"I ache, for the touch of your lips, dear
But much more for the touch of your whips, dear
You can raise welts, like nobody else
As we dance to the masochism tango"
The Doctor's mind buzzed with questions.
Where did the music come from, to start? There didn't seem to be any speakers or the like, and it sounded like an entire orchestra was sharing the room with him. Was this simply more "magic"? Was he being effected by it? He found himself unable to break from the rhythm of the tune. Each clash of the rivals' swords seemingly replaced the percussion of the invisible orchestra. The Doctor deliberately tried to go off-beat, and found himself completely unable. Each time he did resulted in the Master gaining an advantage. He certainly hoped other foes in the future didn't break into song, "heartsong" or not.
And, of course, the Master chose this song, of all songs. Why this one? Yes, Tom Lehrer was a good friend to the Doctor, the Doctor had met him back when the man invented the jello shot, and he was a great satiric musician, but of all his songs, why this one? The Master did say that it had to come from a place of passion. Surely, he wasn't implying..? No, it was simply because of the tango beat combined with the physical injuries invoked by the lyrics. It was simply a commentary on how each of their battles was like a sick, violent tango. Otherwise, he'd choose a more romantically inclined song.
At least, the Doctor certainly hoped that was the case.
In any case, he knew the primary purpose of the tune was to keep him occupied, and he hated that it was working. The Doctor could almost feel a pull, keeping him in the duel for as long as the song kept going and preventing him from helping his new friends. Was that part of the magic? Not that he would leave regardless, considering the danger the Master posed to... Well, everyone, if not everything.
"Let our love be a flame, not an ember
Say it's me that you want to dismember
Blacken my eye, set fire to my tie
As we dance to the masochism tango"
The Doctor was exactly where the Master wanted him, and the Doctor wasn't sure what he could do about it.
This. Was. AWESOME!
Rainbow was fighting through a bunch of literally faceless monsters, and they didn't have things like sentience to give her any guilt about it. She was kicking flank, dodging laser fire, and keeping the attention of the Autons attacking her friends. Learning that Luna was taking care of the hostage situation was a great burden off her back, because it meant she didn't have to listen to any more villain talk and could jump into the action. She flew around their fashionable invaders like they were just another obstacle course, dodging and weaving, tricking them into shooting each other.
Rainbow was on top of the world.
Rainbow gave a smug grin in the direction of a small group of the invaders. "I wish you morons had faces, so I could see the stupid looks on them when I do this."
"This" entailed surrounding the group of four dummies with a rainbow trail, creating a small tornado and causing them to fall apart into literal pieces. The plastic limbs scattered around the room, hitting other mannequins with the semi-living debris, the weapons affixed to their forelegs thankfully dismantled in the process. The tornado quickly dissipated as soon as Rainbow stopped to admire her work.
"Ha! Take that you literal dummies! You can't withstand the might of Rainbow Da-"
She saw the laser flying next to her head from behind. Rainbow looked in that direction to see Applejack lassoing the foreleg of the Auton that had apparently fired it. Rainbow didn't know exactly what happened when a laser hit a pony, but she had a feeling it involved something akin to "not being alive any more." As far as she was concerned, AJ just saved her life.
"Thanks, AJ! I owe ya one!"
Applejack replied with a mouthful of rope. "Wrrn't nnthin' hugarcuve, 'ust ve carefll."
"Uh, will do," Rainbow replied, having no idea what Applejack said. She quickly went back to the fight, aiming to trounce another Auton. She stopped, however, when a blast of white light hit her target. She looked to the direction the blast of magic had came from, seeing Rarity finally awake and joining the fight. She nodded at the pegasus, who nodded back in turn.
Rainbow looked past the unicorn to see Princess Celestia, using her wings to shield her now-injured guard, a still-unconscious Starlight, and a cowering Fluttershy. Despite the adrenaline of the fight, Rainbow was starting to get worried about Starlight in particular. Celestia could brave through anything, the guard seemed ready to go into the fight at any moment, and Fluttershy was likely having a panic attack right now rather than being injured,, but Starlight? She had been knocked out ever since she cast a spell on that Master guy (there had to be another name she could call that jerk).
