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Doctor Who: Equestria needs a Doctor

by Infinite Carnage

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: This Song is Ending, but the Story Never Ends

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Time has a way of moving agonisingly slowly and moving incredibly fast when we least expect it. Octavia felt like every second was as long as a minute right now. What she had witnessed was something she was having great difficulty comprehending. The Time Lord she had been falling for, now had a pony Time Lord clone, and he was hot! Although she would never say it out loud, she immediately felt an attraction towards the the other Doctor. She had mentally berated herself for this, and all the while, Vinyl had left a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

After five minutes of both Doctor’s attempting to explain what had happened, the Princesses said they had to leave to help assure the country and the other civilisations that everything was fine. Princess Celestia had kept her word though, and gave Twilight and everypony present a brief summary of what had occurred in Canterlot. As soon as it was over, they disappeared in a flash of light.

Both Doctor’s, to the surprise of the ponies present, claimed that they had to discuss some things so they asked everypony for some privacy. Octavia was reluctant to leave but did as she was asked anyway, assuming her Doctor must have been under a lot of stress. Twilight said that she should assure the towns ponies that everything would be fine and update all of them on what’s happened. The other elements and Spike followed her out, eager to assist their friend. Ditzy was anxious to see her daughter who she had left in the care of some friends. She too excused herself which left Vinyl and Octavia alone in Twilights kitchen. The two had remained in silence for some time until Vinyl broke the ice.

“So, do you think the new Doc is hot?”

“Vinyl! That is not appropriate,” scolded Octavia whose face felt a lot warmer.

“Yeah, I thought so. Don’t worry about it Tavi, everything will turn out fine.”

“Are you sure about that Vinyl? I’m now more confused than ever. Are they really the same?”

“You’re confused if they both have feeling about you, huh?”

“Yes, that would complicate matters greatly. But something just occurred to me.” She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts before continuing. “The Doctor told me the reason he was still here was because his TARDIS wouldn’t allow him to leave. He believed it was because it knew if he left, he would not be able to prevent some sort of catastrophe. It has been prevented now, so he has no reason to stay anymore.” Vinyl shook her head in disagreement.

“Course he has a reason to stay, he’s got you.”

“Yes, but he’s had a lot of ‘people,’ and it nearly always ends in the same way. He left them behind. I think I’m doomed to join a long list of rejects.”

“Hey! You are not a reject, don’t say that about yourself. He’d be crazy if he just up and left you of all ponies. Heck, I’d rut you right here.”

“…Um, thank you Vinyl, I think.” Vinyl grabbed both of Octavia’s hoofs and walked her over to the nearest mirror so she could gaze at her own reflection. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but one thing I do know is that you will not be alone. You got me and your parents, heck, you got all of our friends. You’re going to be fine Tavi, I just know it.” Octavia looked into her best friends eyes and gave her a hug.

“Thank you Vinyl, I think you might be right.” The pair broke their hug when they heard a door creak open. They turned to the direction of the sound to find the TARDIS door slightly ajar. They couldn’t see anypony, but a voice beckoned to Octavia.

“Tavi, may I see you for a moment?” It was the Doctor’s voice. Octavia urgently responded.

“Yes, of course Doctor, just give me a moment.” The door was left open for her to enter.

“Well, looks like he wants to a have a private chat with you,” Vinyl said with a wink. Octavia stifled a groan but couldn’t help but facehoof. “Well, I’m going to check on our place. I wanna make sure the girls are alright.”

“You mean the bass cannons, don’t you?”

“And your instruments too. Good luck Tavi.” Vinyl gave Octavia one last hug before swiftly trotting out of the room. Octavia stared blankly at her friend as she left the library. There was nothing stopping her except herself. She took a deep breath and prepared for the worst. She gently pushed the blue door open and trotted into the impossibly big ship.

What she saw was not what she expected. Instead of the tall, lanky Time Lord, she saw the short equine Doctor who was now wearing a brown overcoat that was far too big for him. He was fiddling with some buttons on the TARDIS console. He seemed a little annoyed at the overcoat, probably frustrated that it didn’t fit him correctly anymore. His face brightened up though when the device in the glass centre began to move up and down.

