Ride On Shooting Starby Closer-To-The-SunChaptersCh. 1 Worlds CollideCh. 2 Lazy EyeCh. 3 The Time WarpCh. 4 Let's Do The Things That We Normally DoCh. 5 ShadowplayCh. 6 Always With You, Always With MeEpilogue: CryingCh. 1 Worlds CollideChapter 1: Worlds Collide A brown stallion woke up. Groaning, he lifted his head up and looked around at his surroundings. The area looked alien to him. Large trees that seemed gloomy, rugged terrain, only a small amount of light from the sun piercing the canopy. Sitting up, he turned his head to look more and he saw his TARDIS had crashed and was leaning up against a large boulder. What caught his eye, however, was that on top of the police call box, it read "pony box" instead of "police box". The Doctor then looked down at his limbs and was in shock and horror: he had become a pony. While is first thought was to panic. But the Doctor knew better than this. Consoling himself, he began to talk to himself aloud. "Calm yourself and think. Let's see, I was fighting against Daleks….and losing….and now I'm a….horse? Curse regeneration. At least I'm not a woman." Trotting up to the TARDIS, the Doctor struggled to open the door, but was finally able to after a few tries. Entering the roomy interior of the TARDIS, the Doctor saw that it was a mess from the impact of the crash. Sighing, he walked to the hexagonal console in hopes of starting it time machine up. However, the console seemed to unresponsive. "Darn, shot to hell and back," he muttered to himself, then turning his voice outward, "But something tells me you wanted me to be here." He spoke aloud for his TARDIS to hear. There was no response to his words. With no reply from his machine, looked around and saw that he could repair the machine quite easily. That is, if he had the right parts. He estimated that could repair it within two or three days but that estimate was if the planet he was on had the available technology. This new horse ears perked up at the thought, where was he and when? Seeing he was not able to tell from inside, he began to trot outside. However, the Doctor paused when he saw his reflection in a broken piece of mirror on the ground. He looked at his new light brown coat that covered his new body and his two blue eyes. Moving a hoof through his dark brown mane, he gave himself a smile. He seemed pleased. His smile vanished as he moved towards the door, making a comment, "Still not a ginger." Exiting the TARDIS, the Doctor froze in a panic as he saw another creature sitting a few meters away from the time machine. It was a grey pegasus with a blonde mane, yellow eyes and a blank expression. She blinked a few times in silence as she stared at the Doctor and the blue TARDIS. 'A local?! Oh dear, gotta make something up and quick!' The Doctor thought to himself. He spoke, "Oh, hello there. You must have seen this thing crash and were curious too, huh?" It wasn't until after he spoke that the Doctor realized that what he said was ridiculous. The pegasus's face turned from the blank stare to a warm smile. She giggled before speaking, "What are you doing in the Everfree Forest? Nopony is supposed to venture too deep in here." The Doctor reversed the question to save himself, "Well, what are you doing here?" "I'm a mailmare!" the pegasus proudly proclaimed. Standing up on her hooves, she turned to show the saddlebag on her back. "Derpy Hooves, at your service!" The Doctor looked at the bag on her back, he see that it read 'Equestria Mail Service: Please do not give the mailmare muffins'. A small smile came across his face, 'At least I know where I am at.' There was a silence between the two when they heard a growling of a stomach. The Doctor seemed embarrassed. "Oh, heh, pardon me," he apologized, "I haven't eaten in a while so…." "Then you will come with me!" Derpy interrupted the statement. "Huh, what?" the stallion was confused. Derpy used her front limbs to pick up the ponified time lord but his front limbs and began to fly with him. "I'm going to take you back to my home where we with both have lunch!" Derpy said excitedly. "Um….Derpy, was it? You really don't have to do this. I really should get back to repai-….I mean looking at the mysterious….thing," the Doctor tried to convince the pegasus to let him back on the ground. However, she didn't hear him as she was repeating the word 'muffins' as she flew above the tree canopy and towards civilization. The Doctor had given up trying to reason with the mare. "Well, better dealing with Daleks, I suppose," he quietly muttered to himself. Ch. 2 Lazy EyeChapter 2: Lazy Eye The pegasus flew the Doctor to a small cottage on the edge of the forest. The landing was a bit rough for the Doctor's taste, but he had become accustomed to such landings due to his piloting skills of the TARDIS. Derpy landed herself and stared at the Doctor for a few moments. He panicked a bit as he felt her eyes on her. "Eh? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, noticing that one of her eyes began to trail off on it's own. Pointing, Derpy replied, "You have a weird cutie mark. What's it for?" "Cutie mark?" The Doctor asked. This time, the pegasus pointed to her flank, "On your bottom." The brown pony looked at his flank to see an hourglass. He was startled to see the image on his body. Before he could think of anything to say, the grey pony interrupted his thoughts. "What special talent do you have?" she asked curiously and with a tilted head. "I….uh….don't know?" The Doctor spoke nervously. Derpy smiled, "It's okay! I don't know what my cutie mark means either, but I still love everything that I get to do." The Doctor watched as the pony displayed her flank right in front of her. He saw seven bubbles on her bottom. He looked at it for a few moments as his head tried to think of what possible reasons cutie marks exist. However, both of the ponies were interrupted by a familiar growl. It was the Doctor's stomach. "Oh, right! We still need to get muffins!" Derpy proclaimed. "Muffins?" the Doctor inquired. Derpy trotted behind the Doctor and used her head to push the brown earth pony into her home. The Doctor, while trying to avoid being forced, entered the small cottage. The pegasus continued to push him until they were both in the kitchen of the house. Once he was seated at the table, Derpy was quick to get to her pantry. "Would you like some carrots?" she asked, holding up a bushel of carrots for him to see. "N-No thank you, Derpy….it's quite alright. You don't have to-" he was cut off. "How about some chocolate muffins? Or blueberry?" she offered. "Uh, thank you, no," the Doctor declined again, "But really, I would like it if I could get back to-" "Banana muffin?" she asked with a tilt of her head. After a pause, the Doctor answered, "Yes….in fact, I would like two….please," he added last part quickly as to not be rude. A bright smile came across Derpy's face when he finally accepted. She set the two muffins on the table. The brown stallion carefully took a bite of one. To him, it tasted nostalgic and wonderful. The euphoric experience of the taste was cut short by a simple question. "So, who are you?" the innocent voice asked. The Doctor froze in fear. There was no way he could tell her he was a Time Lord that took the form of a horse after crash landing on her planet. Even if it was the truth, it sounded ridiculous. In fact, he didn't personally believe it. "M-My friends j-just call me the Doctor," he managed to say with a mouthful. "And where are you from, doc?" Derpy asked with a warm smile directed right at the Doctor. "Please, dear, don't call me 'doc'. Just the Doctor," he corrected before lied about his origins, "and I'm from….heh….around." "Then do you know about that blue box thingy in the forest? It was really big inside," Derpy stretched her hooves apart to express the size. "You went inside the TARDIS?" The Doctor panicked slightly. Derpy had a confused look on her face as on of her eyes drifted to the side, "Thar….dhis?" 'Oh goodness….you certainly have done it now,' the Doctor thought to himself. "Is that what the box thingy is called?" Derpy blinked, causing her eyes to line back up to look at the Doctor. "Um….yes. I know it sounds weird, but that 'box thingy' as you call it, is my time machine," he began to explain. "Time machine? I don't get it…." the pegasus was puzzled. "It's kind of a long story. But to put it simply, dear, I'm an alien that has taken the form of one of the species of this planet. That's all I have really gathered, to be honest because you found me shortly after I woke up," the brown pony finished by taking a bite of the muffin. The taste helped him relax a little after explaining himself. The blonde pony smiled. She placed a hoof on the earth pony's spiky mane and roughed it up a little, "I don't care if you're an alien! I like you as you are!" "What?" the Doctor was confused at her words. "I like ya, Mr. Doctor! You seem like a fun pony to be around!" Derpy said grabbing the extra muffin that the Doctor had yet to get to and began eating it. "Uh, just the Doctor, is fine," the Doctor interjected quickly still surprised that the pegasus was completely okay with the fact she was told that pony she had just invited into her home was a time traveling alien. Derpy spoke while eating, "I'm happy to have a new friend here! Most ponies don't want to be around me." This caused the Doctor's interest to be sparked, "Now why is that? You are quite a lovely gal- I mean mare, and very kind to have brought me here without knowing me." Derpy looked sad momentarily, "Someponies say that I'm bad luck or that my eyes are weird." "Your eyes?" the Doctor looked towards the pegasus. "Yeah, sometimes my eyes act on their own. The nurse said something called 'lazy eye', but I don't get it," Derpy said as one of her eyes began to move on it's own again. "Hmm," the Doctor said looking at her eyes, "seems you have a mild form of strabismic amblyopia. Nothing too serious. I think it looks quite cute." He added a smile at the end of his statement to liven the mood. And it was true that he found it a cute trait for Derpy. Derpy blushed at his words, "Aww, thank you. You remind me a lot of my little muffin." "Little muffin?" the Doctor asked. "Yeah, my daughter, Dinky. She's at school right now, but I do hope you can stay to meet her," Derpy explained with a smile. "A daughter? Huh. Don't take this the wrong why, but I never