Chapter 3: How to Train Your Robot Dragon
Above Manehattan, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
Snow and wind flew into Donna's face as her robot dragon kidnapper flew through the skies above Manehattan. The sanctuary of the rebel base disappeared behind her until it was merely another gray outline in the winter morning. The dragon roared again and Donna tightened her grip to the saddle. She looked ahead and gulped as the dragon continued to fly off toward parts unknown.
Rebel Headquarters, Manehattan, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
A stunned Twi stood in disbelief as Donna and the metal dragon disappeared into the curtain of falling snow. Her shock was brought to an end by the sound of approaching footsteps. She looked to see the two Princess Lunas, Princess Celestia, and a few others rushing into the hangar.
"Your majesties!" Twi gasped as she ran towards them.
"What the hell just happened?!" snapped human Princess Luna. "Why did you activate Project Firefly?!"
Twi tried to calm herself down enough to form a coherent description but her words kept bouncing around. "Donna! Flash! Elements! Dragon! Wolf!" she stammered.
Human Luna looked like she was about to shout another order when a familiar sound echoed throughout the hangar.
VVRROOMMPP! VVRROOMMPP! VVRROOMMPP!
The TARDIS slowly materialized a couple feet away. Once the TARDIS had fully appeared, the Doctor practically ripped the doors off their hinges upon his exit. He was dressed in a clearly freshly cleaned blue pinstriped suit and a red tie. It was certainly an improvement from the dirty and worn suit he had been wearing for the last day. "Ah! Looks like I wasn't the only pony to notice the dragon flying away from the base!" the Doctor exclaimed with a grin. "Does anypony happen to know anything about that?"
Twi was still shaking as she started frantically looking around the hangar. "Flash! He's gone!" she gasped.
"What's Flash got to do with this?" asked human Luna.
"Everything! Well...almost everything." Twi shook her head. "But that's not important right now! Donna was on that dragon!"
"What?!" gasped the Doctor.
Twi suddenly let out a terrified scream, causing everyone to jump. "OH NO!"
"WHAT?!" asked everybody in unison.
"The Elements!" Twi exclaimed with terror. "Donna has the Elements of Harmony with her!"
A deathly silence fell. Whether it was out of shock, fear, or downright confusion, not one person or pony in the hangar dared speak a word. No one...until the Doctor spoke up.
"Princess Luna," the Doctor stated with a tone that was as intimidating as it was completely calm. "Is there a way to track the dragon?"
Human Luna nodded. "There is," she replied. "We are the ones who created it after all."
"Good. Let's start tracking it now." The Doctor's attention turned to Twi and Twi stared right back at him. "Now, as clearly as you can manage, tell us what happened. And be quick about it. There's no time to waste here."
Discord Laboratory, Beneath Rainbow Falls, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
Discord Whooves let out a relaxed sigh as he drank his morning coffee. It had been a busy night but now he was relaxed...or rather as relaxed as somepony like him could get. Thalia was sitting quietly on the opposite end of the table from him. "You seem conflicted, child," Discord Whooves sighed. "What's troubling you?"
"The others...I don't belong with them," Thalia replied.
"Don't be ridiculous. You all belong to a very select group of beings: clones. That connects you." Discord Whooves's words didn't appear to comfort her. "Fear not, Thalia. Once this is all over, you will no doubt be comfortable around them. You're all going to be important in the new world that's going to be dawning today."
At that moment, Pinkie Pie entered the room. She was followed by Black Sun. "Mr. Whooves! Mr. Whooves! Our friend has a message for you!" she cheered as she danced around like a demented ballerina.
Black Sun gave a polite bow in Discord Whooves's direction. "Master, I once again sense the presence of the Elements," she informed.
A dark smile curved on Discord Whooves's face. "You do? That must mean they're no longer under the protection of the Doctor's TARDIS. I am curious about as to why that is but it matters not." Discord Whooves placed his coffee down and stood up. "Where are the Elements right now?"
"Their signal is still foggy...but I can see that they are approaching Ponyville at surprising speed."
An amused laugh escaped from the dark stallion's lips. "Ponyville. Where it all began. The perfect place to bring this all to an end." He began to walk around the table. "Let's begin bringing the soldiers in. The mutants. The Cybermen. All of them. Round them up and send them straight to Ponyville. Let's end this with a bang, shall we?"
Thalia slowly stood up and followed Discord Whooves, Pinkie Pie, and Black Sun out of the room.
Outskirts of Manehattan, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
Flash was running as fast as his legs could carry him. To his surprise, he found himself running at speeds he could never previously fathom himself achieving. Everything was becoming a blur. His thoughts. His actions. What he wanted. What he had done. What resided in his past and what awaited him in the future. But one thing was certain: a nightmare. A terrible nightmare that foretold his greatest fear. A nightmare which he wanted to bury far within him. A nightmare that threatened to tear him and Twilight apart for all eternity.
"Ponyville," he stated spontaneously as he continued to run. He couldn't explain it but he suddenly knew that he had to go to Ponyville. "I need to be in Ponyville." Flash's legs agreed as they picked up the pace. The outline of Manehattan disappeared behind him as he, at the speed of a jet, ran off into the snowy Equestria before him.
