Number Four
“Coming Twilight!” The Master turned to face Spike as he descended the stairs, the smirk still on her face.
“I’m here. What do you need me to do Twilight?” Spike looked at his surrogate mother. His expecting expression quickly morphed into a worried one as he got a good look at her. “Uh, Twilight? Are you ok?”
“Oh, I have never felt better.” Her smile grew, further unnerving Spike. “I need you to write a check list.”
“Alright Twilight!” Spike ran to the storage closet, relieved at the change of subject. He returned moments later, scroll and quill in hand. He prepared himself to make the checklist. “”All right, I’m ready. Go ahead Twilight.”
“All right,” she said, clearing her throat. “Title it ‘My Master plan (Abridged version)’.” She paused as the dragon scribbled down the Title.
“Got it. Go ahead”
“1) Remember who I really am.
2) Think of basic plan.
3) Create weapon.
4) Make sure assistant is on my side.
5) Keep up appearances.
6) Locate my TARDIS.
7) Take over Equestria.
8) Take over World.
9) Defeat the Doctor.
10) Take over the Universe.”
“Did you get all of that?” the Master questioned the stunned dragon. “Oh, and check off the first three things.”
“Wha… but… I…” Spike stared at his friend in shock. He found himself once again taking in Twilight’s appearance. She mostly looked normal. Her face still had on that creepy grin. However, unlike the maniacal smile she had on during the ‘want it, need it’ incident, it was a more calm, smug grim. He continued to look her over until stopping at her flank, gasping in surprise. “Twilight! Y-Your cutie mark!”
The Master turned her head and glanced at her cutie mark. It was still the starburst that she had before, but there was a difference. In the center of the starburst was the image of a drum being played with two drumsticks. The smile remained as she saw the familiar marking. “No matter how many times I regenerate that drum set remains.” With a sigh of delight she rubbed her hoof over the mark. “I missed you so much.”
“Tw-Twilight?” By now, Spike was sufficiently freaked out. Twilight Sparkle; the mare that was his boss, friend, and the closest thing he had for a mother; was acting like a completely different pony. It was scaring Spike, both for her sanity and his own wellbeing. He jumped when the mare violently turned her head to face him, a look of anger on her face.
“MY NAME IS NOT TWILIGHT!” The mare’s outburst caused Spike to fall backwards. He looked up in fear as Twilight walked forward until she was standing directly over him. Her teeth were clenched in anger as she stared him in the eyes. Slowly the look of anger melted from her face and was replaced by an eager grin. Stepping away from the still shaking dragon, she used her telekinesis to lift him onto her back. Spike, still in shock, did not try to resist her. She then turned and ascended the stairs leading out of the basement. “I think that I need to bring you up to speed about a few things.”
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The Master walked into the study, closing the door behind her. Placing Spike on the ground, she turned and walked to the table where she had thrown the watch that morning. “You know, I have you to thank for this. Even though the perception filter was greatly weakened, I still never would have been able to see past it without you, if for no other reason than that I had lost it. If you hadn’t found that thing in that mess we call a basement, I don’t think I would have ever gotten back to my old self.” Picking up the watch, she turned back to Spike. “And for that, I thank you.”
“I-I don’t understand. What happened to you?”
“Well, you see,” began the Master. “Twilight Sparkle isn’t real.”
“What?” Spike was even more confused than he was before. Was she trying to say that she only existed in his head?! That he had made her up? No, that couldn’t be right. Everyone else saw her, so she couldn’t be made up. But if that wasn’t it, then what could she mean? Still confused, he said the first thing that came to his head. “But you’re right there. You have to be real.”
“Let me rephrase that in a way that you will understand,” said Twilight with a look of amusement on her face. “Twilight Sparkle was a disguise that was created to protect me from a horror beyond your comprehension. It was a disguise so perfect that even I forgot that it was a disguise. It was so perfect that I forgot who I truly was.”
Spike let the information sink in, and soon he realized what this mare was trying to say. “But if you’re not Twilight, then who are you?” Once again a grin formed of the mare’s face. She looked directly in his eyes as she eagerly spoke in a harsh whisper. Her voice was filled with an age old pride.
“I am the Master.”
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The Master looked up from the scroll in front of her and glanced at the dragon still silently sitting in the center of the room, digesting what she had told him. Right after her little reveal, the Princess decided that now was a good time to send her a mail. Still, it was best to let Spike fully comprehend the situation before she sprung the next part on him. The part where he would help her achieve her goal of domination, willingly or not.
Turning her attention back to the scroll in front of her, she used her magic to break the seal and unroll it. She then began reading what the soon to be ex-princess had to say.
====
My Faithfull Student;
Something has happened. I need you and your friends, the fellow Elements of Harmony, to come to Canterlot at your earliest convenience. I will explain more when you arrive.
Your Teacher:
Princess Celestia
====
“Well that was short.” The Master turned the page over to see if there was anything else. Finding nothing, she tossed the paper to the table and started pacing the room. “So, the old hag needs the Elements. This will be interesting. It also gives me the perfect opportunity to start the next step of my real plan.” She suddenly stopped her pacing as a look of disgust came over her face. “But that also means that I am going to have to pretend to be, ugh, Twilight Sparkle again. On top of that I’m going to have to work with her ‘friends’.” Shaking her head, she then let out a sigh. “O well. I guess sacrifices are going to have to be made.” Her external monolog was then interrupted by a voice.
“No.”
“Come again?” The Master turned to look at Spike. She had almost forgotten that he was still there.
“I’m not going to let you take over Equestria.” Spike had stood up and he gave the Master a defiant look.
“You really aren’t thinking this through are you?” Spike looked confused at the Master’s question. The Master simply looked bored.
“…What do you mean?”
“I mean that you aren’t thinking about the future. You think that by standing up to me will make you a hero or something, but the truth is that it won’t make a difference. In the end you will have accomplished nothing.” The Master looked spike in the eyes. She slowly started to circle around him.
“On the other hand, if you were to join me, you could make a difference.”
“What do you mean?” Spike’s voice was filled with confusion. The Master stopped right in front of him and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Well the first thing is that you could easily get Rarity.” Ignoring the flustered stuttering of the dragon, she continued. “She has always planned to marry a prince, and with me in charge you would become one.” That gave the dragon a pause. A real chance to be with the one he loves. A chance to be true royalty.
“You would also be able to protect the ones you care about and that is on top of everything you desire.” As Spike looked into the Master’s deep eyes, he felt the resistance he put up slipping away. She was offering him anything he could ever want. Why was he even trying to stop her in the first place? As the Master’s eyes continued to pierce into his soul, he heard a voice in the back of his head telling him to listen to the Master. The Master…is always right. He should…help her.
“I am the Master and you will obey me.” The Master continued to stare into Spike’s soul with her unending gaze.
“…Yes. I will do…as you say, Master.” The Master’s grin widened at that. Her hypnotizing skills were still excellent, and she had just obtained her first tool.
“It looks like I can check off number four from the check list.” She turned to leave the room. Stopping at the door way, she yelled back over her shoulder. “Spike, get us packed for Canterlot. I have to go tell our ‘friends’ that the princess needs us.”
“Of course. We’ll be ready to go by the time you get back.” With that the Master left the library, plans already forming in her head.