Doctor Whooves: Exile (Part 1: Crash Course)

by The Madwomen

Chapter 3: A Trip to Canterlot

The Doctor was solving a multi-colored puzzle cube. A standard affair, really, he managed to solve it in about ten seconds. He had solved a myriad of ones like it before, but he was experiencing it in a a brand new way. He was being taught to use the power of his mind to move the object, as effortlessly as he would with his hands. He was learning a new, practical way to use telekinesis.

Or, as the unicorn teaching him had insisted on calling it, "magic."

Starlight, the Doctor, and the rest of the ponies who looked after him while he was out cold were on a train headed to the capital of "Equestria," "Canterlot," thanks to the direction of the "Cutie Map". The Doctor couldn't believe some of the names given to locations on this planet, particularly how the town his TARDIS now resided in was named "Ponyville." He supposed that, since there were 4 types of pony, it wasn't a bad way of unifying the populace, but he still felt that it was as ridiculous as naming an Earth city "Humanopolis." Regardless, he was upset that he wasn't able to work on his TARDIS to begin the long journey to get it back in working order. When they had arrived back in the castle he had apparently crashed in, the Tardis was still set aflame. He wanted more than anything to fix it, as he never wanted to stay in one time and place for too long. However, the map in the castle's main room had specifically called for his help, and he could never resist the opportunity to help someone when asked, even if it was just a mere "friendship problem," whatever that meant.

In any case, he very much enjoyed the company of some of these ponies. He was particularly fond of Starlight, as intelligent and helpful as she was with teaching him, as well as Rarity, whose personality meshed well with his own. Truthfully, aside from the abrasive rainbow-haired one, they all seemed like very nice young ladies. Well, mares, but that was beside the point. He was also going to have trouble getting used to this new, ridiculous vernacular. At the very least, terms like "girl" and "lady" were in use, for whatever reason.

"Well done, Doctor," Starlight told him, interrupting his train of thought. "You're a natural at this! It looks like you know the basics of magic now, but I can still teach you how to cast a spell or two if you want." The Doctor would adopt a disbelieving look whenever she said the words "magic" and "spell." He still didn't believe that you could explain... Well, anything with magic. He had no doubt that there were certain intrinsic abilities that a unicorn's horn could provide that the Doctor didn't have an explanation for yet, but magic? Best save that for the fairy tales, used exclusively to defeat the likes of the Big Bad Wolf and the Toclafane. It had no place in reality.

Yes, he was talking to a unicorn. He, himself, had turned into a unicorn. He accepted that, but a form of sentient equine that had evolved a horn akin to a rhino or a narwhal, even one that was able to channel psychic energy through said horn, he could reasonably believe. Unlikely, certainly, but unless Decartes's thought experiment of doubting everything was more practical than he thought there was no denying what was happening before him. Still, there was no possible way it was "magic." That was the terminology Starlight was using, however, and he lacked enough knowledge of it in order to rename it, so he might as play along.

"Thank you very much, Starlight," said the Doctor. "I'm always happy to learn about something I'm unfamiliar with, and you make an excellent teacher." Starlight felt more confident upon hearing that. "Oh, thanks, Doctor! Now then, I think I'll teach you one more thing, and then... Why not hang out with some of the other girls? Might be good to get to know the ponies you're traveling with!"

The Gallifrayan pondered this for a moment. Why not? "Of course, my dear. Now then, what's the next spell you recommend?" Hearing this, Starlight thought for a moment. She already knew what spell she wanted to show him, but she knew the Doctor would be skeptical if she told him out right what it was. "How about," she cautiously began, "I show you what it does first?" The Doctor simply nodded, prompting Starlight to continue. "Let me see that puzzle for a second." The Doctor placed the cube on the table, and then Starlight began to concentrate. After a moment, her horn let out a blast of light, hitting the cube dead center.

Then, in nearly an instant, the cube had transformed into a tea cup.

The Doctor blinked rapidly upon seeing the tea cup in front of him. He was, in the most accurate word possible in the English language, flabbergasted. He had just, apparently, witnessed an object transform into a completely different shape, material, size and then some. What used to be a wooden block with paint upon it in a multitude of colors was now a simple, white, porcelain tea cup. That wasn't even the most amazing part to him, either. The most interesting bit was that this was the first real "spell" that he was being taught. And if that were the case...

What in the name of Rassilon were the more advanced spells like?

"It's called a transfiguration spell," Starlight began, noting the Doctor's bewildered expression. "To do it, you have to concentrate your magic so that it turns into a sort of..." Starlight trailed off, trying to find a good comparison.

"A laser?" The Doctor questioned.

"Yes," Starlight exclaimed, "if that helps. Just aim at the tea cup and try and do that first."

The Doctor wondered what it meant that she knew what a laser was. Nevertheless, he aimed for the cup, closed his eyes, concentrated whatever strange energy his horn provided so it would group together, and allowed it to exit him. The blast that resulted from this hit the tea cup head on. It stayed unchanged, aside from now being further towards Starlight's side of the table. Before the Doctor could ask any questions, Starlight explained. "Great work. If you're wondering why it didn't do anything, that's because I just wanted you to try and concentrate your magic to create a small magic blast. It's nice bit of self-defense, and without knowing how to do that, you can't actually do a transfiguration spell. Or most spells, really.

"Now, Doctor, I want you to think of a small object. Preferably something simple, but it can be anything you want as long as it's a small object you can hold with your hooves." Starlight paused. "Or hands. Or... Whatever's most helpful to you."

