Series:
My Little Galaxy
Saga Zero:
TARDIS Academy for Gifted Tots
Chapter Interlude 1:
Doctor Whooves Past:
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A/N:
The End of each Episode will have a Flashback of Doctor Whooves life, progressing how he changed from the sad sack he was in the First Act, to the Bubbly headmaster.
This Chapter is inspired by "Doctor Whooves and Assistant" & "Doctor Whooves Adventures" on YouTube, and "Love Struck Derpy" on Tumblr. As well as Ponyfinder's "From the Ashes" campaign setting.
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Mouthy... was exhausted. Power training was sure hard work. Regardless, Mouthy wasn't particularly interested in playing videogames, like he was told. Sure, he liked videogames, but he had just met the Doctor. The little boy was bouncing with excitement, wanting to learn more about him.
The child went to his trunk and turned the dial, by the lock, to 42. Opening up the trunk, he found 2 rows of books. They were different shades of blue, each representing a different Doctor's TARDIS. Koto-Sensei had given the boy these treasured books years ago... and Mouthy hadn't come close to learning all their secrets. He hadn't even scratched the surface of 0.0000001%
They were the entire lives of each Doctor. His very memories, and that of his companions, stored into tomes. A copy of each of the regenerations conciousness. The pages were blank but if you wrote in it, that Doctor would answer. He would answer anyone, giving comfort and advice but mostly just telling bad jokes (There was no question where that flower got it's sense if humor).
However, to a treasured few, the Doctor's Journals could choose to show off their adventures. The books hardly ever did that. There were plenty of audio dramas, cartoons, tv shows, comics, novels, nearly all of the Doctor's adventures were officially recorded by the Yokai in some form. No, these journals were different. They were meant for the Doctor to part his wisdom... the word of a god, even from before he became a god.
The 13th Doctor, after saving Demon World from being cast into the void by the other gods, left the original copies of these journals in the care of the demon king. He used them to create new laws, such as no eating Higher Animals or above. Well that could have resulted in the starvation of Demon World... the Doctor created farms that grew meat from plants, charging specific Yokai to ration out the food to the starving creatures... those chosen for such by the Doctor eventually became priest. They started giving out copies of the Doctor's journals, and managing the protection of the Refugee planets the Doctor created.
It wasn't long after that, that the Yokai's admiration turned to flat out worship. The Journals shaped Demon world into a less savage place. Yokai are still very violent, but they don't go around eating Sapient Creatures anymore... that includes each other...
Koto didn't like it, but these journals were the reason Mouthy didn't think of the Doctor as divine. If these books were really the Doctor's thoughts then it was obvious he didn't like to be considered as such. He was simply one creature, with a techno magic wand, bumbling through the universe, helping where he could... a mad man... in a box... Just doing the right thing for no other reason then because it was right... and asking nothing in return... the Doctor was not Divine. He was something so much more special then a god... he was a hero...
Mouthy spent many nights, writing in the books, just telling the Doctors about his day. He mostly wrote to the War Doctor... for some reason feeling a special connection with him. But he also wrote to the 10th, 11th, 1st, 4th, and 12th regenerations. Mouthy tended to stick to the mortal Doctor's, as he felt they were more relatable.
Years ago, when Koto Sensei first started teaching them, the Kitsune had taken them to the temple in Demon World. To see which books might choose them and they could get their copies.
Traditionally, when a Yokai was born, they were placed on a pedestal in the temple. There, the orginal books would read the child, and decide amongst themselves which copy of what Doctor would be given to them. From then on, that Doctor Journal would be the child's confidant and guide.
Koto-Sensei had been really mad when the Smart Brothers started studying under him, and he learned their mother never taken them to get a journal. He chose to correct that immediately, as in right that second, without even consulting dad.
Normally, the Yokai children are only chosen by 2 books, one of the Mortal Doctor's conciousness, and another of the Celestial Doctors. But when Mouthy stood before them... the books kinda... freaked out. They all demanded to go with the boy, saying something about Mouthy being a "Metagamer"... but the books never did explain what they meant by that...
The important thing was, Book Smart was all kinds of jealous, which was a nice change of pace. Mouthy wasn't as clever, or athletic, as his brother... nor his cousins. They were all certified geniuses, no joke. The family wasn't called "Smart" for nothing... but Mouthy wasn't all that clever. He had to work his butt off to learn anything and he was still behind other Yokai his age. He might love magical crafts... but he wasn't very good at them...
By all accounts he was a failure... okay, maybe not THAT bad, but it certainly felt that way when compared to the rest of his family... it was nice all the Doctor Books wanted him... but part of him wondered if they did that because of how desperately he needed help... Koto-Sensei assured him it was because he was special, but he reframed from telling how. He promised he would when the colt kit was older.
