Adventures in the TARDIS

by Scroll

Part 23: A Legend Begins

I gasp in astonishment as soon as I step through the doors and enter the interior of the Blue Box. The inside is astonishingly spacious. I have never seen anything like it outside works of fiction, and even then it feels far-fetched.

Then I glance to my side and behold Doctor Smith observing me with an amused, expectant look on his face.

“What?” I ask him as my face flushes with a tiny shade of shyness.

“Oh . . . nothing,” he says as he continues to hold his ghost of a grin. He touches the fedora hat and closes his eyes as he says, “I was just wondering what you think of the place.”

“It's . . . surreal,” I say breathlessly as my gaze sweeps across the place again.

Then I look down.

“And at the moment . . . a tad overwhelming too,” I admit sadly. “After everything else I've been through on this journey . . . part of me feels as if I must be in a dream.”

“I suppose that's one way to put it,” Doctor Smith partially agrees with a far more somber expression. “You really have been through a lot. Probably more than a mare your age should be put through. In this place, though,” he focuses back at me which I notice off the corner of my left eye, “please be at ease. Nothing shall harm you in here. I promise.”

Reminded of something, I lift my head again and gaze back at him partially over my left shoulder as I say to him, “Before you left through the Stargate portal, you promised me you'd be back to help me. At the time I couldn't conceive how you'd do it, but for some strange reason I believed you anyway.”

Doctor Smith smiles at me softly as he expresses, “I'll take that as a compliment then.”

For the next fifteen seconds, the two of us continue to stand there in slightly awkward silence. For me, it is a lot more than that. There's already been so much for me to process right now. I still feel like I'm in shock. That's why my emotions seem to be on vacation right now. While they are gone, I feel mostly blank and empty inside.

“Stay here,” Doctor Smith bids me. “I'm going to step outside and take care of Tanon's body.”

“Please hurry,” I urge him with more force in my words than I feel inside. It seems like I should be carrying much more right now, but instead I'm just going through the motions. Still, it seems important to warn him that, “Leg It bought us a little bit of time out there, but it is unlikely it will be for long. When the Naga are through with him, they'll show up here soon.”

“I won't be long. I promise,” Doctor Smith swears as he steps towards the exit of this place. “When I'm done with that, I'll shut this door. Nothing shall get through after that, and this ship won't stay here for long anyway.”

The shadow of confusion rests in the corners of my mind, but I mostly just stare blankly at him as he leaves this . . . whatever this place is.

I sweep my gaze across this place again. I notice most of the activity and emphasis in this room is located in the center of the room. There seems to be a circular console there that is raised up higher than the rest of the room by a single step. Contraptions spill down the center of the room and meet up with the console there. Celestia only knows what that thing is for, but my guess is Doctor Smith operates this Box thing from there. This “Police Call Box”, whatever that means.

My left ear shifts towards the door when I hear a weird sound outside. Moments later Doctor Smith returns inside this Box thing and shuts the front door. When he spins about and proceeds further inside, I notice a curious look of satisfaction on his face.

“What did you do?” I ask curiously. “You couldn't have buried his body that fast. Besides that, that cave is solid rock out there. I also don't see you lugging in his body in here, so . . .” I trail off.

“What I've done is de-molecularize and rearranged his subatomic structure,” Doctor Smith states as if it should have been a casual fact. “In essence, I made his body a lot more portable.”

“Ahhhh . . .” I gaze at him, stunned. “How portable?” I eventually venture to ask.

Doctor Smith steps up to the center console. Until I asked my last question, it looked like that was where his focus was going to be. After I ask, though, he turns to look at me for a second then reached inside his coat to pull out something. When he reveals it on his right hoof, what he holds towards me appears to be a teardrop shaped topaz gem. With it presented, he tells me, “About this portable.”

“Wha- . . .?” I blink, stunned again. “Ha . . . How?”

