• Published 12th Feb 2020
  • 2,358 Views, 127 Comments

Chaos Runs Rampant - RK_Striker_JK_5



Discord escapes from his stone prison and wreaks havoc.

  • ...
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Chapter Three

Spanish Steel flew over and up to many towers of Canterlot Castle. He circled around, orienting himself and doing a quick check. “All right, things look normal from the outside,” he observed. “Then again Discord's statue looked like a statue up until he kidnapped Megan.”

He flew down to a tower near the middle of the castle and touched down on a balcony. Spanish Steel exchanged quick salutes with the guardsponies there, but paused before going into the castle proper. “Corporals, have either of you noticed anything... unusual going on?”

The first guard, a pegasus stallion named Swift Bolt, shook his head. “No, General. Things have been relatively quiet.” He furrowed his brow. “Well, there's been some odd noises going on. Just started up recently.” He looked to his fellow guard, also a pegasus stallion. “What do you think it was, Fastball?”

Fastball shrugged. “Sounded like a bunch of doors opening and closing.”

Spanish Steel eyed the pair. “And that didn't seem unusual to either of you?”

Swift Bolt slowly shook his head. “No, General. There's a hallway beyond the door with a lot of doors lining it.”

Fastball nodded. “We hear doors opening and closing all the time.” He looked up. “It was just a lot... louder than before. And a lot more, too!”

Spanish Steel looked to the door. He hesitated, not sure if he should, or even wanted to open the door and go inside. He squared his shoulders and scrapped a hoof across the floor. “Stay here on guard. Don't let anyone in.” He walked up to the door and extended a wing...

Swift Bolt's and Fastball's wings extended, blocking Spanish Steel. “Sorry, General, but we've been given strict orders to not let anyone in,” Swift Bolt said.

Spanish Steel stared at him for a long minute. “W-what the Tartarus?” He brought his own armored wings up and slapped theirs aside. “Are you two bucking for a court-martial?”

Swift Bolt shook his head. “N-no, sir! It's just, you said not to let anyone inside! So we're not letting anyone inside. Right, Fastball?”

Fastball nodded, grinning. “Right, buddy!” He looked to Spanish Steel. “No one gets by. Orders are orders.”

Spanish Steel reared back. He cantered to his left and leaned in as close as he dared to Swift Bolt. He locked eyes with him. “Corporal, I am ordering you to let me through.”

Swift Bolt blinked. He stepped to the side, Fastball mimicking his actions. “Yes, General!” he said, snapping off a salute.

Spanish Steel walked forward. He sucked in a steadying breath before opening the door, trotting through, and closing it right behind.

A long, nigh-infinite corridor stretched out before Spanish Steel. Doors lined each wall, each one far too close to each other to have more than a broom closet behind them. Chandeliers hung down, the bottoms halfway between floor and ceiling, with wide fixtures for lights. Spanish Steel took a few tentative steps forward. He looked from side to side, then turned around. A long corridor now stretched behind him, the door to the balcony gone. “I'm too late,” he muttered. “And now I'm trapped.”

A loud slam from behind caught his attention. Spanish Steel whirled around. One of the doors had opened and Chancellor Fancy Pants had emerged, a teacup and saucer floating in front of him. He blurred, moving away from Spanish Steel in a straight line back before walking up to one of the other doors and entering.

Spanish Steel blinked. “Chancellor?” He started forward, but stopped as another door opened, this one on the opposite wall and several doors down from the one Fancy Pants entered. The Chancellor emerged from that one, flying down the hall on wings he didn't have before, this time closer to Spanish Steel, and walked through another doorway.

No sooner had Fancy Pants vanished from the hall, another door opened. This time, Prince Blueblood emerged, muzzle in air and eyes closed. He blurred two doors down, nary a hair in his mane moving as he suddenly about-faced and marched into another door next to the one he just emerged from.

