//------------------------------// // Ch. 4 - The Dark Flame of Zixtra Madora // Story: Doctor Whooves and the Assistant: The Living Paradox // by Prodigy Skyfire //------------------------------// It’s been almost five hours since we departed from Ponyville. Even now, I wonder how things are occurring while we were gone. I do hope Twilight will be ok while we are gone. The Doctor says that we are going to visit a planet this time. I wonder what the TARDIS has in store for us… “You have no idea what this new planet is going to be, Doctor?! Then how do we even know that we are going to a new planet!?”, Strawberry exclaimed, staring up at the Doctor. “Now now, Strawberry. I promised you a planet, so a planet is exactly where we are going!”, the Doctor stated, fiddling around with a few switches. Strawberry rolled her eyes as she walked out of the console room back towards our room, only to hear a loud yelp and a splash. She groaned as she walked towards the swimming pool and saw me sitting in the pool soaking wet. “Did you enjoy your swim, Papa?”, she asked. I spat out some water, pulling a few strands of hair away from my glasses. “HA-HA, very funny, Strawberry. Help me out of here.”, I stated, wading over to her. I grabbed onto her hand as she helped me out of the pool. I groaned as I flopped onto the floor soaking wet and said, “So, what did the Doctor say about our destination, Strawberry?” Strawberry frowned when I said that. “HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW!”, Strawberry yelled, stomping away with a pout. I chuckled as I stood to my hooves then walked back into our room to change out of my wet clothes. Strawberry walked down the hallways of the TARDIS and raised an eyebrow as she looked around. “I could’ve sworn this was the way to the console room. Where did I end up this time?”, she asked herself, seeing her being surrounded by a few rooms. She opened one door and her eyes widened to see a giant library standing behind it. ‘Alright, Doctor. Now this is just showing off!’, she thought to herself, amazed at the many books she saw. If there was one thing she loved more than chemistry, it was always relaxing with a good book to read. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw something that was sticking out like a sore thumb in the library: large framed pictures of an odd person, 10 in total. She tilted her head as she looked at the odd photos, having the strangest feeling she knew the person in the photos. It was only when she got to the last photo that gave her a shock. She watched as the photo alternate between the odd being in the photo to a photo of the Doctor. “Wait….is this….no way. But it is! It’s the Doctor! But that would mean….all of these photos is of him? But how is that possible?”, she asked. Her answer came to her when she heard somepony behind her say, “Regeneration to a molecular scale, my dear filly.” Strawberry looked behind her to see the Doctor walk up behind her. “We Time Lords have a unique ability: after being dealt a mortal injury, our bodies can repair itself and give us another lease on life. We get a new personality, a new face, but we keep the same mind and memories of every other life.”, he said, looking at the last photo of himself as it alternated between his real self and his pony self. “Although, this last regeneration is a very peculiar one.”, he said softly. “Why is that?”, Strawberry asked. The Doctor smiled and said, “Why don’t you try and think on it?” Strawberry crossed her arms and closed her eyes in thought. She muttered slightly then said, “Is it because you are in our universe that makes it peculiar?” The Doctor nodded and said, “The TARDIS was on the verge of ripping itself apart during the entry of this universe. I should’ve regenerated the moment I landed, but I didn’t. Instead, I turned into a pony.” Strawberry tilted her head and asked, “But, did you have an injury that depended on regenerating, Doctor?” The Time Lord nodded and said, “I did. It should be eating away at this body right now. My regeneration is on delay for some reason.” He frowned slightly and Strawberry could swear he heard him mutter to himself: “Why haven’t I changed yet?” The Doctor shook his head and then said, “In any case, we should be landing soon. Shall we go?” “Really!? Yay! New planet!”, Strawberry exclaimed, following the Doctor back to the Console Room to see Derpy and myself staring at the console screen. “Doctor, it keeps beeping for some reason.”, I said with a concerned look. The Doctor ran over and picked up a rubber mallet, smacking a button on the console. “Behave, I’m here!”, he said, fiddling with a few switches, the TARDIS rocking slightly as the sound it usually makes rang through our ears. With a small ding, the TARDIS landed on the ground. “Alright, we’re here! Let’s be on our way.”, the Doctor said, heading to the TARDIS doors. I saw him move quickly and immediately said, “Doctor, just a minute! Shouldn’t we do environment checks? This is another planet after all!” The Doctor looked back at me and said, “Sure thing, Professor. Environment checks.” I sighed softly, then saw him immediately poke his head out of the TARDIS doors. He looked back at me and said, “It’s night time. And the air is definitely breathable.” I slapped my hand to my forehead and said, “Honestly, Doctor. Sometimes, I wonder if you are a genius or just crazy.” The Doctor grinned and said, “Both are true. Now, shall we be off?” Strawberry immediately ran past me and said, “Don’t have to tell me twice! So many things to learn today!” I shook my head as Derpy and I stepped outside with the young filly, hearing the Doctor lock the TARDIS doors behind us. My eyes widened when I saw the sight around us. With the addition of the two moons in the sky, every rock and tree sparkled as if they were made of diamonds. In the distance, I was certain I heard something that resembled an owl back at home. