Nothing could tell him just how long he laid down on the floor of the TARDIS but all that was known to him was that it was long. Under a groan had he risen himself from his position and stood a bit wonky on his legs. “Woo, wha!” he managed to bring out just before he fell forward. He almost automatically used his arms to catch the fall and it worked. He still hadn't a clue on that what happened. The Doctor looked over himself before he released a loud yelp in confusion. “A, a pony!? I’m a bloody show pony!?” he exclaimed. His eyes looked at his hands which had become hooves.
With no time to lose at his end, he moved up to the screen in the hope to see something from the security footage that was recorded. It was in that moment that he encountered the other bad news. The fact that the whole TARDIS was broken down and was in the need for repairs. Under the sounds of a deep gulp he turned himself around and looked over the damage that was done to his beautiful, sexy TARDIS. The Doctor had to wipe away a tear as it was the most damage that was ever done to her in all of his years. Not even an army of Daleks or Cybermen would have been able to inflict that much damage as was done by the rift. A black hole was nothing compared to it.
“Okay, okay, okay. Uhm, recollect your mind, Doctor,” he spoke before he hit himself with the left forehoof into his forehead. “Think, think, think! Aha! Regeneration. Why, why doesn't it feel all too different, it’s a new body but everything else stayed the same, I think.” At the last part he squeezed his left eye a bit and looked into the direction of a mirror with his right one.
In the mirror it was visible that he had a brown coat and a darker brown mane that wore his bow tie while his eye coloring remained the blue one. “Curious,” the stallion mumbled before he spotted something on his flanks. “What in... A, tattoo?” His eyes looked over to the mark on both of his flanks and could make out an hourglass of some sort. “Where have I landed this time... Landed? More like crash landing, but still a landing! I’m not drifting helpless into space!” the Doctor exclaimed happily. He took his sonic screwdriver in a hoof and he galloped over to the front door of the Tardis.
“Why hello new legs, I can get used to this. Haha!” With one quick motion he took his jacket from the hatstand and pulled it on, which gave a feeling of recognition. His trusty jacket was once again among him and he slit the screwdriver into the inner pocket. Then he was off into the unknown world that he had entered.
It seemed he took it rather well, despite the fact of being turned into a technicolored horse for an unknown reason. But then again, the stallion had lived for over nine hundred, if not a thousand years already and owned a time machine. He had seen and done fairly much everything there was to do. Without any hesitation for his own health care were the doors flung open and the stallion himself took a deep inhale. Within that same second, he was blinded by the light that was created by the sun high above for a moment. Nothing was seen for that bit of time, only the chirping of the birds was heard within his ears. A chirping that reminded him of the encounter with the Dream Lord. But the Doctor knew he was awake and left the machine without further questioning.
He only forgot one little fact. The TARDIS was in the state that it needed to be repaired. Meaning that the door locked itself behind him and would only open after it was completely done. And who knew how long that would take with the damage done. The Doctor took another swig of the fresh air that was around him and regained his sight again. The stallion was greeted by the plain of land and the trees. Like the child he was, or never left, he just galloped over the plain where the machine had made a beautiful landing. No craters, no smoke, no nothing. Just like as if it materialized again. He couldn't be happier about that fact. Just a moment for himself to do whatever he wanted. Though he forgot one little aspect and that was the gravel road that walked next to the plain of land.
---
On that road ahead, there were two ponies that came down from the hill and were heading towards him. One of them was a mulberry unicorn with two saddle bags around her body as the other one was an orange coated, blond maned, stetson wearing earth pony mare. They appeared to be in some conversation with one another as they traveled along the path.
Though the more they ventured down the road, the closer they came to the stallion who was just being a foal. The Doctor just galloped around before he unbuttoned his jacket and threw it off of his body to truly enjoy his new body in almost every single aspect. After a couple more rounds he just dropped himself into the grass and snuggled it under a laughter.
“Uhm, Twi, ya think he is alright?” the orange coated, hat wearing mare asked to her companion. They both had been watching his actions with both curiosity and wonder.
