Doctor and The Doctor

TenMihara|GM	You reach the outskirts of the opposite side of Scrapton. By this time, the town is barely active, and settlign in for the night. However, you hear a very peculiar noise. It sounds like a key being run across piano wire mixed with a rusty bandsaw.
	Keen	is tired, fatigued. Feeling old and weak and feeble. Like a dead pony walking. This must be what ghouls feel like, he thought. He might as well be one. He notices the sound, but he's just.... Ugh. What's that sound?
	TenMihara|GM	The sound grows gradually louder, and is accompanied by a light beginning to flicker in front of Keen. As it does, a large, blue wooden box begins to materialize in front of the wayward pegasus.
	Keen	feels the heft of his guns weigh him down. No, we're doing this the right way. Whatever that means nowaday- what
	Keen	blinks. "What."
	TenMihara|GM	The blue box solidifies and stops making that gawdawful noise. The air around it seems warmer. The door on the front of it slides open, admitting a brown coated earth pony stallion with a darker brown mane. He was wearing a dreww collar and a green tie, and his cutie mark was an hourglass.
	Keen	blinks again. Well, this was a change in tone. "Uh. Hi."
	TenMihara|GM	The stallion looks around; "This certainly isn't Marecelona." He looks around; "This isn't even the northern side of Equestria... I think." He spies Keen and trots up to him, talking a mile a minute; "'Scuse me. but would you mind telling me when I am?"
	Keen	is so confused right now. Well, confusion led to anger. Anger turned to strength. Etc, Etc. "You answer questions first. Who are you? What is that thing? When do you -think- it is? Why did you come out of nowhere? What was that sound? Why is it so warm?"
	TenMihara|GM	The stallion looks to Keen and blinks; "Odd, usually I'm the one firing off questions at about a mile a minute. Not very often I meet ponies who are actually curious about things they see that are out of the ordinary. Most of them are pretty thick. As for what I think, I think I've landed at some point after the great war but before Sunshine and Rainbows." He looks up; "Definitely before."
	Keen	blinks. "What?"
	Keen	sits down. Too much weird and too much stress. Is this what going insane's like? Then again, was he already there? "Look. I think you have the wrong address or something. I've got to head back to Tenpony."
	TenMihara|GM	The stallion waves a hoof; "Nevermind that. Probably years off yet. Now, that skyline looks like post-war Manehattan. Or maybe Fillydelphia. Although since nothing's working, if this -is- FIllydelphia, it would be upwards of ten years before Sunshine and Rainbows." He turns around; "Tenpony Tower. SO this is Manehattan then."
	Keen	sighs. He wasn't going to get any answers any time soon, was he? "Look. This is Scrapton. Over there's Gutterville-" He points. "It's around a hundred and sixty years too late, I'm wearing a bathrobe, and I'd like to go to my dead sister's home right now. I think we're done here."
	TenMihara|GM	The stallion looks back at Keen; "Well, I guess by your reckoning I'm just a tourist but... wait a tic. Haven't I seen you before? When was it... oh! The BEst Young Flier's Competition, year 1047 of the New Celestia Calendar wasn't it? The one with the Sonic Rainboom?"
	TenMihara|GM	The stallion cocks his head; "Or was it the Cloudsdale resevoir filling of the year after?"
	Keen	ponders a bit. "Um. Yes?" He remembers that. He didn't know what she did was all that special at the time. Everyone else was all gaspy, but he lived in a house of illusionists. Stuff like that happened all the time. And he did have fond memories of being there on the reservoir. But then again, well. "Wait. How the -hell- do you know that?"
	TenMihara|GM	The stallion chuckles; "Been around a few times. Both of those events were pretty memorable. Oh, I know when I am now. About a hundred and sixty years after the megaspells. Manehattan. Bugger, that means Homage and Jokeblue haven't been born yet. Pity, I liked those two."
