I take a deep breath, enjoying the calm demeanor of the day. It's a clear blue sky, a few wispy clouds populate the sky, but it is still an amazing day. I watch the ponies of town go about their day, enjoying the warm breeze lofting through their manes, blowing around the smell of fresh produce. I take a deep breath, enjoying the fragrant smells. And then He comes to mind. I conjured what he looked like the first time any of us saw him. A very close cropped mane and tail, jet black. Just like the coat he wore. It had been form fitting, what looked like leather. His dark cobalt coat had been a bit matted, but he had just ran through the Everfree. That had been a few months ago. He hadn't talked much, just ran out of the Everfree, asked if everypony was ok. We had all looked at him oddly. When we had told him "Yes", he seemed rather elated. We saw him a few more times, and then he changed.
The next time we saw him, he had a light brown coat and mane. It was combed back and medium length. Derpy took a liking to him almost instantly. Nopony seemed to connect the two, but I did. The way they acted, the mysterious blue box around town...they're the same and I know it. I know why, too. I read Derpy's journal. She said she's been all over time and space. Most ponies would say that it was all because Derpy was just writing a novel, or that she was describing her dreams. But then, Derpy couldn't keep straight which was the older of the royal sisters. Derpy was terrible at keeping track of dates. But the way she described the places she visited, it was all too vivid. It felt like I had been there, the way she described things.
The Doctor, she had called him. She described the way he had regenerated, apparently when he was trying to prevent disaster from striking Ponyville. "It's sad, but amazing at the same time! When the Doctor gets hurt, he can regenerate into a whole new pony! Of course...he changes...and I don't want my Doctor to change. I want him to stay the same."
She spoke so highly of him, the way he tried to help everyone, not just ponies. He tried to save his enemies too.
"We went into the future. The Changelings had taken over Equestria, and we joined in with a bunch of ponies trying to destroy the main hive. He wanted to talk to the leader of the Changelings, they wanted to blow it up with a megaspell. He knew when the bomb was going to explode. He had pleaded with the queen to leave, he warned her about the bomb. She had just yelled and refused to leave. He looked so sad when we left. I asked him why and he said thousands of life-forms had just died. He's so noble."
Screaming. Derpy screaming, specifically. I saw her running, tears in her eyes. "Everyone, we need to help him!" Everyone stared at her, but I new what she was talking about. There was only one pony she would be concerned about.
I took off, following her. I was sure that a few more would follow soon, but they would get there first. We ran to Fluttershy's cottage. I watched him stumble from the Everfree, his tie and collar gone. I could see he was hurting, and that he needed help.
"Doctor!" Derpy yelled. There was so much pain in her voice, she looked over at me as we went, her eyes watering and pleading for us not to be too late.
He stumbled a few steps towards us, and then he collapsed. As we closed the distance, I could see the deep cuts that covered his body. "Derpy, what happened!?"
She shuddered, shaking her head. "Timber Wolves."
The Doctor looked at me, and then at Derpy. I had herd him talk before, and he was so confident. What left his mouth was the opposite. It was weak, afraid.
"I don't want to go..."
Derpy collapsed by him, crying. A golden aura had begin to surround the Doctor.
The telltale sign of a regeneration.
I collapsed by him, looking at his wounds. I was no doctor, and that was what he needed.
He repeated himself. "I don't want to go." He was looking at me now.
"Shh..." I tried to comfort him. "It'll be alright, Doctor."
Both of them stared at me, confused as to how I could know who he was, but that wasn't important.
"Derpy...you know what happens when he regenerates. Go."
The grey mare looked at me, then at her Doctor, then back at me, knowing I was right. She trotted a safe distance away.
The Doctor was shaking, tears forming in his eyes. "I don't want to go..."
"Shh..." I gently stroked his mane, laying down by him "I'll sing you to your sleep."
He closed his eyes, accepting his fate.