As Mouthy looked at his books, he noticed one of them started vibrating. That meant it wanted to talk. Mouthy bit his lip... it was the last book of the second row... the 41st regeneration... the 42nd face... The last ever recorded Doctor... the one that was supposed to destroy the multiverse.
Mouthy didn't want anything to do with that book, he hadn't even opened it to learn what that regeneration looked like. The Colt kit normally did his best to avoid that book... something about it... scared him... like on an instinctual level. The other Doctors were fine, even cool, but that book... All he knew was something about that book was worthy of fear.
Still Koto insisted all the books just wanted to help him... they were the Colt kit's guides, including the scary one.
Mouthy gulped, but tried to honor his Sensei, by seeing what that book wanted. Picking it up, the cover was warm in his paws. Like a plate with a hot meal freshly placed on it. Mouthy took in a breath, steeling himself for whatever it had to say, before opening the book. A gust of wind surrounded him.
Dropping the book, Mouthy tried to run, but the wind was too strong. He dug his claws into the stone floor, but could only shudder at the sound of scraping nails while he was dragged closer to the book. He let out a scream as his body started to be sucked into the pages, all the while his claws scratched at the floor. With one last pull, he was forced to let go, hurling deep into the pages.
He saw the Headmaster, stepping before Celestia, all those hundreds of years ago, and demanding to be sealed. Mouthy watched as the Doctor became this Clockwork. A completely ordinary pony... if you ignore the fact he was a revolutionary inventor being raised by an Alicorn. Mouthy watched as the Doctor was forced back awake... and Clockwork faded into a memory. Then the colt kit watched the aftermath.
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● Flashback,
right after the TARDIS left the battle for Ponyville.
The Doctor refused to look at Derpy... it was cruel, even by his standards, to allow her on the TARDIS. She was convinced he was still her husband, and not willing to leave his side... she actually had been trying to get his attention, wanting him to notice her.
It had been a week since she came onboard and he couldn't help but see her growing more and more desperate to see something of Clockwork in him. The most painful moments for her where when she did see Clockwork coming out in the Doctor's mannerisms and phrases... those just gave her false hope.
The Doctor couldn't help but sigh... as Ditzy was walking around in shoulder length socks, the pony equivalent of a cocktail dress... regardless, she was using the socks to skate around the smooth floors of the TARDIS. She claimed that is all she was doing... that there was nothing deeper to it, and that the Doctor should lighten up and sock-skate with her...
"Miss Do-" he began, only for Ditzy to immediately stop and glare at him.
"You did that on purpose!" Derpy accused, getting far too close to him. She clearly expected him to pin his ears and lower his head, like a good submissive Stallion that knew he had done wrong. However the Doctor just rolled his eyes. That might have been something Clockwork, like any Stallion of Equus Prime, would have done when the head of the family got that tone, but Ditzy needed to get it through her head. He wasn't Clockwork. He wasn't nearly as silly or meek... although he did have Clockworks love of tinkering, and was finding he could be just as blunt and rebellious against the status quo, but those were things all Doctors had.
Regardless, the Doctor pretended he didn't know what she was talking about, "Pardon?" he spoke the words in an almost bored tone.
"You know full well Clockwork hated calling me 'Miss Do'. The only reason you decided to call me that was to distance yourself from him."
The Doctor just stared at her... it was troubling how well she could see through him. He gave another sigh, "I'm just trying to make this easier on you."
"Well don't!"
The Doctor stared at her, "Very well, think of it like this. Your husband is dead." before she could protest, the Doctor raised a hoof to stop her. "I am more along the lines of a reincarnation. We share the same soul, but we aren't the same person, errr pony. Yes we have some similarities, but the subtleties that make up our personalities, everything that MATTERS is completely different. The moments when you look at me, and see your husband, is nothing more then an echo of a past life.
"Even if, in my case, I recall everything that happened to him. I share the same memories, but I perceive them differently. I feel about them... differently... and despite how Clockwork felt about you... I don't love you..." He informed, presenting it as cold hard fact.
She looked crushed by his cruel description of it, but he held firm... dispite his chosen name... the Doctor had always been cruel...
"I can't give you what you want... Miss Do. I am a reincarnation of your husband. Clinging to me is unhealthy, and shameful to Clockwork's memory."
"... I guess you don't believe in 'soulmates'?" Derpy tried.
"Frankly, the idea that peo- errr ponies, could be such victims of Destiny that even their lovers are chosen for them... no, I don't find that thought comforting."
Ditzy lowered her head.
