> The Doctor Whooves Chronicles Episode 4: Under the Sea
>  by Doctor Perseus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Curse of the Blue Box
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Doctor Whooves Chronicles: Episode 4


Under the Sea



Prologue: Curse of the Blue Box


Gaia, 1215 C.E.

The corridor was cold and empty when the two Atlantean soldiers entered. It was long and dimly lit by the several green flame torches suspended from the walls. One side of the corridor was constructed from thick, green bricks while the other was constructed of thick, stained glass windows that rippled with the light of the deep, ocean waters outside. One of the soldiers came to a stop in the middle of the corridor and turned towards the windows. He was a tall, thin, slender Atlantean with green, smooth, scaly skin; sharp, blue eyes; and a long, red, serpentine tongue. His comrade turned around to face him. He was also tall, thin, and slender but had a bit more muscular build. He had blue, rough, scaly skin; a long, violet, serpentine tongue, and dull, red eyes.
"Is something wrong, Dolarez?" asked the blue Atlantean with a bored tone.
Dolarez smiled as he turned away from the stained glass windows and towards his fellow soldier. "Ah. Forgive me, Avarus. I do enjoy looking at the windows," he replied.
"Why take any interest in these? They're merely pieces of painted glass."
"But they are so much more than that, brother. They are the retelling of our history, as well as the history of the lands above." Avarus snorted a bit upon Dolarez's mentioning of the overworld. "I take it that you have a problem with that."
"Why must we worry ourselves with the lands above the water?! They are nothing special."
Dolarez chuckled a bit at his comrade's statement. "I'm afraid that I must disagree with you. The lands above are wonderfully mystical places. I wish to visit them one day."
"If I were you, Dolarez, I would stay far way from that world. It is too dangerous to meddle with. Changelings, dragons, griffins, and, worst of them all, those wretched ponies."
Dolarez jumped a bit as if something were about to jump out of the shadows and attack them. "I wouldn't go around saying things like that, brother. Especially with the Prince of Equestria coming to visit."
Avarus rolled his eyes as he continued down the corridor. Dolarez followed hastily. "I see no need for us to converse with that blasted country. What do they have to offer us?" Avarus asked in annoyance.
"It's time for Atlantis to open up to the world above," Dolarez replied. "Our King and many of our people are ready to start communicating commonly with the ponies, griffins, and everything else that lives up there."
"Well, between you and me, if I had my way we'd have a new king and stay far away from those stupid overworlders.
"You're starting to sound like those terrorists that are trying to murder the King."
"I'm thinking of taking up the cause of those terrorists."
Dolarez gasped and quickly grabbed Avarus's arm. "Avarus, please, in the name of Atlantis, don't act upon these dark thoughts. You know what happens to those who walk about the dark road."
"These terrorists aren't walking a dark path, Dolarez! They're fighting for the true needs of Atlantis!"
"By killing innocents and terrorizing their fellow Atlanteans?! I'm sorry, brother, but that sounds dark to me."
Avarus yanked his arm free from Dolarez's grasp. "Whatever."
"The blue box will come for them," Dolarez said with a sigh.
"What?" asked Avarus as he turned around.
Dolarez pointed towards the stained glass window they were standing next to. Avarus looked at the window. The stained glass depicted a blue box traveling throughout the stars with a golden light flowing out of it. "Don't act like you don't know, brother. Every Atlantean is told of the Curse of the Blue Box while they lie in their cribs. The box comes to help serve justice to those who commit terrible crimes. It comes with the warriors it carries inside it; and the warriors serve the box's will to serve true justice." Dolarez smiled and sighed as he turned towards the window. "Some say that there's a healer inside that box that has been to the beginning and end of time. They say the box comes from another reality altogether. They say that the inside of it goes on for eternity. Others say-"
"That's a load of rubbish, brother. It's just an old story to keep all of the little Atlanteans in check."
"I bet you that it's real. And I feel that it's coming for the terrorists that you glorify. Please, don't go through your dark urges to join them, Avarus. I don't want the box to take you."
Avarus chuckled as he turned towards his comrade. "The box isn't coming for me, Dolarez. It's not coming because it doesn't exist." Avarus then turned around and passed through a nearby door.
Dolarez sighed sadly as he turned back towards the window depicting the flight of the blue box. "Please, blue box. I beg of you to come," he said just under his breath. "Atlantis needs you. Please, if you are real, come to me."
> Atlantis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 1: Atlantis


Time Vortex

The Doctor leaned back against the edge of the console as he set the TARDIS to float silently and calmly within the walls of the Time Vortex. "So, is that everything?" Derpy asked as she approached him.
"Yes, I believe so," the Doctor replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a notepad. "Let's see. Have Isaac Longhair give your past self the warning and paint the picture."
"Check!"
"Leave the history book and note in Carrot Top's house."
"Check!"
"Meet Carrot Top and take her for a quick trip in the TARDIS."
"Check!"
"By George, I think we're done!"
Derpy clapped her hooves and skipped happily around the TARDIS. "So where should we go for our first intentional trip, Doctor?" she asked as she stopped skipping and stared straight into the Doctor's eyes.
"Wherever you like, Ms. Hooves," the Doctor replied as he stepped away from the console.
A look of awe and wonder appeared on Derpy's face and she began skipping around the console again. The Doctor took amusement at the pegasus's excitement. Then, suddenly, she came to a stop. "I...I don't know where to go."
"Come on. There must be some place where you'd like to go."
"There's lots of places I want to go, Doctor. I just can't think of any of them."
The Doctor sighed deeply before smiling at the pegasus. "Well, why don't we just take a shot in the dark and see where the TARDIS takes us?"
"Ooh! Sounds exciting! Let's do that!"
"Allons-y!" The Doctor ran over to the console, pressed a series of buttons, and pulled down two levers. He and Derpy held on as the TARDIS proceeded to take them to their mystery destination.

Gaia, 1215 C.E.

Derpy could feel her heart racing as the TARDIS soon came to a stop. "So where are we?" she asked with an excited tone.
"Let's see," said the Doctor as he looked at one of the screens in the main console. "We're still on your planet. The year is 1215 C.E. And...it appears that we're underwater."
"Underwater? Are we at the bottom of the ocean?"
"Yes. I believe we are." Derpy gasped. "Oh! Don't worry! We're not sitting out on the ocean floor or anything like that. We're in an underwater structure of sorts."
Derpy gave a sigh of relief. "Thank Celestia. I was worried for a moment there, Doctor."
"Well, are you ready to start exploring?" The Doctor extended one of his forelegs and Derpy happily took it. They walked towards the TARDIS doors, the Doctor opened them, and they proceeded to step through.
Outside the TARDIS was a lounging area. Green sofas and chairs were scattered throughout the room. The walls, floor, and ceiling of the room were bright blue in color and one of the walls was constructed from thick, transparent glass. Derpy stared in awe as the vast expansion of the ocean seemed to expand out before her.
"It's like being on the Moon...except underwater," Derpy exclaimed with glee. "So Equestria's going to have an underwater base in 1215?"
The Doctor looked around the room and shook his head. "I'm not so sure of that, Derpy," he stated.
"Why is that?"
"Something about this room, something about this entire place we're in, tells me that ponies didn't build this." The Doctor grabbed one of the pillows on the sofa, smelled it, gave it a quick lick, and tossed it on the floor. He then took in a few breaths and shook a bit. "No. I don't believe your kind built this place, Derpy."
"Well, if ponies didn't build this place, then what did?"
Suddenly, a nearby door opened. Derpy and the Doctor looked to see a tall, slender, fishlike, serpentine creature with green, scaly skin and blue eyes enter. He was dressed in pieces of green and blue armor and a long, blue loincloth hung from his waste. He looked at the Derpy and the Doctor with a tilted head. "I thought the Equestrians weren't supposed to arrive for another hour," said the creature. Before the two ponies could say anything, the creature's attention was drawn towards the TARDIS. His eyes widened in disbelief and his jaw dropped like a brick. "I can't believe it. It's here. It heard me."
Derpy and the Doctor exchanged confused expressions as the creature fell to his knees. "Is something the matter?" the Doctor asked.
"No. Everything is great! The blue box has come!"
"Are you talking about the TARDIS?" Derpy asked suddenly.
"The what?" asked the creature.
"The TARDIS." Derpy pointed back at the TARDIS. The creature now appeared to be just as confused as Derpy and the Doctor. The Doctor cleared his throat and approached the creature.
"Well, I'm the Doctor, that's Derpy, and that's my TARDIS," he said.
"Are you saying that the blue box belongs to you?!" the creature asked.
"Yes. The blue box belongs to me. My companion and I used it to come here."
The creature slowly stood up and examined the Doctor. "So...you must be the healer. The one who resides within the box. The one who has seen the birth of time and the death of it."
"I don't really consider myself a healer. I'm just the Doctor."
"Is it true that the inside goes on for eternity?"
The Doctor raised an eyebrow and took a step towards the creature. "How do you know about my TARDIS?"
"The blue box? It's an ancient legend of our civilization that's been passed down for generations."
"And what civilization is this?"
"Atlantis."
A huge grin appeared on the Doctor's face just before he gave out a long, hearty laugh. "By the stars of Kasterborous! There's an Atlantis in this universe too? This world just keeps on surprising me," the Doctor exclaimed.
"That's an odd name. Atlantis," said Derpy.
"It's brilliant!"
"I don't really see how-"
"I'd be very interested in seeing the rest of this place," the Doctor said to the Atlantean.
"Of course!" the Atlantean stated as he gave a quick bow to the Doctor. "Any warrior of the blue box is welcome in Atlantis. But you must first come and speak with the King."
"The King? Why?" Derpy asked.
"It's about the reason why I called you here."
"I don't think you called us here. We just sort of ended up here at random."
The Doctor patted Derpy on the shoulder and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Come on, Ms. Hooves. Don't ruin the Atlantean's spirit," he said. "So, tell us, what's the reason you have for calling upon the blue box?"
"Atlantis is in trouble, sir," replied the Atlantean.
"You don't have to call me sir. The Doctor will do just fine."
"Okay...Doctor."
"So what kind of trouble is Atlantis in?"
"The King will be able to fill you in on all of the details."
"Then take us to him."
"Yes sir...er...Doctor!"
"Before we continue, I don't believe you told us your name."
"Dolarez."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Dolarez." The Atlantean seemed to shiver with excitement as he turned around to lead Derpy and the Doctor out of the room.
"So what's so important about Atlantis?" Derpy whispered to the Doctor as they exited the room.
"Back in my reality, it was an advanced civilization that met with a terrible fate," the Doctor whispered back. "I'm pleased to see that this one is better off than the one back in my reality."
"From the sound of things, it has a few problems of its own."
"Yes. Let's try our best to solve these problems. There are at least three versions of Atlantis back in my universe and all of them met horrible fates. I'd like to see at least one version of Atlantis have a happy ending."
> The Prince of Equestria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2: The Prince of Equestria


Gaia, 1215 C.E.