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something sparkle next to us. I immediately bent over and picked up the peculiar rock, seeing it shimmer in every color of the rainbow. I then realized that it, in its own way, was producing its own light source. “Wow….this place is amazing, Doctor. Where are we, anyway?”, Strawberry asked, jotting down notes on everything she saw in her diary, even writing down the details of a peculiar reptilian creature she was staring at in a nearby tree. “I have no idea, Strawberry. This is not my universe, remember? And yet, that is the beauty of discovery: always finding something new and magical.”, he said with an eager expression. I smirked as I looked around with the rock and frowned as I saw a bunch of other lights flare up in the distance. What disturbed me even more that the lights were moving, one in particular even faster than the others. I re-adjusted my glasses and looked even closer, noticing that the light was another rock similar to my own, attached to a necklace on a young mare. “Hey guys, look. We’re not alone. This planet is habited.”, I said, pointing over at the mare. The Doctor looked over at the mass of beings in the distance and frowned. “Is it just me or does that look like a hunt?! Let’s move!”, the Doctor said, running in the other direction to get down to the crowd. We followed in pursuit, moving quickly to see a gray mare with red eyes run right towards us. “No, no more!”, she said, trying to run from us. “No, it’s alright! We’re friendly!”, I said. “They’re going to kill me! I’m innocent, I tell you! Innocent!”, the mare exclaimed. The Doctor’s eyes widened when the crowd got closer and closer to us. “Yeah, I think a quick retreat to the TARDIS would be the best cause of action! RUN!”, he stated. “I’m with you!”, I replied, following behind the Doctor, Derpy and Strawberry running behind the gray mare. The yells of the mob grew louder as we reached the TARDIS. “Hurry up, Doctor! They’re catching up!”, Derpy said, watching the mob get even closer to us. The Doctor continued to fiddle with the lock, dropping the key a few times. “Ugh, this lock can be a little sticky at some times.”, he said, snapping his fingers immediately to see the doors open wide. “Oh! I forgot that even worked. Everyone in!”, he stated. “But it’s just a small blue box! We’ll be all torn to bits!”, the gray mare stated. “I know it’s tough to explain, but just go inside!”, Strawberry said, pushing the mare inside. She raised an eyebrow, only for her jaw to drop when we stepped inside the TARDIS, the doors closing to another snap of the Doctor’s fingers. “Yes, it’s bigger on the inside! No, I don’t have time to explain!”, the Doctor stated, the TARDIS immediately roaring to life. “Wait…but….what? HOW?”, the gray mare stammered, trying to figure out how the inside was bigger than the outside. “Allons-y!”, the Doctor exclaimed, the TARDIS beginning to rock violently as it moved from its location. He flicked a few switches, the rocking coming to a stop. “Alright, we’re all clear now. We can go back outside.”, the Doctor said, walking past the mysterious pony, only to be stopped by her. “Wait, don’t go out there! They’ll be waiting!”, she said. The Doctor chuckled then moved the mare aside and said, “It’s a spaceship, miss. We’ve moved from our last location.” He opened the door and stepped out, telling us all to join him outside. I looked at everyone else as I stepped outside to see the TARDIS had landed within the boundaries of a village. I could spot a castle in the distance surrounded by guards. “Whoa, where are we now, Doctor?”, Derpy asked as she walked out with Strawberry, the doors closing with a click. Her answer came from the young mare as she said, “This is the village of Dragonbreath. Its home to Dragonbreath Castle where the ruler of the entire planet resides.” I had noticed she had hidden her face with the scarf that was around her neck and I asked, “So, why are those other ponies chasing after you anyway, miss…uhh, we don’t even know your name.” She looked at me and said, “It’s NightShade. And it’s because the Queen has sentenced me to death.” Strawberry’s eyes widened when she said that. “Death!? But why?”, she asked. NightShade’s eyes narrowed slightly and then said, “It’s not safe to talk here. Follow me.” We watched as she slipped down a nearby alleyway as we reluctantly followed her.  