“Well, I hope so. A visit to the asylum is the last thing I want. Remember the last time I was there?” the unicorn replied to the other. Yet the memories flowed back within her mind.
“They wanted to lock ya up?” the cowgirl replied with a questioning tone.
“Precisely, Applejack. Nevertheless, we can always ask.”
“Whatever ya say partner, don’t know why ya got me here in the first place.”
“You were the only one honest enough to say yes,” the unicorn replied to her.
“Thanks a lot for that reminder...”
Then they were off. Off towards the mysterious stallion that snuggled the grass like he was insane. He turned around and moved his back up and down on it under a couple light moans and chuckle. “Oh, right there, yes, yes, yes, there it itches so badly!” he spoke in pure delight. His eyes closed themselves to enhance the effect of the fresh grass against his back.
“Uhm, hello?” Applejack called out to him. The two mares had gotten closer to him. But they didn't get a response from him. The earth pony turned herself over to the unicorn. “Twilight, ya know Ah ain't Rarity and mah patience is running rather thin,” she spoke to the other mare.
“Easy Applejack,” replied Twilight to her. Then she laid a calm hoof on her back. “Though, what is that?” Her eyes had moved up from the stallion and laid unto the bright blue police box.
“New item of that fancy brother of yours?” the cowgirl replied as she also looked at it. The both of them had lost the stallion out of their eyes.
“Oh shut up,” the unicorn added.
“Excuse me, but that’s my line,” a stallion’s voice suddenly spoke up from behind them. Both of the mare yelped a bit and then they turned around. Only to find that it was the stallion that snuggled the grass mere seconds ago, was standing right behind them. “Oi, no need to be scared of me. I should be scared of you and do I look scared to you?” he replied with a smile to them. He straightened his bow tie again. “Now, could the two of you tell me who you are and where I am?”
“What..?” Applejack brought forth as she scratched the back of her head in confusion to his words. “Guess, ya don’t look scared to me though. Name’s Applejack by the way.”
“My name is Twilight Sparkle, and you are in the Monarch of Equestria. Or as it is commonly more known as, just Equestria,” the unicorn said. The differences between the two were clear as day.
“Equestria ya say? Never heard of it and you all look like, horses?” the Doctor replied. He had tried to imitate the tone of the cowgirl to the best of his ability. Trying to see if it would fit him.
Twilight wanted to give him another reply straight to the point, but Applejack managed to cut her off. “One moment here. An answer for an answer, alright? We have answered yars, now ya answer us. Who are ya?” The unicorn was surprised by the approach of Applejack. At the other end could she fully understand where she was coming from. It was not every day they encountered a stallion like him. And she had to confess it to herself, she was a bit curious to him as well.
“Equestria you say? Never heard of it... Either way, fire away!” the Doctor spoke just before he stroked his chin. "I'm an open book for you all."
“Who are ya, and where are ya from?”
“I’m the Doctor. I am not from somewhere, I just came here. Far place away and a bit of a complicated story,” the Doctor explained to them. He wasn’t in the mood to go much deeper into it.
“Doctor, who?” Applejack asked through as she still remained skeptical.
“Nothing. Just the Doctor,” he spoke with a great big smile on his face.
“You said you weren't from here and that box wasn't here a couple hours ago. You travel in it or something?” Twilight noted to him with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't seem that practical though."
“Blimey me girl, you are quick to figure it out!”
“Well, everypony always said I had a mind for those things,” Twilight replied to him. She hid her face a little bit as there came a blush and a giggle left her.
“You wear a stetson, don’t you?” the Doctor all of the sudden spoke to Applejack’s direction. Twilight was smart, smarter than the other mare at least. The Doctor had figured it out almost right away when she spoke the words. But he couldn't let her blabber on the facts for too long. Mostly because of his own boredom and a tiny bit of self-security, mostly boredom.
“Why yes, Ah do, never left the spot since it got there,” the cowgirl replied with a smile. She fixed the hat upon her head, making it sit there with pride.