The Doctor closed his eyes and, after a moment, nodded, signaling for Starlight to continue. "Now, focus on that object. What is it? What color is it? What can it do? What is it made of? Then, at the exact same time as you're concentrating on that, aim for the tea cup and let out another blast."

The Doctor took a deep breath, and repeated the magic blast with his object in mind. It hit the former cube, and it transformed into a small, metallic device. The Doctor looked wowed and content by his own creation, signaling that this was the intended result. It looked intricate and exceedingly complex, and thus it was now Starlight's turn to be, as it were, flabbergasted.

The first time the Doctor has done this spell, and he had already managed to make something as complex as... Whatever it was he made. She was actually a bit jealous of how fast he had already mastered even a spell as simple as that. It took her weeks to make something as complex as even a baked good, never mind one of the Doctor's sci-fi gizmos.

"I must say," the Doctor said, noting Starlight's stunned expression, "this 'spell' is going to save me quite a bit of time. I was wondering where to find computer circuitry in this world, and now I simply don't have to worry about finding those components. Thank you very much, Starlight."

Starlight shook her head, reorientating herself in order to focus. She gave a small, nervous laugh. "No problem, Doctor! None at all! It's just that... You're a really fast learner."

"Well, naturally," the Doctor replied. "I have spent a long time training my mind to conceptualize many different objects, including blueprints for components for my TARDIS. If your 'magic' relies on mental fortitude, then I should have no trouble with learning them. I spent 8 years in university to memorize... Let's see, what was it? Ah yes. An array of 208 different 43-dimensional super-solids, all superimposed. It makes it easier to memorize components of a TARDIS, and voila! Even a complex supercomputer is as easy as a tea cup to think of."

Starlight figured his next lesson should be from somepony more experienced than her. At least, if being able to think of a 43-dimensional object was any indication. "Alright, well, I think next time I might want Twilight here to help. She knows a lot more about magic in general, so she can get a better read on what spells are right for you." The Doctor nodded. From what he'd been told, he had a feeling he would like this "Twilight Sparkle" quite a bit. Talk of the other missing friend, "Pinkie Pie," and her high energy and bounciness did concern him, however. He hoped they would find some sort of common ground.

"Oh!" Starlight had almost forgotten! "Don't worry about using that spell on other ponies. Doesn't do anything to living creatures, and ponies are too big for it to work anyways." He hadn't thought of the possibility, so it was good his fears were quelled before he had them. Starlight clearly had that question herself. The Doctor liked anyone willing to ask questions. "With all that said," she continued, "go make some friends with the others! See you later Doctor!"

"Until we talk again, Starlight," the Doctor said with a bow, "and thank you!" He stopped himself from saying "until we meet again", since they were all in the same train car. Still, the farewell gave him an idea of how long he was expected to talk to someon- Erm, somepony else, which was to say, a while. He would have talked to the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy, but she seemed anxious and the Doctor guessed she would have trouble getting used to his presence. He enjoyed the company of Rarity, but she was busy tailoring him a new outfit, which while thoughtful required a lot of concentration. The only two candidates left were already mid-conversation at a table across from one another, but that meant he could get to know two other ponies at once. Although he wasn't particularly fond of the cyan one, "Rainbow Dash," maybe he just needed to get to know her better.

"Hello again." The other two mares looked up at the alien unicorn as the Doctor made his introduction. "I hope neither of you mind if I join in." Rainbow opened her mouth as if to say something, but a glare from Applejack caused it to shut down again. "Sure thing, Sugarcube!" Applejack scooted to the side, allowing the Doctor a place to sit. The Doctor, in turn, took the opportunity. "Might I ask," he said, "what you were conversing about? I would hate to interrupt anything important."

Applejack shook her head. "You weren't interruptin' much. We were just talkin' about how the princesses would react to ya. If it helps, ah think they'll like you quite a bit. Ain't that right Dashie?" Rainbow merely mumbled something that vaguely sounded like a disgruntled "yeah, sure."

The Doctor had his suspicions of the Equestrian royalty, particularly the claim that they controlled the sun and moon. He was assured that the ponies had seen the consequences of what happens when the royalty weren't able to fulfill that duty, and he had seen enough impossible things today to at least not question that bit too much, but he still had doubts as to how "good" the princesses were. After all, an immortal ruling over mortals didn't seem any good in his book. Ponies may not have had religion, but he had known many egotistical maniacs that came to less advanced worlds and claimed to be gods. And while it wasn't quite the same, these "alicorns" did remind him of how most of Gallifrey viewed the Time Lords. The Time Lords...

But he kept his thoughts on the matter to himself. He didn't want to commit blasphemy quite so early in new relationships.

Applejack continued. "Now, ah don't think y'all are interested in all that, but ah know Dash and ah are interested in that fancy blue box of yer's." The Doctor's ears perked up. He hadn't been able to show the girls the inside of his TARDIS, as whatever the Time Lords did to it combined with his regeneration energy damaged it very badly, and it needed time to heal. That all being said, he was happy to talk about it.

"Happy to oblige, my dear. It's called the TARDIS. It's an acronym that stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space." The doctor interrupted the tomboy duo each time they even thought of a question to ask. "Yes, it's a time machine. Yes, it also travels through space. Yes, that means it can take you anywhere and any time you please if you know how to use it. No, it's unlikely you'll ever be able to learn the controls" He stared at Rainbow specifically with that answer. "And as for how I can fit inside of it... Well, I prefer to show and not tell, so you'll have to wait a while for that." The Doctor then chuckled to himself as the two mares looked at each other with confusion.

