Chapter 7: The Doctor Dates
The Doctor was very rarely left speechless. This time he had been taken by surprise, and he was given a question that he had not been given for some time. Words jumbled in his head but none that could completely make sense of the situation before him. Below him was Octavia. She had just asked him on a date and the mare was blushing very brightly. The Doctor looked down at her still trying to process an answer. Random words blurted out of his mouth, and the final word shocked himself.
"Well uh…I don't… um… yes." The Doctor almost doubled back when the word came out of his mouth. He would have taken it back if he hadn't spotted the very big smile that appeared on Octavia's face. Octavia practically jumped for joy.
"Well that's great news," she exclaimed. "I mean, my goodness I never thought I would get this far but hearing you say yes… meet me at the ‘Grassy Knoll’ at six thirty tonight. Okay bye now." Octavia ran the opposite direction as fast as she could, presumably towards her home. She left the Doctor standing there completely stunned. He was about to chase after her but then a familiar voice called to him from behind.
"My, Doctor, it appears Octavia beat me to the punch." The Doctor looked behind him to see that the feminine voice belonged to none other than Rarity. The mischievous look on her face said a thousand words as she continued. "However, I am so glad you said yes to her. The poor dear has been racked with nerves ever since she first met you. Whenever she came by the shop she would look an absolute state." The Doctor realised something.
"So you knew about Octavia's feelings beforehand?" He asked.
"Yes I did, Doctor. Of course I learned my lesson about gossip a while back so I would've never said anything but it's so nice to see her overcoming her fears like that." The Doctor looked over to the direction that Octavia had run. It must have taken a lot for her to ask me out, he mused to himself. Another thought then came to him.
"Hold on a moment there, Rarity," the Doctor said with a smug smile. "Did you say, and I quote, 'it appears Octavia beat me to the punch.'" Despite Rarity's classy and borderline flirty nature, she found herself slightly blushing at the Doctor's point.
"Y-yes well… you see darling," Rarity stammered. She looked around before continuing. "Tell you what darling. Why don't you join me and Fluttershy for tea in an hour? I have to meet Fluttershy for our spa session and we always have some tea afterwards. I would like to talk to you about a few things while we're there. So, would you like to join us?"
An hour later the Doctor found himself in Carousel Boutique. He was sitting on a couch while opposite him was Fluttershy and Rarity who were both carefully sipping their respective cups of tea on another couch. They were in Rarity's kitchen as most of her shop was being refurbished so she had moved her couches into the kitchen while most of her work supplies were now located in her bedroom. The Doctor held a cup of tea in his hand, patiently waiting for the conversation between the three of them to turn towards his reason for being here. He didn't have to wait very long.
"Um, Doctor… I do hope you don't mind me asking but…" Fluttershy began to ask "… What brought you here today?"
"Oh that's right," Rarity suddenly remembered. "I asked you here. Sorry, I sometimes get so lost in conversation. Now you wanted to know the details about my slip of the tongue, yes?"
"Yes, that's correct," the Doctor replied with a smile.
"Well let's bring Fluttershy up to speed then." Rarity turned to Fluttershy, "You see darling, Octavia finally asked the Doctor out on a date."
"Oh she did? That's wonderful!" Fluttershy barely let her voice rise any higher than a squeak but she seemed unable to contain herself at the news which made the Doctor grin further. Fluttershy turned to the Doctor and asked, "Did you say yes? Please tell me you did?" The Doctor rubbed the back of his head as he tried to think of something to say.
"I… guess I did." Just admitting it surprised him. Even after an hour after the event it really hadn't set in for him yet. He couldn't remember the last time that he was on a date of any kind. He couldn't really count any of his adventures with his companions, not even Rose. Fluttershy suddenly looked very sad as she turned to her friend, Rarity.
"Oh, Rarity. I'm so sorry. I forgot that…" Rarity waved a dismissive hoof towards her friend.
"It's alright. It was a tiny crush. Similar to, Blueblood!" Rarity said the word Blueblood with a hint of venom in her voice. She cleared her throat and returned to her usual composure as she continued. "I will be frank with you. For a short time after meeting you, Doctor, I gained a small crush on you. However, after I discovered Octavia's feelings I decided to stand aside." Rarity had one last thought go through her mind. But I would have given you so much more than her, she mentally sighed as the Doctor asked a question.
