctors just see it? Oh well. At least he managed to get away from them. And there she was. The TARDIS herself. Oh, what a beauty. And so neglected for so long. He hadn't gotten nearly enough chances to take her out even after the Council rescinded his banishment.

Just as he managed to dig the key out from one of his old socks and open the door, a familiar voice interrupted him. “And just where do you think you are going?”

The Doctor turned to see Wordsmith glaring at him. The Doctor smiled a wide, wild smile. “Just out and about for a bit.”

“Doctor, you can't just up and leave.”

“Can't I?”

“Can't he?” another voice interrupted as Celestia entered the lab, a smile on her face.

The Doctor brightened when he saw her. “Ah, Celestia. Celestia who gave me a place when I needed it, who I will apparently share many adventures with, and who is just as long lived as I. Care to join me on a trip?”

Celestia shook her head. “You have no idea how tempting the offer is, Doctor, but I have too many responsibilities. I just came to see you off.”

The Doctor just shrugged. “Pity. And you, Wordsmith? You traveled with the old me for quite some time. Care to give the new me a try?”

At Wordsmith's hesitance, Celestia gave her a nudge toward the blue barn. “Well, go on. It's not like you don't want to,” she teased.

Wordsmith gave an annoyed look at Celestia before remembering who exactly it was that was annoying her, then turned to the Doctor. “Of course I will,” she said. “Any plans on where to go first?”

The Doctor grinned as he let her in the TARDIS. “Oh, I don't know. I thought I'd just hit a few random buttons and let the old girl decide.” Moments after he and his companion entered the TARDIS, the blue barn began to vanish with the now familiar screeching sound.

Just as it vanished from reality completely, the Brigadier galloped in. One glance at the room was all he needed to register what had happened. “Oh, where has he gone now?” he groused.

Celestia favored her old friend with a smile. “Anywhere and everywhere, my dear Brigadier.” She cast one last bittersweet look at the now empty space the TARDIS once occupied. “Goodbye, Doctor.”

The Last Survivor

Chapter 5

The Last Survivor

Celestia drew in a deep breath of the crisp midmorning air as she lay in her private spot of the Royal Canterlot Gardens. It was that wonderful time of day, just between the raising of the sun and the opening of Day Court, where Celestia had a few moments to herself to relax and enjoy some tea. As she brought the cup to her lips, she cast a longing look to a particular tower. Today they were testing applicants for the School of Gifted Unicorns. Oh how Celestia wished she could be involved with that rather than her other duties. The upcoming generation always had a magic about them that had nothing to do with unicorn horns. It was why she started the school in the first place all those years ago.

But Equestria was smaller back then and she had more time to devote to such things.

Celestia sighed just a bit as she took another sip of her tea. No use in getting sad over such a triviality, she reminded herself. You knew the job was difficult when you took it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden loud sound. It was unlike anything she ever heard, but it was definitely the sound of something crashing into something else. She cast her eyes in all directions, searching for the source of the sound, when a flash of light from above caught her gaze. Looking up, she saw a small burning object falling through the sky, a black trail of smoke billowing in its wake. She watched in horror as the thing arced through the sky and crashed in a far corner of the garden. A brief moment later, her mind caught on to the significance of something her sharp eyes noticed as it fell.

Celestia's eyes widened as she leaped to her hooves. "Blue...?" she murmured, and with a powerful flap of her elegant wings, she was airborne.

~DrW~

"What do you think it is?" one of the guards asked his partner.

"'Ow the 'eck should I know?" the other guard responded. "I don't got no experience with things fallin' out of the blinkin' sky."

"Looks like a blue barn," a third voice spoke up. "Only smaller. And on its side. And, y'know, on fire."

The two guards looked down to see a young unicorn, just south of his teenage years, looking at the crashed object intently.

"Oi! Kid!" the second guard shouted. "Get away from that! Could be dangerous."

The young colt looked up at the guard defiantly, shaking his blue mane out of his eyes. "Name's Shining Armor, and I'm not a kid."

The guard picked Shining Armor up with his magic and tossed him away from the wreck. "I don't care if yer Prince Blueblood. Yer a kid, and this place is dangerous."

"Hey!" Shining Armor protested. "I was leaving! You didn't have to do that!"

The guard was about to reply when another young pony came charging into the scene. "Oh, yer highness!" the guard sputtered. "This little blighter a friend of yours?"