The Doctor and Derpy followed Dolarez down a long, green hallway that extended from the lounging room. The air smelled like an odd mix of mint, salt water, and fresh water. The Doctor found himself amused at how this universe's Atlanteans looked. The best way the Doctor could find himself to describe them were like anthropomorphic hybrids of snakes, lizards, and fish.
"Marvelous, isn't it?" the Doctor whispered to Derpy as they walked.
"What is?" Derpy asked.
"Everything! Everything about this place!"
"It's definitely an interesting place. However, it just feels like an underwater version of Moonbase One."
"Yes. That's exactly what it is!"
"You seem to be very excited about it."
"Of course I'm excited! New places! New adventures! New traveling companion! Beginnings are always exciting! Endings, however, are just...bleh! I hate endings!" They followed Dolarez through another series of doors before finding themselves in what appeared to be a station of sorts; however, instead of train tracks there was a long, clear, glass tube. There was a small line of Atlanteans standing in front of them. A few of the Atlanteans took amusement at seeing the Doctor and Derpy while a few simply turned away with an annoyed growl. "Best be on your guard, Ms. Hooves. I have a feeling that a few of the natives aren't thrilled about having foreigners visit."
Just then, a green, circular pod car with windows and double doors docked at the station. The doors in the pod and in the glass tube opened and a group of Atlanteans exited the pod. The Doctor, Derpy, Dolarez, and a few other Atlanteans proceeded to enter the pod. The pod car was lit with bright, blue lights and the air was almost as cold as a deep freezer. Once they were all inside, the doors closed with a soft hiss. The pod then gave a light jolt and shot down through the glass tube. The Doctor looked through the windows. It was obvious that the pod was moving incredibly fast but there was no sign of fast travel inside. A few of the Atlanteans sat down in the collection of chairs within the pod while others grabbed onto the metal poles located throughout it and continued to drink cups of what appeared to be purple coffee. 
For a few moments, all that passed by on the exterior of the car were the glass walls of the tube and the green walls of the exterior, brick wall. Eventually, the green brick wall disappeared and opened up to a vast, clear view of the surrounding ocean as well as a jaw-dropping view of Atlantis. The city was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of massive, green, metallic structures of great heights. The Doctor looked through the window and couldn't help but think of Atlantis as a gargantuan, underwater Las Vegas. Millions of lights sparkled throughout the city and thousands of glass tubes ran between the almost infinite number of buildings and locations. The city was so massive that looking out at it almost felt like looking out upon a country constructed entirely out of buildings and lights. There was also a collection of glass domes located at random areas. It took the Doctor a few tries to deduce that the glass domes were "outside" areas with parks, trails, and other things that one would normally find outside. The Doctor and Derpy looked through the front window of the pod car and deduced where they were headed. Their pod car was headed to a truly gargantuan glass dome that stood in the center of the city. Within the glass dome was a vast and thick forest with a few towers scattered throughout it; and in the very center of the dome stood a tall and luxurious castle that glimmered with green, purple, and blue lights. The tallest tower of the castle was hundreds of feet tall and had a massive, green flame burning at its very top.
"Don't tell Princess Celestia or Princess Luna, but this impresses me a bit more than Moonbase One," Derpy said with wide eyes.
"I think I have to agree with you, Derpy," the Doctor replied with a chuckle.

Derpy was quick to follow the Doctor and Dolarez out of the pod when it finally came to a stop at a station located at the very edge of the center dome of Atlantis. Being inside the center dome was strange. On the outside, Derpy could clearly see the dark depths of the ocean being lit only by the bright lights of Atlantis. However, the interior of the dome felt like being on the surface. A false sun stood at the top of the dome and cast yellow light down on the forest. The light of the false sun fought against the blue, purple, and green lights of the castle and, as an outcome, created a beautiful shower of colors that stretched over the forest like a rainbow of diamonds.
"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Derpy.
"It's brilliant!" exclaimed the Doctor.
"Come," said Dolarez as he beckoned for Derpy and the Doctor to follow him. The two ponies nodded and followed the Atlantean over towards a group of strange devices. Derpy couldn't find any words to describe them. They appeared to be vehicles with a main seat, pedals, and controls for the driver and two protruding seats for passengers that extended diagonally to the left and right behind the driver. "Atlantean hoverpods. These will get us through the forest and up to the castle in practically no time." Dolarez sat on the driver's seat while Derpy and the Doctor took the two passenger seats. Dolarez then turned a knob on the control panel which caused the hoverpod to levitate a few feet off the ground. He then pressed his webbed foot down on the nearest pedal and the hoverpod took off.
Derpy held on tightly as the hoverpod sped along the trail that wormed its way through the forest. Dolarez was very skilled in using the hoverpod as he managed to neatly avoid any obstacles that appeared in front of the moving vehicle. As Derpy held on for dear life, she could see that the Doctor was enjoying the ride and was giggling like a filly at a carnival. Derpy looked around as the forest seemed to turn into nothing more than a collection of blurred colors. "I think I'm going to be sick," Derpy groaned as her head began spinning. Before she got to the point of hurling, however, Dolarez brought the hoverpod to a quick, but smooth, stop.
"Here we are!" he exclaimed. "Welcome, Doctor and Derpy, to the Castle of Atlantis!"

Dolarez was quick to get the Doctor and Derpy into the castle. Beyond the main doors of the castle was a massive entrance hall. Several members of the Atlantean government could be seen moving about the castle and discussing political issues. Many of the government officials wore long, silver robes that dragged along the floor and moved as if they were made out of liquid silk. Dolarez turned to the Doctor and Derpy and said, "I will request your meeting with the King. You can then show your proof and we will discuss the issues at hand."
"Our proof?" Derpy asked.
"You'll see." Before the Doctor or Derpy could ask anything, Dolarez walked off towards a nearby elevator. 
"It must be surprisingly easy to ask for a meeting with the king here," the Doctor deduced.
"Yes, a bit too easy," said a new voice. The Doctor and Derpy turned to see a unicorn stallion standing next to them. He had a white coat, a blue mane, a cutie mark consisting of a blue shield containing a purple star, and appeared to be around Derpy's age. "It's quite foolish, considering everything that's going on."
"What's going on?" Derpy asked. "Who are you?"
"I'm visiting the King myself. My good friend has gone up to ask for a meeting as well." The unicorn then gave a quick sigh. "But it has been quite a while since then; and I am quite bored." A look of childish disobedience suddenly appeared on the unicorn's face. "My guess is that it's going to be a while for the King of Atlantis to accept either of our requests. I was supposed to stay here, but how's about you two join me for a trip to the Room of History and Glass?"
"The what?"
"Come on! Everypony's heard about it!"
"We tend to fall back on mainstream news," the Doctor lied.
"Well, follow me then. It shouldn't be too far from here, based on what I've heard," the unicorn said. He then turned around and began bounding off down a nearby hallway.
"Be on your guard, Ms. Hooves," the Doctor whispered to Derpy as they began to walk after the unicorn.
"I have a feeling that we're not in any danger from him, Doctor," Derpy whispered back.
"It's best to be prepared for anything."

Derpy and the Doctor followed the unicorn through a series of blue and purple hallways until they reached a golden door. The unicorn appeared to be trying to read something that was written on the top of the door.
"I wonder what that says," the unicorn said as he looked at the words. Derpy was confused for she was able to read the words above the door clearly.
"History is to be remembered, lest we wish to fall back into darkness," Derpy read aloud.
"You know ancient Atlantean?" The unicorn looked at Derpy with a large grin. "I wish I knew it. I've tried but it's a bit too confusing for me. Too many symbols." Derpy was still confused as the unicorn trotted through the doors.
"Ancient Atlantean? What was he talking about? That's written in English!" Derpy stated.
"No, it isn't. It's written in ancient Atlantean, it only appears to be English through your eyes," said the Doctor.
"Why?"
"You can thank the TARDIS for that. The TARDIS translation circuit. It allows you to hear or read any foreign language as your own."
"That's...really cool."
"I know, right? It certainly comes in handy when you're traveling amongst all of time and space." Derpy nodded in reply before walking through the doors alongside the Doctor.
Through the threshold was a large, circular room full of hundreds upon hundreds of stained glass panes. Each piece contained a picture of what Derpy and the Doctor assumed to be a historical event. The unicorn was trotting around the room and giggling with glee as he examined each and every pane of glass.
"You would not believe how long I've dreamt of seeing this place," he said. "My father saw this room during his early years, following the discovery of Atlantis by his father. Now I'm staring upon these very pieces of artwork with my own two eyes."
"And, who was your father?" the Doctor asked. The unicorn let out a chuckle as he turned towards the Doctor.
"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that."
"Actually, you do."
"Come on! You know who I am, right?"
"No. Neither of us do," Derpy replied.
The unicorn gave a dumbstruck look. "Where are you two from? Under a rock?"
"Possibly," the Doctor replied.
"I'm the Prince of Equestria: Shining Armor VI."
Derpy's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way!" she exclaimed.
"Yes way," replied Shining Armor VI.
"But...that makes you the great-"
"Uh...yeah. I'm the great-great-great-grandson of Shining Armor and Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire."
"The Crystal Empire?"
"Please tell me you know what the Crystal Empire is!"
"Uh...it's an empire made out of crystals?"
The Prince proceed to face-hoof before shaking his head and turning away. "That must have been a thick rock that you two lived under," he stated.
"Yes, it was certainly quite thick," the Doctor added with a smirk. "Perhaps you could tell us about what's going on in Atlantis at the moment."
"Civil war. That's what's happening."
"Civil war?" Derpy asked.
"Well, it's not a real war but it sure as hay is causing enough pain as a real one. There's these terrorists moving about the city and trying to spread the word that Atlantis should stay separated from Equestria, the Griffin Kingdom, and basically every single country that's not underwater."
"That's horrible."
"Tell me about it. They've been a thorn in Atlantis's overworld integration since my grandfather discovered Atlantis. A lot of my friends back home are saying that I was extremely brave...and foolish in choosing to come here."
"Because you'd be a prime target for these terrorists," the Doctor concluded.
"Yeah. And, not only that, the King of Atlantis himself has been made a prime target," the Prince added.
"It's no surprise there. I could only figure as much."
"I may be a young prince but I can still see and plan out a bright future for this city. It's already been a successful feat. I mean, this city existed for centuries before it was ultimately discovered. You'd think something like this would have been discovered sooner but it never was. If it weren't for my grandfather and his second-in-command, Don Hooves, Atlantis would have never been discovered."
"Don Hooves?" Derpy asked.
"Yeah. One of the most famous sea voyagers of the last century. Oh, I forgot, you two are apparently clueless when it comes to major events."
Derpy was silent for a moment before she shook the thought away of her having a possible connection to the sea voyager. "So, what is this place?" Derpy asked.
"The Room of History and Glass," replied the Prince. "It's famous for its retellings of famous, historical events through panes of glass constructed from Atlantean artists. In fact, they say that there's an old oracle living somewhere in the city who can look into the past and give the artists information of forgotten and lost events."
Derpy was looking at the vast collection of glass panes when her eyes fell across one that sent shivers down her spine. "Doctor!" she hissed. The Doctor turned towards her.
"What is it?" he asked. 
"Doctor...look at that one." Derpy pointed at a pane just a few feet from her and the Doctor. Derpy could see the Doctor's eyes widen. The two ponies approached the particular pane of glass. The glass pane depicted a gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane getting pulled into a mirror by a large, green monster; meanwhile, a humanoid creature fought the monster in the background while a chestnut earth pony stallion and a green monkey with four arms looked on. "Doctor...that can't be what I think it is...can it?"
"I...I'm not sure, Derpy," the Doctor replied. Suddenly, the doors to the room burst open and in walked a collection of Equestrian guards as well as Dolarez.
"Sir, the King will see you now," one of the guards stated to the Prince.
"It's about time," the Prince sighed as he followed the guards through the door.
"He'll be seeing you two as well," Dolarez added as he looked at Derpy and the Doctor.
"Come on, Derpy. The King is waiting for us," said the Doctor as he placed a hoof on Derpy's shoulder. As Derpy exited the room, she couldn't make herself forget about the glass pane; and, as she walked, the Jabberwocky's threat to her began to echo throughout her thoughts.
> The King of Atlantis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3: The King of Atlantis


