• Published 25th May 2014
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Doctor Whooves Episode 21: The Cybermen Invasion of Equestria - Doctor Perseus



Discord Whooves and his Cybermen armies have passed through the rift vortex and now nothing in Equestria or beyond is safe.

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The Invasion Begins

Chapter 1: The Invasion Begins

Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.

"Ponyville problem, Equestria problem, or Doctor problem?" Rarity asked.

"Definitely Doctor problem," Applejack replied.

"Oh dear."

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie joined Applejack by the window and looked up at the sky. It truly was an odd, terrifying sight to behold. The sky appeared to have been ripped open by a swirling vortex of clouds. The trails of silver gas spiraled down towards them from the dark void within the hole. It all felt like something pulled straight out of the strangest of novels kept within the dark recesses of Golden Oak Library.

"I think it's time we called the Doctor," Fluttershy suggested.

"I'm with ya on that one, Fluttershy," said Applejack as she took out the walkie-talkie and brought it close to her muzzle. "Doctor, it's Applejack. Can you hear me?" No reply. "Doctor? It's Applejack! I think we've got a problem!" Again, no reply. "In the name of all things Celestia, say something, Doctor!"

"Maybe he's taking a nap right now," Pinkie Pie guessed.

"I think that's highly unlikely, darling," Rarity replied. "Have you ever seen that stallion sleep?"

"Yeah! When he's been knocked out by something!"

Rarity turned back to the others when a bit more worry etched into her face. "You don't think something bad's happened to them, do you?"

"Goodness, I hope not," said Fluttershy.

Applejack continued to call into the walkie-talkie. "Doctor? Twilight? Derpy? Spike? Donna? Twi? Anypony?!" she called. Once more, there was no reply.

"Well that's great," Rainbow Dash groaned.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Fluttershy asked as she nervously nibbled the edges of her forehooves.

Rainbow Dash flew higher into the air. "We're not just going to sit around and do nothing!"

"Now, Rainbow Dash, please calm down before you rush into something without thinking...again," said Rarity. Rainbow gave Rarity a snort and a sharp glare. "Don't look at me like that! From what I can tell, I think it's going to take a bit more than your radical flying skills to get rid of something like that."

Rainbow snorted again before lowering herself back down to the floor. "Ugh. You're right, Rarity."

Rarity gave a pleased smile. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash."

"Do you think the Princesses have noticed yet?" asked Fluttershy.

"I think they should have by this point," said Applejack. "Most of this side of Equestria should be able to see that thing right now."

"Maybe they'll do something about it," said Rarity.

Suddenly, a soft whooshing sound began to echo from outside. "I think somepony dropped something from high up," Pinkie stated. The five friends fell silent as the sound outside began to grow louder and closer.

"Everypony hit the deck!" cried Rainbow Dash as she fell to the floor. The others followed suit just before a massive boom erupted outside the library. The entire world seemed to shake around them as the library's windows shattered inward. Smoke and sparks flew through the new openings and filled the air. The five mares let out hard, pained coughs as the smoke gradually cleared.

"It looks like the Princesses might be taking their time with this," coughed Applejack.

"What in Equestria was that?" Rarity asked as she helped herself and Fluttershy off the floor.

"Let's go find out!" shrieked Pinkie Pie as she bounded towards the door.

Outside the Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.

The air smelled abnormally acidic and metallic. A mixture of smoke and steam rose upwards from a crater of fair size located a few yards away from the exterior of the library.

The five friends tried to examine what was located within the crater but the intense heat and fire located in the center prevented them from getting too close. "Can anypony get a good look at it?" Applejack asked.

"It's hard to tell with all this smoke around," stated Rarity.

"I'll take care of this!" said Rainbow Dash as she flew up into the air and began to vigorously flap her wings. Gradually, the smoke began to clear from around the crater.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie approached the crater while Rarity and Fluttershy kept their distance. "Be careful!" Fluttershy squeaked with worry.

"We are. Don't worry," Applejack replied as she drew closer to the crater's edge. The farmmare cocked her head as she attempted to examine the burnt object located in the center. "It looks...like a piece of metal trash."

"Really?" asked Rainbow Dash as she returned to the ground. "That's it?"

Pinkie turned back to the others and nodded her head in confirmation. "Pretty much!" she replied.