She walked up to a nearby dumpster a she revealed another one of those light rocks around her neck. I could see that the rock glowed a bright blue, as if it was itself on fire. The dumpster rumbled as it moved to the side, revealing a large hole behind it. “Alright, everyone in.”, she said. The Doctor nodded as he stepped into the hole, the rest of us following him inside with NightShade as the hole came to a close behind us. NightShade looked around for a few moments, then a child’s voice said, “Who is there?! Reveal yourself!” ‘A kid?’, I thought to myself, raising an eyebrow as NightShade replied, “Only the Wild Flame that burns ever so brightly, Your Majesty.” The silence was stifling, but then a loud laugh was heard from the child. Even more laughs were heard around us as a bunch of lights came on to reveal a bunch of children. “The Princess is home, guys! Safe and sound!”, the main child stated as the other four ran over to NightShade to give her a hug. “Princess?”, the Doctor asked curiously. “I didn’t mention that? I’m the princess of this planet, Princess NightShade.”, NightShade stated. “Princess?! You’re the ruler of this planet?!”, Strawberry said. One of the children shushed Strawberry and said, “Precisely! That mean old Queen DarkFlame has the entire royal guard searching for her. It’s just not fair!” “What? But why would your mother do that?”, I asked. NightShade raised an eyebrow and said, “STEPMOTHER. My mother has long since passed, as well as my father. And the reason why she has done so is because of our family heritage.” The Doctor scratched his chin and said, “Mind explaining?” NightShade walked over to a nearby box and sat down on it, sighing softly. “Well, it’s the fact that my entire family has a stronger touch to their dragon heritage.” My eyes widened when she said that. “Dragons? There are dragons here?”, I asked. NightShade chuckled and said, “There hasn’t been a pureblood dragon for almost 6000 years, mister. Each being on this planet, however, has a touch of dragon blood within them, the royal family having the strongest ties. You haven’t noticed, but out of each of us here, I’m the only one with dragon eyes and wings.” My eyes went wider when I finally noticed her wings flap slightly behind her back. “Fascinating. So each being here is a crossbreed of a dragon and a pony! Never have I thought such a thing would be possible!”, I said, looking NightShade over. NightShade chuckled and said, “By the way, I never got your names. It’d be strange if I continued to refer to my helpers by YOU, now wouldn’t it?” “Ah, where are my manners? It completely slipped my mind. My name is Prodigy Skyfire, but most call me the Professor. The little one is named Strawberry.”, I said, Strawberry waving to everyone with a large grin. “Nice to meet everypony.”, she said happily. The Doctor then said, “I’m the Doctor, and this is my traveling companion, Derpy.” Derpy smiled and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you all!” NightShade nodded then frowned as I asked, “So, the Queen is your stepmother and she hates you for your dragon heritage. It still doesn’t explain why she would want you dead.” NightShade looked up to the roof of the hideout and said, “It’s a blood feud between the race of dragon me and her share. Her kind has always hated our family line, and she would want it no other way than to see the last of my kind dead. As for me, my race has always been on the more docile side than most dragons, so we had no means to defend ourselves way back when. We may have had claws, fire, and sharp teeth, but we barely used them for fighting purposes.” “Huh, who’d believe it? Another dragon pacifist among dragons.”, I said softly. I then turned my attention to the Doctor and said, “Well, Doctor? Any ideas? We can’t just leave these poor people like this. We have to help them.” The Doctor nodded in agreement and replied, “Quite right, Professor. Although, I do have to ask: you’re the princess of this planet. So, why is it that you are being chased by the royal guard?” NightShade looked down at the ground and said, “I don’t know. It all changed when I was five. That was the night of The Great Fire.” The Doctor’s ears twitched when he heard that. “The Great Fire? What is that, pray tell?”, he asked. “Every mare, stallion, and filly knows the tale. Around 15 years ago, a giant black flame engulfed our sister city Zixtra, the original home of our great society, laying waste to all that was within it. A few of our people escaped, but I….I lost my mother in that flame. After that, a few years later my Father remarried to my stepmother. She always hated me, but once I turned 18, that’s when she had told everyone this: my father and I were the cause of The Great Flame.”, NightShade stated. “She said that?! How horrible!”, Derpy remarked. NightShade nodded and replied, “Everyone knew that my father and I were capable of breathing fire, so they arrested him on the spot. As for me, I ran. I ran as far and fast as I could so I could find the truth on what happened that night.” The Doctor grinned and said, “Well then, only one thing to do then: we got to go and get the truth directly from the source!” I chuckled and said, “That sounds interesting and all, but that is a fixed point in time, is it not, Doctor? That incident has to happen, no matter what.” The Doctor