Rebel Headquarters, Manehattan, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
Twi bit her nails as she watched the human Princess Luna work the controls that would allow them to make contact with Donna. It had been a long time since she had last thought about Project Firefly. It was a last resort. A dangerous experiment she and the Princesses had begun work on shorty after Discord Whooves’s initial invasion. There had been many moments where she had been tempted to activate it. But the possibility of a robotic dragon, which contained a power created from the combined magical essences of both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, going out of control was too much for her to risk it. Now, unfortunately, the choice to activate Firefly was no longer her own. The unpredictable creation was free, and it was carrying the most dangerous cargo in the whole of Gaia at the moment.
“Any luck yet?” asked the Doctor as he adjusted his tie.
“No,” Human Princess Luna replied with a groan. “It’s been ages since I’ve last tried working with these controls. Who knows if they even work?”
“They should,” Twi stated with a shaky voice. “Project Firefly definitely still needs some work done but the connection between the main robot and the controls was made by Celestia just before-“ Twi stopped herself.
Human Luna continued to keep her focus on the controls.
Suddenly, just as a few final knobs were turned, the loud sound of wind began emanating from the nearby speakers. But it wasn’t just wind. Flapping wings could be heard as well as frightened gasps and breathing.
“Donna?! Donna, can you hear us?!” Human Luna called into the microphone.
“What?! Hello?! Who’s there?!” echoed the terrified voice of Donna Noble.
“Donna! It’s the Doctor!” the Doctor exclaimed. “Everyone else is here too!”
“Doctor?!”
“Are you alright?”
“I’ve been kidnapped by a bloody robot dragon! How do you think I am?!” snapped Donna.
The Doctor cocked his head and gave a nervous chuckle. “Ask an obvious question, you get an obvious answer,” he sighed.
“Do you still have the Elements with you?!” asked Twi.
“Haven’t let go of them since this thing took off with me!” Donna replied.
Twi gave a sigh of relief as the Doctor leaned in closer to the microphone. “Don’t worry, Donna!” he said. “We’re going to bring you back down to earth!”
“You better hurry! I’m not sure how much more of this I can take!”
“You don’t have to worry about falling off, Donna,” Human Luna informed. “From what I’ve heard, the harness has already strapped you in. You’ll be fine until you’re able to get yourself down.”
A few seconds of silence passed. “What do you mean, until I’m able to get myself down?” asked Donna sternly.
Human Luna sighed. “Listen, Donna. We can’t control Firefly remotely and the Doctor can’t simply teleport over to you in the TARDIS.”
“And why not?” asked the Doctor with a raised eyebrow.
Human Luna continued. “When we began building Firefly, we were able to get our hands on some of Discord Whooves’s technology. Not a lot but we had enough in order to make at least one vehicle TARDIS-proof. We decided to do this with Firefly. Firefly was going to be our ultimate weapon and we wanted it to be able to stand up to anything Discord Whooves could throw at us.”
“Damn.” The Doctor took a hold of his chin as he thought further. “And I guess someone can’t simply teleport or fly over to Firefly either.”
Human Luna nodded. “Correct. That dragon is loaded with magical defenses and protocols. It’ll attack anything it considers a threat, and one of the big threats for it to look out for is if an external force attempts to remove the driver.”
“So how the hell am I supposed to stop it?!” Donna asked. “There aren’t even any bloody controls!” A loud gust of wind could be heard over the speaker and it was followed by Donna’s quick breathing.
“The controls are connected telepathically to the magical aura of the driver,” Human Luna explained. “You need to clear your mind and Firefly should follow your commands.”
“Newsflash: I’m not magical! I don’t have any magic in me! I’m just a human!” Donna shouted.
“Donna Noble, you listen to me right now!” ordered the Doctor. “You are not just a human! You’re the woman who took out an entire Dalek army with a lever! You were part Time Lord! And, finally, I know that Donna Noble isn’t someone who’s going to be so easily dragged around by a giant metal lizard!”
“The Doctor’s right, Donna!” Twi added. “Besides, Firefly wouldn’t have activated if someone without power would have sat on it. But, and I know this is going to sound cheesy, you need to believe in yourself in order for this to work! The more confidence you have, the easier it’ll be to control Firefly.”
Silence fell once again. “Donna?” Human Luna asked into the microphone. “Can you do this?”
Above Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
Donna watched as the white clouds flew past her. Her grasp on the saddle and the Elements box tightened. She bit her lip whilst pondering her response. Could she do it? Could she control this robotic dragon? She thought back to the Medusa Cascade and the moment when she became the DoctorDonna. Donna took a deep breath and nodded. “I can do this,” she stated.
“We believe in you, Donna!” echoed the voice of Derpy Hooves.
Donna couldn’t help but smile. Okay, she thought. I need to clear my mind and focus. Simple enough. Donna slowed her breathing and tightened her grasp on the saddle. Focus. Firefly, I am in charge. She forced herself to stay as still as possible. This was easier than expected considering where she was. Listen to me now. I’m the driver. We need to turn around and go back.