Fluttershy looked to the sky to see falling, fiery objects joining the wispy trails of silver gas emanating from the vortex. "Girls, I think there's more," she said as she pointed upwards.

Applejack followed Fluttershy's gaze. "Yep. There's a lot of them," she said.

"What I wouldn't give to have Twilight here to conjure up a protective shield or something," said Rarity.

"Well we don't, which means that we've got to work with what we've got to make sure that nopony in town gets hurt!" said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack nodded. "I'm with ya on that one, Dash. Let's make sure everypony here in Ponyville is safe first. Then we can head on up to Canterlot and meet with the Princesses," she said.

"Sounds like a plan," Rarity agreed.

"Let's go, ponies!" ordered Pinkie Pie. "CHARGE!"

The five ponies began to dash away from the library when a trail of silver gas suddenly smashed down into the ground in front of them. The group of mares stopped dead in their tracks as they watched the dust trail come together to form three humanoid figures. It wasn't until the figures had been completely formed that the five friends realized that they appeared to be robots.

The three Cybermen quickly focused on the mares. "YOU WILL SURRENDER OR YOU WILL BE DELETED!" shouted one of the Cybermen. The three metallic monsters raised up their weaponized arms and aimed them at the mares.

"Girls," Fluttershy gulped. "I think this is going to be harder than we thought."

Canterlot Castle, Canterlot, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.

Twilight awoke to the sound of the TARDIS doors opening. "Your majesties," echoed the voice of the Doctor as she came to.

"Doctor?" she mumbled before rubbing her eyes.

"Good, you're awake," said the relieved voice of Donna Noble. Twilight's vision cleared up and she quickly found herself staring straight into Donna's hazel blue eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Twilight rubbed her forehead. "Like I've been hit in the head by Tank."

Donna gave a confused look. "No tanks involved, I can assure you. Just a taser rod."

Twilight examined her surroundings to see that she was back in the TARDIS console room. An unconscious Spike was lying next to her and they both were leaned up against the main console. The TARDIS doors were open and, through them, she could just barely make out the interior of a room that Twilight guessed was somewhere in Canterlot Castle. "Donna...what happened? The last thing I remember is opening that door and then...nothing."

Donna took a deep breath and clasped her hands together. "To sum everything up quickly, Discord Whooves shocked you and Spike unconscious with a taser rod, Twi saved Matilda and Daring Do, everybody and everypony met up in the throne room, there was a quick Cybermen battle, Discord Whooves managed to activate the rift generator, and now Discord Whooves has transported himself and his Cybermen army to your Equestria."

"Oh." Twilight was silent for a couple seconds until she finally registered what Donna had said. "Wait, WHAT?!" She jumped up like a spring and was instantly met with a sharp pain in her head and back. "Gah!"

"Whoa! Take it easy there!" chuckled a new voice.

Twilight rubbed her eyes as she saw a bruised Daring Do appear before her. "Daring Do is standing right in front of me," Twilight stated in a monotone voice.

"Yep!" Daring Do pressed her chest forward with a look of pride etched into her face.

Twilight turned back to Donna. "You'd think, after everything I've already seen while traveling with the Doctor, that I'd be used to stuff like this."

"Yeah," Donna responded with a long sigh.

Just then, Twilight felt something nudge her side and she looked to see Spike awakening from his slumber. "Ugh...what hit me?" he asked.

"The same thing that hit me," said Twilight as she cautiously stood up.

"Well it looks like everypony's awake now. Fantastic!" exclaimed a familiar voice.

Twilight looked to see none other than the mysterious mare known as Matilda standing next to Daring Do. And, like with the fictional explorer, she looked pretty bruised. "Matilda," Twilight said with a nod.

Matilda smiled and giggled. "Hello again, sweetie."

"I've been wanting to ask this but do you call every person you meet sweetie?" Donna asked.

"No." Matilda turned towards the open TARDIS doors. "Sometimes I call them dearie." Matilda winked at Donna before disappearing through the threshold alongside Daring Do.

Donna gave Twilight a light nudge. "Who exactly is that mare?" she asked.

"A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma," Twilight replied with a snort.

"I thought that was Russia."

"What?"

Donna suddenly gave a nervous smile and cleared her throat. "Nevermind. Churchill reference." Twilight and Donna shared an awkward, silent stare for several seconds. "I'm going to go see how things are going outside." Donna hastily made her way through the TARDIS doors.

