The Night String and The Servants of The Phoenix

by charredenay

Tied up in Knots

-------------------------------------- Canterlot, Present Day

As Vinyl trudged up the stairs to her apartment, her mind reeled with the implications of Luna's offer. She had refused right away since it would no doubt come back to hurt her marefriend.

She had to have been joking. Had to, no way she would even think of doing that.

As she finally reached her floor, she walked to the bench situated just outside her door and sat down. Taking a quick glance to either side to make sure she was alone, she reached under the bench with her levitation field and tenderly grasped the package she had hidden there the day before. Gently, she brought the small box to eye level before breaking into a smile.

Besides, I've got more important things to think about.

A sudden choking sob ripped Vinyl’s attention from her reverie. Replacing the box where she found it, she unlocked her apartment door and ran inside to discover Octavia hunched over the kitchen counter.

“Tavi?” she called, edging her way over until she could place a leg over the distressed gray earth pony. “Tavi, what’s wrong?”

“O-oh, V-vinyl,” she finally answered throwing her legs around the D.J. in a desperate hug. “I went to play at Hoity Toity’s party and, and…”

Octavia choked again before she could continue and broke down weeping once more. She made an attempt to continue but Vinyl placed a hoof on Octavia’s lips, stopping her.

“No rush,” Vinyl cooed, gently stroking her mane. “Take your time.”

The gray mare took the invitation with gusto, quietly sobbing into Vinyl’s shoulder, for how long, neither pony could really say.

Once Octavia was all cried-out, Vinyl sat her on the couch and brought her some tea. She took a short sip before wincing. “Vinyl, you are absolutely awful at making tea.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’m better at coffee. Want some coffee?” Vinyl grinned.

“No, but thank you.”

“Sooo,” the white unicorn started hesitantly. “Do you want to talk about it now?”

“I… I went to Hoity Toity’s party, as planned,” she began, but paused a moment before continuing.

“When I arrived, Hoity told me he wouldn't be needing my services after all. Normally, I’d just think that he’d had to cancel the party, but I could hear the party going on on the terrace. At least, I thought I could. There were lots of ponies talking and laughing and even a piano playing.

“I pressed him on the topic, and he admitted that the party had not been canceled. Obviously, I asked him why he was cancelling my performance and he said, well, it doesn’t really matter what he said, but he let slip that I had been blacklisted by somepony in the Canterlot nobility.”

“WHAT?!” Vinyl practically screamed, before her eyes narrowed in realization and anger. “Luna,” she growled.

“Vinyl?”

“I have to go,” the unicorn replied, heading to the door. “I have to… kill somepony.”

--------------------------------------

When the Doctor and Zecora finally stopped near the outskirts of GrassClaw, he took a glance of the surroundings for any signs of unwanted onlookers before activating his sonic screwdriver. Unfortunately, it seemed that the same factors confusing his device before were present here as well. He tried it once, then twice, then a third time but every single attempt failed.

Zecora allowed herself a small chuckle at his expense. "I thought your device could, beat anything but wood." she quipped as she continued her own search.

"Yes, yes, very funny," the Doctor groused, putting his screwdriver back into its assigned pocket. "It's this universe. Maybe even this town in particular. All the magic floating around causes misfirings and false readings. Clogs up the sensors."

"I did not mean to darken your mood. Even without it you still do good."

"No. No. It's okay. What about you? Have you found anything?"

"Although I've yet to see it before, I've found something I can not ignore," she replied, pointing to the corner of the small house she was inspecting.

At its corner, imbedded in the wooden support beam, was a steel rod, tipped with a gigantic ruby. Every few moments, the gem glowed just ever so slightly then went out again.

"Okay, yes. That is certainly something that shouldn't exist here," the Doctor stated, flipping on a pair of glasses to inspect it further.

"It seems to move magic around, right into the middle of town."

"And it only happens when there is electricity flowing through it. Interesting."

"That is what I've gleamed so far. Should we now remove this bar?"

"Mmmmmm, no. If we did that, there's no predicting how the arcane energy they've collected so far would react. It might gently dissipate, but it also might cause an explosion that would destroy everything within five miles."

Before Zecora could nod in agreement, a purple blur swept by and towards the center of the village. It kept going a good distance before whatever it was turned back around and finally came to a stop at the ponies' hooves, revealing a rather excited Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.

