The Doctor marched into the office and made straight for the desk. Straight for Obsidian Daedalus's computer.
"Alright Doctor," Applejack asked, as she and the Crusaders follow him in. "Where do we start looking for evidence?"
"We don't," the Doctor said firmly. "We won't need to. We're past that now. In the meantime, you need to take them and head to..." the Doctor stared at the computer screen. "The roof! That's nice, the only place here that isn't crawling with Cybermen!"
"Why're we headin' to the roof exactly?" Applejack asked.
"Take this." The Doctor tossed the bag of gold dust to Applejack, and began using his screwdriver on strategic points on the office ceiling. "On the roof you'll find something that's constantly sucking in air from the top. Should be a great big metal box with a fan on top. When you find it, upturn that bag into it and don't stop until you run out. That should take you a few minutes. Do not come down until me and Daedalus are finished here."
"How will we know?" Scootaloo asked, eyes still red from crying.
"You'll know," the Doctor said slyly.
"Alright Mister Brainiac," Applejack said skeptically. "How do you reckon we get to the roof? It took all of our energy to get to this office, and the stairs are at the other end of the hall!"
The Doctor stood still for a moment. "Well," he said finally. "I haven't quite got that part figured out yet..."
Apple Bloom thought for a moment. "Girls, help me open the blinds."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders opened the blinds to discover a window washing apparatus parked right outside.
"Why am I not surprised?" Apple Bloom said smugly.
"Okay," Sweetie Belle's eyes were wide. "This is getting spooky."
"You were right, Bloom," Scootaloo chimed in. "Something's up."
"What?" the Doctor asked. "What's been happening?" The Doctor broke the window with the Sonic Screwdriver and the three fillies hopped on the platform.
"Nothin' Doctor," said Apple Bloom as she climbed on. "AJ, get on. You take care of what you need to Doctor. We'll be waitin'."
"Good luck, Doctor," Applejack said as she climbed onto the platform and allowed it to rise to the roof.
The Doctor sat behind the desk and waited. The sonic in his hoof. It wouldn't be long now. He was coming. He'd want to try to 'reason' with the Doctor before killing him. Part of him was still convinced that he was a good man. He was wrong. The Doctor knew he was wrong. When N'Zeera died... That's when he lost the chance to redeem himself.
Going live in five... four... three... two...
One.
The Doctor put away the sonic as Daedalus walked through the door, flanked by two Cybermen.
"You know," the Doctor pondered aloud. "It really amazes me what some people will do for the greater good." The Doctor rose and began to pace around the room. "All three times I first met the creatures next to you, it was for 'the greater good'. First time it was to save a whole race that would've died out when their planet did. Second time was a man who wanted to eliminate disease. And then there's you... starting a war that needed to start."
"That would've started with or without me," Daedalus protested. "I grew tired of the waiting."
"You can't know that, Obsidian!" the Doctor shouted. "Nopony can! Sweet Celestia, do you listen to yourself? All of this 'the war was inevitable' and 'I only was serving my country'. How delusional can you possibly be? For the love of Equestria, I'm questioning my moral standing right now by wondering if I'm just giving you what you deserve, or if I'm doing it because you killed someone I happened to like."
Daedalus seemed confused or a moment. "Oh," he said laughing and shaking his head. "You mean the changeling. Forgive me, but you can hardly classify her as 'someone', can you?"
"Her name was N'Zeera," the Doctor said fiercely. "She was an amazing mare. She saw you for what you were. Not as a monster, that would be worthy of some respect, but as a conniving horrendous little worm who doesn't know how to cope with loss."
"What would you know about loss, Doctor?!" Daedalus screamed.
"Much more than you ever could, Daedalus!" the Doctor screamed back. "I watched my sky burn! You just lit yours on fire..."
"Yes!" Daedalus was booming now. Screaming at the top of his voice. "Yes! I did! I lit my sky ablaze and I'd do it again a thousand times over! My son was the first casualty of a war that took too long to begin! So I started it! I ended the wait! And I will end the Hive with it! I destroyed Black Horn Bay, and I did it for my country!!
"Now!" He turned to his Cybermen. "Delete!"
The two Cybermen raised their arms...
And promptly fell to their knees, and then to the ground.
"You know," the Doctor smiled. "How could you have become a billionaire when you're this amazingly thick?"
"What's going on?" Daedalus's eyes were bulging in confusion.
"Walking into a room in this state," the Doctor said. "I'd have a few questions. Like, I dunno... Why is that window broken? Why's the air conditioning making funny noises? Why does the air taste like metal? And finally..." he pulled out the sonic. "Where's that echo coming from?"
A press of the sonic screwdriver's button, and the words boomed through the room and the city once again: "I destroyed Black Horn Bay, and I did it for my country."
And then it repeated again.
And again.
The Doctor wasn't going to stop it anytime soon.
Applejack and the Crusaders sat flabbergasted at what they heard coming from the screen in the front of the building.
"Did what I think just happened just happen?" asked Scootaloo asked with a million-mile grin on her face.
"Eeyup" said Apple Bloom channeling her brother. "The Doctor just got him to say what he did..."
"Into an open mic!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
"Oh, Brainiac," Applejack said quietly. "You miracle..."
"Your own security cameras," the Doctor explained. "And gold dust implanted into the central air in case you're wondering. None of your Cybermen will be able to function now...
"It's over, Daedalus."
Obsidian dropped to his knees in despair...
and a Cyberman slowly rose.
"You," the Cyberman said. "You lied to us... Made us... exist... like this!"
"Oh no," the Doctor said. "That's anger... The malfunction must have shut down the emotional inhibitor. I'm so sorry..."
"Daedalus..." the Cyberman staggered to his creator. "You will... pay for this..."
"Don't!" the Doctor stepped toward the Cyberman cautiously. "You've only got a few minutes before you shut down, spend those minutes as the man you once were before this. Please, don't die as a monster."
"He...made me...monster," the Cyberman coughed. "Took away my...face..."
"Cyberform Zero?" Daedalus asked darkly."
"Flint!" the Cyberman shrieked. "My name... is...."
"Flint," Daedalus corrected. "You had family at Black Horn? I think I remember that from your file..."
"Two brothers..." Flint's voice was close to dying. "Dead now... because of you...."
"That's right," Daedalus admitted. "I killed your brothers and hundreds of others and there is no excuse for it. I started a war to soothe my grief and I have assured that I will never see my wife's smile, or hear my son's laugh in this life or the next.
"Son, do what you have to do..."
Flint raised his weapon.
"NO!" the Doctor screamed.
Too late.
Flint fired, and he and Daedalus fell to the ground.
The Doctor rushed over to Flint.
"Why?!" the Doctor screamed. "Why did you let yourself drop to his level?!"
"You've dealt with two now...," Flint said. "They are out of his reach... There are still three more..."
"What are you talking about?" the Doctor asked. "Matter of fact... how can you be talking? Your brain's shut down..."
"Don't think you're out of reach, Time Lord..." Flint said.
The Doctor paused. "Who are you? Why do this? Why not contact me directly?"
"Two Lynchpins out of his reach..." the entity possessing Flint said. "Now...
"You're running out of time, Time Lord. Find the other three..."
With that Flint shut off.
This left the Doctor wholly unsure he was alone in the room.