//------------------------------//
// The Previous Companion 
// Story: Doctor Whooves Episode 3: Aliens Among Us 
// by Doctor Perseus 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 6: The Previous Companion


Don Pass, Outskirts of Fort Rice, The Forest of Shadows, Eugora, Autumn, 1899 C.E.

The soothing morning light glistened through the trees as a jeep containing the Doctor, Twilight, Florence, and Vincent rolled down the gravel road. There were several bags and suitcases loaded into the back compartment.
"I'm certainly glad that all of those sick ponies were healed," said Twilight.
"Well it wasn't really a real illness. That body-swapping creature apparently also had the ability to make others around it give off the appearance of being sick," said Florence.
"That sure came in handy for it. It probably only did that to cause confusion amongst us," said Vincent.
"Well it's gone now and that fort shouldn't have to worry about an unexpected invasion for a while now," said the Doctor.
"So what are you two going to do now?" Twilight asked.
"We're going to be attending Davis and Jean's funerals in a couple days," Florence replied sadly. "They're going to be buried in the cemetery near town."
"I'm sorry about you losing your colleagues."
"Yeah. I knew both of them well and they were really good ponies. It's just unfortunate that they had to be the ones to die."
"At least they were the only ones to die. Things could have gone so much worse," said Vincent. 
"Then what are you two going to do after the funerals?" the Doctor asked. Florence and Vincent turned towards each other and smiled. 
"We're going to head back to Gaia. I think the two of us have had enough of Eugora to last a lifetime."
"That's good. Going to try and make a fresh start?"
"Exactly."
"Well I wish you two the best of luck."
"Thank you, Doctor," said Florence. The jeep came to a halt next to the familiar blue box and the Doctor and Twilight stepped out of the vehicle. 
"So...when exactly are we going to run across you again, Vincent?" Twilight asked.
"Sorry. Your older self told me to not tell you about anything that happened...or will happen," Vincent replied.
"No hints or sneak peeks?"
"Nope. Sorry."
Twilight rolled her eyes and chuckled. 
"I hope you come back and visit us again someday," said Florence.
"More ponies to visit?! I already have enough places to go!" teased the Doctor. "I'll see what my schedule looks like."
Florence and Vincent laughed as Vincent started up the jeep. The Doctor and Twilight waved goodbye to the two ponies as they drove away into the depths of the forest. They then turned around and walked into the TARDIS.
"It looks like she's been healing a bit while we were gone," said the Doctor as he approached the control console. 
"That's good. Do you have control over it...uh...her yet?" Twilight asked.
"Not yet. She's still stuck on random."
"Please try and get us to a place without sadistic clones, body-swapping crab spiders, or killer statues!"
"I'll try my best."
The Doctor tapped one of the screens on the control console and a face popped up. It was the picture of a woman. 
"Doctor? Who's that?" Twilight asked. The Doctor turned around and was startled by the surprise picture.
"Oh...that's a human being," he replied.
"I kind of guessed that due to the fact that she resembles the same body structure as the Weeping Angel, which you stated as being humanoid."
"Good for you! You're picking up!"
"Who is she, Doctor?"
The Doctor sighed and sat down next to the console. Twilight walked up to him and sat down next to him.
"Her name's Donna Noble," he replied. Twilight looked up at the picture. She had a kind face, nice flowing red hair, and a pair of sharp eyes. "She used to travel around with me. In fact, she was the person I traveled around with before I came to your dimension."
"She looks nice."
"Yeah...she was nice."
"What happened to her? I mean, why did she leave?"
"I didn't want her to go...but she had to."
"Why?"
"She absorbed Time Lord knowledge."
"Huh?"
"It's a long and complicated story that I'll save for a rainy day but the point is that no species should have Time Lord knowledge in their brains. Their brains can't handle it. Her mind was going to burn. The only way I could save her life was...was to erase every single memory of our time together from her mind."
Twilight fell silent. The Doctor's head fell. 
"She...she doesn't remember you?"
"She can't remember me. If she were to remember me, even for a second, her mind would literally burn."
"I'm...I'm sorry, Doctor."
"Well at least she's happy now. She has a caring husband, a wonderful mother and grandfather to look after her, and she recently got her hands on a small fortune so her future is set."
"She may be happy but you're not."
"I'm happy for her wonderful new life but I'm sad about the one she forgot."
"Doctor...you've spent a lot of your life alone haven't you?"
"There have been points in my life where I've found myself touring the universe by myself."
"You don't like being alone...do you?"
"I...well...to be honest...not really."
"Once we get back to my time...would you want...to stick around...for a little bit?"
"Huh?"
"Just stick around for a little bit. Explore the town, meet my friends, and take a breather. You definitely look like the type of pony who has traveled around a lot in his life. Have you ever just stopped and...rested for a while?"
"I used to but I don't really stay in one place for very long."
"Would you be willing to try it?"
"Well...I guess. At least I know that I won't be alone again for a long time. It seems the two of us are going to be stuck together for a while, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight chuckled and leaned into the Doctor. The Doctor smiled and wrapped one of his forelegs around her.
"I don't mind that fact at all," she said. The Doctor looked down at her and then back up at the picture of Donna. He tapped the console again and the picture disappeared.
"Yeah," he breathed. "I don't mind that fact either."
To be continued...