Doctor Whooves: THE TIMELORD CHRONICLES - SERIES 1

DOCTOR WHOOVES: THE TIMELORD CHRONICLES

Chapter 1 Part 1:

THE WINDS OF CHANGE

“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end!”

- The Traveler

***

When my eyes first awoke, they were greeted to the sight of a lush, green field. The wind blew over them with grace; not the rugged brashness you see in the city or town. It was gentler….one that you want brushing across your face and blowing through your mane.

The hills on the horizon sprang into the sky, ready for some eager pony to climb to the top and claim the ultimate prize; being the first. It was something pegasus’ could do in no time, but earth ponies and unicorns were another story.

I stood there as the wind blew my mane and the mountains broke the calmness of the land. Nothing beside me was there….the utter calmness of the field really seemed to calm me.

Slowly, I looked around at the miles and miles of grass. I expected to see just that; nothing but miles and miles of grass.

But when I turned around, something caught my eye. A figure was moving towards me at great speed; running as fast as his hooves could carry him.

As he got closer, his features began to become more visible. His pelt was a light creme color, and his mane was the most perfect blonde color I’d ever seen. His sword and shield cutie mark shown in the sunlight, and his teeth gleamed in their afterglow.

When he finally reached me, his grin became more prominent. It was like a light in the darkness….only there was light everywhere.

“My sweet Roseluck,” he said. His voice was soothing and smooth; just what every mare wanted to hear. “I’ve finally arrived to take you with me”.

My heart began to melt, and for a second I didn’t know what to say. When a mare meets a stallion this perfect, it becomes difficult to find words. But eventually, I found my voice.

“Where are you going to take me?”

The stallion took my hoof, and gave it a small kiss. I almost felt like falling to my legs; mainly because they all felt weak. But I mustered up my strength, and waited for his reply.

“To take you on all kinds of adventures. Ones with danger, drama, and most importantly; romance”. He sealed his sentence with another kiss on my hoof. “There’s just one thing I must ask of you first”.

“Anything,” I said eagerly. All I’d ever wanted was a life of adventure, and now it was within my grasp. If this stallion wanted me to do something first, then so be it.

“Then could you please do me this favor,” he said, “and wake up?”

“....What?”

“You need to wake up Roseluck. Wake up….wake up….”

***

“Wake Up….Wake Up….ROSELUCK, WAKE UP OR YOU’LL BE LATE FOR WORK!”

My eyes flew open as the sound of the yelling reached myears. But the moment they opened, they stung with fiery fury as the light of Celestia’s sun shone into them. After a quick curse and some eye rubbing, I was able to open them again.

The sunlight lit up the room, showing off the ornate wooden dresser, end table, and trunk (which sat at the foot of my bed). The rug that sat beside my bed was still straight, and the lamp on the end table hadn’t blown over during the night.

I raised herself up and gave a quick stretch, while at the same time trying to get the taste of dryness out of my mouth. It was the same thing I did every morning….every single boring morning.

I heard the sound of hooves approaching, and a second later my bedroom door flew open. Standing where it had been was a very angry looking unicorn mare. She had a grayish raspberry coat, light amber mane with pale amber highlights, grayish gold eyes, and a cutie mark of three lilies. And right now, she was tapping her hoof impatiently while at the same time giving me a dangerous scowl.

“Rose, you need to wake up. You’ll be late for work again if you don’t hurry,” she said. “And I won’t cover any more of your excuses; then I’ll be in trouble”.

“I’m getting up Lily,” I said as I slowly crawled out of bed. “Your voice is loud enough to break glass, so I heard you the first ten times you said it”.

“You would have been out the door by now if that was true,” said Lily. “Now get ready, get some breakfast, and get going!”

And with that, she turned on her hooves and walked out.

I sighed as I finally got all of me out of bed. “She’s quick to pounce on me when I mess up, but she can’t take the heat herself. And why is it I always have that dream on days when Lily has a reason to yell at me?” I thought.

It was always the same when it came to that dream. It always happened on a day I had to work, and it was always interrupted by Lily yelling at me to wake up. So I never got to go on any adventures; especially not ones with a handsome stallion!

But I guess that was my conscious telling me that things like that aren’t real. And because they aren’t real, you shouldn’t dwell on them. After all, Lily always said “Living in reality is more fulfilling than living in fantasy”.

So with that thought now in my mind, I headed towards the bathroom to get ready for the day.

***

After a quick shower, and a lot of work on my mane, I headed downstairs to get some breakfast.