“That's not really important right now,” the Doctor replies as he returns the gem to an inside coat pocket. “And it is unlikely you'd understand me even if I told you. Right now I want to dematerialize this ship from my current spot. I'm confident that the Naga, or even Decay, can't get through those doors. Nevertheless, I don't want them to even know that this thing was ever here.”

I see Doctor Smith fiddle with some controls. When he gives a final yank of some lever, he gazes up in satisfaction as the place we're in groans to life again. Once again I hear the same sound that I heard when this Box first materialized.

“Thankfully this temple doesn't have cameras either,” Doctor Smith expresses in satisfaction. “I don't even think it did during its heyday. The residents of that time clearly had other priorities in mind.”

“Where are we?” I suddenly demand to know. “And who are you really? Time and time again, you've proven yourself to be unlike any pony I've ever known.”

“Ponies seem quite distinctive to me, at least in this universe,” Doctor Smith says as he steps up to the rail around the center console and crosses his forelegs there. “Distinctive enough to say that every pony is unique.”

“Yeah, but you are far more unique,” I assure him confidently. “Much more otherworldly. Plus, I remember when you said you'd bet one of your two hearts over something or another back when we were in front of the statue of the Great Serpent. At the time I thought you were joking, but now I'm not so sure.” I lift a hoof and gesture around this place as I add, “Plus there is this place. No ordinary location or object that I know of is bigger on the inside.”

Doctor Smith's expression towards me immediately brightens as he cheers, “There it is! That's fantastic! Finally you said the word!”

I wince at him in confusion as I ask, “What words? What in blazes are you talking about?”

Suddenly Doctor Smith lifts a hoof and pushes it lightly towards me in a calming gesture as he says, “Your questions and confusions is very understandable and fair. Also I shouldn't expect a mare as intelligent and observant as you not to notice unusual details about your traveling companions.” He looks about him as he adds, “Especially obvious details like this place.”

“Please level with me,” I urge him. “What's going on?” I suddenly give him a shrewd expression as I ask him, “This is the legendary Blue Box that Doctor Caballeron was talking about on the ship during the storm, isn't it?”

Doctor Smith gives me a faint proud look as he tells me, “Indeed. It is.” His expression turns to more normal as he goes on to say, “It is called the TARDIS which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It is a time and space transport vehicle that is among some of the most useful inventions of my native people who once called themselves Time Lords.” He shrugs slightly as he adds, “Or Ladies as the case may be, though that, too, is highly relative because our appearance can change greatly on each regeneration. My people,” he applies a hoof to his chest, “can recover from near fatal wounds using a natural technique that we call regeneration, but the process is trying and it can greatly alter our appearance and even much of our personality with each change. Our most fundamental goals remain the same, though, which in my case is healing and exploration. As a Time Lord, the name I have chosen for myself is the Doctor.”

I stare at him blankly for several silent seconds before I wince my right eye at him as I ask him, “Not Doctor John Smith?”

The Doctor shakes his head as he replies, “No. That's just an alias I've assumed for this adventure and some others in the past.” He looks up. “Although 'John' doesn't seem to be much of a pony name anymore. Maybe I should consider another.” He looks back at me. “I faced a true pony counterpart of me before who also had a name that I honestly did consider using for this adventure, and that name is Time Turner.” He shrugs. “The problem with that, though, is that pony is already born in this world during your time so I didn't want to run the risk of using that name and confusing everyone with him. Aside from that, ponies seem to thrive on individual self expression and I figured 'John' might give me a unique identity. Did I stretch things too far, though?”

I shake my head as I admit to him, “I've lost track of all the ways you've stood out in highly unusual ways. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who noticed either.”

The Doctor frowns slightly and taps the rail four times as he says, “Darn. I'm going to have to work on that. Standing out can have some advantages sometimes but not always. In this case I really was trying to blend in because I didn't want to steal the spotlight from you.”

I give him a curious expression as I say, “That's not the first time you singled me out as a special mare. You've done so multiple times, including a night around a campfire out in the open when you and Tanon thought I was asleep.”

“Huh.” The Doctor gives me a coy look. “I had a feeling you were actually awake during that time and listening.”

