Zero Room

by FiveyWhooves

The Doctor vs. The Master

Stomach dropping and eyes widening in the dark, the Doctor(5), unsuspecting of this moment and get finding it almost inevitable with the circumstances, knew that he was encountering no other pony than the Master himself.

And it seemed as though this meeting was not accidental.

"If you're so great an adversary," the Doctor responded to the twisted Timepony in the calmest manner he could, "then how come you have to hide yourself in the dark?"

"I figured I would save you the scare," the opposing stallion responded as he stepped out into the open, his coat and eyes becoming the only thing visible of him in the dim starlight. "You always seem so frantic whenever we meet face to face."

"You also tend to stir up quite a bit of trouble wherever you go," the Doctor replied. "Why am I not surprised to see you here?"

"Possibly because I needed to make a well-deserved trade. That police box of yours is a piece of rubbish."

"Should I hope to find it in a junkyard then? What did you do with my TARDIS?"

"It doesn't matter to me anymore, and frankly, I don't believe you will be needing it for much longer." The Master removed the TCE from his pocket, using the flickering get gripping essence of his olive green magic, and pointed it at the Doctor, who instantly took a solid step backwards.

"What's this all about then?!" the Doctor asked, alarmed and ready to raise his voice enough to wake everypony inside of the cottage. "You have your own TARDIS, you have the perfect opportunity to just leave me here, so why the turn of violence?"

"I was always an unstable man, still same as an equine," the Master replied. "Besides, nothing has to end in violence, Doctor, if you simply comply." He twisted the device in his magic as he would have with his hands in the past. "Follow me quietly and get into my TARDIS. I'll do you the favor of even leaving your companions unharmed."

"Forget it," the Doctor rebuked. "Whatever you need me for has to be part of one of your devious schemes. You wouldn't bother sticking around here for me unless you have some malicious intent."

"You think you know me so well," chuckled the Master in a slightly annoyed tone. "No intent is truly malicious at an absolute level, besides."

"Stop turning your words to fortify yourself, Master, you'll only make yourself more upset when I decline your offer yet again."

"Who says I have to ask twice?" The Master fired the TCE just missing the Doctor's ear and compressing a birdbath behind him so quickly that it crumbled violently to the ground into ash. The Doctor felt the adrenaline rise in his blood, yet forced himself to keep a calm demeanor.

"Your little 'persuasions' won't do you any good, Master!" The Doctor knew the Master would just bluff the entirety of the time; the moral Timepony knew that the Master was most likely after his own intellect or remaining eight lives, and so turning him to dust would just backfire against his own desires.

"Very well, then continue to raise your voice, Doctor," the Master grinned. "I wonder who else is in this place that'd like to vouch for you."

The Doctor paused with the fact in his mind, refusing the earlier idea of waking anypony else up in the cottage for help. Although he was sure the girl Fluttershy seemed too shy and nervous to jump anywhere into the situation but away from it, he knew that there was still the matter of Tegan and Nyssa, both of whom would react differently; Tegan's dislike for the Master, combined with her head-strong attitude and large mouth would surely get her in some trouble, and Nyssa's courage, although well-tempered, would forbid her from backing down from the Master, especially since she would make certain to stand by her friends' sides to the end of it. No, the Doctor couldn't cause a way for Tegan and Nyssa to interfere; he was concerned too much for their safety, especially since the Master wouldn't hesitate or bluff with their demises.

"Leave them out of this," the Doctor replied. He stood in a moment of thought before he spoke again. "I'll go with you Master, quietly and undisturbed, just as you want."

The Master grinned, but he didn't move his weapon. He was obviously satisfied with the Doctor's compliance, yet both ponies knew of the silent tension that lingered in the air.

"Very well, Doctor," he then stated. "Start off down the pathway and I'll direct you where you need to go." The Doctor nodded silently before he followed the Master's instructions, walking into the night and keeping his gaze focused ahead of him. He could almost feel the TCE pointing down his back as his hooves strode along the cold ground.