I walked into the kitchen, which was set up with the most secondhand equipment in the whole of ponyville. Everything had either millions of dents or enough stains to ruin any dress shop. The worst was the refrigerator; it wasn’t too warm, it actually nearly froze everything that was put in it.

“Okay, what to have today,” I asked myself as I headed towards the cabinets.

“Eggs, if you like”.

I turned around, and saw Lily placing a plate of scrambled eggs onto the table. She turned to me and said “I knew you’d take a while, so I made eggs. Eat them if you want, or don’t. Either way, I’m off to work”.

She grabbed her saddlebags and headed towards the door. “I might be late tonight,” she called, “so get something for both of us on your way home! I’ll probably not feel like cooking!”

I heard the door open before slamming shut, leaving me alone in the house. And with the time still ticking for me to leave, I rushed through the eggs before grabbing my things and heading out the door as well.

***

At this time in the morning, Ponies were just beginning to wake up in Ponyville. Shops unlocked their doors, children began to wake up for school, and the elder began to decide what today was going to hold.

As for myself, I was walking towards my job; as a flower specialist at the Town Flower Shop. I’ve been working there for ten years; ever since I first came to Ponyville. I loved the job at times, but overall it is actually very dull.

The only good thing associated with work was the walk I took each day to get to it. Because then, I passed by shops as they opened and ponies who went to get the best deal at the time. Occasionally, there were foals that were out and about playing, but at this time of the morning it was very rare.

As I passed through the town center, I heard somepony call out to me. “Rose, over here!”

I looked around, and saw that a small stand had been erected near town hall. A small filly sat behind it, and glasses of lemonade sat on top. A sign below it read FRESH LEMONADE: ONLY 1 BIT! in very crude writing.

“Hello Lemon Wedge, what are you doing out here,” I asked as I walked towards the stand. I’d known Lemon Wedge for a few years now; she usually came into the flower shop to get flowers for her parents or teacher. She was a nice filly, and one that still hadn’t earned her cutie-mark.

“Selling lemonade,” she said with a smile. “I thought maybe selling drinks would be my special talent. Then maybe I’ll finally get my cutie-mark.”

I smiled. “Well, let me help with that”. I took out a bit and placed it on the stand. “One lemonade please”.

Lemon Wedge smiled, took the bit, and pushed a glass of lemonade over to me. I grabbed the cup and downed the whole thing in under a few seconds. “Oh, that’s refreshing!”

“I’m glad you like it,” said Lemon Wedge. “Tell others at the shop to come by later, I’ll be here until sunset”.

“I will,” I said as I turned around and headed for the shop. “Keep up the good work Lemon Wedge”.

My smile couldn’t have been bigger; seeing Lemon Wedge was just the thing I needed. A slow day at the shop was something that could be dreadful, but seeing the smiling face of a foal early in the morning could stick with me all day.

And it’s with that thought that I made my way to the shop to start a hard day’s work.

***

“....Ugh….I hate my life!”

My grueling walk home had only just begun, and already I was tired of it. The nice sunset I was supposed to see was instead replaced by Luna’s beautiful moon! The shop had been busier than expected, and I had to stay late to restock everything and clean up the mess from the rush.

So, now I wasn’t just late to get dinner for me and Lily , I wasn’t going to get enough sleep either! And that meant I would be just as cranky tomorrow, and probably more angry too!

As I walked through the almost deserted Ponyville, I looked up at the night sky above me. The stars were out tonight, and the constellations were sparkling so bright you could practically feel the heat.

….I wish I could.

I wish I could go out into the universe, and see the stars as they were up close. Not down in Equestria; where the closet you can get to them is with a telescope.

I was almost ready to stop looking at the sky….when I saw something. It looked like a star, but it was falling along the sky; cutting through the constellations, and anything else that was in it’s path.

“A SHOOTING STAR,” I said excitedly. Everypony knew what they had to do when they saw a shooting star. So I closed my eyes tight, thought as hard as I could, and said “I wish I could have a life of adventure with a handsome stallion!”

I opened my eyes, ready to look up at the star and watch it shoot away from this planet. Far out into the universe, where there were no ungrateful customers or bossy roommates. Just adventure….and wonder!

Unfortunately, my eyes didn’t see the star shoot away. When I looked back at it, I saw the star turn….and soon it was heading right for Ponyville!

“Oh Celestia, this is bad!”

I thought about screaming; telling everypony to get out of town before it hits. But I couldn’t; I was frozen in fear. Not able to move, speak, or even think! I just watched as the star came closer and closer until….it passed.

