The Doctor pulled a lever, and the TARDIS lurched to life, it's signature elephantine trumpeting echoed throughout the console room. The Doctor rubbed his eyes, exhausted. As he lowered his hands, his eyes fell upon one of the monitors for the console, displaying a galaxy.
"Oh there it is." The Doctor started. "Silly old universe. The more I save it, the more it needs saving." He took in a breath. "It's a treadmill." He joked, but unlike any other time, he didn't smile, except the upward curve of one corner of his mouth. He didn't laugh, not even a chuckle. Instead, he gave out a slight cough.
The TARDIS, trying communicate with him, emitted multiple sounds from the console. The Doctor knew what each sound meant. His ship was doing morse code, but at a very fast pace, but as always, the Doctor knew every word. "Yes, yes, I know that they'll get it all wrong… without me." He rested his hands on the console, leaning on it.
The TARDIS then replied with more sounds, trying to persuade her beloved owner to accept change. The Doctor's hand started to glow an all to familiar yellow, wispy glow. He sighed. I can't hold it back for much longer. He shrugged, "Well I suppose one more lifetime won't kill anyone…" He pulled his hand from the console to study it more.
"Well… except me." The Doctor balled up his fist, forcing the regeneration to stop. He looked on, and realized, he has to do one final speech. After all. Talking for a long time was one of his redeeming qualities. Knowing that this new incarnation was practically beating up the Doctor's insides trying to escape, wanted to direct this lecture to them.
"You wait a moment, Doctor!" He shouted. He smirked as he heard his own echo. "Let's get it right. I got a few things to say to you." He continued, climbing the staircase beside the doorway, leading up to the upper balcony.
"Basic stuff first." He huffed, walking along the balcony that encompassed the main platform below, gripping onto the railing for support. "Never be cruel, never be cowardly." He stopped abruptly, turned toward the the main console, and pointed a bony finger, grinning. "And never ever eat pears!" He climbed down the other staircase, standing at the console once more. "Remember, hate is always foolish, and love is always wise." He began to walk slowly around the console.
"Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind." He stopped his walk right in front of the doors. "Oh, and you mustn't tell anyone your name." He smirked, resuming his walk around the console. "No one would understand it anyway… Except…" A sharp pain hit him right the stomach, and The Doctor suddenly collapsed, staring up at the ceiling. "Except children… Children can hear it, sometimes, if their hearts are in the right place, and the stars are too, Children can hear your name." He finished, gripping onto the console for support, groaning as he forced himself to his feet.
"But Nobody else. Nobody else, Ever!" He said, walking back to the control panel farthest away from the doors. "Laugh hard…" He shouted, pointing a bony finger outward. "Run fast…" he lowered his hand, and in a hush voice, he uttered "Be kind…"
The Doctor stood there, taking a moment to adjust the sleeves of his coat, and swung his arms back and forth slightly. With one final breath, he spoke for the last time. "Doctor… I let you go."
With that, the yellow regeneration energy burst out from inside him, ripping away at his form, shooting out of his hands and head. The energy shot out like lightning, tearing apart the interior of the TARDIS. His entire body felt like it he was layed in a large bonfire. He's felt this a dozen times before, but it still hurt.
The regeneration suddenly stopped, and the Doctor leaned on the console, stumbling, accidentally hit an array of buttons that caused the TARDIS to suffer malfunction, exploding in the Doctor's face. The machine suddenly fell sideways, and the doors swung open. The Doctor struggled to prevent falling out of the TARDIS, his new hearts beating quickly. They were beating at too fast a rate. The Doctor was going to pass out. With what consciousness had left, The Time Lord clumsily gripped onto the console, hitting another array of random buttons. The Time Rotor suddenly caught aflame, the orange beams inside the glass cylinder of the rotor were engulfed by the fire, as the glass casing began to crack.
The console panel the Doctor was gripping onto suddenly tore off, and the Doctor fell out of the TARDIS, higher than the clouds. Looking up, the Doctor watched in horror as the inside of TARDIS exploded, and was starting to materialize away, leaving the Doctor to fall down to an unknown world… as their eyes closed...
Meanwhile far away in the land of Equestria, a lone yellow pegasus with a pink tail and mane, was placing a heavily frosted dessert up upon a counter.
