Doctor Whooves: The City of Toys

by MaxKodan

Round 1: Hide and Seek

“Doctor. Hey! Doctor!” Dash called. She was stumbling through the crowded sidewalk in her attempt to follow her friend. Somehow, he seemed to have no problems passing through the mass of colorful citizens. She, on the other hand, had been poked and prodded and pushed and shoved and jostled and tripped by every wooden, plastic, and metal thing in her path. She nearly stepped on something, but caught herself as she looked down. A metal spring was right in her path. When she turned to apologize to its owner, she noticed that the spring led down the street and around a corner in both directions.

With a growl, she launched herself into the air. “Fine then! Geez, try to be nice and fit in once in a whi-oof!” She tumbled a little bit before righting herself. Looking up, she realized she’d been bumped by a pony-sized helicopter. “Oh, COME on!” She groaned in exasperation. Either way, the air was less crowded than the street. She flew low over the pedestrians and relocated The Doctor, keeping a few feet over his head. “Hey. Where are we going?”

“To find ‘Mayor Nollar’, of course.” He replied. Dash cringed a bit when he spoke the politician’s name. When he’d spoken of the Daleks and the Cybermen and the Sontarans, he’d used their names matter of factly, though the words left his mouth so heavily they’d nearly hit the ground. But the name ‘Nollar’ escaped his lips like a poison gas, and it seemed to hang in the air between them. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know more.

“Um...You said you knew who he was?” She went on reluctantly. For some reason, she feared retribution for asking about it. Instead of getting upset, The Doctor only nodded.

“He’s an old enemy of mine. I think. At first I thought it was all a coincidence, but it’s all adding up to the same thing. But something’s not right, he’s acting erratic. It makes him extremely dangerous.” The Doctor looked around and, after a moment, tapped one of the passers-by on the shoulder, calling for their attention. The well-dressed mare turned gracefully and curtsied cutely.

“Oh, mah!” She drawled. Her accent was even heavier than Applejack’s. “Now what can ah do fer a handsome stallion lahke yourself?” She batted her eyelashes several times. Dash rolled her eyes. The Doctor, somehow, kept a straight face.

“I just need some directions.” He said flatly.

“Darlin’, Ah’ll take you anywhere you want to go!” She said with a grin and a bit of a wink. Dash couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched her companion struggle to keep his face from flushing red.

“Just, uh...” He cleared his throat, shifting his hooves uncomfortably. “Just...the toy store. I need to get to the toy store.”

Immediately the atmosphere changed. The mare’s face dropped and she looked around nervously. “You...you want to go...” She bit her lip. “Ah...Ah don’t know if Ah should...”

“Madam,” The Doctor cut across her, “I assure you, I know what’s going on here.” He took a deep breath and evened his gaze. “I just want to help.”

-----

The building stood in front of them. It looked like a normal toy store, that was for sure. A clown and a cowpony stuck their heads out from behind a bright, colorful sign and waved cheerfully at the potential customers that walked by. The inside was lit up, and more bright, primary colors could be seen patterning the walls with random shapes and splatters. The aisles were full of product. Completely full. In fact, the store looked like it had just opened.

Rainbow Dash was back on the pavement, giving the store a once over from the sidewalk. Then she turned, looking behind her at the still-milling crowd that seemed to give the doors a wide berth. “Why...” She began, but gave another quick look back and forth. “Alright, that’s just creepy. Why would someone open a toy store like this in a city full of toys?”

Indeed, every toy in the store seemed to be representative of a type of citizen on the street. The more she looked, the more unnerved she became.

“Short answer, they didn’t.” The Doctor took a deep breath and closed his eyes, lowering his head. “We’ve got a little time before the clock runs down, so I want to take this time to explain a few things.”

“Doctor, not that I don’t appreciate you finally letting me in on something, here, but shouldn’t we hurry? He’s got a captive!” She scoffed. Still, she didn’t feel particularly rushed to go into this store.

“I know, I know. Just a few warnings. Either way this guy is extremely dangerous, but if he’s who I think he is...” He breathed a sigh. “Then you need to be extra careful. He’s tricky, and he won’t play fair. Try to play his game, but be mindful. He’s not above shifting the rules around in his own favor. He can be beaten if you stick to it and don’t let him get to you, understand?”