Another door opened. Fancy Pants and Blueblood trotted out, this time Blueblood floating Fancy Pants' teacup and sipping from it. Blueblood was also smaller, with a rounder muzzle and wearing a formal dress. Fancy Pants was now much larger and shaggier, a buffalo instead of a pony. The pair circled around in the hallway before going right back into the doorway they had originally came out of.

Spanish Steel nickered and pawed at the carpet. “This is insane!” He waited for another door to open before galloping forward. A door a half-dozen feet away from him opened, letting out Blueblood, once more a stallion, but now purple-coated, with a neon-green mane and wearing plate armor. Spanish Steel spread his wings and flew down the hallway towards him. “Prince Blueblood? Your highness?” he called out.

Prince Blueblood moved to his right, continuing on as if Spanish Steel wasn't there. The pegasus hopped up and spun about in midair, but Blueblood was already walking through another door, the door slamming shut behind him. Two seconds later, a door directly opposite the one Blueblood had walked through opened up. Blueblood walked out of it, sipping from a wineglass.

Three doors directly behind Spanish Steel slammed open, sending him three feet into the air. Blueblood and Fancy Pants emerged from two of the doors, walking on their hind legs and front hooves replaced with tentacles. They moved about in a figure-eight pattern around Spanish Steel, not stopping, slowing down, or even looking where they were going.

Spanish Steel reached out with his wings, grabbing at them, but they ducked low or pirouetted out of his grasp. Frustration mounted as he pounced at Blueblood, but the prince's head and neck tilted impossibly back, avoiding Spanish Steel yet again.

“Oh no, you don't!” Spanish Steel cried out, eyes blazing and nostrils snorting. He turned and galloped after Blueblood, somehow a step behind. A door opened in front of Blueblood, and he walked through. Spanish Steel increased his speed, managing to slip through the doorway a half-second before the door itself closed.

Right in front of Spanish Steel stood another door. Blueblood had vanished, but Spanish Steel paid that no mind. He brought his helmeted head down and charged through the door, blowing it clean off its hinges. Another door, identical to the last, stood a few feet beyond it. He increased his gait, breaking down that door as easily as the previous one. Another door stood in Spanish Steel's way, but he broke through it, as easily as the previous seven. Spittle flew from his mouth as he broke through door after door, splinters flying.

Spanish Steel quickly lost count of the number of doors he smashed through. A small part of his mind shouted, banged against the anger and madness. The Soldier analyzed the wall against it, plotted the best course of action to stop the endless galloping.

Spanish Steel's wings shot out and hit the doorjamb of the next door the manic pegasus smashed off its hinges. Their joints locked into place, blocking his forward progress. Spanish Steel's head whipped back and forth, eyes wide at his body seeming to act on its own. He tried a few more times, but his wings, stretching past the door by a few feet, blocked him each time.

He backed up and spun about. “What is... what is...” He continued spinning, wings still out, until his left wing's primaries smacked into another being.

Fancy Pants' head whipped back, monocle flying off his muzzle. His teacup and saucer dropped to the floor, shattering upon impact. He stumbled back. “I say, I say!” He shook his head, eyes regaining focus. “General Steel?”

Spanish Steel blinked. The pair were once more in the infinite hallway with its endless doors. He straightened up and tossed the Chancellor a rather rakish salute. “Chancellor, I have a message from Princess Celestia. Discord has escaped.” He looked up and down the hallway. “Although that's probably quite obvious.”

Fancy Pants rubbed his chin. “I don't even remember how I got here!” He started pacing back and forth. “I was having breakfast with Fleur, some jolly good toast and eggs. I retrieved today's paper, walked out of the house...” He stopped mid-stride and looked to Spanish Steel. “And then you hit me with your wing!”

Spanish Steel shrugged. “To be fair, I didn't mean to do it.”

Fancy Pants chuckled. “No bother, General. I think you got me out of quite the pickle!” He looked around again, his good mood vanishing. “So I was just mindlessly trotting through these doors?” He shuddered. “I didn't even realize.”

Spanish Steel flexed his wings. “You and Blueblood were changing forms, genders, colors, everything. I was starting to get the same way, Chancellor. I just went through those doors, blowing through each one without even thinking!”

