Inside the House of Mirriors, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy trot about aimlessly. After fleeing inside to escape the robotic clown, the two ponies could not find a way back out. Unbeknownst to them, the front and only door had been blocked by a sliding mirror. The entire building was a massive trap.
"You'll stay close to me, right Pinkie?" Asked Fluttershy, frightened out of her mind by the warped reflections of her and her pink friend. When she glanced over to her right, however, all she saw was another reflection. "Eeekk!" She squeaked out, then began to back up. "Pinkie Pie? Pinkie Pie? Please don't leave me alone in here... I... I can't..." Upon realizing her friend was gone, Fluttershy backed into a corner and sobbed tears of loneliness and fright, warped reflections her only companions.
"Fluttershy! Fluttershy! This is a really bad time to play hide and seek!" Pinkie called out after realizing her friend had vanished in the blink of an eye. The party pony continued to trot about, calling her friend's name, only getting a response after several minutes.
"What, has Fluttershy ran off partner?" Came the unmistakable drawl of Applejack. Pinkie excitedly looked to her friend. The farm pony was within one of the mirrors, taking the place of the Element of Laughter's reflection.
"Applejack, I'm so glad to see you! Help me look for Fluttershy, she's gone missing and I can't find her and..." Pinkie babbled as she walked, Applejack trotting along with her.
"Slow that stampeding mouth there, sugarcube." Applejack interrupted. "Your non-stop babbling is probably what drove timid little Fluttershy away! That constant jowling of yours is mighty annoying, and that's the truth!"
Pinkie was taken back by the reflections harsh words. Her mane seemed to quiver a bit, but remained puffy.
"Yeah! Your pranks are no fun, and you're totally fat and flabby from all those sweets! Totally lame!" Spoke a new reflection from across the hall. Pinkie turned to see Rainbow Dash in another mirror, sticking her nose up at Pinkie.
"And those utterly tasteless parties you throw!" An illusion of Rarity chipped in. "Tacky decorations, bad food, atrocious party games... Need I go on?"
Finally, an illusion of Twilight Sparkle appeared. "You're a loud, obnoxious, annoying pest Pinkie Pie! I've hated you from the moment I saw you! You couldn't just leave us all alone!"
"Your parties are lame!"
"Your mane is hideous!"
"You're a total moron!"
"WE ALL HATE YOU!"
This all proved to be too much for Pinkie Pie, whose mane fizzled into a straight style as she collapsed into tears. As she lay bawling on the ground, one of the mirror walls behind her receded, opening a path to a very familiar scene.
"Pinkie dear, won't you join us for a while? There's somepony we need to talk to you about, the delightful Mister Master...." Called the voice of a sophisticated French woman, inviting the despairing pony to a very mad tea party...
Back inside The Master's TARDIS, the evil Time Pony sits at a console, wirelessly operating the sliding walls, audio projectors, and hologram screens inside the House of Mirrors. "Do you see now, Doctor, just how hopeless your cause is? All but one of your allies, I have vanquished, without even needing to leave my own TARDIS!"
The object of his gloating was, of course, The Doctor, who sat tied to a chair in the same room. "You managed to get a young mare with the mind of a four year old to cry. Truely the machination of an unstoppable diabolical mastermind." The Doctor remarked in a casual way. Despite his indifferent response, the Time Pony was very concerned for Pinkie, but could not allow The Master to know how effected his was.
"Does another dead companion mean so little to you Doctor? Perhaps the uncounted years of watching your mortal friends wither and die has finally made you indifferent to the lives of lesser beings." The Master responded. "There may be hope for you yet."
"Another factor to distinguish ourselves from one another, eh?" The Doctor rebuked.
"You sell yourself short, Doctor. You are very much similar to me, as am I to you." The Master retorted. "We have both rejected the worthless traditions of our people, choosing to employ our vast Time Pony powers to alter the universe and its history."
"Your changes to the universe have produced nothing but death and strife." The Doctor insisted. "I have always attempted to save life."
"For a man who calls himself The Doctor, you have engaged in acts of bloodshed that even I find impressive." The Master insisted back. "The Sea Ponies, the Dalek breeding ship, Mondus, the last Queen of the Parasprites..."
"The actions of all of those put countless innocent lives at stake! I had to take whatever I action I could to save the victims!" The Doctor exclaimed.
"And now you shall sit helpless, as I launch a devastating attack upon the Equestrian people, one that will only end when the Royal Sisters banish themselves to the Moon for eternity, and grant me the throne!" The Master proclaimed. "In approximately one hour, I shall activate the Soul Sphere, and the plastic Trixie action figures and other merchandise I manufactured under its magic and sold here will spring to life, killing everypony they encounter."
"Your insane, Master. The Princesses will not be cowed by one measly terrorist attack." The Doctor responded.
"In that, you are correct, Doctor." The Master conceded. "Which is why it is only stage one of my plan. The Sphere can absorb the soul of anypony killed by an Auton it created, giving me enough power to bounce the signal off the moon, casting the spell over all of Equestria, turning every inch of plastic into an Auton servant of The Master!" The mad villain become intoxicated at the thought. "Toys strangling fillies in their cribs, chairs swallowing weary ponies whole, shop mannequins turning stores into bloodbaths!"
