The Stallion Lost in Time

by InsignificantGryffindor

The Master of the Medusa Bots

The Master of the Medusa Bots

The Master of the Medusa Bots was unknown. He gave orders to the bots from a secluded area, his identity left veiled from the rest of the pony world. His bots don't dare question their master, and follow his orders willingly. The Master had no heart, no. He had lost that many a millennia ago. The Master only chuckled darkly, often thinking of his plan, often pondering the doom of the ponies that live in Equestria.

Now he had created the Medusa Bots, but for what purpose? Had he created these mechanical ponies to be his servant, or did this terrifying god have something more devious planned?

The Doctor had to decide this himself as the Medusa Bots took him to their master.

She let felt the ground beneath her hooves disappear suddenly, and felt strong hooves grip her tightly. She screamed as they carried her higher and higher above the ground. The cold arms stifled her lungs, and her breaths came in short gasps. Ditzy's hooves stirred the air in panic as she looked at the earth below her. The land changed from Everfree Forest to farmland rapidly, the moving specks toiling away at the fertile soil. She felt panic rise in her throat. "Doctor!" she yelled, trying to seek comfort from this stranger. "What's happening?"

The brown stallion did not respond, and instead stared wide-eyed at the mechanical automatons. They were shaped like a pony, with heavy, purple wings, and their pupils were swirls of violet shades. Their manes looked frizzy, with ringlets lining their back. Their mouths creaked as they spoke to one another.

The Doctor stopped observing them, hostility forming in his chest. "Where are you taking us?"

The Medusa Bots continued on with their bizarre-sounding conversation and ignored the frazzled Doctor.

"Who's your master?" the Doctor cried, but to no avail. The bots acted as if he weren't there. "Tell me now, or else!"

The bots stopped communicating with each other and fixed the Doctor with their mad gazes. Not a second later, loud creaking noises were heard from their metal mouths, oil dripping from their eyes. The Doctor watched in awe as their shoulders bounced, and realized with a flash of anger that they were laughing at him. He reached towards his pockets for his sonic screwdriver, but grasped nothing. He bit down on his lip in anger. Being made fun of is never a fun thing.

Ditzy looked uncertainly at the Doctor, eyes crossing. "Where are they taking us?"

He scrunched his eyebrows. "Their master. It's best not to struggle. Stay calm and I'll try to figure something out." The wind skimmed over his head, making his ears roar. Ahead, a large mountain protruded out of the ground. A grand white castle hung from the summit, its ivory turrets sticking through the low clouds. They soared past the grand castle and ventured further, the early dawn sun casting pale amber rays onto their shocked faces. The bots had eventually stopped laughing cruelly and continued to speak in their strange, creaky tones. The Doctor fell silent, engrossed in deciphering their strange language. He was so busy he had barely noticed Ditzy call his name. "Doctor!" She called once more, eyes flicked with worry.

"What?" He snapped out of his contemplative state, and turned his gaze to the gray mare.

"We're... we're lowering." She said, voice softened by a minute amount of fear. Her face kept a strong look of determination, and for that the Doctor admired her, but he did not know if he could protect her. He often doubted if he could ever return the small filly to her and make the family whole once more.

The land below him had turned from tumbling hills to a rocky canyon, the sun beginning to glare more harshly from it's sky-blue pedestal. The bots carried him and Ditzy through the hefty rocks, swiftly maneuvering through the eroded sandstone. The bots' altitude decreased more, becoming so close to the sandy surface that their hooves skimmed the cool ground. Ditzy had not said a word, but instead had set her hard stare ahead. Her eyes had become crossed and red from the sandy winds , but that did not diminish her courageous attitude. Perhaps she thinks that she could get her niece back, thought the Doctor. If we have any luck, we might actually find her.

"Dinky's not the only one to disappear, you know." Ditzy spoke abruptly. "There have been others. The Elements of Harmony, to be exact."

The Doctor's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "The Elements of what?"

Ditzy swiveled around to face him, amber eyes alight with surprise. "You mean you haven't heard of the Elements of Harmony?" She bit her lip as the brown stallion shook his head. "They're... hard to explain." She continued on, "They help protect Equestria by the bonds of friendship. They're like warriors, providing ponies safety and shelter from all things evil. But lately, they have been disappearing. First it was Pinkie Pie, the element of Laughter. She really knew how to make a pony smile. Then came Rainbow Dash, the most brave and loyal of all ponies. And last was Fluttershy, the element of Kindness. She's very timid and shy... she must be terrifie-" she abrupty stopped as the bots swooped into a large crevice in a great plateau.