Then Rainbow decided to ask something while she still had the chance. "So, what happened to your TARDIS box?"

The Doctor's face turned dour upon hearing Rainbow Dash's question. "Ah," the Doctor said, looking down at the table. "Well.... There's a nasty group of elites in Gallifrey called the Time Lords. I stole my TARDIS from a repair shop and used it to save countless lives throughout time and space. The Time Lords," he grimaced, "called it interference with what they considered to be 'lesser species-'" Despite the lack of fingers, his hooves accurately portrayed the air quotes he was miming- "A crime amongst their kind." He noticed both girls seemed a bit more tense when the term "lesser species" was brought up. "Thus, I had the secret of the TARDIS taken from me, which mostly means I need to make an excessive amount of repairs. Starlight has just taught me how to use an ability that will certainly help in that regard, but it's still going to be a long journey." He sighed. "In short, I am now exiled, and thus cannot use the TARDIS for the time being."

Applejack tipped her hat in sympathy. "That sure is tough, partner. Can't imagine how ah would feel if ah weren't allowed on mah family farm no more." She looked at Rainbow. "Just as ah'm sure Dashie here wouldn't know what to do if her wings were taken from 'er." Rainbow's eyes widened at that. "Yeah, I feel for you, Doc," said Rainbow sadly. "Even just the thought of not being able to fly any more... It hurts, honestly." A slight look of guilt crept upon Applejack's face, which made Rainbow panic more. "But hey, as long as you have good friends like AJ, you can get through just about anything."

She noticed the Doctor visibly winced upon her mentioning friends, which further added to her anxiety. OK, she thought, friends are a bad topic. "How about we talk about something else? This is starting to bum me out a little bit." The other two nodded in agreement, and a wave of relief swept over Rainbow.

The Doctor then piped up with a question. "Right then, Miss Applejack, what's the meaning behind your name, if you don't mind my asking?" Applejack just shrugged in response. "Aside from carryin' the legacy of the Apple family, beats me." The Doctor put a hoof on his chin, and thought a bit before his next question. "Do you happen to know of a beverage with the same name?" Before AJ could answer, Rainbow Dash lit up, leaning forward and slamming her forehooves on the table. "Hah!" She exclaimed. "I knew I wasn't the only one who thought your name meant booze!"

The Doctor began to laugh uncontrollably as Applejack rolled her eyes. He didn't expect a blue pegasus with multi-colored hair to exclaim that her friend's name referred to an alcoholic beverage, or even for a pegasus to say the word "booze." In fairness, he also didn't expect to see any talking horses today, but this was the first time that something comical and not just baffling had occurred from the situation. Soon enough, Rainbow joined in the giggling, as an exasperated cowpony just rolled her eyes again, although this time with a smile on her face.

The laughter died down right as Rarity had left the restroom. With her, she brought a white, long-sleeved, frilled shirt, a red, velvet jacket, and a purple cape. She brought the ensemble directly to the Doctor with her magic. "Here you are, Darling," she said, "one very lovely outfit for our stallion from the stars, exactly to his vision!" She used her magic to remove the now worn bow-tied outfit from him, fitting the new one on in its stead. She made sure that his sonic screwdriver was transferred from the old jacket to a pocket behind the ruffles on the Doctor's new shirt, which she thought was incredibly clever on her part.

The Doctor gave a wide grin. "Thank you very much, my dear! It's even better than I had envisioned, and it's quite comfortable too." Rarity beamed at the praise, clearly filled with pride. However, the Doctor noticed something was missing from the ensemble. He didn't specify it to Rarity, but that was mostly to test the leniency when it came to clothing designed for stallions.

"A quick question, Miss Rarity. Are there any pants that come with this outfit?" Rarity, in response, let out a small "ha". "Why would you want to cover up that fabulous cutie mark you have? If it were a dress at a big event like the Gala, sure, but pants?" Her face sneered a bit. "They're a bit droll, darling, wouldn't you say?"

The Doctor was unbothered. "Just making sure, my dear. Many species are very particular when it comes to social norms, and clothes are a large part of that. For some species, like Humanity and to a lesser extent Gallifreyans, you have to wear a shirt and a pair of pants even in the hottest environments. I blame the lack of fur for causing that annoying little habit." With that, he took off his own pants, now certain that the stallions were just as lenient on clothes as the mares.

He turned his attention to his flank, specifically the so-called "cutie mark." An hourglass, as permanent as a tattoo. Fluttershy was the one to explain that it showed the Doctor's "special talent." Rarity expanded on the idea, stating that her own cutie mark, a set of three diamonds, could have meant she was great at being a miner, but that she knew it meant that she could find and create beautiful things, even in the most unassuming of places. "Cutie Marks show what you're good at, but are open to interpretation" was the lesson he took from that conversation. He pondered what his own meant, although he hadn't the foggiest idea.

"I'm guessing you're wondering what your cutie mark means, right?" The Doctor's train of thought was interrupted by Rainbow, of all ponies, havin spotted his thoughtful state directed at his rump. She continued. "My guess is it's time travel. Yeah, your box is broken, but just because you're not able to travel right now doesn't mean you won't be able to later. And don't worry, your cutie mark doesn't tell you everything you're good at, just what you're best at. You can still have other talents that aren't your main one! I mean, look at me!" She gestured her hoof towards her own cutie mark. "Even if I wasn't able to fly at lightning speed, just like my cool-as-hay cutie mark says I should be good at, I'd still be friggin' awesome!" She did her best to ignore Applejack's small snicker. "I'm great at plenty of different sports, most of which don't even have to do with flying! You're good at all sorts of sciencey gizmos and at magic too. Basically, don't sweat it too much."