The Master stopped abruptly, taking a breath to calm himself down. "The Royal Sisters will have to travel to the Moon together to block the spell. And well, let's just say I've left them a little surprise..." He smirked at an aghast Doctor before facing one of the monitors. "Oh look, it seems Trixie's show is about to begin. Miss Sparkle seems to have found herself a good spot. What do you say Doctor? One last magic show before dying?"
As the final preparations for Trixie's show were being completed, two henchmen were inside the House of Mirrors to collect Fluttershy. They so startled the inconsolable Pegasus that she flew straight up into the ceiling and knocked herself out on the ceiling.
"Well, that was easier then I expected." Quiped one goon.
"Alright, let's get this over with." The other replied. "The Manticores need to be feed, after all."
Inside the largest circus tent, the main event was about to commence. Ponies had found themselves drawn to the spectacle from far and wide, not completely comprehending the attraction but arriving never the less.
With a flash of smoke and lights, Trixie took the stage. "Ponies of all walks of life, welcome! Prepare yourself for the greatest display of magic you shall ever see! Bask in the magnificence of The Great and Powerful TRIXIE!"
And so the act began. As Twilight watched the typical magic tricks (flowers out of hat, disappearing, card tricks, etc.) she couldn't help but feel Trixie had more up her sleeve. When she was performing in Ponyville, she was pushing herself to the limit to complete her act, but now, these tricks seemed to be afterthoughts. "Perhaps The Master has increased her power, as The Doctor suggested." Twilight mused, despite all her years of study suggesting such a thing to be impossible.
"And now, for Trixie's final trick!" The showmare declared. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will run seven swords through this box..." she explained as lights illuminated a large green box suspended overhead by cables. "...Without harming my assistant, the Drab and Unfabulous Rarity!"
The crowd gasped as the box swung open, revealing a bound and gaged Rarity inside. No one could tell she was restrained, however, as the cloth used to tighter hooves and mouth was the same color as her coat. The box swung shut, and Trixie moved seven swords around the box, three on each side and one above.
At the sound of this, Twilight took to the stage, putting little faith in the magician's declaration. "Trixie, stop this madness, stop it right now!"
"Well, look what the cat dragged in. Have you arrived to try and humiliate Trixie again?" The magician ranted. "You shall not best me a second time Twilight! I shall vanquish you and end our rivalry once and for all!"
"Humiliated you? Trixie, I was keeping everypony in town from dying!" Twilight retorted. "Please listen to me! The Master has taken over your mind. You're cocky and arrogant, but you're not evil! If you stop now I'll speak on your behalf to the Princess to clear of what The Master made you do!" Twilight offered, remembering the Smarty Pants incident as an example of how magic can mess with a pony's mind. "Let me help you! We can be friends!"
For a moment, Trixie's resolve seemed to falter. But then, her expression darkened as the glow of magic encompassed her body. "No, Trixie will not be deceived by you! The Master has given me something greater then friendship!" She declared while building up a spell. "POWER!"
Electricity cracked across the air as the crowd scattered, conveniently mixing in with the crowd fleeing Zig-Zag's "show." Twilight used her own magic to transmutate the bolts of lightning into coils of rope, which she launched at Trixie in an attempt to restrain her. Trixie responded by bringing the swords close and chopping the ropes to bits. The deadly blades were then launched at Twilight.
With a flash of magic, Twilight turned the serrated swords into a rubber chicken, a beach ball, a bucket, a sword shaped puddle, a newt, a puff of nitrogen gas and a bunch of super balls. "I can take whatever you toss, Trixie." Twilight stated simply.
"Trixie will make you eat your words, bookworm!" Trixie retorted while teleporting in several large dictionaries, then hurled them at Twilight. The lavender unicorn managed to dodge the tomes save one, which impaled itself on her horn. With a look of determination, Twilight set the book ablaze, then threw the fire around Trixie, trapping the showmare in a ring of flames.
"Trixie, I'm offering to help you one more time. Stop this fight." Twilight stated, now with a look of finality on her face. Trixie seemed desperate. She looked at the fire, then at Twilight, then the fire, then Twilight, fire, Twilight. Finally, with a smug look on her face, Trixie closed her eyes and cast a spell.
The ring of flames exploded in a scorching fireball. Twilight cast a powerful barrier spell to keep the fire contained. The purple magic dome bulged as the fire tried to escape. Twilight was forced to avert her eyes, but eventually the fire burned out, and the shield, and an exhausted purple unicorn collapsed to the floor.
After a few moments, Twilight cracked an eye open, only to see a hole in the stage where Trixie, then the inferno, had raged. "T...Trixie?"
Next to Twilight, the floor exploded. Trixie levitated herself through the opening, her usual magic aura replaced by cold darkness. "Now Trixie shall end you, Twilight Sparkle!" she declared while levitating another sword from off stage.