There was silence for a good minute minus the Master's quiet directions, the Doctor keeping his thoughts to himself. He knew that he had tricked the Master; the corrupt stallion wouldn't dare actually fire the TCE at him, eliminating his chance to get what he wanted. All the Doctor needed to do was get far enough not to disturb the cottage. Then, as he had decided in the moment of agreeing with following the Master, he dug his hooves hard into the ground.

And the Doctor sprinted for it.

The Master roared the instant that his enemy decided to flee, and in that moment he fired the TCE in anger. However, without practice, his magic was still ill-defined and his aim was far off of the Doctor's running patter. The enraged Master then attempted to grab at the device with his hooves, but that proved to be a worse idea. In frustration, he stuffed the device back into his pocket and dashed right after the Doctor, knowing that any chance of stopping the fleeing pony would have to come in close contact.

The galloping escapee darted as far away as he could from the cottage, yet he made sure he wasn't going to hit the possibility of running into the Master's TARDIS. He hurried over some rougher terrain of brush and logs in hopes of getting somewhere that would give him a clean break. The Master steadily had gained on him, and was just half a mare's length away from just grasping the Doctor's tail. He had grown more irritated with the fact that the Doctor had outwitted him just for the chance to run, yet in the Master's anger, he could think of better ways to stop the Doctor from running. The Master skidded to a halt.

"Very well Doctor! Run!" It was all he said before he turned back for the cottage.

The Doctor instantly slowed, the blood draining from his face and causing his hooves to grow heavy. How could he be such an idiot! Now his own companions were available for the Master to use for blackmail! And here he was, only hoping to outsmart his adversary by rushing off! He could only now rush back in hopes to catch the Master and. . .figure out a different plan for outsmarting. Hopefully.

The Master was fairly quick and evasive, but the Doctor's will to protect Tegan and Nyssa was able to catch up quickly with the foul horse and topple him to the ground. It was unorthodox, the Doctor thought, to just brutally tackle, but there weren't many other options he could come up with, especially since he had hooves for hands.

Cracked twigs and mangled brush was spread across the ground, which gave the Master a rough landing, much of the broken nature pressing into his hooves, a sharpened piece of wood cutting the underside of his jaw. He grunted in pain before turning back quickly and throwing the Doctor off of him and into a thick tree trunk.

"Now you decide to be courageous!" the Master growled at him angrily as he got himself to rise to his feet again. "You're still just a coward. Unless you have an 'excuse' to fight, all you do is run!"

"Why cause unnecessary debacle?" the Doctor responded as he also got to his hooves. "Always creating a fight can turn courage into idiocy!"

"And yet we wouldn't be in this friction hadn't you been so slippery, Doctor!" the Master spat back. "And you always called me a man of schemes. Look at you! A pony of trickery!"

"I will do what I can to keep you out of your selfish ambitions of destruction!"

"And I will show you what will happen since you don't comply!" The Master charged for him, the Doctor dodging out of the way. There was an awkward aggression that started to break out, the terrible terrain contributing, but also because there were two men fighting inside vessels with four legs. Yet it was damaging enough, the Master continuing charges and the Doctor counteracting to slow him down. Bruises began to appear, cuts following, and although it was dark, the Doctor could almost see the Master's rage burning in the irises of his eyes.

The air was all snaps of the brush and rips of the clothing the stallions wore. Occasionally there was a crack, one that the Doctor felt in his nose and one the Master caught in his shoulder. It seemed nopony would be aware of the conflict, which worked in favor and in opposition for the Doctor. Tegan and Nyssa wouldn't be aware of the situation, which meant they were away from the Master's grasp. . .for now. . .unless. . .things didn't turn out exactly right--

Whip!

Crack!

Thud.

Only one pony came out conscious and well to deliver the results of the brawl to anypony who wouldn't know it existed.