Doctor Whooves and the Rise of the Cybermares

by Xern

The New Equestria

The Doctor took the wrench in his mouth and attempted to open it. He failed but felt he was getting closer. In the room with him were Lyra and Bonbon. Bonbon was looking at the map, most likely doing something important. Lyra was sitting on one of the chairs watching Bonbon. They were all sitting quietly.

“I have a question,” The Doctor said, breaking the silence.

“Uh, shoot,” Lyra said.

“I told you about what happened to me,” The Doctor started, “but what happened to this place?”

“Hmmm,” Lyra said. “I don’t know how the Cybermares appeared in the first place, but I know what happened in Ponyville. It was around a year ago, on Rainbow Dash’s Birthaversery. Bonbon was gone for that day, so I went to watch Pinkie. Pinkie was getting a bunch of supplies for the day and made a giant banner of Rainbow Dash. That’s when it happened.

“A cybermare appeared in town and Pinkie, being Pinkie, went up to it to talk and introduce herself. All she got in return was a zap from the cybermare’s ‘horn.’ Pinkie passed out and the Cybermare grabbed her. After that, more appeared. They started taking more and more ponies. The only reason I survived was because Moon Dancer rescued me and brought me to a safe space.

“We were able to sneak out of town and find a safe spot. Our old foal sitter, Princes Cadence, was having a wedding at the castle but was replaced by a changeling. The real one was sent to these caves as well as Moon Dancer and the bride’s maids, including me. Luckily, no one knows about this place, including the cybermares.”

“That makes since,” the Doctor said after listening to Lyra’s story. He tinkered with the device as she spoke.

“I have a question,” Bonbon spoke up.

“As you say, shoot,” The Doctor said, turning to Bonbon.

“Is there a way to turn a cybermare back?” she asked.

The Doctor thought for a moment. “If you catch a cybermare soon after being turned, there might be a chance, given you have the right tools. Otherwise....” The Doctor trailed off.

Bonbon looked at him for a second with a horrified expression. Tears began to well up in her eyes before she left the room.

Lyra looked to see if Bonbon was out of ear shot. “I should probably tell you the story. A few days before the cybermare attack, Bonbon told me something. She told me she was an agent for a monster-hunting agency from Canterlot. She was sent to Ponyville when a Bugbear she captured escaped from Tartarus. She said that when they couldn’t recapture it, the agency dissolved, and she had to assume the identity of Bonbon.

“That day, however, they had finally found the Bugbear. They called her in to come back and recapture it once and for all. Little did she know that when they went to get the Bugbear, the cybermares would be there. They took out and captured Bonbon fellow (former) agents. She was the only one that survived.”

“How did she survive?” The Doctor asked.

“A week or so after we got her,” Lyra said, pointing to the caves, “Moon Dancer went out to look for any survivors. She found bonbon in one of the caves cold and alone. She brought Bonbon back. You should have seen our faces when we saw her.”

Lyra started to tear up as well. “Is there any way you can help her?”

The Doctor looked at her. “I’ll do anything I can. You have my word.”

Lyra looked at him with a smile. She left the room. Presumably to find Bonbon. The Doctor smiled at the mare until she left. He looked back at the locator he had been trying to open. He knew he couldn’t just bring her friends back from the dead. The best bet he had was to go back in time to make sure that the cybermares (or any other unwanted guests) didn’t appear.

He sat the device down. He went out to the larger cave Lyra was next to Bonbon who was softly crying. The Doctor sat down next to Bonbon.

“Is there any way you can bring them back?” she asked weakly.

The Doctor, not wanting to give her false hope, softly said, “No, I don’t think so.” Bonbon started to ball. The Doctor put his hoof on Bonbon’s shoulder. “But I promise you this, If I can retrieve my Tardis and set this world right, your friends will be safe. And either way, I’m sure that they wanted you to be strong and that they believed in you. And I’m sure that your friends here all believe in you.” He pointed back to Lyra, who gave a soft smile.

Bonbon looked back to the Doctor and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” the Doctor said. He then got up and walked back across the bridge to the room he was in. He sat back down and tried tinkering with the device again.

“This would be so much easier with my sonic screwdriver,” The Doctor said, continuing his task of turning the locater on.