What the hay did she cast, anyhow?
"You caught my nose
In your left castanet, love
I can feel the pain yet, love
Every time I hear drums..."
The Master nearly growled that last word, for whatever reason.
The rivals were back on equal... Well, not footing, but neither had an advantage, regardless. The Doctor had gotten a little used to the strange sensation of the "heartsong." It was almost as if the laws of reality shifted in order to accommodate the song number, allowing for the song to complete itself. He wondered if that meant the Master couldn't do any serious damage to him, or if things could only turn sour in the song's climax or near its end. For now, he would just have to endure, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
"And I envy the rose
That you held in your teeth, love
With the thorns underneath, love
Sticking into your gums"
Why did the Doctor fixate on the word "rose"? The flower never had a significance in his life as far as he knew. Maybe it's something that would happen later or, as his sensitivity to time made him think was more likely, something that would have happened later that now wouldn't. A pity, he supposed, that he missed out on what could have been. Or could be. Time travel and interdimensional travel could be confusing at times.
Speaking of what could have been... His thoughts drifted back to Jamie and Zoe. Those were his best friends of his last regeneration, admittedly a bit more than friends in Jamie's case, and now... They didn't remember him. Well, there was still a chance that the Time Lords didn't know human anatomy enough to be able to extract their memories properly, but that didn't seem too likely, all things considered. As the Doctor saw it, every adventure they had ever had together, from stopping the Cyberman on numerous occasions to traversing through the land of fiction, was most likely wiped from their memories, leaving the Doctor the loneliest he had ever felt. When he had left Susan behind he could at least say she remembered him. And one day he would come back. Yes, he would come back. He wasn't sure if he could ever do the same for two of his best friends.
None of that mattered at the moment, seeing how he was fighting for his life, but the wound was too fresh to not acknowledge. Besides, he could think between strikes of his sword, and he thanked Rassilon for the quick thinking skills his years at the academy gave him. Unfortunately, his combatant could think just as quickly, and was far more prepared than he was for reality to be dictated by a song and dance number. The Doctor was glad he never had to deal with singing enemies in his own universe, or the far past or... Whatever the truth of the matter was.
He hoped the song would be over soon.
Lasers, magic, lassos, spears and rainbow trails flew throughout the throne room. The room was flooded with Autons, with each mare still fighting dodging whatever came their way. The shots fired by the plastic enemy were missing, true, but the gap between their targets and their misses were getting closer and closer. Rainbow was making sure that the attention was on her, not to overshadow everypony else (this time), but to keep them from being blasted with weapons that did Celestia-knows-what.
Well, Celestia might literally know what, seeing she was also in the room, but whatever.
Rainbow looked back at the princess. The guard was being held back by Celestia's magic so they wouldn't charge into the fight, and Starlight was still out cold, but Fluttershy was talking to Celestia about something. Soon enough, Fluttershy left the room, going deeper into the castle with a determined look on her face. Rainbow didn't want to leave the battle, but she knew somepony should go with Fluttershy just in case, and she knew just the pony for the job.
"Hey AJ, Fluttershy's heading out! Can you make sure she's safe?"
Applejack dropped the rope out of her mouth, having lassoed up five mannequins for Rainbow to dismantle. "Sure thing, sugarcube!" Rainbow made quick work of the plastic soldiers, then AJ got her rope back and was on her way.
"You stay safe too, AJ!"
"I'll make sure of it, Dashie!"
With that, the cowgirl ran after her timid friend, and Rainbow flew over to the princess to ask a question... While still fighting for everypony's sake, taking out a few of the mooks firing at Celestia, still protecting the guard and Starlight.
"Princess Celestia, do you know where Fluttershy is going?"
Celestia nodded. "The consciousness controlling these monsters is being kept in one of our ballrooms. Fluttershy said she can handle it, and although I can't imagine how, I have faith in the friends of my favorite student. She did ask a... Rather odd question."
Rainbow bucked one of the Autons so hard its head went flying. "What question?"
"She asked if the thing had eyes, and I guess it does based on what the Master showed me, but I don't see what she could be planning."
