Doctor Whooves: Adventures in Time and Space (and Equestria)

by Marshall Lee TVK

The Doctor is In - part 1

"No!" The Doctor said to himself. He flipped the throttle on the console and the time rotor came to life with a wheeze. He stepped back from the console reflecting on the events that had just transpired. The destruction of Bowie Base One, the story of Captain Adalaide Brooke, the Water of Mars.

"The Time Lord Victorious is WRONG!"

Her words echoed in his head. He moved over to the keyboard and started absentmindedly typing in coordinates.

"I just need to get away for bit." He muttered to the empty console room. "Yeah, I'll find some remote corner of the universe and stay put, no more interference. No more..." he trailed off. The time rotor's wheezing became labored.

"What's wrong with you?" He leaned closer to the center shaft of the console. "Eh?"

Suddenly he was thrown back into the chair mounted to the grating floor. The TARDIS began to fly erratically, more so than usual. The room heaved to the left and he was thrown to the floor. He scrambled to get up. However, a searing pain started shooting from ever part of his body. He cried out in pain, squeezing his eyes closed and pressing his clenched hands against his head. He felt the bones in his feet shift and fuse together, the bones in his legs followed suit. He looked at his hands, they to were changing. The bones within morphing into odd shapes, taking the form of what appeared to be...hooves. Then the pain shifted focus to his torso as his spine twisted into a new shape and his rib cage lengthened. Finally, it, whatever it was, reached his head. His skull changed its shape, growing larger, the eyes tripling in size and his nose growing into a muzzle, and ear moving up, becoming triangular. A coat of light brown fur cropped up and a dark brown tail sprouted behind him. The pain finally started to subside, except for a burning feeling in what appeared to be his flank, he glanced awkwardly and saw the image of an hourglass poking out from under his now tattered suit. He sat still breathing heavily, trying to comprehend this metamorphosis. His vision started to go dark. He stood shakily on four legs, and awkwardly limped to the console. "Must... land..." he croaked as he placed his front left hoof on the console and pulled himself up. Barely able to reach, he wrapped his hoof around the lever and pulled it back. The shaking subsided and the time rotor slowed to a stop.

"There we go, in orbit around...some planet." he chuckled weakly. The console started beeping, "Oh, what now?" He looked to the monitor, the Gallifreyan writing swirling on the monitor. "Orbit decaying?!" He read, panic in his voice.

He fumbled around the console trying to stop or slow his rapid descent to the planet below, unable to do anything effective with his new found lack of hands. There was a loud thud followed by the entire room heaving. Then silence, absolute silence. The Doctor, having fallen over in the crash, lay at the base of the console breathing shakily, his vision grew darker and darker. He lost consciousness.

~o~

A lone figure walked down the road that night. His hood pulled over his head to shield him from the storm.

"Why didn't I check the weather schedule?" He asked himself. "Way to go, Book Binder, you idiot."

Book Binder was an Earth Pony, with a silver coat, and dirty-blonde mane that always seemed unbrushed. He wore small rectangular glasses, and a soaked cloak. He looked up at the stormclouds and then around the immediate area.

"This totally doesn't feel like the opening of a scary story." He muttered sarcastically. Then he noticed something, a dark shape in the distance. He squinted in an attempt to make out a discernible shape. A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating everything. He caught a brief glimpse of the shape in the light, it was a pony, rather large. He sighed with relief, and started walking toward the pony.
"Whew! You scared me for a minute there! Who is that?!" He called out, grinning.

No reply.

"You got me! You don't have to keep up the act! Who are you?!" His smile started to falter.

Still no reply.

"Alright fine! You win! I'll be on my way!" He added nervously. He moved to the other side of the road. He looked down to avoid eye contact. There was a flash of lightning and a loud clap of thunder. Then Book Binder collided with something solid. He jumped back. The figure had moved in front of him. Book Binder stood paralyzed with fear, breathing shakily.

"You are compatible." The figure droned, his voice was flat and mechanical, more machine than pony.

