Chapter 4: Inside the TARDIS
Town Square, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Spring, 1002 C.E.
Ponies continued to panic and run for their lives as the Dalek chased the Doctor through the center of town. The Dalek shot several death beams through the air and the Doctor managed to dodge each one successfully. By some stroke of luck, none of the beams hit any of the other ponies.
"That's right!" said the Doctor. "Just keep your eye on me! Focus on me and nopony else! Hey I remembered the proper term this time!"
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" cried the Dalek. The Doctor dodged another beam and continue on his way towards the library. He needed to get his Sonic Screwdriver and lure the Dalek into the TARDIS. There was only one way to defeat a metallic death machine of evil. The Dalek was not giving up as it continued to race after the Doctor. The Doctor smiled to himself as he managed to lure the creature back to the library. He ran for the door and...it was locked.
"Damn! Why are the doors always locked?!" the Doctor snapped. The Dalek was close behind him now.
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR!" it cried. The Doctor pounded his hooves on the door but it still refused to open.
"Why did I forget my Sonic Screwdriver?!"
"EXTERMINATE!"
"Damn! Damn! I have the strength of a horse and I still can't open a blasted wooden door!"
"DOCTOR! DOCTOR! EXTERMINATE!"
"I wish Donna were still here!"
"EXTERMINATE!"
Just as the Dalek was preparing to aim its death ray, somepony opened the door to the library and pulled the Doctor inside.
Outside Sugar Cube Corner, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Spring, 1002 C.E.
Twilight ran out the front door and looked around frantically. The Doctor and the Dalek had already vanished from sight but she could still here the creature shouting for the extermination of the mysterious pony. Why was she helping him again? Why couldn't she have just joined her friends and gotten to safety? There was something about him. Something about that strange and insane Doctor that just urged Twilight to help him.
"Wait a minute...the door to the library's locked!" she exclaimed. "He'll be doomed if I'm not there in time to let him in!" She began to run quickly but she soon skidded to a halt. "Wait a minute! I can teleport! Why am I wasting time running?"
The lavender unicorn implanted an image of the inside of the library in her mind. She concentrated and closed her eyes as her horn began to glow. Then, in a flash of light, she was gone.
Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Spring, 1002 C.E.
Twilight stumbled around for a few seconds as she teleported into the library. There was loud knocking on the door and she could hear the Dalek outside.
"DOCTOR! DOCTOR! EXTERMINATE!" cried the Dalek.
"I wish Donna were still here!" exclaimed the Doctor.
"EXTERMINATE!"
Twilight ran over to the door, unlocked it, opened it, and pulled the Doctor inside. The Doctor stumbled back as Twilight closed and locked the door.
"What? How did you get here?" he asked.
"Teleportation," replied Twilight with a snarky tone. "Duh."
"Teleportation! Ingenious! I should have known that you could perform magic, I mean with you being a unicorn and all."
"EXTERMINATE!" cried the Dalek from outside.
"Right! Dalek first. Amazement later."
Twilight nodded and they ran upstairs as fast as they could.
The Doctor burst into the guest room and quickly found his Sonic Screwdriver.
"Aha! There you are!" he exclaimed.
"So are you going to kill it with that?" Twilight asked.
"What? Kill a Dalek with this? Please!"
"Then why did you race here to get it?"
"I couldn't just leave my Sonic Screwdriver behind! Besides, I have a plan that will rid us of our little metallic menace!"
"Okay. What's your plan then?"
"We need to lure it into the TARDIS."
"So we're going to trap it in there?"
"No! We're going to kill it in there. We'll be in there too."
Twilight stared at the Doctor in disbelief.
"We're going to be in that tiny box with that fat...thing?!" she asked.
"Just wait until you see the inside! Ah! We best not keep our guest waiting!"
The Doctor ran downstairs and Twilight was quick to follow. The door burst open and the Dalek was now inside.
"EXTERMINATE!" it cried.