nodded and said, “Of course. We are just going to get some answers. Lady NightShade, care to accompany us on a little journey?” NightShade raised an eyebrow and said, “Where are we going?” Derpy patted NightShade on her shoulder and said, “We’re going to show you!” NightShade had a look of utter confusion on her face when Derpy said that, but she just agreed as the five of us returned to the TARDIS…. “This thing still disturbs me to no end.”, NightShade said, staring at the console of the TARDIS, “Don’t worry, it rubs off on you after a while. So, what is the name of this planet, NightShade?”, the Doctor asked. “It’s called Zixtra Madora.”, she replied. “Odd name for a planet, but it matters not. Planet Zixtra Madora, 15 years in the past. Let’s see what knowledge we can learn about it!”, the Doctor stated, the TARDIS engines roaring to life as he flipped a lever, sending us off to our newest destination. “What is he talking about? We already know what happened back then!”, NightShade exclaimed, looking over at me as she clinged to a rail. “It’s a time machine! We can easily go back in time to see what happened way back then!”, I replied. NightShade’s eyes widened when I said that. “You four are incredibly impossible!”, she stated. “Welcome aboard the TARDIS, Lady NightShade! Allons-y!!!”, the Doctor stated. Meanwhile, at the exact same time eighteen years ago…. A loud boom rang throughout the night, stirring a younger DarkFlame from her slumber. “Ughh, now what’s going on? Can’t a woman get some sleep in peace here?”, she stated, walking out of her hut to see a giant crater sitting right in front of her home. “What in the name of Zixtra is that!?”, she exclaimed, looking into the crater. Her ears twitched when she heard a sound she least expected to hear: someone coughing within the crater. She hopped into the crater, sliding down the wall as she slowly approached the being within it. “Oi, are you alright?”, she asked. “Ughhh, that wasn’t a pretty fall….where am I?”, the being asked, his sight adjusting as he saw DarkFlame. “Ugh, I must’ve hit my head harder than I thought. I’m seeing things.”, he stated, trying to stand to his feet, only to groan in pain. “Are you sure you’re alright, sir? You’re certainly the weirdest creature I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something!”, DarkFlame asked. The being chukled as he looked at her, his face morphing from what it was to a skull, his hands glowing a bright gold. “Well, you certainly ask a lot of questions, don’t you? I can easily fix this problem by regenerating.”, he stated. DarkFlame’s eyes widened as she saw the being glow even brighter. She had no idea what was going on, but she immediately hid behind a large rock. The being yelled loudly as he exploded in a radiant gold light, his body frame shrinking down from his bipedal shape to the shape of a pony. DarkFlame peeked from behind the rock, only to see the strange pony staring back down at her with cold eyes. “This isn’t possible! I know I regenerated, but I still feel like I am dying!”, the pony stated, his face morphing into a skull yet again. He looked at his entire body and said, “And why am I a horse!? I feel disgusted!” He raised an eyebrow and looked down, then grinned cheekily and said, “Although, there is a few perks to it, I suppose.” “Y-You….changed! How did….what the heck are you?! For that matter, who are you?!”, DarkFlame asked. “What I am is not important. As for who I am….that’ll change your life forever”, he said. DarkFlame flushed slightly when the stallion placed his hands on her, then walked over to the rock which opened up to show a room inside. DarkFlame’s eyes widened and then she said, “Who are you?” The pony grinned as his face morphed into a skeleton again. “My name….is the Master.” A few years later… The TARDIS engines whined as the vessel came to a sudden stop, it whined silently as the Doctor said, “Well, we’re here. Planet Zixtra Madora, fifteen years in your past, four hours before the Great Flame too. The truth to why everything that happened to this planet lies beyond those doors.” NightShade looked at the Doctor and said, “You’re serious?” The Doctor smiled and flourished his hand to the doors, watching as NightShade walked to them. She pulled her scarf over her face and stepped outside, her eyes widening as she stood in her old hometown. “Zixtra….but this is impossible.”, she said as we joined her outside. “Not impossible, just quite unlikely.”, I stated, looking around the entire location. “So, Doctor, where do we even begin?”, Derpy said. The Doctor was about to speak, but a loud alarm went off as a bunch of ponies ran to their homes. “It’s the Veracuri! Run for your lives!”, a pony exclaimed as he ran past us. My eyes widened as I saw a crowd of ponies heading towards us, carrying weapons and war armor. “Uh, Doctor, I say we run!”, I exclaimed, picking Strawberry up and running in the opposite direction. “I’m with you, let’s go!”, The Doctor exclaimed, Derpy and NightShade following behind us quickly. We ran and ran until we came across a blockade of ponies with javelins pointed directly at us. “Hold your ground, men! Do not let the enemy pass through!”, a powerful booming voice rang