"No, you cannot have the carrot cake yet." Fluttershy said gently, pushing it back further out of reach of the frowning ball of white fur on the floor beside her. "You'll spoil your dinner."
In response to Fluttershy's gentle order, the rabbit gave a huff, crossing his arms in annoyance. He wanted the cake and he wanted it now. He'd be sure to get it when she wasn't looking. All he had to do was wait until she turned away. And he didn't have to wait long. The next moment something shot from the sky and crashed into a pond near the cottage.
"Eep!" Fluttershy shrieked, seeing the blur that fell from the sky in a matter of seconds, from the corner of her eye. She heard the loud splash from it landing in the pond, and felt the ground shake a little. Because she was so distracted by this, she hadn't noticed the little, white rabbit take the opportunity to attempt to retrieve the cake.
No longer paying attention to the fluffy thief that was now happily helping himself to the cake, Fluttershy darted outside, alarmed and shaken. She worried that whatever it was that had fallen—a fellow pegasus (like Rainbow Dash), or even a dragon—was hurt. She hoped this wasn't so. Or, even if somepony were hurt, she hoped it wasn't serious. Being cautious, the yellow pegasus trotted forward.
There, seated at the edge of the pond, was an elderly looking, beige furred stallion. He was dressed in a tattered dark grey coat with red lining. It was definitely unlike any fashion she had seen before. His mane was a grey and curly mess. He appeared disheveled and winded.
"Oh my goodness," Fluttershy exclaimed softly, hurrying forward, "are… are you okay, Sir?"
The stallion didn't reply. He let out a groan, and Fluttershy watched in silent alarm and amazement as what looked to be gold dust escaped his lips.
"Oh my…" the pegasus whimpered fearfully, taking a timid step back. However, she kept her still worried gaze glued to him. "C-can you hear me?" She stuttered, speaking up a little, but not much.
Once more the stallion didn't reply. Everything was white noise in his ears, disrupting his hearing with its irritating ringing. He wasn't aware Fluttershy was even there at first.
"Y-you need a doctor…" Fluttershy looked around, desperately hoping another pony would be near to help. But, alas, there wasn't. And the reality hit her a moment later, leaving her even more nervous than before. "Oh, we're on our own…"
The stallion's eyes snapped open; wide and alarmed. He sat up and began coughing up water. This startled Fluttershy greatly. With a shriek she jumped back, her wings flapping a little at her sides. The stallion turned his head, looking around at the strange environment surrounding him. He squinted confusedly and spoke at last, his rough Scottish accent baffling the pegasus.
"Where am I.." he pondered, his eyes landing on the winged horse for a moment. That was definitely unusual. Especially her coloring; pink mane and yellow fur?
"A-are you… a-alright?" Fluttershy asked, trembling, her eyes wide as she regarded him in both concern and fear. "You… fell. I think."
The stallion gazed at her; confused and curious. What an odd creature. He thought.
"C-can you still not hear me?" The pegasus inquired in a small voice, peering through her mane.
"A talking horse?..." the stallion said aloud, studying her closely.
"E-excuse me? Did you hit your head..?" Fluttershy took a step closer, trying to locate a visible bump upon his head.
"Maybe." The stallion replied, "I can't remember… I was in my TAR-"
He stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes widening with realization.
"The TARDIS!" He exclaimed suddenly, surprising the pegasus a little.
"Your what?" She asked, clueless and still a bit shaken. "What's a… Tar-disk?" The strange stallion was starting to genuinely creep her out with his odd behavior.
"A TARDIS," the stallion began to explain in an almost professional tone, "It's a time machine. It's an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension In Space."
"Oh," Fluttershy nodded as if she understood. She, however, had no idea what he was talking about, and was even more confused than before. She was starting to think that maybe he had hit his head harder than she had originally thought. Nevertheless, the pegasus gave a sheepish smile, hoping he wouldn't notice her cluelessness. "That's interesting."
"So… you're an equine, right?"
At this, Fluttershy nodded, a little proud that he may have finally been coming to his senses since he appeared to have recalled the name of their homeland. "Y-yes, you ARE in Equestria."
"With wings… Oh, a pegasus." The stallion continued on as if she hadn't spoken.