"Is it not rather odd though?" Rarity gave him a confused look.
"Whatever do you mean dear?"
"How do I put this?" The Doctor hesitated before making his point. He rubbed his chin as he thought of the best way to put it. "Well I'm a humanoid creature while you Ponies are… no that won't work. Hang on, I've got it. Is it not rather odd for a member of your species to be dating a member of another species, especially one that looks so different?" Rarity and Fluttershy looked at each other for a moment but almost at the same time it clicked for both of them.
"I think we understand, Doctor," Fluttershy explained. "This is a little difficult to explain but my mother told me that it used to be like that, but times change." Rarity continued the explanation.
"Let me ask you something Doctor. Have you noticed something particular about this town?" The Doctor thought back to his entire time spent here but nothing really struck him as odd. Rarity gave him another hint. "Perhaps, involving the Mares and Gentlecolts?" And then it hit him like a ton of bricks.
"There are significantly more mares than stallions!" The Doctor practically shouted out his answer in a moment of excitement. He always got like this when he figured out something.
"Yes, that is correct" Fluttershy answered. "I read in a news report that the Equestrian population has a significant difference between mares and stallions. Roughly sixty percent of the population are mares, while the other forty percent are stallions." Once again, Rarity continued.
"Because of this, it is harder for mares to find a nice stallion. This caused a breakdown in prejudice against fillyfoolers and coltcuddlers and it also caused interspecies relationships to be more widely accepted." Fluttershy continued from Rarity's point.
"There was no choice in a mare and stallion relationship for many mares so Ponies kept looking for alternatives, and it appeared most were in the same boat. This is linked heavily to Equestria's peaceful policies. In fact, one of Celestia's lovers was a Griffon. Many believe that what could have been the end of our species ironically ushered in the golden age we live in today." The Doctor sat in silence while the information was being processed in his head. It all made so much sense now. Rarity added something.
"It actually used to be a lot worse. Only 200 years ago, eighty percent of the population used to be mares which many Ponies have taken as a good sign that things can only get better. Plus, it's prevented an overpopulation crisis." It made sense to the Doctor that a species that is so prosperous would have faced an overpopulation crisis by this point if not for the gender difference. It also helped add more reason to why Octavia wanted to date him. He imagined that there weren't a lot of the Stallions in this town that were single.
"Thank you for the information you two. I still wonder why she asked me of all people."
"You can't be serious Doctor?" Rarity replied. "Somepony as charming, well dressed and alluring as yourself must have many followers." The Doctor couldn't help but grin at this.
"Well not really, well not that many, well maybe a couple, well… okay perhaps a lot. I always seem to have one of those faces." Rarity cleared her throat and gently put her tea down on the table in front of her.
"Anyway, Doctor. Since Octavia is trying to court you and you've agreed to a date with her," Rarity pointed out. "Have you given much thought on what you will wear?" The Doctor looked down at what he was wearing now. He was wearing his blue suit and his brown overcoat.
"Well I was just going to wear this." Rarity suddenly looked like a fish gasping for breath. Fluttershy immediately jumped into action and gave her a paper bag to breathe into. Rarity waved a hoof in dismissal and regained her composure.
"No offence darling, but you simply can't go to a restaurant in your everyday clothes, especially with a mare to impress." The Doctor frowned slightly. Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement.
"Oh yes, Rarity is quite right. My stories say that when the hero goes on a date with the mare he's meant to be with, he has to dress up in something special." The Doctor gave Fluttershy a confused look.
Mare I'm meant to be with. I'm still going to leave Equestria and I doubt I'll suddenly go domestic in that time, he thought to himself. He chuckled at the thought of actually settling down. He had to admit some parts of settling down were quite appealing to him, but he would go mad before long. Besides, if it didn't work out he might have left the TARDIS by now. Then he would find himself the roommate of an overweight football fanatic who has feelings for his best friend. Nah, that would be silly, he assured himself The Doctor was returned to reality when he noticed that Fluttershy was hiding herself behind her mane while Rarity was giving her a confused look.