"What's a Churchill?" asked Spike as he stood up, rubbing his temple weakly.

"We can find out later, Spike," Twilight replied as she turned towards her number one assistant. "Right now, let's just focus on the Discord Whooves situation."

Spike gave a thumbs up. "Sounds like a plan."

"Hey! You're awake!" shrieked Derpy with joy as she suddenly burst into view. Twilight and Spike jumped with surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I scare you?"

"Aside from making my heart skip a few beats, you didn't do much," Spike replied. Derpy gave a frightening look and Twilight gave Spike a quick smack to the back of his head. "Ow! What the hay, Twilight?! My head still hurts!"

"We're fine, Derpy," Twilight said as she gave Derpy a warm smile. It was here where Twilight noticed that Derpy had a futuristic gun of sorts attached to a belt being worn close to her rump. "Well...it looks like you're prepared for a fight."

Derpy glanced at the gun and blushed. "I'm ready to help stop those nasty Cybermen from destroying Equestria. Though...I'm honestly not sure if I'm ready to use this yet."

"I'm sure you'd be great if a situation called for you to use it."

"You really think so?" Derpy gave a wide grin and her eyes proceeded to invert.

Twilight gulped. "Yeah...just make sure you know what you're aiming at before you fire."

"Don't worry, I will!" Derpy glanced back at the open doors. "We better go out and see what's happening. The others will be joining us soon."

"Others?"

"Yeah. Colgate, Clockwork, Twi, and...well...it's hard to explain."

"What is?"

"Twi's friends."

"What about them?"

"Eh...you'll have to see it to believe it."

"I don't like the sound of that, Derpy."

"Nevermind any of that for now, Twilight! Let's just go out and join the Doctor. The others will be out soon and we have more soldiers on the way. Discord Whooves isn't going to destroy our home without a fight!" Derpy took to the air and flew out of the TARDIS.

"Yep. She's definitely ready for a fight," said Spike before crossing his arms.

"I don't know whether to be impressed by that or intimidated," said Twilight before levitating Spike onto her back. She then made haste in following her pegasus friend out into the world beyond the TARDIS doors.

"I believe there is much explaining to be done, Doctor," stated Princess Luna firmly.

"Indeed there is, your majesties," the Doctor replied as he nodded at the two royal sisters.

Celestia stepped forward. "But first, Sister, I think it would be wise for us to place a protective shield around the city," she suggested.

Luna nodded. "Agreed," she replied.

The Doctor watched as the two sisters brought their horns together and aimed them at the sky. The tips illuminated for a few seconds before sending out a sharp beam of magical energy high into the sky. The beam exploded like a firework high above the center of Canterlot and a massive, white dome of magic began to expand from it. Within mere seconds, Canterlot was cloaked on all sides by a shimmering, silver force field.

However, the two princesses' eyes widened in disbelief and horror as the silver trails of gas emanating from the vortex phased through the shield as if it weren't even there. "But...that's impossible!" Luna exclaimed.

"That is the most powerful protective shield spell there is. Nothing should be able to break through it," Celestia stated.

The Doctor sighed. "We're dealing with a very different enemy here," he said. "These invaders have developed a resistance to many different types of magic. There are certainly ways to hold them off and fight them; but, sadly, protective shields aren't going to be of much use here."

Celestia turned to the Doctor. "Who are these invaders?"

"Cybermen," replied Matilda, who had just appeared at the Doctor's side along with Daring Do.

Celestia's eyes widened. "No...not again."

"You know about them?" the Doctor asked with a confused look.

Both Celestia and Matilda looked at the Doctor oddly. "Oh, I see. That hasn't happened for you yet," Matilda stated.

"Will you stop bringing up future events whenever we meet?!" the Doctor snapped as he turned towards Matilda. "I'm frustrated enough as it is!"

"Sorry. That's what happens when you know somepony out of order."

The Doctor stepped in front of Matilda and looked deep into her eyes. "Who are you, Matilda?"

Matilda smirked. "That, Doctor, is a question and an answer for another time."

"Indeed. There are far more important issues to deal with right now," said Luna with a nod. "Starting with: is that Daring Do standing right next to you?"

The Doctor and Matilda turned to Daring. The explorer gave a smile of pride and bowed. "You bet! It's an honor to meet you, your majesties!" she replied. "I've been trying to meet ya for years. You'd think finding many valuable treasures and saving lands from total destruction would at least grant you some sort of audience with royalty but whatever."