Fluttershy smiled shyly, her face gaining a pink tinge. "Oh, uh, yes… I.. I'm a pegasus."
"Are there more… like you?" The stallion inquired, intrigued.
"Yes. O-of course. Y-you should know that…"
"I just got here. What planet is this?"
"Planet?" Fluttershy repeated, puzzled. "This is Equestria… Are you not from here?"
The stallion shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm not from this planet at all."
This intrigued Fluttershy. Perhaps he was from a part of her world she had never even heard of. "Where are you from?" She asked, interested.
"Far away."
"Oh. That's... interesting."
"I'm over 2000 years old."
There was a pause, in which Fluttershy regarded the odd stallion with concern once more. Celestia was the only pony she knew to be older. And that was it. He must have been delusional. "How hard did you hit your head?"
"Not hard." He answered, then thought for a moment before thinking up a way to prove it to her. "Can you feel my heartbeat? I'll prove to you I'm alien."
The pegasus blinked, unsure she heard him correctly. "Wh-what?" She blushed.
"You heard me. Come on."
Her face bright scarlet, the distressed pegasus fumbled with how to answer this. "I… I'm not a doctor.. I… I d-don't…" she trailed off, not thinking clear enough to continue.
The stallion grinned. "I'm the Doctor. The original, you might say."
A doctor? Fluttershy looked him over once. He didn't look like a doctor. Perhaps he was still spitting nonsense. "You're a doctor? Neat…" She decided to go along, rather than argue over the matter.
"Probably not the one you're expecting, but yes." The Doctor said, grinning still.
"Doctor what, though? My name's F-Fluttershy…"
"Just the Doctor."
"Oh, alright… Um, Doctor, I think… you need to see another one… A real one…" she nodded encouragingly, hoping he'd see reason.
"No need." He disagreed, "Now, heartbeat."
Fluttershy didn't know what to do. He seemed… crazy, but if it were an injury she really couldn't blame him for it. Then if it were an injury, she knew she wasn't qualified to properly help him in the way he may need. It was all so overwhelming that she felt her voice start to fade as she answered the Doctor.
"I… I'm n-not sure I can hear it right…" she explained softly, bowing her head a little.
The Doctor watched the nervous pegasus for a moment before realizing he was pressuring her. Feeling a little guilty for doing so, he gave an an awkward apology.
"Sorry… I don't have much patience."
He placed a hoof to his forehead. Something didn't feel right at all. "Wait…"
"Wh-what?" Fluttershy looked up, worried, "What's wrong?"
"I can't feel my fingers!" The Doctor gasped, standing up quickly on his two hind legs, only to fall back with a grunt. "And my legs are backwards!" He paused for a moment, the truth hitting him like a train. "I'm an equine? How…?"
Fluttershy whimpered fearfully, staring at him in worry and bewilderment. "Y-yes… I w-was trying to t-tell you…" she began, trying to keep her voice calm, but failing to keep the stutter from it. "N-now, I really think you n-need to see an actual doctor… You are confused…"
"The… TARDIS…" The Doctor managed to say before collapsing backwards onto the grass, passed out.
Fluttershy shrieked in horror as she watched helplessly from in front of him. "A-are you d-dead?! O-oh no! W-what do I do…" she panicked, unable to calm down enough to think clearly.
"H-help!" She shouted, regaining enough control over her senses enough to think of a probable solution. Fluttershy leapt into the air with her wings outstretched. With several clumsy flaps of her feathered wings, the pegasus was off, flying into the air to find Twilight Sparkle.
Not far away in Ponyville, princess Twilight Sparkle trotted between large stacks of book. The books varied in size, shape, and color. So far she had organized them in stacks of each; alphabetized by author, sorted by color, and piled up by size. To most it was an unnecessary amount of work that didn't need to be that complex. To Twilight it was relaxing.
Just as she was placing a lava red book in the pile of large red, smooth, hard cover books by authors whose names start with 'G', there was a knock at the door, following a somepony calling to her.
"Princess?"
"Just a moment!" Twilight called back, determined to finish the last row before allowing the visitor to enter. "Okay. You can come in!" She nodded in satisfaction at her work, stepping back.
In trotted the visitor; a bespectacled, light blue furred pony known as Ivory. His mane and tail was a spiky mess of brown. He wore a pair of black square, framed glasses over his amber brown eyes, adoring a dark blue hoodie.