Gaia, 1215 C.E.

The Doctor, Derpy, and Dolarez rode up the elevator in silence. It was a fairly large elevator, with enough room to hold at least twenty Atlanteans, that was painted in gold with hints of sapphire here and there. It rode up quite smoothly and next to no sounds could be heard as the golden chamber made its ascension.
"So the King is going to be seeing us at the same time as the Prince?" the Doctor asked.
"Yes," Dolarez replied.
"He must be quite a busy person."
"Yes...he is quite busy...especially of late."
"How high are we going?" Derpy asked.
"The King's throne room is located right underneath the Atlantean Flame," Dolarez replied.
"Wow...that's pretty high up."
"I don't think you have to worry about heights, Ms. Hooves," the Doctor stated with a chuckle. "What with you being a pegasus and all."
"Oh...right." Derpy flapped her wings as her face blushed a bit. "Sometimes I forget that."
"How can you forget that you have a pair of wings on your back?" asked Dolarez.
"I dunno." There was an awkward silence shared amongst the three inhabitants of the elevator.
"That's it?" Dolarez asked with a desire for more.
"Pretty much," Derpy replied with a giggle.
"I must admit that you two are very odd characters."
"Sir, would you ever expect a warrior of the blue box to be normal?" asked the Doctor with a grin.
"No...I guess I wouldn't," Dolarez replied with a gulp. The elevator came to a smooth stop and a quick ding rang out. "Oh, look! We're here already!" Dolarez quickly made his way out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened.
"WOW!" cried Derpy as she stepped out of the elevator. The Doctor had no need to ask about Derpy's excitement for he understood it. The throne room before them was truly a sight to behold. Massive pools of some sort of flammable liquid sat at the four corners of the room with fantastic plumes of green and blue fire shooting out of them. A massive sapphire stood on a rotating platform in the center of the room and cast a series of changing lights on the gold and silver walls. The floor was decorated in a silver and blue crystal web outline that blended perfectly with a collection of divine, red carpets. The ceiling contained five paintings that each depicted the face of an Atlantean: one was a male with green skin and blue eyes, one was a male with blue skin and red eyes, one was a female with blue and violet skin and silver eyes, one was a male with indigo skin and green eyes, and one was a female with red skin and blue eyes. There were many different Atlantean soldiers scattered all throughout the room of various sizes and colors. At the very front of the room was a golden throne the size of three average thrones with pieces of jagged diamond jutting out of its sides. A silver silk cloth ran down the center of the throne and came to the point where the throne touched the floor. Sitting in the throne was an Atlantean with blue skin and blue eyes. He was wearing a long, green loincloth; pieces of blue and silver armor; and a long, red cape that could have easily swallowed three average human men. The Doctor had a feeling that this Atlantean was quite tall when standing up.
"There he is," said Dolarez as he beckoned the Doctor and Derpy to stand next to him towards the back of the room while the Prince walked up to greet the Atlantean on the throne. "King Lycus." The Doctor smiled a bit and gave a witty chuckle. "Something funny?"
"No...well...kinda," the Doctor replied. "It's just funny that your king's name is Lycus and, in Greek mythology, Lycus was the son of Poseidon, the God of the Sea, and-" The Doctor stopped when he saw Dolarez give a confused face and he realized that the Atlantean soldier would probably barely understand any part of what he would have continued to say. "Uh...nevermind."
"Prince Shining Armor XI!" exclaimed King Lycus as he stood up and approached the unicorn stallion. The Doctor was right. King Lycus was a pretty tall creature, and probably really high-reaching when compared to the average Atlantean. The Doctor tilted his head and calculated that he was at least eight feet tall. King Lycus and the Prince proceeded to shake webbed hand and hoof. "What a pleasure it is to finally meet you in the flesh. I still remember the day your grandfather first stumbled upon my city."
"Wait? How could your king have met the Prince's grandfather?" Derpy whispered to Dolarez. "He'd have to be-"
"237 years old," Dolarez stated.
"What?"
"So how old does the average Atlantean become?" the Doctor asked.
"Around a hundred years or so. The reason King Lycus is this old is because when the King, or Queen, is selected, he or she is given the 500-year right," Dolarez explained. "The spell is cast during the coronation and this allows the new ruler to live up to the age of, well, 500."
"So your king or queen rules until he or she reaches the age of 500, they die, and you get a new king or queen?" Derpy asked with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Not necessarily. Some will be able to keep the throne until their 500th birthday, but the more unpopular rulers can be voted out and replaced with a new one."
"So your rulers are selected through a voting system?" the Doctor asked.
"Yes. We don't believe in passing the throne onto anybody just because they're related to the ruler."
"Finally! Something that speaks my terminology!"
"What was that?"
"Oh, nothing. But that is quite an interesting system."
"And it works. It keeps spoiled brats from taking the throne."
"Does an ex-king or queen still live to 500 if they're voted out?" Derpy asked.
"Yes. They still have the 500-year right after leaving the throne," Dolarez replied. "I find it strange how you two know so little about Atlantis. I'd thought the warriors of the blue box would know more."
"That reminds me, do you happen to know the origins of this Legend of the Blue Box?" the Doctor asked.
"Not truly. I just know that it's been passed down from generation to generation. The blue box has appeared randomly throughout the history of both Atlantis and the overworld. By the way, the correct term for the legend is the Curse of the Blue Box."
"Why call it a curse?"
"Because the blue box is a curse to all who seek to perform evil. When the blue box comes, evil is defeated and justice is served by the warriors within the box."
"I guess that does make sense."
"So, how do you two know so little about Atlantis?"
"That would take a while to explain and I don't believe we have much time to discuss this. All I'll say is wibbly wobbly timey wimey."
"Huh?"
"Now!" echoed the voice of King Lycus throughout the room. The King was sitting in his throne again and was now looking around the room. "I believe I have some other visitors that wish to speak with me. The warriors of the blue box, if I'm correct!" A series of murmurs began echoing amongst the soldiers in the room as all eyes turned towards the Doctor, Derpy, and Dolarez.
"Ah, yes!" the Doctor replied loudly. "That would be us!"
"Step forward!"

Just stay calm. Stay calm. You're just meeting the king of a massive civilization with soldiers that have really pointy spears. Nothing to worry about! Just stay calm, Derpy thought as she stepped towards the throne alongside the Doctor and Dolarez. Derpy could notice the Prince eyeing her and the Doctor curiously as they stepped forward. King Lycus examined them with his sharp, blue eyes as they came to a stop just a few feet from the foot of his throne.
"Soldier, are these truly the warriors in which you told me about?" the King questioned. Dolarez stepped forward before bowing before the King and nodding.
"Yes, your majesty. I know they don't look like much," Dolarez stated.
Hey! I don't think the Doctor and I look that unimpressive! Derpy thought in annoyance.
"Believe me, your grace, I would have never thought of bringing them to you if I had not seen the blue box for myself."
"Yes, and where exactly is this box?"
"In the lounge room a little ways away from station 914."
"Wow, this place has 914 stations?" Derpy whispered to the Doctor.
"I would think it safe to assume that there's far more than 914," the Doctor whispered back. King Lycus suddenly waved his hand in a slow, graceful motion. Derpy noticed a strange, metallic device on his wrist that emitted a flickering light as he waved his hand. A holographic image of the lounge room containing the TARDIS suddenly appeared before the King. Several gasps echoed throughout the room as everypony's eyes fell upon the TARDIS. Derpy even noticed the Prince looking wide-eyed at the box. She also noticed one, particular, blue-skinned Atlantean soldier off to the side who appeared to be glaring at her, the Doctor, and the TARDIS with a great amount of hate in his eyes.
"I must take a closer look at this," King Lycus stated in disbelief. He snapped his fingers and the TARDIS suddenly disappeared. The hologram faded away and the TARDIS materialized a few feet away from where Derpy, the Doctor, and Dolarez were standing. The King stood up and swiftly approached the TARDIS. Everypony in the room was silent as the King walked around the box and wiped his webbed hands on the wooden exterior. He also tried to open the doors but couldn't find them to open no matter how hard he tried. The King then turned to look at Derpy and the Doctor. Derpy could feel her face turning red with anxiety as the King moved over towards her and the Doctor. The King came to a stop in front of the Doctor and knelt down so that they were now staring straight into each other's eyes. "Who are you?"
The Doctor gave a confident smile as he stared back at King Lycus. "I'm the Doctor. That's my blue box and I believe you need help from me and my companion, your majesty," the Doctor replied. The King stared at the Doctor for another minute before standing up and heading back to his throne. He sat down and stared at every living creature in the room.
"Leave us," he eventually said. "Leave me alone with the warriors of the blue box." The soldiers in the room nodded nervously as they made their way out. Dolarez gave a quick wave to Derpy and the Doctor before following the others.
"Wait a moment," the Prince said suddenly as he passed by Derpy and the Doctor. "Did you just say that you're the Doctor?!"
"Yes," the Doctor replied. "I did."
"The Doctor?! You're the Doctor?!"
"That's what I said."
"Oh my C-"
"Young prince, if you would be so kind as to follow the others out. I need to speak with them in private," the King stated.
"Talk to me later! We need to talk!" Derpy heard the Prince whisper to the Doctor as he made his exit. A few seconds later, Derpy and the Doctor were alone with the King of Atlantis.
"Well!" the Doctor exclaimed as he took a step towards the throne. "I guess we have a lot to discuss, don't we?"
> The Fall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 4: The Fall


Gaia, 1215 C.E.