“Fantastic, she’s working again,” cried the Time Lord. “Welcome back sexy.” Octavia’s face turned red as a tomato.

“Oh, Doctor, I didn’t know you-” The Doctor turned around to face the new voice.

“Oh, Octavia, I didn’t hear you come in. Sorry, I was talking to my TARDIS.” Octavia’s eyes opened wide in realisation, her face somehow became a darker shade of red. “Hmm, it appears I’ll have to ask Rarity to make me some more clothes. None of my current outfits fit me anymore.”

“Oh, I see. Um… did you call for me?” A familiar smile fell on the Doctor’s face.

“That’s right. I wanted to talk to you.”

“Right, well I don’t know if that is appropriate. I have a coltfriend right now and-”

“-That’s me. I’m the Doctor.”

“I understand that you’re one Doctor, but you’re not my Doctor. In all honesty, I’m still not a hundred percent convinced that you’re the same Doctor.” The Doctor shook his head and trotted over to the Canterlot native.

“Tavi, it’s me, literally. Same man, now a pony. A Time Lord to be precise.” He took one of her hoofs and pressed it against his ribcage. Tavi was reluctant at first, but made no real attempt to stop him. Then she felt a heartbeat. It was a sign that he was real, but it became a confirmation he really was a Time Lord when he moved her hoof to the other side of his chest. She could then feel another heartbeat. Octavia pulled away, almost determined to deny it.

“Alright then, if you are him, tell me something that I confided in you,” she said with a firm nod.

“You play the Cello.”

“Everypony knows that.”

“You love bowties, so much in fact that you have insisted that I should start wearing one.”

“True, but you’ll have to do better than that.”

“Alright then, here we go. Your roommate is Vinyl Scratch. You met her years ago at music school. Despite your clashing tastes in music, the two of you became fast friends and the pair of you moved to Ponyville after graduating. One notable story you told me is how Vinyl enjoys cleaning the dishes with wubs. She began to develop feelings for you, but you only saw her as a friend so you had to let her down gently, which resulted in her storming out of your home and encountering Ditzy and her Doctor for the first time. Only today did you discover that Vinyl is a vampire.”

“Both of your parents are Unicorns, but due to an Earth pony bloodline from your mother’s side of the family, you were born as you were. Despite this, your parents have shown you nothing but love and support throughout your life. Your dream is to become a full time member of the royal Canterlot symphonic orchestra. Despite playing with them a few times, you have yet to become a full member. This has frustrated you as you are of the opinion that you are far better than the majority of the musicians there, and you believe it boils down to a race issue.”

“Finally, let’s talk about our relationship,” the Doctor took a deep breath before continuing. “We met for the first time at my welcoming party, but you saw me for the first time when I stepped outside of Twilight;s library the first day I arrived here. You developed an odd attraction to me, despite my bizarre appearance. Over the short time I was here a friend of yours, Lyra if I remember correctly, convinced you to confess your feelings which you did in the form of a written letter. With some help, I figured out who wrote it and confronted you on it. This was just before they started to hand out the earplugs for the first time. You asked me out on that same day, and on instinct, I answered yes. We had a good meal, and that was where I met Vinyl for the first. She was cautious of me due my similarities to the other Doctor. Over the period of time we dated, your feelings and your attraction grew because you like my intelligence, charm and wit. You also enjoyed my uniqueness, while others would have pushed me away because of it. At the same time… I developed feelings for you as well. Your grace and kindness always made me feel comfortable around you. When I was with you, I felt at home.”

Octavia felt her heart melt in her chest. There was no way of denying it any further, this pony was indeed the Doctor. The same Doctor. She tried to find the right words, but her throat closed up and tiny droplets began to form in her eyes. She was more confused than ever. She now felt like she cared for both Time Lord’s. How could she pick between two beings who were destined to leave her behind? At that moment, the other Doctor entered the room from the TARDIS corridor.

“Octavia, I’m afraid I have to return to my own universe,” he started, “and I have to close up the hole between our worlds, which means I won’t ever see you again.”

Octavia felt like she had been slapped in the face. Reality dawned on her that this was always going to happen to her, unless the TARDIS had truly died. She didn’t know what to say, the words she wanted to articulate never left her mouth. She just stood there with her mouth agape and her head pointed downwards.