"Hey. Uh, it's Spark, right? Ivory Spark?" Twilight greeted, smiling at him.
"Yes ma'am." Ivory smiled at the fact that a princess remembered his name. Then, realizing his glasses were crooked, he adjusted them with his hoof. "Has my book come in yet?"
"Hmm, which book was it?" Twilight asked, glancing around at the mess of organized clutter around the room.
Ivory thought for a moment "The uhhh… Th-the one about the blue box."
"Oh," Twilight nodded with a smile, examining the piles, "That one. Yes, I believe it's here…"
*TARDIS materializes in midair about Twilight's castle before crashing through the roof, and in the center of the library*
Ivory jumped at the crash, startled, and looked at the box in horror, but sudden deja vu.
"Whoa…" Twilight said aloud, equally startled by the sudden appearance of the blue box. "Where did THAT come from?"
"I-is that the blue box?" Ivory blinked in disbelief, completely in awe. He then shook his head, realizing it was probably just magic. "That's cool, princess! How'd you DO that?"
"I didn't do that…" Twilight said, approaching the box carefully.
"You didn't?" Ivory stated, a little surprised, but also relieved. If Twilight hadn't conjured it, that must have meant it was real. "When the stories said blue box… I thought they meant something… interesting… I mean… The design is wonky… It doesn't look anything like the phone booths in Salt Lick City…"
As Ivory started to drone on about the mysterious box, Twilight began to circle it curiously, her head tilted to the side as she studied it. The box was small, blue, and rectangular. Emblazoned on a sign above the doors were the words 'POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX'.
An Earth Historian might have recognised it as a primitive communication artifact from it's "pre space" era, but they were wrong. Behind those rickety looking wooden doors was one of the most sophisticated, time-space machines ever constructed. A TARDIS; a time ship from the planet gallifrey, capable of traveling to any world at any point in history.
Twilight was immensely interested. The detail in the design was beautiful, unusual, and almost otherworldly.
"This is a most fascinating object. I don't think I've seen anything like it before." She exhaled, her eyes drinking in the sight before her.
"Ponies say what's behind those doors, an adventure awaits…" Ivory continued in an almost trance-like state. He hadn't heard much of what Twilight said. "You probably couldn't even fit Princess Celestia in there! You'd be lucky if you could fit two ponies and a bookshelf."
Twilight continued her circular observation of the TARDIS, only half-listening to Ivory as she was too intrigued by the object that had appeared in her castle's library to worry about what he was saying.
Ivory trotted up to the doors, wondering if he could get a peek inside. To his dismay, when he pushed on their firm surface, they didn't budge. "Locked…" he muttered.
"Why would it be unlocked?" Twilight wondered aloud with a soft smirk. She was used to things being more complex. It wasn't too much of a surprise to her that the doors didn't open. "Nothing is ever that simple, Ivory."
"If it crashed, somepony's probably in there." Ivory added hopefully. I wanted to meet the owner. "They say the owner of this box "always keeps the 'hoofbrake' on…" Whatever that means. If he's careless enough to leave a brake on, I'm pretty sure he's careless to leave the doors unlocked. How would you even steer this thing?"
Twilight turned her attention to the visitor. She hadn't pegged him as the, well, intelectual type. It honestly intrigued her that he was so informed about the object in her library. For a moment she was more curious about him than the TARDIS. "I have no idea. I'm surprised you don't know since you seem to be an expert on this…" Twilight paused to read the words written on the sign on the top, "on this 'Police Box'?"
"What is that?" Ivory inquired expectantly.
Twilight shrugged. "I have no clue what that is." She took a step back to her book piles now scattered around the floor for mention of the 'Police Box'.
"Well?" Ivory interrupted her searching impatiently.
Twilight searched through the books, glancing up occasionally for reference from the box itself. She ignored Ivory for a moment, focusing on the task at hand. It wasn't until she heard him clear his throat softly that she finally answered.
"Uh, so far I haven't found anything on how to open it, or even what 'Police Box', or 'handbrake' mean." She admitted, but didn't stop looking.
"Hmm… Maybe if I get head start, and charge at it, it'll-"
"Hang on," Twilight cut in quickly, hoping to put an end to the thought immediately. "we don't want to accidentally break it. We don't know how durable it is."