King Lycus leaned forward a bit. Derpy tried her best to avoid looking him in the eye. He had a powerful stare that suggested that he had seen many things and done a few things that he probably regretted. Upon looking into his deep, blue eyes, Derpy could strangely feel a strange sense of familiarity. She had seen a pair of eyes like that before. Eyes that were old, sad, wise, and distant. As she thought of the King's eyes, she awkwardly turned towards the Doctor. His usual giddy and witty smirk was planted on his face but his eyes still looked the same. No matter what mood he was in, the Doctor's eyes always looked the same to Derpy: old and wary with the weight of many horrific events of the past hidden deep within them.
"To tell you the truth, I had hoped dearly that this situation would have never come to pass," stated the King with a sigh.
"Something tells me that the situation here in Atlantis is getting to a breaking point," the Doctor replied.
"Yes. Are you aware of the situation?"
"To some degree, yes. A fair amount of Atlanteans aren't too keen on conversing with the overworld."
"Yes. It is sad to see that such hatred still exists today."
"But it's also understandable. Many creatures fear to cooperate with what is outside of their terms of normal."
"The reason for the hatred of Atlantis branching out doesn't necessarily have anything to do with fear, Doctor. You see, Atlantis has had encounters with the overworld before."
The Doctor's ears perked up and Derpy couldn't also help but be interested. "I'm guessing that the first encounter didn't go well," Derpy guessed.
"That would be correct," the King continued. "This was many centuries ago. There had been a deadly storm sweeping over the ocean. The storm was so strong that the Atlanteans could even feel its force down here. There had been a ship of ponies that had got caught in the storm. Needless to say, the ship sunk. Those who survived the initial sinking would have died if it weren't for the kindness of the the king of the time, Orion. King Orion brought the ponies to Atlantis to heal them of their wounds. During their stay here, they grew to know of Atlantis's history and culture and, thus, the Atlanteans grew to know more about the overworld and of its cultures. Our ancestors were open and saw this as the dawn of a new era for Atlantis. A time for us to finally branch out and make contact with the overworld. However, the ponies betrayed the Atlanteans." Derpy could feel a weight of strange, distant guilt suddenly overcome her. "The ponies, as it turned out, were really a band of thieves and traitors who had been traveling across the ocean to escape from the law. They had learned of our secrets and weaknesses and decided to take advantage of our advanced technologies. They wished to take our belongings and weapons, return to the surface, and wreck havoc on those who wished to impose justice on them. However, before they could leave, they were caught by King Orion. King Orion tried to stop them and this ended up costing him his life. The ponies murdered him, his family, and his soldiers to get out of the castle. They wrecked havoc throughout the city as they tried to escape. These ponies were surprisingly good at using our weapons. I can only figure they had practiced with them during their stay here. With our weapons, they went on a rampage through the city. Some of the buildings were damaged, water flooded some areas and destroyed them, and they even managed to temporarily kill the city's power supply. They nearly escaped but they were finally caught and killed by a simple maid who had fought against them to protect her children. This maid went on to be elected as the first Queen of Atlantis, Queen Aldona."
"And that's where the hatred began."
"Yes. For a long time, every Atlantean held a deep-rooted hatred for the overworlders, especially ponies. It took our species a long time to finally grow the courage to make small trips to the surface to watch the overworlders. Many of us, including myself, were still wary when the first expedition to our city occurred."
"The one conducted by Shining Armor IV," said the Doctor.
"Yes. Today, many of us have accepted the fact that not all overworlders are evil traitors and are happily willing to begin conversing with them. We are hoping to accomplish what our ancestors had hoped for when the first ponies arrived. But, sadly, many Atlanteans still hold their hatred for the overworlders; and, because I support the branching out of Atlantis, they've decided to begin terrorizing the innocent of the city to convince me to keep Atlantis to itself." The King sat back on the throne and sighed. "This group has been a pain in my side since Shining Armor IV first set hoof in this grand city. At first, it was just an afterthought. Now, it's become a huge threat that could possibly tear this city apart."
"And that's where we come in."
"I would assume so. I used to think that I could keep this group under control. But, they've grown more powerful, more aggressive, and more...ruthless. They're willing to kill innocent civilians, the Prince, and even me in order to keep Atlantis isolated. I'm sure, if given the access, they'd blow up this city."
"Why would anypony do that? I thought they wanted to quote-unquote save Atlantis!" Derpy exclaimed.
"They believe that being blown up would be a better fate for Atlantis than getting involved with the overworld," the King replied. "But, with you being here, I guess this proves that the situation is now out of my control. It looks like I'll be needing your help in dealing with this."
"Doctor, can I talk with you?" Derpy whispered to the Doctor.
The Doctor nodded to Derpy. "One moment!" the Doctor replied to the King. Derpy quickly led the Doctor off to the side. "What is it, Derpy?"
"How are we supposed to help him? What can we do to stop these terrorists? I mean, we've dealt with evil alicorns, moon monsters, and a creature from an alternate world with a vendetta against me...but this feels so...out of hoof."
"Well, what do you want us to do? Tell the King and Dolarez that we'd like to help but can't and then just run off?"
"No. I don't want to just up and walk away from this."
"Good! Because there's one thing you should get straight about situations like this: we don't walk away."
"Right. We don't walk away...but how-"
"Do you have faith in me, Derpy?"
"Huh?"
"Do you believe in me? Do you believe that I can indeed find a way to solve this?"
"Of course. I think you can do anything, Doctor."
"Well, I can't do anything. I mean I can do quite a lot of things but...wait a moment, I'm rambling. Anyway, you do believe that I can help the Atlanteans deal with their little terrorist crisis?"
Derpy was silent for a moment. She was completely stumped on coming up with any possible ideas in how to effectively take down an entire terrorist group. However, as she thought, she once again found herself staring deep into those ancient, tired eyes. She had to believe that there was a solution located somewhere behind those eyes. She had to believe that the Doctor had a plan. "Yes," Derpy replied.
"That's good. Because as long as my companion believes in me, I know I can do it," the Doctor stated with a smile. "Oh, and there's one more thing I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I believe in you too, Derpy Hooves."
"Me? What's there to believe in? I'm not smart or anything like you."
"You don't have to be. You can be helpful just on your own, Derpy Hooves. I've seen you do amazing stuff: mentally take down a moon queen and work together alongside an old childhood enemy to take on a monster from an alternate dimension." Derpy could feel her face turn red. She probably figured that her eyes were inverting as well when the Doctor gave a quick chuckle. "So, how's about this? You believe in me, I believe in you, and we manage to stop this crazy crisis. How does that sound?"
"It sounds like a plan."
"That it is, Derpy Hooves! Phase one: complete!" Derpy couldn't help but giggle a bit as she followed the Doctor back towards the throne where King Lycus was waiting anxiously for a response. "Fear not, your grace. My companion and I will be happy to help you sort with the problem."
"Excellent," said King Lycus as he stood up. "I hope to finally bring this conflict to an end." Derpy found herself grow nervous again as the King turned to look at her. "Would you be so kind as to let my soldiers know that they are welcome back in?" He then turned back to the Doctor. "Come, Doctor. Follow me. We shall continue to discuss our plans further in private."
Derpy watched as as the Doctor began following the King off towards a doorway behind the throne. "Just come in here when you're done with the soldiers," the Doctor said as he trotted after the King.
Derpy was quick to make it out of the throne room for she didn't like being in such a huge room by herself. She walked over to a door that was situated a little ways away from the elevator. She passed through to find herself in a mostly empty hallway. She could hear the sound of talking but it sounded to be quite a distance away. She began making her way down the hallway when a large figure stepped in front of her. Derpy couldn't help but gulp as she realized that the figure standing before her was none other than the soldier she had seen give her and the Doctor a hateful glare earlier.
"Uh...hi," she managed to say. "My name's Derpy. I was just looking for you."
"Were you?" asked the soldier with a hint of distaste.
"Uh...yeah. The King told me to tell the soldiers that they're welcome back in the throne room."
"Thank you. I'll be sure to tell the others." Derpy grew uneasy as a dark smile suddenly appeared on the soldier's face. "But, first, may I ask you something?"
Derpy wasn't keen on sticking around to be asked any further questions by the overbearing soldier. "Uh...sorry, I can't stay. I have to get back to the King and discuss plans for dealing with the terrorists," Derpy replied. The soldier, without warning, suddenly grabbed Derpy and pushed her against the wall. He placed one of his large hands over her mouth to keep her from giving off any noise.
"We're not terrorists!" snapped the soldier. Derpy's heart rate increased. She struggled against the soldier's grasp but couldn't break free. The soldier smiled again as he presented a sharp knife to Derpy. "I really hate ponies. I would love to take care of you right here, but I think you would be a good source of leverage in dealing with this Doctor of yours."
Good going, Derpy. Your first task and you've already been captured, Derpy thought as the soldier brought the knife up to her neck. 
"But I guess my brothers don't really need you in one piece, though." The soldier gave a cold chuckle as he began to pierce the knife into one of Derpy's legs. Suddenly, there was a flash of light as the soldier was knocked away. Derpy fell to the floor and kicked the knife far away from her and the soldier. 
"It's not polite to threaten a mare like that!" snapped a familiar voice. Derpy looked up to see Prince Shining Armor VI aiming his horn at the soldier.
"Prince!" Derpy exclaimed.
"Quickly! Go get somepony! I'll handle him!" Derpy got up and began to run.
"Damn ponies!" screamed the soldier. He jumped up and barreled past the Prince. Derpy looked back to see the soldier rushing at her at alarming speed. She quickly flapped her wings and took into the air but the soldier managed to grab one of her hind legs and pull her to the floor. She tried to kick the soldier away but he was on top of her.
"Get off her!" yelled the Prince as he sent a blast of energy at the soldier. The soldier rolled out of the way and the magic blast proceeded to create a hole in the wall that opened up to a long drop down to the forest below. Derpy once again tried to make a break for it but the soldier managed to grab onto her.
"Let go of me!" Derpy shrieked. The soldier stood up and grasped Derpy tightly in his arms. The Prince tried to send another magic blast but the soldier grabbed onto him as well. Derpy and the Prince struggled to break free from the soldier's grasp. Derpy could hear the sounds of soldiers approaching. She figured that they had heard the sound of the fight.
"Quit squirming and you won't get hurt!" the soldier snapped as he began to walk away with them held tightly in his arms.
"Let us go!" snapped the Prince. Suddenly, the Prince's horn glowed brightly and a powerful jet of air burst out of his horn. The jet of air sent Derpy, the Prince, and the soldier flying backwards out through the hole in the wall. "Oh NO, NO, NO!"
Everything began spinning as Derpy, her savior, and her captor plummeted hundreds of feet towards the forest ground below. Derpy struggled against the soldier's grasp and flapped her wings frantically. The soldier, in a fit of fear, let go of Derpy and the Prince. He proceeded to click something on his wrist and then disappeared in a flash of light. Derpy tried her best to rebalance herself. The Prince was flapping his legs around and attempting to cast some sort of spell. Derpy rushed over to him and wrapped her forelegs around his body. She flapped her wings as hard as she could. The treeline was coming up fast. Derpy gave one last effort to soften her and the Prince's fall. Both she and the Prince grunted as they collided with the treeline. Leaves and limbs poked and jabbed at their bodies as they fell through the canopy. They eventually collided with the ground with two, loud thuds. 
"That...was not fun," Derpy heard the Prince say before he passed out. Derpy tried to get up but found that her body was incredibly weakened by the fall. As she tried to get her bearings, a series of dark figures appeared around her. She couldn't identify who they were, but she knew that they weren't good.
"Good work, Avarus," stated one of the figures. "Not bad for a new member." Derpy heard one of the figures give a cold laugh in response.
"Yeah. Here you go. The Prince of Equestria and a warrior of the blue box. This should definitely get us places," said the second figure. Derpy instantly recognized the voice as that of the soldier who had attacked her. "I would have gotten them to you differently but they're here nonetheless."
"What shall we do with them?" asked a third figure.
"Take them to HQ," replied the first figure. "The boss will be pleased with this piece of leverage." Derpy groaned as one of the figures picked her up.
Nice work, Derpy, Derpy thought angrily as the figures carried her and the Prince away.
> One Hour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 5: One Hour