She nodded in return. With that, The Doctor sighed. “I’ll give you more information when I can, but for now, just know to keep your eyes open.”

The pair took a collective breath and stepped forward. The doors to the store opened automatically, and a light ding was heard as they passed through. The store was completely vacant. No customers roamed the aisles, and no cashiers stood ready to check them out. Not even so much as a pony in a crazy mascot getup bounced through the aisles, either delighting or terrifying the foals that never even entered the establishment anyway.

“...Creepy...” Dash shivered as she looked around. The interior of the store was made all the more forlorn with the stock. After having interacted with nearly identical, albeit larger, versions of the items on the shelves, the eyes that stared at them from all angles took on a different light. The Doctor was the first to take a step forward, and his companion followed closely after. The moment they stepped out of its range, the door slid closed behind them.

“Ah-hah! You’re quite good at this, Doctor! Though I expected no less.” The vision of Mayor Nollar appeared in front of them again. He was as joyful as ever and, Dash thought, not all that threatening looking. He was pretty much just a normal unicorn. Or rather, he just looked like a normal unicorn. Their clearly few-hay-fries-short-of-a-filly-meal host giggled erratically.

“Now, all you have to do is find the right item, Doctor. Pick it up and the door will open. I always make sure to choose a special toy for each and every ‘contestant’, and you are certainly no exception.”

The Doctor glared at him for several seconds, as if sizing him up.

“Ooh, good poker face! I love it!” The giggle fit burst out from the hologram again. “Good luck!” And with that, he vanished just as unceremoniously as he had the last time he’d appeared.

The Doctor sighed. “Really...well, if I’m right, there’s only one place to go.” He immediately set off, ignoring the look of confusion Dash was giving him.

“How do you know where to go?”

“Right here.” He’d turned down an aisle and stopped. Following his gaze, Dash saw a clear, plastic box with a wooden set inside. A long block of wood along the bottom, with three pillars sticking up along it. Wooden disks of various colors were stacked on the middle pillar. 6 of them of increasing size. She tilted her head when she read the box.

“Tower of Hanoi? Never heard of it.”

“Course you haven’t, Hanoi is a place on a planet in my dimension. If I wasn’t sure before, I am now.”

He reached over and picked it up. As if he’d hit a button, the shelf slowly slid back and revealed a hidden staircase. The pair looked down. They heard a familiar giggle erupting from the basement as the shelf chunked into place.

“Oh, would you be quiet!?” The voice of the captive unicorn drifted up after it. They had definitely stumbled onto the right place. With a glance at each other and a nod, they stepped off down the stairs.

The room at the bottom of the short staircase was rather large and rather poorly lit, save for two areas. On one wall where a pair of spotlights seemed to shine, the greenish, frazzled unicorn was still held up by her legs. She was glowering across the room at the other lit portion, a dias upon which the Mayor bounced in a large, colorful, overstuffed chair. He was completely ignoring the mare, and instead had turned his attention to the staircase, upon which two more spotlights were shone.

“And the contestants arrive!” He cheered, holding his front legs open.

The pair squinted in the sudden light, but The Doctor still stepped forward, towards the Mayor. “We won your little game, let her go.” He nodded towards the unicorn. The Mayor giggled mischievously and shrugged.

“Very well, very well. Spoil sport.” He glanced over to the side, and suddenly the braces holding the unicorn to the wall snapped open. She let out a quick shout and fell, tumbling a bit into a pile. She struggled to her feet, grumbling and glaring at her captor. She eased her way over to stand behind The Doctor, next to Dash. They traded nods, but she quickly sat down and started rubbing at her front legs. Introductions could wait.

The Doctor waited until their new friend was safely behind him before he did anything else. He nodded back at them, then turned an intense gaze towards the yellow menace in front. “What happened to you?” His voice was low, nearly a growl. The sort of tone that sent a shiver down Dash’s spine whenever she heard it.