would have thought that you would be a mother," the Doctor admitted, blushing slightly. Derpy waved her hooves in front of her, "Oh, no, no. I'm more of an adoptive mother. You see, I was saw her at the orphanage a few times and how she was made fun of. I felt sorry for her because she reminded me of myself and….well, we kind of became a little family ever since." The Doctor warmly smiled, "You certainly are quite a wonderful individual, Derpy." Derpy blushed again, one of her hooves rubbing the back of her neck. She was disrupted by the front door opening, "That must be my little muffin now! I must introduce you to her, Mr. Doctor!" She dashed off the front door, edging the Doctor to follow her. The Doctor smiled as he began to follow the excited pegasus, "Alright, but please, just the Doctor is fine." In the back of the Time Lord's mind, he began talking to himself 'Well, seems I've made a new friend. I know for a fact that this will be quite a….unique trip. Besides, a change from Earth might be good for me. And I must admit, she is quite cute.' Ch. 3 The Time WarpChapter 3: The Time Warp A few weeks had past since the Doctor arrived on Equestria. While he was still getting used to his new pony-form, his normal traits had returned. Derpy found his behavior quite entertaining and seemed to love listening to him ramble at fast speeds. Her daughter, Dinky, would also listen in but could only follow along for so long until she was lost. Derpy, on the other hand, seemed to absorb every word that the Doctor ever spoke. He would speak out his experiences as a Time Lord. He mentioned some of his past adventures and alien races, such as the Daleks, Sontarans, and Humans. The Doctor made it clear that he would normally regenerate into a bipedal creature, like most Time Lords but added that it wasn't unheard of to regenerate as something completely different. It was during this conversation inside of the broken-down TARDIS that Derpy asked a question about his regeneration while the Doctor was attempting to repair the machine. "What's it like when you regenerate?" the grey pegasus pony asked. She was watching the Doctor lying on the floor of the console platform as he doing some rewiring on the hexagonal console in minimal light. "Well, to say the least, painful. I only regenerate after I come close to death, you know, and I don't really want to test the theory of exactly how painful and what not for obvious reasons," the brown stallion spoke as he shuffled his hooves inside of machine, making adjustments. "Hooves are not the best choice for this kind of work. I need to get that blasted device. Now where did I put it?" The Doctor quickly raised his head up to hit it upon the console with a loud thud. "Oh dear, are you alright Doctor?" Derpy asked concerned, trotting closer to where the Doctor was. "I'm always all right," he replied, rubbing his head with one of his hooves, "Now, where did I put that darn screwdriver?" The Doctor hopped down from the console platform into the mess that remained from the TARDIS crash-landing into Equestria. Derpy was silent as the Doctor looked among the disordered console room. Quite quickly, the Doctor raised his hoof in the air along with a small cylindrical object. Complementing himself, he placed it in his mouth and trotted back up to the platform where Derpy was. Looking at the object, the mare's interest was sparked, "Ooo, what's that funny looking thing?" "This, my sweet Derpy," the stallion proudly stated, "is my trusty multi-purpose companion. It can pick locks, scan for injuries, jam computers, destroy a Dalek, scan for alien life forms, and, for this purpose, rewiring the TARDIS's console." The brown stallion was quick to explain as he laid back down on his back to begin his work. "And if I'm right, which I usually am, this will have the TARDIS….up and running again." Just as he finished his statement, the console room lit up. "You did it!" Derpy congratulated her friend. Getting up on his hooves and placing the sonic screwdriver in his collar, the Doctor bragged, "But, of course, Derpy! All I had to do was reverse the polarity of the neutron flow in the system and rework the programming so that it won't automatically land on the nearest planet when it drifts in space for an expended period of time. I also had to give it a little more life, seeing how the crash heavily damaged what life energy it had." Derpy stared at the Doctor in puzzlement. One of her eyes drifted to the side as her mind was still processing the fast statement she was given. However, she raised up a muffin with her hoof in response, "Muffin?" The Doctor smiled and gave a warm laugh. Trotting up to Derpy, he took the muffin, broke it in half, and gave her half, "You certainly know what to say and when to say it, my dear. Where did this come from anyway? Don't tell me you have a coat that is dimensionally transcendental as well?" Taking a bite of her half of the muffin, the mare shook her head. She trotted to her green saddlebag that she set down when she entered the TARDIS. When her mouth was empty, she spoke, "I always have muffins with me!" The Doctor smiled and replied with energy, "That's what I love about you, Derpy! Resourceful! Clever! Charming! Hungry! The traits of a true adventurer!" Slightly blushing, Derpy proudly smiled. Her expression quickly changed as something dawned on her, "Oh! I almost forgot. I have something for you, Doctor." "You have something for me? But it is not Christmas yet! Well, it is at a few moments in time, but not here." Derpy ignored the Doctor's comment as she placed her head inside of her saddlebag. After a little rustling, she pulled her head out. In her mouth was a scarf. The more she pulled, more of the scarf was revealed, showcasing multiple colors. After a few moments, the entire scarf was out of the bag and laid across the console platform for about four meters in length. With one of the ends of the scarf still in her mouth, Derpy said "Ta-da." "You made this yourself?" The Doctor asked in surprise. Derpy nodded, still with the end in her mouth, "Uh-huh, ah wanned ta givve yuu a giff," she finally spat out the scarf from mouth, "Sorry, I was saying I wanted to give you a gift to remember Equestria by. You did say some places you go are very cold." A wide smile came across the stallion's face, "You know, this reminds me of a scarf that a brilliant human woman knitted for me." "I do hope you like it, Doctor." "I'll treasure it forever." Derpy's face lit up, "Really?" "I am a Time Lord, so technically I can," the Doctor lightly jested as he took the scarf near the entrance of the TARDIS. He stood up the fallen hat stand and hung the scarf from the hooks. "There, that looks much quite fine, don't you think?" Before the pegasus could speak, the Doctor quickly trotted up to the platform again pulled a few levers on the console itself. The machinery began to move and he looked toward Derpy to ask another question, "Now then, shall we do the time warp?" "Wha?" Derpy uttered as one of her eyes drifted to the side. The Doctor moved to another side of the hexagon-shaped console, "Come along, Derpy, think of the adventures we could have! The TARDIS is up and running…." as he spoke the statement, the power unexpectedly shut down. The brown pony gave an odd look to the machine before hitting it with his hoof. The hit turned the TARDIS back on and had the machine returning to its previous state. He continued his moving around the console to push buttons and pull levers, "….for the most part, and we have an entire universe and all of time at our fingertips. Hmm, maybe not the best word. At our hooves? In our manes? Nevertheless, we can go anywhere. See what you thought you could only imagine!" "Really?" Derpy looked at the Doctor with amazement. "Really really." "Are you sure we can do this? I mean, it won't take long, will it?" Derpy questioned with concern. The Doctor pulled a large lever and turned to her, "My dear, we can soar to Arkon, make a detour to Dargeb IV, stop by Gallifrey, rocket to the end of the universe, and be back home in time for tea." Derpy nodded with a smile, "Alrighty then, let's go!" "That's the spirit!" The Doctor exclaimed. After pushing a few more buttons, he shouted one last word before hitting the button to begin the travel, and that word was, "Allons-y!" Outside in the Everfree Forest, the blue phone box was slowly disappearing from view. TO BE CONTINUED Ch. 4 Let's Do The Things That We Normally DoChapter 4: Let's Do The Things We Normally Do After what seemed like a few moments from when the TARDIS disappeared, the blue phone box returned. A few meters from where it was before, the machine materialized back on the ground. It was in a more roughed up condition than before it left. The door of the blue phone box opened and two ponies walked out of the TARDIS. They were the pegasus Derpy and the earth pony known solely as the Doctor. The Doctor was the first to speak upon exiting, "Dear, I know it was a gesture of good will, but I don't think offering a muffin to the Cybermen is all that nice. I mean, they don't have any organs to enjoy them." Derpy replied with a puzzled face, with one eye drifting away, "Not even stomachs?" "I think those were the first things to go," the Doctor thought aloud. "Aww…." the grey mare was saddened by the response. The Doctor placed a hoof on Derpy's head, "Fret not, Derpy, for we shall enjoy your muffins. After all, the idea you had about enjoying your muffins back here at the Everfree Forest was a simply charming idea." Derpy giggled and smiled, "Well, I do think we should have a break after going to the last few places and all." "Quite right! Telos was very cold, and I don't believe we would survive the night on the surface without the scarf you made for me," the Doctor smiled back, messing her mane up with his hoof affectionately. The pegasus giggled again, "At least we weren't attacked there. Unlike that planet with the weird slimy things with eyes." "Ah, you mean Polongus? True, that planet was a much unfortunate visit. At least it wasn't to Skaro, Tigus, or Spiridon. Though the visit to Shan Shen was quite pleasant, and so was the trip to the forest planet near Androzani Major, was it not?" "It was just like winter there!" Derpy commented happily. "Yes, and without all of the wrapping up! It really is a pleasant planet, very peaceful. Now, shall we have our lunch? We