//------------------------------//
// Geronimo! 
// Story: The Doctor's Visit 
// by Smithawits 
//------------------------------//

	Somewhere in the universe, a blue police box known as the TARDIS rapidly spun as it flew through space; the light at the top glowed on and off, completely in sync with the “whooshing” sounds coming from the TARDIS. Suddenly, after flying perfectly for several minutes, the TARDIS stopped spinning and violently shifted to the side, opening the side doors in the process. Inside, an earth pony was scrambling towards the door in a panic. 

After stumbling over his hooves, the pony was finally able to get to the doors. Another sudden shift from the TARDIS almost made him fall out! Fortunately, he was able to catch himself on a railing. He slowly made his way to the doors and was eventually able to lock them shut. In retrospect, the doors probably should’ve been locked in the first place. “Gotta make a mental note of that…” He mumbled to himself. The pony then took a few minutes to gather himself.

The earth pony was light brown with a rough dark brown mane and tail. He had light blue eyes and a golden hourglass as his cutie mark. He also had a long silver device with a blue tip, called a sonic screwdriver, tucked behind his left ear. According to multiple legends, nopony knows his real name; he is known only as: “The Doctor.”

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief as he leaned his back against the door then slid down to the floor. The TARDIS was much bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. The entire room was built in a big dome, with several support structures placed halfway between the walls and the control panel. The walls of the dome had multiple light bulbs tucked behind semi-thick glass. In the center of the room were seven control panels set up in a circle around a central glass pillar. The glass pillar had multiple blue lights inside with two discs moving up and down in a rhythmic motion, creating a loud “whooshing” sound as they approached each other. There was a walkway around the control panels with a guardrail on the edge; the only break in the guardrail was the path going from the center of the TARDIS to the exit. 

After a few seconds, the Doctor stood and glared at the control panel. “Was there really a need to act like that!?” he shouted.

A loud chime echoed throughout the room in response. The Doctor cringed and flattened his ears against his head trying to block the noise. “Don’t give me that; you know you overreacted!” the Doctor said as he walked towards the controls. “Yes, the idea is crazy-”he looked up at the glass pillar “-but aren’t all my plans like that?” The Doctor then flipped a red lever, which immediately sent sparks into his face. He quickly stepped back and barely avoided getting his face burnt. “Hey!” he shouted in annoyance. “What was that for!?”

A loud creak came from somewhere on the control panel. The Doctor then looked down at the control panel with an angry look. “No, no, NO! You always immediately think the worst of me! Of course I’m going to activate your silencers and your active camouflage! Why wouldn’t I? Especially considering where we are going; however, I can’t do that until you let me finish putting in the coordinates!”

The Doctor flipped the red lever again; this time the TARDIS shook and shifted again. The Doctor had to catch himself on the control panel to prevent being thrown on the floor. He quickly recovered and steadied himself as the TARDIS straightened out. “Come on! Stop fighting me!” The Doctor yelled.

A low tone came from the control panel and echoed throughout the room. The Doctor looked up at the glass pillar. “Don’t you use that tone against me. I know that time says we didn’t officially meet until later; but remember, time can be rewritten.”

The TARDIS violently shook at the mention of time being rewritten; causing the Doctor to stumble and fall against the guardrail. Sparks shot out at different locations on the control panel and random light bulbs built into the dome of the TARDIS burst. The Doctor made his way to the control panel, gently put his hoof on the glass pillar and stoked it. “Shhh, there there old girl. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have said that considering all you’ve been through” -the TARDIS started to settle down a bit- “but she really needs my…no…she needs our help. You’re right, doing this is dangerous. I realize that this is one of those rare ‘the-universe-could-be-destroyed-if-I-change-anything’ moments; but right now, she feels all alone.” The Doctor gently set his hoof on the control panel. “After all, we both know all too well what it’s like to feel alone right? I refuse to let somepony else suffer like that, especially her.” He looked up at the glass pillar and put his right hoof on his chest. “I promise you with both of my hearts that I’ll be careful.” 

After a few seconds of silence, the Doctor once again flipped the red lever, which clicked into place. He then walked around the control panels, flipping switches and pushing buttons as he walked; each one caused many different electronic sounds to echo throughout the control room. Outside, the TARDIS had just finished braking through Equestria’s atmosphere and was now headed straight for Derpy’s house. The TARDIS suddenly went completely silent and then vanished just before it hit the house.