It is coming through the dark. Doctor you have met your mark. Your song is ending, don't you cry. When you hear him knock four times. You're going to regenerate. A new colt will trot away. It was not a game you played tonight. For the fate of all pony-kind. We will both be by your side. You will always save our lives. Not much longer now. Not much time to wait. You know today is your last day. I'll sing you to your sleep. Just one more thing before you go. We'll make sure everypony knows. All through time for those you've helped. The Doctor is dying. The Doctor is dying. The last white point star is a trap for the Master.
"I don't want...to go..." He let out feebly, the golden aura surrounding his body by then. I stroked his mane one last time, before standing up and going to Derpy. She was crying, watching the scene unfold in front of her.
I wrapped an arm around her, watching the scene unfold in front of us. He was engulfed in the bright glow, his body radiating it. It glowed so bright we couldn't see it, and then it began to fade. The Doctor put his hooves underneath him, pushing himself up. His coat was ashen, his mane returning back to jet black, but it had kept it's length, combed off to the side. The emerald eyes contrasted the previous's blue. The Doctor stared at us, then back at his body. He shakily walked towards us, Derpy breaking down and weeping. I held her close, watching as the new Doctor closed the distance. He lifted her face to meet his, nuzzling her.
"I'm still here, Derpy." He looked at me, giving me a sly smile. "You wouldn't happen to have a fez, would you? Fezzes are cool."
I smiled at Derpy, sitting on the soft cushion inside the TARDIS. Derpy had gone spelunking in the Doctor's wardrobe, and she was in a tight jacket, the same one I saw on the Doctor when he first came to Ponyville. She had managed to put a hat on my head, trying to trap a curly mane underneath it, and she had draped a long scarf around my neck. She had wrapped it a few times around, and it still went down to the floor. She had also found a vest adorned with question marks, and despite her requests, I refused to put it on. There had been a bunch of clothes from what looked like a long time ago, the kind of stuff that is only made for ponies who want to re-enact events from the way distant pass.
The Doctor came in, staring at me and Derpy. "Put those back, please. I'd like it if you didn't toy with them." Derpy and I both placed the random articles of clothing back in the Doctor's wardrobe.
"Sorry, Doctor." we both mumbled out to the Time Lord. He smiled at us, adjusting his bow tie.
"Quite alright, you know now." He kept up his smile, but I felt that underneath his façade, he was hiding his disapproval. He tampered with the complex controls to the TARDIS, and I recognized the sound of us stopping.
"Where are we now, Doctor?"
He smiled in reply. "Somewhere new and exciting, doesn't that sound fun?"
"As long as there is no mean aliens to try and eat us like last time, Doctor." Derpy spoke up, smiling. I couldn't help but chuckle.
"I concur Doctor, pony-eating aliens is a turn off for a vacation."
We all shared a good laugh, the Doctor strolling over to the door and opening it. When we stuck our head out, we saw the beginning of Canterlot Castle. "I thought you might enjoy seeing the founding of your capital, seeing as how it's mentioned so often in your fables."
Derpy and I both took off, noticing all the things that would eventually turn into modern Canterlot. "Look at that, Derpy. They've barely finished the foundations!" I had to admit that I was a bit of an architecture nerd, accounting for the blueprint cutie mark that adorned my flank. I watched the construction ponies staring at what I assumed were the guides to the castle. He looked up, around and then at me. He waved me over.
"Ey, you know how to read these 'ere blueprints?"
I nodded, glancing over the guide to the construction of the castle. I noticed that unlike the modern castle, the blueprint called for one large spiral, instead of the many spires it had. I pulled up a pencil, marking them in.
"Uh, yeah, they said they want more spires."
"More spires, eh?"
'Yep."
"Alright. More spires, fellas!"
The construction worker went off to spread the news, and I gave thought to what I had just done. I swore that when I had toured the castle, they had said there hadn't been any major additions since building. I thought to what the Doctor had warned about tampering with time, so I went off to find him.
I saw an hourglass cutie mark disappear around a corner, and I followed it. I saw that it was a young stallion, with a blonde mane and a light blue coat.
"D..Doctor?" The stallion, stood up, looking around at the sound of the name as if I had insulted him. His eyes locked on me.