did just come back from the museum on Xeros," the Doctor asked. "Yes! I'll get the basket! You go find a place for us to sit!" Derpy replied excitedly. She then dashed inside the TARDIS and flew out with a basket in her mouth. The Doctor, who waited for his companion, kept pace with the pegasus. They two found a spot on top of a small hill within the forest meadow. Derpy took the blanket out of the basket and laid it out for them to lie on. As Derpy began shuffling through the basket, the Doctor smiled as he looked at her. After all the places and adventures he had with the pony, the Doctor was thinking that he had not such a fun companion in quite a long time. It made him feel a euphoric feeling. Something that he had felt with another companion he was sad to see leave. However, his smile quickly vanished from his face. He sniffed the air around him. It was a scent that was unmistakable. The Doctor was fearful. Derpy noticed this, "Doctor? Is everything okay?" "No….oh no….please no. Not here. Not now," the Doctor's words were filled with anxiety and terror. Even though his nose was now a muzzle, he still recognized the scent. "Derpy, we need to leave. Now," the Doctor's behavior had changed drastically. He was serious, terrified, and even scared. "But what about the picnic?" Derpy asked. "Forget about it for now, we have something far more important right n-" the stallion cut himself off. "No. He's closer now. Worse, he's right on top of us. No, no, no no, no." Just as the Doctor was about to run off, a figure appeared in front of the ponies. However, it was something that Derpy had never seen until recently. It was a bipedal life form. The pegasus had just learned about such creatures existed. To the Doctor, however, he recognized this life form. His white skin, his brown hair, and his formal black attire; there was no mistaking it. It was a fellow Time Lord, the Master. "It's been a while, dear friend," the Time Lord said with a wicked smile to the ponies. Ch. 5 ShadowplayChapter 5: Shadowplay The Doctor and Derpy were frozen as they saw the renegade Time Lord standing before them. The brown stallion's eyes narrowed as he looked at the Master. His appearance was just as he last saw him. His short brown hair rested on his head and his clothing was exactly the same. This only added to his fear. "It took me all this time to find you, Doctor," the Master was the first to break the silence, "Never thought that you would be on this planet, or take that form. Then again, you were always one to visit the lower species, were you not?" The Doctor was hesitant to response. In fact, he was hoping it was all a bad dream that he couldn't wake up from. But that would be too convenient. The Doctor knew that this was his enemy, it was the Master. Derpy stood behind the Doctor, she quivered in fear. She could tell that if this being could strike fear into the Doctor, she had every right to be fearful herself. "Doctor, who his this?" she asked innocently. "This is….this is another Time Lord who calls himself the Master," the stallion explained aloud, "Let's just say, we have a history. Be to be honest, I have no idea how he's even here." The Master felt no need to explain himself. Instead, he had a little banter, "Don't tell me you've settled down? I must admit that I enjoy our game of cat and mouse, and if you don't run, I can't pursue." "What do you want, Master?" The Doctor was in no mood for games. "No time for a chat? Or a cup of tea? At least Sarah Jane would pause for a cup of tea. Well, if you are going to be acting in such a way, I'll get straight to the point. You see, I am growing weary of our chase. So this is what I will do. I will pull out this staser, point it to your head, fire at point-blank range, and you will fail to regenerate. I'll also shoot your friend as well, and we'll call it a day. How does that sound?" The Master pulled out a small handheld weapon from his jacket, pointing it up to the sky. The Doctor gritted his teeth, "That is not going to happen, and you know it." "Oh? So you want me to shoot her first? You do seem to be used to losing companions, am I right?" a sinister smile came across the Time Lord's face. "Shut your mouth, you monster!" The Doctor's voice was full of anger. "Temper, my friend, temper. There is a lady present," the Master made a gesture towards the grey pegasus. "Doctor?" a meek female voice spoke. The Doctor turned around and saw Derpy's face was both frightened and worried. Taking a quick moment to inhale, the Doctor began to talk, "Derpy, I want you to get to the TARDIS and stay in there, understood?" "But Doctor, I want to help," Derpy said in a worried tone. "No. You get to the TARDIS. Do not open the door for anypony. Understand?" the Doctor placed his hooves on her front limbs reassuringly. "No." the pegasus replied "What? What don't you understand?" "Leaving you. I'm not going to leave you, Doctor." The Doctor sighed and then a smile came across his face, "You are as stubborn as Donna. And I love it." "Enough of this! I will end this now, Doctor!" The Master's patience was growing thin. He fired the staser at the ponies. "Look out, Derpy!" The Doctor called out using his front limbs to shield himself. To his surprise, Derpy had taken off with her wings and she was carrying him by his front limbs. The Doctor laughed, "Ha ha! Just like the time against the Daleks!" "Yup!" Derpy shared a smile with the Doctor as she avoided the continuing fire from the Master. "Derpy, I have an idea. Listen closely," the Doctor said, keeping his voice in a hushed tone. Meanwhile, the Master was still on the ground. He cursed himself as he began to chase after the two ponies. To his surprise, the pegasus dropped at the edge of the meadow near a number of dead trees. Closing in, the Master gave an evil smile, "So she's leaving?" The Doctor looked up to see that the blonde mare was flying away from the two Time Lords, "Yes, I ordered her back to the TARDIS, once and for all. We will settle this here and now." "How noble of you. Even as a renegade Time Lord, you have at least one of your hearts," the Master's staser was pointed at the brown stallion. "Said the fellow renegade," the Doctor added. The Master chuckled, "You know the phrase, no honor among thieves. And as much as it saddens me to see such a worthy adversary die, it will bring me much pleasure." His finger was on the trigger of the weapon. "Well, hate to tell you that you are going to have to work for it!" The Doctor lunged himself at the Master, tackling him to the ground. The Doctor then bit his arm causing the staser to be dropped. A struggle between the two Time Lords ensued. Both struck each other with all of their strength, not giving in. However, after a moments, the Master gained the upper hand. Grabbing the ponified Doctor by the neck, he slammed him against one of the large, dead trees. "I was just going to shoot you, Doctor, but now I realize it will be far more satisfying to destroy you with my own two hands." The Master's smile was gone. Solely rage fueled him. Struggling to make a noise, the Doctor gasped for breath. He made a number of different sounds before the Master spoke again. "I'm sorry, would you like a last word? I can at least give you that much, dear friend." Finally able to speak, the Doctor shouted, "Derpy, now!" Before the Master could understand what was going on, a loud thud was heard by all. Then another. The Master finally realized what was going on, but it was too late. The very tree that he held his enemy against was falling down on to the Master. As it fell, both of the Time Lords were caught underneath in the path of the tree and pinned beneath it. After it fell, the only figure standing was Derpy who had apparently bucked the tree down. "Doctor?" the pegasus called out. The Master stood up, shoving the tree off of him. He made grunts of pain. Looking towards the Doctor and then to Derpy, he said, "Don't think this is the end, Doctor. I will find you again, and it you won't be so lucky. As for you, you pony, I hope the Daleks enjoy wiping your entire planet out." Struggling to walk, the Master made his TARDIS visible. It was in the form of a shrub to blend in on Equestria. The large bush opened up and the Master entered. The TARDIS then disappeared from the planet. Derpy then turned to see the Doctor. She rushed to his side and looked down at him, "Doctor, can you hear me? Are you alright?" Opening his eyes, the brown stallion gave a smile to his derpy eyed companion, "I'm always all rig-" The Doctor's statement was cut off by a stinging pain throughout his body. He looked raised his hooves to his line of sight. He was glowing. The Doctor was beginning to regenerate. Ch. 6 Always With You, Always With MeChapter 6: Always With Me, Always With You "Doctor?" the pegasus's voice was filled with concern, "Doctor, what's going on?" The Doctor looked at his body. It was glowing an amber color. He knew what was going on all too well, "I-I'm regenerating…." His words were sad and distant. "But that's good right?" Derpy asked, tilting her head as one of her eyes drifted to the side. The brown stallion was hesitant to respond. "Yes," he began, "and no." Derpy gave a puzzled look, "But you'll get better, right? Right?" "I never told you this for a reason Derpy….but regeneration is completely random. It was astronomical odds that I became a pony to begin with. Regenerating as one is just the same. And…." the Doctor didn't want to continue. "And?" the grey pegasus pushed on. "I might not remember you." A frightened look came across the mare's face. "Wh-What?" The Doctor's body was emitting more energy, "It's a complete random chance I have been able to keep many of my memories up to now, and it's unknown if I will after I regenerate. It's just one of many aspects of the curse of the Time Lords. Now go, I don't want you to get caught up in the regeneration process." "I'm not going to leave you, Doctor. I didn't against the Cybermen and I won't now," Derpy's voice was strong, however, her eyes had a few tears. The stallion's face was in pain as he looked up at the mare, "Derpy, dear….please….go. This won't be pretty….for either of us…." Derpy tried to speak but her she was tripping over her words, "B-But….I don't want to leave you." Forcing a smile to his face, the Doctor raised a hoof and lightly touched the mare's chest, "You're always with me….just as I'm always