//------------------------------// // Chapter Four // Story: Doctor Whooves Classic: The Five Doctors // by Tragicom //------------------------------// As the technicians prepared the Transmat device, the three members of the High Council were preparing The Master. Flavia threw a golden emblem into the air, which The Master then caught with his magic. His magic burned with a deep red color, even darker than his crimson coat. "This is the Seal of the High Council." she explained. "Hopefully it will convice The Doctors of your good faith." "Hopefully." he emphasized. The Castellan offered him another golden object, this one round and with blinking lights. "When you're ready, use this device. It will allow you to transport back here." he said. "Is anypony going to wish me luck?" The Master asked. "We wish you success." Borusa countered. The technicians gave them the go-ahead, and The Master stepped onto the platform. A technician activated the device, and The Master was teleported away. "And now, we wait." Borusa said. "I intend to wait alone." Castellan shot back, and walked out of the room. "I'll go talk to him." Flavia told Borusa, also leaving the room. Meanwhile in The Death Zone... As The Master appeared in The Death Zone, he took a quick look to the ground. Littered about were corpses wearing the robes of the High Council Members. "My predecessors, I'd assume." Meanwhile with The Second Doctor... "It's just as I feared, Captain." Two explained, looking to the dark tower in the distance. "We're on Gallopfrey, in the Death Zone." "Well, that's a reassuring name." the Captain deadpanned. "Indeed." Two replied. "Before Rassilon and Omega rose to power, the Time Lords used their mastery over time and space to take the so-called 'lesser beings' of the universe, and trap them here. They would then compete in horrid bloodsport, with no chance of escape. Even if by some miracle they found a way to escape the forcefield, they would run right into the guards." "Your people sound more and more charming every time you tell me about them." Shining Armor said sarcastically. "This place in the shame of all of Gallopfrey, Captain. Time Lords included." Two countered. "Now let's go. I'll explain more on the way to the Tower." "What's in the Tower?" Shining asked. "The Tower houses Rassilon, the Alpha to the Omega. The single greatest figure in Time Lord history." Two said. "So it's where he lives?" Shining questioned. "No. It's his tomb." Meanwhile in the TARDIS... Once Bon Bon and the other companions finished cooking sweets, they returned to the console room to an all-too familiar sight. The Doctors still bickering with one another. "You've got to be kidding." Caramel said. "He may look young, but Grandpa's still an old stallion." Susan explained. "He's an arguer." "We need to send the signal and then we should wait for the others. Now stop talking nonsense, my boy!" One shouted. "There's no time for that." Five yelled back. "We must leave immediately. Temporal instability's already starting to affect me." "Yes, but without your other selves, you're still weak, and my body is infirm." One countered. "We'd be close to useless in the Death Zone." "Well they won't last out there either! There is some evil force at work here." "I'm sorry, but what's the Death Zone?" Bon Bon asked. "It's the darkest part of Gallopfrey, pay attention little one." One explained. Bon Bon shot a look of indignation at the elder stallion, and Caramel promptly held her back. "Look, we can't afford to wait. Especially not if someone is tapping Rassilon's power." Five told his younger self. "Very well, then. What do you intend to do?" One challenged. It was here that the cricketeer had trouble. One had a good point. He was weakened, but he didn't exactly have a lot of options. When it came down to it, he only had one idea. A really, really bad idea. "I'm going to the Tomb of Rassilon." Meanwhile with The Third Doctor... As Three and Twilight drove through the treacherous pathways of the Death Zone, he took it upon himself to give her a crash course in Gallopfreyan History. "All this was originally the setting for the games. But old Rassilon put a stop to that. He sealed off the Death Zone and forbade any further use of the Time Scoop." "So if using the Time Scoop is illegal, why are we here now?" Twilight asked. "Clearly somepony thought it would be amusing to toss us in here and see if we sink or swim." he replied. "The only thing we can do now is head for the Tomb of Rassilon." "So to clarify," Twilight began, "we've been thrown into a disused gladiatorial arena via illegal means, and in response we're going to a mysterious tower which houses a dead alicorn, and then do what exactly?" "What I do best, Miss Sparkle. Improvise." Twilight rolled her eyes. She had so much respect for The Doctor. He was brilliant, he really was. But at the same time, his recklessness and refusal to plan drove her up the walls. Would it kill him to make a checklist? Would it?! "Doctor!" Three pulled back on the reigns, halting the automagic chariot. He and Twilight disembarked and looked for the origin of the voice. Three turned around and saw another pony down the road. "It can't be..." he muttered. Suddenly a dark red flash of light appeared before the two. As it faded, the insidious form of The Master took it's place. "Of course." Three said. "I should have figured that you were the one behind this." "Doctor, who is this guy?" Twilight asked. Three paused for a moment and considered this. He thought back to his travels with Twilight and remembered that, surprisingly, Twilight had never met his archenemy before. "Well, Miss Sparkle, this is my greatest nemesis. The Master." "Delighted to meet you." The Master said, offering his front hoof. "The pleasure is yours." Twilight replied, declining. "You've changed bodies. That's odd." Three said. "Last I checked, you had run out of regenerations." "I got creative." The Master explained. "I'll bite the bullet and ask. Why have you brought us to the Death Zone?" Three questioned. "Believe or not, Doctor, I'm not responsible." The Master replied. "I'm on your side this time." "Well I don't believe it." Three said. The Master had figured that. It was time to test Flavia's theory. "I come bearing proof of my intentions." He lifted the emblem Flavia gave him using his telekinesis. "Behold the Seal of the High Council." Twilight grabbed it with her telekinesis, and floated it over to Three. The scientific officer gave it a discerning look. He then snatched it and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. "Clearly stolen." he said. "I'll be sure to return it once I get to the bottom of this." Twilight looked at him strangely. She had never seen him like this before. Was this really the same pony who was willing to give the Daleks a chance, when she wouldn't? What could this unicorn have done to earn such distrust? The Master was clearly just as upset. "Look, I knew this was going to be difficult, Doctor. But even I never thought you would be so arrogant as to make it utterly impossible." "Doctor, can't you at least give him a chance?" Twilight asked. "I've given Koschei plenty of chances." Three replied. "And every time, he turns on me at the last second. I refuse to keep making that mistake." "I am here to help!" The Master shouted. "I've never heard such absolute rubbish !" Three shouted back. Suddenly an enormous bolt of electrical energy crashed down where the three ponies were talking. It was only through a great deal of luck that none of them were hurt. "A trap." Three said. "As I suspected." "You must be kidding." The Master replied. "I'm not a pegasus, I can't control the lightning bolts any more than you can." As if to contradict his statement, a series of bolts continued to crash around the group. Twilight and Three got back onto Bessie and drove off in the hopes of avoiding the lightning strikes. The Master, having no such transportation, simply ran away. Meanwhile in the TARDIS... Five hit a button on the console, and a display of the Tomb of Rassilon appeared on the main monitor. "There are three entrances. One along the mountain pass, one from a series of abandoned caves, and the front door." "Which one will you use?" One asked. Five looked at the other Doctor as if the old stallion was still a foal asking if he could leave the table without finishing his oats. "The front door." "I still think you should wait." One said. "We don't have that kind of time." Five countered. Meanwhile with The Third Doctor... Three and Twilight left the smoking remains of poor Bessie. Sadly she just wasn't equipped for evasive maneuvers. "As I said." Three told Twilight. "A trap. Twilight facehooved.