“You met my future self, didn't you?” I press on. “You said that this vessel can travel through time too.” I point out towards one of the walls as I add, “Doctor Caballeron thought so too, and now it seems to me he might have been right.”

The Doctor flashes me a cunning and proud grin as he says, “Since you asked me to level with you, I'll admit that I have met your future self once. I gathered certain clues about her that indicated that this adventure would be necessary to eventually facilitate her potential.” He shook his head slightly. “You were way too familiar with me the first time I met you so I knew right away that we've met before in your perspective.”

I feel stunned again when what he just told me sinks in. At this point I plop my bottom on the ground and just stare forward blankly.

The Doctor steps down away from the center console in order to approach me. In front of me, he lays a sympathetic hoof on my shoulder. I glance at it for a moment before looking up at him.

“I hope you'll believe me when I say I did not know much about this adventure before I chose to join it,” he tells me softly. “Much of it has surprised me every bit as much as you. Plus, I rarely take precious moments like this for granted. I have on occasion but I've usually been depressed in other ways during those times.”

“You're very old, aren't you?” I realize as I widen my eyes at him. “You're like Princess Celestia!”

“Ah!” He says as he looks forward above my head with a fond look in his eyes. “Good old Miss Sunbutt.”

I blanch at him then express in shock, “I hope you didn't say that in front of her!”

He looks back down at me with a grin as he says, “Well, even if I did, she'd take it better than you'd expect, I suspect. Princess Celestia can be a very regal and wise mare, but secretly she's bored of that lifestyle and I don't blame her one bit. A thousand years of stuffy court meetings would take their toll on anyone's soul. Trust me when I tell you that she definitely considers playful levity a breath of fresh air. Typically only her closest friends ever get to see her mischievous side which is secretly starving for attention. In later years she gradually allowed that hidden side to come out when she had other reasons to relax more. I won't say why that will happen because it hasn't happened yet in your time, but you'll find out soon enough.”

He stands up straight and lowers his hoof back to the ground as he says, “But enough about that. Let's talk about you and what you want.”

“Me?” I ask him in a mystified way.

“You're the real reason I came back to this time,” the Doctor reminds me. “This is your journey. You steer its course. I only offer guidance here, especially when requested.”

I think about that for a moment as I stare blankly at his chest. Then I look back up at his face as I ask, “Where and when are we now?”

“Well,” he says as he looks back at the console. “Right now we are nowhere and no when. We're still in the trans dimensional tunnel between all of reality.” He looks back at me. “I haven't set a time or place yet because I want you to choose it.”

Somehow I knew he was going to say that, so I declare, “In that case, I do have somewhere specific in mind.”

---

“Hey Grandfather,” I express solemnly as I lay Tanon's pith hat directly on top of grandfather's grave stone. A grave stone that is parked at the edge of a cliff. Beyond that is a massive and expansive view of our countryside that is filled with green grasslands and farmlands. It feels strange to me that my recent city life had such humble beginnings like this.

I know this was one of grandfather's favorite spots. He loved the wide and beautiful view it affords. This was no secret. He took me plenty of times in my youth too. Sometimes we didn't fly here but rather climbed instead. At the time I used to complain and question it, but now I can't help but cherish those memories.

Today is a beautiful and cloudless sunny day. Even the winds are soft and gentle right now. I can't help but feel like it is caressing me softly. It's almost as if the winds itself is delivering a loving message from my grandfather.

“You remember this hat, don't you?” I ask my grandfather's spirit as I continue to regard his small and humble gravestone. “I finally met Tanon Burrows, but I suppose you know that now, don't you? He's probably standing right beside you even as I speak.”

Hearing the Doctor take in and release a deep breath reminds me of the fact he's nearby. Maybe not close enough to hear me well. I think he wants to give me this private moment with my grandfather and maybe even the spirit of his old partner and friend. Glancing back at him, I notice the Doctor just soak up the beautiful view in front of us. He looks like he truly relishes this experience which I find an odd contradiction for a stallion as old as I suspect he is. I figured someone who is as old as he is and seen the things he's seen would have this near constant attitude of, “Been there, done that,” sort of thing, but no. Instead of that, he takes this moment to relish and cherish life. My love for him deepens when I see that. It makes him seem so authentic and noble to me. So very “present” in this sacred moment of time.