with you." Derpy grabbed the Doctor's hoof with both of hers, she struggled to hold the tears back, "I'll never forget you, Doctor." At that, she placed his hoof down and retreated to a safe distance. From behind a fallen log, the pegasus looked over at the Doctor. She saw that he was glowing more and more by each passing second. Finally, what seemed to be light of all colors of the spectrum flowed out from the Doctor's body. It sounded as if thunder was roaring from his body and mixed with the sounds of anguish from the stallion. The light was becoming too intense for Derpy to look directly in the direction. Shielding her eyes with her front limbs, she waited for the regeneration to stop. All she could hear was grunts of pain from the Doctor. Finally, the violent ordeal was over. Looking at the scene, the pegasus saw a bipedal figure where the Doctor once was. Gliding over to the body, she observed the body. Looking closely, she saw the figure was wearing a white shirt underneath a brown coat, black slacks and a red bow tie. His skin was pale and the top of his head had brown spiky hair. The mare leaned her face close to the Doctor's, sniffing him. Her nose was right, it was her Doctor still, just different body. Suddenly, the eyes of the Time Lord opened to the pegasus leaning in on him. "Well, hello there, little pony! How are you doing?" He sat himself up. This caught Derpy off guard and she pulled her head back. "D-Doctor? Do you remember me?" she spoke nervously, failing to stop the tears from her eyes. The Doctor shook his head, "I'm afraid not, dear." More tears formed in the mare's eyes. She threw her front limbs around the Time Lord in a hug. She sobbed quietly. "Why are you crying? You really shouldn't cry," the Doctor spoke, caught off guard by the hug. He wrapped his arms around Derpy and continued, "You seem so familiar, and yet I can't say why." Breaking the hug, Derpy told the Time Lord to follow her to his TARDIS. She led him the phone box where he thanked the pony and patted her on top of her blonde mane. She smiled as she watched him enter and close the door. After it was closed, she turned around and began to cry again. Derpy couldn't bear to watch the TARDIS disappear in front of her, so she trotted slowly towards her home. Inside of the TARDIS, the Time Lord who had kept his composure began to breakdown. He also was crying. Walking to the hat stand where the scarf was, he grabbed a part of it and felt the soft fabric between his fingers. He spoke aloud, his voice crestfallen, "I'm sorry I had to do that, Derpy….I didn't want to see you cry like that, but….if I didn't, you would want to come along….and we both know what could happen….and if it did….if something happened to you….I'm sorry, my dear…." When Derpy returned home, Celestia's sun had set and Luna's moon had risen into the sky. Entering her home, she saw Dinky on the floor of the main room. She was drawing what looked like a blue rectangle flying through space. The unicorn filly looked up to her adoptive mother from her crayon art. "Momma? Are you okay?" Dinky asked with concern. Wiping a few tears from her eyes, Derpy replied, "Yes, dear. Mommy's just sad, that's all." "Where's Mr. Doctor?" she asked innocently. Derpy was hesitant to respond. "Did he have to go away?" the filly was piecing the puzzle together. Her mother nodded as a few tears rolled down her face. "Oh, okay." After a pause, Dinky continued, "You can always see him though." Derpy was confused by her daughter's remark, "What? How?" Dinky smiled, "The Doctor told me that if I ever wanted to see him again, all I have to do is look up at the stars in the night sky and wish really, really hard and he will be there." The blonde pegasus smiled at her daughter, "I think it's time for bed. For the both of us." "Okay." Both of the ponies got ready for bed and said their good nights to one another. They retired to their rooms for rest. Derpy, however, couldn't sleep. What Dinky had said to her kept her awake. About how if one looked at the stars and wish hard, the Doctor will be there. Derpy crawled out of her bed and trotted out onto the balcony. The night air caused the pegasus to shiver. She looked up to the many stars that dotted the sky. A smile appeared on her face as she thought of the many adventures she and the Doctor had. Closing her eyes, she made a wish. She wished hard. Opening her teary eyes, Derpy saw a shooting star fly by in the night sky. END Epilogue: CryingEpilogue: Crying A brown pony was walking through Ponyville on a warm day. His brown mane blew with the gentle breeze, making his tan coat shiver slightly. It had been a while since he had been in the town, but he knew his destination; a small cottage on the edge of the town. He took his time, enjoying the surrounds that he once grew accustom to. Arriving at the cottage, he looked at it carefully. A few things had changed since he was last there. There was a new type of flower growing flowerbed below the windows. There was also a fresh coat of paint on the exterior. The stallion knew it was the right house. He remembered it all too well. Finally gathering the courage, he trotted up to the porch and lightly tapped on the wooden door. The butterflies in his stomach told him to run. His mind agreed, 'What if she doesn't remember you? What if she's mad? What if she moved? What if-' His thoughts were cut off by a familiar voice of a mare from the inside. "Just a second, please!" The brown stallion's body froze up. The voice was just on the other side of the door. The wooden door opened, "And what can I do for yo-" the grey pegasus who opened the door also froze. Her gaze fixated on the brown stallion. "Hello, Derpy," the stallion softly spoke. The pegasus was still in awe. Her eyes, which normally would drift on their own, were staring at the pony before her. "D-Doc….Doctor? Is that really you?" Derpy didn't wait for a response. She flung her limbs around her long lost friend. She tightened her hold immediately, almost as if she wanted to make sure he wasn't an illusion. "How long?" the Doctor asked. "What?" Derpy relinquished from her hug and looked back at him with her hooves still making contact. "How long have I been gone?" he restated the question. Derpy smiled warmly to the Time Lord pony, "Ten months as of last week." "I'm sorry," the Doctor stated. Derpy's smile remained, "No, don't be! I looked up at the stars every night and wished each time for you to come back! And now you are here!" her voice was overjoyed, "Please, come in." The Doctor nodded and entered the house he for a time called home. He noticed little had changed inside. It gave him a nostalgic feeling. Derpy led him to the main room. She had a million questions and she wanted answers. "How are you a pony again? Why did you come back? Were you hurt? Are you okay? Would you-" The Doctor stopped the pegasus's questions by placing a hoof over her mouth. He gave a small smile before removing his hoof. Derpy then asked the biggest question on her mind, "How are you a pony, Doctor? I saw you as a Time Lord last time." "The universe works in mysterious ways. I came close to death not too long ago while dealing with some issues back on Earth. And during those moments of regeneration, I remembered that some Time Lords are able to have some control over their regeneration, so I tried gave it a shot. So I figured why not a pony? Ponies are cool," the Doctor gave a smirk at his last statement. Derpy was still puzzled, "But why come back here?" "As I was what I thought was dying, I remembered what the Master said to me during the encounter we had. He stated that he never thought that I would settle down. It made me think. Maybe it is something that I need. I've been traveling through out time for over a thousand years, or something like that. Honestly, it feels like more. Anyway, I've been traveling so long, it's all I know. So maybe I should settle down," the Doctor explained "With me?" Derpy asked, slightly flustered at the thought. The Doctor nodded. Derpy was bewildered, "But why? I'm not really a clever pony…." Her head looked down the floor. The Doctor placed a hoof under the pegasus's chin and lifted it up for her eyes to meet his, "My dear, I've traveled from the farthest reaches of the universe and back. I have fought enemies in all shapes and sizes. I've been to the beginning of time to the end of time and everything in between. I've been alive for so long that I don't even know how old I am. But despite of all I have seen, you are the most wonderful individual I have ever met. I could only begin to say what it is about you that I find charming. Derpy, I think you can understand what I am failing at saying." Derpy had a large smile on her face. Her eyes welled up with tears. A few rolled down as she hugged the Doctor again. "Yes…." she quietly said, "I understand that I'm lucky…." "Derpy? Why are you crying? You really shouldn't be sad," the Doctor pointed out. Derpy giggled slightly, "Silly, I'm not crying because I'm sad, I'm crying because I'm happy. It's happy crying." Hugging Derpy back, the Doctor echoed the pegasus's words, "Happy crying. Yes, of course." A smile came across his face as a couple tears formed in his eyes as well. Suddenly, a small blonde maned filly trotted into the room, "Mr. Doctor!" "Oh, Dinky, have you been a good little filly?" he asked, trying to wipe away his tears. "Yes, I have!" she exclaimed before joining Derpy and the Doctor in the hug, "I'm so happy you're home!" A few tears rolled down the Doctor's face, "Yes….I'm home." END