"Well, if you care for my take, Darling," Rarity said while taking a seat next to Rainbow, "I would say you should wait a while. Talents aren't always so obvious, and I have no idea what I would think if I only learned what my cutie mark was today. Mine is more... Abstract than most, so I would probably assume I was meant for jewelry, not all kinds of fashion! I say give it time, and the answer will come to you when you least expect it."

Starlight overheard the conversation from the other side of the train car, and decided to chime in. "I agree with Rarity," she said, "but if I had to give a different guess, or any guess really, it'd be that it means you're wise beyond your years. It could signify age and experience, like the sand that passes through an hourglass. You probably have a lot of knowledge to share, and I think we're going to see that more and more as we learn about you."

The Doctor nodded. "You all make valid points, and I thank you for the help. In any case, it doesn't seem that important at the moment. After all, I do believe that a 'cutie mark' is just a signifier of that talent, correct?"

Hearing this, Starlight immediately hid her face in a newspaper, while the rest of the girls just felt somewhat awkward.

"Doc," Applejack began, as she turned to the space-stallion, "if ya lose a cutie mark, ya lose the talent it represents until ya get it back. It can't happen on a whim, somepony has to cast or miscast a spell, but it can happen. Ain't happened to us in a long time. Not since..." She stopped to look over at Starlight, before quickly turning her gaze back to the Doctor. "... Well, the pony who did that became a much better pony. At the time they thought they were doin' the right thing by puttin' everypony on an even playin' field, but they didn't realize who they could've been hurtin'. They know better now." Starlight had put down the newspaper, but still looked somewhat ashamed.

"It's all in the past now, darling" Rarity chimed in, noticing the Doctor looking in the train's window reflection straight at Starlight. Applejack wasn't very subtle in terms of body language, one of the many times her trademark honesty had come to bite her in the flank, which allowed the Doctor to catch on to whom she was referring to. The Doctor was more subtle, but Rarity had an eye for detail and was able to catch the glance. She continued as everypony else turned to face her. "I can personally attest that this pony has improved their behavior significantly since that little... Incident. It's always possible to set a pony down the right path, so long as the pony in question wants to improve, and they certainly did want to. Why, they still want to improve even now! And I'll also say that pony is now a friend to the end, and we are very happy to have known her." She saw the Doctor grinning at that, and saw in the window that Starlight was tearing up a bit with a smaller smile. Nailed it, she thought.

And it was at this sentimental moment, this grand reaffirmation of the group's friendship with Starlight, that life thought to itself "yes, this is the moment. This is the moment when the animals should invade their train car."

A stampede of various animals, all of which were clearly meant to be sold as pets, charged in. Each animal had a panicked look in its eyes. Dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, rats, mice, rabbits, and whatever else you could name was running across the car. They all seemed to try and hide, or run further into the next car.

Whilst Rainbow, AJ, Rarity, Starlight, and a half dozen other passengers who were previously minding their own business all stayed as close to the wall as possible, hoping to avoid the rather embarrassing obituary of "trampled to death by hamsters", the Doctor leapt into the stampede of small animals to try and quell it. Much to his surprise, the mare to join him was... Not the one he expected.

"What the devil are you doing here, Miss Fluttershy?" He had to shout in order to be heard over the barks, meows, tweets, and other various animal noises. Fluttershy, panickily, gave a quick reply. "My special talent is animals, Mr. Doctor! Calming down critters is what I'm good at." The normally timid mare had a determination in her eyes, the determination of somepony who wanted to help as many creatures as she could and would let nothing stop her. A look the Doctor was well familiar with, though typically he wasn't able to see it for himself without a mirror.

Then, the Doctor noticed what was, to him, a strange sight. A trio of parrots were carrying a cage containing two tortoises, and a family of ferrets were doing the same task with a fish tank filled with aquatic life. "Curious," he mused to himself amidst the chaos swarm of critters. He started shouting again. "Are these animals... Helping another species?" Fluttershy nodded. Animals in Equestria had a sense of comradery about them, but Fluttershy felt that now wasn't the time to explain the intricacies of dealing with animals on her world. "Whatever is happening in the luggage," she said, "it has them all running, and they don't want to leave any creature behind. They're saying something about a 'faceless pony.'"

The Doctor turned to look at the mare. "That is what they're saying! How do you know that?" Fluttershy looked at the Doctor, her surprised expression matching his. "Understanding animals is part of my talent! Can you speak with animals, too?" The Doctor gave a proud grin. "I was taught many animal languages since the TARDIS can only translate more sentient species." A cat's screech brought them both back down to Gaia. "I believe we can discuss it at a later date!" Fluttershy nodded at that. "Right, sorry."

It was then a figure walked into the train car. It was shaped like a pony, but it had no coat or mane, and was colored a light shade of peach. It had no cutie mark and, as the would-be-pets had rightfully decreed, no face. As a matter of fact, it looked like...

Ah, thought the Doctor. Those mannequins were NOT always in the store window.