“What?”

The star soured over the town, leaving a trail of smoke behind. The shockwave it also left rattled the town, but still I didn’t see or hear anypony nearby. It’s as if they didn’t notice the star that just shot over the town!

“I don’t get it, how could they not….”

BOOM!

I heard the sound of the impact before I saw the light. It shown over the hills outside of town, and still glowed long after the sound had gone. And yet still, nopony ran out of their houses or looked out their windows!

“What is going on?” This wasn’t something that happened everyday, and it wasn’t even normal in Equestria standards. This was something that Twilight and her friends should look into; I needed to find her and tell her what had happened.

“But what if I didn’t,” I said to myself. “What if I go and see what it was, and only if it’s dangerous do I tell Twilight”.

In all honesty, it was a stupid plan. If this thing was dangerous, I should inform Twilight right away. But if it wasn’t, then this could be the spark of excitement I was looking for!

And unfortunately, that side of me won out.

So I took a deep breath and ran as fast as I could towards the site where the star had fallen.

***

I was soon running through the lush green fields outside of Ponyville. It was mostly empty, except for a few trees that sprang up here and there. That, and the gigantic hole in the ground that was smoking!

It wasn’t that far outside of town, but I guess far enough so that ponies not outside didn’t hear the impact.

I slowly made my way up to the hole, which was releasing plumes of smoke from the small branches and grass pieces that had fallen into it. Once my front hooves touched the outer edge, I looked down into it.

Honestly, I had expected to see a big burning blob, or even a giant hunk of rock.

However, I did not expect to see a big blue box sitting slightly tilted in the center of the hole!

“What….was that the thing flying over Ponyville?” It didn’t look like a star, or even a meteorite. It seemed almost pony made; wood and glass with a single light at the top that was blinking red. There were white posters on one side, and a handle above a key hole.

At the top of the box, in white letters, were the words Police Public Call Box.

Taking a big gulp, I slowly made my way down towards the box. It didn’t seem to be doing anything, and I didn’t see any marks on it. In fact, it looked completely untouched! Not a single dent on it, even after hitting the ground and making this hole!

“What is this thing,” I asked. I slowly walked around it, taking in all the details of it’s outside. “It looks like it’s made of wood….but then how is it not burned? I saw it on fire when it flew over town!”

I made my way back to the front, and gave it one more look over.

Honestly, this was the strangest thing I’d ever seen. It fell from the sky, flew over town, was on fire, and made a creator in the ground with not one single mark on it!

“Maybe it’s magic,” I thought. “It could be something from Canterlot, or the Crystal Empire, or….or….uh….”

My words couldn’t be formed; I was too focused on what I was seeing. The glass on the top of the box was glowing a dark golden color, and golden light poured out of the front. Light was even shining through the keyhole!

It went on for a few seconds, before slowly growing dimmer and dimmer and then disappearing all together. “What in the name of Celestia was that?”

This may not be something dangerous, but it was something that I didn’t know anything about. And that meant that I needed to get Twilight. She would know what to do, and might even give me some answers to questions I had.

I was just about to walk away and leave the mystery behind….when the side of the box opened. The doors flew inward, and bright light once again blinded me. I closed my eyes tight and looked away, waiting for the brightness to die down.

When it did, I looked back at the doors….and gasped.

There, standing inside the box, was a stallion.

He was an earth pony stallion, with a brown pelt and unkempt chestnut brown mane. He wore a slightly beaten leather jacket, which was short enough to reveal his glowing hourglass cutie-mark.

….Wait, glowing!

The stallion was breathing deeply, and just stared at me when he did. But slowly, he moved from the box and towards me. Once we was clear of the doors, they snapped shut faster than a sonic rainboom!

I thought about running; to Daisy, to Twilight….really to anypony! But like before, I couldn’t move! I could only watch as this pony walked towards me, stopping just inches away from my face.

He stopped his heavy breathing, and instead started taking in short breaths. He said nothing for a moment, until….

“Eyes seem to be working”.

“Uh….what?”

The stallion stepped back, and reformed his confused face into a cheerful smile. “My eyes, they still work! Thought I might get unlucky and find they only see in one color, or not at all”.

“Huh? I don’t understand….”

“But still, I haven’t seen if everything else works”. He stopped talking for a second, then looked back at me. “Give me a second or two while I check everything off the list”. He looked away from me and instead started looking himself over.

“Let’s see, four legs….two ears….A MANE! YES, I’M NOT BALD!” He ran his hands through his mane, smiling like he was enjoying every minute of it.