"It does look like wood…"
"Exactly. We need to treat it delicately."
"Maybe you could pick the lock." Ivory suggested with a shrug, "You're the only one in the room with a horn."
"I can try." Twilight agreed,moving away from the books. She approached the TARDIS thoughtfully, attempting to locate a lock. "If my horn breaks…" she muttered, casting a warning frown toward Ivory; who didn't notice at first.
"Hmmm…" he thought aloud, "I got nothing el-"
Suddenly the beacon atop the TARDIS shined brightly, almost blinding the alicorn and earth pony as it illuminated. Ivory stumbled back, covering his eyes with his hooves.
"Gaaa!" He gasped, "that light!"
Twilight raised her wings, shielding her own eyes with them. She took several steps away from the mysterious box, keeping her eyes covered. The lamp on the TARDIS dimmed slowly until it only shone as bright as a lightbulb.
Ivory removed his hooves from his face slowly, cautious in case it decided to do it again. "What was that about…" he mused.
Twilight blinked repeatedly to clear her vision of the annoyingly consistent blue/black blur present. "I- I don't know… But that was… bright."
"Not as bright as you, Twilight." Ivory added quickly, grinning a little bit at the smoothness of his comment.
Twilight rolled her eyes, returning her now cleared attention to the problem at hoof. Although the comment made her heart flutter a little, she kept her demeanor stirn, not wanting to give it away. "Funny, Ivory."
"You know I could never get a marefriend. Heh…" Ivory continued, glancing sadly at the box.
Once more, Twilight rolled her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to hook up with somepony. "It's not the end of the world. You'll find somepony some day." She tried, hoping her nonchalant tone didn't come off as interested.
Ivory frowned. He was hoping for something a little more exciting. He knew Twilight meant well. "Thanks…"
Back in the forest Fluttershy flew into trees, inhaling several leaves, and entangling sticks in her mane, all in her haste to find help quickly for the stallion not far below. She wasn't aware he had woken back up and been following her. Even after the few times he called after her. She hadn't heard him.
"Excuse me!" The Doctor called again, trotting along below her, "ShutterFly? No… Fluttershy!" He shouted, this time getting her attention.
Fluttershy looked down, but suddenly collided into a tree. "Ah!" She yelled, falling to the ground rapidly. "Ow…"
The Doctor cringed at the sound as he watched his new "carer" crash into a tree. He cursed in Gallifreyan, and muttered under his breath. "Nice job, Doctor…" He immediately galloped over, holding out a hoof. Though it may seem crazy to think that the Doctor would care for some biologically inaccurate equine with social problems, it was his job to protect the innocent. She was no exception. "You alright?"
Fluttershy raised her head dizzily, her mane full of leaves and sticks. He spun a little in her field of vision. She blinked to clear it. "Y-yes, I'm fine."
"Hold on." The Doctor said gently, ruffling her mane. "There we go." The sticks and leaves fell out, landing around the fallen pegasus. He then held a hoof out to her. Fluttershy accepted the gesture, blushing from both embarrassment, and nerves.
"Th-thank you.." she mumbled, hiding behind her mane.
"Always happy to help." The Doctor nodded with a smile, "Now.. do you have… any type of government here? A mayor… Kings and queens… presidents… Etcetera?"
"Yes," Fluttershy replied bashfully, "W-we have princesses."
"Good!" The Doctor exclaimed with a joyous clap of his hooves. He then sniggered in amusement at the sound they made. It was like two coconuts clashing together. "Right…" He cleared his throat, "which one is the closest?"
"P-probably Princess T-Twilight…"
"Great!"
Fluttershy paused, gazing curiously down. "Is there a special reason you need to see them?"
The Doctor gave a nod, his expression knowing. "If one of the townsfolk saw the TARDIS fall out of the sky, they would report it to some kind of authority."
"They may… Or they may be too afraid to go anywhere…" Fluttershy said, a fearful look in her eyes, "I would keep a respectful distance…"
"Right…" the Doctor continued, not really listening to the rambling pegasus. "Which way to the castle… I'm assuming she lives in one?"