"LOOK OUT," the Doctor shouted, grabbing Fluttershy so both could duck from the sudden laser fire. The right forehoof of the dummy was open, as if it had a hinge akin to a trash can lid, that revealed a small metal tube made for blasting energy. "Something is making this plastic mannequin kill," the Doctor stated. Fluttershy was breathing heavily. "Um- Uh- I don't think I know what 'plastic' is, but Rarity said her new mannequins were made of something like that!" "Well then, if this is your first time seeing plastic then this is a horrible first impression! Now take cover!" At the Doctor's command, both ponies and all the creatures near that spot did so, dodging another flash of light, leaving the two equines on opposite sides of the room.

"Plastic is normally just a building material that's non-biodegradable," he yelled, "certainly shouldn't move, but this one seems to have other components added! I suggest you move!" Fluttershy jumped toward the Doctor, as the laser beam she dodged very nearly hit a bystander, who immediately cried out for his mother. "I have no idea what's causing it, but it likely activated while being shipped through the luggage, resulting in our current predicament!" He then grabbed the yellow pegasus with his magic and had them both jump out of the way and towards the living dummy. Meanwhile, the stray laser they avoided hit the tea cup of a purple mare with wings and a top hat, who immediately teared up at the sight of spilt tea.

The Doctor pounced on the plastic assailant as soon as he confirmed he was close enough to do so. He figured that the transfiguration spell Starlight taught him would be useful here, but he had to think fast. The Doctor had to think of something simple, so he could cast it before the homicidal shop dummy fired another blast. Not too difficult considering the speed that his finely-trained thought processes allowed him, but what exactly would he try and envision..?

He cast the spell on the thing's laser-wielding foreleg, which promptly turned into a simple, white, porcelain tea cup. Starlight had helped with more than just the spell, it turns out.

This did not stop the living object from fighting, however, as a plastic hoof quickly met the Doctor's face at a dizzying speed. It would be difficult to concentrate on the spell while the figure was punching him senseless, so the Doctor pinned it to the ground, quickly casting a spell on its head with the same result. The mann-equine seemed unaffected, however, and it continued the struggle. It was hard for the Doctor to keep something with only three legs pinned, since an odd number of legs and no head was something most didn't think to prepare for. The thing's torso thrust itself into the Doctor's chest, knocking some wind out of the alien, as well as himself off of the mannequin.

The menace stood on its hind legs, towering over the Doctor who lay flat on his back. Thankfully, Fluttershy went behind it and tore off the remaining foreleg, her eyes shut all the while. As she held it, however, it sprang to life and went for her throat. Fluttershy was known as a savior amongst the animals in Equestria, so this caused some of the animals to join the fight. Dogs and cats pounced at the larger figure, clawing at it to keep it still, while various kinds of birds helped Fluttershy pull the leg off her throat.

Starlight tried her best to join the fight, leaning in in order to aim her spell at the arm trying to hurt her friend. Then, after a few missed shots and one bird disturbed in its flight, the disembodied leg was turned into a small wooden toy duck. At the same time, the Doctor was taking advantage of the canine and feline alliance in order to turn both remaining legs into tea cups, which caused the creatures to disperse. He did note the spell didn't work on the torso, likely because it was simply too big of an object for the spell to work. That, or that part was too "alive" in a way the other parts of it weren't, as it was somehow still moving.

The animals, however, were still panicking, including an irritated bird now heading straight towards Starlight. With how many animals there were, and how much noise they were making, there was no time for Fluttershy to calm them each individually, and she doubted all the animals could hear her over all of their cries. She had no other choice but to use... It.

Whether it was safe to use it or not was a completely different story, seeing how she didn't know if anypony was going to look at her while doing it. If they did, that would end up being a problem, since she had to give the animals orders while hoping the ponies on the train didn't follow them as well. Regardless, somepony had to make sure there wasn't mass hysteria, the animals were adding to that, and she was the only one on the train who could do anything about that, so...

"Alright," Fluttershy shouted, "you have forced my hoof!" Rainbow Dash heard her say this, and knew that she had to yell a warning so Fluttershy didn't have to. "EVERYPONY LOOK AWAY, NOW!" Most of Fluttershy's friends, aside from the Doctor, who was further away from Rainbow, immediately did so, knowing how Fluttershy didn't like what she had to do affecting ponies. The other passengers either were able to hear the warning or were already cowering from the chaos, aside from the purple one, who was upset about her tea. And thus, Fluttershy shouted once more to get the attention of the animals, and everypony who didn't look away in time else was caught up in...

The stare.

The Doctor suddenly noticed he was being grabbed. Specifically, his eyes were being covered by a pair of hooves. He tried to grab the figure to bodyslam out of reflex, until he heard Rainbow say "woah, take it easy Doc! It's me!" This allowed him to relax a bit, but he was still confused. Rainbow continued. "You were lost in Fluttershy's stare for a good few seconds! I'm just trying to protect you from it!" The Doctor felt himself being dragged away. "A few seconds," he questioned. "I don't recall getting lost in something." Dashie rolled her eyes, though nopony could see her do so since those eyes were shut tight to avoid the infamous stare's crossfire. "Doc, Fluttershy can make a stare that can be... Hypnotic. I think it's hypnosis through sheer guilt? Whatever it is, you don't want to be caught up in it when she tries to order animals around."

