Chapter 3
“So let me get this straight,” Rainbow Dash’s voice was hushed, her eyes narrowed in skeptical inspection of the pony seated across from her, “You are over nine-hundred years old, are the last of an alien pony civilization, you speak ‘everything’, you have a time-machine/spaceship that looks like a blue box, and routinely bring along ponies to serve as your companions.”
“Yeeeaaah, that’s about right.” The Doctor replied, ever enthusiastic.
“That. Is. So. Cool!” Rainbow said letting out an uncharacteristic squee of excitement.
As the sun sat behind them, the breeze that had played gently with their manes began to develop a cool edge. The trio of ponies had decided after their reunion at Fluttershy’s cottage that perhaps they should have a nice little night on the town to celebrate. Rainbow had suggested several of Ponyville’s more renowned cider-pubs, but – much to her disappointment – the Doctor expressed distaste for the alcoholic beverage. Fluttershy had then suggested the café where Rainbow and she had planned their ill-fated lunch date. Dash was quick to agree, seeing as the café was home to “the best oat-burger in Equestria”, or at least that was the flyer’s not so humble opinion.
Now the trio sat outside in the café’s open-air patio chatting away; two marefriends discovering all they could about the enigmatic, once-thought-imaginary stallion seated before them. The Doctor for his part was quite happy to respond, regaling the pair with tidbits of knowledge and trivia learned from his extensive travels.
“It is cool isn’t it?” The Doctor said with a smirk, running an idle hoof through his sleek mane. “Best way to get around the cosmos, my TARDIS. But you lot already knew all you really need to about yours truly. The rest there is just sort of the sprinkles on the cake. I’m a mad pony with a magic box. Now you two, there’s a real mystery! How did you two get all…” The Doctor struggled momentarily attempting to find the proper words. “All, you know…” The Doctor made a kissy face to complete his question.
The sight of the stallion’s use of pantomime sent Rainbow into fits of howling laughter, and Fluttershy even tittered politely behind her hoof.
“S-sorry,” Dash said still shaking with laughter. “But you’re a grown stallion, are you sure you’re nine-hundred and not nine?”
“Well, it’s all very complicated with you ponies isn’t it?” The Doctor said, unsuccessfully attempting to keep a blush from appearing on his features. “How am even supposed to know what all-” he waved a hoof at the two of them “-this means.”
Fluttershy offered a kind smile to the Doctor. “It’s okay Doctor.” The timid mare shot her marefriend a not so subtle look, and Dash’s fits of giggles soon subsided. “We’re, um, dating or I supposed engaged really. We were always friends and then, well, someone suggested that we get together. I mean we were both thinking it, but didn’t know the other was too…”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of amazing how you can feel so strongly about something but be so oblivious, you know? We were always so close but we never saw what was right in front of our muzzles. Okay, plus I admit I always sort of thought she was into stallions.” Rainbow added her voice a bit sheepish. Fluttershy gave her marefriend a warm nuzzle. “But boy was I wrong about that last part.”
The display of affection seemed to fill the Doctor with a mix of both heart-warming and uncomfortable feelings. He muttered something that sounded and awful lot like “Ponily-wonily” before directing his focus to the town around him.
It always brought forth the thrill of excitement to see Ponyville. So much had happened here, so much will happen here. And then there will be New Ponyville, Spaceship Ponyville, even a planet named Ponyville. The Doctor could look around and see all that was, all that is, and ever could be. He knew it was all so fragile, so precious, like spring snow. It could all change, time could be rewritten just like… wait he was an equine life-form so he didn’t have fingers to snap… so what did ponies do instead? Where had he even picked up that turn of phrase?
“Doctor, are you okay?” Fluttershy ventured forth quietly. The Doctor was now staring intently at a hoof, jerking it ever so slightly in one direction, then another, and every so often holding it up to his ear.
“Leave him,” Dash whispered to her lover, “While he’s distracted maybe we can get a little more-” She parodied the Doctor’s kissy face “-done.”
Fluttershy playfully nudged Rainbow in the shoulder with a hoof, playfully chiding her for making fun of the odd stallion. Dash decided to try her luck and leaned in for another kiss. The pair shared the affectionate gesture with equal fervor, while the doctor still examined his hoof.
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More scents, more meals. The entire area war swarming with them. The fought the overwhelming nature of the sensation and attempted to stay focused at the task at hand. This was more than a matter of feeding. This was a matter of pride.
The beast moved slowly. The warmth of the sun upon its scales had vanished, replaced by the cool touch of night. This was good, for the beast knew that in the absence of the light given off by the day-star its obsidian form became harder to detect. The beast continued its prowl, hugging tightly to the walls of the shops and homes in this new urban environment
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The Doctor gave a little cough, and the pair of pegasi interrupted their kiss.
“You two sure do that a lot, don’t you?” The Doctor inquired, his voice somewhere between innocence and annoyance.
“Hey don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” Rainbow responded with a laugh.
The Doctor frowned slightly, more in concentration than displeasure. He took in the sight of the two pegasi, examining them with careful consideration. He’d had stranger companions, surely, and more than one pair had taken to falling in love in his care...
Unfortunately the Doctor was brought forth from his reverie prematurely when out of the corner of his eye he spied something that did not belong in Ponyville. No, not in Ponyville, not in Equestria, not on this planet.
“Fillies?” The whole of the Doctor’s disposition changed. His eyes began to dart around dart around nervously searching for the quickest avenue of escape. “Have either of you ever seen a Jihaxian super-predator before? Does somepony around town maybe keep one as a pet?”
“We aren’t fillies anymore,” Rainbow mumbled under her breath, but both she and Fluttershy shook their heads in response to the doctor’s question.
“Then might I make the humble request that we run.” As he spoke, the Doctor rose slowly from his seat. The pegasi mirrored his actions but as they got to their hooves they heard a thunderous growl. They turned to see the indistinct shiny obsidian form of the horror that had stalked their nightmares sonce their fillyhood adventure.
Of course, if the Doctor was real, so were the monsters.
The Doctor turned and began to bolt. “Run, Run-” Suddenly the Doctor became aware of the odd sensation of his hooves leaving the surface of the road, “Run?”
“How about we fly instead?” Dash said with a bit of a laugh as she and her marefriend supported the flightless pony.
Below them the beast took a deep rattling inhale, searching for its quarry. It would not let it escape, not this time…