No. We need to go to Ponyville.
Donna jumped. “What the hell?!” she gasped.
“Donna?!” echoed the voice of the Doctor. “What’s wrong?!”
Don’t worry. You’re not going insane.
Donna looked around frantically. “Where are you?!” she asked.
“What’s happening?!” echoed the voice of Princess Luna. “Donna-” The connection was lost.
I recognize you as the driver, Donna Noble. But we need to head forward.
Donna’s eyes opened. She looked ahead to see the head of Firefly staring back at her. “You’ve got to be joking!” Donna gasped.
Nope. It’s me, Firefly.
“Are…are you supposed to be able to talk to me?”
No. But you don’t combine Equestrian magic and Time Lord technology without getting some unexpected side effects.
Donna shook her head as she came to terms with what was happening. “Well, whatever’s up with you, we need to go back! We can’t be out and about with the Elements of Harmony!”
That’s exactly why we need to be out and about. There needed to be something to bring the two sides together for one last confrontation. Thanks to you, I was able to wake up and make sure that this came to pass.
“What are you talking about?!”
I think everyone can agree that this needs to end, Donna Noble. The two of us are going to make sure this happens.
Donna raised an eyebrow. “A final battle.”
Now you’re getting it. It’s good that I didn’t need to spend too much time explaining this to the DoctorDonna of all people.
“I’m not the DoctorDonna anymore and…wait a minute. How do you know about the DoctorDonna?”
I have history with the DoctorDonna outside of you riding me.
“How?! You’re a robotic dragon created by humans in an alternate Equestria!”
This body was. My mind, however, comes from somewhere else.
Firefly sped up and Donna held on tightly. “Hold on! Where are we going?!”
Ponyville. Where it all began. I know a lot is happening right now, Donna. But, don’t worry. I’m a friend. I’m going to help you and your Doctor stop Discord Whooves. We’re going to bring this to an end together.
Donna’s eyes widened. “Who are you?”
I go by Firefly now, but I once had a very different body. I traveled all across time and space with a Time Lord called the Doctor. A Doctor who eventually became Discord Whooves. I am his oldest friend and his greatest enemy. I am Firefly now, but once upon a time I was what everyone called the TARDIS.
Rebel Headquarters, Manehattan, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
“Damn!” snapped human Luna as she worked with the controls. “I can’t get the signal back!”
“I hope Donna’s okay,” said Derpy.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” said Jenny with a comforting smile.
“Where is that dragon taking her?!” the Doctor asked. “Is there a way to track it?”
“We don’t need to track it,” Twi said suddenly. “I know where it’s going.”
All eyes turned to Twi, whose face was now eerily emotionless and glassy.
“You do?!” asked human Luna.
“Ponyville. Where it all began,” Twi replied with an almost robotic tone.
“How do you know this?” asked alicorn Luna.
The Doctor slowly approached Twi. “She’s been right about these things in the past,” he said. “How she knows this can be answered later. Right now, I trust her and I believe we should get to Ponyville as quickly as possible.”
Twi and the Princesses shared a calm, understanding stare. “Alright then,” sighed human Luna. “Everyone, let’s move out!”
The Doctor began to walk back towards the TARDIS. Twilight, Derpy, Spike, Jenny, Matilda, Opal, Clockwork, Colgate, Bright Eyes, and rest of their friends followed close behind. “Not all of you need to come, you know,” the Doctor said. “We’ve all been through a lot.”
“Doctor, stop trying to do things on your own,” Matilda scoffed.
“We’re with you all the way, Doc!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“Don’t think you’re getting rid of me that easily again, Dad,” Jenny laughed.
“I’ve been with you since you first entered Equestria, Doctor,” said Twilight. “I’m not leaving you now.”
The Doctor smiled proudly as he led his team towards the TARDIS. “Alright then!” he said. “Allons-y!”
Outside the Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
Trixie looked out upon the deserted wintry town as Oswin finished locking up the library. “Is everypony ready?” she asked.
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Francis replied as he kicked some snow around him.
“Is it just me or does something feel…off?” Julianna asked.
The others fell silent. It was true. Everypony felt a sense of dread all around them.
“Everything’s going to be fine,” said Monty as he pulled his children close to him. “We’re going to find Mom and everything’s going to be fine.”
“Is she doing any better?” Oswin asked Zecora as she pointed towards the unconscious mare draped over her back.
“Yes or no I do not say,” Zecora replied. “About the same she has chosen to stay.”
Just then, Julianna pointed towards the sky. “What’s that?!” she asked.
Trixie looked to see what appeared to be the outline of a dragon descending from the clouds. “Is that…a dragon?!” she asked.
“What would a dragon be doing here?!” asked Monty.
“Forget the dragon. We’ve got bigger problems,” Oswin said before pointing in the opposite direction of the dragon.
Everypony looked to see a dark cloud of Cybermen descending towards Ponyville from the skies above.
“Sweet Celestia,” gasped Trixie.
Monty pulled his children in closer. “Where’s the Doctor when you need him?!”