It was only then that the Doctor noticed there wasn't nearly as much noise as before. The entire room had gone quiet, aside from Fluttershy saying something akin to "return to your cages." The Doctor removed the hoof over his eyes, being careful not to look in the direction of Fluttershy's voice. He noticed all of the animals had stopped, and were now starting to slowly move in the same direction he avoided looking at for too long. He also noticed a purple pegasus, slack-jawed, was doing the same thing. He heard a meek voice say "it's safe to look now," so he finally ordained to look at Fluttershy, who seemed to be feeling a mix between guilt and mental exhaustion. He saw the menagerie of critters heading towards the luggage car, as Rainbow focused her attention into knocking some sense into the one mare unfortunate enough to fall completely under the stare's power. Fluttershy flew down to the Doctor, as the last of the animals exited and a very confused pegasus returned to her teapot.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Mr. Doctor." Fluttershy seemed apologetic for reasons the Doctor couldn't comprehend. "My dear," he began, "you have just cleared out an entire train car of dozens of different animals with a form of hypnosis so powerful that it managed to even effect me, and I have taken classes specifically to combat mind control technology and intense hypnosis. You have helped save all of us, and I am thoroughly impressed at your ability. You have nothing to apologize for." He made sure the timid mare smiled and all of the passengers had relaxed before moving on to the mystery at ha- Erm, at hoof. "Now then, Starlight, do you still have our headless friend with you?"

Starlight nodded, levitating a plastic torso that seemed to still be struggling. The Doctor got out his sonic and subjected it to his "magic" for the first time, just for a quick scan. "Remarkable! It does appear to be normal plastic. No other internal components whatsoever, and yet it moves as if it were alive! It's likely all external technology was just being used for its weapon in the arm." The rest of the car, both friend and bystander, gave a confused look at that last word. "Apologies, I meant its front leg.

"Normally, plastic is a completely harmless material. Well, it's harmful to the environment, but it normally doesn't have the urge to kill. In fact, it's not even supposed to be able to move like what remains of our aggressive friend here. It's certainly being controlled by an external source, but I haven't the faintest idea as to what that would be. Its origins should be a good place to start." He turned to his friends again. "Miss Rarity?"

Rarity, still trying to regain her nerves, kept her composure as she answered. "Yes, darling?"

"Miss Fluttershy told me you received some mannequins for your shop, and that you said they were made of plastic. Can you remember where you got them from?"

Rarity's composure suddenly vanished, and she seemed absolutely livid. "I should have known it was a trick! Giving away free mannequins for 'promotion?' What balderdash!" She gasped. "I left those things to have free reign in my shop! They could hurt Sweetie Belle, or my parents! This is the WORST! POSSIBLE! THING!" For once, the other girls noted, that phrase didn't feel like an exaggeration.

"Focus, my dear," the Doctor said. "Do you remember the name of the company, by chance? This could prove to be important!"

Rarity nodded. "It was called 'Set Ram industries.' I have no idea why it's called that, since it's apparently a minotaur-run company. I know that much due to the fact their CEO gave me a commission for a... Bizarre, but still fabulous outfit. I think I had to send that outfit out to..." Her eyes grew wide. "Canterlot!"

Starlight's magic faltered for just half a second due to her surprise. "That's where we're headed! Do you think that the Cutie Map sent us there because of this?" The Doctor slowly nodded his head in response. "If I'm here, there's no doubt of it. And whatever our assailant was was after me and Miss Fluttershy. I also suspect that the ones sent to Miss Rarity's boutique were being used to spy on us. They're expecting us." As if on cue, the train had come to a stop, putting everypony off-balance. A voice came from the intercom, announcing they had arrived at Canterlot station.

"Alright, Miss Rarity, get your luggage quickly. Time is of the essence!" Thankfully for the Doctor, Rarity was the only one to bring anything with them, that being her sewing supplies to make the Doctor's new outfit. When clothes were optional and you only planned to go somewhere for one day, who else needed luggage? The group quickly hurried out of the carriage and into the station, only to be welcomed by more of the plastic ponies, each wearing some of the most fashionable outfits in Canterlot, with a small hoof-full of hostages held at laser-point. The group stared at the living dummies in silence for a few moments.

"Aw, buck," Rainbow finally said.

---

The friends had been guided by their stylish jailors all the way through the burning and demolished Canterlot to a large, architecturally impractical castle. Along the street were many more mannequins holding various ponies hostage, as if to remind the group why they weren't starting a fight. Thankfully, it didn't seem like anypony was hurt... But there were some helmets and chest plates left abandoned on the ground here and there, which was plenty cause for alarm.

At the very least, their captors didn't seem to care if they talked.

Fluttershy nervously expressed one of her many, MANY concerns. "You don't think they were able to capture the princesses, do you?" The sun in the sky seemed to be in the exact same position as it had been 3 hours ago, with hardly a nudge. The only reason that would be was if Princess Celestia wasn't able to move it like she normally would.

Applejack just huffed in response to the worry. "If they did, it was in the same way we got got. They didn't want nopony ta get hurt, so they surrendered. Can't imagine immortals would be bothered by threats to their lives or anythin' like that. Ah just hope whatever's holdin' them up knows how important their jobs are."

"Well," Rarity began, "at least it's easy to see how they were able to take over so quickly. Canterlot is a hotspot for fashion throughout all of Equestria, which means a lot of marvelous shops. And what business owner would turn down free advertising? I know I couldn't! And who could possibly even suspect... Well-" She gestured around wildly- "Any of this would happen?" The sound of a laser shot into the air let Rarity know that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't a good idea to move sporadically when being threatened with laser weapons.

