//------------------------------//
// Chapter Forty-Four 
// Story: A Journey Unthought Of 
// by Hustlin Tom 
//------------------------------//

The spells of every unicorn and the bolts of every sonic cannon blazed towards the Tardis and the small group in front of it.  Pinkie Pie involuntarily closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of something hitting her.  It never came.  She open one eye a crack, and then opened them fully to see the amazing sight before her eyes.  The bolts of energy that had been heading their way simply stopped several feet in front of her, and then instantaneously vanished, leaving no trace that they had even existed.  The firing stopped for the Pegasi to dive-bomb the group, but they hit the same invisible wall and bounced off, ungracefully falling into the crowded forces below.  Pinkie Pie looked to the Doctor to explain what had just happened, but she stopped as she saw he was pulling out his Sonic Screwdriver.  Her back hoof gave a twitch, and her stomach gurgled.  

“Everypony cover your ears!” She quickly yelled to her friends, who, knowing of her peculiar but useful Pinkie-sense, quickly did what she said by getting down and covering their ears.  The armed ponies in front of them were not so quick or so lucky to comprehend what was immediately in store for them.  The Doctor activated his Screwdriver, and it produced a screeching sound which crashed over the crowds before him.  Each pony, regardless of type, was quickly brought to the floor, either unable to hear, or unable to stand or fly.  Each sonic gun’s inner workings cracked and shattered before the force of the small but potent device held in the Doctor’s hand, but not before transmitting the same sound that was destroying them, ensuring that every single pony experienced the effects of the sub-sonic boom's cacophonous wail.  Of all the ponies in the room, of which there were nearly 150, only seven were standing and alright now.

“Time to move!”  the Doctor yelled as he stepped around and over the ponies on the floor.  The Elements and Ditzy Doo quietly followed behind him in single file.  It was a short distance to the door that led upwards towards where the captives were stored, and fortunately, for time’s sake, the door was unlocked.  

The Doctor took the lead as he approached the prison holds, “Since Bunsen Burner and his troops didn’t quite seem the friendly type, I imagine these others are in need of rescuing?”  

Applejack spoke up as they trotted behind the Doctor’s jog, “Yeah, Lyra and Bon Bon, and a unicorn named Vinyl Scratch.”  

“The musician and the sweets-maker?  I never had a chance to sample their arts, and since they were probably brought here for ‘colluding with the enemy’, that’s all the more reason to get them out.”  He pointed his Sonic Screwdriver at the locks on the door and activated it.  There was a thud as the locks opened up and the door released, allowing access to the two unfortunate prisoners.  The Doctor quickly terminated the sonic anesthesia on the both of them.  

“I’m afraid for now they’re probably going to be deadweight, but they should come to in a couple of minutes.”  Twilight hoisted Lyra on to Applejack’s back, while Rainbow Dash took Bon Bon on her shoulders.  The Doctor made his way to the poor DJ-PON3’s cell and quickly opened it.  After leaving the pearl white unicorn in the awaiting hooves of Rarity and Fluttershy, he made his way to the doubly secure cell of the ‘subject’; Adam.  

“Oh, biometric lock!  This, this is quite a bit of technological wizardry for you pony lot.  This’ll take a while to spoof Bunsen Burner’s retinal pattern,” the Doctor squatted down to the lock’s level and began his work.