Rainbow would have dwelled on it further, but a few more blasts in her direction shifted her priorities. "I hope Flutters knows what she's doing," Rainbow muttered to herself.
"Take your cigarette from its holder
And burn your initials on my shoulder..."
The Doctor was beginning to lose his metaphorical footing. On the bright side, it sounded like the song was coming to a close. He would admit, at least, that the song was nice, but it did give the Master a clear advantage, albeit mostly in the form of preparation.
"Fracture my spine, and say that you're mine..."
The Master managed to slash the Doctor's rapier out of his magic.
"As we dance to the maso..."
The tip of the Master's own sword was now at the Doctor's throat
"...Chism tango!"
Suddenly, as soon as the disembodied music stopped, the Master dropped the sword and writhed in pain, grasping at his skull. He quickly picked up a small cylindrical device from his pocket, and with a bright, white light, he disappeared.
After a few moments of silence, the Doctor began explaining what just happened to himself, for lack of anyone else to explain to. "That appeared to be teleportation. Whatever caused him to be in pain caused him to resort to his backup plan. But he had me. Or thought he had me, anyhow. Bruising his ego would have given me enough time to get the upper hand again. Well, upper hoof. Semantics, I suppose. Still, as far as he knew, I was right where he wanted me. So why would he run away like that? I don't believe anyone had the opportunity to-"
The Doctor stopped for a moment, and considered the possibility. "Ah, Starlight. I hope whatever 'spell' you used isn't causing him too much damage." With that, he rushed up to where the Autons took him earlier, hoping he wasn't too late to join the fight.
Starlight woke up.
Well, not really. In the real world she was still out cold in the castle, but she was at least where she intended to be. She wasn't in a physical location, but rather a mental one. The supposed Lord of Time, one of many if the Doctor was to be believed, had proven to be a rather difficult mind to break into. It probably would have been a shorter amount of time if not for the fact that Starlight could almost swear she sensed a heartsong had just taken place. Nevertheless, here she was, likely causing the villainous "Master" to pass out.
The first thing she noticed were the drums.
It rang out in a perfect rhythm, and it didn't appear to cease for anything. It immaculately thumped out throughout the mind of the alien minotaur, a constant loop of goading war drums.
The second thing she noticed was the strange room she was was in, a throne room with a deep, dark red color scheme, the color of blood, with golden accents, seemingly made of real gold. The windows revealed a sky the same color of red.
Then, of course, she noticed the very strange creature.
It was dressed like the Master, right down to the beard and haircut, except it had no horns, its shoulders were only slightly more broad than its torso, and in place of fur there was merely exposed skin that reminded Starlight of milk chocolate. Instead of hooves on its legs, the creature had oddly shaped shoes, presumably where its "feet" were. Ultimately it looked like a strange combination between a minotaur and a monkey,
Starlight guessed that this was what a Time Lord looked like in their home dimension, as well as what Gallifreyans like the Doctor looked like. Come to think of it, it also seemed like how Twilight had described a "human" to her. Whatever it was, it sat on a throne designed for a bipedal creature, intensely ornate and crafted with care. It also wore a dark scowl. Starlight shouldn't have been able to tell so easily, this being a species she knew nothing about, but something about that look... It couldn't be mistaken for anything else.
The creature, most likely the Master, bellowed. "Who are you? What are you doing in my own mind?" It was only slightly louder than the drums.
"Well," Starlight said, "I can see you're mentally strong. Most creatures, especially non-magical ones, would take a little bit to figure out where we are. As for your questions, my name is Starlight Glimmer, and the reason is... Well, to be really honest, I wanted to incapacitate you in a way that would give everypony a break from your lousy monologuing. Plus, I've been looking for an excuse to try out the Magical Mindscape Manifestation spell for a while now."
"I can assure you, I am quite good at my 'monologuing'. Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn't flood your mind with the information I have."
Starlight raised an eyebrow. "How the hey is making me learn things a threat?"
The Master chuckled. "Perhaps then, a demonstration is in order."