Gaia, 1215 C.E.

The Doctor could instantly tell that something was wrong when a series of quick and frantic footsteps could be heard echoing from the throne room.
"Your majesty! Are you safe?!" called one of the guards. King Lycus walked over to the door and opened it. The Atlantean guards were frantically running all over the place with their spears at the ready. Something was definitely wrong here.
"What is going on?" asked the King. The guards gave Lycus a salute before running towards him.
"My King," gasped one of the guards. "We believe that there has been an attack on the castle."
"What reasons do you have to assume this?"
"A hole was blasted into the wall of the hallway leading to the King's guard rooms. We also heard screaming, yelling, and the sounds of a struggle. We have reason to believe that someone may have been kidnapped."
"But this doesn't make sense," said the Doctor. "If someone were to attack the castle, it would make sense for them to try and go for the King. Who else is here to be kidnapped?" Everyone was silent for the moment. A light clicked on in the Doctor's head and he proceeded to face-hoof. "The Prince!"
Just then, a loud ringing sound reverberated through the air. The Doctor recognized it as the sound of a broadcast about to begin. "King Lycus, I know that you can hear me," chuckled a deep, booming voice.
Lycus clenched his webbed fists and hissed angrily. "Lea," he growled.
"Lea?" asked the Doctor.
"He's the leader of the terrorists." The Doctor and Lycus fell silent as Lea continued.
"Listen to me, Lycus, and have the one known as the Doctor listen to me as well," Lea chuckled. The Doctor felt one of his hearts jump. This didn't sound good. "I have two ponies in my possession as of now: the Prince of Equestria and a warrior of the blue box!"
The Doctor felt his insides clench up. "Derpy!" his gasped under his breath.
"Now, Lycus, you have a choice. Surrender the throne to me and I shall let both of my prisoners live and I will let all ponies leave Atlantis is peace. Continue to fight against me and I shall kill my prisoners and any ponies I come across. Surrender and let Atlantis continue to remain separated from the overworld or don't surrender and let the overworld isolate itself from us through the spilling of the Prince's blood. Either way, Lycus, I win. You have one hour to make your decision." A dead silence fell amongst the inhabitants of the throne room as soon as Lea's voice faded away.
Lycus slammed his fist down on the armrest of his throne. "How could this have happened?!" he snapped.
"It must have been one of our own, my liege," said Dolarez sadly.
"A betrayal!" The King gave a groan of angry annoyance as he sat down on his throne. "This is not good. I can't let that madman kill the Prince!"
"But we can't let that madman take over Atlantis either," said the Doctor.
"Doctor, what choice do I have if I wish to have the Prince rescued? And let's not forget that your companion's life is on the line as well!"
"Yes, but let me tell you something. Lea made a big mistake when he had his men kidnap the Prince. He made a gargantuan mistake when he had his men kidnap my companion! Your majesty, do you recall when you summoned my TARDIS here?"
"Yes, of course."
"Can you quickly explain to me how that works?"
Dolarez awkwardly tapped the Doctor on the shoulder. "Pardon me, Doctor," he said, "but we don't have much time-"
"We have one hour. One hour's all I need. So, your majesty, can you quickly explain to me how you summoned my TARDIS here from where it had been originally parked?"
King Lycus presented his wrist to the Doctor. A metal band with a series of buttons was strapped to it. "This is the Band of the King," he explained. "It gives me the power to look upon any part of the city and, within reason, teleport anything to wherever I want it to go."
"How come you haven't used it to find and capture Lea's group?"
"They've stolen technology and have developed devices that can block out the signal of the Band."
"Okay...tell me, do you have technology that allows you to track calls or transmissions?"
"Yes. I know what you're thinking, Doctor, and, no, we can't track Lea's signal because they have devices that block that as well." The Doctor shook his head and smiled at the King. "What are you smiling about? I don't believe what I've told you is really good news."
"You see, your majesty, there is a way to track Lea's call," the Doctor said with a smirk.
"How?" the King asked curiously.
"We only need three things. One, the device that you use to track calls." The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver. "Two, a Sonic Screwdriver." He then pointed the Screwdriver at the TARDIS. "Three, a TARDIS." Everyone in the room stood still for a moment. "Well, hurry up, you lot! We've got a prince and a pegasus to save! Move, move, move!"
The soldiers turned to look at Lycus. "You heard the stallion! Move, move, move!" the King ordered. The soldiers saluted before running off in search of what they were sent to find.
"You should feel happy, your majesty!" the Doctor said cheerfully as he began walking over towards the TARDIS. "Lea lost this fight the moment he called in."

Derpy awoke to find her legs and wings tied. Prince Shining Armor VI was lying on the floor a few feet from where she was. A strange, metallic device had been strapped to his horn. "So you're finally awake," chuckled a familiar voice. Derpy looked to see the soldier that had attacked her sitting in a chair a few feet from where she was lying.
"You!" Derpy snapped.
"Yeah. Me." The soldier twirled a knife in one of his webbed hands as he stared at Derpy. "I'm actually kinda hoping that Lycus doesn't surrender to us. I'm dying to learn what a pony looks like on the inside."
Derpy was shaking on the inside but she didn't want to give the soldier the satisfaction of knowing that he was getting to her. "You'll be sorry for doing this! The Doctor-"
"Is just a pony with a box. I tell ya, the blue box is nowhere as near as impressive as it sounds from the old tales. And the warriors are even more disappointing: an odd earth pony and a pegasus with some sort of eye problem."
Derpy felt a sudden, uncontrollable rage pipe up from deep within her. "SHUT UP! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT AN OVERGROWN CANDY LIZARD FISH!" The smile on the soldier's face grew wider and Derpy shrunk back.
"I guess I struck a nerve there." Derpy was confused. She didn't understand why she had suddenly felt so angry. Sure, she was angry at the soldier for kidnapping her and the Prince and insulting her and the Doctor, but something about him talking about her eyes had just pushed her over the edge. The soldier looked at a nearby clock and chuckled. "We're almost at the halfway point. Lycus has only a little over half an hour to surrender to Lea or else you and the Prince there will be fresh out of luck."
"Don't be so sure of yourself."
"Why? I think my true brothers and I have every right to be sure of ourselves. We have Lycus cornered."
"You may have the King cornered but not the Doctor."
"Why do you have so much faith in that stupid stallion?"
"Because I've seen him in action. I've seen what he can do when he puts his mind to it and I can see what his mere presence can inspire in others such as myself. He's much more than a stallion. He's any villain's worst nightmare."
"Of course he is." The soldier shook his head and chuckled again. "You remind me a lot of Dolarez."
"You know Dolarez?"
"Of course! We're both soldiers! He had so much faith in that blue box when I last talked to him. I wish I could get the chance to see his face when both the blue box and Lycus lets him down."
"He's better than you."
The soldier let out a wild laugh. "That's a laugh. I could take him on as well as the rest of Lycus's weak guards. They're pathetic excuses for fighters. Lea's followers are much better fighters."
"You're not going to win."
"Is that so?" asked a deep voice. Derpy looked as another figure emerged from the darkness. He was a green Atlantean with purple eyes and a thick layer of gold and silver armor attached to his body.
"Who are you?!" Derpy asked.
"Lea. I see that you've already become acquainted with Avarus." Lea took a few steps towards Derpy before sitting on the floor. "You seem pretty confident in your belief that my side will fall."
"You won't win. Good always overcomes evil. It's a fact of life."
"What makes you think that my side is evil?"
"Uh, you kidnapped me and the Prince and are threatening to kill us; and you're causing trouble and turmoil in Atlantis just to be a pain in the King's side."
"Sometimes, one has to get their hands dirty in order to fight for what's right."
"This doesn't look right to me."
"Of course not, a pony could never take the needs of Atlantis to heart."
"Not all ponies are bad, you know. We're not all like the ones who betrayed your kind."
"You're capable of doing it. It's best not to take the chance. Equestria and the other countries that exist above the water are all capable of corruption and lust. They lust for power. They lust for control. Atlantis remains out of their control and has so for a long time. I do not wish to see Atlantis fall to such a corrupted collection of species."
"You're one to talk! You're betraying your fellow Atlanteans and are causing pain to everypony!"
"I'm not betraying anyone but the ultimate betrayer: Lycus. He's the one that opened Atlantis up to Shining Armor IV and the rest of the overworld. He's the one who's trying to allow you overworlders to corrupt our perfect utopia. I'm putting my fellow people's best interests in mind. Someday soon, when all this drama is over, they'll thank me."
"Or curse you."
"You talk big for a pegasus trapped in the belly of the beast."
"You talk big for a terrorist that's about to lose."
Lea chuckled as he stood up and began to leave. "Keep a close eye on that one," he said to Avarus.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Avarus replied with a smirk. Derpy frowned angrily as Lea disappeared back into the darkness and Avarus turned his attention back to her. "Only thirty minutes to go, my little pegasus."