"W-what?" He chuckled fearfully. "Look, this is getting out of hoof, I think you should stop now..."

The figure did not reply. There was another flash of lightning, Book Binder could see the figure clearly. It was not a pony, but rather a metal effigy of one, it's eyes, black and hollow. "Prepare transmat." It spoke.

Book Binder's scream was drowned out by the thunder.

~o~

Ditzy woke up, her alarm clock ringing loudly. She groggily placed her hoof on the clapper, stopping the harsh noise. She rolled off the edge of the bed and stood up, arching her back and stretching her wings out above her. She walked over to the door adjacent to her bed and down the hall to the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around her mane, and so her morning routine began.

~o~

She sat in the kitchen, eating a muffin, and listening to her roommate talk about something, Ditzy wasn't paying much attention. She stared into space.

"Ditzy!" Carrot Top snapped.

"Hmm... Oh, sorry. I'm not awake yet." Ditzy apologized.

"Of course you weren't. Anyways, there I was..." she restarted her story. Ditzy trying to pay attention. It was just the beginning of just another normal day.

~o~

Ditzy trotted into the post office with a smile on her face. "Mornin' Parcels! Ditzy Doo reporting for duty!" She saluted to the unicorn stallion leaning on the counter.

"Here's the mail for today." He replied in a flat tone, pushing a mail sack over to her. "And try not to screw the addresses up, Derpy." He levitated the morning paper in front of him and started reading. Ditzy took the sack and trotted out, her smile never faltering. She stopped outside the post office, secured the bag and took off into the air.

~o~

She was half way through her rounds when she saw the smoking crater.

"Don't go exploring Ditzy, do your job without a screw up. Show them you aren't a useless klutz." She muttered to herself.

She flew by, trying not to look, then she noticed the blue box sitting in the crater.

"Ok maybe just a few minutes, then back to your route. Nopony has to know."

She landed at the crater's edge, the ground smoldering below her, she started to carefully make her way down. She was about halfway down when she stepped on a loose rock and started to tumble. She slammed into the front of the box. She fell on her back, the box looming above her. She could now see it had signs posted on it, a black plate across the top saying "Police Public Call Box" and a sign on what appeared to be a door read "Police Telephone. Free for use of Public. Advice & assistance obtainable immediately. Officers and cars respond to all calls. Pull to Open." Unfortunately, some of those words had no meaning to Ditzy. She then noticed the strangest thing. The box was wooden, but there wasn't a single scorch mark. Not even a scratch on its blue surface.

"Now would be a great for you to leave, Ditzy." She told herself.

She leaned forward and knocked on the door. Nothing happened.

"Leave now, Ditzy, just leave." She repeated to herself. She started to climb back out of the crater. A loud creaking sound emanated from behind her. She looked back, the box had opened, and an Earth Pony Stallion was standing in the door.

"Oh, hello!" He grinned like a madpony. He trotted out of the box, though his gait seemed awkward as if he had just learned how to walk. He took one long look at her and his expression grew even wilder "A Pegasus, an actual pegasus. Ah, the universe never ceases to amaze!" He beamed.

"A-are you alright?" Ditzy asked.

"And you talk?!" He grinned. "Oh, that is...that's brilliant!"

Ditzy stepped back, a bit flustered.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way." He stuck out his hoof. "And you are?

"D-ditzy. Ditzy Doo."

"Ah, lovely. Nice to meet you miss Doo, now maybe you could help me. I seem to be lost and I think I might've regenerated, no, that wasn't regeneration. That was a metamorphosis. Anyways, could you be so kind as to tell me where I am?" He rambled.

Ditzy tilted her head. "Ponyville." She answered, her voice full of concern.

"And, uh just 'cause I'm a bit shaken up, where would that be, country-wise, Miss Doo?"

"Equestria."

"And, planet-wise?"

"I think you need help."

"Yeah, but, humor me?" He smiled.

"Earth."

"Earth?! What year?" His eyes growing wild with disbelief.