“However, my friend there has other plans.” Then, a glimmer of hope shot through the cello player. The Time Lord was pointing at his counterpart.

“There is one difference between myself and the other Doctor,” explained the equine Doctor, “it’s how we feel about you. My feelings appear to be… stronger.” Octavia was surprised to hear this. Was that really true? “Due to my new form and for other reasons, myself and the Doctor have agreed that I should stay in this universe,” he finished with a genuine smile.

Octavia practically tackled the Doctor in a hug having lost all control of her emotions. In one instant she had felt utter despair, and now a new hope. She would be with the Doctor, just not the one she was expecting. It didn’t matter though, because to her, he was the same Time Lord. Then, she planted her lips on his. It was a short kiss, but enough to shock the Doctor. The other Doctor who was looking on couldn’t help but smirk, despite the small tinge of jealousy he felt inside. When Octavia broke the kiss, it suddenly dawned on her what she did and backed off the equine Doctor while blushing furiously.

“Well that was… um… that was… I seemed to get kissed a lot lately,” concluded the Doctor who was still lying on his back. Octavia, despite her embarrassment, suddenly realised something.

“I just realised. When the other Doctor leaves, you won’t be able to use the TARDIS again, will you?”

“Not quite Tavi,” the Time Lord countered while getting back to his hoofs. “Do you remember what happen to the Master's TARDIS?”

“Um, if I recall correctly, Princess Celestia sent it… OH!”

“That’s right, it should be where the Master had previously parked it. Could you do me a favour a check if it’s still there?” Octavia nodded her head and gave the Doctor another hug. She quickly trotted out of the TARDIS, leaving the two time travellers inside.

“I will miss this TARDIS,” muttered the Time Lord who was gently stroking the console. His counterpart didn’t say anything as he continued to check on the time machine. “You had me lie to her y’know. Were the same, despite our appearance.”

“I know, this is just easier," replied the taller Doctor. “I have to leave, Octavia believes your feelings are stronger and she settles for you, everybody, or rather everypony, wins.”

“Except you. I can’t help but feel you’re getting the short end of the stick. There’s no one waiting for you over there, while I get an entire town of ponies that care about me. Everybody does not win. You lose.”

The other Time Lord inhaled a deep breath before talking any further. He was beginning to wonder why he was even going back. What was waiting for him? Then he remembered something that Octavia had said about him during the time when they dated.

“Octavia once told me that I was a hero. I didn’t understand how she could see me as that after all the beings that I’ve killed. She told me that despite that, I’ve saved billions more if my stories are true. Maybe she’s right, maybe my universe needs me, and maybe, this universe needs a Doctor as well.” The other Doctor didn’t need to say anything. He could only smile at his counterpart’s realisation. Before they continued to work, the pony Doctor made a suggestion.

“I know that you’re considering the possibility of leaving now when no one’s about, but Pinkie was planning a party. I think they all deserve a proper farewell.”


One week later…

If there was anything anypony could agree on about Equestria, is that the country could recover remarkably easily. In a matter of days, all the damage that had been caused by the cybermen and the Master had been cleaned up, and Equestria was at peace again. The same could not be said for the Monarchy’s approval ratings. Despite it not falling under seventy five per cent, and the majority of the population believing that Celestia had been under the cybermen’s control, many were questioning if the Princesses were still up to the task of protecting the country. The elements had saved everypony since Nightmare Moon's return, and Chrysalis getting the upper hand on Celestia was viewed by nearly every noble present at the royal wedding. Needless to say, it would take some time for the Princesses to recover in the face of the media, Celestia especially. Their approval hasn’t been lower in nearly six hundred years.

Meanwhile, the search for the Master’s body had turned up no results. It was if he had vanished without a trace, or his body was disintegrated in the blast. He was declared dead, but both Doctor’s knew better than that. Luna shared their belief and ordered her guards to keep a constant eye out for the rogue Time Lord. The Doctor’s role in stopping the Cybermen was, to his surprise, discovered by the media. Nopony knew for sure how, but many ponies had heard the tale of the pony in the blue box that could travel in time and space so it was likely that the press made the connection. The pony Doctor thought it would be best to lay low for a while, but the call of a Pinkie Pie party had drawn him to said event, along with the other Doctor. There were three reasons for the party. The first was to celebrate the defeat of the cybermen. The second was to welcome the now pony Doctor. And the last was to say farewell to the Doctor. Today would be his last day in Equestria.