I smile back to the gravestone.

“Tanon was as rough around the edges as you warned me, Grandfather, but I could tell his tough exterior hid a noble soul. He often told me you inspired that. I kind of believe him, but I don't think you put anything inside him that wasn't already there. You more coaxed it out, I think.

“The recent adventures I've been on were on a whole new level though, Grandfather. Maybe even beyond most of your single adventures. It's not every day that a pony can honestly say that they've discovered a brand new continent let alone everything that dwells on it.”

Tears rush to flood my eyes at the memories I've encountered there and even those I experienced along the way. Memories of friendships I thought I had developed as we traveled and they certainly felt precious to me. Most of them ended in tragedy though one way or another. That makes the good memories I have seem to sting more.

“I've learned a lot about adventurers and adventurers on this journey, Grandfather,” I continue in a more pained voice. “There is a lot of things I've seen that wasn't what I expected. All of this has caused me to realize how truly sheltered I was before. I don't consider myself a dumb mare by any stretch of the imagination either, but if so many of my former beliefs can land this badly off target, that mainly goes to show just how much experience in the real world I lacked before.

“Maybe you spoiled me, in a way. I looked up to you both literally and figuratively as I grew up. You were this mighty stallion that had so much wisdom in your eyes, and I saw the way the journey shaped you into such a compassionate pony. I saw the way you looked fondly back upon your memories. I wanted that for myself too when I grew up to be that age. I wanted to be the kind of mare who relished her life as well. Who looks back upon all that I have done, and will do, with no regrets because I knew I gave it my all.

“You made adventure seem almost romantic as if it can't possibly do anything less than spiritually uplift us. Just make us more whole than we could otherwise possibly imagine. I wanted that too. That sense of inner fulfillment that I saw in your eyes.

“I guess Naiveté should have been my middle name, though, instead of Yearling.”

I wince in disgust. I always hated my middle name. That's why I've always said my name was Agate Y. Keystone at most. It still haunts me how many times other cruel young foals teased me that I was as dumb and ignorant as a Yearling.

“I guess, in a way, it was true, though,” I suddenly realize as an epiphany dawns on me. “All this time, I've been the Fool on a Fool's Journey. That journey was always necessary for me to see The World, though. The journey of a thousand miles always begins with a single step. You taught me that, Grandfather.”

I grin fondly at the gravestone.

“Or, as I'd prefer to call it, my own personal Hero's Journey.”

I gaze above the gravestone at the expansive landscape in wonder. In the distance I even marvel at the mountains on the horizon. The whole land is flat up to that point, but there is a bump in the distance as if to hint that there is so much more to explore out there beyond that great boundary. Looking upon it has always tantalized me in my youth. Grandfather's stories of his adventures only added even more fuel to that inner fire.

“Weirdly enough, I guess I just assumed eveypony else would be as heroic as you were,” I eventually go on wistfully as I continue to gaze out to that distant horizon with tearful, shining eyes. “I thought that because you used to be the only example of a former adventurer that I saw. I could also tell that, in your heart, you didn't really fully retire. The yearning for the journey was always within you. It simply took a new form when you settled down with your family.”

I gaze back at his gravestone.

“But because of your example, I used to think every other adventurer was like you too. That the journey somehow enhanced and made them wise too. I thought that was the only conclusion everypony would make when they went through the same thing, but I see now that I was wrong. Being brave and heroic is always a choice. It is often a hard choice, too, for it's so easy to take a cowardly route and/or short cuts. That's why so few ponies take and stick to that path.