The crevice opened up into a large, black cave, moss hanging low from the ceiling and hitting the pair in the face as they ventured on. Eventually, the bright sun that illuminated the rocks faded, leaving only dark. It was silent. The only sound heard was the slow creaking of the wings of the Medusa Bots. They had traveled so deeply into the cave, their eyes could not distinguish any shape in the blackness. Ditzy looked around in panic, not even trying to hide her dismay anymore. "Doctor," her voice was breathless and weak. "I'm scared..."

"It'll be all right, just keep- AGH!" A sudden bright light had pierced his vision. Ahead of him, the cavern stopped suddenly, a bright, ominous light shining from the center of the cave. A tall, blurry figure arose from the rays, a malicious grin on the gray face.

"Bravo, Doctor! You have made it to my sanctuary! Ten points for cleverness. I mean a storybook, who knew?" He laughed at his joke, before giving himself a high-five. The Doctor blinked, blue eyes coming into focus around the figure. He stared at the round, yellow eyes filled with mischief and disarray. He stared at the mismatched wings and long, snakelike body. He stared at the sickly green lizard leg, and the dusty brown goat's leg. He stared at the red, scaly tail that swung around the creature's body. And he stared at the strange appendages that the creature might call arms. A grin appeared on his face once more. "Surprise." The light faded.

Ditzy gasped. "Discord! But I thought you were serving for Celestia, now!" Her voice rose in panic, making the Doctor wary. Who was this creature?

The creature's chaotic gaze flicked over to her. "Hush now, pony. I'm speaking to someone else right now."

Ditzy stamped her hoof, eyes blazing with fury. "You're a traitor! You were supposed to serve Celestia and Luna! When I get home-"

Discord sighed and snapped his fingers tiredly. The pegasus had stopped speaking. The Doctor whipped his head around to see that Ditzy had disappeared. A small gray feather was left in her absence. The Doctor turned to his head to this creature called Discord and glared at him. "Return her right now!"

Discord looked at him apathetically.

"If you don't, and you insist on being such a cruel creature, I could tear you. I could rip your very soul out. No one in this strange universe will ever hurt an innocent life here! No, not if I could help it! And you know why that is? Because I'm a protector, a preserver, a guardian of all things good. And do you know what happens to those who defy me? They get destroyed. These ponies may not be humans, but I will damn well protect them with all of my power. And you will be nothing but a pile of ash!"

Discord looked at him, eyes wide and jaw dropped, before erupting into a fit of laughter. "Destroy me? BWAHAHAHAHA! Listen here, little doctor, I'm a god. Your pitiful attempts to 'destroy' me will probably end up with me laughing. That's how things usually go." He rolled onto the floor, shoulders heaving.

The Doctor glared at him, insulted. Never before had he someone laugh at him in the face. Well, besides the Master. "Say what you will, Discord." he said, eyes flashing dangerously. "But each time someone like you decided to rule the planet with a tyrannical claw, I have brought them down on their knees and had them beg."

Discord stopped rolling about on the floor laughing, and sat up. "Well, aren't we the egotistic one." His eyes glowed red, and suddenly the cave disappeared, leaving both the Doctor and Discord in a black void. The Doctor yelped in surprise as the gravity soon vanished, causing him to float about the abyss. He swung around to face Discord, who was swimming through the air, a content look on his asymmetrical face. Suddenly, images flashed past the two. Images depicting faces long gone, but never forgotten. The Doctor watched intently as one showed a woman with bright blonde hair, a grin flashing on her face. A man quickly followed her, a man with spiky brown hair with a lanky build. They hopped onto a small vehicle, both with broad smiles on their faces. The image evaporated, and a new one came from the shadows. This one had the same blonde woman crying on a shore, as the man, who stood adjacent to her, vanished suddenly. Discord had ceased frolicking in the black shadows and now floated behind him. The Doctor turned to look at him, eyes gleaming, not from anger, but deep, mind-rattling sadness. "Stop it," he begged.

The chaotic being merely chuckled before hovering off into the darkness again. The saddened woman's face melded into the shadows, a new image soon followed its place. A dark skinned woman stood on a gray surface, looking out on the dusty surface of the moon, eyes hungrily taking in the Earth that was a million miles away from where she stood. The man was beside her, a smile etched on his face. The image converged with another, and soon went away to make room for a more morose depiction. There was the same dark-skinned woman, now frowning, and speaking with the man. The man faced betrayed nothing, and he stood and watched as his friend left him in the hollow TARDIS. "Please," he whispered, voice shaking.