"Another... Sword?" The weary Twilight asked.
"Trixie always has spare props." The azure unicorn declared smugly while lifting the blade overhead, taking a step forward, preparing to cleave Twilight in two.
Twilight had come up with a last minute plan, however. Using her last drop of magic, she rolled the super balls a sword had been transformed into Trixie's path. The azure unicorn unwittingly stepped upon them, rapidly losing her balance and falling on her rump. The sword's magic aura evaporated, and buried itself in the wooden stage an inch from Trixie's head. The shock of almost bring killed, plus the sudden retreat of her dark power, and the fatigue of magic use catching up, finally caused Trixie to pass out.
"That's... Disappointing." The Master remarked with a scowl as he watched Twilight tie up her defeated opponent. "Still, she handled the power rather well, and pulled off a decent manuver..." he continued while focusing on his control panel, hitting switches and pulling levers.
"Hate to interrupt, but in order to transmit the activation signal to all your Autons, you'll need a Trans-Wave atmospheric wave amplifier, correct?" The voice of The Doctor asked.
"Why of course, Doctor. But you'll never be able to disable it from your location, seeing as it is installed..." The Doctor then let out a deep sigh. "You're out of the chair, aren't you?"
"Yep!" The Doctor replied, standing over the just mentioned component. "I could've gotten untied whenever, but I waited until you were distracted enough to grab this." He added before crushing the crucial component underhoof.
"It seems you have defeated me this time Doctor, but I shall return!" The Master declared. "TARDIS, emergency code D-42!" The familiar whirring noise filled the air as the Master's TARDIS de-materialized around The Doctor, taking his arch-foe with it.
"And I'll be waiting for you."
Without The Master calling the shots, the rest of the villains were quickly arrested. A Royal Guard paddy wagon, apperantly deployed by Celestia after a worried Spike sent her a letter, arrived shortly after. The royal guards rounded up the criminals with robotic efficiency while Twilight tended to her friends.
Rarity was levitated down from her precarious perch, Rainbow Dash and Applejack given first aid after Royal Guards finished subduing a battered Zig-Zag, Fluttershy was given a towel to clean off the Manticore drool after she was pulled out the animal cage and away from the mistreated and in need of kindness animals. As for Pinkie Pie...
"Pinkie, The Master has escaped, but we have his goons in custody. We need to leave." The Doctor spoke, having entered the House of Mirror's back door with Twilight.
"Oh no, I'm not going with you meanie-pants wearing meanies!" The straight maned pony declared. "I'm with my REAL friends now!"
"I am not in the mood to deal with this." The Doctor stated wearily. "Don't worry Twilight, I've got this." He added while approaching Pinkie.
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Doctor Jerk!" Pinkie shrieked. The Doctor knocked over the pile of rocks as he walked. "YOU KILLED ROCKY!"
The Doctor simply rolled his eyes and headbutted Pinkie. With an audiable crack, the Party Pony feel to the floor.
"PINKIE PIE!" Twilight exclaimed, shocked at the sudden turn of events.
"Don't worry Twilight, that was a psychic headbutt." The Doctor explained while rubbing his sore head. "I've transferred the truth about The Master's trick into her mind, she'll be fine."
With apprehension, Twilight asked softly "Pinkie Pie, are you okay?"
"PARTY TIME!"
"She's fine."
"TWILIGHT, COME QUICK!" Called Rarity, and the three galloped out to see what was amiss.
The sight that greeted them required no words. Two Royal Guards were scattered in pieces across the ground, the bloodless dismemberment indicating they were plastic Autons. Ahead of them, the paddy wagon, surrounded by unshackled hoof-cuffs, was fading out of existence, the sound of The Master's triumphant laughter echoing across the empty circus.
Inside the fleeing TARDIS, The Master addresses Zig-Zag and Silver Standerd. "You have both proven yourselves to be exceptional accomplices. As such, I have deemed you worthy of wielding two of the fabled Elements of Discord." He stated while grabbing necklaces in the shape of a Bit and a Lightning Bolt. "To you, Silver Standerd, I bequeath the Element of Greed, and to you Zig-Zag, the Element of Malice. Trixie currently posses the Element of Dark Magic." He continued while giving them the necklaces, then turning to Trixie, who had one of her own in the shape of the crescent moon.
"Once we gather the other Bearers, we shall crush Twilight and her friends, overthrow the Royal Sisters, vanquish The Doctor and transform Equestria into the capital of an eternal empire!" The Master declared. "Dominion over all time and all space! Absolute power FOREVER!"
A/N: The psychic headbutt was used in the Doctor Who episode "The Lodger" to transfer a large amount of information into a human mind.
Next time!: Following The Master's escape, Twilight, the Elements and The Doctor follow the evil Time Pony's tracks, and discover a sickening experiment. As The Master tries to cover his tracks, can our heros defeat him, or will they fails to escape THE MIND OF EVIL!
P.S. The chapter titles are names of actual Doctor Who episodes, with a little pony themes tweaking here and there.