"Whoo! Hey there Doctor, Zecora. So glad I didn't have to search the whole town for yah. That would've been annoying. You won't believe what happened. Wait, no. You probably will. It is us, after all."

--------------------------------------

Although Trixie could not sense it before, as she and Blueblood neared the center of the town, the massive amount of magical energy gathering at their destination became more and more apparent. A griffon wouldn't even notice the aura but for the blue unicorn it was downright suffocating. She was certain she was on the verge of collapse when Blueblood suddenly halted.

"Are we there already?"

"Close enough, look."

Trixie lifted her head to take in the situation and found the majority of her vision occupied by a steeple adorned with a red emblem in the shape of a bird with its wings outstretched.

A phoenix. Isn't that a little on the nose?

In front of the church stood a fairly large stage, very similar to many that Trixie had performed on, but decorated with several bronze tubes. In the center of that stage stood a lone podium, which was also covered with tubes. It appeared that the two unicorns had arrived just in time to witness a town meeting because it seemed as though every griffon in the village was present, all of them eagerly gazing up at the platform.

Not wanting to stick out from the crowd, the two Knots fell in behind the outermost layer of griffons and waited for whatever it was that they were all assembled for. They did not wait long. A lone robed figure walked up to the podium as the crowd went silent. When it reached the pulpit, it removed its hood to expose the face of a red-eyed griffon.

"Greetings, brothers and sisters!" he began. "I know that the 'Grand Phoenix' has asked much of you and you have seen little in return. I also know that many of you are starting to have doubts." He paused to give a few choice griffons a poignant stare.

Some hidden griffon decided to take advantage of the momentary silence. "Of course you know, Hephaestus! We made sure to put plenty of our 'doubt' in your wine!" Several griffons guffawed at the joke but the High Priest kept calm, simply making a note of the offending party's name for "reconciliation" later.

"Well, I am here today to bring you glorious news! News that will quell those doubts and strengthen your faith! The 'Grand Phoenix' has revealed to me that we are finally worthy and that she will soon make herself manifest in a physical form!"

At this, the audience began to cheer. Trixie thought she might have even seen a few griffonnesses openly weeping in elation.

Hephaestus smiled generously as he waited a few moments for this joyous cacophony to subside, then gently gestured for quiet. "However, this does not mean that we can allow ourselves to lose vigilance! We should not treat this as a reward, rather we should see this as another chance to prove our worth to her. So go now and celebrate, but with the dignity that she has come to expect of us. And may the phoenix fly in your favor," he finished with a deep bow.

"And in yours," the crowd responded in unison. Satisfied that the announcement was over, the crowd immediately began to disperse.

Thank Celestia none of them noticed that we didn't bow.

While the griffons disbanded, Blueblood gently nudged Trixie into a nearby alley. She was about to suggest that they start investigating the area as originally planned but he lifted his hoof for quiet and shook his head. There they sat until the area around the stage was completely empty and Trixie was compelled to end the stillness.

"What is it?"

Blueblood gave the area a quick look before turning back to Trixie. "Isn't it just an incredible coincidence, that on the same day as our arrival, the High Priest of the Servants of the Phoenix announces that their goddess will soon be walking amongst her mortal subjects?"

--------------------------------------

The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well had summed up, at a break-neck speed, what happened as succinctly as she could for the Doctor and Zecora, but had to stop several times and add in important details as she remembered them. Had she been telling the story to any other pony, she would've probably lost them somewhere along the way. Thankfully, however, she had told it to the two quickest ponies she knew.

By the time they regrouped with the others in the pub adjoining their inn, both of them had already rearranged the new information in their minds into a more understandable order. In fact, neither of them had any trouble in relaying it to the rest of the group. And when Trixie and Blueblood had added in what they had heard, everypony took a moment to contemplate the implications.

While the Night String sat in relative silence thinking over the day's events, the other occupants of the pub were busy obeying Hephaestus's command to celebrate and not really giving much thought to what he had said about dignity. Most were already far too inebriated to even notice their friends' comings and goings, let alone what any strangers were doing. One hooded griffonness took advantage of this fact to walk in unnoticed and speak to the proprietor.

"I heard that the High-Maester of Griffonia is staying at your inn," she probed.

"Indeed, Sister," the mustachioed barkeep answered, pointing towards the five disguised ponies. "He is sitting in the corner booth, with his servants."