All of a sudden, Starlight knew everything about the Master's tissue compression device. How it worked, who he had used it on, where he got it, how to make one herself... All of that information at once gave Starlight a headache, and some heartache for the poor souls who became nothing more than figurines in the Master's wake...
"And that's only a taste of what I know," the Master said, casually. "I have hundreds of years worth of information at my disposal, and that is one simple object. Now, why shouldn't I give you more? Maybe all I know at once? Make your tiny equine head explode?"
Starlight reoriented herself, then pondered on what to say next. "The drums."
The Master raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"
"Why do you have these drums playing constantly?"
The Master sighed. "Well, it wasn't exactly my choice. See, the Time Lords have this... Initiation ritual from when you join. I was only eight at the time."
"Eight?"
"Yes, well, it's traditional, when you are first taken into the Academy of Time, to look into the Untempered Schism. The Schism allows one to look into the vortex of time itself. It's been known to drive some mad, and I suppose I would be among that list of poor souls. That was when the drumming started, I'm certain of it. And through the years it grew louder and louder, goading me into madness. But now, here I stand, victorious."
Starlight put her head low. "I'm sorry..."
"Oh hush now, I don't need your sympathy."
Starlight looked up again, her eyes watering slightly. "Did you have any friends?"
The room would have been silent if not for the constant war drums.
Starlight elaborated. "When I was a filly, I had a friend named Starburst. He... Moved away, to attend a school in Canterlot. And I was alone, and it destroyed me. I... I did awful things."
"Oh, please," the Master said. "What would you know abou-"
Abruptly, the Master suddenly knew what Starlight had done. How she brainwashed and subjugated an entire village. How she shattered time itself. How she had been working to reform herself now.
The Master was taken aback. "Wh- This is my mind! How did you possibly-"
"Let's not get away from the point," Starlight interrupted. "The point is I've done my fair share of horrible things. Not as many as you have, I'm sure, but I know the horror I've caused. And I know why I did it. I didn't have any friends, and abandoned the concept altogether, and I grew worse and worse because I never listened to anypony else."
The Master merely laughed that same awful laugh. "I'll admit, I underestimated you. You and your kind as a whole, might I add. It's so rare that I meet something even as close to resembling an equal like yourself, and rarer still I think of letting them li-"
"You're stalling."
The Master blinked. "How do you mean?"
"Alright, I'll ask again. Did you have any friends?"
The Master paused. "I... Yes, for a time. When I was young, the Doctor and I were the best of friends. We went into the Time Lord academy together, but after we both looked into the Schism we... Drifted apart. Now we are the greatest of adversaries, true equals."
"Wait," Starlight said, confused. "The Doctor went to a Time Lord academy?"
"... He's a Time Lord. They don't just hand out those titles, you know."
It was Starlight's turn to have the drums be the only sound present. Soon enough, though, she spoke again. "The Doctor never said he was a Time Lord. He said he was a Gallifreyan, and that Time Lords were awful monsters."
Drums permeated the Master's mind again. "Time Lords are Gallifreyan," the Master said, breaking the quasi-silence with an uncharacteristically worried tone, "as they come from Gallifrey. One has to earn the right to become a Time lord, in order to travel through time and become near-immortal. Being a Time Lord means so much for... Well, most people who join the academy. Even I still stand by that title, despite my grievances with the government, and the Doctor had even more grievances. What did those dullards do to him to abandon such a grand title? What could possibly have been so horrific that he would abandon it?"
Starlight grimaced. "Aside from destroying his 'TARDIS,' I have no idea. I'll help him with whatever it is, I promise. I know you won't admit it, but you care about him. A lot. And you feel you can't be friends, so you might as well be his greatest enemy. I get that, I think... I felt the same way, for a time. And while it might be too late to save your friendship with the Doctor, you can still try and make new ones. Hay, I'm willing to be your friend!"
The Master pondered this for a moment. "I can't say I'll take up that opportunity, but you have done something absolutely grand by even so far as making me seriously consider it. That being said, how do I know this isn't some kind of trick, hm? How do I know this isn't some ploy of your own? Your memories have shown me you can be quite cunning."