Silence descended upon the pair. Fancy Pants trotted up to one of the doors. His horn glowed, but quickly dimmed. “We're trapped.” he looked over as Spanish Steel walked up. “I don't dare open any of the doors!”

Spanish Steel walked up to Fancy Pants' side. “I can't blame you, Chancellor. I nearly lost myself to rage and madness trying to get to you.” He looked around. “Prince Blueblood's here, too, and he was doing the exact same thing you were.”

A loud gasp escaped Fancy Pants. His monocle danced about in the air. “Oh, my! That poor chap. We have to help him, General!”

Spanish Steel looked around. “I'd love to, Chancellor, but I don't think we're out of the Everfree ourselves.” He gestured at the hallway, then at the doors lining the walls. “How would we find him?”

One of the doors behind them suddenly slammed open, startling the pair. They jumped and wheeled about as Prince Blueblood emerged from one of the doors, cantered about, and entered the door right next to the one he walked out of. Another door across the hall opened almost immediately after, and Blueblood walked out of that one.

Fancy Pants' and Spanish Steel's eyes tracked Blueblood as he shifted from one door to another, almost too fast for them to keep track of. At one point, he walked out of one door before he had even finished walking into another.

Spanish Steel blinked and shook his head. “I think we should ask ourselves, what we should do with him if we catch him.”

Fancy Pants shook his head. “I think we have to try, General. If we leave him to this, the madness might become permanent. A poor flutter pony by the name of Morning Glory was tortured into madness by Discord. I shudder to think what this could do to the poor lad!”

Spanish Steel pointed to one of the doors. “And if we try we risk losing ourselves to the madness once more. And then we can't help or do anything to help.”

Silence descended upon the pair. Another door opened, Blueblood's front half emerging. Another door opened and his hindquarters trotted out. They walked around before meeting up and fusing together into one whole stallion again. Blueblood nodded to Fancy Pants and Spanish Steel before walking through the door his hindquarters emerged from.

Spanish Steel squared his shoulders. “We don't follow him through any doors, and we keep each other calm. Use your telekinesis to try and grab him while I fly around and herd him away from the walls. Ready?”

Fancy Pants' horn lit up. His eyes shifted from side to side. “No, but let's do our best, shall we?”

One of the doors opened...


Danielle Richards left her room in Golden Oaks Library, nose buried in her smartphone. She walked to the stairs that led from the upper floor down to the library proper. “Spike!” she shouted, reaching out to grab the handrail. “Have you heard anything from Twilight?” She took a step. “I don't think–SHIT!”

Instead of stepping onto the top of the carpeted stairs, Danielle's right foot landed on a banana peel. Her left hand grabbed nothing but air, while her right arm shot out, her phone tumbling from her grasp as she tried-and failed-to maintain her balance. Danielle let out a scream as her right leg slid out from under her. She landed hard on a chocolate cake, jolting her spine as she rolled down not a staircase, but a smooth, slippery slope, finally landing in a heap at the foot of the stairs.

Silence reigned for a minute as Danielle stared up at the ceiling, eyes glassy. Her breath hitched in her throat. She moaned, face twisting in agony as the pain spiked through her right leg, traveling up into the rest of her body.

Spike ran in from the kitchen. “Huh? What was– Danielle!” He ran over as fast as possible. “Oh, no! Danielle, are you all right? What happened?”

Danielle raised her left arm and pointed a shaking finger at the slope. “T-that w-was there,” she said, her voice shaking. She attempted to sit up, but flopped back down. “Spike, I lost my phone! Call Ponyville General, please!”

Spike ran over to the library's wall-mounted telephone unit. He scrambled up a chair and grabbed the receiver off the cradle. Shaking claws jabbed at the buttons. Spike barely waited for the line to click from the receiver before speaking. “Hello, Ponyville General? T-this is Spike at Golden Oaks Library. My friend Danielle Richards slipped and fell, and she's really hurt.” he paused, waiting for a response. The pause stretched out. “Hello?” he tapped the receiver. “Is this thing–”

A loud triple-toned beeping sounded through the earphone, sending Spike stumbling back. “We're sorry. The number you're attempting to reach is currently unavailable due to whipped cream backing up the phone lines.”