“Good, because stetsons are cool,” the Doctor replied with a grin. And it were those words that made the cowgirl blush a little bit as nopony ever told her that about her headgear.
“Yet you wear a, bow tie..?” Twilight said as she took note of the thing around his neck.
“Bow ties, are just like stetsons, cool. Now shut it before I start about your bags.”
“Hey! Those were hoof made by my friend Rarity.”
“Shut it then,” the Doctor grinned to her.
---
Neither of the mares could truly explain it to themselves though. The very fact that they found themselves almost attracted to his mystery and curiosity while he just went along. Applejack liked him because he appeared to be kind, a bit rough around the edges for certain, but kind nonetheless. Twilight on the other end was more interested in just the fact of who he was.
“Say Doctor, if that is your real name, how did you arrive here if I may ask?” the studious unicorn asked of him. She let her eyes fall upon the powered down TARDIS. “It’s not that big from the outside to be any sort of ship.”
“Oh trust me, she’s bigger on the inside then on the outside. I would love to give you two a tour through it. Unfortunately, she’s repairing herself. You see, I am not from here.” He just blew his cover away yet seem to be realizing just that little fact. “And I suppose that the name of Time Turner would be a good follow up to the Doctor. Doctor Time Turner, oh I do quite like that myself, if I may say so.” The brown maned and coated stallion didn't knew just why he said it, but it felt almost like a natural name to him. Yet he could only hope they wouldn't be using that against him.
Fortunately for him was it enough material for the two mares to erupt out in a little laughter. They possibly couldn't believe those words. Everything sounded like it was being made up by a writer of science fiction and that his creativity was indeed not lacking. “Any who, would you two mind telling me where I am?” the Doctor said as he shook his head a bit to get the thoughts straight again.
“Yar on the road towards Canterlot, sugarcube,” replied Applejack to him.
“Sugarcube? Never been called that before. I like it, sounds rather sweet. But, what’s Canterlot?” the Doctor quickly responded with a smile towards the cowgirl.
Then the two mares looked to one another with a questioning gaze before Twilight spoke the words in a careful tone. “Canterlot, the major city of Equestria. Capital of the three kingdoms.”
“Oh, right, yes. I was, testing the both of you, see if you knew it,” he replied as his comeback.
“I’ve lived there for most of my life,” added Twilight while she gave him a skeptical look.
“And Ah see it every day on the horizon. Rares been talking 'bout it since Ah've met her. Odd unicorn. Maybe it’s a species habit.” The last sentence was spoken with a leaning look towards Twilight, who didn't liked it one bit.
“Applejack, if you have a problem with unicorns, just say so alright. You were the only one who wanted to come and I am not in the mood to bicker about it,” said Twilight against the cowgirl.
The cowgirl wanted to go in full counter by speaking her words. Though the Doctor knew just what was going to happen with them. He prevented it by saying his own words. “And how about you two, where were, or are, you two going?” As he spoke them, he made a couple odd movements with his forehooves by moving them over the other. He thought to have been used by them, but the lesser was true. Having forehooves instead of hands was just something he hadn't gotten used to.
“Well, I just wanted to go to Canterlot to visit my family again and spend some time within the library. Applejack here is more for, emotional support. It’s hard to see your family again after a year,” the mulberry mare spoke. The more she said, the more a tear build itself below her eye.
Not liking the unicorn race for what they were but Twilight was still her friend and Applejack knew that deep within her heart. The cowgirl gently laid a hoof over the shoulders of the mare in a comforting manner. “Tis alright sugarcube. How ‘bout we just go to Canterlot Garden first? Might give your mind some clearance there.” Applejack turned her eyes over from the near crying mare over to the Doctor. “Ya coming as well?”
“Well, a nice garden tour is never wrong, is it? Though do you two really want me to tag along for the ride?” he asked in a gentle manner. Although, it could be the best manner to learn even more about the mysterious land he had landed in. A rift in space and time that would have lead over into the Void between space, yet somehow ends me up here? Could it be, that there actually is a world in there? It was a train of thought that went through the mind of the stallion before he was brought back to the there and then.