Starlight closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and reopened them with a determined look. "The Doctor tells me you can think fast. Really fast. Most Gallifreyans can, according to him."
The Master nodded, intrigued with where this was going. "That is true, and training at the Academy makes it even more powerful than that."
"So i want to know how fast. This drum beat, for example." She raised a hoof towards the ceiling. "Let's say this same rhythm was happening at the same rate in my mind as it's going in yours. How long before my brain explodes or something like that?"
The Master put his finger to his chin. "Oh, I'd say about... 2 Minutes, at most, one at the least."
"Good," Starlight said, her horn aglow. "I won't need that long."
The Master awoke on his TARDIS's floor, a minotaur once again. He grunted his way up to the console, wondering what to do about this mind-invader, "Starlight Glimmer". He was certainly impressed by her abilities, and she seemed genuine enough in her effort to help. So what could he do to prevent another trip into his mind? Maybe just the threat of melting her brains with his knowledge would be enough to prevent it. He tapped his fingers on the console...
...And was startled to find there wasn't any sort of rhythm to it.
It was then he realized that, for the first time in centuries, his head felt... Oddly quiet. Like he could think more clearly. The psychological damage had been done, sure, but no further would the drums haunt him. Stalight must have done something to him. Then he remembered Starlight's question. It was then a feeling crept over him, a feeling he rarely, if ever, felt for others...
Concern.
Starlight woke up screaming.
A startled Celestia let her wings flare out in reflex, just enough for Starlight to cast a spell directly into a crowd of Autons which had Rarity and Rainbow at the center, surrounded. Manifesting right in front of everyponies' eyes were a single drum and a pair of drumsticks. The newly manifested instrument began drumming itself incessantly, echoing through the room, causing everything within to falter. The Ponies grasped at their ears, while the autons scrambled around aimlessly. Even the Doctor, who had just entered the room, seemed to be in incredible pain. Only Celestia was able to resist enough to do something, and she sent a magical spell towards the cursed instrument, wiping it from existence.
The ponies, unfortunately, took longer than the Autons to recover. The plastic fiends managed to take aim at Rainbow, Rarity, and the Doctor, almost ready to fire...
And just stood there.
They lowered their weapons, getting down on all fours, and trotted as fast as they could towards a doorway. More Autons came in through the throne room entrance, and went in that same direction.
The Doctor took advantage at their enemy's sudden change of plans to catch up with his friends. "Rainbow, Rarity, there you are! Are you both alright?"
"Yes, Darling," Rarity replied, "or at least I am. You, Rainbow?"
"Yeah yeah, I'm fine," Rainbow said dismissively. "What the hey was that?"
The Doctor shook his head. "I haven't the foggiest, I'm afraid. Is Starlight alright?"
Starlight weakly trotted up to where the Doctor was. "I'm fine, just... Had to help a friend."
The Doctor nodded. "Where's everyone else?"
"Well, Celestia and that guard is right over there," Rainbow said. "Fluttershy and Applejack are-" She paused, and suddenly had a nervous expression on her face. "EXACTLY WHERE THE AUTON THINGS ARE GOING!"
"Then we must act quickly," the Doctor said. "Starlight, you stay and rest with... The princess, and once this is all over I have some questions to ask you. Princess, keep her safe."
"Wouldn't dream of doing anything else," Celestia replied.
The trio of ponies hurried and joined the stampede of equine dummies, only to find that the foes had made a clearing for them. Rainbow flew above the other two.
"I don't like how chummy they're getting all of a sudden," Rainbow said. "Could be a trick."
The Doctor nodded. "Good, it means they're getting desperate." Rainbow snickered at that.
When they got to their destination, they were in the upper level of an extravagantly large room. It used to be a ballroom, as Celestia said, but now it was repurposed into being the homebase for the Nestine Consciousness itself. The monster was a red and orange mass of goop, constantly shifting and moving in a rectangular hole dug into into the floor. It appeared to have a... Face, of some sort, emerging out of it, morphing just as often as the rest of it. It was strange, it was gross, it was horrific...
And Fluttershy was staring directly at it.