Spike leaned back slightly. “Wait, 'whipped cream'?”

Long jets of whipped cream shot from the holes in the earphone, completely covering Spike's head and upper body. He sputtered and waved his claws in the air. “What the heck?” He dropped the receiver and ran back to Danielle. “I... think Ponyville General's busy?”

Danielle slid her arms under her. She ground her teeth together as she leveraged herself into a sitting position. “Son of a BITCH!” she shouted. She sucked in several deep breaths before speaking again. “Spike, you know how to make a splint?”

Spike ran off. After a few minutes he returned, carrying two long wooden poles, a small doorstop, and several strips of cloth that looked suspiciously like the library's window curtains. He looked to Danielle's twisted leg, eyes wide and face green, even through his violet scales. He reached out towards Danielle's leg. “This is gonna hurt,” he said, handing over the doorstop.

Danielle nodded. She put the doorstop into her mouth and bit down hard on it. “Mo athead,” she said, words distorted.

Spike hesitated. “I mean it's really gonna hurt, Danielle. Really, really hurt.”

Danielle's eyes narrowed. She pointed at her leg. “Sthpthe, I tha–”

Spike grabbed Danielle's leg and yanked on it, straightening it out. His ears folded over at the sound of Danielle's screams, but he placed one of the rods against her leg and tied it as tight as he could. After a few minutes he stepped back, forcing himself to look up at Danielle. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Danielle panted. She had practically doubled over, but after a few minutes she finally spit the doorstop out. “It's... all right, Spike. I understand.” She turned back to him, tears streaming from her eyes and cheeks flushed. “C-can you help me up, please?”

Spike nodded. He handed the other pole over to Danielle, then walked around to her other side and grabbed her left arm. Between him and her impromptu cane, Danielle eventually leveraged herself into a standing position and hobbled to the door.

Danielle held up a hand as they approached the front door. She pointed to the windows near the door, and the light flickering right behind their drawn curtains. “If I didn't have a busted leg, I'd be very tempted to go back to bed right now.” She slowly reached out and opened the door.

Outside, the sun and moon raced through the sky, rising and setting within minutes of each other before starting their journey in the east once more. Strange, nightmarish hybrids of rabbits and fish flew through the air, quacking.

Movement at ground level caught Danielle's and Spike's attention. Roseluck and Daisy danced up to Golden Oaks, their mouths stretched out into wide grins. “We can't stop!” Roseluck shouted, spinning about.

Daisy frantically pointed down at her cracked and bloody hooves. “It hurts! By the Herd, it huuurts!” She bent over, then straightened up and threw her forelegs into the air. Her face was twisted in pain. “My back...”

Danielle's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She reached out, but the pair had already danced away. She looked down at Spike. “Okay, maybe Ponyville General's not the best place to go.” She looked around. “Doctor Whooves' house is this way, down Mane Street. Maybe we can take shelter in the TARDIS.”

The pair started down the street, trying their best to avoid the insanity and chaos springing up around them. A sneeze sounded out from a house they were passing by. The front wall suddenly fell forward. Danielle crouched down and wrapped her arms around Spike. The pair huddled together as the wall came crashing down...

Danielle slowly opened one eye, then the other. She slowly stood up and looked around. “Oh, for heaven's sake,” she said. She and Spike were standing in the middle of an open window built into the wall that had fallen towards them. She looked to the house itself. The interior was little more than a blown-up dollhouse, with thin walls, one large empty space in the middle, and a few pieces of furniture.

One pony, Cheerilee, stood in the middle of the floor. Her muzzle had ballooned out to grotesque proportions, and her eyes, barely visible, were bloodshot and swollen. She looked to Danielle and Spike. “I dink I hab a cod,” she sniffled out.