As she followed his claw, she recognized a face. "Unbelievable. That little-" she mumbled, clenching her talons tight with frustration.

"Miss?"

"Never mind. Thank you for your assistance," she said as she left a gold piece on the counter.

"I see," the Doctor finally stated. "So it would be fair to assume that the arcane energy they have been gathering is going to be used to give their 'Grand Phoenix' a body and capturing Derpy has somehow sped up their timetable significantly."

"The question then," added Blueblood. "is, 'Are they speeding up their plans because they feel threatened, or because having Derpy represents an advantage they didn't have before?'"

"Unfortunately, even the majority of the order is being kept in the dark in regards to that point," Interrupted the hooded griffoness as she approached the table.

"Uhh... Who are you?"

In reply, the griffonness simply removed her hood to reveal a familiar face and a black eye.

"Oh, Teresa! I was just telling them about you!" the masked mare offered with a smile.

Teresa did not return her jovial attitude. "I gathered as much. Now please tell me why you've convinced the entire town that you're the High-Maester of Griffonia?"

"If you act like you don't want to be noticed, you're twice as likely to actually be noticed," the Doctor retorted.

"Considering that the high-priest wants to meet you and give you a tour of the town I would have to disagree."

"Ah. Yes. I can see why that would be a problem."

"No need to worry," Trixie shot quickly. "If the high-priest wants to meet the High-Maester, you will just have to introduce him."

--------------------------------------

Hephaestus ascended the stairs of the inn with a wide smile on his face. Everything was finally falling together. Granted, discovering a foreign spy was certainly a cause for concern, but he doubted that anyone would be able to stop his mistress once she attained a physical form. And now he finds out that the High-Maester was currently visiting GrassClaw! What glorious fortune! This was the perfect opportunity to begin accruing political clout. All he had to do was perform a little butt kissing, maybe supply a few drinks, and his new friend would be within the order's sphere of influence.

Finally reaching the High-Maester's room, he lifted his claw to knock on the door but stopped short as it opened to reveal one of his own acolytes standing before him.

"Teresa? What are you doing here?" He asked pointedly.

"When I heard that the High-Maester of Griffonia was here I felt I should come to inform him that he would most likely be visited by you, so as to give him some time to prepare. He is rather old, so a walking tour of the town requires some effort to prepare for," the griffonness answered, bowing her head.

Liar. You came here to win his favor. No matter, if you want to ride his coat-tails it should have little effect on the order.

"I see."

"The High-Maester has requested that I come along as well, for protection in case of thieves or other miscreants."

You are as intelligent as you are cunning, I will give you that.

"Of course. Is he ready to leave?"

"Let me check."

The young acolyte retreated into the room for just a moment before returning.

"Allow me to present: the High-Maester of Griffonia and direct liaison to King Marcellus, Lord Guildenstern," Teresa announced, bowing deeply as an old, grey-robed griffon slowly shuffled his way out into the hallway.

"Lord Guildenstern, this is the High Priest of the Servants of the Phoenix, Hephaestus."

"A pleasure to meet you, my lord," Hephaestus said, extending his claw for the traditional talon-shake.

"I'm sorry," a feeble voice from under the grey hood replied. "but I'm afraid I am currently suffering from a strange cough, the origins of which I cannot place. So l must refuse the usual greeting, just in case it is contagious."

Hephaestus quickly withdrew his talon in slight fear. "Ah. That's very considerate of you. Shall we begin our tour? I dare say you will find GrassClaw to be a very interesting and hospitable village."

As Hephaestus and Teresa led their guest away, Trixie poked her head out of the door and watched them descend the stairs.

"Trixie is starting to have doubts about her plan," the blue unicorn admitted to the other occupants of the room.

"Although he might not seem to fit the part, the Doctor is versed in the actor's art," Zecora replied.

"Quite right," Blueblood agreed, "All he really needed was a quick change to his disguise."

"Trixie supposes you're right. What do we do while they're away?"

"Well, since we can't really do much without the Doctor right now, and night is starting to fall, and there is a pub just downstairs..."

"Surely you do not think, to go down for a drink?" Zecora rhymed incredulously.

"And why not? The Doctor will probably have a drink or two while being chatted up by that priest."

"It does strike Trixie as a bit uncouth to be having a drink while Derpy is chained up in a dungeon somewhere."

--------------------------------------

"Enjoying your meal?" The talking flame asked as Derpy took another bite of pasta.