out. “We’re not the enemy! We’re not the enemy!”, the Doctor exclaimed. “How can I trust you?!”, the voice exclaimed. “If we were the enemy, why would we run directly into the hands of our opposition?!”, I stated. “Hmm….good point. Let them pass!”, the voice stated, the soldiers parting a path towards the castle behind them. “Well, let’s go!”, Derpy said, running through the path with the Doctor. NightShade ran past and looked in one direction, seeing a familiar face. ‘Papa?’, she thought to herself, running past him quickly. With a few passing seconds, the gate to the castle closing shut. I breathed heavily as I placed Strawberry on the ground and said, “That was too close for comfort. Anypony hurt?” The Doctor shook his head and said, “No, I’m fine. Ms. Hooves?” Derpy breathed heavily and said, “Just tired. NightShade, are you ok?” NightShade was silent for a few minutes, only for her attention to return when the Doctor asked, “NightShade, are you still with us?” NightShade flinched slightly and said, “Yes, I’m alright. It’s just…the voice we heard. I know who it belongs to. It was my father, King Diamond.” My eyes widened when she said that. “Your father? That voice belonged to him?”, I asked. My eyes widened even more when I saw tears form into the mare’s eyes. “He’s been locked in jail for fifteen years, falsely accused for something we didn’t do. Doctor, we got to fix this.”, she said, looking at the Time Lord. “I’m sorry, but this is a fixed point in time. Everything that happens today has to happen, or the entire timeline could collapse on itself. It’s tough, but you have to fight this.”, the Doctor stated. I handed NightShade a handkerchief and said, “We’ll get your father out, but for now, let’s figure out why this happened in the first place.” NightShade nodded as she dried her tears, only to look in one direction to see a face that made her cry once more: her mother. I looked in the direction she was looking then saw a small filly run out to the mare, hugging her tightly as she cried from the loud noises outside the gate. “Is that….your mother, NightShade?”, Strawberry asked, looking up at NightShade, noticing the similarities they both had. “Her name is Queen Radiance. She truly was one of the most beautiful mares on the entire planet. She was only 34, so young…”, NightShade said. “Mama, is Daddy going to be ok?”, the younger NightShade asked, still sniffling as Radiance dried her tears with a handkerchief. “Of course he’ll be alright. He is your father after all, with a will as bright as a flame and strong as a diamond.”, she said. NightShade smiled softly as she said, “It’s why he is named Diamond, after all. Right, Mama?”, she asked. Radiance nodded, then she looked over at us and said, “You five, come here. It’s dangerous to be near the gate right now.” The Doctor smiled as he led us over to the Queen, NightShade looking away from her the entire time. “It is quite the dangerous time indeed, is it not, Your Majesty? Perhaps you should retire to the castle with your daughter in case something goes wrong?”, the Doctor suggested. Radiance chuckled softly and said, “You must be new here if you think things will go wrong. My husband is the strongest stallion on all of Zixtra Madora. Actually…I do believe this is the first time I have seen any of you five. I make it a key fact in my life to know the names and faces of all my citizens. My name is Queen Radiance, and you are?” “Ah, quite right! My name is Time Keeper, and these are my companions Skyfire, Muffins, Dark Flare, and Lily. I have our credentials here, if you wish to see them.”, the Doctor said, showing the Psychic Paper to the Queen. She smiled and said, “Funny piece of paper there. It’s blank.” The Doctor’s eyes widened as he said, “Well well, beautiful and clever too. She can see right through the Psychic Paper. Alright then, let’s try this again. My name is the Doctor, these are my traveling companions Dark Flare, Prodigy Skyfire, Strawberry Skyfire, and Derpy Hooves.” I chuckled and said, “We are just passing by from Equestria. The Doctor promised us a trip among the stars, and your lovely planet was our first stop, Your Majesty.” Queen Radiance’s eyes widened and said, “Well, I am sorry to disappoint you. This was certainly not the time for Zixtra Madora to have any visitors from other planets. Our people, the Racuri, are at war with the Veracuri at the moment. I am so sorry.” “And who exactly are the Veracuri, if I may ask?”, The Doctor asked. “The Veracuri is our sister race, and I say that lightly. Unlike us, they live for one thing: to fight. We Racuri despise fighting, and are quite kind at peaceful at nature, yet the Veracuri are always raiding our village just for the adrenaline rush of a kill.”, a voice said from behind us. The Doctor looked around and saw a light yellow pony walk up to him in a suit. The Doctor raised his eyebrow when he looked at the pony from top to bottom. I don’t know why, but the look on his face showed a look of concern for this stallion. “Ah, Lightning Spark. My most trusted bodyguard, how are things looking outside?”, Radiance asked. “The enemy force has settled down and has been pushed back out of the village, your majesty. Only a few minor