"... I am old. I know you playfully enjoyed calling Clockwork a 'Cradle Robber' but I am millions of years your senior... I'm not even mortal anymore... there are stars younger then me... I am a grumpy old man that wants to sit in his box. The only joy I expect is to wave my cane at passing children and demand they 'get off my lawn'." The Doctor frowned, that joke hadn't made Ditzy smile. Maybe his words were sinking in more then he intended... but no more then was necessary... "Looking to me to replace your husband would be no different then bedding a twin brother at the funeral... You need to accept that... This isn't good for either of us... is time we moved on."
Ditzy looked crushed, looking down at her socks. With a sigh she conceited, "Okay."
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The TARDIS doors opened, and the Doctor frowned, before glaring back inside, "This isn't funny..." he growled warningly.
"What I do?" Ditzy tilted her head
"I wasn't talking to you." The Doctor grumbled and stomped back towards the control, the door swinging closed.
He fiddled with the controls again, a much more sour look on his face. His ship made that mechanical wheezing groan again, before a bang rung through as the ship landed.
The Doctor walked back to the door and growled the moment he opened it. Slamming it shut, and stomped over to the controls again. He repeated this about six times before screaming at the ceiling, "I. AM. NOT. DOING. THIS!" He spoke with a ferocity that could have caused any mortal to cower... almost any mortal.
Ditzy just rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to argue when the gears of the ship started to hum... in what she could only describe as annoyance.
"No! I need to return Miss Do! I'm not about to have you thrust me into another 'grand adventure'. Let this world BURN, for all I care... It be better off then if I got involved!" He insisted to... the ship... which hummed back very angrily at him... as if a disappointed lover.
That's when what the Doctor said connected. "How could you say that!?" Ditzy condemned.
The Doctor looked at her, and with a roll of his eyes, he dismissed, "You don't even know what is going on."
Ditzy glared, "Your ship picked up a distress call, or near enough to something like that, and she is trying to get you to help innocent ponies. Which apparently you are refusing to do! Your right! There really is nothing left of my Clockwork in you!"
The Doctor... blinked... then he blinked again... too stunned that Ditzy could put that together. Just how observant was she? Just how willing was she to accept the obvious instead of cling to what cultural norms dictated was possible? The Doctor never even told her the ship was self aware. Yet, when faced with the obvious, she just accepted it instead of going through typical levels of denial.
Without any thought to her own safety, Ditzy charged forward, running out the doors.
The Doctor hung his head, "Why?" he asked his TARDIS, "Why would you do this to me again?" It was obvious now why Ditzy was here... she was going to be one more sacrifice in his name... so many people... such beautiful people... all laying their lives down in the name of the greater good... could he really do this one more time? Knowing it's most likely outcome? One thing was certain, Derpy would never survive out their on her own.
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Ditzy ran a few yards from the box... before stopping... and looking around in horror... there were dead ponies EVERYWHERE. They were in some kind of red desert... a mushroom in the distance... no... That was some kind of cloud.
She yelped as she felt something prick her. Looking to the side she saw the Doctor holding some kind of Hypo spray looking device, right out of Star Trotters.
"This will protect you from the radiation..." The Doctor trailed off, looking at the Cloud, "This is the world of Everglow, deep in the Omega Mega Clusters... a few galaxies away... an effort of cooperation between races. Without the guidance of Celestia, war broke out."
Derpy gulped, looking over at him, "War?"
"We aren't on Equestria, like I said, we are a few galaxies away, near the outer rim of the known universe... The races of the Equus system are still out there. Still living in their utopia of peace and Harmony... but this planet has been cut off from Celestia's guidance for centuries... That caused the various races to unite in rival cliques... which eventually caused them to compete for resources. Then that resulted in xenophobia and inevitably." the Doctor gestured at the scene before them. "Suppose that is what happens when you take creatures away from their god."
Ditzy glared at him, "Celestia isn't a god!"
"Technically living planets are classified as 'God Killers', due to their sheer power." The Doctor shrugged, "Regardless, the effect is the same. When higher beings start messing around with Sapient creatures... they become dependent on us and we stunt their growth despite our intentions."
Ditzy... gulped, "You're a god? Like Discord?"
"No where near that powerful." The Doctor assured, "He is a Higher Spirit, also known as an Elder God. He is a fundamental law of the universe given conciousness. I'm merely a lower god, a Celestial at best... but their are rules. I can't use my powers to help this civilization. If something happens to you... I can't interfere."
"You would damn these ponies because of some obscure 'rules'." Ditzy glared.
The Doctor looked directly into her eyes, "When I defy them, the other gods punish me by casting dimensions I have saved into the void. They kill trillions... just to make a point... the TARDIS doesn't want to accept that since I have become Divine, I can no longer help as I once did... I just make things worse... the older I get, the less patience the other gods have for me."
