The unmistakeable sound of a TARDIS de-materializing echoed throughout the dry air. The blue box blinked into existence in the shadow of a large circus tent. The Doctor was the first to exact. "Right, here we are. So what did you girls think of your first TARDIS flight?" He asked.
"The magic needed to make such a thing possible... Doctor, your machine is fascinating!" Twilight gushed as she exited the machine.
"I don't know." Spoke Rainbow Dash as she stepped out. "It's fast in the sense that we got here in ten seconds flat, but it's not... You know..." Dash thought about what word to use. "Vroom Vroom fast, you know what I mean. Plus, it seems like the interior was built out of scrap!"
"I concur Dash." Rarity added. "The machine is marvelous, but needs a serious re-decoration! I mean, sink faucet dials and typewriter keyboard? Steampunk went out of style some time ago!"
"To be honest, the whole trip was kinda scary. I mean, it sounded so creaky, I thought we were going to fall apart!" Fluttershy squeaked out. "But I'm sure you keep it in very fine condition Doctor!" She added upon realizing she may have insulted The Doctor's mechanical skills.
The Doctor frowned. "What's wrong with the noise? I happen to like the noise, it's a brilliant noise."
"Noise or nawh, it got us here in one piece, and mighty quick too." Applejack drawled while joining her friends. "That makes it ok in my book." Pinkie hopped out right after, munching on a cupcake.
"Pinkie, where'd you get that cupcake?" The Doctor asked.
"Cupcake button." She stated simply.
"Didn't realize I had one of those." The Doctor replied simply. He then took notice of a sign. "Ringleader Circus, now featuring the Great and Powerful Trixie. We're masters of entertainment." Spoke the Doctor. "He never was big on subtlety..."
"Say Doctor, this has been bugging me for awhile now," Applejack spoke up. "If your TARDIS travels through space AND time, why don't we just go back before this started and hog-tie Trixie before she even frees The Master?"
"That would be crossing our own timeline, Applejack. If we went back in time and did that, the course of time would be altered, and this moment, in which that descion was made, would no longer have occurred, giving us no reason to go back, creating a paradox." The Doctor explained. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity seemed to get it, but Rainbow Dash and Applejack were still struggling with the concept. "Look, just mull it over while I step back into the TARDIS. Seeing as we are at a circus, I feel I should disguise myself with a little more color."
Rarity spoke next. "You know Doctor, you've made me curious now. What kind of fashion do they have on your planet?"
"I never was one to keep up with that sort of thing, but robes, collars, caps, stuff like that." The Doctor called from within the box. "I think you'd like it, honestly." Then, he stepped out, inflicting nightmares on the fashion pony for years to come.
"If it even remotely resembles that technicolor monstrosity you are currently wearing, I doubt I can appreciate your people's fashion even slightly!" Rarity exclaimed. "I mean, the stitching, the colors, where would I begin to make you presentable!"
The coat The Doctor had slung on was indeed hideous. A selection of colors seemingly selected to clash were stitched together in blizzare shapes, no sense of pattern, unlike the neatly ordered lines on Rainbow Dash's mane. "First of all, this is the height of fashion on 67th century Kracnkonelia, and second, we are at a circus and I want to blend in. So shall we persiste in babbling or shall we pursue our goal?"
Little did they know The Master was already watching them. After forming an alliance with the mare running the once failing circus, he had rigged the area with all manner of sensors and scanners, so he'd know exactly when his nemesis arrived.
The Master smirked. He was safe inside his TARDIS, while The Doctor and company were stumbling about in the dark. Time to spring the trap. Activating a radio, The Master gave the word. "Silver Standerd, those guests I informed you of have arrived. Please take the steps we discussed." He then changed the communicator's channel. "Trixie, our act has begun. Remember now, Twilight is in the audience." He then took the time to indulge in a little evil laughter.
Back outside, the Mane Six and Doctor had split up to cover more ground. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and Rarity and The Doctor were the groups, while Twilight had gone searching for Trixie, wanting as few ponies as possible in the middle of a likely wizard battle, as The Doctor correctly guessed The Master had increased the showmare's power.