"Well, um, yes…" the pegasus nodded, "It didn't use to be one… B-but that doesn't matter now I realize… F-follow that path…" she motioned toward a nearby path leading away from her cottage and the pond he had fallen in. "I c-can take you if you want…"
"That was the plan, Ms. 'Shy."
"Um, f-follow me…" Fluttershy stated, starting to walk slowly toward the path. The Doctor began to follow, trotting along beside her.
"So, er… just curious… Why do you live in a cottage in the middle of a forest?" He asked interestedly, "Not that I have a problem with it…" he added quickly.
Fluttershy smiled sheepishly and began to explain. "Well, it's quiet… And safe… And I get to be with my animal friends. I help care for the adorable little creatures that live around the area…"
"Animal friends? Hmm…"
"Yes. They are very nice… Even Angel…" She admitted, having completely forgotten about the rabbit that probably had his paws on the cake by now.
"Considering the name is 'angel'", The Doctor cut in, interrupting her thoughts, "that lowers the variety of animals… Angels are delicate, a white… delicate animal… So this Angel of yours is a rabbit?"
"Y-yes…" Fluttershy stammered in surprise, then her eyes widened. "How did you know? Did he do something again? Is he the reason you fell?! I'm sorry…"
"I just figured it out in my head." The Doctor shrugged.
"Y-you must be some kind of genius." Fluttershy exhaled, fascinated by him.
"Well, us Time Lords have invented time travel. Hence the name. We are an intelligent race… sadly… they all died…"
"Oh my goodness…" Fluttershy gasped, feeling awful for bringing it up. "I'm so sorry… That's horrible!"
The Doctor shrugged. "But I soon found my way back home and realized they didn't die."
The pegasus sighed in relief, smiling a little at him. "Whoa… Well, I guess that is a good thing…"
"That's a lot.. Of apple trees…" the Doctor shuddered, "so many apples…"
"Yes. Apples are lovely. My friend lives on an apple farm." She said proudly before noticing him shudder. "Do you not like apples?"
"I don't." The Doctor muttered in disgust. "I especially hate pears! Green is a terrible color for a fruit. It's only meant for vegetables! They're also too squishy and they make your chin wet." He made a gagging sound before turning his head away, shaking it. "I had a nightmare I ate a pear once."
"Oh… My…" Fluttershy's eyes widened, "Well, we will hurry by the apple trees." She announced, trotting a little faster, leaving him behind.
"Who's that?" The Doctor asked, motioning with a hoof toward an orange furred earth pony with a straw colored mane and tail, wearing a cowboy hat.
"That?" Fluttershy followed where he indicated, curious. Slowly she smiled upon recognizing her friend. "Oh, that's Applejack. She's the friend I was talking about that lives on the apple farm."
"Applejack…" the Doctor repeated, thinking. "Hmm… So like the cereal?"
"Cereal?" The pegasus asked, confused.
"Oh right." The Doctor chuckled, "It's something you eat for breakfast"
"Oh, like muffins?"
He couldn't help but smile at her clueless innocence. "Imagine making soup, but instead of noodles and juice, it's cornflakes and milk. You guys do have milk here, right?"
"Uh…" Fluttershy bit her lip.
"Almond Milk?"
"I've never had it… But I think so."
"Once we get my TARDIS back," the Doctor explained, "I'll let you try some. Is that it?"
The Doctor stopped in his steps to indicate a large castle that appeared to be made entirely out of crystal. Fluttershy followed his gaze and gave a nod, smiling at the thought of seeing her friend.
"There's a hole in that castle's roof…." The Doctor pursed his lips, noticing the sizable hole in the roof above the marvelous structure. Fluttershy's eyes widened, she hurried forward, worried something awful may have happened.
The Doctor's once goofy, playful and joking demeanor faded to take on a dead serious, grim expression. He followed the nervous pegasus forward, reaching instinctively for his Sonic Screwdriver.
"Twilight?" Fluttershy called, knocking loudly, "Twilight?!"
"Is it locked?" The Doctor asked seriously, watching Fluttershy.
Fluttershy pushed the door open slowly, watching as it creaked open like something out of a horror movie. The Doctor shrugged it off quickly, while the pegasus stared in wide-eyed horror at the door.
"Nothing more stress inducing than a door with a poor hinge job…" he chuckled, "Needs to be oiled."