Danielle and Spike stared at her for a few moments. Danielle finally patted Spike on the shoulder. “I don't think we can... do anything to help her right now,” she finally said.

The pair continued down Mane Street, eventually coming upon the Doctor's clock shop. Danielle looked it over as she hobbled up to the door. “Doesn't look odd. So far.”

Spike reached out and grabbed the doorknob. He twisted it, but the door remained closed. “It's locked.”

Danielle nodded. She reached up and carefully pulled a necklace from around her neck and held up a small triangular piece of metal attached to the chain. “It's a good thing I'm a close friend of the family,” she said, as she unlocked the door and let Spike help her inside.

The interior of the clock shop was dark. Danielle and Spike slowly and carefully made their way through the storefront, down the central aisle and past shelves stocked with clocks, watches, and other items for sale. Spike stopped in front of one shelf and pointed to a clock that had begun to melt and dribble down to the floor. “That's really creepy.”

Danielle looked over and shuddered. “There are some things never meant to be three-dimensional.” She held her free hand up to her mouth. “Doctor? Ditzy? Dinky? Amethyst Sparkler? Are you here? It's Danielle and Spike. Ponyville's really messed up right now. I don't think Discord got resealed in Canterlot!”

Ditzy Doo's voice sounded out from beyond a door in the back. “We're back here, Danielle. You and Spike come on down.”

Spike let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.” He started forward, helping Danielle past the sales counter and through the back door. “So, think the Doc can do anything?”

Danielle shrugged. “I don't know, but he definitely can't do anything if we don't ask.”

The pair walked into a large storeroom. Danielle looked around. “Ditzy, you in here?”

Ditzy dropped from the ceiling, landing in front of Danielle and Spike. “Welcome,” she said, voice flat and toneless.”

Danielle looked down at Ditzy. “Oh, thank god.” She pointed back at the door. “Okay, you know Discord, avatar of chaos or something like that? Twilight and the others were supposed to seal him up and considering what's going on outside...”

Dinky and Sparkler appeared from behind some crates. They walked over to Ditzy, flanking her. “We know,” Dinky said. “Chaos has come. Discord shall rule Equestria, then Equus.”

Sparkler nodded. “And then his chaos shall spread across the Rainbow Bridge to Earth itself.”

Spike stared at the three. “Ho-kay...” He gasped as Ditzy looked at him. “Holy–Ditzy, your eyes!”

“What about them?”

Spike swallowed. “T-they're s-s-straight!”

Ditzy nodded. “But of course.” She looked behind her shoulder. “Ah, my husband is coming. Doctors!”

Danielle and Spike exchanged a look. “Wait, 'Doctors'?” Danielle said, head tilted to the side.

Several groans echoed out from behind a stack of boxes. Danielle and Spike looked up and over. Their eyes widened and they stared as a large, shambling... thing emerged from behind the boxes. It had a large body on four thick legs. A long, distended neck jutted out from its torso, bent by a large head with sixteen faces scattered about on it, each one in a rictus of agony. Various bits of cloth and small items were stuck to its hide and legs as it wobbled over.

Danielle grabbed Spike and shoved him behind her. She held up her cane and waved it about. “Get back, get back! What the hell... are...” Her expression fell as she recognized the equine face of Doctor Whooves as one of the faces on the creature's head. “Oh, no. Doctor?”

The head bowed down. One of the faces, framed by curly brown hair, focused on Danielle. “Would you like a... jelly baby?” it asked, mouth twisting.

Another face spoke up. “Must save... Peri...” it said.

Danielle jabbed at its face with her cane. “Doc, snap out of this! Snap out of...” She shook her head. “Okay, Plan B.” She slipped the TARDIS key out of her pocket and held it in front of Spike's muzzle. “Spike, I need you to get to the TARDIS and open her up. There's a false lock in front of the real one. Slide it out of the way, get inside and ask for the User-Interface. Ask for her help with the Doctor and his family.”

Spike looked up at her, even as Ditzy and her daughters started advancing upon the pair. “What about you? I can't just leave you!”