“Come now, you’ve solved my challenge, you must know who I am. You were the most clever opponent I’d ever faced, after all.” The Mayor chuckled, his eyes widening. The appeared slightly bloodshot. “Go on, Doctor. Admit it. Call me by my name.”

A few seconds of silence went by as the staredown continued. The brown stallion took a deep breath in, his eyes turned up to the raised platform upon which the Mayor sat. He held the breath in for a moment, then finally decided what he’d use it on. “Toymaker.”

The cackling giggle rang through the darkness of the basement loud enough to cause one particular pegasus to wince slightly. This guy was really starting to get on her last nerve, and she held herself in one place for the sake of The Doctor.

“You haven’t answered me, Toymaker. What happened to you? You’re clearly not yourself...”

“Ooooh, The great Doctor doesn’t know the answer! It’s all because of you. The last time we met, you trapped me, Doctor, in a psychic barrier, fed by my own psychic powers.” He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “Psychic barriers weren’t part of the game, Doctor. That was unfair.” The eyes snapped open, and the ‘Toymaker’ leapt from his chair, standing tall to stare down at the trio of ponies. “UN! FAIR!” He screamed, his eyes growing redder. If he’d popped a blood vessel, he didn’t show it. Instead, he almost instantly relaxed, giggling playfully. “But it’s ok, Doctor. I’ve forgiven you for ch-ch-ch-” He stopped for a moment, a light tweak having formed in his neck as he tried to force the word. “CHEAT...ing...” He took a breath.

“You were-” The Doctor began. He was cut off by a loud cry from the Toymaker.

“I am STILL TALKING!” He shouted, stomping his hoof harshly on the edge of the platform upon which he stood. Again, his outburst was short lived, and he resumed giggling maniacally. The Doctor fell silent, but his gaze grew ever harder. “You’re forgiven, Doctor, because I understand. I understand why you would....” He paused, regaining his composure. “Bend...the rules.” He started on a circular path around the edge of the dais while he continued. “See, it was all my fault. I worked so hard to ensure that you couldn’t win, that the only option left to you was...well, you know.” The continuous giggling started to die down, and the pony cleared his throat. “Alright, then. Since you don’t know, I’ll tell you what. From now on, whenever you win one of my games, I’ll tell you another bit of my story of how I got here.” He beamed at them. “Does that sound fair?”

Dash started forward, eyes narrowed at their newest enemy. The unicorn tried to stop her, but Dash spoke loudly enough that she didn’t have the chance. “Now listen here, you! We’re not playing your stupid games anymore, we just want to leave!”

Though she was still behind the Doctor, she suddenly found herself right up against a yellow face. She blinked and stopped in her tracks. She didn’t remember him moving, but there stood the Mayor of this city, staring at her with a wide, grinning face, mere inches away.

“Aww, but you can’t leave once you start, little pony...” He giggled slowly. “If you can win all my games, your prize will be your TARDIS. You’re in my city, now, and without a license, owning a time machine is quite illegal...see?”

Dash swallowed hard. He sounded extremely threatening. It was as if his voice itself were trying to relay a lust to watch her struggle and suffer. His eyes were almost hypnotically large, and they stared directly into hers with malicious intent. Before she completely lost herself, however, his gaze was torn away from her by The Doctor, who had physically grabbed the Toymaker and pushed him back several feet. It was the first time Dash could remember the time traveler ever physically touching one of their foes.

“Now you listen to me, Toymaker.” He narrowed his eyes. “You want us to play your stupid game by your stupid rules, then fine. But don’t you dare, don’t you DARE touch a single hair on her mane, understand?”

His back was to her, but she caught a glimpse of his eye. At the moment, she wasn’t quite sure which of the two titans from another dimension she should fear more.

“Hoo! Oh, Doctor...do calm down.” He lifted his hoof and a ‘snap’ sound could be heard. The Doctor appeared back next to Dash, and the Toymaker stood back on his dais. “We’re all here to have fun, right? This dingy old basement is no place for it...I think it’s time for a change of scenery.”

