The moonlight gleamed on the sleeping city, making the Earth shine below it.
One man however was still wandering the the streets, cane in hand.
System continued to walk back to Red TARDIS. His shadow far across buildings and streets as he continued to walk.
A red telephone booth could be seen ahead of him, while he slowly sped up from a walk to a sprint.
He pulled a key out of his pocket, unlocked the doors, and stepped inside.
The interior hum greeted him as he walked up to the console. Clocks ticked away as they were reaching the "twelfth" hour.
"One last trip, eh?"
*Red TARDIS*
Every was going smoothly. At least for a little bit.
The Main Console room began to shake. Clocks rung banged with noise.
A sharp pain rushed through his body as his tried to keep himself from falling over.
A yellow glow began to protrude from his hands.
"No! This wasn't supposed to happen yet! Not here!"
He exploded with yellow light. The clocks seemed to scream at him as Red TARDIS continued to fall.
Then it all seemed to stop.
-(- The Next Day -)- (-- Daring Do --)
"Exterminate!" "Exterminate!"
Daring ran for her life as see was pursued by strange, yet aggressive machines.
She didn't know where they came from or why they're here, but she stayed focused on running away. The machines showed no sign of stopping.
Knowing she couldn't run forever, Daring jumped into the bushes, out of sight.
"The female has escaped!"
"The equine must not know of our plans. She will be exterminated on sight!"
"Yes, Commander."
The "Commander" looked in her direction, they went back the way it came.
Daring knew the path was not safe, be she could make her way around the area instead. She continued in the dense foliage, trying to make her way around.
She looked up. A trail of smoke raised upward from somewhere in the jungle. Somewhere nearby. Perhaps there was somepony who could help her! She began to make her way towards the source of the smoke.
When she entered a small clearing, she found the very opposite of what she was expected.
There was a red "telephone" box hanging from a few loose vines, and a Diamond Dog on the ground, dressed as if he was going to a fancy dinner party. A cane was lying on the ground next to it, the handle shaped into a question mark.
She stood there, staring at him. Suddenly, the vines snapped. The box fell onto the ground with a loud thud, and the Diamond Dog began to stir.
Daring quickly where it couldn't see her, be where she could see it. The Diamond Dog slowly began to raise himself into a sitting position, and reached for the cane, until-
"Paws? But how?"
They went up to his face, and reached into his pocket and pulled a small, square object, supposedly a mirror.
"I've regenerated into a dog?!"
He stood straight up, then looked down.
"Still bipedal, though."
He began to look around.
"Some sort of jungle. Thick foliage. I wonder why Red TARDIS landed here. Oh well, I need to get dressed!"
Out of another pocket, he pulled out a small key, unlocked the box, and went inside.
He forgot to close the doors.
Daring step away from hiding spot. She slowly began to approach the red box.
Next thing she knew, she was inside. The interior hum ran through the floor, making it vibrate under her. Clocks ran across the walls, big and small, but they all seem broken.
She looked at the outside of the box, then the inside, then the outside. She began pacing around the box, occansionally stepping inside and right back out.
Finally, when her mind was able process what was going on here, she went further inward, and began looking at the console. Button and switches and levers and knobs, any and every control seemed to be attached to the machinery.
Daring turned her attention to the clocks. They all seemed to have the minute hand on 1.
Footsteps could be heard from one of the corridors. Daring didn't have time to react. She turned her head. The Diamond Dog was dressed almost exactly her, and he had an amazed look on his face.
Down to buisness.
"Who are you?"
"It talks, too!"
"Hey! That's a little rude, even for a Diamond Dog, don't you think? I'll ask you again, who are you?"
"I go only by the System, and I assure you, I may look like a "Diamond Dog", but I'm actually a Time Lord. Now tell me your name."
"Daring Do. And what do you mean, Time Lord?"
"It's my species. What I am. The Time Lords of Gallifrey in the constellation Kasterbrous."
"So what, you're an alien?"
"To you, yes."
"But you look like a Diamond Dog!"
"That is normal. We blend in with our surroundings."
"So... You an alien that looks exactly like a Diamond Dog?"
"Yes."
"Then what is this place, your spaceship?"
"Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. But I just call it Red TARDIS. It used to have a functioning chameleon circuit, but somewhere in about, oh, 1963, it blew a fuse and got stuck as a telephone box."
"What's a chameleon circuit?"
"With a chameleon circuit, a TARDIS has the ability to blend in with its surroundings. It's all Time Lord science, just like the 'bigger on the inside' mechanic."
"Sounds really complicated."
"Not if you know what you're dealing with. Anyways, I need to get going. Red TARDIS landed in this area and I'm going to find out why."
"I think I might be able to help you."
"Two heads are better than one. Let's get going! By the way, did anything strange happen while I was unconscious?"
System followed Daring Do through the foliage until they entered a small pathway in the forest of leaves.
"Then it was... this way."
System stayed close behind her as they walked through the narrow path.
"Where are we, exactly?"
"A jungle."
"No, I mean country. Planet."
"Equestria, Equus."
"Then I'm definitely not in my own universe."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"If I'm correct, while I was time traveling, I must have fell through a crack in the universe, through the Void, and into your universe, crash-landing here. Your universe is quite different from mine, which is probably the reason of why I regenerated into a 'Diamond Dog'."
"System, I have another question."
"What is it?"
"What's a Dalek?"
"A nemesis of us Time Lords. They will kill anything non-Dalek until the universe is theirs."
"That must have been what I saw!"
They stepped into an opening. A larger path went in two directions, right and left.
"Their commander went that way."
She pointed to the right. System went ahead, scouting the area for anything.
A voice came from behind.
"Halt!"
They turned around.
"Its been a while, hasn't it?"
A few strange noises came from inside it.
"Time Lord. Armed."
System grabbed the handle of his cane with his other paw, and pulled out a long, thin blade, much like a fencing sword.
"Your scanner still works."
"Drop your weapon!"
System dropped the blade on the ground.
"I wasn't looking for a fight."
"You will come with me."
"Party for two?"
"The equine will not come."
"Two or nothing."
"You must come!"
"I'd rather not."
He pulled out a strange metal stick with a green bulb on the end, and pointed it at the Dalek as it made a strange buzzing sound.
Suddenly, the light in the eyestalk went out.
"Aaaaaaah!"
System grabbed the blade and put it back in the cane.
"Lets go!"
"Stop at once!"
The Dalek began shooting wildly at them as they went back to the left of the pathway.
The Commander began to back slowly into a large pond as it contacted the others.
"Alert! Alert! The Time Lord has escaped! He must be captured alive-!"
The Commander fell backwards into the pond, causing a large explosion in the water.
-(- System and Daring Do -)-
"Is this the way the other Daleks went?"
"Yeah, I think so!"
"Then keep going!"
"You've done this before, haven't you?"
"Much more times than you'd ever believe!"
"Whoa! Whoa!"
They both skidded to a stop. The path made a steep drop into a huge clearing, with a small, darkly-colored pyramid.
"That wasn't there before."
"Wasn't?"
"I know this jungle inside-out, and I've never seen that before at all."
"That means that there's more behind what's going on. They needed me, and only me."
"I think it's time we go check it out, then?"
System simply began to make his way down the steep slope.
Daring looked for a better way down. Now that she looked at it, the clearing looked more like a crater. Yet, she skidded down the side of the "crater" until she was at the bottom.
"A little small for a pyramid, wouldn't you think?"
"That's about as big things would get around here."
He put his paw on it, then quickly pulled away.
"They're in here alright. But where's the entrance?"
He began to go around the dark pyramid, and came around the other way.
"Completely sealed off. Hold on."
He pulled out the metal stick again, and seemed to scan the the whole thing.
"Hey, what is that?"
"What's what?"
"That thing you're holding."
He stopped scanning, and looked at her.
"Sonic screwdriver."
"Sonic what now?"
"Something that comes in handy when you need it."
He opened a slot in the side of a pyramid, and stuck the screwdriver inside it.
"If I could just..."
Suddenly, the wall slid upwards, revealing a way in.
"There we are! Dalek technology can be pretty stubborn sometimes."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing important."
System into the open passageway, and Daring followed quickly after. Inside was nothing compared to what Daring ever saw. A one way window was on one side of the room, with controls under it. A screen was on another side of the room, along with more controls.
"What is this place?"
"An escape pod. And we're only seeing the top of it."
