An Odd Reward
By
Sugar Rush
He could feel it finally overwhelming him. He had kept it in check long enough for him to say a final good-bye to those who had been close to him as he was now. But now…now…he could feel the energies of regeneration swelling up. The tingling in his fingers and toes. The warmth in both his hearts. A tear came to his eye. He knew this wasn't really death, but a rebirth of sorts. Still, he wouldn't be the same person he was now. Wasn't that a little death? Sadness over came him. As he could no longer resist the changing force, he stated simply, "I don't want to go." He became surrounded by the light of the regeneration effect…
Then, suddenly, everything seemed to freeze in place. In his mind, he heard a voice. It was female, and regal. "I have heard you.", the voice said, "and while it is usually not my place to intervene, I believe an exception can be made in this case. You have saved countless lives. Such selflessness deserves a reward…"
The Doctor was curious. This had never happened before. Was the radiation he absorbed causing a hallucination during the regeneration? No, this was really happening. But who was it? Well, one way to find out. "Who are you?", he asked.
The voice responded, "I am the ruler of a place, in a different realm of existence. I can bring you to this realm, if you choose. You would still be required to take on a new form, consistent with our reality, but you would retain your mind…your spirit…if you will. Do you accept? Please hurry, for even I cannot hold open the portal between my world and hold back your changes much longer."
The Doctor quickly thought. Was this a trick? Perhaps a final trap of the Master? Or even the Black Guardian? The Master didn't have such power, and the Black Guardian wouldn't bother with such deception. A thousand considerations ran through his head in a few seconds, but in the end, he answered, "Yes. I accept your offer."
A burst of white light. A sense of vertigo. He found himself waking up on a wooden floor. He looked around a bit, and saw he was in a room, and based on the stonework and tapestries, most likely a fortress or castle. Then he saw…her.
He could scarcely believe it. It was an equine. An alicorn, to be exact, with a mane that fairly glowed, striped in bright colors. She wore a crown and elegant shoes on her hooves. Then…she spoke, with the same voice he had heard before. "Welcome to my realm, sir. Please, do not try to move quite yet. Not only will you be weak from both the transporting here, but from your transformation." Her horn glowed, and a mirror moved to face him. He peered into the looking glass and blinked at what he saw.
It was him…but he was now a small horse. He couldn't recognize the breed, but he thought he looked, well, rather smart, in a hoofed sort of way. He saw that he had some sort of brand on his flank. He turned to the alicorn, and pointing to the sandglass on his rear, asked, "What is this? Is this some sort of indication that I am someone's property?"
The alicorn laughed, not an evil or mean laugh, but one of kind-hearted amusement. "No, my friend, for no-one owns another under my rule. It is natural for our kind…" She turned to show a mark of her own, a blazing sun, "Which appears when one discovers one's true talent. Yours, of course, should be of no surprise." She smiles, and the former Time Lord could feel it in his new bones that this creature meant him no harm. "I am Princess Celestia. My staff and I will teach you what you will need to know about your new home."
The new pony nodded, then had a disturbing thought, "But what of my home universe? I can't just abandon it…" The princess waved a hoof, "Do not worry. While I moved your current self here, I did not remove your new self. I would not deprive them of their guardian."
He smiled, "So, The Doctor lives on, then? Well, I must say, this is an odd sort of reward, but then again, I'm an odd sort…" The princess laughed again, "I believe we will find we have much in common. However, we should find you a new name. Calling you "The Doctor" would confuse my subjects, not to mention I believe your…replacement?…has inherited this title." The former time-traveler frowned a bit, but then thought "Why not? A new name for a new life." He then spoke aloud, "Fair enough. But selecting a new name is not an easy matter…"
The royal equine smiled, "Actually, I did think of one that I think would suit you." She stepped forward to help her new friend to his hooves, "Welcome to Equestria, Time-Turner." She then smirked, and in a joking tone asked, "I don't suppose you know anything about fixing time-pieces, do you?"