Let's focus on Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie to begin. The two trotted about the fair grounds, keeping eyes open for anything odd. A twitch of the Pinkie Sense caused the party pony to cast a suspicious gaze towards a clown pony pushing a ballon cart. She motioned to Fluttershy, who locked eyes with the Clown. The two stared each other down amidst the crowd, which remained oblivious to the struggle. Finally, after ten minutes of continued staring, Fluttershy was finally forced to blink by the inpony hareliquien.
"Pinkie, we need to hide." Fluttershy stated as the Clown began moving towards them.
"Yay, hide and seek!" Pinkie exclaimed, until Fluttershy shot her a withering glare The party pony nodded and the two rushed off. Despite their efforts, the Clown kept up, refusing to be shaken off. "Quick, in here!" Cried Pinkie upon sighting a House of Mirrors. The two mares ducked inside, causing the Clown to finally come to a stop, gazing soullessly at the building.
"Hey Applejack, look at this." Rainbow Dash said on the other side of the circus. "Seems they have a Pegasus performing here-'Zig Zag, the fearless psycho of the sky.' I say we check this out! This pony could be connected to The Master!"
"Uh huh. I'm sure this ain't at all motivated by the "Greatest Flier in Equestrian" tag line they put on there." Applejack responded, causing Rainbow to become indignant. "Still, I reckon we should check. The pony on that there poster don't look right in the head. She could be connected to The Master."
The two entered the tent, and Rainbow Dash instantly became suspicious. This tent wasn't nearly big enough to do stunts in, and that's ignoring the fact that the open sky would have been preferable to any size tent. The mystery deepened when a sheet covered orb taller then ten ponies was rolled in.
"Mares and gentle-stallions, welcome to our show! Today, our very own Zig-Zag will be flying at breakneck speeds..." The sheet was pulled back, revealing the object to be a giant glass orb on a stand, like a big snow globe. Only instead of a winter wonderland, the sphere held only a very mad pony. "...within this glass orb!"
The crowd let out a gasp, wondering how a Pegasus could maneuver is such cramped space. "Are you ready Zig-Zag?" Asked the announcer.
Inside the bubble, the mad pony nodded yes. The Pegasus had a manic grin that could give Pinkie Pie a run for her money. Her body was crisscrossed by streaks of bright electricals colors, but with no symmetry of any sort. A jaddged lightning bolt cutie mark that bent at several angles rounded out the appearance of a pony that practically oozed madness.
In a flash, Zig-Zag charged towards the glass, only to pull an impossibly shap turn, changing course towards the roof of the sphere, only to shift course again. The flyer continued to rocket around the tiny space, her tail resembling a multi-colored lightning bolt. Even Rainbow Dash was impressed by this display. While Zig-Zag's top speed was in fact a great bit slower then the Element of Loyalty's, the ability to pull of such tight turns was immensely impressive.
For one split second, the eyes of the two flyers connected. Eyes growing wide, Rainbow grabbed Applejack and yelled one word.
"DOWN!"
A split second later, the glass exploded as Zig-Zag shattered the barrier a rocketed at the two Element bearers. Had Rainbow not ducked, the two would have had their heads taken off.
Unfazed by the miss, Zig-Zag made a hard left and came around again. Dash was already in the air, charging hooves first into the spot Zig-Zag would fly through in a moment. The crazy pony stunned everyone, however, by rapidly changing course, leaving Dash with nothing but air. A split second later, the electric trail wrapped around Dash as Zig-Zag literally flew circules around the Element bearer, pummeling her with punches and kicks, rushing to punch her exactly 180 degrees away from the previous blow, keeping Dash locked in vortex, which was also having its oxygen funneled away.
Thinking quickly, Applejack looked for something to help her friend. She found some construction rope behind the bleachers, and quickly fashioned a lasso. "Gotta time this right..." She muttered while taking aim. The rope flew true, and ensnared itself around Zig-Zag's leg. As she was pulled to the ground, the madmare sunk her teeth into Dash's side, dragging her to the ground as well.