"Does that mean-"
"Precisely. The whole ship is below us. But I've never seen a ship like this."
An elevator open on the last wall, revealing two more Daleks.
"Stay where you are!"
System put his cane down.
"Don't shoot. We surrender."
"Drop ALL your weapons!"
He pulled out the sonic screwdriver, and put it down.
"You will come with me."
"Come on, Daring-"
"Just the Time Lord."
The Dalek pointed its laser at Daring. System froze.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"We came only for you. We will leave only with you."
System looked at the Dalek with dread. Then he leapt forward.
"Aaaaah!" The Dalek shot frantically around the room, trying to get him off.
"Daring, the screwdriver!"
She quickly reacted, sliding the screwdriver across the floor to the System. He quickly grabbed it, and quickly shut down the Dalek. He backed away from it.
"What did you do?"
It suddenly exploded, pieces of metal and flesh flying across the room, leaving a flaming Dalek shell.
"I made a way in. Come on!"
They both quickly made their way into the elevator, riding it down into the heart of the ship.
The elevator made its silent descent into the depths of the ship.
"System, is there more of them?"
"Certainly. But you're a brave pony, just pull through with me. I do this kind of thing everyday... almost."
The elevator stopped moving. The doors slid open to reveal a large interior control room, filled with Daleks. Four specific Daleks were observing a large screen before than came down. Now every Dalek was looking at them.
"I don't think we got the right invitation."
The four Daleks came up to them, but the dark one spoke first.
"System."
"Hello! I suppose you four the leaders around here?"
"Do you not remember us, Time Lord?"
"Hold on."
He stuck his paw in his pocket, pull out a pair of glasses, put them on, and stared intently at the Dalek.
"System-?"
"Oh, you're the cult of Skaro, aren't you? Dalek... Sec, wasn't it?"
"It seems you have found our base, and our plans."
"Plans? No, I haven't figured that part out yet- What plans?"
They turned and moved back towards the screen, with System and Daring behind them.
"System, are you sure about this-?"
"Don't worry about it, just play along."
The screen flashed to a digital diagram, showing the sun and the planet.
"We were following you through the vortex to get rid of you, but we fell through a crack in time, and managed to follow you here. We needed more power for the plans to take action. We also needed your TARDIS."
"But what are you going to do with all that power?"
"As part of our conquest, we would throw this planet into the sun by locking our coordinates and using the escape pod for survival."
The Daleks couldn't ensure that the System would actually return with the TARDIS, so they sent one of their soldier with him to find it.
They had just gotten outside.
"Lead the way."
"We need to get back up somehow. Any ideas?"
The Dalek began to hover over the wall of dirt.
"Oh. I forgot they could do that."
"Maybe if I can use my wings as a boost..."
Though her wings were still mending, she took the risk and jumped, flapping her wings once, just landing outside of the crater.
"Well, that's just not fair. Give me minute or two."
It took a little bit, but System managed to climb up the whole 24 feet of dirt.
"Lets hurry up, we're behind schedule," he said, brushing the dirt off.
They quickly hurried to the bushes from where they had come.
"Red TARDIS should just be ahead. This way!"
They pulled through the foliage to the clearing where he landed.
"Open it."
"Give me a moment."
This time, he pulled out a small key and unlocked the doors with it.
"Daleks first."
The Dalek went inside first. "Now, Daring. If anything goes wrong inside, just kill it. They can never be trusted, not even now." He then went inside after it.
The thing is that, while they were leaving, Daring took the cane with, just in case.
System stepped forward to the controls, but was stopped before he could confirm take off.
"That's as far as we'll need you, Time Lord."
He turned, and held his arms up.
"Surrendering wont help you n-AAAAAAAAH!"
A blade pierced through the front of the metal, then slid back. Daring stepped inside.
"Let me get that for you," she said as she pushed the dead Dalek outside.
"We are still going back. Better set up the shields."
"What for?"
"The plan, of course."
*Red TARDIS takeoff*
"What plan?"
"You'll see."
*Red TARDIS landing*
"There we are!"
System stepped out into the escape pod to see the cult waiting for him.
"Hello! One moment please!"
He stepped back inside. "Daring, I need you to stay in here in case anything goes wrong, okay?"
"Got it."