"Fluttershy, dear," She said. "Take it from a friend who knows, love is not as… romantic as they make it out in stories." A dark look then appeared on Rarity's face as she looked down at the floor at muttered something darkly. The Doctor presumed it had something to do with this Blueblood character.
"Um… Rarity?" The Doctor said trying to get the white mares attention. Rarity seemed to snap out of her dark thoughts.
"Oh, sorry everypony," she said. "So basically, I would like you to have a look at some of the suits that I have prepared upstairs."
"… You've been waiting for this haven't you?" The Doctor questioned. Rarity tried not to make eye contact with him as she dismissed this.
"Oh, pish posh darling. I was just preparing these little pieces in advance and you just so happen to have a date tonight so why not try them on?" She battered her eyes in a pleading manner. "If you like one, then you can keep it and use it on your date tonight, free of charge." The Doctor rubbed his chin, contemplating what to do but then Rarity sweetened the deal. "In fact, since they won't fit anypony else you might as well take them all, what do you say?"
The time was now six thirty on the dot, and the Doctor was just outside 'Grassy Knoll' waiting for his date to arrive. The restaurant itself looked very beautiful from the outside. It had a mix of rustic charm and civilised manner (not the snobby kind.) The outside was coloured with greens and browns and above the sign was a row of multicolored flowers. Inside the restaurant was a mix of red and black and the place was furnished with a large number of tables and a bar on the far side.
There were a few ponies enjoying their meals with one another. The Doctor recognised a couple of them from his welcome party but not all by name. He could see his faint reflection in the window and he checked out the suit he was wearing. He ended up taking one of the braver choices Rarity had given the Doctor. The suit was essentially the same design and make as his other ones, minus the pinstripes. The vest and shirt were black, along with his trousers. The tie and buttons were a dark red and his shoes were a combination of both colours. He fixed himself up a bit, making sure his tie was at the top and all his buttons were done up when he swore he saw a familiar site in the reflection. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he could see that brown stallion from before, the one Ditzy said was called Time Turner. Before he took notice, his attention was taken away by the approaching grey mare.
His date had arrived, and the Doctor had to admit, she looked stunning.
There was something about the way her dress seemed to flow from her body. It was completely black and she kept her signature bowtie on. She walked straight up to the Doctor as he went down on one knee. The Doctor quickly looked up to see if he could spot Time Turner, but nopony was with him apart from Octavia. Octavia seemed a lot more confident than this morning as she walked straight up to the Doctor with a smile.
"Did you know the last time I came to this restaurant I was performing?" she asked. "It's nice to come here as a diner for a change."
"I imagine it is," the Doctor replied. " I get this feeling that you love playing that cello more than anything, though." The Doctor extended his hand and Octavia placed her hoof in it. The Time Lord motioned towards the restaurant and asked, "Shall we?"
Octavia nodded and the pair walked silently into the restaurant. When they stepped in, a number of Ponies turned their heads to look at the pair but quickly returned to their meals. The Doctor noticed a pink mare with a flower cutie mark eating with a male Griffon. It appeared what Rarity and Fluttershy had told him was true. A waiter suddenly appeared in front of the two and immediately recognised the pair. He showed them to the only free table left in the restaurant which was in the far corner of the room.
"I see that you reserved us a table," the Doctor noted.
"Yes, my roommate booked it for me when I got home," Octavia replied. "She seemed as excited as me when I told her. Although she thought it was me and her going for a meal at first. I felt a little guilty afterwards if I'm honest." The pair sat down and were both handed a menu. As they looked over their respective menus they continued to chat.
"Really?" The Doctor asked. "Have I met her before?"
"I'm not sure actually," Octavia said. "You certainly didn't meet her at the party in your unusual home because she was in Canterlot doing a show at the time. You may have seen her around though, but she's been somewhat distant as of late." The Doctor got a bit more comfortable in his chair. The chairs were much smaller than he was used to and this made it harder for him to get comfy. He longed for his couch back at the TARDIS but he decided to get it out of his mind by asking Octavia another question.