"Mmmphfhrmff," Derpy answered through her food.

"Please, don't talk with your mouth full."

Derpy swallowed her mouth-full as quickly as she could. "Sorry." Derpy stopped stuffing her face for a moment while she considered her current circumstances. "Hey, Great Phonics?"

"Grand Phoenix."

"Yeah, sure. Why are you feeding me so well?"

"I suppose that we could simply bring you grass and you'd survive just fine, but I like to think that our order is a little more civilized than that."

"So the fact that I'm eating well has nothing to do with your ritual thingy?"

"It doesn't matter how often you ask. I still have nothing more to add."

"Worth a shot," Derpy shrugged as she speared another helping of pasta onto her fork.

--------------------------------------

Trixie grumbled into her cup of water as she waited for Blueblood to return to the table. Although the rest of the String had been adamant about not drinking, the high-society unicorn still refused to give in. So, after drawing straws, Trixie was elected the one to accompany him and make sure he didn't jeopardize the mission while he was inebriated.

Blueblood finally returned to the table, a healthy blush coloring his face as he placed another flagon of wine on the table. "What is that, your third pitcher?" Trixie asked, already knowing the answer.

"Indeed, and all on Hephaestus's tab too." The blue illusionist simply rolled her eyes. "To be honest, I usually don't drink this much. Then again, I usually don't drink alone," Blueblood admitted as he poured himself another cup.

"So Trixie supposes that she doesn't count?"

"You would, if you were drinking something other than dirty water."

At this, the blue mare took a look at her beverage and quickly discovered several bits of dirt and other debris. Sighing, she pushed her cup away and rested her head on the table. "Trixie forgot when we were so she ordered it without thinking."

"You know, since alcohol kills bacteria, the wine is actually safer to drink than the water here," Blueblood teased.

"Ugh, fine. One glass."

"Wonderful," Blueblood beamed, throwing the water from Trixie's cup out the open window and refilling it with his crimson elixir.

"So tell Trixie, are you always so laid back during these missions?"

"Right now, we're just doing reconnaissance," the stallion began, passing Trixie her cup. "And perception magic isn't exactly my strong suit which means that I'm currently quite useless."

Blueblood paused to take a draw from his cup before continuing. "And I hate being useless. Which is why I'm currently on my third pitcher of wine, trying to drown out that little voice in my head telling me I don't belong on this team. It's a silly thought, I'm sure, but it's there none the less."

Trixie can empathize, believe me.

"But weren't you the one who deduced that the Grand Phoenix's arrival was related to Derpy being captured?"

"Oh, Trixie, the String doesn't need me for that. Why, the Doctor and Zecora are much more clever than I am. They would've easily figured that out on their own, I was just the first pony to say it out loud."

"In that case, then Trixie hopes you won't find it rude of her to ask what part you play on this team?"

"A perfectly legitimate query. I am the magical muscle of this group. I haven't studied much of other magics, but in the midst of battle, my combat spells are quite formidable, if I do say so myself." It was clear that the unicorn really enjoyed saying it himself and probably often did just that.

Trixie gave a snicker. "If that's so, how come you weren't able to dodge that cake better?"

Blueblood immediately shot her a look.

Trixie smiled sheepishly, "Trixie, ahem, heard about what happened at the Gala." She quickly took a long sip from her cup.

"Ah, yes. The Gala," Blueblood sighed, "That was... an unfortunate event. Originally, I had intended to quietly enjoy the evening just avoiding everypony excluding my close friends, of course. However, when I was approached by Miss Rarity, I was only left with one course of action."

"What do you mean?"

"Knots of the Night String are not permitted to interact with the Element Bearers," Blueblood pontificated, accenting his words with grandiose hoof gestures. "And whenever contact is sought out and initiated by one the Bearers, it is the duty of a Knot to behave in a manner that discourages any further contact." His soliloquy completed, he stopped to take another draw from his cup.

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "That sounded rehearsed."

"Ha! It might as well have been. Before Luna returned and reestablished her authority over the String, Aunt Tia bore the speech into our brains every chance she got. She was so protective of Twilight she didn't even allow us to meet in the castle. We had to rent out an empty cellar. Though, if we are being honest, I almost miss the place, it felt very... clandestine," he finished with a conniving smile.

The illusionist rubbed her chin in thought for a moment. "Trixie supposes that a friendly rematch with Princess Sparkle is out of the question then."

