//------------------------------// // The Unexpected Arrival // Story: The Saddle Arabian Cliche // by The Master Whoovian //------------------------------// =Gaia, Equestria, Saddle Arabia, Town Square, 913 C.E.= The iconic sound of the TARDIS rang through the Arabian looking town as it materialized in the back of an alleyway. Shortly after, the Doctor, Romana, and Daring Do stepped out of it. The Doctor looked around, surveying the vast environment around him. "Well, it looks like we're probably on the same planet," he said to himself. Daring Do was still busy surveying the box, still surprised by the vastness of the inside compared to its minuscule outer appearance. After a while, she realized he was speaking. "Probably? That doesn't reassure me very much Doctor," she said. "Oh, relax. According to K-9, there's a 94% chance that we're still on the same planet, only somewhere hotter," he said after the intensity of Celestia's sun began to shine on him. As he said that, both Daring Do and Romana the intense heat that surrounded them as well. Romana walked over to them, but the Doctor stopped her. "Wait, Romana," he said. "What is it, Doctor?" She asked him. "I have something for you to do. You know the library from out dimension?" He asked. "Yes, I'm familiar with that," she replied. "Well, there's almost certainly something like that in this dimension. I want you to find it, and use K-9 to download the most accurate and up-to-date history of every planet that you can find, and then come back here. If I'm going to explore this dimension, I don't want to run in blind, as much as I enjoy it. Meanwhile, I'll be helping Miss Do here get reintegrated into society," he told her. Romana nodded and stepped back into the TARDIS. Suddenly, she realized something. "Did he just say he's going to explore this dimension?" She groaned. "Sometimes I think he has to make everything his problem." The Doctor and Daring Do watched as the TARDIS dematerialized, and then walked out into the city streets. The Doctor could see the place had a very Arabian look to it. The ponies surrounding him were wearing Arabian clothes, everything was exactly like the nation of Saudi Arabia on Earth, only with ponies instead of people. "Well I'll be, we're in Saddle Arabia!" Dating Do said excitedly. "Saddle Arabia?" The Doctor asked. "Saddle... Arabia... Is every city name on this planet just a ponified pun of the same name of an Earth city?! Could you tell me more of the city names on this planet?" "Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Las Pegasus..." Daring Do listed off. "Oh you have got to be kidding me. That sort of weakens the drive to explore this dimension, but I suppose I can live with it," said the Doctor in a disgruntled voice. "Let me guess. You're an alien. From outer space. Or likely, from another dimension entirely. It's become increasingly obvious based on what you and Romana talk about," Daring Do said. "You're catching on fast, I like it when they do that. Most people would think I'm insane. Well, I am a little insane, but that's beside the point," the Doctor said gleefully. "I guess I just have an inquiring mind. That, and I do think you're a little insane. But, I've been trapped in a forest for 90 years, walked into a box that was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, and traveled back in time 90 years to a place on the other side of the planet. I don't think anything can surprise me ever again," she said dismissively. "I really, really doubt that," the Doctor said, smiling widely. Suddenly, Daring Do's eyes widened into a look of surprise, and she galloped away in the direction of whatever surprised her. The Doctor smiled. "See, I told you!" He yelled as he galloped after her through the wide city streets. When he came to what Daring Do was looking at, he stopped. It was a statue. The statue depicted a creature that was on all fours, with dog-like hind legs, and ape fore legs. It had a dog-like head, except his eyes were positioned over his nose at the end of his snout. It had a monkey-like tail with a hand at the end. It wore a regal looking collar around its neck and legs, and the whole statue was made of solid gold. The Doctor wasn't really impressed. "This appears to be more surprising to you than it is to me. It looks exactly like an ahuizotl, a creature from Aztec myth. I'm surprised they would build a statue of it, though. In the Aztec myths it lived in the water and drowned anybody who got near it, and ripped out the victim's eyes, nails, and teeth." "Yuck," Daring Do said, disgusted. "Well, in my dimension, this creature is named Ahuizotl. He's my worst enemy, and tries to steal all the legendary treasures I find, usually right for my hooves." "Yikes," the Doctor said. "Well, if he's such a bad guy, then why would there be a golden statue of him in the middle of the city?" Suddenly, there was gasp from behind them. "The Royal Guard of the Great King Ahuizotl!" Said a random pony off the street. "King Ahuizotl?!" Daring Do gasped as she and the Doctor turned around. Walking through the streets were several ponies in black clothes. The black shrouds they wore covered their entire bodies, with only small slits for their eyes. The Doctor and Daring Do made several other important observations. The ponies all had sand colored skin, as you could make out through the slits above their eyes. In place of their pupils were what appeared to be golden, flaming embers. Their hooves were singeing the ground they walked on. The Doctor noted that the black shrouds were what women where in Saudi Arabia, but he could tell these ponies were not female. They made one more very important observation: these ponies were running directly toward them. "Daring, run!" The Doctor yelled. With that, the Doctor and Daring Do took off running, with the Royal Guard of King Ahuizotl in hot pursuit.