"Yes. Exterminate and all that. But first, you'll have to get my friend Twilight and I out of my humble abode!" teased the Doctor. The Doctor grabbed Twilight and pulled her towards the blue box. He raised his right hoof and then sighed. "I forgot. No fingers."
He then rose his other hoof and clapped them together. The doors of the TARDIS opened wide and the Doctor pushed her in.
"Are you sure about this, Doctor?!" asked a frightened Twilight.
"Positive!" answered the Doctor as he pushed her through the doors. Once inside, the Doctor was quick to close and lock the doors. Twilight shook her head and soon gained a grasp of her surroundings. They were now in a massive room with a giant control center in the middle of it. There were several openings to hallways that seemed to go on for miles.
"Where...where are we?" asked a stunned Twilight.
"Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, I introduce you to the inside of the TARDIS!" announced the Doctor as he ran towards the control center.
"It's bigger on the inside-"
"Than it is on the outside. Geez! Maybe you ponies aren't so different from humans after all."
The doors leading into the TARDIS began to shake and Twilight stepped back.
"Can it get in?" she asked nervously.
"Why yes it can," replied the Doctor. "I believe we have around...less than a minute before it gets in."
"Then what?"
"Then we take care of it."
"How?! Do you have a...Dalek-killing machine or something?"
"No. I just have a brilliantly simple plan!"
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" cried the Dalek.
"He should be getting in right about...now!"
The doors to the TARDIS burst open and in rolled the Dalek. It continued to scream and blast death rays as it entered.
"Come on, Ms. Sparkle! Follow me!" said the Doctor as he grabbed the confused unicorn by the tail.
"Doctor!" yelled Twilight as she followed the Doctor down one of the hallways. Twilight turned back to see the Dalek rolling after them quickly."If we get killed then I'm so going to make you pay for it!"
"And I'd deserve every bit of it. Now just shut up and follow me!"
Twilight fell silent as she continued to follow the Doctor through a series of turns and doorways. Eventually they came to a large silver door that made the Doctor beam with excitement. The ponies ran through the door and found themselves standing next to a massive indoor swimming pool.
"What else do you have in this thing?!" asked a now amazed Twilight. "A forest?!"
"I've been thinking about that to be honest. Now stand right here on the edge of the pool and I'll be back in a jiffy!" said the Doctor. Twilight stood at the edge of the pool as the Doctor disappeared through another doorway. Twilight took deep breaths as the screams of the Dalek drew closer and closer. Everything seemed to slow down. All she could think about was the promise she made to Spike.
"I promise I'll come back!" she had said. "Don't I always keep my promises?"
Twilight gulped and remembered the fear and confusion that had been etched onto Spike's face. She couldn't die and let him down. The pain of losing her would kill him. She wouldn't die. The Doctor would protect her. Or would he? What if he had left there as bait while he made a clean getaway? Twilight jumped as the doors flew open.
"DOCTOR! DOCTOR! WHERE IS THE DOCTOR?!" screamed the Dalek.
"I...I don't know," lied Twilight.
"NO! NO! YOU KNOW! YOU WERE WITH THE DOCTOR! TELL ME WHERE HE IS OR I SHALL KILL YOU!"
"I...don't know where he is."
"LIAR! LIAR! YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS! TELL ME!"
"I don't know where he is!"
"TELL ME! I SHALL EXTERMINATE HIM!"
The Dalek aimed its death ray at Twilight and she backed up. She suddenly heard a strange sound and looked up.
"You're right, Dalek. I do know where the Doctor is," she said with a smile.
"WHERE IS HE THEN?!" asked the Dalek.
"Up."
"WHAT?!"
There was a loud clanging sound as the Doctor landed on top of the Dalek. Twilight jumped out of the way and the Doctor managed to break off the Dalek's telescopic eye.
"NO! NO! MUST EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR! MUST EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR! MUST NOT LOSE!" it screamed. The Dalek spun madly out of control and moved closer and closer towards the pool.
