//------------------------------// // Old, Sad Eyes // Story: Tales from the TARDIS // by Gherkin //------------------------------// The timid yellow pegasus laid there, humming a catchy tune. She marveled at the birds flying past and the rabbits hopping along, a few even stopping and waving to her. Granted, they probably weren't real, instead being 'holographic projections', as he had called them. Fluttershy was lying in one of the many rooms of The Doctor's TARDIS, simply relaxing. The Virtual Reality room, it was called. A room that projected almost any environment you could possibly want. It had been almost two weeks since she and her friends had started traveling with the mad stallion and his amazing blue box, and it had been the time of their lives. The shy pegasus had seen many unbelievable things, most of them extraterrestrial. Some of them frightened her, yet she was amazed and intrigued at the same time. There were so many new and different species for her to see, she just couldn't resist. After all, traveling through time and space must have been a once in a lifetime opportunity. She paused for a second, dwelling on that last thought. How long were her and her friends going to travel with The Doctor? They had jobs back home in Ponyville to attend to; their own lives to lead, after all. Would it be something they'd balance out, taking two week trips with him every year or so? 'Normal life' and 'Doctor life', would that be it? She wasn't sure, but it didn't do good to think about it right now. They still had so much to see, and the prospect of new worlds to uncover was very exciting. They had seen so much, and yet there was still so much more left to see. Maybe that was why she agreed to step inside this machine on that fateful day. The pegasus loved to discover new things, and they didn't get much newer than this. She had been wrapped in her thoughts for a while now, and noticed that some of the virtual animals had gathered around her, cuddling up close to her as she lay on the grass. She smiled warmly. They weren't real, she knew, but it was better than being alone. Fluttershy had lost track of the time since she had gone in there. It must have been a few hours, at least. She stood up, stretching, before turning to the animals. "That was nice," she said gently, "but I'm going to go now. See you soon." A few squirrels waved their paws, before scurrying away. Satisfied, the pegasus trotted out of the room and into the corridors of the TARDIS. I wonder what The Doctor is up to? she wondered, making her way down the hallway. The main console room wasn't too far away, so she decided to go and talk to him. She made her way down the brightly lit hallway, whistling nonchalantly to herself. She was upbeat, and in a good mood. She only hoped that the Time Lord would take them all to somewhere more amazing than the last the next time they decided to go somewhere. Soon enough, the timid pony reached the expansive console room. A warm orange glow emanated throughout the room, as always, but there was no one to be seen. "Hello?" Fluttershy called out. "Doctor? Is there anyone in here?" She trotted down the stairs and around the central column to find the Time Lord sitting on the floor, staring at what appeared to be a photograph. Hearing her approach, he quickly stashed it in his pocket and turned to face her, trying his best to put on a smile. "Hello, Fluttershy!" he exclaimed almost too enthusiastically, smiling at her. The pegasus wasn't convinced. "Doctor, what's wrong?" "Nothing, I'm fine," he lied, still hiding behind the smile. "Please don't lie to me, Doctor. Tell me what's wrong." The Doctor's façade dropped, and his look changed to one of sadness. "How could you tell?" Fluttershy walked over and sat down next to him. "I saw you looking at something. And..." She trailed off. He looked her in the eye. "And what?" She looked back at him with pity. "It's your eyes, Doctor, I can tell. Your eyes always look sad, even when you're not." She sighed and continued. "You've told us how old you really are. Nine hundred years... You must have seen and lost so much, and it shows." He looked away, gazing around the room. "I... I just miss some old friends, you know?" He pulled out the photograph he had been hiding before. It depicted The Doctor in his previous incarnation, grinning in the middle of a gang of friends, standing inside an older version of the TARDIS. "You miss all if them?" Fluttershy asked quietly. The Time Lord nodded. "Yeah." "And you can't see them again?" "No, probably not." She leaned in close and hugged him. "It's okay, Doctor. We'll always be here for you." The stallion chuckled and returned the favour. "Thanks, Fluttershy. Y'know, they don't call you the Element of Kindness for nothing." She laughed slightly, before looking back at the picture. "Were they good people?" He smiled. "The best." He pointed to a red haired woman, standing next to him in the photo. "Donna. Let me tell you, she was something. Next to her is Mickey.” He chuckled, looking distant. “There was no friend more reliable than Mickey." The yellow pegasus listened intently as The Doctor pointed out his old friends, asking a few questions about them along the way. After a while, he was almost done. "That's Captain Jack," he told her, pointing to a tall man in a navy blue trenchcoat. "Oh boy, was he trouble. Granted, the fact that he was immortal didn't really help." "Immortal?" "It's a long story," he explained, before pointing out the last person in the group, a young blonde haired girl. "Who was that?" Fluttershy asked him. The Doctor smiled warmly. "Rose," he answered. "She was..." He paused. "She was Rose, and I wouldn't have missed her for the world." Fluttershy smiled. "Doctor, I want to thank you for doing all of this with my friends and I." She hugged him again. "We really appreciate it." "No problem," he told her. He was about to continue, but was cut off by a loud beeping from the main console. He stood up and trotted over to investigate. "What is it?" the shy pony asked, standing up. The Doctor looked away from the console and turned to her. "One of the backup engines had accidentally shut down," he explained. "I'd better pop down there and fix it." Fluttershy looked concerned. "Are you sure?" "It'll be fine, I promise," he reassured her, trotting out of the room. "Don't worry, I'll be right back. It'll be like I never left."