	Keen	waves his hooves around. "Okay, okay. Let me try to figure this out. You're a time travelling pony in a time travelling blue box. Right?"
	TenMihara|GM	The stallion stops for a moment, then looks at Keen. "Wait, if you were there, how are you -here-? Yes, I've got a time machine, but what's your excuse?"
	Keen	sighs. "Why should I give you any answers when you haven't even given me your damn name?" He rolled his shoulder and tried to clear his mind. "Stasis Pod. And if that's true, why haven't you gone back and stopped the war?"
	TenMihara|GM	The stallion straightens himself up; "I'm the Doctor. And to answer your question, both the Megaspell holocaust and the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows are fixed points. Can't do anything about them. Forgot Equestrian had developed that level of stasis prior to the Single Pegasus Project. Oh well."
	Keen	grumps a little bit. "Look, you're saying words and names, but I don't understand any of them. What the hell's the Single Pegasus Project? What the hell is the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows you keep talking about. Who's Homage? Who's Jokeblue? What does this have to do with me?"
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor gives another hoof wave; "Oh, that stuff will all be happening towards the end of your lifetime I suspect. Best focus on what you could be doing right now. Although, I do feel you're getting a bit of a raw deal."
	TenMihara|GM	notes; "And none of it has anything to do with you, I was just trying to reorient myself."
	TenMihara|GM	*The Doctor Notes
	Keen	rolls his eyes. "Tell me about it." He said with sarcasm dripping from his tone. "Keen Shine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going home. I have to put some distance between me and a few previous acquaintances."
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor chuckles; "Everypony always thinks they're right in the middle of everything and it all revolves around them. Almost as bad as that gimmicky mare from Hoofington. However, since you're fortuitous enough to have been in the right place at the right time, how'd you like to take a quick jaunt? Been a while since I had company."
	Keen	looks up at the stallion. Well, why not. A few years is the best way to put distance between yourself and the world around you. He knows this for a fact. But can he trust him? Can he trust anypony now? "... Sure. Whatever." He steps on and grips his beam pistol tight. Don't make me shoot you. Please don't make me shoot you.
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor smiles; "Brilliant. Now, where and when would you like to pop in? Any time, any place. A real quick trip and then I'll plop you right back where I found you."
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor notes; "And keep the gun away. I don't like guns."
	Keen	feels a plan rolling together in his head. Wait... If he wasn't.... "Yeah. Crescent Moon at Littlehorn, a year before Luna took the throne. Can you do that?"
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor raises an eyebrow at Keen; "All of time and Space and you want to go back to a tragedy that you've already witnessed?"
	Keen	looks at the good Doctor with a ferocity in his eye. "No, I want to go to a tragedy that I can prevent!"
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor shakes his head; "That's not how it works. Especially if you were there in the first place. Or would you like to rip open a hole in the continuum. I swore I would never see a repeat of the Father's Day incident."
	Keen	is quite confused by this, but at least understands that doing that would be bad. "Right. Right." He sits himself down and... Just felt old for a while. "I don't know, then." He didn't like the foreseeable future. Didn't like the past too much, either. A world of opportunity, and he's got nothing.
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor smiles; "You're not the first to think they could fix everything with the throw of a magic switch. Sadly, time is never that forgiving. However, I think I know what'll do you right. How's a sneak peek at Sunshine and Rainbows sound?"
	Keen	sighs. "Sure. Whatever." Maybe he could talk him into letting him stay there. He was gone from time for a hundred and sixty years. What's a few more?
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor leads Keen into the TARDIS, which he hasn't actually declared the name of. It's bigger on the inside. The Doctor takes Keen to witness the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows from a Front Row viewing 'box'. It's beautiful, seeing the sky torn up by twenty-three sonic rainbooms at once, casting Equestria back in the light of the sun.
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor nudges Keen from their viewing position; "See. It does get better. Hope is my favourite equine emotion; just gotta hang onto it."
