//------------------------------// // Where You Go, I Follow // Story: Doctor Whooves: Only My Will // by LightOfTriumph //------------------------------// The roof of the Crystal Tree imploded. The Master caught sight of the Doctor's TARDIS sailing through the throne room, its engine roaring. The doors burst open and a Chestnut colored stallion dodge rolled out of the craft and stopped right in front of the Master. The TARDIS disappeared further into the tree. The Doctor stared directly into the Master's eyes. The intensity between them was electrifying. Cybermen, Daleks, and Autons surrounded the room. Then the room fell into a silence. "Oh my..." the Doctor smiled. "Those rolls aren't as easy as you see in films. Sweet Celestia my shoulders are in pain." The five mares watch as the TARDIS roared through the room, knocking over the Angels as it went. The ship skidded to a halt about a foot in front of the cage. The doors opened. “WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T BLINK!!!" the five screamed in unison. Scootaloo looked out of the TARDIS, eyes wide. "Why?" she asked nervously. "Scoot?!" Rainbow Dash asked frantically. "What in sweet Celestia's Equestria are you doing here?!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle appeared behind their friend. "What else?" Scootaloo grinned. "We're here to save you guys!" "Without an adult?!" Twilight said. "The Doctor sent you here unattended?!" "They ain't unattended!" came a drawl from the back of the ship. "I'm a-comin'!!" A dazed Applejack blundered out of the TARDIS. "DON'T MOVE!!!" screamed the girls. "What?" asked Applejack. "Why?" "Those statues around you aren't real statues!" squeaked Fluttershy. "You have to keep looking at them!" Rarity said nervously. "Otherwise these horrid things start moving." "And if they catch you, they warp you back in time and eat your future!!" screamed Pinkie Pie. "Or maybe just break your neck! I'm actually not sure what they prefer doing to you the lore is really unclear. But it's bad! Really, really bad!" Applejack looked around her. She saw the angels that were laid prone by the TARDIS's unusual entrance into the room. And then she blinked. It looked like all of the Angels were frozen in the middle of righting themselves. Several of them were reaching out for Applejack. One was uncomfortably close to her face. Applejack backed off quickly. "Alright!" Applejack swallowed hard. "I got no plan for this one!" "I do!" Apple Bloom jumped on top of Applejack's back and used her to springboard up to the top of Twilight's cage. "Alright! I can see 'em all from up here. Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! Front and center!" The other crusaders followed suit. "We'll keep watch on those things from up here!" Apple Bloom said proudly. "You get the girls out!" Applejack nodded. "Now how do I open the cages?" "They'll open for you!" Twilight explained. "It's a long story. Hurry!" Applejack touched Twilight's cell door and it disappeared. She hugged her friend, and repeated the process with the rest of the girls. One by one, they filed into the TARDIS. The Angels didn't move an inch. "Alright!" Applejack turned to the incredibly self-satisfied ponies. "You three get down here and we'll go!" There was an awkward pause. "Apple Bloom?" asked Scootaloo. "Yeah?" "How are we gonna get back to the TARDIS without all of the Angels jumping us at once?" Another long pause. "Gimme a minute," said Apple Bloom. "Honestly," said the Doctor, rubbing his shoulder. "I think I may have dislocated something..." "Shut. Up," spat the Master. "Right," the Doctor said. "Serious discussion now, ice pack on the shoulder later..." "Why are you here?" the Master asked through gritted teeth. "Well," the Doctor said quietly. "I thought you'd be able to guess that." "You know what I mean!" the Master shouted. "Here! Earth! Galifrey! Logopolis! Castrovalva! Why are you always... ALWAYS there! Why must you always be underfoot?! Why must you always be in my way?! Why must I keep hearing your voice? I think it's becoming more constant than the drums at this point!" He clicked his hoof on the marble floor of the palace. Tap tap tap tap "Doctor who?!" Tap tap tap tap. "Doctor who?!" Tap tap tap tap. "DOCTOR WHO?!" The Master's horn began to glow as if it was heating up. "Go away! Just. Go. AWAY." The Doctor thought about that for a while. "You know?" the Doctor said quietly. "I've thought about that for a while. Why do we keep running into each other like this? After all of this time, I think I've come up with the answer..." "I'm at the edge of my seat..." the Master growled. "I used to think it was just coincidence," the Doctor smiled. "But coincidences don't happen that often. No. No we're destined to do this. Possibly forever, and definitely everywhere. The third and fourth Lynchpins of the Multiverse. What gets me about that is that you're the third. You came first. I came directly after. Like reality took one look at you and immediately devised a counter measure. I was created to stop you. And I always will. "Where you go," smiled the Doctor. "I follow." The Master let out a chuckle. "Eloquent!" he said cheerfully. "And well-reasoned. It has served us well so far. But all good things must come to an end. I need to ask you, Doctor. You are surrounded by your greatest enemies. Daleks. Cybermen. Autons. I've even got some Angeles in the back room looking after the girls. You're surrounded. I have the keys to the cell. How do you expect to get out of this alive?" "What question are you asking?" the Doctor asked. "How am I expecting to get out of this castle alive? It's simple. I made a big ruckus coming in so that most of your forces were focused on me and you let the TARDIS fly into the room where you were keeping the girls. AJ was waiting inside to free them. I didn't take the Angels into account. But if I'm right about AJ being as smart as she is, and I am, the TARDIS should be drawn back to the TARDIS key, which is around my neck and appear behind me!" The Master's jaw dropped as the TARDIS materialized behind the Doctor. The doors opened to reveal a charred and smoking Sweetie Belle. "Today I learned to teleport!" she said before collapsing. The Doctor stepped into the TARDIS doors. "If you're asking how I'm getting out of this meeting with you alive? "Again simple," the Doctor gave a sad smile. "I'm not."