"Indeed. But now that you're a Knot, I would say you'll find yourself occupied with more interesting adventures than randomly annoying the citizens of Ponyville," Blueblood accented his last sentence with a quiet burp, which, despite the hoof covering his mouth, allowed a whiff of his breath escape and smack Trixie across the face.

Waving a hoof to dispel the noxious gas, Trixie decided it was probably time to get her companion to bed. "Trixie thinks you've had enough for one night, Bluey."

Blueblood dropped his jaw with mock disapproval, "Bluey? How dare you address a prince with such familiarity?"

"Yes, yes. Trixie is a horrible pony and should be ashamed of herself. Now, come along," she replied, grabbing the royal unicorn by the hoof and dragging him back towards the stairs that led to their room.

Either Trixie's griffonness illusion was a little too good, or the other occupants of the pub were just drunk enough to find anyone attractive, because as the two ponies passed a particularly rowdy table, one of the griffons gave Trixie's rump a playful swat with his tail.

Trixie let out a surprised squeak, backing up and turning around to face her assailant at the same time, more concerned that the offender may have felt through her illusion than the probable injury to her honor. However, the griffon in question simply shot her a flirty smirk as he continued pouring ale down his throat, so she assumed she was safe. She was about to continue dragging Blueblood upstairs when he refused to take a single step more.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing. That griffon over there just smacked my butt with his tail but I think he's too drunk to notice the lack of feathers," Trixie whispered, not realizing that Blueblood had stopped listening halfway into the sentence and was already approaching the offending griffon.

He roughly poked the griffon in the side with an abandoned mug to get his attention and was rewarded as the griffon quickly turned around to address him. "What is it?"

"Sir! Just now as my friend and I were passing you wantonly swatted her backside! You have insulted my compatriot's honor and I demand that you apologize!"

"And what if I said I'm not going to apologize? What are you going to do about it?" the griffon demanded, flaring his wings in a threatening manner. Clearly this was a very strong griffon, not used to being told to do anything, much less apologize, but it didn't look like B.B. was in any mood to back down either.

Trixie swiftly grabbed Blueblood once more and whispered into his ear. "What are you doing? If you fight him, he will definitely realize that you are not a griffon, then all our covers will be blown."

Blueblood just gave her a drunken grin. "Don't worry." He shot her what Trixie assumed was supposed to be a charming wink but because of the wine better resembled a minor stroke then turned back towards their aggressor.

"I don't think you quite understand the gravity of the situation, Sir!" the unicorn elaborated. "This griffonness is one of High-Maester Guildenstern's personal entourage! You have heard of him correct? The High-Maester of Griffonia?"

The griffon's wings shrank back behind him as the implications began to unfold in his mind.

"That's right! Lord Guildenstern, direct liaison to King Marcellus! Surely you recognize her from when she was sitting in his company earlier this evening, in this very establishment?"

"I remember!" shouted some unseen griffon in the back.

"Thank you. Now," Blueblood continued, his voice growing sinister. "I suggest you apologize before this becomes any more complicated."

The griffon turned and bowed to Trixie in a manner that was more frightened than apologetic. "I apologize, milady. I shall conduct myself with more restraint in the future. If there is anyway-"

"Enough," As much as she enjoyed the sight of the griffon babbling for forgiveness, Trixie could tell that they were starting to attract unnecessary attention. "Your apology is accepted. Just remember that it is never a mistake to show a lady the utmost respect."

"You're absolutely correct, milady. I will remember."

"Good," Trixie finished, grabbing ahold of Blueblood again and heading back up the stairs, both ponies' faces plastered with smiles far bigger than they deserved to have.

--------------------------------------

The Doctor sighed as Hephaestus led him and Teresa into the cult's house of worship. He would much rather be back at the inn, strategizing with Zecora, or swapping stories with Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, or even out and about the town further investigating the numerous devices around town that seemed to be collecting magical energy. Instead, however, he was being led around by this priest who not only had no idea he was being strung along, but certainly had no intention of revealing anything too important. So, predictably, the tour so far had been rather, well, rather domestic. And if there was anything that the Doctor hated, it was predictability and anything domestic.

"And this," Hephaestus explained. "is the spiritual center of our town. Did you know, my lord, that nearly eighty percent of GrassClaw is an adherent of our religion?"

