//------------------------------//
// Present for the Doctor 
// Story: Doctor Whooves Episode 6: A Ponyville Invasion 
// by Doctor Perseus 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 5: Present for the Doctor


Outside Town Hall, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.

"So what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked as red sparks continued to rain down from the sky above. 
"The barrier will fall soon and that's when the dolls will strike. This town will not be able to fend off all of them," the Doctor replied glumly.
"But there's hope. Isn't there?" asked Rarity.
"Of course there is. This town will never fall as long as I'm here!"
The town shook again beneath their hooves and the buildings shifted a bit.
"It looks like we don't have much time," Spike croaked.
"Then let's get to work, you silly fillies!" said Pinkie Pie.
"Last time I checked, Spike and I were not fillies," said the Doctor with a grin.
"Okay! Come on, silly fillies, stallion, and dragon!"
"Much better!"

Castle of the Regal Sisters, Everfree Forest, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.

Twilight slowly regained consciousness. Her head was spinning and her entire body vibrated with pain. Dirt covered her coat and her mane was strewn. She was sitting up with her legs bound together. She turned around to see that she was tied to an unconscious Rainbow Dash, whose legs were also bound. Twilight's vision eventually cleared and she suddenly realized where she was. It was a large, stone room with broken windows, no roof, and vines stretching over the ancient stone walls. The last time she saw this room was when she and her friends had fought Nightmare Moon two years previously.
"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" asked a voice from the darkness. Twilight looked to see a cloaked figure approach her. She was beginning to wonder why villains always wore black cloaks when the hood slowly fell down. Twilight gulped. The villain standing before her was a mare with pitch black eyes and hair, a pale white coat, and blood-red lips. The mare also had an extremely familiar face; it was Twilight's own face.
"Looks like we meet again, Thalia," Twilight groaned. Thalia chuckled as she approached her prisoners. Twilight couldn't help but notice that her clone looked extremely different from how she had looked, or would look, in 2002. Her coat was shinier, her eyes emitted more fearful power, and her lips were redder and vibrant. This Thalia definitely had a long way to go before she became the Thalia that died 1000 years in the future.
"You don't look so happy about it, Twiley."
"Maybe it's because I'm not. Ever think about that?"
"Every day."
A greedy smile appeared on Thalia's face. The clone approached Twilight and made direct eye contact with her.
"I've waited so long, dear Twilight," Thalia said. "At least five months."
"You've been in Equestria since June?!" Twilight asked.
"Why of course. You didn't think I was going to sit back and let you destroy me again? You and that Doctor ruined my chances of a new life. A life together with him."
"With who?"
Tears were now slowly rolling down Thalia's cheeks.
"You, of course, wouldn't know. I should probably be saying that you're going to ruin my chances with him. No matter. I was able to get my hooves on a very helpful device and now I can finally seek my revenge."
Twilight looked and saw a vortex manipulator wrapped around Thalia's left front hoof. 
"So...what are you planning on doing?"
"Killing you and the Doctor and destroying that pitiful town in the process."
There was no surprise there.
"Thank you for disappearing for five months, Twiley," Thalia continued. "I needed that time to prepare my army."
"You mean the dolls?"
"Exactly. I appeared in Ponyville right after you and the Doctor left. I may not have all of your memories but I do remember the time when you left with the Doctor for the first time. I knew when you'd return so I spent my time waiting and preparing so that I would be ready to present you with my welcome home gift!"
"Sadly, I don't really like it. Can I get a refund?"
Thalia punched Twilight in the nose and took a few steps back.
"Don't worry, Twiley. The fun is not yet over. I still have one last present for the Doctor. Once I have both you and him in my clutches then I'll just let the dolls go ahead and destroy the town. I just hope she doesn't interfere again."
Twilight wanted the ask about this she but was more concerned about another topic. She looked at Thalia and asked, "What about the ponies that your dolls took?"
"I haven't killed them yet. I think I'll have some fun with them first. Things are going to work out differently this time. He'll be all mine and I'll be the one with the happy ending!"
"Listen, Thalia. Messing with time is not the answer here!"
"Oh shut up! Nopony tells me what to do! Not you! Not the Doctor! Not anypony! Well maybe him but he's the exception!"
"Who the hell is this him that you keeping talking about?!"
"You'll never live to find out. I'm going to let you die with that secret slowly burrowing away at your subconscious."
"Subtle."
"Oh shut up already! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a message to send to the Doctor."
Thalia turned around and walked out through the rotting, wooden doors. Twilight heard a groan behind her as Rainbow Dash slowly woke up. 
"What happened?" she groaned. The pegasus then realized that she was tied up and began fighting the bonds with all of her strength. "Damn! These knots are tight!"
"It's no use, Rainbow Dash," Twilight groaned.
"Twilight! Could you try and untie these ropes?"
"I can't. My magic has no effect on them. Thalia must have put an enchantment on them or something of that nature."
"Thalia? That clone of yours that you mentioned? So she is behind all of this?!"
"Yes. It's a long story, and there are parts of it that I don't really understand, but Thalia's the culprit behind this invasion and now she's going after the Doctor."
"What's going to happen to us and the town if she wins?"
"We'll die eventually and the town will be destroyed."
"Oh. No pressure then, huh?"
"No. No pressure at all."
Twilight gulped as she felt the ropes grow somewhat tighter.

Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.

The Doctor burst through the doors of the library in a flash. Derpy, Spike, and the others followed close behind him.
"What are you planning, Doctor?" Derpy asked.
"A rescue mission. Plain and simple!" the Doctor replied. He rushed over to the TARDIS and tried opening the doors. 
"Would you care to go into greater detail about this here rescue mission of yours?" Applejack asked. The Doctor turned around to respond but then fell silent. 
"Wait a minute."
The Doctor began banging on the TARDIS doors and even clapping loudly several times. He inserted a key into the slot but nothing worked. The doors were shut tight.
"What's wrong, Doctor?" Pinkie Pie asked as she stopped jumping with nervous excitement.
"The TARDIS doors are shut tight."
"And that means what exactly?" Rarity asked.
"This was my rescue mission in a nutshell. I'd find Twilight with help from the TARDIS, bring her back into the town, and we'd work out what to do from there with your help. But, for some reason, the TARDIS won't open!"
"Does it do that often?" Derpy asked.
"No! Well, there was this one time where I think I insulted it and it was being stubborn about the whole thing...or maybe that was because the doors hadn't been greased in over a century at the time."
"How can a box be stubborn?" Spike asked.
"Oh you'd be surprised. This box has had more stubborn moments than a mule!"
"I know a few mules and they can be pretty stubborn," said Pinkie Pie.
"My point exactly!"
"So what's the plan now?" Fluttershy asked.
"Plan B of course!"
"And what's plan B?" Spike asked.
"I have no flipping idea, but I'll come up with something soon!"
The ground shook violently again and screams from ponies emanated from outside.
"Hopefully incredibly soon!" the Doctor continued with a forced smile. The library shook around them and, suddenly, a holographic image appeared in the center of the room. At first, everypony thought it was Twilight. But, when they looked closer, they realized that though it looked like Twilight, the mare before them was not their beloved friend.
"How nice to see you all again! I believe the last time we met you were destroying my life! Now I get to destroy your lives? Isn't that great?!" asked the Twilight clone with a happy-go-lucky tone.
"Thalia!"
"Doctor! How nice to see you again! Tell me! Are you enjoying your locked TARDIS?"
"How did-"
"Just a little trick of mine. That TARDIS isn't opening again for quite a while."
"What do you want, Thalia?"
"Justice, Doctor."
"There's a big difference between justice and revenge."
"Well, in my case, they're one in the same. Don't worry about Twiley and Dashie. I'm keeping them nice and tied up for future use."
"LET THEM GO!" Spike snapped. Thalia turned to Spike and laughed.
"I remember you! Spike. The dragon Twilight left behind."
"SHUT UP!"
"I have some of Twilight's memories, Spike. I remember what Twilight was thinking on the day she left to help the Doctor. She was thinking about how boring how life was in Ponyville. How much she longed for a better life. How she longed to get away from her stupid friends. That hillbilly, Applejack, that pansy, Fluttershy, that brat, Rarity, that idiot, Pinkie Pie, that jerk, Rainbow Dash, and that weak, stupid, crybaby dragon, Spike. She was glad to get away from you."
"SHUT UP!"
"You know it's true, Spike. Why else would Twilight leave to help out a stallion that she had only recently met. Face it. You're nothing in her eyes. You were always nothing, you are nothing to her now, and you'll always be nothing. Always coming second to the Doctor."
Spike blew a blast of fire at Thalia but it did nothing due to her being a hologram.
"Leave this town in peace, Thalia. If you don't then I will have to stop you," the Doctor warned.
"Come and get me, Doctor! Oh wait! You won't have to come to me because I've already established your transportation."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I have one, final present for you, Doctor. I hope you enjoy it."
Thalia cackled as her holographic image disappeared. 
"I didn't like the sound of that," said Derpy. Suddenly the ground shook again, but this time it was different. The shaking wasn't coming from something below ground but rather was coming from something above ground. Ponies outside began screaming and the lights in the library went out, leaving the ponies and the dragon in almost complete darkness. "I really don't like the sound of that!"
The shaking stopped and everything fell silent. That's when the roof caved in.