Suddenly, without warning, everypony in the room found their eardrums shattered by a loud, giddy shriek of joy emanating from Luna's mouth. Donna stumbled out of the TARDIS and clutched her ears tightly. "What the hell is that?! I didn't escape that awkward silence to have my ears blown up!" she snapped.

Luna raced towards Daring and vigorously shook her hooves. "I can't believe I'm meeting you! How am I meeting you?! This is impossible! It's wonderful! It's impossibly wonderful! I've read all of your books since I came back! Still waiting for the next one! Only six months, three weeks, five days, sixteen hours, and thirty-five minutes to go! Did I mention how excited I am to meet you?!" shrieked the Princess of the Night.

Daring gave a confused, yet wide, smile. "Nice to meet you too, your majesty."

"So Princess Luna's a fangirl," the Doctor whispered to Matilda. "I honestly didn't expect that at all."

"Oh that's nothing, sweetie," Matilda giggled back. "Wait until the Professor Who television series starts."

The Doctor's face became emotionless for a few seconds before being replaced by a large frown. "What did I say about future events?!"

"Words, words, and more words. The usual."

The Doctor face-hoofed. "Ugh! Nevermind!"

At that moment, Derpy flew out of the TARDIS and was soon followed by Twilight with Spike riding on her back. "The others will be out soon, Doctor," said Derpy as she landed next to Matilda.

The Doctor nodded. "Excellent." He turned towards Twilight and Spike. "And you're both awake! Splendid!"

Twilight's eyes turned to the sky and widened as they fell upon the sight of the swirling rift vortex. "This is really happening," she said. "They're really invading."

The Doctor became incredibly solemn. "Yes." He approached her and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "But I'm not going to let him win. Equestria will not fall today. Not ever."

Twilight gave the Doctor a determined look. "Right."

"So when are the reinforcements coming?" Daring asked.

"Reinforcements?" Luna asked.

"Speaking of that," said the Doctor as he glanced at his foreleg as if a watch were being worn there. "They should be appearing any second now."

Just then, there was a flash of light a few feet away and five figures appeared: the human Princess Luna, Flash Sentry, the human Fluttershy, the human Rarity, and the human Spike. "Ah. There they are," said Matilda.

"Some of them anyway," Daring added.

Luna the human silently turned around and glanced up at the majestic structure that was Canterlot Castle. "It looks...exactly the same," she uttered.

"It's you," said Celestia as she stepped in the direction of the five humans.

Luna the human turned around to face the alicorn versions of herself and her missing sister. She awkwardly took a few steps in the direction of the royal sisters before coming to a halt a couple feet from them. Her eyes focused on Luna the alicorn. "Princess Luna?" Luna the alicorn nodded. Luna the human turned towards Celestia. "Princess...Celestia?"

Celestia nodded. "Based on your reaction, I'm assuming you haven't met me yet."

Luna the human raised her hand up and faced her palm in Celestia's direction. "Stop. No more time travel nonsense. There's enough for me to worry about now as it is." It didn't take much for everyone and everypony to suddenly notice Luna the human's refusal to look Celestia straight in the face. She loudly cleared her throat and turned towards the Doctor. "The rest of my army should be appearing any moment now." She drew her silver rapier and wand before approaching the edge of the balcony to examine the beginning of the invasion playing out before her. "It all looks the same. Exactly like that day."

"What was that?" Luna the alicorn asked.

The Doctor managed to see Luna the human wipe a single tear away from her eye before turning around to face the group. "I'm guessing my armies will be scattered throughout the land like Discord Whooves's armies." She began to scratch her chin. "Could be problematic but at least it'll give each section of the invading army an obstacle." She then turned in the direction of her alicorn counterpart, again putting as much effort as possible into directing her focus nowhere near Celestia's face. "I suggest that you deploy all of your soldiers immediately."

Luna the alicorn gave her human counterpart a stern nod. "My sister and I were just about to get to that."

"There's no just about to get to that nonsense in this situation. The faster the attack, the more chance you'll have of getting the upper hand."

Luna the alicorn snorted. "No need to be so blunt."

Luna the human snorted. "I think what's happening now warrants a bit of bluntness."

"There's no need to start arguing," Celestia stated calmly as she stepped closer to the two Lunas. "Let us go and begin sending out our respective troops."