Danielle slowly started shuffling back. “I'm dead weight right now, Spike. Getting to the TARDIS might be our last chance.” She pointed at a door at the far end of the storeroom. “Go, now!”

Spike groaned, but he ran off from Danielle, going around Dinky. He barely slowed down as he sped past the Doctor-Thing to the door. He hopped up, grabbed the handle and opened the door.

Ditzy flew over Danielle. She held her mailbag up and tipped it over. Envelopes started puring out. Danielle swung her cane at Ditzy, but she kept just out of reach. The letters started piling up around Danielle, quickly covering her feet and solidifying over them. They started accumulating around Danielle's thighs, piling up higher and higher.

Outside, Spike quickly spotted the TARDIS and ran over to the blue box. Shaking claws held the key up. He poked it at the lock a few times before slapping his forehead. “Oh, right. False lock!”

He slid the false lock up and poked the key into the real lock beneath. A deep clang echoed from inside. Spike tentatively reached up and pushed the doors open.

The interior was dark, but lights flicked on as he entered the main control room. The central control console lit up. “Ah, hello?” he shouted out. “I need the User-Interface?” He looked around, scratching his head spines. “Wait... this thing's bigger on the inside! What sort of crazy magic is Doctor Whooves using?”

The main control console turned on, while a long column in the center of the room lit up. A white beam of light shot from the console, stopping a few feet away. The translucent image of a young redheaded girl in a nightie appeared in front of Spike. “TARDIS User-Interface activated,” she said. “Identify yourself.”

Spike looked her over. “Ah, my name's Spike and something is really wrong with Doctor Whooves and his family.” He turned and pointed at the door. “Danielle told me to find you–oh, you might not know who that is. Well–”

The Interface stared at Spike. “Danielle Richards' identity is known to me. Scanning local area.” Her eyes flashed. “Chaotic energy anomalies detected. Biological irregularities detected in the Thief and his family. Preparing for teleport and shielding.”

The central column started oscillating up and down, a loud vworping sounding out with each movement. Silhouettes faded into existence around the control room, filling out into Danielle, Ditzy, Dinky, and Sparkler.

The Interface looked around. “Engaging full energy shielding” She looked to Spike. “Thank you for helping my Thief.”

The room shuddered slightly. A low-pitched humming sounded out, and the roundels in the walls brightened. The pile of mail, now up to Danielle's stomach, disappeared. Danielle quickly collapsed to the deck plates, cane falling from her grasp.

Spike ran over. “Danielle, Danielle!” he shouted, grabbing her arm. “Are you all right?”

Danielle let out a low groan. “I've been better, but this could've been a lot worse.” She reached out and patted Spike on the cheek. “Thanks, friend.”

Ditzy closed her eyes and shook her head. Her eyes opened and her eyes snapped back out of focus, one going up and the other looking straight ahead. She rubbed her forehead. “Oh, I have had the worst dream.” She looked around. “How did I end up inside the TARDIS?” She looked down, spotting Danielle and Spike. She gasped. “Oh, no! It wasn't a dream!” She flew down, landing next to them. “Danielle, Spike! I...” Her head hung low and she kicked at the deck plate. “I'm so sorry...”

Danielle shook her head. She reached out and gently mussed Ditzy's mane. “It's fine, Ditzy.” She looked around as Dinky and Sparkler trotted over. “No one was in their right mind. Hell, I think I was going a little crazy there.”

Sparkler turned and cantered over to the Interface. “Excuse me, but where's Dad?” Her brow furrowed. “Something was... seriously wrong with him.”

The Interface's expression turned blank for a moment. “The Doctor is currently in the Zero Room, recuperating.” A door at the far end opened. “He is at the far end of the corridor. The lights will point the way.”

Dinky gasped as she spotted the splint around Danielle's leg. “Oh, Pythia! Danielle, what happened?”

Danielle groaned. “Discord's magic turned the top of Golden Oaks' stairs into a slip-and-slide. I went down and...” She waved Dinky off. “You go check on your father, all right? It only hurts when I... breathe.”