It was actually a small party, per the Doctor’s request. The partiers were both Doctor’s, the Elements of Harmony, Vinyl, Octavia, Ditzy and of course, Spike. Even the Princesses, despite how busy they were supposed to be, made an appearance just before the Time Lord prepared to leave. The party itself had been short and in reality it was more of a farewell than a celebration. Pinkie had organised everypony into a line so the Doctor could say goodbye to each in turn. First it would be the princesses, then Spike, the elements, Ditzy, Vinyl, Octavia and finally, the other Doctor. The time had come to finally bid farewell. The Doctor started with Celestia.

“Princess Celestia, it was a pleasure to meet the mare herself,” he said as he vigorously shook her hoof.

“The pleasure was mine, Doctor. And thank you for saving us.”

“I just want you to know one thing,” the Doctor said firmly so he had her full attention. “I’m nearly as old as you. I’ve seen evil rulers, dictators, corrupt politicians and monstrous gods. I know for a fact that you’re nothing like them. You are a good ruler, don’t let anyone, or anypony, tell you otherwise.” Celestia would later tell Twilight she really needed to hear that more than anything after recent events. It was the first time in that entire week she felt good as a ruler. The Doctor moved on to Luna next.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for all that you’ve suffered. I’m sure your son would be proud of you.” Luna bowed her head before speaking.

“They say time heals all wounds. It appears I’ll have to wait a little longer to be fully healed. My poor Carnage Moon, how could I treat him so? At first I treated him like a mother should, but over the years, the more Nightmare Moon took over, the more I treated him more like solider than a son.”

“That may well be true, so learn from that mistake. Allow it to make you stronger.” Luna nodded with a smile. The Doctor merely gave spike a low five and a thank you for the food before moving to Applejack. “You got me good the first time we met, do you remember?” Applejack snickered at the memory.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Lookin back, hogtying ya might have been goin too far.” Applejack stuck out her hoof and the Doctor shook it. “It was a pleasure meetin ya, sugar cube.” The Doctor went on to Fluttershy next. As soon as the Doctor got on one knee, Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around him in a hug that the Doctor returned.

“Please, be safe,” Fluttershy whispered.

“I’ll try,” he replied. As Fluttershy wiped away her inevitable tears, the Doctor came to Rarity.

“What do you think of your counterpart’s clothes darling?” she asked. The Doctor looked over to the other Doctor who was wearing an exact copy of the Doctors clothes, only smaller. Most of the Time Lord’s former attire was in the Master’s TARDIS, but that didn't stop Rarity from adding her own designs to the Doctor’s infinite wardrobe.

“Très magnifique,” he replied with a wink.

“Now do be careful darling. I wish I could design more clothes for you, if only there was more time.”

“It’s fine Rarity, you’ve already done more than enough.” The Doctor gave her a quick hug as well. Pinkie Pie was next, and her usually curly mane was now disturbingly straight.

“Will I ever see you again?” asked a teary eyed Pinkie. The Doctor couldn’t say it; he could only shake his head. Pinkie hung her head in disappointment, but the Doctor lifted in back up with his finger so they were eye level.

“Pinkie, I’ve been to many places and many parties, but there is no party like a Pinkie Pie party.” Pinkies mane suddenly came back to life and a familiar smile was plastered on her face. She shot up and hugged the Doctor around his neck which he happily returned it. When he put her down, he came over to a surprisingly depressed Rainbow Dash.

“I’m afraid I have to go Miss future Wondebolt. You pack a hell of punch though,” he said with a smirk. The flood gates broke on Dash’s eyes as she hugged the Time Lord. The usually proud Rainbow Dash had been brought to a snivelling wreck.

“You’re a jerk you know that,” she mumbled. “You better not die out there.” The Doctor put her down and gave her a hoofbump as Dash tried to return to her usually ‘awesome’ persona. The Doctor moved onto the final element, magic.