	Keen	looks on in amazement. He couldn't believe his eyes. The sun was out again. Was he dying? This didn't feel like dying. And then he remembered something the equine next to him said. "... I'm going to die before I can see this. Why would this give me hope?" Brain anyeurysm.
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor nods; "Because even if it happens in the end or after your lifetime, somepony you know will be here to kitness it. A friend, a sibling, a child, anything is possible really. Hope for it for their sake. And a little for your own wouldn't hurt."
	Keen	meekly realizes something. What hope do you give a pony that's on death row, with no friends, and nopony to care about you? A friend is something that he can't find in these times. Not anymore. Siblings are long dead. A child? Only Fire Lily qualified for a child he knew, and if he was honest, she would probably die with or without his help due to the life they lived.
	Keen	guiltily looks at this. "I don't suppose you could just drop me off here?"
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor shakes his head; "Sorry, no one way trips." He pulls out a silvery metallic cylinder and waves it in front of your face. it emits a shrill buzzing noise. "Might be able to help you with that though."
	Keen	looks back at the doctor. He didn't want to look away from the sunlight, but there was something in the way. "What is that thing?"
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor puts the device away. "Sonic Screwdriver. Now, an anyeurism isn't somethign I can -fix-, but I might be able to stablize it a bit. Make it less of a time bomb."
	Keen	leans back and holds his head. He expected that fizzy feeling to come back with all the thinking he'd been doing but... Nothing. Huh. He nods towards him gratefully. "Sonic... Screwdriver? Using sonic waves to stop the congealing blood clots? That's..." He sat down with that thought. "That's brilliant."
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor chuckles; "Glad we agree on that. Now, I'll fix you up on the way back. I'm sure any friends you've got are looking for you.
	TenMihara|GM	"
	Keen	looks away. "I don't want to be by them right now." He said with some bite, remembering the savagery that he could do nothing to prevent. Nothing that he could say to make them see reason or sense. "How do you deal with friends when you feel like they've gone off the deep end and won't listen to you?" He mentions meekly.
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor shrugs; "Personally I tend to look at the big picture. Focusing on the little things is harder for me when there's so much big... stuff going on."
	Keen	looks up at the Doctor with an indignant look. "Looking at the big picture is pretty hard whenever you're trying to forget somepony cutting another pony's dick off!"
	Keen	(Dammit. I wanted to bring his view of the master into this.)
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor grimaces; "Well... that's unpleasant. Still, if you want something to look forward to, Friendship City gets founded within the next year or so. As for friends off the deep end... forgive them. They're only hum- ponies."
	TenMihara|GM	He then adds: "Might want to keep a closer eye on them when you can though. Keep 'em close, and don't let them slip too far away."
	TenMihara|GM	(Gotta wrap this up so you can get back)
	Keen	looks at the door after having thought it through. "I can't forgive what they won't let me help, Doctor." He did realize that maybe they worse off without him though. As much as he was listened to by this brute, at least.
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor shrugs; "Just be there to offer when they need it. A good Doctor doesn't care who his patients are." He then shuts the door and begins taking Keen back to his proper time and place
	Keen	prepares to trot out of the funny blue box. "I'm not a doctor, Doctor. Not even a good one." Wait. Wait a minute. "How did you know I was a doctor, though?"
	TenMihara|GM	Along the way, as promised, he patches up Keen's anyeurism a little. Enough at least that he wouldn't have to be constantly worrying about it going off
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor smiles; "I'm -the- Doctor. The definitive article. I can always tell an amateur."
	Keen	forces a smile back. "... I gave up being a doctor to do something stupid. I'm just a medic. No official title or anything."
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor chuckles; "I've seen worse doctors." He then throws open the doors, revealing the rest of the party right outside the box
	Keen	starts to leave. "I doubt it." He said with a grim chuckle.
	TenMihara|GM	The Doctor sighs, the turns away. "I would know; I'm the worst there is," he mutters to himself before closing the door and taking off.