Ch. 1 Worlds CollideChapter 1: Worlds Collide A brown stallion woke up. Groaning, he lifted his head up and looked around at his surroundings. The area looked alien to him. Large trees that seemed gloomy, rugged terrain, only a small amount of light from the sun piercing the canopy. Sitting up, he turned his head to look more and he saw his TARDIS had crashed and was leaning up against a large boulder. What caught his eye, however, was that on top of the police call box, it read "pony box" instead of "police box". The Doctor then looked down at his limbs and was in shock and horror: he had become a pony. While is first thought was to panic. But the Doctor knew better than this. Consoling himself, he began to talk to himself aloud. "Calm yourself and think. Let's see, I was fighting against Daleks….and losing….and now I'm a….horse? Curse regeneration. At least I'm not a woman." Trotting up to the TARDIS, the Doctor struggled to open the door, but was finally able to after a few tries. Entering the roomy interior of the TARDIS, the Doctor saw that it was a mess from the impact of the crash. Sighing, he walked to the hexagonal console in hopes of starting it time machine up. However, the console seemed to unresponsive. "Darn, shot to hell and back," he muttered to himself, then turning his voice outward, "But something tells me you wanted me to be here." He spoke aloud for his TARDIS to hear. There was no response to his words. With no reply from his machine, looked around and saw that he could repair the machine quite easily. That is, if he had the right parts. He estimated that could repair it within two or three days but that estimate was if the planet he was on had the available technology. This new horse ears perked up at the thought, where was he and when? Seeing he was not able to tell from inside, he began to trot outside. However, the Doctor paused when he saw his reflection in a broken piece of mirror on the ground. He looked at his new light brown coat that covered his new body and his two blue eyes. Moving a hoof through his dark brown mane, he gave himself a smile. He seemed pleased. His smile vanished as he moved towards the door, making a comment, "Still not a ginger." Exiting the TARDIS, the Doctor froze in a panic as he saw another creature sitting a few meters away from the time machine. It was a grey pegasus with a blonde mane, yellow eyes and a blank expression. She blinked a few times in silence as she stared at the Doctor and the blue TARDIS. 'A local?! Oh dear, gotta make something up and quick!' The Doctor thought to himself. He spoke, "Oh, hello there. You must have seen this thing crash and were curious too, huh?" It wasn't until after he spoke that the Doctor realized that what he said was ridiculous. The pegasus's face turned from the blank stare to a warm smile. She giggled before speaking, "What are you doing in the Everfree Forest? Nopony is supposed to venture too deep in here." The Doctor reversed the question to save himself, "Well, what are you doing here?" "I'm a mailmare!" the pegasus proudly proclaimed. Standing up on her hooves, she turned to show the saddlebag on her back. "Derpy Hooves, at your service!" The Doctor looked at the bag on her back, he see that it read 'Equestria Mail Service: Please do not give the mailmare muffins'. A small smile came across his face, 'At least I know where I am at.' There was a silence between the two when they heard a growling of a stomach. The Doctor seemed embarrassed. "Oh, heh, pardon me," he apologized, "I haven't eaten in a while so…." "Then you will come with me!" Derpy interrupted the statement. "Huh, what?" the stallion was confused. Derpy used her front limbs to pick up the ponified time lord but his front limbs and began to fly with him. "I'm going to take you back to my home where we with both have lunch!" Derpy said excitedly. "Um….Derpy, was it? You really don't have to do this. I really should get back to repai-….I mean looking at the mysterious….thing," the Doctor tried to convince the pegasus to let him back on the ground. However, she didn't hear him as she was repeating the word 'muffins' as she flew above the tree canopy and towards civilization. The Doctor had given up trying to reason with the mare. "Well, better dealing with Daleks, I suppose," he quietly muttered to himself.
Ch. 2 Lazy EyeChapter 2: Lazy Eye The pegasus flew the Doctor to a small cottage on the edge of the forest. The landing was a bit rough for the Doctor's taste, but he had become accustomed to such landings due to his piloting skills of the TARDIS. Derpy landed herself and stared at the Doctor for a few moments. He panicked a bit as he felt her eyes on her. "Eh? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, noticing that one of her eyes began to trail off on it's own. Pointing, Derpy replied, "You have a weird cutie mark. What's it for?" "Cutie mark?" The Doctor asked. This time, the pegasus pointed to her flank, "On your bottom." The brown pony looked at his flank to see an hourglass. He was startled to see the image on his body. Before he could think of anything to say, the grey pony interrupted his thoughts. "What special talent do you have?" she asked curiously and with a tilted head. "I….uh….don't know?" The Doctor spoke nervously. Derpy smiled, "It's okay! I don't know what my cutie mark means either, but I still love everything that I get to do." The Doctor watched as the pony displayed her flank right in front of her. He saw seven bubbles on her bottom. He looked at it for a few moments as his head tried to think of what possible reasons cutie marks exist. However, both of the ponies were interrupted by a familiar growl. It was the Doctor's stomach. "Oh, right! We still need to get muffins!" Derpy proclaimed. "Muffins?" the Doctor inquired. Derpy trotted behind the Doctor and used her head to push the brown earth pony into her home. The Doctor, while trying to avoid being forced, entered the small cottage. The pegasus continued to push him until they were both in the kitchen of the house. Once he was seated at the table, Derpy was quick to get to her pantry. "Would you like some carrots?" she asked, holding up a bushel of carrots for him to see. "N-No thank you, Derpy….it's quite alright. You don't have to-" he was cut off. "How about some chocolate muffins? Or blueberry?" she offered. "Uh, thank you, no," the Doctor declined again, "But really, I would like it if I could get back to-" "Banana muffin?" she asked with a tilt of her head. After a pause, the Doctor answered, "Yes….in fact, I would like two….please," he added last part quickly as to not be rude. A bright smile came across Derpy's face when he finally accepted. She set the two muffins on the table. The brown stallion carefully took a bite of one. To him, it tasted nostalgic and wonderful. The euphoric experience of the taste was cut short by a simple question. "So, who are you?" the innocent voice asked. The Doctor froze in fear. There was no way he could tell her he was a Time Lord that took the form of a horse after crash landing on her planet. Even if it was the truth, it sounded ridiculous. In fact, he didn't personally believe it. "M-My friends j-just call me the Doctor," he managed to say with a mouthful. "And where are you from, doc?" Derpy asked with a warm smile directed right at the Doctor. "Please, dear, don't call me 'doc'. Just the Doctor," he corrected before lied about his origins, "and I'm from….heh….around." "Then do you know about that blue box thingy in the forest? It was really big inside," Derpy stretched her hooves apart to express the size. "You went inside the TARDIS?" The Doctor panicked slightly. Derpy had a confused look on her face as on of her eyes drifted to the side, "Thar….dhis?" 'Oh goodness….you certainly have done it now,' the Doctor thought to himself. "Is that what the box thingy is called?" Derpy blinked, causing her eyes to line back up to look at the Doctor. "Um….yes. I know it sounds weird, but that 'box thingy' as you call it, is my time machine," he began to explain. "Time machine? I don't get it…." the pegasus was puzzled. "It's kind of a long story. But to put it simply, dear, I'm an alien that has taken the form of one of the species of this planet. That's all I have really gathered, to be honest because you found me shortly after I woke up," the brown pony finished by taking a bite of the muffin. The taste helped him relax a little after explaining himself. The blonde pony smiled. She placed a hoof on the earth pony's spiky mane and roughed it up a little, "I don't care if you're an alien! I like you as you are!" "What?" the Doctor was confused at her words. "I like ya, Mr. Doctor! You seem like a fun pony to be around!" Derpy said grabbing the extra muffin that the Doctor had yet to get to and began eating it. "Uh, just the Doctor, is fine," the Doctor interjected quickly still surprised that the pegasus was completely okay with the fact she was told that pony she had just invited into her home was a time traveling alien. Derpy spoke while eating, "I'm happy to have a new friend here! Most ponies don't want to be around me." This caused the Doctor's interest to be sparked, "Now why is that? You are quite a lovely gal- I mean mare, and very kind to have brought me here without knowing me." Derpy looked sad momentarily, "Someponies say that I'm bad luck or that my eyes are weird." "Your eyes?" the Doctor looked towards the pegasus. "Yeah, sometimes my eyes act on their own. The nurse said something called 'lazy eye', but I don't get it," Derpy said as one of her eyes began to move on it's own again. "Hmm," the Doctor said looking at her eyes, "seems you have a mild form of strabismic amblyopia. Nothing too serious. I think it looks quite cute." He added a smile at the end of his statement to liven the mood. And it was true that he found it a cute trait for Derpy. Derpy blushed at his words, "Aww, thank you. You remind me a lot of my little muffin." "Little muffin?" the Doctor asked. "Yeah, my daughter, Dinky. She's at school right now, but I do hope you can stay to meet her," Derpy explained with a smile. "A daughter? Huh. Don't take this the wrong why, but I never would have thought that you would be a mother," the Doctor admitted, blushing slightly. Derpy waved her hooves in front of her, "Oh, no, no. I'm more of an adoptive mother. You see, I was saw her at the orphanage a few times and how she was made fun of. I felt sorry for her because she reminded me of myself and….well, we kind of became a little family ever since." The Doctor warmly smiled, "You certainly are quite a wonderful individual, Derpy." Derpy blushed again, one of her hooves rubbing the back of her neck. She was disrupted by the front door opening, "That must be my little muffin now! I must introduce you to her, Mr. Doctor!" She dashed off the front door, edging the Doctor to follow her. The Doctor smiled as he began to follow the excited pegasus, "Alright, but please, just the Doctor is fine." In the back of the Time Lord's mind, he began talking to himself 'Well, seems I've made a new friend. I know for a fact that this will be quite a….unique trip. Besides, a change from Earth might be good for me. And I must admit, she is quite cute.'