“Well, it’s certainly been interesting, Doctor. I think I’ve learned something about friendship today.” The Doctor was very curious about this.

“What did you learn Twilight?”

“That we all have to say goodbye to our friends someday, and it can one of hardest things we’ll ever do.” Nothing else was said as the pair hugged each other. The Doctor thought back to the show and knew that one day Twilight would become an Alicorn. If she became immortal because of it, then she really would have to say goodbye to her friends one day as well. She would be cursed with immortality, just like him. Ditzy was the next in line.

“I’m sorry about your Doctor. I know you two were close.” Instead of a frown, Ditzy had a small smile on her face.

“Honestly, I think I’m over it. He wasn’t my Doctor anymore, he died in the Time War. I’ll try and remember him as he was before all this. Thank you for stopping him. If you hadn’t, I never would have returned to my little muffin.” The two shook hand to hoof. Vinyl’s face was expressionless as the Doctor approached. Vinyl sucked in some air before speaking.

“I’m sorry,” she began. “I was wrong about you and it wasn’t fair of me to take out my problems on you. That isn’t cool.”

“Apology accepted,” the Doctor replied with sincerity. The pair shook. Vinyl left the Doctor with one last message.

“Look after yourself, Doc. I don’t need to tell you this, but it’s a dangerous universe out there.” The Doctor finally came to Octavia.

Neither of them really knew how to start. Both parties had prepared and thought over what they would say at this moment, but now they were here, neither of them really knew what to say. The awkward silence continued for several seconds before Octavia finally remembered that she had something to give the time traveller.

“Doctor, I have a farewell gift for you. Something to remember me by.” She picked up the small item she had left on the ground and handed it to the Time Lord. It was a brown bowtie. It made perfect sense for her to give this to him, but he was surprised how much he liked it. It was almost definitely one of Rarity’s creations and the quality really showed. The Doctor felt an immediate fondness for the article of clothing. He made a mental note to keep a hold of it. Maybe sometime soon he’ll be drawn to wear it on a more permanent basis.

“Thank you, Tavi. I really like it.” Octavia wrapped her hooves around the Doctor for their final hug.

“I’m really going to miss you,” whispered Octavia as she gave the Doctor a light kiss on the cheek. “If only things had been different.”

“If only things had been different,” repeated the Time Lord. The pair reluctantly broke the hug and the Doctor turned to the last pony, his counterpart.

“Look after her,” he told him, “look after all of them.”

“I will,” replied the Doctor as he wrapped his foreleg around Tavi’s.

With that, the last of the goodbyes had been said, and the Doctor finally had to go. He slowly walked over to the ancient machine standing tall in Twilight's library and turned the lock. He looked over at the sad faces of his friends one last time, knowing full well that he would never see them again. Before he left, he gave them some parting words.

“Well, it’s time I went on another adventure. Allon-sy!” and with that, the door slammed shut, and a moment later, the large blue box began to fade in and out of existence. A rush of wind and the familiar sound of the TARDIS filled the room as the ponies struggled to keep eye contact on the blue box. The tears began to fall down Octavia’s face when the TARDIS completely disappeared from their reality. She found comfort on the shoulder of the Doctor. Her Doctor now.


After the Doctor departed, Pinkie Pie attempted to cheer everypony up with little success. The Princesses claimed they had to return to their work so they swiftly departed. Twilight had decided to look at her time spell again for reasons unknown even to her. The rest of the friends mingled with each other, but couldn’t simply leave the subject of the departing Time Lord. It made the pony Doctor feel strange. He was here, yet they were saying farewell. It only made the Doctor more adamant that what he would have to do next would be the right thing.

In the end, everypony returned to their normal lives, or as normal as it gets in Ponyville. Applejack continued to work on the farm, Rainbow Dash continued to do her tricks, much to the delight of Scootaloo, Rarity dedicated her next line of clothing to the Doctor, Pinkie soon cheered up and was hopping about the town like she regularly did, Ditzy became Ponyville’s mailmare once more, including the crashes that came with her job and condition, Vinyl had gotten a new gig and Octavia was soon to become a member of the Canterlot symphonic orchestra as of yesterday. However, her dream job came at a price.