"That all being said," said the Doctor, " we should try and find out what they want from us. It's likely they need us alive for one reason or another. The one on the carriage was likely there just to show that they were a threat, not to actually hurt any of us. Otherwise, there would have been at least one casualty. Our existence is of value to them. Normally this information would allow us to be able to explore how much they're willing to tolerate from us, but due to the fact that this entire city is being held hostage, I discourage us from pushing our luck. At the very least, they're taking us to whoever's behind this, or at least someon- Erm, somepony in the chain of command."

Rainbow took over Applejack's eye-rolling duty from earlier. "Yeah, so we basically can't do anything until we land in their trap?" The Doctor answered with a simple "Precisely." Rainbow let out a long, heavy groan. "Great! Sure! We might as well stand on the red X on the ground they set up, too!" The Doctor just sighed and shook his head.

Eventually, they arrived at the castle. Once inside, they were led down a hallway that all the girls recognized. "Wait," said Fluttershy, "we're heading to the princesses' throne room!"

When they did get to the throne room, a figure unfamiliar to all of them was sitting atop the throne while a sad & defeated-looking Princess Celestia sat to one side and a mannequin holding a guard hostage was on the other. The figure was a grey, male minotaur. Rarity recognized the outfit, at least, as he was dressed in a black Nehru jacket with matching slacks and gloves that she had hoof-crafted herself. Their captor's mane was slicked back, while both it and it's beard had a salt and pepper color to them, black interspersed with white and grey.

Actually, the more the Doctor thought about it, that beard looked rather familiar. He knew a former friend of his who would try his best to maintain a goatee throughout his regenerations, even that one time he was a woman. Their friendship ended since his ambitions and pride had caused the Doctor to butt heads with him, and the Doctor had to stop him on more than one occasion... No, there was no way. The Doctor didn't even have an idea of how he ended up here, so there was no way he was able to follow him, right? It simply was not possible!

"Hello again, Doctor," the minotaur bellowed. He stood from his stolen seat, and he gave a light laugh that caused Fluttershy to cower behind Rainbow. "Do you like this form?" The minotaur approached the Doctor slowly. "It took me a while to get used to it, really, but it's certainly grown on me." Now that the beast was closer to the Doctor, he could sense that the villain was, indeed, a Time Lord. "As a matter of fact, while I lack the quote-on-quote 'magic' that most species of this land seem to have, I make up for it with the quite literal strength of an ox." He flexed one of his arms, admiring his own physique.

Rainbow had had enough. She hated it enough when somepony other than her was being a show-off, never mind when the idiot in question was threatening the lives of her friends, the princesses, and even ponies she didn't even know. "Alright pal, who the hay are you supposed to be?" The minotaur chuckled in response. "Dearest Doctor, why don't you tell them who I am? I do very much enjoy hearing you, of all people, say my name." The Doctor stared daggers into the eyes of his former friend and current foe. He gave a look that would have frightened anyone except who it was directed at, who was still wearing a rather smug smirk. He swallowed before saying the name of their captor.

"The Master."

Comments

[Haradion]

>Best save that for the fairy tales, used exclusively to defeat the likes of the Big Bad Wolf and the Toclafane. It had no place in reality.

Hah. You can tell the Doctor is young here. There are few things more terrifying that a fairy tale.

Zagreus sits inside your head,
Zagreus lives among the dead,
Zagreus sees you in your bed,
And eats you when you're sleeping...

>"It was called 'Set Ram industries."

Now that's an odd sounding - Oh. Oh I see.

>"The Master."

Nailed it.

I always loved the 3rd Doctors reaction to the Master. "I refuse to be worried by a jackonapes like the Master! He's an unimaginative plodder!"

Still. In canon, the Time Lords are concerned enough that they let the Doctor know he has escaped. I wonder how he ended up here?

My guess is that hes made a fragile alliance with the Nestene, and now sees the chance to ditch them for the Doctors allegiance.

What's curious is that in main canon, the Masters arrival on earth comes after the Doctor is helping out Unit for some time. He has an incentive to protect it from the Master who schemes to conquer the earth. In this timeline, arriving at pretty much the same time as the Doctor, changes the dynamic somewhat. Is he stuck here too? Is he interested in working with the Doctor to escape?

I wonder which incarnation of the Master it is; and if he is from Romanas Universe, the Doctor's universe, or a new one. Did he flee the time war? Has he already fought the Doctor across the stars?

I'm assuming hes a minotaur version of the Delgado Master, but he could plausibly be from anywhere in his timeline. Or even a Pre-Delgado incarnation.

I wonder how he got here.

That opens up the possibility of theed timelords from three different time periods, potentially from three different universes.

The Web of Time has to be under strain.

How intriguing.

I wonder what Romana will think of the Master. In Big Finish she greatly fears him, and she spends several years believing him to have personally killed her closest friend (though she does turn out to have survived. They meet up again when Romana is on the run) but yeeting her out a Tardis into the Vortex.

[The Madwomen]

11823350
Well, you have once again added so much with your mountain of Dr. Who knowledge. We had never realized the MOUNTAIN of accomplishments Romana had under her belt. We're also doing something similar to that Celestia analogy, as well as why she became Pinkie, thank you very much for the ideas! That being said, we'll put on the record we are far more familiar with the comics when it comes to extended universe lore.

Now that's an odd sounding - Oh. Oh I see.

Yes, truthfully it's meant to be somewhat obvious, but only with hindsight.

Still. In canon, the Time Lords are concerned enough that they let the Doctor know he has escaped. I wonder how he ended up here?

That will be revealed in a future chapter, though we will say he's from the same universe as the Doctor. We'll also say that this is the Delgado Master, since that's not likely to come up within the story.