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza--Cadance to basically all who knew her--rolled her eyes. "Yes, he is. Was he causing you gentlecolts trouble?"

"No!" Shining shouted, causing the two guards to grin a bit.

Cadance gave a slight bow to the guards. "I apologize. He's normally much better behaved, but his sister is applying for the school today and he's a bit nervous."

"I'm not nervous!" Shining protested. "Twiley's got it in the bag. I just wanted to be there to see the show."

"Sure, sure," Cadance conceded with a playful grin. "Come on, you. You're bothering the nice stallions who are just doing their job. I swear I have to babysit you as much as I do Twilight."

With the young ponies leaving the scene, the guards were left with the problem of the unidentified blue object lying in the furrow it made in the dirt before them. "You think we should call UNIT?" the first guard asked.

"I guess," the second replied. "Stuff from the sky's their turf, isn't it?"

"That will be unnecessary," Celestia said as she landed behind them. "I'm quite familiar with this blue box, and I assure you the best thing to do is to cordon off the area for now and let it be."

The two guards stammered and stuttered at the surprise appearance of their ruler, but bowed and ran off to do as she subtly commanded. Celestia turned her gaze to the fallen TARDIS. "What happened to you?" she asked to herself.

Almost as if in response the double doors opened, belching out a new cloud of smoke, and out stumbled the Doctor. He had changed again, though all things considered this was no surprise. His coat was a dirty gray, and his black mane was cut so short as to be nearly shaved, adding further emphasis to his rather large ears. He was wearing a battered old old jacket, under which there was equally worn bandolier strapped to his chest. He looked up, a wild fear in his sky blue eyes, and giggled madly. "Little Celestia," he muttered. "I made it." Then he belched out a cloud of gold and fell to the ground, unconscious.

~DrW~

Everything around him was soft. Soft and comfortable. Should everything be soft and comfortable? Something about that seemed wrong, but he couldn't place a hoof on why. Maybe things would clear up if he opened his eyes? Oh yeah. That could work. Though it took far more effort than it should have, the Doctor managed to pry his eyes open. He was lying on a huge bed set in a room of marble and gold. Not the TARDIS. Where then?

The Doctor rolled to get out of bed and crashed rather spectacularly on the floor. Oh right. New body. Gonna have to get used to that. After floundering about for a minute, he managed to get to his hooves. A few more minutes of slow experimentation and he was walking more or less normally. Good. Now to go about getting back to the TARDIS.

It was a testament to how much the latest regeneration was still affecting his thought process that the Doctor immediately went for the door. It opened easily, not even unlocked, but on the other side were a pair of ponies, who were obviously guarding the room who looked at him with quirked eyebrows. The Doctor immediately reached for his... ah. No clothes. No clothes, no no bandolier. No bandolier no pockets. No pockets no sonic screwdriver. Fortunately, his somewhat muddled mind finally caught up with him and he recognized the golden armor and what it stood for. His face split into a wide smile, causing his eyes to squint into merry little slits, though one of the guards could have sworn he could see some deep sadness within. "Hello," the Doctor said brightly. "Take me to your leader?"

~DrW~

The late afternoon was warm and pleasant as two ponies wandered the maze that was the gardens. "And then the mechanical pony, he looks me in the eye, and says, bah-weep-grah-na-weep-nini-bong!" The Doctor laughed as he concluded his story.

Celestia chuckled a bit herself. "What does that even mean?"

"I have no idea! Can you imagine? The TARDIS can translate any and all languages, and I still have no clue what that means. I figure it's ether from a language as old as the universe, or complete gobbledygook."

Celestia allowed herself one more chuckle before giving the Doctor a thoughtful look. Over the last hour his strength had been returning, and he'd been talking almost nonstop over the last twenty minutes. But it was all inconsequential. Completely avoiding the subject he had to know she wished to breach. She sighed. Only one thing for it. "Doctor? What happened?"

The Doctor froze, his gaze far away.

"If it was just the regeneration, I'd leave it be. The way you risk your life, it's inevitable that it will catch up with you sometimes. But it's more than that. I've never seen the TARDIS crash like that. And you're traveling alone. And furthermore... well, I just know you. I can tell that you're hurting and trying to hide it. Please, let me help."

The Doctor kept his gaze averted for a few moments before deflating with a sigh. "How long has it been since you last saw me?" he asked.

