Coming to terms

by The Infinity Doctor

Regeneration

My parents and I watched in horror as the windows of the house shattered, glass blowing outward as an inferno built from inside the house- a swirling vortex of red and gold consumed the house, then groaned as it began to collapse in on itself.

"No! Zero!" I shouted, my parents holding me back.
Dad looked to me, the look on his face told me everything.

"It's too late Lyra..."

"...no..."

"He was a brave...thing..." mom said.
"He said he was a human" I mumbled.
"He was a brave 'hue-man'"

A number of ponies had gathered in the street, staring at the burning house as the fire department arrived, their wagon loaded with the water tank and fire hose.

"Come on...let's go..." dad said quietly, turning away from the fireponies dousing some of the flames.

'Goodybe Zero...you were a good friend...' I thought, following my parents.

X X X X X X X

I coughed as I pushed open the doors of the Tardis, my damaged body beginning to give off golden mist. The door shut of their own accord as I crawled up the stairs, my breathing erratic as it felt like my entire body was falling asleep, the prickling sensation getting
stronger as I grasped at the console, attempting to pull myself up.

'This...is it...'

I screamed as white hot pain and more of the mist enveloped my body, the pain so intense I collapsed back into a sitting position. I kept my eyes shut as the pain intensified, and I felt my body shift, bones cracking as I once more let an anguished scream escape. The flow
of mist began to stem its flow as I fell forwards, the pain numbing just the tiniest bit as I began to regain my senses. My breathing didn't start regulating itself until minutes later, my hearts beating at a faster pace than usual- I held a hand to my face, and was greeted with
a coat of fur.

'What? What's this? I still have hands?' I wondered, blinking as my new eyes stared fixedly at the appendage.

'Hello...what have we here?'

My hands wandered through my hair (or mane, now), and I felt my ears, the furry things moving of their own accord as I currently had no control of them.

'Let's see...two eyes...two ears...no horn, darn it...no wings either...so earth pony? I can live with that...no canines...two hands...two hooves...interesting...thought I'd turn into a normal pony...ummm...is that it?'

I investigated my new body as I looked into the column of the Tardis, the reflection of a light blue, anthro earth pony with a disheveled purple mane staring back.

'Huh...'

I was at a loss for words- and what I should do...I mean, I just changed bodies, I should be curled up on the floor, waiting for my own insanity to take over...

'Same height too...weird...'

I shook my head as I wandered away from the console, almost tipping forward a few times due to my hooves.

'This'll take some getting used to...'

If my parents could see me now...

Before I realized it, a tear escaped my eye as I thought back to my family on Earth.

'No going back now, I suppose...' I thought somberly

But that doesn't mean I couldn't try, right?

Nervously walking around the console, I set the controls for Earth.

'Here goes nothing...'

I flipped a lever and the alarms in the Tardis went off, assaulting my eardrums as the Tardis lurched, the column stopped for a few minutes after I landed.

I peeked out the door and found myself in a park, a crowd gathered around the Tardis, clapping of all things.

"Thank you, thank you" I said, doing a small bow, when on the inside, I was sweating bullets, wondering how to get out of this.

'It worked for the Doctor, I guess it can work for me...' I shrugged mentally.

"The next performance will be along shortly"

I recieved calls of amazement as I double-checked the door to make sure it was locked, then waded through the crowd.

"That was awesome!" one girl gushed, about ten "how did you do that?"
"A magician never reveals his secrets" I replied, stopping to answer her.
"That's a good costume too" she added "did you make it yourself?"
"In a manner of speaking"

A few minutes later, the girl's parents ushered her away, apologizing to me, to which I said it was no problem.

Now, though, I was sitting on a park bench- wondering if it was the right thing to do to be sitting here, in a public place no less. But I was safe, in a sense, people don't want to believe that this is isn't a costume, and are just fine believing it is. My eyes wandered
around the park, watching the people go about their day, some playing with their kids, or just hanging out like I was. I practically jumped up in excitement and confusion when I saw my parents, with my younger, human self. The other me looked about four, babbling a few
coherent words as he/me played in the grass, my parents sitting with him, er, me...

'I think I remember this...my little sister was born not too long after this...' I thought, watching him play contentedly as my mother held her swollen stomach.

Why am I here though? It's dangerous enough as it is with me being here, why did the Tardis bring me here? I knew the answer, I just wonder why it had to be this specific moment.

'I don't think I can go towards them, I could cause a paradox...'

To my surprise, I waved to myself- that is, my other self waved to me, a little chubby hand moving through the air. I hesitantly waved back, then prepared to stand up and leave when he started making his way towards me.

At the last moment, he turned and followed something else that caught his attention, just as my mother screamed in pain. My eyes darted to my parents as my mom clutched her stomach, my dad helping her up. I then looked back to my younger self, wandering toward the road, oblivious to the traffic. I began sweating again as I looked back to my parents-

'Come on...come on...' I thought, my eyes darting back and forth 'why aren't they doing anything?'

My mom's hand shot up as she pointed toward my younger self, calling for someone to stop me. The bystanders were too late, as the younger me wandered into the street, a speeding car on a collision course.

'Screw it' I thought, withdrawing my Screwdriver.