Fluttershy shook her head rapidly in terror, whimpering loudly. "Oh no oh no oh no oh no…"
"Sssh!" The Doctor hissed urgently, placing a hoof to her chin and delicately turning her head so their eyes locked. "I'm right here. You have nothing to worry about. Okay?" He said gently, offering a small smile.
Fluttershy, still whimpering a little, met his gaze with large, frightened eyes. "A-are you sure? There c-could be something awful in there… M-maybe it ate Twilight!" She shrieked.
"I'll protect you. I promise." The Doctor assured. The pegasus gave a timid nod and moved to stand closer to him as he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and began to make his way inside. She followed after him, keeping back a little. But she also made sure to stay reasonably close to him. It was several long moments of silence before the Doctor spoke.
"Do you know where she would be?"
The pegasus thought silently for a moment. Slowly, she nodded. "Probably around books… Or… Or cleaning the rooms. Again. A-after doing so already… Twice."
"Alright," the Doctor said to himself, "So we're looking for a library…. Where is that?" He asked her.
"Just ahead…"
The two made their way quickly and quietly toward the library, listening for anything out of the ordinary. As they drew closer to the large library doors, they heard two district voices.
"Do you have any books of legends? I'm pretty sure the blue box is a legend…" Ivory asked Twilight, poking the TARDIS.
"Yeah of course." Twilight nodded, shuffling through the scattered piles of books until finding it and sliding it over. "Here's a book of legends."
"Thanks!" Ivory thanked her and began flipping excitedly through the pages.
"I-is she being tortured? Torn apart?! Eaten?!" Fluttershy shrieked suddenly from beside the stallion shook his head.
"No… I thinks she's on a date…"
Fluttershy blinked in disbelief. "W-what? A d-date? The world has ended!"
"It's not that bad. You'll probably have a date too." The Doctor shrugged, completely missing the true meaning of her words.
"N-no, you don't understand. Twilight doesn't da-" she stopped suddenly, her face turning bright scarlet as she just processed what he had said. "What? M-me…?"
The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. After all, don't take this the wrong way, but you are pretty attractive for a pony your age." He coughed and then muttered as he began picking the lock. "And slightly adorable."
Fluttershy looked away to the floor with a soft whimper of embarrassment, her cheeks turning a bright red. "A-adorable…" she mumbled under her breath, embarrassed.
Just then there was a click as the Doctor had unlocked the doors. He grinned. "There we go." And pushed the doors open with his hoof.
Ivory looked up from the book he was reading, a little startled to find the two there. "Hey Twilight, we got visitors."
Twilight glanced toward his voice and then looked to the visitors. She recognized Fluttershy immediately and waved. "Oh, hi, Fluttershy." She greeted cheerfully, and then stopped noticing the Doctor. "Who's this?"
The Doctor didn't hear Twilight. His gaze landed upon the box and he hurried forward like a kid receiving a balloon. "The TARDIS!"
"So…" Ivory spoke up, watching the odd stallion. "Uh… He knows about the box."
The Doctor reached into his coat pocket and pulled out key, grinning madly.
"Um, hi, Twilight…" Fluttershy replied to her friend, her face still red. She was relieved to find her unharmed. "I'm glad you're alright. Uh, this… This is… the Doctor."
Ivory Watched him in silent fascination. "The legend says something about a stallion that goes by 'Doctor'" his eyes widened and he tapped Twilight. "Twilight… I think we just found a legend that's actually real!"
Twilight remained quiet, deciding not to ruin it by informing him that she had done that herself on several occasions. She smiled to herself, letting Ivory have his moment. "That's great, Ivory."
"There are legends about me?" The Doctor questioned as the doors opened and smoke suddenly flooded out of the TARDIS. "Bloody hell!" He gasped.
"Eep!" Fluttershy squealed, backing up as she expected something awful to slither out like a serpent.
The Doctor didn't hesitate a moment more and galloped inside. "Hold on!" He yelled as the doors shut behind him.
Ivory turned to look at at Fluttershy in astonishment. "Woah…"
"T-the b-blue b-b-box ate him!" Fluttershy exclaimed softly, terrified.
Twilight shook her head hopelessly at Fluttershy's clueless horror. "Uh, I don't think that's what happened at all. Oh… My…"