"You...are you the one talking of the Doctor?"
"Uhm...yes?"
"He's here? Oh, he's here! How wonderful!" The stallion grinned at me, and I could see that his teeth were filed to points. "Today IS going to be a good day...for me."
I began to get the feeling that perhaps the spot that was best for me was as far away from this stallion as possible.
"Uh, good luck with that, uhm, sir..." I began to back away.
He grinned his grin of those pointy teeth, and I could already feel myself flinching. "Oh no, you're not going to the Doctor. He's coming to you."
I found out after that, Earth ponies were amazingly strong. I wasn't a weak pegasus, really more of middle ground, but I doubt Bulk Biceps could have lifted him. He felt impossibly heavy, his weight forcing me into the dirt. It was possible that he had a few magic runes, because I soon passed out.
When I woke up, the blue stallion was again in front of me, but he now wore a black hoodie that covered his head. He smiled at me when he knew I had noticed his presence. "Now, you may not be able to draw the Doctor here on his own accord, but I believe I know what will get him here." He pulled out a long, sharp knife, slowly approaching. It was dusk, and I was in a quarry. The last few rays of the sun reflected ominously on the polished blade. I then took into account my position. My limbs were spread out and immobilized on a simple stone slab. He slid the blade across my midsection, and I noticed a small red line form after it. It was barely enough to cut the skin. I hadn't even felt it. And then he plunged the knife into my arm.
Against my better judgment, I yelled the Doctor's name at the top of my lungs, for I knew that he was the only one who could help me. All construction had stopped nearly an hour ago, after all.
After the fourth attempt, the blue stallion decided that it was a possibility that the Doctor was watching, and was waiting. He put some distance between us. As he stepped off into the darkness, for a lantern illuminated my injured side, he chuckled. "By the time I'm done with you, you will have broken to your new master."
I heard it, his voice, the Doctors. It sounded like an angelic harmony to the Master's demonic discords. "Master! This is between you and I! Leave him out of this!
The whole quarry illuminated, again most likely the Mater's runes at work. The two stood nearly half way around the quarry from each other, the Doctor nearer to I than the Master.
Sonic in mouth, the Doctor quickly freed me from my bonds, and I thanked that it had taken long enough for the blood to clot. I got on my shaky legs. And then I saw it. My mind kicked into overdrive as I saw the fireball form in the Master's face, and come across the quarry. We may have had time to dodge it, but Derpy, who stood ahead of us, didn't. I knew what would happen, the fireball, on a collision course with Derpy, would be avoided when the Doctor shoved her aside, taking the fireball himself .While he was on the ground regenerating, the Master would finish him off. So, I took the only rout available. As fast as my legs could carry me, I leapt forward, intercepting the fireball before it collided with the grey pegasus.
It burned, unsurprisingly, and it hurt worse than being stabbed.
The Master did not send another fireball forth, for he had no more fireball runes left. He had hoped to finish the Doctor off with the knife so he could look into the other Time Lord's eyes as the life bled out of the Doctor, but I had robbed him of his chance.
I could feel it, the onset of death, and I can say it wasn't fun.
"Why?" That's all the Doctor repeated. "Why did you do that? That wasn't how it was suppose to happen.."
I shook my head, looking into his eyes. "All things considered, Doctor, I think this turned out well."
He tilted his head in confusion. "I'm not important, Doctor. You're the most important pony in the universe."
He shook his head, his eyes watering, just like Derpy's. Derpy looked away, and the Doctor leaned in close. He pressed his lips to my ears, and he whispered to me. I knew immediately what he had just shared with me.
"Doctor...your name.."
He pressed his hoof over my lips, silencing me. "Shh."
I nodded, understanding filling me. Dying sucked, due to the whole dying part, but compared to others, I died with my two greatest friends beside me. I just shut my eyes and the pain stopped. The doctor kept a picture he had taken of the three of us on our fist day together in his coat pocket. I knew, even if it wasn't stated, that the lonely colt in the lonely blue box just needed a friend who would stick with till the end. I did so much more.