“Oh, that’s nice!” He stopped massaging his mane and started feeling his face. “Nose, good, I’ll need that. At least it’s not so pronounced like four’s was”.

He ran a hoof over his grin, which only got bigger. “And I’ve got a mouth; haven’t been talking to myself! Not to mention the new teeth….feel kind of weird though….but they are shinny! Excellent!”

He stopped feeling himself and looked back at me, still wearing that smile. “So, tell me….how do I look?”

I didn’t know what this pony was talking about, and I wasn’t going to try and figure it out. “Who….who are you?”

“Oh, didn’t I say who I was,” asked the stallion. “Hm, I guess with the new face and everything I forgot some common manners”.

He walked over to me, grabbed my hoof, and have it a big shake. “I’m the Doctor; and it is a pleasure to meet you!”

“Doctor? Doctor Who?”

“No,” said the stallion, “just the Doctor”. His eyes started to look me over, and soon he began walking around me. “What about you, what’s your name?”

“Uh, my name is Roseluck”.

The stallion’s face changed from smiling to confusion. “Hm, it’s not a bad name….but a little too long. What about just Rose; much shorter and sweeter”.

Well, this stallion got at least one thing right; most ponies do just call me Rose. But everything else was just crazy! This stallion was rambling on like he’d never seen himself before, and all after he walked out of a big blue box that fell from space!

I knew I had to get some answers; otherwise I might go crazy from all this insanity. I took a deep breath, and puffed out my chest to look more confident.

“Okay, tell me: who are you? ….wait, no, what are you?”

The stallion turned to me, his face just as scrunched in confusion as before. “Like I said; I’m the Doctor.”

“What, like a medical doctor? Or like a educational doctor?”

The stallion tapped his chin: like he was thinking. “Well, a doctor of everything I suppose. My talents range from the mundane to the extraordinary”.

“Brag much,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“As for what I am….well….that’s a little harder to explain”. The stallion began pacing in front of the box, keeping his head pointed at the ground. “Trust me; you wouldn’t believe me if I told you”.

I rolled my eyes; that was something I understood, yet seemed impossible. “Try me. After all, I’m the one talking to the prony from space with the glowing cutie-mark”.

I don’t know what I said to make it happen, but suddenly the….doctor….wasn’t pacing anymore. His face once again went to shock/confusion, and the quickly set his eyes on his cutie-mark. It was still glowing slightly, with the same golden hue as the light I’d seen.

“Oh no,” he said. “Oh no, no, no! This isn’t good!”

“What isn’t good,” I asked.

The Doctor turned to me, “it shouldn’t be glowing anymore! The only time it glows is when the regeneration is in progress!”

“The regener-what now?” This stallion had gone back to making no sense.

The Doctor went back to pacing, but this time he was a lot quicker. “If my mark’s still glowing, that means the regeneration is still going on. And if it’s still going on, then that means parts of me are still….”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Before he could, his head jerked up and his face scrunched in pain. He let out a small cry, and fell down onto his hooves.

“Hey,” I said, running over to his side. “What’s going on, are you okay?”

“No,” he replied through gritted teeth. “The regeneration is still working on my insides, so they aren’t quite ready for me to use just yet!”

Suddenly, his head shot up and his eyes shot wide open. He opened his mouth slightly, and what looked like golden dust flew out of it. It swirled through the sky before blowing away in the breeze.

“What was that?” I asked. Something like this seemed magical, but it was nothing that I knew about. This was something that Twilight should be handling; not me.

“Something bad,” said the doctor, clearly still in pain. “Something very….very….”

The doctor’s eyes slowly began to close, and he fell the rest of the way to the ground. And with one last blink, he had completely passed out.

“Oh no,” I said. “This isn’t good; he needs help”.

Actually, he probably needed some rest first. After everything that I’d seen, he was probably exhausted. Whatever that golden glow was could wait until later; I needed to get him back to my house as quick as possible.

Once I knew he was somewhere safer, I’d call the Twilight and the hospital to come and look at him. It seemed like the best option at this point; I mean, I couldn’t just leave him here.

So, with a lot of grunting and swearing, I was able to pull the doctor onto my back. He wasn’t as heavy as I imagined, but it was still hard to keep him elevated. I was sure this would count as my workout for the next few days!

“I just hope Daisy is home,” I said as I made my way out of the creator. “It’ll be good to have another pony to help me with him….especially if what he was saying was some kind of weird magical disease”.

Once I was out of the creator, I took a few deep breaths before heading back towards Ponyville.