“Tanon took it reluctantly too, from what I heard, but he chose to follow you and I don't think he truly regretted it in his heart. Clearly there were some regrets from him but I think his most important decisions he would have repeated if given the choice because, once true wisdom takes hold of a pony's heart, it's too late to go back. One can't un-see something that expanded their world view in profoundly important ways. After that, the only direction they have left is to keep marching forward.”

I close my eyes and release a deep breath as I mentally skim over what I've learned on this journey.

“Clearly there is a difference between an adventurer and a hero . . . or a villain. They can be one and the same, but the two words are not always mutually exclusive. Some do the right thing for the wrong reasons and vice versa. Some want to do the right thing but they can't for some reason. Some could do the right thing, for it is well within their capabilities, but chose not to because the greedy path seems more lucrative and possibly even safe?”

I look back at the gravestone and Tanon's hat in particular.

“Some are very capable and really do do the right thing, but felt so burdened after struggling down that path for so long.”

I look over my right shoulder at the Doctor. When I do, he meets my gaze. When he does, I see that same look in his eyes that I once saw in my grandfather's. That same expansive wisdom that comes with a very fruitful journey.

“Then there is the rare few who do the right thing for the right reasons, is well capable of it, and is strong enough to endure that harder path for the long haul,” I say before looking back at the gravestone. “But I can't convince myself that it always takes some greater alien from outer space to pull that off. I think we can do it too. You proved it.”

I close my eyes and bow my head in a sacred moment of silence. A few minutes pass in this fashion before I look back at the gravestone.

“Something else that I've learned on this journey is I've been too dependent upon others. With every pony I met during this journey, I always counted on them to know better than me. I relied and even romanticized this idea that they'd rescue me whenever I needed them. I guess it was my fantasy to be this 'damsel in distress'. I guess I thought that if I could gain that experience and be successfully rescued then it would somehow prove that I am valuable too. That it would validate me, my beliefs, and my place in the world. That I'm worth saving.

“But every time I did that, I usually experienced folly in some form. I used to look up to Doctor Caballeron. I really did, but he wasn't really the pony I thought he was at heart. Sure, he's good looking. Sure, he is smart and educated. Sure, he was experienced . . . but in the end, all of those traits served an evil purpose because he chose it. A professional and competent pony does not guarantee that they'd be an ally. Sometimes their goals just sets them on a wholly different path.

“Then there are adventurers like Leg It and Doctor Grazy. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but the reason they are dead is part of the point I am making. Arrogance on one hoof and foolhardiness on the other. They bit off more than they could chew, but what really hurts me to notice is how desperately they really tried to do the right thing in the end. Whether it was out of love or a sense of guilt, they gave it their all. They were good ponies. They were really good souls, but that alone does not guarantee victory. It takes more than just that.

“After what I went through, I really can't decide what is worse or better. Is it better to have an incompetent but well-meaning fool who constantly puts the party in danger accidentally, or a cunning and competent companion who secretly plots evil agendas?

“Either way, there is something to be desired.”

With a quick glance back at the Doctor, I add, “It is too rare to expect the best of both worlds. To encounter a well-meaning pony who is also highly competent. Such individuals do exist, but I've learned it is foolish to rely upon them all the time. Even if they could be the dashing knight in shining armor, I've realized since how guilty I should have felt at that concept all along. Expecting and counting on being rescued also means putting undo burden upon somepony else.”

My eyes shift back to the gravestone. “So I've since come to realize that the most optimal path is to become that which I wish to see. To be the heroic adventurer I kept hoping somepony else would be instead. For one reason or another, sometimes no pony else can or would want to rescue me. In the end, I can only count on myself because I can be more confident of my abilities and motivation. In fact, I even learned that I'm far more capable of this than I previously thought possible. It really is possible that I misjudged my ultimate destiny. That is always something worth considering. Sometimes it can be very helpful to pause and inwardly reflect upon one's self. To take a moment and ask myself the big questions such as who am I really?

“I do know one thing for sure. I am a mare that likes to be confident in any journey I choose to take. A map in one hoof and a compass on the other. If the map is currently blank then so much the better. I'll gaze forward with bold excitement at what I might discover upon that next horizon. It is time for this pony to be daring. Maybe that is all I ever should have been.”