Ch. 3 The Time WarpChapter 3: The Time Warp A few weeks had past since the Doctor arrived on Equestria. While he was still getting used to his new pony-form, his normal traits had returned. Derpy found his behavior quite entertaining and seemed to love listening to him ramble at fast speeds. Her daughter, Dinky, would also listen in but could only follow along for so long until she was lost. Derpy, on the other hand, seemed to absorb every word that the Doctor ever spoke. He would speak out his experiences as a Time Lord. He mentioned some of his past adventures and alien races, such as the Daleks, Sontarans, and Humans. The Doctor made it clear that he would normally regenerate into a bipedal creature, like most Time Lords but added that it wasn't unheard of to regenerate as something completely different. It was during this conversation inside of the broken-down TARDIS that Derpy asked a question about his regeneration while the Doctor was attempting to repair the machine. "What's it like when you regenerate?" the grey pegasus pony asked. She was watching the Doctor lying on the floor of the console platform as he doing some rewiring on the hexagonal console in minimal light. "Well, to say the least, painful. I only regenerate after I come close to death, you know, and I don't really want to test the theory of exactly how painful and what not for obvious reasons," the brown stallion spoke as he shuffled his hooves inside of machine, making adjustments. "Hooves are not the best choice for this kind of work. I need to get that blasted device. Now where did I put it?" The Doctor quickly raised his head up to hit it upon the console with a loud thud. "Oh dear, are you alright Doctor?" Derpy asked concerned, trotting closer to where the Doctor was. "I'm always all right," he replied, rubbing his head with one of his hooves, "Now, where did I put that darn screwdriver?" The Doctor hopped down from the console platform into the mess that remained from the TARDIS crash-landing into Equestria. Derpy was silent as the Doctor looked among the disordered console room. Quite quickly, the Doctor raised his hoof in the air along with a small cylindrical object. Complementing himself, he placed it in his mouth and trotted back up to the platform where Derpy was. Looking at the object, the mare's interest was sparked, "Ooo, what's that funny looking thing?" "This, my sweet Derpy," the stallion proudly stated, "is my trusty multi-purpose companion. It can pick locks, scan for injuries, jam computers, destroy a Dalek, scan for alien life forms, and, for this purpose, rewiring the TARDIS's console." The brown stallion was quick to explain as he laid back down on his back to begin his work. "And if I'm right, which I usually am, this will have the TARDIS….up and running again." Just as he finished his statement, the console room lit up. "You did it!" Derpy congratulated her friend. Getting up on his hooves and placing the sonic screwdriver in his collar, the Doctor bragged, "But, of course, Derpy! All I had to do was reverse the polarity of the neutron flow in the system and rework the programming so that it won't automatically land on the nearest planet when it drifts in space for an expended period of time. I also had to give it a little more life, seeing how the crash heavily damaged what life energy it had." Derpy stared at the Doctor in puzzlement. One of her eyes drifted to the side as her mind was still processing the fast statement she was given. However, she raised up a muffin with her hoof in response, "Muffin?" The Doctor smiled and gave a warm laugh. Trotting up to Derpy, he took the muffin, broke it in half, and gave her half, "You certainly know what to say and when to say it, my dear. Where did this come from anyway? Don't tell me you have a coat that is dimensionally transcendental as well?" Taking a bite of her half of the muffin, the mare shook her head. She trotted to her green saddlebag that she set down when she entered the TARDIS. When her mouth was empty, she spoke, "I always have muffins with me!" The Doctor smiled and replied with energy, "That's what I love about you, Derpy! Resourceful! Clever! Charming! Hungry! The traits of a true adventurer!" Slightly blushing, Derpy proudly smiled. Her expression quickly changed as something dawned on her, "Oh! I almost forgot. I have something for you, Doctor." "You have something for me? But it is not Christmas yet! Well, it is at a few moments in time, but not here." Derpy ignored the Doctor's comment as she placed her head inside of her saddlebag. After a little rustling, she pulled her head out. In her mouth was a scarf. The more she pulled, more of the scarf was revealed, showcasing multiple colors. After a few moments, the entire scarf was out of the bag and laid across the console platform for about four meters in length. With one of the ends of the scarf still in her mouth, Derpy said "Ta-da." "You made this yourself?" The Doctor asked in surprise. Derpy nodded, still with the end in her mouth, "Uh-huh, ah wanned ta givve yuu a giff," she finally spat out the scarf from mouth, "Sorry, I was saying I wanted to give you a gift to remember Equestria by. You did say some places you go are very cold." A wide smile came across the stallion's face, "You know, this reminds me of a scarf that a brilliant human woman knitted for me." "I do hope you like it, Doctor." "I'll treasure it forever." Derpy's face lit up, "Really?" "I am a Time Lord, so technically I can," the Doctor lightly jested as he took the scarf near the entrance of the TARDIS. He stood up the fallen hat stand and hung the scarf from the hooks. "There, that looks much quite fine, don't you think?" Before the pegasus could speak, the Doctor quickly trotted up to the platform again pulled a few levers on the console itself. The machinery began to move and he looked toward Derpy to ask another question, "Now then, shall we do the time warp?" "Wha?" Derpy uttered as one of her eyes drifted to the side. The Doctor moved to another side of the hexagon-shaped console, "Come along, Derpy, think of the adventures we could have! The TARDIS is up and running…." as he spoke the statement, the power unexpectedly shut down. The brown pony gave an odd look to the machine before hitting it with his hoof. The hit turned the TARDIS back on and had the machine returning to its previous state. He continued his moving around the console to push buttons and pull levers, "….for the most part, and we have an entire universe and all of time at our fingertips. Hmm, maybe not the best word. At our hooves? In our manes? Nevertheless, we can go anywhere. See what you thought you could only imagine!" "Really?" Derpy looked at the Doctor with amazement. "Really really." "Are you sure we can do this? I mean, it won't take long, will it?" Derpy questioned with concern. The Doctor pulled a large lever and turned to her, "My dear, we can soar to Arkon, make a detour to Dargeb IV, stop by Gallifrey, rocket to the end of the universe, and be back home in time for tea." Derpy nodded with a smile, "Alrighty then, let's go!" "That's the spirit!" The Doctor exclaimed. After pushing a few more buttons, he shouted one last word before hitting the button to begin the travel, and that word was, "Allons-y!" Outside in the Everfree Forest, the blue phone box was slowly disappearing from view. TO BE CONTINUED
Ch. 4 Let's Do The Things That We Normally DoChapter 4: Let's Do The Things We Normally Do After what seemed like a few moments from when the TARDIS disappeared, the blue phone box returned. A few meters from where it was before, the machine materialized back on the ground. It was in a more roughed up condition than before it left. The door of the blue phone box opened and two ponies walked out of the TARDIS. They were the pegasus Derpy and the earth pony known solely as the Doctor. The Doctor was the first to speak upon exiting, "Dear, I know it was a gesture of good will, but I don't think offering a muffin to the Cybermen is all that nice. I mean, they don't have any organs to enjoy them." Derpy replied with a puzzled face, with one eye drifting away, "Not even stomachs?" "I think those were the first things to go," the Doctor thought aloud. "Aww…." the grey mare was saddened by the response. The Doctor placed a hoof on Derpy's head, "Fret not, Derpy, for we shall enjoy your muffins. After all, the idea you had about enjoying your muffins back here at the Everfree Forest was a simply charming idea." Derpy giggled and smiled, "Well, I do think we should have a break after going to the last few places and all." "Quite right! Telos was very cold, and I don't believe we would survive the night on the surface without the scarf you made for me," the Doctor smiled back, messing her mane up with his hoof affectionately. The pegasus giggled again, "At least we weren't attacked there. Unlike that planet with the weird slimy things with eyes." "Ah, you mean Polongus? True, that planet was a much unfortunate visit. At least it wasn't to Skaro, Tigus, or Spiridon. Though the visit to Shan Shen was quite pleasant, and so was the trip to the forest planet near Androzani Major, was it not?" "It was just like winter there!" Derpy commented happily. "Yes, and without all of the wrapping up! It really is a pleasant planet, very peaceful. Now, shall we have our lunch? We did just come back from the museum on Xeros," the Doctor asked. "Yes! I'll get the basket! You go find a place for us to sit!" Derpy replied excitedly. She then dashed inside the TARDIS and flew out with a basket in her mouth. The Doctor, who waited for his companion, kept pace with the pegasus. They two found a spot on top of a small hill within the forest meadow. Derpy took the blanket out of the basket and laid it out for them to lie on. As Derpy began shuffling through the basket, the Doctor smiled as he looked at her. After all the places and adventures he had with the pony, the Doctor was thinking that he had not such a fun companion in quite a long time. It made him feel a euphoric feeling. Something that he had felt with another companion he was sad to see leave. However, his smile quickly vanished from his face. He sniffed the air around him. It was a scent that was unmistakable. The Doctor was fearful. Derpy noticed this, "Doctor? Is everything okay?" "No….oh no….please no. Not here. Not now," the Doctor's words were filled with anxiety and terror. Even though his nose was now a muzzle, he still recognized the scent. "Derpy, we need to leave. Now," the Doctor's behavior had changed drastically. He was serious, terrified, and even scared. "But what about the picnic?" Derpy asked. "Forget about it for now, we have something far more important right n-" the stallion cut himself off. "No. He's closer now. Worse, he's right on top of us. No, no, no no, no." Just as the Doctor was about to run off, a figure appeared in front of the ponies. However, it was something that Derpy had never seen until recently. It was a bipedal life form. The pegasus had just learned about such creatures existed. To the Doctor, however, he recognized this life form. His white skin, his brown hair, and his formal black attire; there was no mistaking it. It was a fellow Time Lord, the Master. "It's been a while, dear friend," the Time Lord said with a wicked smile to the ponies.