The Doctor was quick to open the TARDIS doors and enter the control room once had had obtained the Atlantean tracking device. Dolarez and Lycus entered the TARDIS and were both equally amazed by what they saw, though Dolarez showed off his amazement more than Lycus. "Yes, it really is bigger on the inside. Now, everybody remain calm while I take care of this!" the Doctor stated. He placed the tracking device (which looked like some sort of cross between a microwave oven and a satellite dish) on the control console and pulled out a few wires from the console itself. He connected the wires from the TARDIS console to the tracking device and aimed his Screwdriver at it. A few sparks began flying out of the machine while various bits of random dialogue emanated from the device. After a few moments, there was a loud pop and various pictures and pieces of text appeared on the TARDIS monitors. "There we go!"
Lycus approached one of the monitors and examined the pictures and text. "The Hotel of the East," he said softly.
"The what?" the Doctor asked.
"The Hotel of the East. It's one of the oldest resident blocks in Atlantis. It used to be used as a sort of last resort for homeless citizens. It closed down a couple centuries ago and we never got around to getting rid of it."
"So, Lea and his men are in the Hotel of the East, my liege?" Dolarez asked.
"They're not in the hotel, soldier. They're underneath it. That sneaky Lea built a secret headquarters underneath the hotel."
"Well it's not a secret anymore," said the Doctor. "Your majesty, I suggest that you get your men ready. Tell them to prepare themselves and meet inside here as quickly as possible. Trust me, the TARDIS will be much quicker than your tube system."
"Right," replied the King as he exited the TARDIS to alert his men.
"You better prepare yourself as well, Dolarez," said the Doctor as he turned towards the Atlantean soldier. "This Atlantean civil war has just reached its boiling point."
> The Boiling Point
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 6: The Boiling Point


Gaia, 1215 C.E.

Derpy turned to look as the Prince slowly awoke from his period of unconsciousness. His face looked groggy and he made it obvious through a series of groans and yawns that he wasn't really comfortable in his current position. "Shut up, you," ordered Avarus with a bored tone. Derpy could tell that the traitor was anxiously counting down the minutes to the moment where he'd be allowed to bring that knife down on her and the Prince. The Prince tried to summon some magic with his horn but the strange device strapped around his horn prevented him from doing so.
"An anti-magic lock. Of course," said the Prince in a surprisingly unimpressed tone.
"You don't seem that surprised about it," said Derpy awkwardly.
"Of course not. The best thing to use against magically skilled unicorns is an anti-magic lock. These guys are afraid that I'll hurt them even more if my magic were free."
"Being afraid has nothing to do with it," Avarus replied with a grin. "We just don't want you two messing up our plans."
"Let me guess, you're holding us hostage so King Lycus will give the control of Atlantis over to you guys."
"How did you know that?!" Derpy asked. "You were unconscious!"
"I'm a Prince. I was taught all of the possible motivations for holding one hostage as well as the processes to go about obtaining a hostage. Shining Armor I made sure to add this to royal education following the changeling deception of 1002."
"I bore of this," stated Avarus as he stood up and looked at the clock. Derpy and the Prince only had twenty-five minutes left. "Might as well go and get a quick bite to eat." Derpy watched as Avarus trudged off into the darkness.
"Isn't that the same soldier that attacked you earlier?" the Prince asked as he turned to Derpy.
"Yeah...uh...you seem very calm about this," Derpy replied.
"The Doctor's here, right? There's no need to worry."
"So you have faith in him like me?"
"Anypony with common sense should either have faith in or fear the Doctor. Trust me, I've learned enough about the Doctor to know that he always comes through in the end."
"You wanted to talk to him earlier about something. Do you mind me asking what it was?"
"What? Oh! I remember! Yeah. I just really wanted to talk to him. It's not everyday that you get to meet somepony that you read about in history books." The Prince suddenly eyed Derpy a bit more closely. "You're...Derpy Hooves, right?"
"Yeah! Have you read about me too?"
"Of course I have! I know about everypony who's traveled with the Doctor! You. Carrot Top. Twi...oh...I guess that hasn't happened yet if you're still traveling with him."
"What does that mean?"
"Uh...nothing." Derpy proceeded to glare at the Prince. "I can't tell you anything about your future. In the words of somepony whose name I shall not mention, spoilers!"
"Do you happen to know anything about that strained glass picture down in the glass room?"
"What picture?"
"I saw you eyeing it while the Doctor and I were looking at it. You know, the one with me and the Doctor and that green monster coming out of a mirror."
The Prince's eyes grew wide before he slouched over a bit. "I...maybe...no."
"You know something, don't you?"
"Of course I know something! From your perspective, I'm from the future! I've read some of the greatest works detailing the appearances and adventures of the Doctor and his companions! I...I can't tell you about any of them!"
"Why not?!"
"Because I don't want to take the risk of damaging time. Look, I won't say much, but I once read a journal left over by my ancestor Princess Cadance. In it, she wrote about a particular event involving the Doctor, her, Shining Armor I, and a collection of the Doctor's greatest allies and enemies. This event...showed just how fragile the fabric of time and space is. I'm guessing that this event has yet to happen to you and the Doctor yet. Trust me, I would tell you about what's to come in your future...but I think it's best for time to just play itself out."
Derpy was silent for a moment as she put everything together. "All right, I understand." The Prince began biting his lip and his face contorted into an awkward expression. "You alright?"
"I can't tell you much...but I guess I can give you a word of advice about the event that you saw in that stained glass picture." The Prince locked eyes with Derpy. "You've already met the Jabberwocky, right?"
"Yeah."
"And you know that you're going to run into him again, right?"
"Yeah, thanks to some wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuffs."
"Right. Here's a few words of advice: don't expect to run into the Jabberwocky just one more time, Derpy Hooves. The two of you are connected in more ways that you realize."
Derpy gulped as the Prince fell silent. "Thanks for the advice...though I'm not sure if that makes me feel any better."