"Thank you." He went back outside.
"Now, is there anything else you need?"
"Our plans are ready. We have all that we need."
Dalek Sec turned towards the others. "Initiate the magnetic system. Prepare for launch."
One of the Dalek went over to one of the set of controls and activated the engines. The whole ship began to shake.
The ship began to emerge from the crater and rise to the skies.
"Lock coordinates."
The whole ship began to move faster.
"Activate the magnetic system now."
The whole ship jerked back, then returned to its speed.
"All is going well."
"For me, anyways."
They all looked at him.
"Because there's one thing you never, ever do."
He pulled out the Red TARDIS key and began to unlock it. The Daleks began firing at him, but to no avail.
"Never let a Time Lord bring his TARDIS."
He quickly stepped inside. "System, what's going on?"
"We're getting out of here, that's what's going on."
*Red TARDIS takeoff*
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Saving your planet. I can counter their pull with Red TARDIS, which has much more power than they'll ever have."
System fiddled with the controls, when Red TARDIS suddenly jerked to the side.
System stepped out, dressed in the clothes from the crash, and looked around.
"Here we are! 1002 A.D.!"
Daring stepped shortly after him. "What's so special about this year?"
"This is the exact day Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon. So this trip is more like a history lesson."
Suddenly, they were surrounded by royal guards.
"Halt! Stay where you are!"
System put his arms up again.
"What's wrong? Is it something I did?"
"You are hereby arrested for trespassing, Diamond Dog."
"Diamond Dog? I am not a Diamond Dog, I'll have you know! I'm a Time Lord."
They all had a sign of shock on their faces. The leader spoke up.
"Get the princess. Tell her we found him."
They put their spears down. "Sorry about that, System."
"How did you know my name?"
"Which one are you? 5th? 3rd?"
"If you are asking about my regeneration, I'm the first."
"Oh dear."
"Is something wrong?"
"Your future regenerations came here further in the past, and you came to know Celestia well. But this is very bad. Like you said, it's all timey wimey."
The guard from earlier suddenly returned. "The Princess is planning her next attack. She wants to speak with him in the castle."
"Daring, you go with the guards. I need to move Red TARDIS anyways."
"Alright."
System stepped back inside. *Red TARDIS takeoff*
-( Canterlot Castle )-
*Red TARDIS landing*
System stepped out of Red TARDIS, and looked around.
"Much bigger than I thought it would be."
He heard hoofsteps coming from down the hall, and he turned and looked.
"Celestia! Good to see you."
"You came at a good time, System. We need your help."
"Is it about that fight between you and your sister? I don't think I can help you with that-"
She stopped him right there.
"What do you mean "you can't"?"
"...I will see what I can do."
They continued walking.
"So, which one are you?"
"The first."
"I see. Well, we need to get down to buisness."
Celestia stepped into a brightly lit room with four lanterns. In the center of the room was a table with a map.
"My previous plan to attempt to stop my sister had failed. But they all should've worked."
"What was the problem?"
"Other soldiers have been giving reports of skeletons in the forest and shadows out of place. I thought at first that it was Luna's magic, but I believe it is something much more dark."
"It is."
"What?"
He looked at Celestia.
"The Vastha Nerada are here, and they're hungry."
System looked down, then stepped back.
"Celestia, how many lanterns are in this room?"
"There's four, why?"
"Look at the shadows."
She looked down. There were four extra shadows stretching outward.
"Get back!"
"What's going on?"
"I said they were hungry. Right now hungry. And they just found their feast."
One of the lanterns went out.
"Get ready to run for it."
They backed towards the doors. Another lantern went out. And then another.
"When the lights go out, run."
It went dark. "RUN!"
They sprinted out of the room and headed for the exit of the castle. Lights began going out everywhere.
"Get outside!"
They quickly opened the doors and ran outside, just to see the guards and Daring coming up the steps.
System quickly pulled out the sonic screwdriver, and locked the doors to the castle. He then grabbed a lit lantern being hung next to the castle.
"No ones going back in there. Too dangerous."
"System, what's going on?"
"We were attacked by Vastha Nerada."
"What's that?"
"Living shadows that eat your flesh in a matter of seconds."
"Is the princess okay?"
"I'm fine. We still have an attack to take place, and I have the perfect plan."