Ditzy stared at him, "You don't have to use god magic to make a difference. You don't have to save everypony with a wave of your hoof. But you are obligated, as any decent pony, to help. You don't have to save the world Doctor... just one life is enough."
"Derpy..." The Doctor tried.
"Don't!" the sheer force in her voice made herself flinch, "Just don't." Ditzy sighed, "Clockwork called me Derpy. You haven't earned that right." She started walking into the field of dead ponies.
"Where are you going?" The Doctor called.
"Looking for Survivors. We can get them healed up in your medical bay." with that she began checking every body she got near for a pulse.
The Doctor stood there, not believing for a second it could be that simple. However, after a few minutes of Derpy... Ditzy... after a few minutes of the mare checking the bodies... the Doctor headed back into his TARDIS.
Ditzy glared at the spot he was in, before continuing to look for survivors. She would freak out later, right now innocent creatures needed her help. Later, she could freak out about so many dead. Later, she could freak out about being on an alien world. Later, she could freak out about her husband really being a god that trapped itself in mortal form. Later, she could freak out about somehow coming to the future... Later... she could freak out... but this wasn't the time for that. If even one of these ponies was still alive, she would save them... with or without the Doctor's help.
Hearing the sound of clanging metal, she looked up... and smiled. The Doctor had strapped himself into a wooden cart filled with medical supplies and equipment... maybe Clockwork's reincarnation wasn't so bad after all...
* End Flashback *
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Mouthy gasped as he was thrown out of the book. It took him a moment to gather his senses. He was on the cold floor, his robes a wrinkled mess, and laying on his back... quite the awkward position for a pony.
Standing over him, looking at his face, was the Doctor.
Mouthy sighed with relief that this Doctor was wearing his goofy grin and not that sad frown of the other...
Then Mouthy, in his utmost depiction of tack, observed, "You weren't very nice to Miss Do when you first started your adventure." Saying that from his place on the floor before sitting up.
The frown came back, it looked to be the natural state of his face... but he tried so hard to be happy. The Doctor walked over to the open book on the floor and closed it. Picking it up, studying the cover modeled after his TARDIS doors, he began to talk. Apparently about nothing relevant but Mouthy was sure the Stallion had a point so he stayed quiet and listened.
"When I first saved Demon World," He spoke so calmly, with a mournful expression, "I had to claim it as my own domain. It was the only way I could prevent the other gods from casting it into the void... However, the gods insisted that if I was to enact such a right, I would have to take full responsibility for that world... So I used the TARDIS to copy my soul and create a tome of each Doctor... she went a little overboard and made a book for every last one of my faces... including the ones that hadn't happened yet... she inadvertently gave me a map of my life..."
The Doctor's hooves stroked the book, "I just wanted to give each Yokai the option of my advice... while not being bound to one place... and the TARDIS ended up showing me... exactly how long I had to live. When I reached that face... my last life... I didn't react well... a deep fear gripped me about my destiny and my new mind interpreted everything I had ever done as the facts of a monster... I had always looked at my life with shame, and this new regeneration is so obsessed with the past that I was forced to face it... all the lives I've taken... all the pain I caused... all the friends that gave their lives for no other reason then I taught them to stand up for what is right... so many lost in my name... I imagine you grewup with the stories of the Doctor... and know my long list of crimes...
"Derpy... I am not her Clockwork, yet we fell in love all the same... despite how much I discouraged it, tried to sabotage it... she showed me how to smile again." The Doctor proved this by smiling, it was not his usually wide grin. It was something softer... sadder... yet somehow still filled with joy. "Derpy taught me to enjoy the little things... and not be so scared of the future. The future is not set in stone, not even for those who read the text. If this is to be my last life... then I choose to live it well... and not let what fate demands of me come to pass..."
"So you're not going to destroy the Universe?" Mouthy innocently asked. The Doctor looked down at him. The little Hanyou shrugged, "Like you said, I grew up on stories about you. I know all about the 'Impending destiny to destroy the multiverse'. You've beaten Destiny before, no reason you can't again."
Whooves... smiled. His teeth shined with the truest happiness, "Yes, little one. It is just another task fate is attempting to force on me, but since when did I ever listen to her?"
The Doctor grinned, and Mouthy grinned back. Then, Whooves hoofed over the journal. Mouthy gently grapped it and hugged it to his chest. Feeling strangely better about that particular book.
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End Episode:
Next Episode will focus on the rest of the Week and the children exploring the rift... and maybe finding a familiar face working against the Doctor by offering silk words to his students