Ch. 5 ShadowplayChapter 5: Shadowplay The Doctor and Derpy were frozen as they saw the renegade Time Lord standing before them. The brown stallion's eyes narrowed as he looked at the Master. His appearance was just as he last saw him. His short brown hair rested on his head and his clothing was exactly the same. This only added to his fear. "It took me all this time to find you, Doctor," the Master was the first to break the silence, "Never thought that you would be on this planet, or take that form. Then again, you were always one to visit the lower species, were you not?" The Doctor was hesitant to response. In fact, he was hoping it was all a bad dream that he couldn't wake up from. But that would be too convenient. The Doctor knew that this was his enemy, it was the Master. Derpy stood behind the Doctor, she quivered in fear. She could tell that if this being could strike fear into the Doctor, she had every right to be fearful herself. "Doctor, who his this?" she asked innocently. "This is….this is another Time Lord who calls himself the Master," the stallion explained aloud, "Let's just say, we have a history. Be to be honest, I have no idea how he's even here." The Master felt no need to explain himself. Instead, he had a little banter, "Don't tell me you've settled down? I must admit that I enjoy our game of cat and mouse, and if you don't run, I can't pursue." "What do you want, Master?" The Doctor was in no mood for games. "No time for a chat? Or a cup of tea? At least Sarah Jane would pause for a cup of tea. Well, if you are going to be acting in such a way, I'll get straight to the point. You see, I am growing weary of our chase. So this is what I will do. I will pull out this staser, point it to your head, fire at point-blank range, and you will fail to regenerate. I'll also shoot your friend as well, and we'll call it a day. How does that sound?" The Master pulled out a small handheld weapon from his jacket, pointing it up to the sky. The Doctor gritted his teeth, "That is not going to happen, and you know it." "Oh? So you want me to shoot her first? You do seem to be used to losing companions, am I right?" a sinister smile came across the Time Lord's face. "Shut your mouth, you monster!" The Doctor's voice was full of anger. "Temper, my friend, temper. There is a lady present," the Master made a gesture towards the grey pegasus. "Doctor?" a meek female voice spoke. The Doctor turned around and saw Derpy's face was both frightened and worried. Taking a quick moment to inhale, the Doctor began to talk, "Derpy, I want you to get to the TARDIS and stay in there, understood?" "But Doctor, I want to help," Derpy said in a worried tone. "No. You get to the TARDIS. Do not open the door for anypony. Understand?" the Doctor placed his hooves on her front limbs reassuringly. "No." the pegasus replied "What? What don't you understand?" "Leaving you. I'm not going to leave you, Doctor." The Doctor sighed and then a smile came across his face, "You are as stubborn as Donna. And I love it." "Enough of this! I will end this now, Doctor!" The Master's patience was growing thin. He fired the staser at the ponies. "Look out, Derpy!" The Doctor called out using his front limbs to shield himself. To his surprise, Derpy had taken off with her wings and she was carrying him by his front limbs. The Doctor laughed, "Ha ha! Just like the time against the Daleks!" "Yup!" Derpy shared a smile with the Doctor as she avoided the continuing fire from the Master. "Derpy, I have an idea. Listen closely," the Doctor said, keeping his voice in a hushed tone. Meanwhile, the Master was still on the ground. He cursed himself as he began to chase after the two ponies. To his surprise, the pegasus dropped at the edge of the meadow near a number of dead trees. Closing in, the Master gave an evil smile, "So she's leaving?" The Doctor looked up to see that the blonde mare was flying away from the two Time Lords, "Yes, I ordered her back to the TARDIS, once and for all. We will settle this here and now." "How noble of you. Even as a renegade Time Lord, you have at least one of your hearts," the Master's staser was pointed at the brown stallion. "Said the fellow renegade," the Doctor added. The Master chuckled, "You know the phrase, no honor among thieves. And as much as it saddens me to see such a worthy adversary die, it will bring me much pleasure." His finger was on the trigger of the weapon. "Well, hate to tell you that you are going to have to work for it!" The Doctor lunged himself at the Master, tackling him to the ground. The Doctor then bit his arm causing the staser to be dropped. A struggle between the two Time Lords ensued. Both struck each other with all of their strength, not giving in. However, after a moments, the Master gained the upper hand. Grabbing the ponified Doctor by the neck, he slammed him against one of the large, dead trees. "I was just going to shoot you, Doctor, but now I realize it will be far more satisfying to destroy you with my own two hands." The Master's smile was gone. Solely rage fueled him. Struggling to make a noise, the Doctor gasped for breath. He made a number of different sounds before the Master spoke again. "I'm sorry, would you like a last word? I can at least give you that much, dear friend." Finally able to speak, the Doctor shouted, "Derpy, now!" Before the Master could understand what was going on, a loud thud was heard by all. Then another. The Master finally realized what was going on, but it was too late. The very tree that he held his enemy against was falling down on to the Master. As it fell, both of the Time Lords were caught underneath in the path of the tree and pinned beneath it. After it fell, the only figure standing was Derpy who had apparently bucked the tree down. "Doctor?" the pegasus called out. The Master stood up, shoving the tree off of him. He made grunts of pain. Looking towards the Doctor and then to Derpy, he said, "Don't think this is the end, Doctor. I will find you again, and it you won't be so lucky. As for you, you pony, I hope the Daleks enjoy wiping your entire planet out." Struggling to walk, the Master made his TARDIS visible. It was in the form of a shrub to blend in on Equestria. The large bush opened up and the Master entered. The TARDIS then disappeared from the planet. Derpy then turned to see the Doctor. She rushed to his side and looked down at him, "Doctor, can you hear me? Are you alright?" Opening his eyes, the brown stallion gave a smile to his derpy eyed companion, "I'm always all rig-" The Doctor's statement was cut off by a stinging pain throughout his body. He looked raised his hooves to his line of sight. He was glowing. The Doctor was beginning to regenerate.