Luna the alicorn nodded. "I agree, Sister," she said before making her way towards the interior of the castle.

"Let's begin our counterattack," said Luna the human as she walked past Celestia, constantly keeping her gaze focused on the ground.

Celestia turned her focus in the direction of the Doctor and the others. "Doctor. Twilight," she said with a stern expression. "Whatever plans you have, execute them."

"Will do, your majesty," said Twilight with a bow. The Doctor agreed with a silent nod. Celestia smiled at them before following the two Lunas into the castle.

"So what's the plan?" asked Spike the dragon and Spike the human in perfect unison.

"It is being carefully organized and perfected as we speak," the Doctor replied.

"So you've got nothing," Daring stated bluntly.

"It sounds horrible when you say it like that!" the Doctor snapped back. He then quickly cleared his throat. "I think the best course of action right now is to make sure all of the civilians and innocent ponies are brought to safety. There's no need to have any innocents being brought into the crossfire of this battle."

"I agree," said Twilight. She turned in the direction of the city with a look of worry on her face.

"I think now would be a good time to let the others in Ponyville know what's going on," said Spike.

"Agreed, Spike," said the Doctor before extending a hoof. "Please hand me the walkie-talkie."

"Uh...walkie-talkie?"

"Yeah, you know. The device we had so that we could communicate with the rest of our friends if something came up in Ponyville while we were gone?"

Spike shook his head. "I didn't have it."

"Don't look at me," said Twilight.

"I remember seeing it in the TARDIS," said Derpy.

"Great! Could you go get it for us, Derpy?" the Doctor asked.

Derpy shuffled her forelegs and began to blush. "Well...you see...I kinda...sorta...remember seeing it fall out of the TARDIS while we were entering the other Canterlot."

The Doctor's face fell. "Well I didn't expect that one."

"So how are we going to communicate with the others?" Spike asked.

Derpy suddenly pressed her chest forward. "I'll go!" she stated. "I can fly to Ponyville."

"And I'll come with ya!" said Daring as she flexed her wings. "Best if you had somepony there with ya."

Suddenly, Twilight used her magic to levitate Spike off her back and place him on Derpy's. "Twilight, what are you doing?" he asked.

"I think you should go with Derpy," Twilight replied.

"What?! No!" Spike froze for a second. "No offense to you, Derpy, but, Twilight, I want to be here with you!"

"Canterlot's going to be the heart of the invasion. I think you'll be safer in Ponyville. Besides, I bet Derpy and Daring Do could use a dragon with them."

"But what about you?"

Twilight turned towards the city. "I'm going to find my parents, my brother, and Cadance. I want to make sure they're all right."

"Sorry but this is where I have to step in," said the Doctor. "I really don't think it would be wise for you to go out into Canterlot by yourself, Twilight. Especially with the invasion starting."

"I'll be careful."

"And she won't be alone," said Twi as she emerged from the TARDIS, futuristic gun and wand in hand. "I'm going with you, Twilight."

"Twilight!" gasped Flash as he stepped in the direction of the TARDIS.

A warm smile appeared on Twi's face. "Flash." She broke into a run and nearly leapt into Flash's arms before planting a firm kiss on his lips. "I remember." She grabbed human Spike, Fluttershy, and Rarity and pulled them into a tight hug. "I remember everything!"

"Oh, Twilight! It's so good to finally have you back in one piece!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"But that was reckless, what you did back in our world! Don't you ever scare us like that again!" Rarity snapped.

"Sorry, Rarity. But I had to go with them." Twi stepped away and turned towards the TARDIS. "Besides, if I hadn't, I wouldn't have rescued my brother, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash."

A deathly silence seemed to fill the air as three Cybermen emerged from the TARDIS. "Wait a sec," said Flash. "You don't mean-"

"I'm afraid she does," said the Shining Armor Cyberman, his voice no longer robotic and now sounding the way it used to be.

"Thanks again for changing our voices back, Doctor," said the Rainbow Dash Cyberman.

"It's the most I can do for you right now," he stated with a tone of sadness.

Twilight was almost in complete shock as she watched the three Cybermen approach Twi and the others. So this is what Derpy meant, Twilight thought. She was right. I really did need to see this in order to believe it.

"I...I can't believe they did this to you," said Fluttershy as she approached her robotic friends.