The church itself was nothing spectacular. In fact, it was a bit on the small side, even taking into account the chambers than undoubtedly sat below. The only things that really stood out were the bronze tubing that seemed to line the entirety of the interior and the red bird-shaped silhouette adorning the far wall.

"Oh, really?" the disguised earth pony began. "That's quite a lot of worshippers. How do you fit them all in here?"

The high-priest gave a small chuckle. "Well, we actually stopped holding the main service in here, instead conducting it in the square outside. Now this building is only used by our priests and priestesses to perform the sacred rites that do not require the other adherents' participation." The red-eyed griffon shot Teresa a pointed look.

She knew what the old griffon wanted her to say. "Actually, my lord, we would like to build a new steeple, a cathedral that would be able to fit all of the town's worshippers, but we lack the necessary funding. Perhaps you would-"

"And what sort of 'sacred rights' would those be?" the Doctor interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Hephaestus asked.

"You said that this is where you perform the 'sacred rites' that don't require any other adherents. What rituals do you mean?"

"Why, just simple things," Hephaestus answered, slightly taken aback by the question. "The blessing of the oils, the daily prayer, sometimes feeding beggars and other works of charity."

"I see," The priest's attempts to impress had not been lost on the Doctor and he wanted to make it as awkward for him as possible. Seeing a door with a sign that read, 'Brothers and Sisters of the Order Only.' He immediately pointed to it. "And what is behind that door?"

The frantic look on Hephaestus's face brought more than enough joy to the Doctor's heart to make up for the rest of the evening's uneventfulness. "Oh, um. Just stairs leading down to the order's sleeping chambers," Hephaestus started sweating visibly. He decided it was time to change the subject. "Would you like a drink, my lord?"

--------------------------------------

Hephaestus nervously searched the cupboards of the temple's kitchen for some glasses as his guest leaned against the bar opposite, popping popcorn into his mouth one at a time.

Confound it! Everything was going so well! Now the whole order seems suspicious. Maybe I should have just taken him down and given him a short tour? Just enough to satisfy his curiosity. No. No. It would've only brought more suspicion when I pointedly avoided the Warming Chamber.

The priest finally found two clean glasses good enough for illustrious guests. He was pouring the drinks when he had an idea.

Perhaps all is not lost. With a small addition, if he ever shows any more signs of suspicion, we can simply remove him.

Glancing over his shoulder to make sure the wine glasses were hidden, he produced a small vial from his sleeve and added its clear contents to the glass on the right.

Meanwhile, the Doctor watched the fruits of his play-acting with a look of unbound glee on his face. Seizing the moment while Hephaestus was otherwise occupied, Teresa whispered into the his ear.

"The order's sleeping chambers do indeed lie at the bottom of those stairs, however, that is also where you can find the Warming Chamber."

The Doctor just kept grinning at the sight of his hoofiwork's results. "I knew that even before Hephaestus got jumpy," he replied through a smile which he was now almost certain would become permanent.

"What?" Teresa asked.

"Hoh yes!" the proclamation was exaggerated but quiet.

The griffonness seemed incredulous. "How?"

"Oh, come on. A secretive order trying to take over the world? A damsel in distress chained up in an underground dungeon? It's more cliche than a... than a... Well, it's more cliche than a very cliche thing."

"You and your friends continue using such a strange manner of speech."

Before the Doctor could explain what 'cliche' meant, Hephaestus interrupted their banter, placing the drinks on the bar. "I had this bottle imported from Griffonia a few months ago," he picked up the bottle and cradled it lovingly. "It's a Chardonnay, year of King Marcellus twenty-three. I was saving it for a special occasion and I can think of no occasion more special than meeting the High-Maester."

"No occasion save for meeting the King himself, correct?" the Doctor asserted. "May I?" he asked, indicating the bottle in the red-eyed griffon's grasp.

"Certainly."

The Doctor took the bottle in his hooves and smelled its contents, savoring the aroma. "Mmmmm, year of Marcellus twenty-three, I remember it well. In fact, didn't his Highness decree that it was forbidden to drink this particular vintage from anything other than a mahogany chalice?"

"Oh, goodness! You're right! I'll throw these out at once."

Fie and fie again! That was the last of milady's potion!

Hephaestus turned to search for cups that might be able to pass for mahogany, but was stopped by the apparent High-Maester.