He responded with a merciless laugh. The image changed once more, this time it was a larger woman with ginger hair. She speaking excitedly to the same man, a baffled look on his face as she handed luggage to him. She ventured inside the blue box, a gleeful look flickering on her face, before another image replaced it. The man was sitting on the couch, eyes aged with years of grief as the ginger woman entered the room. She said nothing to the man, acting as if she never even seen him before, and instead turned to an older woman and man, excitedly telling them of her friend's lives. The same man stood and left, leaving the woman and her conversationalists. She didn't know who the man was, and never would. "Stop it," the Doctor breathed. "Stop it right now!" His voice shook with grief and fury. He knew what Discord was going to say.

Discord regarded him with an unabashed look. "Now that you know the grief that these people brought you, why would you need that brain-dead pony? All she will bring is momentary happiness, that will be disintegrated under the weight of the impending grief that will swallow you up. Haven't you enough grief? Wouldn't it be best to- I don't know- not care anymore?" He raised his paw, a claw inching towards the Doctor's forehead. "Maybe you could... join me in power." His eyes swirled with foretold madness, relaxing the Doctor, making him forget all he cared about. He let go of his caring personality, letting a new, cold-blooded personality take over.

I suppose... in a way... they all break my hearts.

His color grayed.

Then, he thought of Rose, and her unbridled generosity, how she cared for everyone. He thought of Martha, and her healing talents, and how her smile would light up and whenever he spoke. He thought of Donna, and her loud, boisterous attitude. He realized that he could never forget them, even after they have long gone. An image of Ditzy's face blazed through his mind. He could not give up.

"No!" he cried out, being released from Discord's evil magic. "I will never join you." He raised his eyes to Discord's. His forehead glistened with sweat, eyes dark from anger and hate. "I have something you will never have, and that is love and compassion! There is nothing you can say to change my mind."

Discord looked at him, an odd grin splaying across his deformed face. He chuckled. "Whatever you say then, Doctor. Oh and-" his paw flicked once more and a flash of gray and yellow burned and evaporated within a second. A confused gray mare appeared, her eyes crossed and wings fluttering in nervousness. "Here's your pony back. I don't need her."

She blinked and let out a huge breath. "What... what happened?"

The Doctor put a tentative hoof on her shoulder as the abyss faded away into the cave. Discord stood with an aloof pose, eyes dull. "Well, now I'm bored." He clapped, and a great purple dust-cloud rose from the sandy ground. As the dust cleared, a bruised filly coughed. Her blonde mane was ruffled, and her hooves were dirty. Ditzy, beside him, stifled a relieved sob. "Dinky!" she yelped and hovered over to her, checking for serious injuries. "Only needed her to lure you here." Discord remarked.

"And you'll might need something else." With a snap of his fingers, three figures appeared. One was a cerulean pony with bright, rainbow hair and feathered. On her neck adorned a gold necklace, and in the middle was a small red lightning bolt. The other pony was light pink and had darker, fluffy hair. Her neck was embellished with the necklace, but the pendant had only three balloons of a sky-blue color. The last was a pale yellow pegasus, with soft, rose-colored hair and a pendant in the shape of a butterfly. All were asleep, eyes firmly shut and limbs moving freely. Dinky, the little filly on the floor, reached out with an uncertain hoof. Discord moved quickly in front of the Elements, making the lilac filly flinch. "You didn't actually think that I would freely give them away, did you?" Waving his eagle talons in front of them, he made them disappear. The Doctor blinked in awe.

Discord laughed at their puzzled expressions. "Don't worry, little ponies," he had stopped laughing, and his eyes were now alight with amusement. "You'll find the Elements. You have a TARDIS, don't you, Doctor? All you have to do is travel through time and space, and find the pink one with the candy race! The shy one is timid and afraid, you'll find her at the masquerade! And last but not least, the rainbow one at feast!" He stopped talking, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Definitely not my best one, but it'll send you roaming throughout the universe for a good long time."

The Doctor's mouth was agape. Ditzy was in shock. Dinky looked befuddled.

"You can go now."

And with a flash, they were in the TARDIS.

Comments

[Hearnishere123]

Discord you are doing it all wrong. He has a the Tardis, so he could simply come back right after he left. Now, if you were planing on messing with time and space while the Doctor is gone to prevent him from coming back right away. You still forget he could go back to before his past self got there and lay low until his past self leaves.

However, those are just nit-picks which can be looked over or filled in. This chapter look good with the way you do play on the Doctors past. I do find it hard that Discord would need anything to get the Doctor. I understand not using his powers to teleport the others due to Twilight. But it feels like Dinky was just take to simply get Ditzy to play apart. Now if Dinky was sent off with one of the Elements then it would make a bit more sense. Oh well, keep up the good work.

~Hearn