injuries, but no deaths.”, Lightning stated. “Excellent! Another day, another victory. Oh, pardon my manors. These are our guests: The Doctor, Prodigy Skyfire, Strawberry Skyfire, Derpy Hooves, and Dark Flare.”, Radiance replied. The stallion looked directly at the Doctor and smiled softly. “The Doctor, huh? Doctor Who?”, he said, holding his hand out politely. The Doctor frowned as he took the stallion’s hand and shook it softly and said, “It’s just The Doctor. You certainly don’t seem to be from these parts, Lightning Spark.” Lightning shook his head and said, “No, I’m not. I’m a long way from home. The royal family took me in as one of their guards when they learned that I had no recollection of my home world. I do so hope to return there someday.” The Doctor’s eyes narrowed when Lightning said that. “Yes, I bet you do.”, the Doctor said softly, the gates groaning open as the King and his army followed him inside. The young filly ran past her older self as she ran over to her father, hugging him immediately. Diamond chuckled and lifted NightShade up onto his shoulder as he walked over to Radiance and kissed her gently. “Everything is taken care of, love.”, he said, looking at us right after. “Welcome to Dragonheart Castle. I am sorry if I gave a negative vibe to you earlier. Please, allow us to treat you to a good meal while you are here.”, Diamond stated. “Sir, if I may, I must insist. Perhaps these ponies should retire for home. I am certain they have someplace else to be at the moment.”, Lightning Spark stated. “Why, nonsense! We’d love to join you.”, the Doctor stated. “Excellent! We shall have a glorious feast of our latest victory!”, the King stated, his army roaring in agreement as we were led inside with the king and queen. I looked back as I saw Lightning Spark staring back at us with a cold smile, more so at the Doctor than anyone else. Three hours passed by as the feast began. We were served many varieties of food. Some of it vaguely reminded me of the Hayburgers Twilight had treated me to once before back on Ponyville. After the feast, the king and queen insisted we stayed for the night, so each of us retired to our rooms. However, the Doctor’s mind was uneasy… The Doctor stood on the balcony of his room and inhaled the night air deeply as he thought silently to himself. He then said out loud, “I know you are here, so you might as well stop trying to hide.” The room was silent for a few minutes, then a voice replied from within the dark saying, “Even though we change our faces and bodies, we can never forget the smell of a Time Lord, right Doctor?” The Doctor watched as the moon shined brightly into his room, the face of the stallion from earlier sitting in his room staring back at him. “Master, what are you doing here?”, the Doctor asked. “I’d like to ask the same thing to you, Doctor. You are in an alternate universe of our own, and I’m here as well when I should’ve returned to the time-locked Gallifrey. How is it that I am here?”, the Master asked, his face morphing again from a pony to a skull. He groaned in pain as he shook his head, his face returning to normal. “You’re still dying too. How could you even survive for this long?”, the Doctor asked. “Too? You are in a stage of regeneration as well?!”, the Master retorted. “Yes. Radiation poisoning from that machine of Joshua Naismith’s. You remember the one. It was to save my friend’s life.”, the Time Lord replied, only to get a throaty laugh from the Master. “Forever the soft hearted, Doctor. How are we still here then?”, the Master said, slowly removing the gloves that were on his hands, his fingertips showing small signs of lightning bolts jolting from them. “Now, let’s talk this out, Master. I have no idea why we are here, how we are here, or why we haven’t regenerated, but there is no way back. Believe me, I have tried.”, the Doctor said, only to get a lightning bolt to the chest. “Don’t you dare lie to me, Doctor. There is always a way. And you better tell me now.”, the Master said, crouching down to look the Doctor in the face. The Doctor coughed loudly as he looked up at the Master and said, “We don’t have to do this, Master. Please. We can find a way back together, you and I.” The Master grinned as loud yells were heard from the village below. The Doctor turned as he saw a large black flame growing from the town and heading straight for the castle. “What have you done?!”, the Doctor said, looking down below. The Master laughed as he completely disrobed of what he wore, showing an outfit that looked similar to what he was wearing the last time he and the Doctor last confronted each other. “What have I done? I just gave the Racuri a chance to change their lives forever. Also, it’s a shame too. The guards here really are the best on the planet. Shame they fell asleep on the job. It’s amazing with what limited materials here, I could make a device that could unlock the untapped dragon embers that resided in the Racuri, don’t you agree?”, the Master stated, levitating himself with two lightning bolts and out of the window quickly. The Doctor growled slightly as his room door was opened, NightShade running in with myself and the others. “Doctor, the entire town is on fire! How