"Oh. It would be a shame to waste even a glass of such a fine wine," the Doctor implored with a sly grin. "So... I won't tell his Majesty if you don't."

The priest chuckled both inwardly and outwardly as he picked up his glass.

Mishaps aside, this evening has gone even better than expected.

"Tell his Majesty... what, exactly?" he asked, returning his guest's sly tone and extending his arm for a toast.

"Exactly," the Doctor answered, clinking his glass against his host's and taking a long draw of the golden liquid.

--------------------------------------

As the sun rose the next morning, Hephaestus wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the day in his bed sleeping. However, his mistress needed to be updated on what had transpired in regards to the High-Maester of Griffonia.

Rising from the bed in his private quarters, he stood and shuffled to his personal console. He pulled and pushed several levers and flicked a switch here and there, the order of these actions second nature to him now. Finally, he took several steps back and bowed. A few seconds later, the visage of his mistress appeared, burning bright and red appeared before him. The sudden change in light served Hephaestus another headache to remind him of the previous night's activities.

"The day's greetings, Hephaestus."

"And a good morning to you, my lady," he managed to croak.

"Judging from your countenance, I'd say the meeting with the High-Maester went well. I hope you didn't drink so much that you made a fool of yourself in front of him."

"No, my lady. He was starting to grow suspicious when I showed him around the temple, so I slipped him that potion you gave me for just such occasions. However, it may have been unnecessary as he seemed to forget it easily enough when I brought out the wine."

"Oh?"

"Yes, mistress."

"A wise decision nonetheless. I will remove him if he ever proves to be more trouble than he's worth. In fact, invite him to the ritual at sunset this evening. So that I may gauge his reaction."

"You wish to conduct the ritual tonight?"

"Yes. We have already moved up our schedule once, and we already have more than enough energy."

"Then I shall see to it, my lady."

--------------------------------------

As the Night String awoke, it made the unpleasant discovery that its usually most dependable pony was nursing a hangover. This fact surprised nopony more than the Doctor himself.

"Blueblood's behavior was expected, but I thought you'd be more collected," Zecora rhymed in disappointment.

"Yeah. I gotta say Doc, I never thought I'd see you shirk duties and get wasted," the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well said, perhaps a little louder than was necessary making the Doctor wince.

"And how are you, of all ponies, completely fine?" Trixie demanded of Blueblood.

"I'm curious about that too, B.B.," the Doctor said, fighting through his pain to turn and look at the prince.

Up to this point, Blueblood had been nonchalantly sitting on his bunk, perfectly happy to just let his compatriots lay into the Doctor. "Hey, don't drag me into this. I was perfectly well behaved last night, despite being pleasantly pickled. Just ask Trixie," he replied, indicating the aforementioned mare.

As Zecora was about to rhyme out just such an inquiry, however, there came a knocking at their chamber door, followed by the entry of a very tired looking Teresa, who looked around the room in a confused manner before quietly closing the door behind her.

"You are all very fortunate that I was the first to enter this room and check on you. If it weren't for his massive headache, (Thank you for that by the way, Doctor.) Hephaestus would've been over here with the first rays of the sun."

"Why is that?" the Doctor asked.

"Don't you remember? You made quite the impression. He was practically ready to stop worshipping the Grand Phoenix and start praying to High-Maester Guildenstern by the time we left."

The Doctor gave a mischievous smile. "I tend to have that effect on ponies."

"I can tell."

"Wait, why are we fortunate?" Trixie interrupted, confused, before realizing a very important fact. "The disguise spell ran out during the night! Trixie knew she should've cast it again before bed."

"As I said, quite fortunate, but you're safe for now."

"Yes, thank you for that. Now if nopony minds, I'm going to use the sink, maybe some cold water will make this migraine go away."

While the Doctor went into the adjoining washroom to make a futile attempt to soothe his pains, Teresa surveyed the remaining members of the Night String. Clearly not finding whatever she was looking for, she approached Blueblood and inspected him further.

"May I help you?" B.B. asked, uncomfortable under the griffoness' scrutiny.

"I was just curious. I've never met a pony before. The one I met outside GrassClaw, Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, I believe her name was, which one of you is her?"

"That's me!" Double M declared.

"Ah. A pleasure to finally meet you. Though to be honest," she mused aloud, looking around the room to be sure she hadn't missed anything. "I thought you ponies would be taller, considering how strong that blow was."