The Autons, for their part, were mindlessly running towards their controller, ensuring they dodged out of the way of Fluttershy and any other ponies present, jumping into and melting into the mass itself. Applejack was standing next to the timid pegasus, a smug and proud look upon her face directed towards the room's new occupants.
Rarity screamed at the sight. "THEY'RE DESTROYING THE BEAUTIFUL OUTFITS THEY'RE WEARING! Somepony probably spent hours designing those! The horror! THE HORROR!" Rarity wept into one of her forelegs as Rainbow patted her on the shoulder. The Doctor looked over to Rainbow, clearly confused.
"Yeah," Rainbow sighed. "You get used to that. Eventually..."
Applejack made her way to the group, at a confidently casual pace despite the herd of mannequins. "Howdy, y'all! Flutters is usin' her stare ta wrassle up are blank faced friends. As far as she's concerned, this 'Nestin' Consciousness' is just another critter, and I think we all know how good she is with those. As far as I reckon, I think she hit the nail on the noggin!"
"Well done, Fluttershy," shouted the Doctor towards her as Rarity and Rainbow cheered, though Rarity's eyes were still watering. If Fluttershy heard it, though, she didn't acknowledge it. She was far too busy focusing on the alien hive mind to let herself get distracted.
After a while, the number of Autons had dropped significantly. A while longer, Starlight Glimmer, Princess Celestia, and the new arrival of Princess Luna followed what few members of the plastic herd remained into the former ballroom.
"The nobles are going to have a fit when they see this," whispered Luna to herself.
Soon enough, there were only two Autons left. Both stood next to Fluttershy, tearing off their own weaponized forehooves and throwing them into goop that gave them life while Fluttershy addressed the Nestine with a soft, motherly tone. "Now, we're going to learn to play nice, aren't we? I always have a home for you in Ponyville."
The living sludge sunk back. "Yesssssss," said the flank of one of the Autons, "jusssssst pleassssse never ssstare at usssssss like that again... It makessssss usssssss feel an emotion we've never known..."
"Only if you don't cause any more trouble."
"Yesssssss ma'am..."
"Awww, you don't to be so formal! Call me Fluttershy."
"Yessssss Misssssss Fluttershhhhy..."
Cheering erupted from all ponies, save one Gallifreyan.
"Are you sure we can trust the Nestine to keep its word?"
Celestia looked straight at the Doctor with a warm smile. "Fluttershy has tamed far worse without the use of her stare, so I say that we can."
"If you say so. Princess Celestia, I presume?"
"You would be correct. And you must be the Doctor the Master was talking about."
"As a matter of fact I am, one could even say the definite article. By the by, is there any chance I can view you and your sister raising the sun and moon? I have a hard time believing it myself, considering where I'm from."
Celestia chuckled. "Of course, Doctor."
The Doctor looked over to the darker blue alicorn. "And you must be Princess Luna, correct?"
Luna nodded. "Indeed, dear Doctor! It is good to... Meet a new face!" Her smile got slightly more nervous-looking. She turned to her sister, her expression turning more dour. "Dear sister, I do have some unfortunate news. For the first time since Princess Cadance's wedding... We've had casualties." Gasps were heard around the room. "The good news is that none of them were from civilians, but we have lost nearly two dozen fine guards."
Celestia nodded solemnly. "I'll be sure to inform their families about the matter, though I'm not sure what to tell them concerning the state of the bodies, and just telling them we cremated their bodies without their consent seems... Wrong. I do think we are fortunate, however, that the number is not much higher. If the Master wasn't trying to get to the Doctor, I fear there would have been far more. Although, with that out of the way, where are Twilight, Spike and Pinkie?"
Starlight was the one to answer. "They're still in Ponyville. The Cutie Map didn't call them to Canterlot, just us. Who knows what they're doing?"
As if on cue, there was a loud crash coming from the throne room. Everyone quickly ran to the source, Fluttershy excluded, who was still dealing with the Nestine. When the group entered the throne room, they saw three figures standing in front of a cardboard box. A purple alicorn, a pink earth mare, and... Was that pony also a potato?
Confetti appeared from nowhere. "Surprise!"