"In what way is she becoming more distant?"
"It's hard to explain unless you know her personally. She works late because she's a DJ, but I've been seeing her less and less lately. Honestly, I've never seen Vi-"
"Excuse me, but are you two ready to order?" Octavia was interrupted by a female waitress who was ready to take the pairs order. The Doctor quickly looked over his menu and decided on something safe.
"I'll take the Caesar salad, please." He knew it likely didn't have any chicken so he would have to hope it wasn't substituted for something inedible to him. Octavia ordered a vegetable casserole and while she did this, the Time Lord opposite her couldn't help but admire the grace and elegance in which she did everything. It seemed so natural to her, like it was her own language. The Doctor had met many a being like Octavia in his very long life, but there was something that made her stick out, he just couldn't put his finger on it. The waitress left to get their orders when suddenly a mint green Unicorn appeared beside the Doctor.
"Oh my goodness, you're the Doctor, aren't you? I had heard that Tavi was trying to court you. Sorry to interrupt your date but my name is Lyra Heartstrings." The unicorn had a lyre cutie mark and a green and white mane. She stuck out her hoof and the Doctor shook it in response. "I've been meaning to talk to you for a little bit now ever since Twilight told me your universe had humans in it." Octavia facehoofed.
"Lyra, please. I'm sure the Doctor would rather just continue his meal…" Lyra cut Octavia off.
"But Tavi! He could confirm my theories at last." This caught the Doctors attention.
"Theories? You have theories on Humans? This I have to hear." Lyra stuck her tongue out at Octavia in a childish fashion and began to tell the Doctor her theory.
"You see, I believe we were not the first civilisation here on this planet. I believe that before we evolved there was a race called, 'Humans'. A humanoid race that may have not relied on magic." The Doctor questioned her on this.
"How do you know this?"
"You see I have found a number of relics. A small device with a screen and numbers and a few other things. I do not know what happened to them but…" Octavia interrupted Lyra this time to explain.
"Lyra here used to be a student at Celestia's school of gifted unicorns, but her work was dismissed as a practical joke. She quit afterwards despite Celestia taking a great interest in her theory because they wouldn't let her continue her research. Celestia was overruled by the entire board to let her continue. She lives Bon-bon, her room mate, or lover." The extra emphasis on the final word caught the Time Lords attention.
"Something I don’t know?"
"Lyra here isn't really in lo-" A green hoof was shoved in Octavia's mouth as Lyra began to shake uncontrollably. Her nose scrunched up and she started to look about. She was clearly very nervous all of a sudden.
"Oh my, look at the time," said Lyra. "I best be off, you enjoy the rest of your date you two." Lyra practically galloped away and quickly left the restaurant. It appeared that she was eating alone and had just finished and paid the bill.
"We're in the orchestra together, we've been friends for ages now. Her relationship with Bon-bon is built on pity you see. Lyra feels sorry for Bon-bon because Bon-bon is a tad, how do I put this gently? Desperate. But it won't work out and eventually Lyra we'll have to tell the truth. Some friendships are going to end that day, I promise you.” Octavia explained.
"That's a rather grim view of it," the Doctor replied.
"I know, I'm probably just overthinking it though. It’s her life after all." The two were surprised when two plates were put in front of them. Both plates had their orders.
"Well that was quick," the Time Lord remarked.
"The staff here are known for making quality food at a very quick pace." In the corner of his eye, the Doctor could see a familiar pink pony sliding into the kitchen. He shook his head and smiled, quickly realising exacting what gave this place an edge.
"I thought you said you've never eaten here before. How did you know about the staff? Was it from your performances?"
"No, it says so over there." Octavia pointed her hoof towards a sign that was hanging above the exit that read 'Our staff promise to make top quality food at the quickest pace possible to ensure your enjoyment.' When the Doctors eyes drifted away from the sign he noticed something that slightly disturbed him. Everypony in the room apart from himself and Octavia were wearing the earpieces that had been handed out this morning. They were not working yet but a dreaded familiarity floated around the earpieces. The Doctor had seen this before but it wasn't possible was it? There were no threats like that in Equestria from what he saw. Then again, there was no technology like that in Equestria, at least there wasn't meant to be.