could this happen?!”, NightShade asked, removing her scarf from her face. “It was the Master. He was the cause of this!”, the Doctor said, running out the door. I looked at everyone as I ran after the Doctor with the others following behind. “Who is the Master, Doctor?”, I asked. “We knew him as Lightning Spark, but his real name is the Master. He’s a Time Lord like me, but he is completely diabolical. My guess, his existence here is completely connected to why I am here in this universe in the first place. According to him, he made some device that could make it where any Racuri could breathe fire at will. NightShade, he’s part of your history. Do you remember anything that could help us?”, the Doctor stated. NightShade shook her head, then said, “No, I don’t.” The Doctor sighed and said, “Alright then, it was worth a shot.” NightShade sighed and said, “However, there is the legend of the Firestones that the members of the Royal Family has.” “Firestones?”, the Doctor asked. NightShade showed the stone that dangled around her neck and said, “It’s just a theory, but it has always been said that each member of the royal family had one of these, and each one glowed in the same shade of flame that we may carry within us. As you can see, this one glows in the shade of red, which says I can breathe a red flame. Also, it is said that if we keep this in close contact to us, our flames are even stronger than normal. However, the only way a person could have a stone shaped like this is if they were part of the royal family themselves.” The Doctor’s eyes widened when NightShade said that. “That’s it! The Master must’ve gotten his hands on one and manufactured it in order to make the legend real! And maybe….just maybe.”, he said. I caught on to what he was thinking. “Maybe DarkFlame has one that is pure black! Oh, that is quite brilliant, Doctor!”, I stated. “But how can we use that to help King Diamond in the future?”, Strawberry asked. The Doctor was just about to say how, but a loud yell was heard further down the hall. “That’s our cue!”, the Doctor said, running down the hallway. Faster and faster we ran down the hallway until we finally got to the room where the yell was coming from. The Doctor opened the door wide as we saw a horrifying sight, a young filly NightShade unconscious on the floor, while her mother was injured fatally while another mare was fighting King Diamond hand to hand. What gave her identity away was the black Firestone that dangled around her neck… “How dare you! How dare you bring harm to my family!”, Diamond said, tears rolling down his face from seeing the sight of his wife. “Oh, finally, I get to see the top man shed tears. Who knew that I would just have to bring harm to his family in order to see them?!”, a distorted voice came from behind the robed mare. ‘She’s using a voice changer!?’, I thought to myself, hearing a slight cough come from the weakened Radiance. Using what strength she had, she crawled over to the sleeping NightShade and rubbed her cheek gently. “Only five years old…I won’t be able to see you grow up, Shadey.”, Radiance said softly. NightShade ran over to Radiance and put her hand onto her wound and said, “Don’t speak like that, Your Highness. You’re going to get through this, ok?” Radiance smiled softly and said, “Shadey, what have I told you of lying? It is unbecoming of a young lady.” My eyes widened when she said that. “You knew?”, NightShade asked, her eyes welling up with tears. “We both knew. We dragons can sense our own. I don’t know how you are here now, but its proof you are going to make it through this! Now go! Return to where you came!”, Diamond replied, running over to a nearby wall and picking up a sword, attacking DarkFlame once more. NightShade shook her head furiously, her mother’s life leaving her body quickly. The Doctor’s ears twitched as he heard the familiar sound of a TARDIS engine roar to life. He looked out the window and saw a giant rock fly off into the sky, and then it hit him: it was the Master. “NightShade, we need to go.”, he said, walking over to her. “I won’t.”, she said softly. “Nightshade…”, the Doctor said, only for her to say, “No, Doctor! I won’t leave her!” I walked over to NightShade, then looked at King Diamond as he nodded at me. I placed Queen Radiance’s body on the ground gently and lifted NightShade over my shoulder, the dragon Pegasus flailing madly within my grasp. “Let’s go! No time to waste!”, the Doctor said, running out of the room quickly, the rest of us following behind. A few minutes later, we arrived at the TARDIS, NightShade still screaming for us to return. As the Doctor locked the doors behind, he quickly flipped the switches to his TARDIS, and with a groan of its engines, we were off once more….. “Come on, hurry! Don’t lose him!”, the Doctor said, chasing after the Master’s TARDIS. A beeping noise went off on the console, and he immediately picked up the phone and said, “Master, stop this! Stop it now! It isn’t worth it!” The Master laughed as he replied, “Oh, but it is worth it, Doctor! The past was fun, so let’s see how you react to the future! Bye-bye!” With a click, the Master disconnected with the Doctor, and with a bright light, his TARDIS disappeared. “Damn it, he got away!”, the Doctor exclaimed, kicking the console and returning to his chair.