I pointed it at the car and activated it, the hood of the car blew off, the engine sputtering and smoking as it rolled to a stop. I then pocketed my Screwdriver as I stood up and wandered back towards the Tardis, spying my dad scoop up my younger self as he and my mom went to the car, climbing in to go to the hospital. The driver of the car I'd stopped had since climbed out, scratching his head as he stared at the engine.

I walked back to the Tardis, a good number of people still watching.

"Watch out, coming through please" I said, brushing past them.
I removed the key from my pocket and unlocked the door, I stepped inside as I shut it behind me.

"Where to next?" I asked aloud, my voice resounding through the empty Tardis.

Without warning, the Tardis leapt into the Time Vortex.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" I cried, holding onto the console for dear life.

The Tardis stopped, silence dominating the room.

I stood up and walked to the doors, I pulled it open and was met with the city of Canterlot.

'Canterlot, once again- why?' I wondered, shutting the door behind me.

Snow drifted silently in the streets and alleyways of the city, the glistening snow on the roofs and spires of the palace making a breath-taking sight as the moonlight was reflected off of it. In the distance, I could hear several voices singing, the source presumably from
inside a nearby house.

'Hearth's Warming? Odd...'

I shivered as I shoved my hands into my damaged jacket, which reminded me to get some new clothes at some point- my hooves were actually relatively warm given the weather.

'Well...I'm fairly certain the Tardis needs to recharge...might as well take a look around here' I thought as the snow crunched beneath my hooves.

I then found myself wandering into an inn, a small one, despite Canterlot's population density.

How did I know that?

I dusted the freshly fallen snow off of my jacket as I stepped up to the registration desk, earning stares from the few ponies in the lobby.
The inn actually looked welcoming, quite a contrast from the supposed high-profile buildings in the rest of Canterlot.

"How much for a room?" I asked.
"Ten bits a night" the mare behind the desk answered nervously.
"I don't have any cash, would you put me up for the night in exchange for services?"
"What can you do?" she asked.
"Not much, I can help when you need me" I suggested.
The mare huffed, then passed a key to me.
"You've got room 5, down the hall and third door on the left" she said.
"Thank you, really" I said.
"Hey, it's Hearth's Warming" she said, a small smile on her face "nopony deserves to be out in the cold like that"

I smiled myself as the mare left the counter, trotting to another room off to the side.

"If anypony else comes in, check the log to see which rooms are open" she yawned.
"You're leaving a complete stranger to run the front desk?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"I've got a security spell going, even if you wanted to try something, you couldn't" she responed "goodnight- what's your name?"
"Zero"
"Oh...goodnight Zero..."

And with that, she closed the door, and I heard her settle into her own bed, falling asleep.

'Hearth's Warming eve...' I pondered.

Well...it'll make somepony happy, why not?

I removed my Screwdriver from my pocket as I approached the christmas tree.

Author's Note:

Zero's anthro pony regeration is technically his first, since his human form didn't count- this might change later, and to be honest, I don't think it makes a difference, but I'll make up my mind...eventually...

Anyway- Christmas chapter! And a regeneration at that!
Hope you enjoyed it, I look forward to your feedback, and also, 'The Weeping Angel' updated just yesterday.

And if you'd like check this guy out! He's a good writer!

Until next time!

Comments

[cyanblur]

Merry Christmas! I guess? Anyways great update time. Antro, didn't see that coming. Wonder if you'll ever add the daleks, or some form of them?

[The Infinity Doctor]

4253688 There will be daleks- in the meantime...
static.tumblr.com/500f3d9c63393aea8d7267de04b1dd4b/tjxukr9/FVTmrsblc/tumblr_static_cd_would_you_care_for_some_tea.jpg

[Doctor.whooves]

4253702 yes I would thank you "iron side" :)

[BlndDog]

Human turns into a Time Lord, turns into a human-pony thing. Huh.

Wacky adventures and awkward situations aside, I find myself working very hard to like this. It's very readable, but personally I can't relate to the characters. I mean, this is the Peter Parker story. This could be Dr Manhattan. With a well-worn setup like this, you have to work very hard to make it interesting.

It might be a personal thing, but I feel like Zero is way too withdrawn. You're inside his head, but he feels more like a Teselecta. There's a lack of immediacy in the narrative. When he encounters the Anubius, for example, he's making idle observations while he's face-to-face with a big creature with sharp teeth. You're implying the kind of uneasiness that's associated with an angry chihuahua. That's just one place where the emotional impact could have been played out a bit more.

This regeneration too should be played out more. In the Doctor Who tradition, regenerations are a big deal. It's a big deal for a Time Lord to go from one male human body to another, but here a human turns into a half pony creature and sort of shrugs it off. It's like he still doesn't realize that this is permanent, that everything that's happening is real. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to have ears on top of my head, but here I'm being told that "it is how it is", and the story sort of moves on as if nothing's really changed. Everything is so fast-paced that all the golden opportunities for development fly right by, and suddenly we're in immediate danger again.

I think what's missing is meaningful development. I understand the argument that strangeness has become mundane for our hero, but instead of introducing stranger and stranger obstacles maybe it's better to turn inwards just a little. Life-changing experiences should be life-changing, and this guy has been through plenty, yet I'm still reading the dispassionate voice of the human.

[Aslatiel]

If this were doctor who, he would be dead. I if the fatal blow is too,quick, then the regeneration process not have,enough time before he dies. That explosion was so fast, I should have killed him.

[Gotland]

Hm..................