"So how is your salad then, Doctor?" Octavia's voice found its way to the Doctor's ears. His current train of thought crashed in its place and his attention was now focused on Octavia again. He realised that he hadn't even taken a bite of his salad yet and quickly dug in. He was pleasantly surprised by the results.
"Well this does taste like Caesar salad."
"You're surprised by that? What else would it taste…" Before Octavia got a chance to finish her sentence a pair of white hooves covered her eyes. A classic game of guess who was the favourite game of one mare she knew better than anypony: Vinyl Scratch.
"Vinyl? That's you isn't it?"
"Awww, this game has become too easy for you. I need to figure out a way to spice it up." The white pony hugged her friend while the Doctor looked on in mild amusement. He noted that it seemed Octavia had a playful side to her as well. Vinyl stay focused on her friend but Octavia thought an introduction would be needed.
"Doctor, this is my roommate, Vinyl. Vinyl, this is the Time Lord everypony is talking about." The Doctor was surprised that Vinyl glared at him with disinterest and mild hint of envy.
"Yeah, whatever," Vinyl said. Venom was laced in her voice. "Anyway, Tavi. Sorry for interrupting your date but I was passing by and I just wanted you to know that I've got a last minute gig, so I'm off. Don't wait up for me, I'll probably be back tomorrow." Octavia let out a sigh, she knew better than to argue with her friend when it came to her DJ work.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then. Stay safe." The two friends hugged but the Doctor noticed something interesting about Vinyl. Apart from himself and Octavia, she was the only other pony not wearing an earpiece. Vinyl broke the hug when she caught the Doctor staring at her ear.
"What?" She asked bluntly.
"You're not wearing your earpiece."
"I know. They don't suit me is all." Vinyl looked over the Doctor one last time before making one last comment. "You remind me of somepony I know." With that, Vinyl turned and headed for the door. Her nose was held high until she left the building. The Doctor turned to Octavia with a look of confusion spread on his face as Octavia tried to explain.
"Vinyl has been a little… different lately. She's normally very friendly to everypony that she meets. I think she might be just a tad jealous." The Doctor nodded politely and continued the rest of his date with Octavia uninterrupted.
The pair now found themselves walking side by side towards Octavia's home. The cool air breeze had entered along with the night sky that twinkled and sparkled above their heads. They had talked for around an hour and a half inside the restaurant about any subject matter close to them. Music, art, technology etc. Even rumours, one story about some sort of spider creature that lived in the Everfree forest was very entertaining. It was also quite interesting to hear about different musicians from the Doctors universe that sounded very familiar to some of Octavia's heroes, like Beat hoofen which the Doctor couldn't help but snicker at. As they approached the house, the Doctor could tell that it had Octavia written all over it. It appeared small but enough size for two mares to live comfortably in. The house was black with a straw roof like most of the houses in Ponyville. The Doctor imagined it was Octavia who kept the house looking so respectable.
Vinyl's behaviour crossed his mind again, it appeared she had taken an immediate dislike to the Doctor for reasons unknown to him. Perhaps she was slightly xenophobic. but from what Rarity had told him that would have been slightly unusual in this day and age. Perhaps she thought that the Doctor was dangerous - which was a fair assumption - and she was simply looking out for her friend. Then he remembered what Octavia had told him, that she was a little jealous. Before the Doctor could think it over any further he was taken away from his thoughts by Octavia's sweet voice.
"Well it appears that we have arrived, Doctor." The Doctor felt slightly disappointed that this night was over. He had a lot of fun, which had become a constant as of late in Ponyville. "You haven't been on a date in a long time, have you?"
"No, no I haven't," the Doctor said with a hint of regret in his voice.
"Why is that?"
"My life is dangerous," he said surprisingly calmly. "Here it's been different, I have to warn you though, I'm not one to settle down. I'm a traveller." Octavia gave him a sly grin.
"Good, I've always wanted to travel." Regret started to come over the Time Lord. Tavi was too sweet, too kind and too perfect to be put in danger by him. Despite them coming from two very different social circles, Tavi seemed a lot like Rose in a way. sweet, yet naive to the dangers of the universe. In the short time the Doctor knew her, he wanted to protect her.