Celestia pondered the question for a moment. "About sixteen years now, I think. You were a stumpy little thing and... you know you never did tell me why it was so imperative to have your friend in the coat blow a hole in the side of my castle."

The Doctor smiled a bit at the memory before growing somber once more. "Oh I've been gone a lot longer than that. Centuries even. To tell the truth, I don't even know how long. See, I was summoned home. All the Time Chargers were, from my granddaughter, to Romana, to that little repair colt we ran into a few times; remember him? See, there was a war brewing, and we all got drafted. The Time Chargers versus the Daleks with the fate of everything everywhere in the balance!" The Doctor finally made eye contact with his old friend, and she could see the weight of the ages in his cold blue eyes. "You're looking at the one and only survivor of that whole bloody mess."

Celestia brought a hoof to her mouth as she gasped. "Oh, Doctor..."

"Still," the Doctor continued, turning his back to Celestia and looking out over the horizon. "We're here talking about it, so I guess the good guys won, right? Hurrah for the home team."

Celestia was, for once in her long life, at a complete loss for words. The Doctor was one of her dearest friends, and she wanted more than anything to be able to offer some form of comfort, but what comfort could she give in the face of that? She thought she knew something about loss and sacrifice, but the sheer scale of it...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud boom that echoed over Canterlot. Princess and Time Charger both spun to see the cause of it, and saw a large expanding ring of prismatic light erupting in the sky some distance past Ponyville. "A Sonic Rainboom?" Celestia asked incredulously. "I haven't seen one of those in decades."

"No," the Doctor murmured as a small smile began to play on his face. It suddenly dawned on him what day it was, and to arrive now of all times...

Another loud crash, this one much closer to home, caused Celestia to spin again. Now she was confronted with the sight of a huge purple dragon poking his head out a newly formed hole in one of her towers. "That's..."

"The School for Gifted Unicorns," the Doctor finished. When Celestia turned and gave him a quizzical look, he shooed at her with his hoof. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on. The TARDIS is still reformatting herself so I can't go anywhere even if I wanted to. I'll still be here when you get back."

The Princess gave a brief nod before launching herself in the air and flying off toward the disturbance. The smile on the Doctor's face widened even further as he turned and watched as the Rainboom petered out of existence. What a day! Historians would grant it a particular importance just as the day Celestia first met her most faithful student Twilight Sparkle. Some would mention it as also being the day that the Sonic Rainboom was seen for the first time in generations. Very few knew the true significance of the day, though. None would write about how, in various parts of Equestria from Manehattan to a rock farm in the country to a querry outside Ponyville and even here in Canterlot Castle, six young mares were at this very moment receiving their cutie marks--or at least having the revelation that would lead to it.

Thus would the six most important mares in modern Equestrian history be linked in a way science could not explain, yet was so very real. To those very few who had any idea, it could easily be argued that today was the day that Equestria's Magical Age really began. And here the Doctor was, witnessing it. It was a reminder of why he began traveling in the first place. His eyes glinted with the mad gleam that years of conflict had nearly extinguished and one word came to mind to describe his feelings.

"Fantastic."

The Last Page

Epilogue

The Last Page

The Everfree Forest was always a fascinatingly dark and dangerous place, and tonight was no exception. It was only early evening, yet the darkness was nearly equal to midnight. Not that the Doctor minded. To him, the forest remained one of the most interesting places on the planet for that very reason. A cockatrice stood in his way, locking eyes with the alien pony. The Doctor simply smirked humorlessly and met its red eyed gaze with his own green eyes. "Not going to work on me, mate," he muttered.

The cockatrice began to back off. It wasn't just that its stare proved completely ineffective on its prey. There was something in his eyes that unnerved it. He wasn't openly aggressive or threatening, but the dispassionate look he tossed its way was even more unnerving than the Stare used by certain locals. After mere moments of shared eye contact, the creature slunk back into the foliage. The Doctor harrumphed cockily, brushed off his tweed jacket, readjusted his bow tie, and continued on to his destination.

Before long he reached the last leg of his journey, the bridge crossing the deep ravine that lay mere minutes from the ruins. The Doctor unhesitatingly walked across the rickety old bridge to the other side. Moments later, the Doctor arrived at the ruins that were formerly the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. He sat down before the entrance and just... sat there. He didn't exactly know why he came here. He wasn't even sure what year it actually was. His last jump was something of a blind one. The Doctor wasn't exactly at his best recently.