"Did she just subtly call us all short?" Trixie asked Blueblood who could only shrug in response.

"No offense intended, I assure you. You make up for it in other aspects," Teresa apologized. "Some, more than others," she finished, glancing slightly at the door through which the Doctor had exited.

Trixie raised an eyebrow in confusion.

What?

"Well, that didn't help at all," the Doctor announced as he returned from the washroom, toweling himself off. "So, Teresa, where do we stand?"

"The high-priest has decided that the wait is over. The ritual to give the Grand Phoenix physical form will be performed tonight at sunset in the church square," Teresa began. "Guildenstern and his companions are invited to attend and sit on the stage with Hephaestus as he performs the rite. If your friend is to be used in the ritual in some fashion, you will be perfectly poised to rescue her," the griffonness quickly eyed the Doctor from top to bottom. "Obviously, you'll have to come donned in that same illusion from earlier."

"Disappointed?" the Doctor teased.

"Maybe a little."

Does Trixie have to spray you both down with ice water?

"Then we've got some prep work to do," Blueblood finally interjected, clearly also irked by the blatant flirting.

Teresa remembered that she had come here with a purpose. That purpose now fulfilled, she was expected to return to the temple. "Ahem. Good day."

Thank Celestia for Blueblood. I couldn't take another moment of that.

--------------------------------------

After a day of recovery, all but one of the String's members ascended the stairs of the stage in front of the steeple. Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, on the other hoof, sat atop one of the nearby houses, eyes glued to the stage. "I hope this plan of yours works, Doc."

Down below, Hephaestus greeted his guests with vigor enough that you would've never guessed that just eight hours earlier he had been lying face down on his bed, just trying to escape the reminders of his frivolities the night before. "Hello, hello, Lord Guildenstern and company!" he said animatedly, reaching out to shake the Doctor's disguised hoof, before remembering their meeting last night. "Oh wait, that's right. Are you still feeling unwell, my lord?"

The Doctor gave a couple fake coughs. "Yes, the cough is definitely still there and I have to admit, our fun last night probably did me little good."

"But it was worth it, wasn't it?" the griffon laughed and the Doctor simply chuckled in response.

The square shortly filled with hundreds of griffons, all excitedly awaiting their goddess. Once the square was sufficiently full and he was certain all his followers were present, Hephaestus took to the podium. "Friends! We are gathered today for a most momentous occasion! Tonight, as the sun sets, we will bare witness as the Grand Phoenix descends from the heavens and begins her time among us!"

Trixie gambled a look at the other Knots. Blueblood was rolling his neck to remove any kinks. Zecora had produced and readied a vial of red potion, from where she couldn't say. She couldn't see the Mysterious Mare from where she sat but she assumed the masked equine was limbering up. Turning to the Doctor, she discovered him looking right at her, his sonic screwdriver in hoof.

"Allons-y," he grinned.

Author's Note:

Here we go!

Sorry it took so long for this update. Just couldn't figure out what should come next.

I decided to take the previous chapter 5 and incorporate it into the beginning of this chapter since it wasn't very much of a chapter by itself anyways.

Other than that, just looking for critiques, as always. Anything you have to say is appreciated.

Comments

[Mooncalf]

Story continues at its established pace. That's actually good, because you're neither rushing it nor holding things up with too much filler. This feels very much like a Dr Who episode, actually. Feels like we're just about set for the big action showdown, next.

Trixie and Blueblood is building up an interesting chemistry. Usually I dislike that pairing, because the authors tend to play up Trixie's shallow jerk persona to match his shallow jerk persona, but here he (and Trixie) are more layered and developed. He's still quick to dismiss Rarity as a gold digger, but it suits him.

No interaction with the Elements, hmm? That's a good rule and all, but something tells me it will be chucked out the window when an inevitable crisis hits...

[Prane]

It was worth to finally familiarize myself with Doctor Who universe, as I've been doing throughout the past months - actually, your story was the final push that made me watch this amazing series - I understand so much more when it comes to the Doctor's manners and subtleties which you put in the story! And judging by this chapter's ending, the real fun is about to begin!

[charredenay]

3236455

It makes me kind of happy to know that something I wrote got you interested in Doctor Who. It is my favorite science fiction show and I honestly believe everyone should at the very least give it a chance.

It just so happens that after replying to you, I'm going to publish the next chapter. I hope that it lives up to your expectations.