Rainbow had taken a beating, and though she was still breathing, it took her a minute to climb to her feet. Zig-Zag however, was back on her feet in an instant, ready to brawl with Applejack. Before the fight could begin though, the announcer ran up to Zig-Zag. Everypony else had fled.
"Zig-Zag, stop this right now!" He demanded. "Look, let's get you back to your tent, you need to take your meds..."
Before he could continue though, Zig-Zag tugged on the rope, yanking it from Applejack's grasps. She then snapped it like a whip around the announcer's neck. Then with a tug, she jerked the coiled rope back and snapped the announcer's neck. Not caring that her senseless killing had weighed her down too much to fly, Zig-Zag turned to Applejack. "Now, did you want something?" She asked in a chillingly childish way.
Applejack adjusted her Stetson. "Girl, I'm tan your hide 'till you're just one color: Raw red."
While the rather brutal fight that ensued was being built up (the four groups adventures are all happening simultaneously) Rarity and The Doctor were examining the area around the sleeping tents. "Excuse me folks, are you lost?" A perky voice asked. And crud, they're caught. "Judging by your coat, you're here to apply for a clown position. I'm sorry, but none are currently available."
"Oh, I suppose we are. That's what's neat about being lost: You never know you're lost until someone points it out. We'll be on our way." The Doctor stated in a hurried tone. "Come along Rarity, let's not waste anymore of..."
"Silver Standerd." Introduced an Earth Pony mare. The name was fitting, for both her mane and body were a gleaming silver. Silver Standerd's cutie mark was a trio of bits. "And it's no problem. Enjoy the circus. Oh, and ma'am!" She called to Rarity as the two left. "We sell these flowers as a souvenir, they only grow in this valley. Take this as a personal gift." Silver added while passing an exquisite subdued blue flower to Rarity, who immediately affixed it to her hair.
"Oh, thank you. It certainly is lovely." She commented while galloping off to rejoin The Doctor. As soon as they left Silver Standerd's smile faded, replaced with a cruel scowl. She pressed a hoof to an ear, activating her headphones. "Master? Everything went as you predicted."
Once Rarity caught up The Doctor, she tried to draw his attention to her mane dwelling flower, but the Time Pony was staring slack jawed at a vending machine propped against a tent. "The Snack Master." He read quietly. "Only he would be so bold." The Doctor walked towards the obviously disguised TARDIS, the thing opened, splitting down the half, just at the right moment to smash into The Doctor's head.
"DOCTOR!" Rarity exclaimed, but her further cries where silenced when the extraordinarily well crafted plastic flower notched behind her ear sprang to life and constricted her neck, strangling her to sleep.
Inside the TARDIS, Trixie had joined The Master in the screen room ,observing the ponies being snared in traps and tricks. This last one unimpressed her. "Really? You hit him with a door?" Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sometimes a trap's brilliance is its simplicity." The Master explained. "Now, you have a show to perform. Silver Standerd!" He called into the communicator.
"Yes Master?"
"Two more to dispose of."
*Insert Doctor Who theme here*
A/N: More notes!
First, if anyone is a bit perplexed by the sudden friendliness The Doctor and Mane Six have developed, it's because between The Master stealing the soul sphere and the discovery of the flyer, he'd been living in the library. Well, he'd been living in the TARDIS, which he parked on the library's rug. They all became friends during that time.
The coat the Doctor is wearing is the one used by his Sixth incarnation. A mind meltingly ugly costume, the actor playing the Doctor (Colin Baker) hated it and wanted the Doctor to wear a leather trench coat, since this was a darker Doctor, but was rejected. And thus, a terrible costume was born. I'm not sure how you put pictures in these, but if someone leaves an image in the comments section, you'll see what I mean. Rarity would be sickened.
Next time, on Doctor Whoof! With the Doctor and his friends trapped in a circus of nightmares and blood, can he and the Elements of Harmony escape without being shredded by THE TALONS OF THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE