//------------------------------// // The Doctor // Story: Doctor Whooves: Shadow Of A Ghost // by Scyphi //------------------------------// “Doctor!” Rainbow exclaimed in joy and immense relief. “Miss Dash!” the Doctor replied brightly. “Be with you in just a moment!” “The Dimenost knows of the Doctor!” the Dimenost declared, sounding threatening as they closed in on Rainbow and the TARDIS. “The Time Lord will not defeat the Dimenost!” “Too late, already here,” the Doctor replied tauntingly, signaling into the TARDIS with one hoof. “You’re good as defeated now, and I think you know it, too.” It was not what the Dimenost wanted to hear. Many of them let out an enraged yell and charged at the stallion teasing them. But then a determined Spike appeared by the Doctor’s side, pointing the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver at them. The sight of it was enough to cause the Dimenost to halt their charge, remembering their last encounter with the device. “That’s right, you better keep back now!” the Doctor warned when Spike did this. “The sonic’s several times more potent in the Fringe, and I really don’t want to see anyone else hurt tonight. It’s been a bad enough of a night as it is.” “The Dimenost will prevail!” one of the shadowy beings proclaimed. “So you keep telling me, but really, this can only end in either a terrible fight between these two sides which you have no real guarantee of winning…or with us agreeing to go our separate ways in peace.” The Doctor narrowed his eyes. “I’d advise you to take the latter option.” The Dimenost continued to hesitate, but gradually, one or two started to nudge forward again, testing their boundaries. Finally one of them lashed out with a bolt of lightning, striking the frame of the TARDIS in a fury of sparks. It just missed the Doctor’s head. Spike yelped, but responded by thumbing the switch on the screwdriver. It immediately let out its whirring noise, distorted and several times amplified in sound, releasing a pulsing effect that could be felt as it bashed against its inhabitants, driving them back. It was enough that even Rainbow had to brace herself against the noise, doing her best to shield her ears. Soon the Dimenost were driven back, resorting to swooping around the general area in a menacing circle. They were still a danger but for the moment out of the way. The Doctor nodded to Spike, who switched the device off again to adjust its settings. “Well, I had to try,” he confessed aloud, “But anyway, let’s get you loose, Miss Dash.” Spike pointed the sonic screwdriver at the platform Rainbow was restrained to, and with a pop, the bindings came free. Rubbing her fetlocks briefly, Rainbow quickly rolled over onto her hooves and stood for the first time in what felt like hours. Meanwhile, the Doctor jumped down to join her on the peculiar, floating, surface. “You all right?” he asked. Rainbow simply grabbed him in a hug, fighting back tears and overcome with relief. Embarrassed by her emotional state, she repeatedly tried to explain why to the Doctor, to reason away her distraught state and try and keep herself composed, but wouldn’t get further than a syllable before stopping short. The tears came despite her pride, simply needing to be let out. The Doctor seemed to understand anyway, and after a split second of hesitation, returned the hug, giving her an assuring pat. “It’s all right,” he said softly. “It’s over now. The Dimenost won’t even touch you anymore, I won’t let them. I promise.” Rainbow nodded, reassured, as she started to pull herself together again. “Thank you for coming for me,” she croaked. “Thank you, Miss Dash, for holding on long enough for me to come.” “It wasn’t easy. Those…things…they showed no restraint, no mercy…I-I was scared, and…” “Shh.” The Doctor patted a hoof on her mane. “Don’t be ashamed Miss Dash. It was the fear that kept you from giving in to them. And there was nothing wrong with that. I’d rather have that,” he looked her hard in the eye, “than to see you become a broken mare under that onslaught. That’s what would’ve happened to a lesser pony. Something I can see without a doubt that you are most certainly are not.” Rainbow nodded slowly, and heaved a final calming sigh. Confidence suddenly seemed to return to her. But, suddenly aware of how they looked, she pulled out of the hug, sheepishly patting the stallion on the shoulders. “Um…well…nice hat,” she remarked, at a loss at what else to say at this point. “Yes I know, it’s a top hat, I wear a top hat now,” the Doctor explained proudly, taking the change in subject in stride as he adjusted the hat on his head. “Looks good, don’t you think?” Rainbow just grinned. But the moment of peace ended there. The Dimenost began to be restless again, swooping dangerously close to where they stood. More than one lashed out at the TARDIS with their lightning, knocking it out of position until it slammed into the edge of the surface Rainbow and the Doctor stood upon. The resulting jolt knocked both ponies over, while Spike, still in the TARDIS doorway, would have been flung from the box if he didn’t grab the door’s handle. Now he hung helplessly from it as the TARDIS started to drift to one side, pilotless. But the Doctor was more focused on the Dimenost swooping in for another run. “Miss Dash, look out!” the Doctor suddenly exclaimed, grabbing Rainbow and forcing them down on the edge of the platform, so their weight would imbalance it and make it flip. He did so just in time, for a series of lightning bolts, meant for them, struck the underside of the platform as it overturned. But this also caused the two ponies to fly off it and into the expanse of the Fringe. The Doctor managed to land roughly on the TARDIS roof. Rainbow, however, was flung out into empty space in the opposite direction. Initially trying to take flight like she would in Equestria, Rainbow quickly found her flying out of whack. Because the Fringe’s gravity pulled at her from every direction at once, every beat of her wing was more than enough to force her in any direction they pushed off into. This resulted in the baffled pegasus flipping again and again, out of control. Until Rainbow realized that this meant she didn’t need to flap to keep herself up in the air. She just needed to glide and steer. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Spike were trying to get back into the TARDIS, but the Dimenost moved faster, sparkling as they closed in. They were only stopped when the ringleader got clocked by a bit of Fringe-matter, and their attention suddenly shifted to the blue pegasus who’d thrown it. “Hey, Dimenost!” Rainbow shouted at the swarm. “Look who’s hoof-loose and fancy free! And I just beaned you with a space rock! Neeaner-neeaner-neeaner! Your mothers were all dust bunnies!” “Miss Dash, what in the name of Kasterborous are you doing?” the Doctor exclaimed at her as the Dimenost veered away from the TARDIS and at the pegasus annoying them, deeming her the greater threat. “Returning the favor!” Rainbow replied before motioning at the Dimenost. “C’mon you clouds of soot, come and get me!” She stopped to dodge a number of lightning bolts thrown her way. “That’s right!” she said, waggling her rump tauntingly at the oncoming swarm. “You want me? Then try and keep up!” With a burst of speed, Rainbow took off into the distance, aiming for the only visible landmark in the Fringe she could see: a cluster of Fringe-matter of varying sizes. When she left, the Dimenost started to trail after her, drawing them away from the TARDIS. Understanding what the reckless pegasus was doing, the Doctor took action. First helping Spike into the TARDIS by swinging the door he hung from closed, the Doctor then dropped himself through the remaining open door, planning to land on his hind feet, but forgot to remember he was a pony now and ended up landing on his back. Spike quickly helped him back up again. “We gotta go help Rainbow!” he cried urgently to the Doctor. “And we will!” the Doctor promised, popping his back and returning his top hat to his head. A plan was already forming in his head. “But I need your help, Mister Spike!” Spike stood straighter, ready to take the challenge. “What do you need me to do, Doctor?” he asked. The Doctor pushed him towards the control panel. “I need you to fly the TARDIS for me!” Spike paled. “Wait, what?” Rainbow—having quickly gotten the hang of flying in the Fringe, as it was really more like gliding in literally any direction she pushed off in—arrived at the cluster of Fringe-matter in moments, the Dimenost pursuing her as planned. Hoping that would be enough for the Doctor to come and intervene, she started dodging pieces of unearthly matter, trying to lose the chasing creatures. Upon that failing, she decided to seek a place to hide. Lots of the pieces of Fringe-matter were significantly larger deeper into the cluster, to the point that there were some that were bigger than Ponyville’s town hall. So Rainbow made her way there, looping around several pieces of Fringe-matter as she attempted to at least put some distance between her and the pursuing Dimenost. Once she felt she had, she aimed for one large piece, swooped behind it, and then while she was behind it, quickly veered off to duck behind a different piece nearby, hopefully without the Dimenost noticing. There she pressed herself against the sort-of solid surface of the matter, breathing heavily as she waited for a sign to see if her stunt worked. At first it seemed it did, and the Dimenost had lost sight of her. But then she saw a massive bolt of lightning strike a boulder of Fringe-matter that was hanging above her hiding place, sending it hurtling towards her. Rainbow wrinkled her snout. “Nuts,” she muttered before taking off again just as the two boulders collided. As she flew off, the Dimenost of course saw her again, and promptly, as one great swarm, they turned to give pursuit. Rainbow led them on through the rest of the cluster of Fringe-matter, but once through, she took a glance back at the swarm. Her eyes widened at the sight, then surged onwards as fast as she could. Behind her, a massive swarm of Dimenost, having tripled in size since she started luring them away from the TARDIS, started to arc around to give chase. If they caught up with her, Rainbow knew she would be in serious trouble. “C’mon Doc,” Rainbow muttered as she focused now on putting as much distance between herself at the Dimenost. It was not an easy feat considering the Dimenost moved much faster in the Fringe. “Where are you?” Where was soon revealed when the TARDIS came flying out from behind the swarm, flying along in a very erratic path, but was rapidly overtaking the Dimenost as it headed for the blue pegasus leading the chase. Standing in the open doorway and monitoring the craft’s path, was the Doctor. Carefully, he eyed the distance between him and Rainbow still. “Now, Mister Spike!” the Doctor called before popping the sonic screwdriver into his mouth. Behind him, standing on the control panel so he could reach all the buttons and switches, Spike worked to keep the TARDIS flying steady while using his left foot to flip a nearby switch. With a thud, the TARDIS veered to one side, pulling in front of the swarm. Spike then worked to line the TARDIS up with Rainbow under the Doctor’s guidance. Even with that, the Doctor’s quick crash course on flying the craft, and having the controls set on basic, Spike was struggling to keep it straight in his head. Still, he managed, and the unsteady flying had its benefits when the TARDIS accidentally clipped one of the shadowy beasts, knocking it aside with a hard thud. The Doctor chased a few other surrounding Dimenost away with a few quick bursts from the sonic gripped between his teeth, then motioned to Spike to pick up the speed. “Mifhth Dathh!” the Doctor called out as the TARDIS neared Rainbow then remembered he still had the sonic in his mouth and removed it. “Miss Dash!” Hearing, Rainbow glanced behind her and saw the TARDIS flying right behind her, the Dimenost closing in behind it. Seeing she was only going to get one chance at this and having faith the Doctor had it lined up right, she closed her eyes then flung out her wings in a breaking maneuver. Her speed dropped instantly and she sailed backwards to the TARDIS, through its open doors, to crash into the awaiting Doctor, the two toppling to the floor of the control room. “Yes!” Spike cheered from the controls, the TARDIS suddenly veering to one side as he momentarily forgot to keep it straight. The Doctor kicked the TARDIS doors shut with his hind legs and hurried to take the controls from Spike. “Don’t celebrate just yet, Mister Spike, we still aren’t in the clear!” he said, starting to flip controls himself while Spike willingly surrendered control of the craft back to its owner. “Those Dimenost are probably going to be real ticked now!” As if to drive the point home, the TARDIS suddenly shuddered as something struck its exterior. It was soon followed by more impacts as the Dimenost attacked the fleeing box. Rainbow quickly jumped to her hooves and ran for the control panel. “Then let’s get out of here!” she urged. “Not yet!” the Doctor said, twisting a knob that made the TARDIS tilt into a long, banking turn. “We still have one last thing to do.” Piloting the TARDIS towards the tear it had entered the Fringe through, the Doctor gunned for it, the black swarm of Dimenost flanking it from all sides. The creatures clawed at it with their claws, struck it with their lightning, even bodily slammed themselves into it. Anything to try and stop the craft from reaching its target, like they knew what was coming. But it didn’t stop the Doctor in the slightest as he locked the TARDIS on its path to the gaping tear in the fabric of space, before moving to a different section of the control panel to work. “You know, my TARDIS can do a great many things,” the Doctor explained to his two anxiously watching companions as he worked. “It can even be an over-glorified sonic device if I need it to.” He grinned as he threw one final switch. “A whopping sonic TARDIS!” With the throw of that switch, the TARDIS let out a loud buzzing noise, a mix between its whirring and the buzz of the sonic screwdriver, as it neared the tear. Pelting the occupants of the Fringe with the berating and irritating noise, it pushed the Dimenost away from the TARDIS, as well as those that had been “driving” their “wedge” into the tear. The wedge now abandoned, it was left to be exposed to the pulsing energy the TARDIS emitted, and quickly fractured. The moment it did, as if relieving a great strain, the tear immediately began to shrink, closing up like a giant wound healing over on fast forward. “Hold on!” the Doctor instructed as the TARDIS started to vibrate. “This is going to be close!” Spike and Rainbow both latched onto the nearest claw and hoofholds as the vibrating increased to a full, constant, shake, growing more violent the closer they came to the tear. Already it had shrunk considerably as the TARDIS neared its threshold, still big enough to permit it to slip through, but at the rate it was shrinking, by the time the TARDIS reached it, it would already be slightly too small. Knowing they couldn’t stay here, though, the Doctor pressed on, gunning the TARDIS for the narrowing exit. It scraped roughly along the edges of the tear with an almighty jolt, but it slipped through nonetheless and back into more normal space. Several Dimenost attempted to follow the TARDIS, but already their forms had blurred together into the more shadowy ghosts of before, eventually vanishing entirely as the tear sealed itself and the Dimenost were yanked back into their realm, robbed of their only means of escaping it. The TARDIS continued on unhindered, however, going into a calm and gradual flight as the Doctor let up on the throttle. That done, he stepped back from the control panel and looked at the dragon and pegasus accompanying him for a moment, the control room suddenly silent. Then he grinned. “We did it,” he announced. Spike and Rainbow responded by immediately beginning to cheer.