Ch. 6 Always With You, Always With MeChapter 6: Always With Me, Always With You "Doctor?" the pegasus's voice was filled with concern, "Doctor, what's going on?" The Doctor looked at his body. It was glowing an amber color. He knew what was going on all too well, "I-I'm regenerating…." His words were sad and distant. "But that's good right?" Derpy asked, tilting her head as one of her eyes drifted to the side. The brown stallion was hesitant to respond. "Yes," he began, "and no." Derpy gave a puzzled look, "But you'll get better, right? Right?" "I never told you this for a reason Derpy….but regeneration is completely random. It was astronomical odds that I became a pony to begin with. Regenerating as one is just the same. And…." the Doctor didn't want to continue. "And?" the grey pegasus pushed on. "I might not remember you." A frightened look came across the mare's face. "Wh-What?" The Doctor's body was emitting more energy, "It's a complete random chance I have been able to keep many of my memories up to now, and it's unknown if I will after I regenerate. It's just one of many aspects of the curse of the Time Lords. Now go, I don't want you to get caught up in the regeneration process." "I'm not going to leave you, Doctor. I didn't against the Cybermen and I won't now," Derpy's voice was strong, however, her eyes had a few tears. The stallion's face was in pain as he looked up at the mare, "Derpy, dear….please….go. This won't be pretty….for either of us…." Derpy tried to speak but her she was tripping over her words, "B-But….I don't want to leave you." Forcing a smile to his face, the Doctor raised a hoof and lightly touched the mare's chest, "You're always with me….just as I'm always with you." Derpy grabbed the Doctor's hoof with both of hers, she struggled to hold the tears back, "I'll never forget you, Doctor." At that, she placed his hoof down and retreated to a safe distance. From behind a fallen log, the pegasus looked over at the Doctor. She saw that he was glowing more and more by each passing second. Finally, what seemed to be light of all colors of the spectrum flowed out from the Doctor's body. It sounded as if thunder was roaring from his body and mixed with the sounds of anguish from the stallion. The light was becoming too intense for Derpy to look directly in the direction. Shielding her eyes with her front limbs, she waited for the regeneration to stop. All she could hear was grunts of pain from the Doctor. Finally, the violent ordeal was over. Looking at the scene, the pegasus saw a bipedal figure where the Doctor once was. Gliding over to the body, she observed the body. Looking closely, she saw the figure was wearing a white shirt underneath a brown coat, black slacks and a red bow tie. His skin was pale and the top of his head had brown spiky hair. The mare leaned her face close to the Doctor's, sniffing him. Her nose was right, it was her Doctor still, just different body. Suddenly, the eyes of the Time Lord opened to the pegasus leaning in on him. "Well, hello there, little pony! How are you doing?" He sat himself up. This caught Derpy off guard and she pulled her head back. "D-Doctor? Do you remember me?" she spoke nervously, failing to stop the tears from her eyes. The Doctor shook his head, "I'm afraid not, dear." More tears formed in the mare's eyes. She threw her front limbs around the Time Lord in a hug. She sobbed quietly. "Why are you crying? You really shouldn't cry," the Doctor spoke, caught off guard by the hug. He wrapped his arms around Derpy and continued, "You seem so familiar, and yet I can't say why." Breaking the hug, Derpy told the Time Lord to follow her to his TARDIS. She led him the phone box where he thanked the pony and patted her on top of her blonde mane. She smiled as she watched him enter and close the door. After it was closed, she turned around and began to cry again. Derpy couldn't bear to watch the TARDIS disappear in front of her, so she trotted slowly towards her home. Inside of the TARDIS, the Time Lord who had kept his composure began to breakdown. He also was crying. Walking to the hat stand where the scarf was, he grabbed a part of it and felt the soft fabric between his fingers. He spoke aloud, his voice crestfallen, "I'm sorry I had to do that, Derpy….I didn't want to see you cry like that, but….if I didn't, you would want to come along….and we both know what could happen….and if it did….if something happened to you….I'm sorry, my dear…." When Derpy returned home, Celestia's sun had set and Luna's moon had risen into the sky. Entering her home, she saw Dinky on the floor of the main room. She was drawing what looked like a blue rectangle flying through space. The unicorn filly looked up to her adoptive mother from her crayon art. "Momma? Are you okay?" Dinky asked with concern. Wiping a few tears from her eyes, Derpy replied, "Yes, dear. Mommy's just sad, that's all." "Where's Mr. Doctor?" she asked innocently. Derpy was hesitant to respond. "Did he have to go away?" the filly was piecing the puzzle together. Her mother nodded as a few tears rolled down her face. "Oh, okay." After a pause, Dinky continued, "You can always see him though." Derpy was confused by her daughter's remark, "What? How?" Dinky smiled, "The Doctor told me that if I ever wanted to see him again, all I have to do is look up at the stars in the night sky and wish really, really hard and he will be there." The blonde pegasus smiled at her daughter, "I think it's time for bed. For the both of us." "Okay." Both of the ponies got ready for bed and said their good nights to one another. They retired to their rooms for rest. Derpy, however, couldn't sleep. What Dinky had said to her kept her awake. About how if one looked at the stars and wish hard, the Doctor will be there. Derpy crawled out of her bed and trotted out onto the balcony. The night air caused the pegasus to shiver. She looked up to the many stars that dotted the sky. A smile appeared on her face as she thought of the many adventures she and the Doctor had. Closing her eyes, she made a wish. She wished hard. Opening her teary eyes, Derpy saw a shooting star fly by in the night sky. END
Epilogue: CryingEpilogue: Crying A brown pony was walking through Ponyville on a warm day. His brown mane blew with the gentle breeze, making his tan coat shiver slightly. It had been a while since he had been in the town, but he knew his destination; a small cottage on the edge of the town. He took his time, enjoying the surrounds that he once grew accustom to. Arriving at the cottage, he looked at it carefully. A few things had changed since he was last there. There was a new type of flower growing flowerbed below the windows. There was also a fresh coat of paint on the exterior. The stallion knew it was the right house. He remembered it all too well. Finally gathering the courage, he trotted up to the porch and lightly tapped on the wooden door. The butterflies in his stomach told him to run. His mind agreed, 'What if she doesn't remember you? What if she's mad? What if she moved? What if-' His thoughts were cut off by a familiar voice of a mare from the inside. "Just a second, please!" The brown stallion's body froze up. The voice was just on the other side of the door. The wooden door opened, "And what can I do for yo-" the grey pegasus who opened the door also froze. Her gaze fixated on the brown stallion. "Hello, Derpy," the stallion softly spoke. The pegasus was still in awe. Her eyes, which normally would drift on their own, were staring at the pony before her. "D-Doc….Doctor? Is that really you?" Derpy didn't wait for a response. She flung her limbs around her long lost friend. She tightened her hold immediately, almost as if she wanted to make sure he wasn't an illusion. "How long?" the Doctor asked. "What?" Derpy relinquished from her hug and looked back at him with her hooves still making contact. "How long have I been gone?" he restated the question. Derpy smiled warmly to the Time Lord pony, "Ten months as of last week." "I'm sorry," the Doctor stated. Derpy's smile remained, "No, don't be! I looked up at the stars every night and wished each time for you to come back! And now you are here!" her voice was overjoyed, "Please, come in." The Doctor nodded and entered the house he for a time called home. He noticed little had changed inside. It gave him a nostalgic feeling. Derpy led him to the main room. She had a million questions and she wanted answers. "How are you a pony again? Why did you come back? Were you hurt? Are you okay? Would you-" The Doctor stopped the pegasus's questions by placing a hoof over her mouth. He gave a small smile before removing his hoof. Derpy then asked the biggest question on her mind, "How are you a pony, Doctor? I saw you as a Time Lord last time." "The universe works in mysterious ways. I came close to death not too long ago while dealing with some issues back on Earth. And during those moments of regeneration, I remembered that some Time Lords are able to have some control over their regeneration, so I tried gave it a shot. So I figured why not a pony? Ponies are cool," the Doctor gave a smirk at his last statement. Derpy was still puzzled, "But why come back here?" "As I was what I thought was dying, I remembered what the Master said to me during the encounter we had. He stated that he never thought that I would settle down. It made me think. Maybe it is something that I need. I've been traveling through out time for over a thousand years, or something like that. Honestly, it feels like more. Anyway, I've been traveling so long, it's all I know. So maybe I should settle down," the Doctor explained "With me?" Derpy asked, slightly flustered at the thought. The Doctor nodded. Derpy was bewildered, "But why? I'm not really a clever pony…." Her head looked down the floor. The Doctor placed a hoof under the pegasus's chin and lifted it up for her eyes to meet his, "My dear, I've traveled from the farthest reaches of the universe and back. I have fought enemies in all shapes and sizes. I've been to the beginning of time to the end of time and everything in between. I've been alive for so long that I don't even know how old I am. But despite of all I have seen, you are the most wonderful individual I have ever met. I could only begin to say what it is about you that I find charming. Derpy, I think you can understand what I am failing at saying." Derpy had a large smile on her face. Her eyes welled up with tears. A few rolled down as she hugged the Doctor again. "Yes…." she quietly said, "I understand that I'm lucky…." "Derpy? Why are you crying? You really shouldn't be sad," the Doctor pointed out. Derpy giggled slightly, "Silly, I'm not crying because I'm sad, I'm crying because I'm happy. It's happy crying." Hugging Derpy back, the Doctor echoed the pegasus's words, "Happy crying. Yes, of course." A smile came across his face as a couple tears formed in his eyes as well. Suddenly, a small blonde maned filly trotted into the room, "Mr. Doctor!" "Oh, Dinky, have you been a good little filly?" he asked, trying to wipe away his tears. "Yes, I have!" she exclaimed before joining Derpy and the Doctor in the hug, "I'm so happy you're home!" A few tears rolled down the Doctor's face, "Yes….I'm home." END