"Don't cry for us now, sugarcube," said the Applejack Cyberman as she carefully stroked a robotic finger down Fluttershy's face. "We still have our humanity and, right now, we need to use that to protect this world and defeat Discord Whooves once and for all." Fluttershy clutched Applejack's metal hand and nodded, wiping her eyes as she did so.

Twi turned in Twilight's direction. "I'm going with you," she said as she whipped her wand through the air.

"And I'm staying by your side, little sis," said Shining Armor as he carefully clutched Twi's hand with his robotic one. "So I'm going too."

Flash stepped forward. "Me too," he said.

Twi looked at Flash and couldn't help but feel uneasy. He was still giving off the same distant aura he had been when they had reunited back in their own world. At the time, she had assumed that it was simply brought upon by the sadness of her having amnesia and not remembering him. But, now, she felt that there was something more behind it.

"Thank you," said Twilight as she approached Twi, Cyberman Shining Armor, and Flash. She turned back to Spike and Derpy. "I'll be careful and safe. You be that as well, promise?"

"We'll try to be as safe as we can be," Derpy said with a wide grin.

Daring nudged Derpy and took to the air. "Come on then, you two!" she said before pulling out her whip and waving it around with her mouth. "Let's get going!"

Derpy flapped her wings and levitated upwards. "Do you even know where Ponyville is?"

Daring fell silent. "Uh...no."

"I guess I'm leading the way then."

Spike clutched the back of Derpy's mane tighter as he looked back at Twilight for one, last time. "Twilight," he uttered under his breath. Twilight smiled and gave a nod in his direction in such a way that she appeared to have heard what he had whispered.

"Twilight. Derpy. Everyone. Everypony," the Doctor said as his focus drifted around the balcony. "Good luck."

"You too, Doctor," said Twilight before turning to her traveling companions. "Let's go."

Twi looked at her own Spike and hugged him. She stepped back and shared a nod with him, the two of them seeming to partake in a silent conversation within that fragment of time. She then turned to Twilight and began to walk alongside her towards the castle interior. "Lead the way," she said.

"Shouldn't you, of all people, know where my childhood home is?"

"Well there's no telling that I know where your home is given that we're from two different realities."

Twilight cocked her head. "Point taken." The two Twilights, Flash, and Cyberman Shining Armor proceeded to make their way into the castle to start their descent down into the city.

The Doctor turned to Derpy, Spike, and Daring and quickly noticed Spike's worried expression. "She'll be fine, Spike. One Twilight Sparkle is capable enough but now there's two of them." He said before freezing for a moment. "Come to think of it, that thought frightens me a bit."

Spike couldn't help but give a quick smile.

"Come on then!" urged Daring. "Lead the way, Bright Eyes!"

"It's Derpy Hooves," Derpy corrected.

"Oh...right."

Derpy giggled before flying off across the Canterlot skyline with Spike on her back and Daring Do flying alongside her.

Colgate and Clockwork suddenly emerged from within the TARDIS and closed the doors behind them. "You two certainly took your time," Matilda snickered.

"Did we miss anything important?" Colgate asked.

"Just everypony going on their own separate missions. Nothing major, I assure you."

"I'm guessing human Luna has already arrived," Clockwork guessed as his eyes fell on the human Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike.

"The rest of the soldiers should be appearing shortly," Rarity informed.

Just then, the sound of explosions, screaming, firepower, and robotic shouting began to emanate from the city below. "It sounds like the fighting has begun," said Spike the human.

"So what's the plan for us?" Donna asked before stepping towards the Doctor.

"Well we're certainly not going to run out into the fray blindly," the Doctor replied. "I believe our best course of action right now is to aid the Princesses in deploying the soldiers and keeping the innocents safe." The Doctor's eyes grew stern, cold, and direct. "Then we focus on finding Discord Whooves." The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, aimed it at the TARDIS, and proceeded to place his beloved ship a second out of sync. "He's not getting his hooves on my ship or this world."

Donna watched as the Doctor made his way towards the inside of the castle. At that very moment, a powerful chill overcame her. At first, she assumed it was just the winter weather; but she quickly realized that this was a different kind of chill as it seemed to be both emanating from far away and from deep inside of her.

"The weakness lies in the place of truth, past, and punishment."

Donna clutched the side of her head and shook. That voice. It was so old. So powerful. So overbearing. So...repentant.

"Are you all right?" asked Matilda as she stepped in front of Donna.