He reached into his jacket and slowly withdrew a page of paper. "Dear friend. Here we are; at the last page..." The Doctor couldn't continue to read without his vision blurring up. Damn it all, he thought in disgust. My previous life was nowhere near this sentimental, and he stayed in Ponyville off and on for over a decade just to be with her.

"This place was so beautiful once," a sudden voice spoke from behind. The Doctor turned and saw his Little Celestia standing there behind him, ever the same, ever constant, so unlike the Doctor himself.

Hastily stashing his paper back in his jacket, the Doctor turned to face his old friend, a fake as fake can be smile on his face. "What do you mean 'used to be'? All the history this place holds, all the history both good and bad, all that history comes together to make one amazingly beautiful whole. To say nothing of the personal memories I have of this place. No wonder I come here to think."

Celestia's calm smile was a bit teasing, yet sad. "And here I was hoping you were here for my benefit."

"For your...? Why would I have been here for your...? Wait, wait, give me a moment." The Doctor brought a foreleg up to his face to look at his backward wristwatch. Okay, so it was the year one thousand seventy four C.R. Third day of the fourth month. What was significant about that date, again? What was... Ooooh. The day after the funeral of... "Ah. Sorry about that. I really should have known. I've not exactly been my usual brilliant self as of late."

Celestia sat herself down next to her old friend, her own eyes a bit misty, but a kind and understanding smile on her face. "She was probably the best student I've ever had the pleasure of teaching. She's done so much, both for the kingdom as a whole and myself personally." She sighed and shot the Doctor a significant look. "It really is very difficult when they leave, isn't it?"

The Doctor scowled and looked away. "Let's not go there. Not today."

Celestia laid herself down and put her face at eye level with the much smaller stallion. "In all honesty, Doctor, I think we need to 'go there' tonight. The two of us, we're very much alike when it comes to these matters, I think. We both know, from day one, that the day will come..."

"When they leave us, yes!" The Doctor growled, a challenge in his eye as he gazed unflinchingly into hers. "As will the next ones. And the next! And the next! Well, I for one am sick of it!" He slumped in defeat. "It's just not fair."

Celestia unfurled one of her impressive wings and covered the Doctor with it comfortingly. "No, it is not," she agreed softly. "But it still is."

The Doctor let the tears fall freely now. Here, in the presence of quite possibly the one other being who truly understood--even more so than her sister, who had less experience, and was less mature--he was safe to do so. "Travel with me. Please?" he asked, almost pitiably.

Celestia had allowed a few tears to fall herself. "I think we both know the answer to that. I love you, Doctor. You really are my best friend in the world, and beyond. But my place is here." She tightened the hold she had on the ancient traveler in her wing. "But know this--I will always be here. Always."

The Doctor nodded numbly. "I suppose... for now... tonight... that's enough."

Off in the distance, a timberwolf howled as Luna rose a spectacular full moon. And here, two old friends sat together, and mourned together, and were comforted by the other's presence. Together.

~DrW~

"Lulu! Lulu, I'm home!" the little filly shouted as she ran into the castle.

The Doctor watched from the cover of the forest as she was practically tackled by a midnight blue filly and the two hugged and cried and laughed for a moment before entering the castle out of sight. He almost didn't notice the fair white mare with the golden hair and the straw hat approach from behind. "Well, now. Isn't that interesting," she said playfully.

"Oh, don't start, Romana," the Doctor groused. "I've already explained that when I met her in my previous regeneration, she already had memories of me. Not appearing would have caused all kinds of paradoxes."

"Don't give me that," Romana replied. "I've yet to meet a fellow Time Charger who disregards the Laws of Time like you do. You don't care one whit about paradoxes and the like. Why can't you just admit that maybe, just maybe you're looking for a friend? One of the lifelong variety?"

"I will admit nothing of the sort. Now come along. We mustn't stay in any one place for too long, you know. Never know when the Black Guardian might be on the lookout."

"And whose fault is that?" Romana asked as he led her down the path to where the TARDIS was patiently waiting. The Doctor barely heard her. He cast one last look at the castle before trotting down the path himself. Maybe he should take Romana to see Prance. Yes, Prance was always a good choice, even if he couldn't quite control the year. Prance it was, then.