"Sorry my unwanted guest. You've just lost the game!" said the Doctor with a chuckle. He then jumped off of the Dalek, pushing the creature back with his hind legs in the process. The Dalek toppled over into the pool. Sparks of electricity covered the metallic body of the Dalek as it screamed in agony. Soon the screaming stopped and the fizzing metal body sank towards the bottom of the pool. "Well that was easy!"
"Water? That's its weakness?" Twilight asked.
"Too much of it. There is electricity and a living creature in that suit after all. Just add water and...we both know what happens then."
"What did you do to that thing to make it want to kill you?"
"I destroyed its entire species."
"Oh."
"And yet they still seem to keep making unwanted comebacks. Oh well. Well my work here's done. Let's get you back to your friends!"
"Thank you, Doctor."
The Doctor and Twilight walked calmly down the hallway. They were almost back to the control room when the entire ship shook violently.
"What was that?!" Twilight asked.
"Oh no," breathed the Doctor. He broke into a run and Twilight followed. They returned to the control room to find the large control panel heavily damaged. "Damn it! That Dalek must have hit it with one of its rays!"
The open doors to the TARDIS shut on their own and the ship began to vibrate. The Doctor ran up to the control panel and began moving and tinkering with several different buttons and levers.
"Doctor...what's happening?" Twilight asked. The Doctor looked up at Twilight and sighed.
"It's too late. The TARDIS is damaged...and we're leaving," he replied.
"Leaving? I can't leave! Where's it taking us?!"
"The question isn't only where it's taking us. The question is also when it's taking us."
The TARDIS gave a massive jolt and the sound that Twilight heard earlier began echoing throughout the ship.
"No! I can't leave! I can't go! I promised Spike I'd come back! Take me back! Doctor! Take me back!"
"Hold on, Twilight!"
The TARDIS gave another massive jolt and they were gone. Flying through the ribbons of existence to an unknown time, place, or both.
Outside the Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Spring, 1002 C.E.
Derpy had seen the whole thing. She had seen the Dalek follow the Doctor and Twilight into the library. Things had grown oddly quiet now. Maybe she should go get help. But then maybe it would be too late by the time she got back! She had to check things out. Make sure everything was okay. Derpy slowly trotted over towards the library.
She peeked inside with caution and entered quietly.
"Hello? Twilight? Uh...what was his name again? Oh yeah! Doctor? Are any of you in here?" she asked. There was no response. She looked around the library and saw that there were many scorch marks on the walls and on the books. It was then that her eyes fell onto the mysterious blue box. "Police Public Call Box. Wonder what that means." She approached the box and noticed that the doors were open. She only managed to get a peak inside when the doors suddenly shut. "What?!" The light on the top of the box began to flicker on and off and the box slowly began to disappear into thin air. "What? Where? Who? WHAT?!" Within seconds the box was gone and the mysterious sound it had been emitting had vanished also. "Twilight? Doctor? Was that you who just left?"
"Yes," replied a female voice. "It was them."
Derpy turned around to see a beautiful mare with a dark red coat, dark purple mane, and sharp blue eyes standing in the doorway.
"Who...who are you?" Derpy asked.
"You'll come to know me well in good time, Derpy Hooves," replied the mare.
"How do you know my name?"
"How else would I know your name? You told it to me, silly!"
"But I've never met you before!"
"But I've certainly met you before."
"What do you mean by that? Have...have you been stalking me?"
"No dearie. Nothing like that. Don't worry about dear Twilight or the Doctor. You'll see them again soon. In fact, I only just got back from seeing them."
"You saw them defeat that creature?"
"No. I know how you feel, Derpy. This may all sound confusing now but, don't worry, it'll all make sense in due time."
"Who the hay are you?! Answer me!"
"A friend. And that's all you need to know for now. Have a nice day Derpy Hooves and be patient! Your time for adventure is coming soon."
The mare winked at Derpy and then backed out the doorway.
"Wait!" called Derpy. She ran for the doorway but found nopony there. The air was still, the world was silent, and many questions were buzzing around Derpy Hooves's head.
To be continued...