"Do you know how old I am?" The Doctor asked. Octavia shook her head. "I'm over 900 years old." This visibly shocked the musician for a moment before she returned to her normal composure. The Doctor got on one knee so the pair were face to face. "I'm cursed to live forever. I don't die, I just regenerate. It's the Time Lords curse. Truthfully, I can only regenerate one more time, but I will far outlive you. Imagine having someone you love and watching them slowly decay in front of your eyes…" Before he could continue, Octavia's hoof found its way onto the side of the Doctor's face. Their eyes met under the door of Octavia's house.
"The thing you really want and the thing you need are one in the same in this case," Octavia said, soft as a whisper. "You need somepony. Don't kid yourself into thinking you don't." Before the Doctor could counter her point, Octavia leaned in and gave the Doctor a kiss on the cheek. Clearly Octavia was not the shy mare the Doctor had met this morning. "Goodnight, Doctor." Octavia quickly turned towards the door and entered her house, closing it quickly behind her. The Doctor stayed there for a moment on his knee, he couldn't keep the smile from forming in his face.
---
Meanwhile…
Princess Celestia was patiently listening to her subject, Archetype. Usually Luna would be here since she handled the midnight court; however she was being… sorted out. The throne room was empty beside the two ponies presently talking. Archetype was currently petitioning Princess Celestia to take down her masts as he found them an eyesore, they were unnatural, they scared some of the citizens, blah, blah, blah, blah, and then there was something he said that caught Celestia's attention.
"… and if that wasn't bad enough your majesty, I have discovered that there may be something sinister about the antennas that you were not aware of."
"Oh really?" She replied with genuine curiosity. The earpiece told her that she should ask what. "Whatever is it, my little pony?"
"Well I've been studying the frequency of the earpiece you've given me. They are all linked but on a deeper level than I expected. The information does not only go to the subconscious, it can control the subconscious. The right pony could use the antennas to have a mindless hoard to do with whatever they pleased." Celestia nodded and replied calmly.
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Archetype. While you are here though, I would like to introduce you to the new guard."
"New guard?"
"Yes, you see Shining Armour and Candance have been sent to investigate some magical disturbance far from here, and while he's been gone I've taken it upon myself to strip him of his title and commission an entirely new guard." The stunned Archetype looked on as Celestia called to somepony behind the door. "Please, if you would be so kind as to come in and deal with this problem." Suddenly the door burst open with tremendous force and two figures started to make their way towards the trembling Stallion. Terrified thoughts went through his head as the figures got closer and closer and in a barely coherent babble the pony asked.
"What? What are they?" Celestia then replied quite sweetly.
"My little Pony, these Gentlecolts will show you the door… deaths door." Archetype didn't even have time to scream before a hand grabbed his shoulder and an electric current went through his tiny body. In moments he was on the ground, dead. Celestia looked towards the figures and gave instructions.
"Dispose of the body and forward the plans. We will activate the antennas in Canterlot tomorrow. Place the city under lockdown and then send out crews to set the other antennas up all around Equestria.” The figures responded by tightening their hands into fists and slamming them against their chests.
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Wait, they have hands..?
Here come the Cybermen.
dun dun duuuuuun! DELETE! DELETE! UPGRADE!
Here come the cyberponies
lol
2348087 Hey, I'm assuming you are enjoying the story but it appears you haven't favourited or liked it. Just thought I'd bring it to your attention
The information does not only go to the subconscious, it can control the subconscious.
wut?
So we have Cybermen and if The Doctor doesn't do something fast we'll have Cyberponies... I thought the show says their tech is only compatible with humans? Oh well, shits just hit the fan.
yay
cyberponies!
i wonder if mickie and rose travel through the crack as well and help them destroy the siberponie factory... again
What about the Cybersheep then? If Cybermen tech is only compatible with humans how can there be Cybersheep?
2349526 commenting on yur avatar
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/d6/46/c7/d646c783d4cf9711990710282cfd6066.jpg
2348087 cybermen
HAND
...Celestia.....is the arch villian!? didnt see that one coming