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// (Part 5) The Purple Fear 
// Story: Doctor Whoof: Time of the Hourglass 
// by Muleicous 
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The Purple Fear
	The Doctor was actually very surprised that it was The Rani who was facing him, a strange weapon between her pony teeth that was aimed straight at him. He hadn’t seen the time lady in years, but here she was standing right in front of him in a fully pony body.
“I know what you’re thinking dear Doctor,” The Rani said, “‘why is The Rani a pony?’ Well, I’ll tell you how I happened upon this world, this... Equestria...”
“Fell through a hole in time.” The Doctor interrupted, faking a yawn just to spite his old foe.
“H...How did you know?” 
“Well... I got here through a hole in time. It’s pretty much an easy answer, like two plus two equals four. My only question is why The Rani, the second most brilliant Time Lord in existence, needs a TARDIS shaped like an alicorn.” The Doctor walked over to the now closed Mare-Do-TARDIS, his Sonic Screwdriver analyzing the machine and coming back with results that made the time colt whistle, “One that can move, fly, and even travel through time still! How did you manage the repairs on your TARDIS?”
The Rani chuckled at her old friend, “Come now Doctor, I was the greatest mind in the history of Galliefray. You really think I can’t repair my own TARDIS? Even a simpleton can fix a TARDIS’ time cortex.”
“Well you don’t have to rub it in.” The Doctor interjected.
“As for why I need a working Mare-Do-Well TARDIS... I’ll let my new invention answer that.” The time mare aimed her strange weapon at Twilight and fired, sending what looked like a wave of Twilight’s own magic straight at her. Before the unicorn had time to move out of the way, the purple wave hit her and knocked her back. Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle’s eyes pupils grew small, and her mane seemed to shift to where some hairs were sticking out. 
“T...Twilight?” Fluttershy stood and edged a bit closer to her friend, “Are you ok?” The unicorn then turned to her timid friend, a blood chilling smile breaking across her face.
“Oh I’m just FINE Fluttershy.” Twilight answered, talking through her insane grin, “But you must have some sort of problem with your eyes, right? RIGHT?! I mean... Let me help you with that, my friend!” The purple unicorn’s horn started to glow, and she fired a beam at Fluttershy’s face. The yellow pegasus quickly avoided the attack, but couldn’t avoid the second bean of magic. Fluttershy turned to face where she thought the door was and ran, only to hit a wall. The Doctor stood over her to see that the animal loving pegasus now had her eye lids fused together. 
“What have you done?!” The Doctor turned and dashed at The Rani, hoping to hit her and knock the device from her mouth, Instead, he hit the door of the library as Applejack walked back in.
“I’m sorry ya’ll, I couldn’t find Apple...” AJ was then cut off as The Rani fired another wave of purple energy, this time at the farm pony. Applejack’s mane became messy as well, and she started to grow bags under her eyes. 
The honest pony yawned, then her eyes opened wide. “Oh no! The harvest! I have to get the crop down, now!” Quickly, Applejack ran in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres just as The Doctor stood back up.
“Are we going to be civil now, Herr Doctor?” The time mare now had her machine aimed at the brown pony again, “Good... Then I’ll explain my little friend here. This,” The Rani gestured to the cylinder with her hoof, “is a little thing I’ve named The Purple Fear. You see Doctor, I’ve been here quite a long time, years in fact, and I’ve noticed one constant variable in every single pony throughout all of Equestria. They all have a moment where they break down in complete, and utter fear. For Twilight Sparkle, it was the fear of disappointing her beloved Princess Celestia so much, that she would be sent back to...”
“MAGIC KINDERGARDEN!” Twilight yelled out, almost on cue.
“... Yes, well... And dear sweet Applejack feared that her family would lose their home if she didn’t harvest all the apple in the orchard a couple of seasons ago. The Purple Fear uses a psycho-hypnotic wave to alter a pony’s mind to take them back to that point of pure fear. Now, in theory it should work on humans as well, but why try to return to our own universe alone when I could have an army?!” The Rani chuckled manically, then turned her gaze to Pinkie Pie and Rarity who where hiding in a corner of the library.
“As for the Mare-Do-Well disguise, for now it’s to blend in and gain trust.” the time mare continued, “With all of Ponyville at my feet, it will be simple to move on to Canterlot, Trottingham, Stallionguard, The Dragon Empire, The Griffon Democracy, and then... Earth!”
“That’s all I needed to know,” River Song said, she had stayed on the staircase since the net was thrown. Now, she held her cylinder gun between her teeth and aimed at The Rani, “now get away from my husband.” The light brown pegasus fired, but her bullet was blocked by the body of the Mare-Do-Well TARDIS. 
“You think I didn’t account for you, little miss Pond?” The Rani laughed as her TARDIS stood triumphantly. “You don’t think I would program my TARDIS to save me from any threat that may come my way? You’re a fool Song, just like your husband.” Her eyes turned back to where the Doctor was, but he was gone. With a quick look around, The Rani could see that Twilight and her friends had disappeared, and only she and River remained in the room. 
“All part of the plan.” River jumping into the TARDIS as it began to dematerialize. 

***
	“Thank Celestia for Pinkie Pie!” Rarity called out, hugging the party pony, “I never knew you could move so fast darling.”
“Well, I did beat Rainbow Dash in a race once.” Pinkie responded.
“Well it was brilliant Pinkie,” The Doctor walked back into the control room. River had been piloting the TARDIS as he placed Twilight in the medical bay, strapping her to a bed to keep her from 'helping’ anypony. Rainbow Dash still hadn’t regained consciousness, but they group thankfully had enough time to shift upstairs to grab the fastest flyer in Equestria.
“What now Doctor?” Fluttershy asked, her eye lid where still fused together, but she opted out to have Rarity push her around in a wheel chair.
“We need to find Applejack before she causes too much trouble,” The time colt began, “then we need to find Apple Bloom. After that... I... I don’t know...” The Doctor sat on the cold metal floor of his TARDIS, a look of deep concern on his face. “There has to be some way to stop The Rani, but we’d have to get close enough to get The Purple Fear away from her. And the only way to do that, would be to keep the Mare-Do-Well TARDIS preoccupied with an equal threat to The Rani or her plans.”
As the time colt sat there, a hoof on his chin as he pondered, River looked over at Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie,” the brown pegasus began to ask, “do you still have your mask to go with that costume?”
“I sure do, and the hat! And my sidekick, Choppin’! The Green Wonder!” The pink pony reached under her cape to pull out the still costumed Gummy. “Why do you ask?”
“I have an idea... But I’ll need your help.” River then turned to her husband, “Doctor... I think I’ve found our threat.”
The Doctor looked up at Pinkie Pie and smiled wide, “Bloody brilliant...”

***
	Dinky paced her room slowly, grumbling  and crying at the same time. “That Mr. Doctor wasn’t nice at all... Momma said he was the nicest colt she knew, that he didn’t say a single mean thing to her... But then he....” Dinky focused her magic on her stuffed Mare-Do-Well toy and threw it at her book shelf hard, causing some of the books to fall to the floor.
Derpy sighed as she watched her daughter, feeling the same anger she did. How could The Doctor treat me like that? How could he be so cruel, she thought. Was I just some dumb pony to him? Was everything he said a lie? It didn't matter now, after all he had told me..Then it hit her like a ton of bricks, the cross eyed pegasus smiled brightly and said the words she had nearly forgotten. “The Doctor lies...”
Quickly, the grey pegasus bust into her daughter’s room and hugged her tight, kissing her forehead softly. “Dinky, lock the doors and don’t let anypony in! Not even me, ok? Only let me in if I’m with The Doctor.”
“What?” the little filly replied, a look of confusion on her face, “But he’s a meanie butt!” 
“Trust me muffin,” Derpy kissed her daughter on the cheek, “he’s not a meanie butt.” She then dashed down the stairs, slammed the door behind her. If she could find the TARDIS, she had a chance!

To be concluded...