Donna rubbed her temple. "I'm fine," she replied. She thought of telling the mysterious mare about the voice and what it had said but not even she herself understood the meaning of the message. "The weakness lies in the place of truth, past, and punishment."

"What was that, dearie?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking about...tea."

"Tea?" Matilda raised an eyebrow at Donna.

"Yeah. I could really go for a cup of tea right about now." Donna turned away from Matilda and followed the Doctor and the others into the castle.

Matilda continued to eye Donna intensely and curiously. "You're not fooling me, DoctorDonna."

Mane and Oats Avenue, Canterlot, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.

The Hearth's Warming Eve happiness and sense of calm was gone. Within the blink of an eye, everything was chaos. Burning pieces of metal rained down from the sky and crashed through anything in their path. The silver trails of gas formed into groups of robotic monsters. Powerful blasts of energy shot through the air. Ponies ran for safety and screamed with the terror of being caught by the metal creatures.

Opal feared for her children. She kept them close to her side as she followed Monty and Trixie through the streets of Canterlot. Her hooves passed over mounds of frozen and melting snow as she ran. She could hear her own heavy breathing and the quick, fearful breaths of her children. She had no idea what was happening but one thing she knew was that it had to involve the Doctor in one way or another. The invading Cybermen were proof of that.

"Keep running! They're gaining on us!" cried Trixie from the front.

Opal glanced back to see at least seven Cybermen rushing after them. "Mom?" choked a worried Julianna.

"Just stay close to me!" Opal ordered. "They're not going to do anything to you! I won't let them touch you!"

Trixie felt her heart skip a beat as ten Cybermen began to rush at them from the front. She noticed an opening between two buildings nearby and rushed towards it. "This way!" she shouted.

The five ponies dashed into the alleyway at full speed. A few yards into the alleyway, however, they found themselves running into a dead end.

"Why does this always happen?!" Monty snapped.

"SURRENDER OR BE DELETED!" ordered the Cybermen from behind. Opal pressed Francis and Julianna against the wall as she, Monty, and Trixie stood in front of them. "SURRENDER OR BE DELETED!"

"You know, Trixie," said Monty. "A teleportation spell would be pretty useful right about now."

Trixie gulped. "I...I can't perform a teleportation spell," she said.

"WHAT?!"

"I haven't practiced it yet!" Trixie faced the Cybermen. "But I can do this!" Her horn glowed brightly and a blue wall of magic appeared between them and the Cybermen. "There! That should stop them!" To everypony's shock, the Cybermen simply broke the magical shield like it was a thin sheet of glass and continued their advance. "Or not."

"SURRENDER OR BE DELETED!" shouted the Cybermen as they aimed their weaponized arms at the ponies.

Opal hugged her children tightly. "Everything's going to be okay," she whispered to them. "I'm going to protect you."

Trixie felt her muscles tense up as the leading Cyberman approached her. Suddenly, a bright flash of white light lit up the alleyway from behind the Cybermen.

"Oi! Cybermen!" snapped a feminine voice. The Cybermen stopped and began to turn around. "Take this!" A blue, metallic orb was flung high up into the air. Blue lasers shot out of the orb and surrounded the Cybermen. A second later, there was another bright flash of light and the Cybermen were reduced to a large pile of ash. A satisfied laugh reverberated through the air.

Trixie looked to see a human woman with fair skin and brunette hair approaching. She was wearing a black, leather jacket; a black dress with red flower patterns on it; a belt holding various weapons and items strapped around her waist; and a futuristic gun of sorts being held in one of her hands. "You just saved us," Trixie stated. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," the woman replied. "I've seen enough people I care about get taken away by Cybermen. Not anymore."

"What's going on here?" Opal asked. "Why are Cybermen in Equestria?! And, no offense, but why does it seem that humans are in Equestria as well?"

"Long story. Not a safe place to tell it now. All you need to know now is that Canterlot is not safe, your world is being invaded, and I'm here to help get you to safety," the woman answered. "Now come on! There's more where those came from!"

"Can we at least know who you are before we go running off with you?" Monty asked.

The woman turned around to face the ponies. "My name is Oswin Oswald. I'm a survivor. I'm a soldier. And I'm one of the many soldiers sent here to help protect this world of yours from complete destruction. Now, I've always wanted to say this." The woman known as Oswin Oswald extended her hand forward. "Come with me if you want to live!"