I wonder what Romana will think of the Master. In Big Finish she greatly fears him, and she spends several years believing him to have personally killed her closest friend (though she does turn out to have survived. They meet up again when Romana is on the run) but yeeting her out a Tardis into the Vortex.

Ooooh good point. We're loosely following Big Finish lore here, so we'll be sure to add that in. In any case, thank you for your comments! They're always appreciated!

[Haradion]

11823876

There's a whole Bunch of stuff in Wider EU lore. The idea for the Last Great Time War originates in some of the books and features a "War In Heaven" between the Time Lords and an Unknown "Enemy". Because the Entire War exists in the future with its events rippling back to through History to the present the books take place in, the exact details are murky, but it seems that the Romana in these Books regenerates into a much colder, less noble form. Almost like her version of the War Doctor (though it predates the concept by about a decade.) This version of Romana is not nice. She's arguably a villain in her own right, is fairly contemptuous of the Doctor and willing to do some pretty messed up stuff. She is eventually killed when the Doctor averts the upcoming Time War by destroying Gallfrey - though the possibility it could be restored is left open.

Personally, I prefer the timeline depicted in Big Finish; (I think of one as the Pre-Time War timeline, whilst the latter happens as result of changes made in the Time War) and can wholeheartedly recommend Big Finish. A lot of the older stuff is available for free on Spotify if you're interested. They are dedicated Doctor Who fans who singlehandedly revived characters like the 6th Doctor (not a very popular Doctor as they go) and Mel (One of the worst Companions) and turned them into something brilliant. They've made spin offs of just about every Doctor Who character to have ever lived, they've got enough of Tom Baker recorded that if he dies tomorrow they'll still be releasing stories with him up to the 2030s, and they're a tiny company with so much passion for what they do.

Their spin off stories involving Romana, Leela and Narvin are some of the best they've ever done, and they were the first to go diving into the Time War; all three of them fighting in the War. I am particularly fond of Leela's description the War Master. This Interaction during the Time War is delightful. Leela never meets the Master in the TV series, but there are some Big Finish Stories when she meets the "Crispy" Master. The Master thrives in the Time War and that frightens her more than anything. (Big Finish couldn't get Ainley back when they wanted to have Master Stories set After "Survival", so established that The Master "Reverts" to the Crispy Master whenever he loses whatever body he is possessing at the time. So there are Crispy Incarnations set between the Ainley and Bruce all voiced by Geoffrey Beevers. Technically he dies in that form for good. For about 10 seconds: at which point his future incarnation Resurrect him. Technically "The Time Lords" The Master mentions in his phone call to the 10th Doctor were his War, Bruce and Missy incarnations. Not that he ever knew that. Big Finish does *crazy* stuff. I can't recommend it enough.)

After about 20 years of Big Finish, I think Leela is more Romana's companion than the Doctor's. What precisely happens to Leela's Gallifreyan Husband is a bit of a spoiler, but its suffice to say that she ends up relying on Romana's protection to survive on Gallifrey where is she treated more as an animal than a person. She nevertheless ends up considering it her second home though, and fights for it.

Seeing Romana change and become this Pillar of Strength is really something. In one of my favourite Scenes, she takes possession of a Chameleon Arch and briefly considers using it to escape the War. She cannot bring herself to do so, because she considers what the Time Lords have become to be in part her responsibility, and instead stays behind and is seemingly exterminated by approaching Daleks (She was in fact plucked out of this point by an old friend, but this wasn't known in Universe or indeed to many listeners for a good few years. She is used by the Dalek Emperor as "His Voice", speaking through her to the Time Lords. She is rescued by a group of Renegade Timelords who are opposed to Rassilon's Reign, but she is recaptured by Rassilon.

Honestly, having "Future Romana" Meet a Doctor who is younger than she ever knew him is quite a fascinating concept.
Initially, Romana is the student. She's never left Gallifrey when she is assigned to the Doctor in the search for the Key to Time. She's just graduated the Academy. She is a skilled student. In some respects, she needles him by being better: She makes a better sonic screwdriver after realising she can improve upon the design, she remembers facts and figures more than he does. Nevertheless he teaches her more of the universe than she could have found and ends up staying in a pocket universe just to avoid going back home; then when she returns she succeeds him as President of Gallifrey. She's also the first Companion to be the Doctor's equal. Not an assistant or someone who needs rescuing but a fellow renegade Time Lord.

But Future Romana is probably older than this Third Doctor by now. And this Third Doctor is essentially still the Second at this point. For the first time in their relationship, she's the one with knowledge, with authority. She has more experience, more wisdom, and knowledge of his future. The Last Time She Saw the Doctor, she had reports he was refusing to go by the Name Doctor, and had raided the Omega Arsenal. She was ashamed at what the Time Lords had become, and that it had happened on her watch: to the point she was willing to die assassinating Rassilon - the closest thing to a God the Time Lords have.

She's very different to the Romana we saw on screen. Mind you, come to think of it, if she is expecting to see Her Doctor, she's going to be disappointed. This version of the Doctor isn't the Man with the Scarf. He hasn't seen any of that. He summoned the Time Lords to put an end to the War Lord, and for that they stole his friends, murdered him and sentenced him to exile. Rainbow Dash understood it well: It would be as if She saved the Day and the Sister's thanked her by separating her from her friends, erasing Applejack and Twilight's Memory of her, clipping her wings and leaving her flightless on a desolate island somewhere inhabited by primitive griffons.

Its going to be interesting.