The Interface looked to the central column. A hatch opened, and a swarm of glowing lights flew out and over to Danielle. They surrounded her leg, zipping around in streaks of white light. “These are Chula nanogenes. They are repairing the damage to your leg.”

The lights zipped back to the hatch. Danielle tapped her shin. “Spike, could you please cut the bindings?” She winced slightly as Spike's claws made short work of the rags tying the splint to her leg. She gripped the cane and, with Ditzy, Spike, and Dinky hovering around her, stood up. She grinned as she took several halting steps. “Ginger Rogers, watch out!” She looked to the Interface. “Thank you.”

The Interface's expression softened. “You are welcome. Be careful, though. The bones might still be a bit fragile.”

Danielle chuckled. “Ah, come on. Are you my mummy or something?”

The interface stared at her, eyes wide. Ditzy wrapped a wing around Dinky and backed up, Sparkler joining the pair.

Danielle stared at the three. “What? What'd I say?”


Danielle grumbled as she walked down the TARDIS corridor, a slight limp in her gait. “For the last time, no. I didn't know what the nanogenes did!”

Ditzy, floating next to Danielle's head, reached out and patted her on the head. “Of course, Danielle. Sorry about that.” She looked forward as she, Danielle, Spike, Sparkler, and Dinky arrived at the Zero Room's door. It was a simple hatch with an observation window.

Spike hopped up and down, trying and failing to snatch a glimpse through the window. “What's going on in there?” He started glowing and floated up to the hatch, kept aloft by Dinky's and Sparkler's telekinesis. He leaned in close to the hatch, peering in. “Whoa.”

Inside, the Doctor floated in the center of the room, once more in his equine form. His forelegs were tucked in close to his body, and hind legs pulled in tight. His face was calm, serene. His muzzle occasionally twitched. “Yes, Sarah Jane. Leela is a bit... rambunctious,” he muttered. “Don't mind Zoe, either. Oh, you've met? Good...”

Danielle let out a sigh of relief. “Well, glad to see he's back to the closest thing that passes for normal for him.”

Dinky looked up. “Mommy? Danielle? I don't wanna go back outside. It's scary!”

Ditzy dropped down to the deck plating. She wrapped her wings around Dinky. “Don't worry, muffin. We'll stay here and look after Daddy.”

Sparkler looked up at Danielle. “You and Spike are more than welcome to hide out here, too. We can monitor things from the main control room, see what's going on.”

Danielle and Spike shared a look. “As much as I'd like to go out and help and do something... if Discord's magic could affect the Doc like it did to him, I do not want to imagine what it'd do to Spike or myself.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah. I couldn't even begin to imagine what I'd turn into.” He brought his hands up and tapped his claws together. “Although I just hope... Twilight and the others are all right. They were supposed to stop Discord and...” Spike's voice trailed off, and he seemed to shrink into himself.

Danielle slowly knelt down. “Hey, hey. It'll be all right, Spike. I'm worried about Twilight. Mom, too, and the other Elements of Harmony. But knowing them, they're cooking up some Plan B or something to stop the maniac.”

Spike grunted. He looked up at Danielle and forced a smile onto his muzzle. “Y-yeah, of course! They're getting ready to give him the old one-two, right?”

Danielle nodded. “Right!” I hope.

Author's Note:

1. Thanks to the folks at Spacebattles for their help with this.

2. The sixteen faces of the Doctor represent...

William Hartnell
Patrick Troughton
Jon Pertwee
Tom Baker
Peter Davison
Colin Baker
Sylvester McCoy
Paul McGann
Sir John Hurt
Christopher Eccleston
David Tennant
Matt Smith
Peter Capaldi
Jodie Whittaker
Peter Cushing
And Doctor Whooves himself.

3. Don't tell me not to count Peter Cushing. ;) For eighteen years the actor playing the Doctor was listed as 'Doctor Who' in the closing credits of the show. Back then the amount of 'canon' could've maybe filled a loose-leaf binder. And do you really wanna anger the guy who blew up Aldreaan?!