“Well, Ah don’t mind it. More souls more joy and such, right Twi?” said Applejack with a smile. Her words seemed honest. He felt comfortable around her for some strange reason.
Twilight sniffled one last time. Then she wiped the tear just away and gave a silent nod. “That, that would be nice,” she eventually spoke to them both.
---
And so they went on. With a complete stranger that the two mares for some reason seemed to be trusting more than anypony else in the moment of time. It was odd if not curious for the both of them. Though little did question their arrival in the big city itself. Most of the higher class ponies kept themselves busy with just themselves. The Doctor looked his eyes out in silence as he managed to get even more comfortable on his hooves. Almost in no time at all it seemed like he was just, used, to it all. That being the whole concept of being a pony.
The three of them ventured straight down the main road and into the gardens of Canterlot. A garden that stretched itself right next to the castle itself. The Doctor had a couple chats with the unicorn and earth pony about what they knew about the statues displayed within them. He was interested in all of the mythology behind it. But what struck him the most was the usage of magic. For him it was something he didn't have any knowledge for and possibly could use that as an excuse for his Tardis if they asked about it again.
“So with your magic, you speak a spell and that whatever you say just happens?” he summarized in the near half an hour lecture of Twilight. A lecture that had bored the cowgirl to near death and wasn't even paying attention to it anymore at one point.
“Almost correct. Not every unicorn can learn every single spell. For example, Rarity got her cutie mark because of a spell that guided her over to a gem filled rock. And I got mine, by hatching a baby dragon,” Twilight replied just before she showed off the mark on her flanks.
It was a rough revelation, but it did explain just how he got the hourglass on his flanks. “Curious...most, curious. But this, Rarity, you keep talking about, is she a friend of yours?”
“Depends on her mood,” Applejack chuckled a bit loud.
“Oh... One of those types, isn't she?” In response the both of them nodded.
It still fascinated him though. The entire concept of magic that was channeled through the horn of a unicorn. On Earth they were looking for them in almost every single corner and here they just walked over the street like it was nothing. Curiosity was his greatest friend and as an earth pony, or so he was told he was by using Applejack as an example, he had a valid excuse to ask further about the concept of the magical powers.
But at one point or another, they had to pass the Angels that were placed within the garden. While they were chatting with one another, it came to light that none of them realized that they were the only ponies in the particular part in the garden. The stallion walked next to Twilight and Applejack behind him, he had his head turned around to view them both, just to be polite. Yet as he taught the young Amelia Pond so many years ago there was something that struck him in the corner of his eye. He knew all too well what it was yet didn't dare to believe it. “Nobody, blink,” he spoke calmly before he rushed in his pace. Something had captured his attention, something was wrong.
The mares looked at him as he went and it was Twilight who spoke the words up to him. “Doctor, what is it?” Even though she found the name ridiculous, it was the best she could call him given the fact that Time Turner didn't roll that easily from the tongue.
She didn't get any response from the stallion directly as he took out his sonic screwdriver and tailed around each of the three angel statues. The whirring of the device had both mares raising an eyebrow again towards him as they had not a single clue of the events going on. Their day was getting stranger and stranger the more they walked with him and it would only be getting worse. “First the rift, then this land, and now you... Lonely assassins... What’s next, Daleks?” the stallion muttered in himself. “Would love to see them here though, better than this lot.”
“What, in Equestria,” both of the mares spoke in choir to his rambles.
“Oh, now that is something to be happy about,” the Doctor mumbled. He read the readings of the device and pushed it back in. Only to hide it back in his pocket. The looks in his eyes said it all.
“What was...” Twilight spoke in a baffled voice in response to the device.
“Sonic screwdriver,” the Doctor replied in the blink of an eye.
“What are...” Applejack dared to say.
“Weeping Angels,” he spoke as he turned his head around to the statues again. “This is bad. Very, very not good.” Both of the mares looked to one another in utter confusion but also in fear. For the answers given and the very tone in which the Doctor spoke his words in, was one that told them he had seen it or them before.