-----

Suddenly, The Doctor, Dash, and their new unicorn friend found themselves standing in a room that looked a lot more...colorful than their previous location. They appeared to be surrounded by large, plush walls made of some sort of soft, rubbery plastic. Testing by Rainbow Dash showed that they absolutely refused to fall over, but they were surprisingly soft and bouncy, which she proved when she sat up in a daze 10 feet from where she’d hit. Most of the room was red, but it was accented with silver and black in certain places. One pattern along the wall looked rather like a door, but it felt like just another bit of the wall.

“...Well, this is great. Now what?”

Dash and The Doctor turned to look at their newfound friend, who had spoken up for the first time since she’d come off the wall.

“Er, not to be rude, but who are you?” The Doctor quirked an eyebrow. The unicorn blinked and blushed lightly.

“Right, sorry. My name’s North Star, but just call me Star.” She shrugged a little. “My parents were big on navigation.”

“Right, and you got here...?” The Doctor got closer and squinted, looking her over. She inched nervously away.

“Er...I have a ship, duh. Personal space.” She pushed him back away.

“Ok, quick introduction time. I’m Rainbow Dash, he’s The Doctor, and we’re kind of...er...” Dash started. She trailed off when she realized she didn’t quite know how to finish the sentence.

“We’re adventurers ourselves. Same as you, based on the cutie mark.” The Doctor peered around for a moment at the unicorn’s flank, upon which sat a mark that looked rather like a compass from a map.

She blushed in response. “Hey, eyes up, sunshine. And what kind of name is “The Doctor”? Doctor who?” She raised an eyebrow.

“That is a very good question.” The Doctor nodded. “Now, I should explain more about the Toymaker, now that I’m sure it’s him.”

“Hey!” The unicorn protested. Apparently, she was not a fan of being ignored. The Doctor managed to do it anyway as he pressed on.

“The Toymaker isn’t originally from my universe. He’s from a different one, and he follows a different set of physical laws. Basically, he can do just about anything he wants. He used his powers to draw people into his realm, the Celestial Toyroom, and force them to play his games for their freedom. Looks like he’s doing the same here. I don’t know how he ended up in this universe, but that’s not important right now. We need to focus on playing his game and winning, while keeping our eyes open for a way out of here. He’s not acting normally. He was always mad, but now he’s just raving.” The Doctor took a breath. “That means he may leave an opening for us to beat him, or it may mean that he’s more dangerous than ever. He has to follow his own rules, but he has a penchant for leaving some of them out. Keep your eyes open, and be ready for absolutely anything. Alright?”

“I think I got it, Doctor.”

“Hey, I’ve dealt with a megalomaniac or two. You don’t have to worry about me.”

The Doctor gave the unicorn another once over. “You know...there’s something about you...But I just can’t figure out what it is.”

A smug smile crossed Star’s face. “You’re not thrown off by my perfect figure, are you?” She posed slightly, then stuck her tongue out at him.

Dash rolled her eyes. “It might be that your mane still looks like it went through a blender.”

Star squeaked and quickly brought her hooves up to her head, working at the mane and trying to force it back down. When she finished, it still looked a bit disheveled, but she seemed happy enough with it.

Dash's giggle was interrupted by he sound of static that emitted from the frame of black that so resembled a door. The red color had been replaced by the fuzzy image of the Toymaker. He grinned jovially from wherever he was as the picture settled and the loud crackling died down. The three unwilling contestants looked at each other and traded looks of annoyance, dismay, and determination.

"Welcome, contestants, one and all to the extravagant Celestial Colosseum! I am your Mayor Nollar, and I am proud to once again bring you the glorious spectacle of the great Celestial Games! It's been a while, yes, but we finally have some new challengers!" When he finished his sentence, the screen flashed and showed the three of them.

"Oh, joy, we're famous." Star raised her hoof and waved half-heartedly at the screen. The camera, wherever that was, sooner in on her. From the side of the screen, the words "Northern Lights" flew in and paused below her face before tilting and rocketing away. "Hey!" She complained. It's North St-"

The camera cut away and paused on The Doctor. "The Surgeon" it called him. He sighed and shook his head. "Not as bad as Doc..." He muttered.

Next in the chopping block was Rainbow Dash, who was doubled over laughing at the names given to her friends. "The Surgeon! Man, what a riot!" She giggled.

"Monochrome Jog."