The Doctor worked the controls of the TARDIS carefully as he transported the blue box deep into the bowels of Lea's army's stronghold. The Doctor had to admit to himself that he had never seen the interior of the TARDIS this crowded before. Many courageous Atlantean soldiers along with Dolarez and King Lycus had crowded themselves into the TARDIS with weapons at the ready. The Doctor would have preferred a stealthier rescue of Derpy and the Prince followed by an even more stealthy takedown of Lea and his followers but the situation provided no options for this so a battle was pretty much inevitable.
"And...here we go!" said the Doctor as he flawlessly parked the TARDIS about three floors beneath the Hotel of the East. Just to be safe, the Doctor took a quick look outside via the console monitors. He was relieved to see that the TARDIS had arrived in a segment of Lea's underground stronghold that appeared to be mostly vacant: a large room filled with mostly old crates and junk. "It's safe to proceed, your majesty."
"Thank you, Doctor," Lycus replied. "Men! Carefully make your way outside! Be prepared for any traps, ambushes, or anything else Lea's men have set up!" The men grunted in reply as they made their way through the TARDIS doors.
The Doctor, Dolarez, and King Lycus were the first to exit the blue box. The Doctor quickly locked the TARDIS doors before turning his attention forward. "Will we be launching a head-on attack, your majesty?" Dolarez asked Lycus.
"Normally, I would do so; but we are not just dealing with an army. We are dealing with a hostage situation, soldier," Lycus replied.
"Might I suggest that a small team head in first to rescue the hostages before the battle commences?" the Doctor suggested.
"Yes, Doctor, that would be a wise approach."
"I volunteer myself and Dolarez to take care of this task." The Doctor turned towards the Atlantean soldier and Dolarez gave a nod and bow of agreement.
"Excellent," said Lycus. Lycus handed the Doctor a small communication device that could easily be attached to the ear. "Take this and call us when the hostages are safe. I will send my men in afterwards to deal with Lea and his followers."
"Sounds like a plan!" the Doctor replied with a smile as he attached the communication device to his ear. "Come on, Dolarez."
"Right!" said Dolarez. The Doctor and Dolarez ran as fast as they could towards the pair of doors before them. 
Hang on Derpy, thought the Doctor. I'm coming.
An ordinary hallway with metallic walls and white lights was situated on the other side of the doors. The Doctor and Dolarez quickly made their way down the hallway. The Doctor looked at a nearby clock. Twenty minutes were left. He had twenty minutes to find Derpy and Shining Armor VI before they were executed. "Right...no pressure," the Doctor said under his breath. Everything was quiet but this only made the Doctor more nervous. It was safe to assume that Lea had a moderately large number of followers. So where were they?
"Any ideas of where to start looking, Doctor?" asked Dolarez as he kept his spear at the ready.
"We don't have enough time to scope out this entire place from top to bottom. A surveillance room or map would be useful." They passed through another pair of doors and entered a massive room full of rows of beds, tables, and other pieces of furniture. "I believe we're in the sleeping quarters." Suddenly, the sound of talking emanated from a little ways away. The Doctor and Dolarez quickly ducked behind a stack of foot locker boxes.
"So, is it true? Are we finally going to win this?" asked a male voice.
"I think so. We have the Prince and a warrior of the blue box held captive. Unless Lycus wants them to be cut up, he'll hand Atlantis over to us within the next five minutes," replied a second male voice.
"Just in case Lycus doesn't call in, I want to see the show. Where are they being held again?"
"Avarus is keeping a watch on them two floors down in the holding room."
The Doctor and Dolarez watched as the two other Atlanteans disappeared through the door. "Thank you, Lady Luck," the Doctor said under his voice as he and Dolarez stood up. They quietly returned to the hallway and began searching for a way down. "We best look for a stairwell. Don't want to risk drawing attention with an elevator."
"Right!" replied Dolarez. The Doctor could feel his hearts racing as he and Dolarez scoped out the hallway. The seconds were passing by much quicker than how the Doctor would have preferred. The Doctor checked another clock as he and Dolarez passed by a laundry room. Fifteen minutes left. They turned around another corner and the Doctor was ecstatic when he read the word on a nearby door: Stairwell. "There we are!"
"Thank God. Now let's get downstairs quickly!" The Doctor and Dolarez nearly flew through the door and down the two flights of stairs. The Doctor was still a bit unnerved by the lack of inhabitants. Where was everybody? The Doctor and Dolarez hastily made their way through the door that opened to the floor they wanted. The hallways of this floor were a bit different from those of the floor they had previously been on. The hallways here were dark green and illuminated with dim, white lights. "Strange choice of decorations."
"I don't really like it here," said Dolarez.
"Me neither so let's find Derpy and the Prince and finish this already!" the Doctor replied. Once again, the Doctor and Dolarez continued the process of scoping out the hallway for the door they wanted. If it were even possible, this floor was even quieter than the floor above it. The Doctor didn't know whether to feel happy about this or slightly concerned. They turned around another corner but quickly jumped back as they saw the two Atlanteans from earlier walking in their direction.
"Here it is," said the first Atlantean as he opened one of the hallway's sliding doors. The two Atlanteans passed through the threshold and the Doctor and Dolarez didn't waste any time in following them.
The hallway beyond the door was much smaller than the previous one. It had gray walls and smelled of rust and stone. The Doctor almost felt like he had been thrown back to a dungeon in the dark ages. Dim lights hung from the ceiling and a collection of pictures hung from the walls. Upon further inspection, the Doctor and Dolarez realized that the pictures were those of previous prisoners (all of which were expired by this point). The two intruders remained quiet as they followed the two oblivious Atlanteans down the hallway. Eventually, the hallway opened up into a large, dark room with hardly any light in it. The Doctor and Dolarez stayed back to inspect the scene. A blue Atlantean dressed in a soldier's uniform was sitting in a chair and was watching two figures in the dark. Through the darkness, the Doctor managed to make out a pair of inverted, yellow eyes. "Derpy!" the Doctor said under his breath.
Dolarez, meanwhile, was scowling at the Atlantean in the chair. "Avarus," he hissed as he shook his head with disappointment.
The Doctor's eyes drifted over to a nearby clock. "Come on. We only have ten minutes left." Dolarez nodded. The Doctor and his companion carefully made their way into the room. The two Atlanteans they had been following were still oblivious to their presence and were basically just watching and waiting to see if Lea was going to send in the order to have Derpy and the Prince killed. Avarus also had his back to them and was busy just spinning a knife around in one of his webbed hands. The Doctor turned to Dolarez and hissed, "NOW!"
Dolarez lunged forward and knocked the two Atlanteans over the head with his spear. They both groaned and slumped over onto the floor. However, this quickly gained Avarus's attention. "What the...DOLAREZ?!" snapped the guard as he lunged forward with his knife. As Dolarez and Avarus struggled, the Doctor snuck by and untied the ropes binding Derpy's legs.
"Doctor!" exclaimed Derpy.
"Did you miss me?" the Doctor asked with a smile as he moved over to free the Prince.
"She and I never doubted you," said the Prince as he stood up.
"Oh no you don't!" snapped Avarus as he kicked Dolarez in the gut and lunged for the Doctor. The Doctor, acting upon instinct, turned around and kicked the oncoming Avarus with his hind legs. Avarus stumbled around a bit as he tried to get a hold of himself. Dolarez lunged forward to knock Avarus out but the blue Atlantean was quick to react. He grabbed Dolarez's spear and tried to rip it from his arms. "You idiot! You're a disgrace to Atlantis!" Dolarez didn't reply for he simply continued to fight against his ex-comrade.
"Let's pile on him!" Derpy said suddenly as she levitated herself a bit into the air with her wings before flying at Avarus. The Prince followed suit by charging forward with his horn aimed at Avarus's back. Avarus tried to react but had no time to move has he was simultaneously smashed on the head with four pegasus hooves, stabbed in the back with a unicorn horn, and jabbed in the front with the handle of a spear. The Prince backed away with a few bits of Avarus's blood dripping from his horn. The Doctor noticed that the metal contraption that had been attached to the Prince's horn was now broken and had fallen to the floor. Avarus stumbled around a bit longer before Dolarez brought the head of his spear down one last time, which resulted in Avarus finally blacking out.
"You picked the wrong side, Avarus," Dolarez sighed. The Doctor lowered his head but then yelped as Derpy lunged forward and gripped him in a big hug.
"I knew you'd come, Doctor! I just knew you would!" Derpy cheered. She then stepped back and looked sadly at the Doctor. "I...I'm sorry for getting captured. I should have been more careful." The Doctor smiled before stepping towards Derpy and patting her shoulder.
"Don't feel bad. Everyone, everything, and everypony that's traveled with me has been captured at least once. You've seen the TARDIS get captured and, hell, even I've been captured. That sort of thing happens when you travel around through all of time and space," the Doctor replied. Derpy gave the Doctor a small smile.
"Doctor, we need to alert the King," Dolarez said suddenly.
"Oh yes! Thank you, Dolarez!" The Doctor tapped the communication device on his ear. "King Lycus?"
"Doctor! Have you rescued the Prince and your companion?" asked the voice of King Lycus.
"Yes. They are safe. You and your soldiers are free to continue."
"Thank you, Doctor. Men! Move out!"
The Doctor ended the connection and turned towards Derpy, the Prince, and Dolarez. "We best get back to the TARDIS. This is about to get ugly."

Everything was silent until Derpy, the Doctor, the Prince, and Dolarez entered the stairwell. Battle cries and surprised screams echoed from upstairs. "I guess that's where everybody was," said Dolarez.
"It makes sense," the Doctor stated. "They were waiting upstairs to prepare to march their way towards the castle and take the throne. Lea and his men, of course, never expected us to attack them from below."
"Let's hurry and get back to the TARDIS! It sounds like the battle's getting closer!"
"Right!"
"But, what about the King and his soldiers?" Derpy asked. An explosion of fire erupted above them and Derpy watched as several burning followers of Lea fell between the flights of stairs and down towards the bottom far below.
"I think they've got things handled from here," said the Prince.
"Right. Upstairs, now!" the Doctor ordered. Derpy flapped her wings and flew upwards. She reached the designated door a few seconds before the Doctor, the Prince, and Dolarez did. The group passed through the door to find themselves in a hallway full of fighting soldiers.
"DUCK!" cried Dolarez as he pulled Derpy down towards the ground. A blast from an Atlantean gun flew over Derpy's head and smashed into the wall. The attacking Atlantean aimed the gun at Dolarez. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the gun, which exploded in a cloud of sparks and smoke a second later. Dolarez rushed towards the dazed attacker and knocked him out with his spear.
Derpy's heart was pounding as she looked around at the surrounding battle. "Which way?" she asked. A few more of Lea's followers teleported into the hallway thanks to some teleportation devices on their wrists.
"This way!" replied the Doctor as he grabbed Derpy's hoof and pulled her down the hallway.
It certainly wasn't easy navigating through the fighting soldiers. Spears, gun blasts, knives, swords, and other various weapons collided with each other and flew through the air around Derpy and her group. Despite the dangerous odds, Derpy and her group were able to fend for themselves quite nicely. An oncoming attacker was either met with a smack from Dolarez's spear, a weapon malfunction caused by the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, a blast of magic from the Prince, or a punch in the gut from Derpy's hind legs.
After several minutes of fighting, dodging, and, of course, running, they finally managed to reach the door that led into the room the TARDIS was in. Upon entering the room, they were surprised to find that nobody was inside. "Quickly! You two, inside!" the Doctor ordered as he pointed at Derpy and the Prince.
"What about you two?" Derpy asked.
"We've got to help the King to the best of our abilities," Dolarez replied.
"Why do you have to? You said that Lycus and his men have this under control," said the Prince.
"Yes, why?" asked a deep voice from within the room. Derpy's heart jumped as she heard the voice. She knew this voice. She had heard it not too long ago. Derpy turned around to see a green Atlantean in gold and silver armor standing next to the TARDIS.
"Lea!" gasped Derpy and the Prince. Lea gave a dark grin as he took a few steps towards them. The Doctor stepped forward. Derpy could see his grip on his sonic screwdriver tighten.
"So you're Lea," said the Doctor.
"Correct. I'm guessing that you're the Doctor," Lea replied.
"That is correct."
Lea chuckled as he stretched his arms and let out a bored yawn. "I guess I'll admit it: you surprised me, Doctor. Never did I imagine that someone would be able to deduce where my hideout was and be able to get in unseen."
"This is why you should never underestimate your enemies."
"Yes. I suppose I did. Lycus and his men are proving to be much more...difficult to deal with than I had originally expected. I do not doubt that my army will be defeated within the next hour or so."
Derpy knew that she should feel happy. The Doctor had managed to defeat Lea and trap him in a corner. So why was it that she felt uneasy? "You seem to be fine with that," Derpy stated suddenly.
"Oh, don't let my appearance fool you. I am very sad that my army has lost...but I can still save Atlantis." Lea reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a thin, cylindrical device with a red button at the top. As Lea raised his hand with the device up a bit, Derpy took a closer look at it as well as quickly noticed the teleportation device on his other wrist.
"Is that what I think it is?" Dolarez asked with a gulp. Lea smiled darkly as he wrapped his hand around the device.
"Tell me, Doctor. Do you know why I chose the Hotel of the East as my headquarters?"
"Because nobody would think of looking here," the Doctor said but Derpy could tell that he knew more.
"You're half right. You see, Atlantis has a very interesting and unique structure system. The city stands securely on the ocean floor thanks to thousands upon thousands of metallic poles and beams. I can honestly say that it took many years of hard work to remove the beams underneath the Hotel of the East and build my headquarters in its place. The Hotel of the East is also located in the oldest part of Atlantis. So, let's say, if enough beams went out here then a domino effect would take place and the rest of Atlantis would go out as well."
"But it would be impossible to knock out the beams!" Dolarez explained. "Even with an explosion!" Derpy's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the word explosion.
"Yes, soldier, that is true. However, that only applies aboveground. An explosion underground, on the other hand, would be enough to start the chain of events."
"And let me guess, you laced this place with explosives when you first built it," the Doctor guessed.
Lea smiled as he clutched the trigger in his hand tightly. "Yes," he replied.
"You're insane!" snapped the Prince. "You'd kill yourself?! You'd kill your followers?! You'd kill every member of your species?!"
"If it means saving Atlantis from you putrid overworlders, then I will do what must be done!" The Doctor quickly aimed his sonic screwdriver at the trigger but nothing happened. Lea's smile grew wider. "Sorry, Doctor. It's sonic-proof." Derpy's heart jumped several times as Lea brought his thumb closer to the button.
"NO!" cried Dolarez. The Atlantean soldier rushed forward with his spear at the ready. Lea just stood there and smiled with a mixture of sadism and depression. The Doctor kept his sonic screwdriver pointed at Lea. Derpy didn't know if he was thinking of a plan or frozen in dumbfounded shock. A spark appeared in the Doctor's eyes as he hastily pointed the screwdriver at another part of Lea's body. Derpy was confused by the Doctor's movement but was mostly terrified by the explosion that was only a second away.
"FOR ATLANTIS!" cried Lea as he brought his thumb down on the trigger button.
> A Wedding to Attend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 7: A Wedding to Attend


Gaia, 1215 C.E.