~THE END~

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR (that would be me):

So, there we go. The end of the story. And I'm sure some people will notice that I skipped right over Tennent, thus writing a Doctor Whooves story that doesn't actually have the Doctor Whooves background pony in it. That was so totally not the intention. I had a scene with Doctor #10 all planned out. It would have been at the Royal Wedding reception. There would have been talk about where the Doctor currently was in his life. There would have been a brief cameo of 11 "dancing." It was a good scene at the time.

But, when I sat down to actually write it, it felt... superfluous, trite, and unnecessary. Not exactly what you want to end the story on. And, for better or worse Angels Take Manhattan is still rather fresh in my mind, so this ending is what came to mind. Also, what that scene had to say about the Doctor's life at that point, as well as his current status with Celestia, were already said better and in more detail over at my other Doctor story A Storm of Chaos. If you're looking for a Tenth Doctor fix, head on over there. I'll be waiting.

Bonus: A Great Spirit of Adventure

Bonus Chapter

A Great Spirit of Adventure

The Magical Land of Equestria circa 2875 C.R.

The roar of the engines was deafening even several miles away, and the smoke obscured the rocket from the eyes of the onlookers for a moment before it launched upwards like, well, a rocket. The cheers continued for several minutes, well after the rocket had vanished from view, none more enthusiastic than Celestia herself, largely hidden from view in the royal box seats.

"Why sister," Luna said, a wry smile tugging the corners of her mouth. "I don't believe I've seen you this excited in..." Luna actually had to pause and consider, before deciding on, "a very long time."

"Of course, Luna," Celestia responded. "Today is one of those moments. Something we knew would have to happen eventually, and here it is." Celestia let out a giddy sort of chuckle as she looked up at the smoke cloud that still climbed into the sky. "It's a beautiful thing, progress."

Luna smiled wistfully watching her sister. Celestia was like a new mare in recent centuries. With the weight of rule spread not just between the two sisters, but with a whole ruling counsel, Celestia hadn't been so light and free since... since... well, since the day the two of them were whisked away in that little blue box all those many centuries ago.

The smile disappeared from Luna's face as she too looked up at where the rocket full of brave explorers had vanished. Celestia noticed the sudden change in mood and cast a slightly concerned glance at her little sister. "What is it, Luna?"

"Hmm?" was the somewhat distant reply.

"Something is troubling you. What is it?"

Luna shook her head, and brought her thoughts back to earth. "I'm just worried, I suppose. This first step we're taking... we know something of the dangers awaiting ponykind out there."

Celestia nodded, her own mood brought down slightly. "Yes. Yes we do. But we also know something of the wonders as well. Indeed, it's a dangerous universe out there. But there's also kindness to be spread and friendships to forge."

"With one friend in particular, I suppose?" Luna responded, a teasing grin replacing her melancholy.

"Er, well, yes. I suppose," Celestia responded, blushing a little as she did.

"You've been thinking about him a lot recently."

Celestia responded with a slightly indignant huff. "I would think it only natural, all things considered."

"How long has it been since his last visit?" Luna asked.

"Ten years now I think, though the last visit didn't go so well." Celestia couldn't help but smirk. "It was the curly haired one with that impossible jacket."

Luna shuddered. That particular version of the Doctor tended to grate on both of their nerves.

Celestia let her gaze shift to the celebrations below. "Enough with this reminiscing. Let's go down and join the party."

Luna chuckled as she followed her sister's lead. Another effect of Celestia's diminished role in everyday government was more time and willingness to spend among the common pony, opportunities Celestia jumped at whenever possible, which also meant that their subjects were comparatively more at ease with her in their company. Celestia was right, Luna supposed. Progress was indeed a beautiful thing.

~DrW~

The afternoon passed most pleasantly. There were old friends to meet, food to partake in, and just an enjoyable party atmosphere to surround oneself with. Celestia found herself discussing the possibility of an open house at the School of Gifted Unicorns with the current dean (and descendant of Twilight Sparkle), when another nearby conversation caught her ear.

"That launch. It was most spectacular, wasn't it?" a male pony asked.

"Did you think so?" asked the voice of a young mare--a filly, really. "It all seemed very primitive to me. Didn't it to you, Grandfather?"

"Primitive? Primitive?" a gruff old stallion's voice responded. "We just witnessed a first step in a grand new world and all you can say is that it was primitive? Hmm, ah, I suppose it was a bit primitive, yes."