“Relax, Doctor. We’ll find him. Look, it’s not like he got away. As you once said, you are the last Time Lord. Finding the Master will be easy. But, let’s worry about the problem at hand.”, I said, looking over at NightShade. “Oh. Sorry, NightShade. Are you alright?”, the Doctor asked. NightShade sniffled as she rubbed her nose gently. “I’m fine. It was just a bit much for me.”, she said. I walked over to NightShade and asked, “NightShade, I wanted to ask you something about that blade you carry. What’s the story behind that?” NightShade removed the sheathed blade from her back and said, “It’s called the SoulFire. It’s my birthright to the royal throne. My father gave it to me on the night of the Great Flame before we were separated.” I looked at her and said, “May I?” NightShade nodded as she handed me the sword. I looked at the blade in sheer awe as I removed it from its sheathe, only to hear NightShade say, “Is something wrong, Professor?” My eyes widened as I said, “We couldn’t be that lucky, could we? NightShade, tell me: have you ever used this blade in combat? At all?” “No, never. It was never to be opened. My father told me that only when the time is right, I could unsheathe it.”, NightShade replied. “Doctor, do you have any blood testing equipment?!”, I asked. “Yes, I do. What are you getting at, Prodigy?”, the Doctor asked, handing me his blood testing kit. “Doctor, he used this blade! King Diamond was fighting DarkFlame with this blade before we left back there!”, I said, using the kit on the blade. “You’re joking!”, the Doctor exclaimed, getting the same excited look on his face. “No! And if I am lucky, and make that VERY lucky, then King Diamond just may have left us the proof we need to set him free!”, I stated, using a cotton swab on the blade, a small tint of red appearing from it. I grinned and showed the cotton swab to everyone and said, “Checkmate. Blood, we have a sword and sheathe completely caked with the blood from Queen Darkflame.” I then looked at NightShade and said, “We have her now, NightShade. You’ll be reunited with your father soon!” And then we saw it: NightShade smiling. And for once, I could feel that the smile was genuine. After that, we returned to the present time and presented our proof to the authorities, who then arrested Queen DarkFlame on the spot. And we finally saw the most beautiful thing: father and daughter, reunited at last…. A few hours had passed by, and the Doctor sighed deeply as he stroked the side of the TARDIS and said, “Well, another day done, another good deed done. And no deaths either.”, he said, looking up at Derpy as she landed on the roof of the TARDIS. “NightShade looked so happy when she saw her father. I’m glad she got to be reunited with him. Oh, here comes Strawberry and Prodigy! Hey, guys!”, Derpy said, waving a hand at us. “So Strawberry, I promised you a new planet. What did you think?”, the Doctor asked the young filly. She grinned as she punched the Doctor playfully in the arm. “You did good, Doctor. You did good.”, Strawberry stated, retiring to the insides of the TARDIS. “So, what did you two do while I was getting her ready?”, the Doctor asked. “I was just giving NightShade a gift from Equestria: a bar of Sugarcube Corner’s chocolate. She really liked it.”, I replied. The Doctor smiled, but then saw the King running towards us with a frantic look on his face. “Professor! You have trouble!”, Diamond stated, wheezing heavily as he came up beside us. “Goddess Oraci, I am not as young as I used to be. Professor, you didn’t give my daughter a bar of chocolate, did you?”, he asked. “Uh, yes. Yes I did, why?”, I asked. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead and said, “Well, it was an old custom back when Queen Radiance was still alive….you see, giving a mare a bar of chocolate is, well, a….marriage vow.” My eyes widened and jaw dropped when he said that. “What?!?!?!!?!”, I yelled loudly, only to hear NightShade say, “Where is he? Where is my fiance?” I saw her eyes connect to me, then noticed she was already in a wedding dress. I then looked at the Doctor and said, “You, blue box, now! Good-bye, Your Majesty! It was fun!” He laughed loudly as I dragged the Doctor inside, the TARDIS vanishing quickly as NightShade stood beside her father and said, “I do hope I get to see them again someday.” As we left the planet, a piece of ease washed over us all, knowing we were finally able to reunite NightShade with her family. But, as the Doctor reminded us, we must ever stay vigilant. We never know when the Master could return, or where he could be now… A loud whirring noise was heard as the Master’s TARDIS rematerialized once more. He sat silently in his TARDIS and said, “Just you wait, Doctor. You haven’t seen the last of me….or I should say, you have seen the last of this form. The Master….reborn once more.” He laughed as he exploded in a blast of golden light, regenerating once again. As he laughed, even within the Time Vortex, the Doctor knew that him and his companions would meet again very soon, and his unescapable fate would show its face once again…. To be continued….