"What?"

“These three contestants braved the first round of “hide-n-seek!” The Mayor announced, while Dash simmered and Star giggled lightly. “And they passed in record time! But now, our trio of travelers will have to compete alongside a team, against a team! The challenges become harder and harder from here on out, and remember! They only have one ‘extra life’! Can they win 4 rounds before they lose 2? The only way to find out is to watch! In exactly 30 minutes, we will begin round two! Don’t miss the exciting continuation!”

The screen turned off with an electrical click, and silence resumed. The Doctor shook his head. “Fair game, huh? Sounds like we’re at a disadvantage.

In front of them, the hologram of the Toymaker appeared once more, this time with a light, worried frown playing across his face. “You are unhappy with the terms, Doctor? I simply wanted to even it out. With you on this team, another team of the same size would be completely uncompetitive. I’m just ensuring that everything remains as fun as possible!” He smiled warmly, as if he were consoling them.

“You have a twisted sense of ‘fun,’ Toymaker.”

“Don’t we all?” Completely unaffected by The Doctor’s glare, the unicorn began pacing back and forth in front of them. “Now, I shall explain your situation. You are in my coliseum. The remainder of the rounds will be played out in here. Between you and the other team there is a labyrinth, which will be changing in size and complexity each round. Mostly it will be random, but the center of the maze will always be set by the type of game being played. There will be secret passages, doors that can be closed or opened from only one side, moving platforms, anything to make it a little more fun.

“You will be a part of a 12 pony team, and the team you are facing off against will also consist of 12 ponies. At the end of each round, each team will gain additional members. If they lose, they get more. If they win, they get less.”

“So you’re saying...” Star cut in, narrowing her eyes. “That if we win two rounds in a row, we’ll be at a huge disadvantage player-wise. The only way we’ll have more ponies on our team is to lose the first round. Isn’t that right?”

The Doctor nodded. “Sounds it. More stacking the odds in your favor, Toymaker? Next you’ll tell me that our team will consist of ragdolls and tea sets, while we’ll be facing off against transforming robots and jet fighters, right?”

The Toymaker laughed heartily. “No, no Doctor. Didn’t I tell you? I’m giving you a fair chance. Every pony pulled from the city into the games regains their original forms until the games are over.”

The Doctor stood completely still. “And the ponies you’ll be selecting for our team-”

“I won’t be selecting them. It’s completely random. Drawn lots.”

The Mayor smiled as the silence settled. The time travelling stallion bowed his head in thought. “I...” He searched for the words. “This sounds too good to be true.”

“But those are the rules, Doctor, and you know better than anyone that I have to follow them.” Their host grinned. “Now, I did promise you a little bit of story for winning the first round, didn’t I?” He cleared his throat and sat down. Slowly, he began getting slightly more serious, eyeing each of them individually before continuing. “Now, you remember trapping me in that force field, right? Of course you do. I withered away there under that roller coaster, taunted by the sounds of children laughing and squealing with delight.” He paused to shiver slightly. “For nearly a year I was there. My physical form began to wither. I began feeling the creeping graps of insanity claw its way into my mind...That’s when I noticed. I saw it, Doctor. The Toymaker saw what The Doctor missed. A secret, hidden away from all eyes throughout all of time.” The Toymaker stood slowly, approaching them one step at a time as he spoke. His eyes grew wider and wider until he stood mere inches away from The Doctor. “I saw...a hole.”

With a flash and a click, he was gone.

“What was that?” Dash asked, quirking her eyebrow.

The Doctor shook his head. “I’m not sure. But right now it isn’t important. We should focus on making some sort of plan. We’ve only got one chance to screw up, and I’d like if we didn’t do that at all.”

“Got that right. This guy thinks he can scare us, he’s got another thing coming!” Dash grinned and stretched her legs. “We’ll show ‘em. We’ll take anything he can throw at us!”

“I just hope he joins in sometime so I can rough him up a bit for tying me to that wall...” Star punched her hoof into her other one and started popping some joints.

“Very good, then!” The Doctor breathed a bit of a sigh of relief and smiled. “25 Minutes til round 2. Let’s use ‘em well!”