"It was all very impressive to me," the first voice said.

"Hmmm, yes. Well for you it would be wouldn't it?" the old stallion said in response.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Can't you two get along for one day?" an older mare asked with a sigh.

Celestia politely excused herself from her conversation and made her way toward this rather interesting quartet. The four ponies weren't especially far away, relaxing on a blue checkered picnic blanket. The young filly was a sky blue color, with a darker mane and a cutie mark in the form of a wristwatch. The older mare was a vaguely familiar combination of purples and pinks, with an open book as her cutie mark. The younger stallion was quite handsome, really, with a dark brown mane that went well with his much lighter coat. He had a cutie mark in the form of a glass beaker. But it was the older gentlecolt that really interested Celestia. His coat seemed to have been blue once, but the color had long since faded to near grey, his mane and tail were white, styled in a way that was centuries out of date, and he was fully clothed in a black suit and tie--certainly a bit overdressed for an event this casual.

And his cutie mark was an hourglass.

The conversation stopped almost immediately as she approached, the two middle aged ponies seeming to fall into a mild panic upon seeing her. They practically fell over themselves into a deep bow, with the young mare following a second later, but seemingly just because the other two did first. The old stallion calmly stayed seated.

"There is no need for such formality, my little ponies," Celestia said soothingly. "Please rise. I'd much rather talk to you face to face."

The three bowing ponies rose as asked, though the older two still embarrassed and reluctant to speak. Celestia chuckled. "Oh, please don't make such a fuss, really. I just noticed you all from across the park and thought I'd come over an introduce myself. I've made it a point in recent decades to meet at least one new pony at every event."

"Oh, w-well, it's an honor," the mare stuttered.

"Yes, quite," the old stallion said, in an almost indifferent tone. "It most certainly is a pleasure to meet you."

"Grandfather!" the filly scolded. "Show some proper respect."

"I am showing respect, child!" he snapped back. "I was nothing but polite, wasn't I, Princess?"

Celestia couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, yes. Very. I really didn't intend to intrude..."

"You're not intruding," the younger stallion said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "Please, stay."

Celestia stayed and conversed with the four ponies for several minutes. As she suspected, the two middle aged ponies were teachers. They introduced the filly as a student of theirs and the old stallion as her grandfather, though, they always found ways to change the subject when pressed further. Celestia, of course, knew the reason why, but felt it best to continue a charade of ignorance, nonetheless. Still, she found herself studying the young mare closely. So this is the granddaughter I've heard so little about, she thought. She was nice enough, certainly very bright, but seemed to have a certain naivete about her that was, frankly, dangerous given the kind of life Celestia knew she was leading. Little wonder the Doctor would find it necessary to eventually leave her.

"Well," the old codger--who had only made minimal contributions to the conversation--said when a lull was reached, "I do hate to be rude, your Highness, but I think we really should be going. We saw what we came to see, and did what we came to do."

"But Grandfather..." the filly complained.

"Now, now, Timekeeper," the stallion teacher admonished. "Your grandfather is right. We really shouldn't take up any more of the Princess's time. I'm sure there are other ponies who'd like a chance to meet her, too."

"There probably are, at that," Celestia agreed as she stood up. "It was a pleasure meeting all of you."

"The pleasure was all ours, really," the mare said with one more quick bow as the young stallion rolled up the blanket. With one quick round of farewells, the group were making their way through the crowds and were soon gone from sight.

"That was him, wasn't it?" Luna asked, suddenly at Celestia's side.

Celestia smirked. "You're never going to startle me, Luna."

Luna simply shrugged with a smile. "I'll still keep trying. But I was right, wasn't I? That old stallion was the Doctor."

"Yes. Yes he was."

Luna tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Strange that he didn't seem to recognize you."

"Not really," Celestia responded airily. "That was easily the youngest I've ever seen him."

"That was the youngest...?" Luna asked with an amused expression. She chuckled and shook her head. "What a strange, strange pony he is."

Celestia chuckled herself. "Yes, he is, isn't he. And I think the entire universe is better for it." Her expression turned brighter. "Well, what are we standing around here for? There's still plenty of ponies to meet and things to do."

Author's Note

Well, I was done with this story for quite some time. But, as sometimes happens, I got a new idea. I thought it was appropriate, given that Doctor Who celebrates his 50th anniversary this year. Hope you all enjoyed my little bonus.