I lift and gaze at my hooves.

“But it also feels important to me to be remembered. If I explore uncharted lands then I'm going to chart it. If I encounter something new and exciting then I'm going to write it down. That way I know, at the very least, if somepony else ever encounters my corpse and my diary, they'll gain some glimpse into who I was. What's the point of exploration if I'm the only one who is benefiting?”

I gaze up into the cloudless sky with wonder.

“That's right,” I say passionately with a proud smile. “This is all about my journey and learning who I am. Outward exploration can be inner too.”

I fall to my knees then look back at the gravestone.

“I cherish you both as you have loved, guided, and supported me. You've all sensed greater potential in me well before I did. I think it's high time to live up to that potential. I thank you all for showing me the way. In gratitude for all that you have given me, I'm finally willing to explore that potential as well. Please keep watching me, and if you dare to try, try to keep up.”

I reach on top of the gravestone and pick up Tanon Burrows pith hat.

No. Correction. It is my hat now.

I remember the promise Tanon gave me before he died. He promised he'd invest all of his spirit into this hat. That he'd give me all of his strength, but he also warned me not to put it on unless I am serious about this commitment. He thought that my grandfather's strength was already within me. If I wear this hat, then the combined strength of both of these mighty and heroic stallions will be within me as well.

Do I Dare to live up to these lofty expectations?

I rise back up. I look beyond my new pith hat at grandfather's gravestone. A gravestone that I recently planted Tanon's topaz gem within when I first arrived here. It only seems fitting that these two reunite in every symbolic way possible.

I am beyond words now. I've said all that I feel I need to have said. There is just lingering feelings in me now. In that silent and sacred moment, I say my final goodbyes before I turn away.

“Are you ready?” the Doctor asks me simply when I approach him. As I do so, I don't look upon him yet. My gaze remains fixed at the new hat on my hoof. A hat that curiously feels like it has far more weight than it should have. Within that hat, there is a sacred promise. If I put this on then I'm making a very serious commitment. One that may very well deeply affect the rest of my life and destiny.

I then look up at the Doctor for a moment. He continues to gaze upon me patiently. He looks at me with expectant and hopeful eyes. Behind that, I see excitement in him. It is almost bursting within him. He must be wondering if this is the moment when my true legendary journey begins.

I look back at the hat as I reflect on that question one last time. Am I ready?

To help answer that question, I close my eyes and consult my inner compass for a brief moment. What it seems to tell me is I'll never feel ready before I take that final leap, but it also promises me that fate will favor the bold.

Feeling settled, I finally put the hat on. When I do, I feel a flood of magic and newfound confidence fill me. When I next open my eyes, I do so narrowly. I lift the edge of my new hat to reveal to the Doctor a bold and daring grin.

Author's Note:

Last week was a little messed up and I accidentally posted this chapter instead of the last one, and even that was a day late. To the few who read this chapter before back then, consider to take a look at last week's chapter. It may be that chapter that is the actual new one for you.

But for everyone else going on forward, it should be a smooth transition from this point forward. I've never made a posting mistake like that before and perhaps I never will again. Certainly I won't do so intentionally.

As you can likely sense, this story is wrapping up soon. Next week's chapter is the full climax. The reveal of Daring Do in her full glory minus the training she'll later acquire. At this point her confidence in herself will be so strong that that alone may almost feels like a super power.

She'll occasionally be sassy too, just like in show canon.

Comments

[Walrusesarecute]

11845778
Whimper might work, maybe even a silent weep.

[Scroll]

11847820
Thank you. I went ahead and put that in.

[Scroll]

11846797
I thought so too. A "day in the life" kind of story that lets the readers know who these characters are better and why they should care about each other. It also further establishes their relationship to each other.

It also answers questions like, "What? Why is Stern Wing stronger in this next arc?" This kind of chapter serves to explain that. That even while she was relaxing, she was lifting weights and training.