"1005."

He turned away, "No... that can't be."

"What?" Ditzy asked.

"I've been all over 11th century Earth. I've never heard of any Equestria or even Pegasi. Another Earth? No... it can't be... could it?"

"Mister, please, we need to get you to the hospital." Ditzy stepped forward, gingerly placing a hoof on his shoulder.

"Right! Hospital! Where there's a hospital, there's civilization! A civilization full of Pegasi, even better! Allons-y, Miss Doo!"

~o~

Trying to get him to the hospital proved to be difficult. He kept stopping every five seconds to point out something mundane. "There's unicorns too? And talking horses? I'm beginning to like it here." He beamed as they entered Ponyville.

"Mister, how hard did you hit your head?"

"What is that?" He stopped in his tracks, staring at the sky.

"What?" Ditzy followed his line of sight. All that was there was a cloud.

"That, the thing that looks like a cloud. You can see it, can't you Miss Doo?"

"It's a cloud?"

"No... It can't be, hasn't moved an inch."

"Yeah, the weather schedule chalked for partly cloudy skies today."

"Scheduled weather? This place gets better and better." His smile widened.

Ditzy shot him a worried glance. He clearly need help. "Can we please go to the hospital now?"

"And who is that?" He was looking at town hall. An old looking mare was pacing inside the open doors.

"That's Mayor Mare. I wonder what has her in such a state?"

"Well...she is mayor, a lot of responsibility in that profession. But that face, that, Miss Doo, is the face of somebody on the verge of crisis."

"Well with all the ponies going missing, she should be concerned."

"Missing ponies, you say?" He tried not to grin.

"Yeah, ponies have been disappearing for the past few weeks. Nopony has seen anything suspicious. But that's not important right now, we need to get you to the..."Ditzy looked to where he had been standing, but he wasn't there any more. She looked back at the town hall, he stood in the door. Ditzy sighed and ran to join him.

As she approached she could hear the two of them talking. "So Mayor Mare, tell me about these missing ponies."

~o~

Book Binder woke with a start. The room was dark, only the soft hum of machinery could be heard. He felt cold and numb. He tried to stand, pain shot through his body. He fell down. He lay there, his breathing shaky. He attempted to stand up again, powering through the pain. He realized it wasn't pain but the lack-there-of. He was totally numb in his front left leg, his back right hoof and flank, and the entire left side of his head. "Alright, remain calm." He told himself. "Everything is going to be alright." He didn't believe it.

The door slid open, thudding dully at the end of its track. Bright blinding light poured in. "You are required." A monotonous voice stated.

"That is a first." Book Binder smirked.

"You will follow."

"And, if I don't?"

"You will follow." The figure repeated. Book Binder took a few cautious steps, getting used to the lack of feeling. The figure turned and started marching down the corridor. Book Binder, left with no other option, limped along quickly.

~o~

"Excuse me?" The Mayor asked. " I have no idea what you are talking about!"

"Right, it's just the stress of the job getting to you that's all." The Doctor replied. "Madam Mayor, I've noticed the empty homes, the unread mail, ponies are going missing."

"Drat! I knew it would surface sooner or later. It's a catastrophe, ponies just disappearing without a trace. If the town finds out, there'll be mass hysteria."

"Well Madam Mayor, today might just be your lucky day. I need everything you know about those missing."

"Of course...?" The Mayor seemed confused. "Wait, why am I doing this? I have a town to run, I don't have time for the affairs of a madpony who thinks he can help. Leave immediately, and tell nopony about this discussion." The Mayor stormed off, frustrated at her moment of weakness.

"Worth a shot." He shrugged. "Come on, Miss Doo, we've work to do."

Author's Note:

Okay so here it is, chapter 1. I've been writing this for a month now, so I hope you enjoyed it. Obviously this takes place after the Water of Mars in the Doctor's Timeline, and it's about five years after the first episode of MLP. If you found any of this awkward let me know so I can improve my writing, thanks for reading.