The Doctor and Octavia entered the Master’s old TARDIS so they could look over her again. In reality, the Doctor was the one who did the work and Octavia stood at the side while they chatted about random things. The TARDIS had quickly warmed up to the Time Lord quickly and had no objection of being used by the new Doctor. Both the Doctor and Octavia had something to say, but neither of them knew how to say it. To Octavia, the situation was reminiscent of just moments ago when Tavi had to say goodbye to the other Doctor. Just like last time, she decided to come out and just say it.

“Me and Vinyl are moving back to Canterlot,” she stated bluntly. The Doctor immediately stopped what he was doing and stared at her blankly for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

“You’ve been accepted into the orchestra,” he concluded with a smile.

“You remembered,” she replied happily. “I got the letter the other day. Next week I’ll be a full time member. This means we have to move but since most of Vinyl’s gigs are in Canterlot, she isn’t bothered by it at all.”

“That’s fantastic! You’ll be doing what you’ve always dreamed of doing.”

“Exactly, and you can bring your TARDIS as well-”

“… I’m not coming.” The words knocked shook Octavia to the core. There was no sign of it being a joke on the Doctor’s face or his tone of voice. “I mean I’m not coming just yet, I still have something to do.”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand. Do you not want to come?” The Doctor took Octavia's hoof in his hoof and began to explain.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a little while now. I need to first understand my transformation and what has changed for me. To understand this, I need to go out there.” He point towards the roof of the TARDIS with his free hoof. Octavia knew what he meant. He meant outer space.
“Despite the similarities between my Time Lord’s and my counterparts Time Lord’s, I’m willing to bet there are a few differences. I’ve got to know about these differences. I may have the same mind, but a very different body. A body that is alien to even me. The answers aren’t on this planet.”

“Do you mean it could be dangerous?”

“I doubt it, considering how much time the Master spent with ponies. But I have to confirm if the change was truly flawless or if there some sort of catch. I changed what species I am. That’s not exactly an easy thing to pull off. I should know since I had to do it before.”

“So you’ll be gone for a short while, that’s no problem…”

“… That’s not all though.” Octavia was interrupted again by the Doctor who walked over to the TARDIS console. “I’m going to be travelling for a little while.”

“B-b-but I…”

“I’m not leaving you,” the Doctor said firmly. “This is just something I have to do. I can’t explain it in all honesty. All I know is that I’m coming back for you, no matter what. I have a time machine remember?”

“That’s true but… I’m coming with you.” The statement was so sudden that it was evident that it was a last minute decision and Octavia wasn’t thinking clearly.

“Octavia, you can’t…”

“WHY!? Am I not good enough!? Is that all I am to you? Some toy you throw away when you’re done playing with me? I thought you loved me.” The last sentence stung the Doctor greatly. He knew there was only one way to salvage this now. He quickly closed the distance between them and kissed the mare on the lips. It was short, but sweet, and silenced Octavia who now had a red blush on her cheeks.

“No, you’re perfect. Honestly, you are the only thing that is making this so difficult. I can’t tell you the full reason I’m leaving, but I swear to you, I will come back… I love you.” Those final words were all she needed to be satisfied.

“I love you too.” They had one last kiss. This one was more passionate, more perfect than the other two before. When they broke it, they came head to head as their voices lowered to a whisper.

“I can’t convince you to stay, can I?” she asked.

“No.”

“You’re going to leave as soon as I leave, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Look after yourself my love. Swear to me that you’ll return.”

“I swear.”

Octavia turned away from the Doctor and practically bolted out of the door. She knew if she didn’t, she’d force herself to stay. As soon as she got out, she heard the whooshing noise of the TARDIS leaving. She didn’t look back. She couldn’t bear to watch two lovers leave her in one day. She could only pray the Doctor would keep his word and come back for her. But how many times has he promised that before and never saw it through? She trotted out of the alleyway and into the sunshine. At the very least, she still had a future, thanks to the Time Lord she loved.

Next Chapter: Epilogue - A League Unlike any Other Estimated time remaining: 9 Minutes
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