Acting upon instinct, Derpy closed her eyes and prepared herself for the oncoming explosion. However, no explosion came. Instead, all that Derpy heard was Dolarez grunting and skidding to a halt while the Doctor's sonic screwdriver giving off its signature sound. Derpy opened her eyes to see the Doctor pointing his sonic screwdriver at Lea, who was now surrounded by a gaseous, white bubble and appeared to be frozen in time. A mixture of green and blue lights was radiating from the teleportation device on Lea's wrist. "Phew!" the Doctor said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was close!"
"What did you do?" asked an equally confused and amazed Derpy while the Prince and Dolarez examined the apparently frozen-in-time Lea.
"It's actually all very simple, Ms. Hooves. You see, when I initially tried to 'sonic' Lea's trigger, the screwdriver picked up another technological device on Lea that could prove to be some use to me: a teleportation device. Now, teleportation devices, to an extension, could be considered as lesser time machines."
"How so?" asked the Prince with a look of interest.
The Doctor took a few steps towards the frozen Lea, making sure to keep his sonic screwdriver aimed at Lea's teleportation device. "Teleportation requires one to travel from one place to another, sort of in the same way that time travel works; but, teleportation focuses of sending you anywhere while time travel focuses on sending you anywhen. However, teleportation does involve some bits of time travel. Teleportation devices, such as the one that Lea is wearing, both slow down and speed up time simultaneously when transporting a traveler from point A to point B. The time immediately around the traveler and the device speeds up while the rest of time slows down. It's this process that helps provide the speed of light teleportation process in which the matter that makes up the traveler and his belongings is dispersed at his departing point, transported through space, and reconstructed at his designated destination. So, with this in mind, I quickly used my trusty screwdriver to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow (didn't expect to ever say that again) in Lea's device in order to activate it but have it work backwards."
"I think I understand," said the Prince. "So instead of time speeding up around Lea, time is slowing down around him."
"Bingo! Now, Dolarez, would you be so kind as to remove the trigger from our time-locked friend? I don't think I can keep him frozen like this forever."
Dolarez nodded as he reached through the gassy time bubble surrounding Lea, carefully grabbed the trigger, and pulled it out of Lea's grasp. The Doctor then let his arm holding the screwdriver fall. The gassy bubble disappeared and Lea returned to moving in normal speed. It took Lea a couple seconds to realize that the trigger was no longer in his hand and his eyes went wide upon realizing this. "Impossible!" he gasped.
"Nope. It's possible," said Dolarez before punching Lea straight in the face and knocking him out cold.
"Never doubt the warriors of the blue box," the Doctor exclaimed with a smile as he wrapped one of his forelegs around Derpy. Derpy blushed a bit and giggled in agreement. Dolarez knelt down on the ground and bent over as he gave several, long breaths. The Atlantean was no doubt relieved by the fact that the worst of the conflict was now over. Derpy looked over at the Prince who was smiling due to having seen the problem taking care of; but his smile looked a little bit sadder when he turned towards Derpy and the Doctor. Derpy's previous conversation with the Prince suddenly came back to her.
"Here's a few words of advice: don't expect to run into the Jabberwocky just one more time, Derpy Hooves. The two of you are connected in more ways that you realize," she remembered him saying. Derpy knew that the Prince was hiding many secrets from her, and for good reason, but there was definitely one thing she could tell by looking at his face: they had won this battle but there were many more to come and some were probably not going to end that well. Upon thinking of this, she wrapped one of her forelegs around the Doctor and held him close.

The Doctor informed King Lycus of Lea's defeat a few moments later. Lycus proceeded to relay this news to Lea's followers. The remaining followers of Lea that had not yet fallen in the battle did either one of three actions: surrendered, kept fighting out of denial, or tried to escape. Needless to say, Lea's final prediction had come true: his army was indeed defeated in little over an hour.
Following the end of the battle, a majority of Lycus's army was busy helping gather up Lea and his remaining followers. Lycus returned to the room that the TARDIS had parked in to speak with the Doctor and company. "So, I can see that everything has turned out well," said the Doctor.
"Yes. Some of Lea's followers have escaped but they will not go far. Without their leader and their headquarters they cannot perform anymore horrendous acts. My men will most certainly catch up to them in time," said Lycus. "Now, Doctor, would you mind taking the five of us back to my throne room?"
"For what?" Derpy asked.
"You'll see."
The Doctor agreed to Lycus's request and used the TARDIS controls to bring them back to the throne room. "So, what is it that you wish to discuss with us?" the Doctor asked as he exited the TARDIS alongside Derpy, Lycus, the Prince, and Dolarez.
"I don't really want to discuss anything as much as just simply thank you," Lycus replied. The Band of the King glowed and four gold and silver medals appeared in Lycus's hand.
"You don't really need to do that," said the Doctor.
"But I want do, Doctor." Lycus walked forward and placed a medal around the Doctor's neck. "It's not everyday that I award an Atlantean Crest to someone." Lycus placed a medal around Derpy's neck.
"Thank you," said Derpy.
Lycus moved over to Dolarez and placed one around his neck. "Really, your majesty?!" asked an excited Dolarez.
"Really, soldier," Lycus replied with a smile. The King then stepped over to the Prince and placed it around his neck. "Prince Shining Armor VI. Consider this as not only an award but as the beginning of a true alliance between Atlantis and Equestria."
"Thank you, King Lycus," said the Prince as he extended a hoof. Lycus extended one of his webbed hands and shook the Prince's hoof. Lycus then turned back to his throne, approached it, and sat down.
"I believe that Atlantis is now truly ready to start conversing with the countries above the water," said the King. "This day would not have come around without you. You all played a part and you all served valuable purposes. Prince Shining Armor VI, Atlantis shall now forever be a kind and loyal ally to Equestria. Dolarez, your life in Atlantis is set and you and your family will be taken care of for generations to come. Warriors of the blue box, Doctor and Derpy, Atlantis will always be open to you and the people will never forget what you have helped accomplish."
"Thank you, my king," said Dolarez.
"Thank you," said the Prince.
"Thank you, your majesty," said Derpy.
"Thank you, Lycus," said the Doctor. Lycus smiled at the Doctor and gave a nod in return.
"So are you really leaving already?" asked the Prince as he turned towards the Doctor and Derpy.
"Yes. Atlantis looks like it'll be alright from here on out," the Doctor replied. The Prince smiled and gave a quick chuckle.
"What's funny?" asked Derpy.
"I guess that's another thing that's true about you, Doctor," replied the Prince. "You arrive in your blue box, you save the day, and then you disappear without asking to be thanked." The Prince was silent for a moment. "I'm really happy that I was able to meet you at least once."
"As am I!" added Dolarez.
"We're happy too," said Derpy as she wrapped a foreleg around the Doctor.
"Be careful now," said the Prince with a serious look. The Doctor could tell that the Prince was looking mostly at Derpy as if the warning was mostly for her. He looked at Derpy as she nodded silently in reply to the Prince. The Doctor wanted to question this but he figured that he could ask later.
"Well if there's any ever trouble, just look for my box," said the Doctor. The Prince, Dolarez, and King Lycus all gave one final goodbye wave. The Doctor then turned around and headed back to the TARDIS with Derpy at his side.
The Doctor closed the doors as soon as he and Derpy were inside the TARDIS. "Do you think Atlantis will be all right?" Derpy asked.
"I believe so. Things will be a bit rocky at first but I see a bright future for that city," the Doctor replied as he approached the main console. "So, where to next?" Derpy was quiet. She sat down next to the console and leaned her back against it. The Doctor approached her and sat down next to her. "Anything the matter?"
"I dunno. I guess I'm still...adjusting to all of this."
"You're still adjusting? You've been to the past, you've traveled to the future, you've met a green monkey, and you've just now visited Atlantis."
Derpy smiled at the Doctor and blushed a bit. "What can I say? I'm weird like that."
The Doctor smiled back at his companion. "Or bubbly."
"Huh?" Derpy looked down at her cutie mark and giggled. "Oh yeah...my cutie mark. I guess that's how I got it."
"How you got what?"
"My cutie mark." The Doctor gave Derpy a confused look. "Have you thought this whole time that ponies were born with their cutie marks, Doctor?"
The Doctor was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "So, ponies aren't born with their cutie marks?"
Derpy giggled again as she stood up. The Doctor followed suit. "I'll explain that to you on our way to our next stop."
"Oh! So you've decided!"
"Yeah. Seeing the Prince got me to thinking. I want to attend the wedding of Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. It took place around the time in which you first arrived in Equestria. I missed it because I chose to take care of Carrot Top, who was sick at the time."
"A wedding, huh? Sounds interesting. I'd be prepared for trouble if I were you, though. Weddings hardly tend to go normally for me."
"I think hardly anything goes normally for you, Doctor," said Derpy with a giggle.
The Doctor gave a quick nod in agreement. "Touché, Derpy Hooves," the Doctor replied with a smirk. The Doctor began working the TARDIS controls. The ship started shaking as its signature sound began reverberating through the air. "Look out Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, you have two more wedding guests on the way!" The Doctor then pulled down a lever and Derpy cheered as the TARDIS took off through the Time Vortex.

To be continued...