The Master took a sip of his wine and licked his teeth.
"Fangs," he pondered aloud. "I've never had fangs before. I think they suit me, don't you? Adds to a frightening visage. Not that I need to. Look at me! Pitch black hairless skin, burning red eyes, and membranous wings. I have wings! I had to learn how to fly! Well strictly speaking, I already knew. That's the complicated bit. With these great holes in my legs it's a miracle I can even stand. I shouldn't complain though..."
He looked the Doctor up and down. "It could have been far worse."
"What are you doing here?" the Doctor asked sternly.
"You want the how or the why?" asked the Master. "You can't have either. The why I'm not going to answer, because honestly, where's the fun in that? And the how I couldn't answer even if I wanted to. So you see the problem..."
"Who are you?" the Doctor asked. "Are you the original Master, or are you this universe's Master like-"
"Like you?" the Master asked happily. "Yes, that explains a lot. Yes, I am this universe's Master made manifest."
"How?" the Doctor asked. "If your counterpart came here I would have-"
"I'm afraid he's occupied at the moment," the Master frowned. "No, I, or at least what used to be me, happened to come upon a White Point Star. The White Point Star. It had everything that was 'the Master' in it. I picked it up, and it gave me the drums back. It took me getting a Changeling's horn in the sternum for me to finally realize who I was. I then regenerated into what you see here."
"You 'just happened' to come across the diamond?" the Doctor took a sip of his wine. "I shouldn't have to tell you that that's bloody unlikely..."
"It's very good that you're bothered by that," the Master laughed. "So was I. Things have been falling too perfectly into place for me. Not that I'm complaining, but I feel as if someone has been helping me along my way to come here today. All of these things happening at once... I mean finding the diamond was one thing but..."
The Master let out an evil grin.
"But what?" the Doctor asked.
"You know what they did during the last days of the Time War, Doctor?" The Master slowly began circling the Doctor. "They ejected everything into the void. The entire archive. Every single piece of important Time Lord technology into the blackness to keep it away from the Daleks. All of it shot through the nothingness and some of it hit other universes. One very important piece of Time Lord history hit this sorry little reality. And I found it."
"What is it?" the Doctor asked firmly. "Your not back on that 'Key of Rassilon' malarkey again, are you?"
"I want you to tell me something Doctor," the Master started to speak frantically. "Why is the question there? Why has it joined the drums? Why Doctor?"
"What question?" the Doctor was confused. "What are you talking about?"
"You know which question!" the Master shouted, his eyes bulging. "You know the answer too. I know the answer. But no matter how many times I answer it, it won't go away!"
"I have no idea-"
The Master stopped dead in his tracks and began to pound his hoof on the floor. Tap tap tap tap. "Doctor who?" Tap tap tap tap. "Doctor who?" Tap tap tap tap. "Doctor who?!"
The Doctor was stunned by the question.
"For three of the longest years of my life I have been living this timeline in it's intended sequence," the Master growled. "Unable to leave. Unable to travel. Unable to have any excitement. I've been stuck here, Doctor. I need something in order to leave, and tomorrow it will be unguarded. So I cant let you expose me. Goodbye, Doctor."
The Master's horn began to glow red. "And perhaps if you die, they'll stop asking."
The Doctor prepared to defend himself as best he could, when the Master suddenly stopped his magic.
"Wait," the Master wondered. "That's a fair question. Why haven't you exposed me yet? You knew right away that it was me. So..."
The look on the Doctor's face gave the Master all the information he needed.
"Ohoho...," the Master laughed. "You can't can you? Exposing me means exposing her and that means causing something to happen out of order! Something very important is going to happen tomorrow that requires the Changelings to be discovered then and not before! Oh, brilliant."
The Master retook the form of Decorum. "Well, in that case," the Master smiled. "I wouldn't want you to miss out on the fireworks tomorrow! You always make things a little more lively. I've always liked that about you. Well, no time to lose. Big day tomorrow. A false wedding, a full out invasion, hands pointed to the sun and all that! I'll speak with you tomorrow afternoon! Cheery-Bye!"
The Master left the Doctor alone in the wine cellar, or so he thought.
"Uh, Doctor?"
Sweetie Belle's tiny voice made the Doctor leap a foot into the air. He turned around to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders behind him, their perception filters off.
"Sweet Celestia!" The Doctor took a moment to catch his breath, and make sure his hearts were still beating. "Never do that again! How long were you three there anyway? Where did you go? What are you doing in the wine cellar of all places?"
"Uh, okay," Sweetie Belle started. "Question one: the whole time."
"Question two," Apple Bloom went on. "We went to get the TARDIS just in case you needed it close by later."
"Question three," Scootaloo finished. "I don't know, this is where Apple Bloom flew us."
The Doctor looked straight at Apple Bloom. "You flew the TARDIS?"
"Eeyup!" she said smugly, imitating her older brother.
"No you didn't," the Doctor said frankly. "You couldn't have flown the TARDIS unsupervised and landed so close to where you wanted to go. You'd have no idea how without help." The Doctor suddenly realized what had happened. "Oh..."
Apple Bloom deflated. "Darn it," she moped. "Stupid Guardian Angel. I thought I'd done somethin' cool."
The Doctor nuzzled up to Apple Bloom. "Now don't be upset," the Doctor said softly. "Bringing the TARDIS here was a good idea. I may need it."
Apple Bloom gave the Doctor a little smile.
"As for our guardian angel," the Doctor went on. "I think the Master may have one of his own. He's been having the kind of luck we have had."
"Oh yeah!" Scootaloo said. "This 'Master' guy? Who is he? How do you know him? What does he want?"
"The first two questions have long answers and I'll give them to you when we get up to the room," the Doctor answered. "As for the third, I have a theory. But I'll need to check something to be sure... He said 'hand' not 'hoof'..."
"So what do we do next?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Tonight we look for something," said the Doctor. "And if we find it, we panic."