"Everyone take a lantern, a torch; anything with a light source, for this very night in history, no one is safe."
"So, about that plan of yours, Celestia. What was it?"
"The idea was that we were to split up in four groups-"
"No good. Too many Vastha Nerada. Daring, you've got a plan, right?"
"Uhm..."
"Does anyone have an idea that might work?"
All the guards avoided eye contact with the System.
"Okay then. Here's a plan: follow me and do what I say. Now lets go!"
System ran down the steps past the guards and Daring, and headed for the forest.
"All of you, do what he says. I need to stay here and solve the problem with the Vastha Nerada."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
They all headed for the System, who was still making his way to the forest.
Daring, however, didn't leave.
"I want to stay and help."
Celestia looked at her.
"Very well."
(-- The System and the Soldiers --)
System stopped at the edge of the forest, and set his lantern down. The guards finally managed to catch up with him.
"System, what are you doing?"
"Hmm? Oh, just resting my legs. Give me a moment."
"We might as well rest, too."
They all began to put their lanterns and sit down, just as the System got up.
"Ok, so here's the plan. Nightmare Moon is in the middle of this forest, so we need to get to her. The problem is that the Vastha Nerada have infested the forest, which means that if you made one wrong step, you're done for. So, to tell them apart from the actual shadows, we have to use the lanterns to rid of the darkness. If a shadow still shows in the light, avoid it. Any questions?"
One of the guards raised a hoof.
"Yes?"
"What's a Vastha Nerada?"
"That's not important. Now, lets roll out!"
System grabbed his lantern and headed into the forest, as the guards followed quickly after him.
System's plan worked out perfectly. Using the lanterns, he and the guards avoided stray shadows and other obstacles. They finally reached the clearing, where Nightmare Moon was waiting for them.
"Ah, how nice of you to join us! I was expecting you."
System began to approach her. "Give it up, Nightmare Moon. It ends tonight."
"Even when I'm gone, they'll still be here."
"Oh, the Vastha Nerada? I'm planning on getting them out of here as soon as possible."
He looked down and stopped walking. A large ciruclar shadow surrounded her, and she appeared a darker tone herself. "No..."
"Oh, yes."
"But that's impossible! The Vastha Nerada would never make allies!"
"They would now."
System was suddenly thrown back by her powerful magic, landing near the soldiers. She began laughing maniacally.
"What happened?"
"She's controlling all of the Vastha Nerada. She's has them under her spell."
"So what do we do?"
System went absolutely silent.
"System!"
"Run away. Just run."
They just stared at him.
"Just run!"
They all quickly left the area, leaving the System behind.
He pulled out his sonic screwdriver, and pointed it at the ground next to him.
"Everyone step back."
"System, what are you-"
*Red TARDIS landing*
"Red TARDIS recognizes the signal the screwdriver emits, so I'm able to call it when I need it. Daring, come on."
"Yes sir!"
"Celestia, are you coming?"
She stood silent for a moment.
"For my kingdom and my sister."
She followed System inside.
"Now, just need to set coordinates to the Cathedral and-"
"It's bigger on the inside. System, how are you doing this?"
"Red TARDIS exists inside its own dimension, now give me a moment, will ya?"
The doors suddenly closed. *Red TARDIS takeoff*
-( Canterlot Castle, The Cathedral )-
*Red TARDIS landing, doors opening*
"Tell me, why did you keep the Elements here?"
"After defeating Discord and turning him into stone, we noticed there is much more evil in the world than we thought, so we kept them locked up in here when needed, just in case."
"Clever thinking, Celestia-"
"Hate to stop the conversation you two, but we got guards coming!"
They both turned. Two strange-looking guards were charging straight ahead towards them, and a wave of darkness was right behind them.
"Get that shut NOW!"
Daring quickly closed the two large doors, as the System locked it with the screwdriver.
"We need to get those Elements right now."
"Right!"
They both ran over to the other side of the room, where the large door awaited them.
"Celestia, get that door open-."
"System, will the door hold them?"
"Certainly not, but it'll give us some time, and I am really good with time-!"
"Got it open!"
"Great!"
System quickly grabbed the box containing the Elements and made a run for it.
"Come on! We need to get out of here!"
*door smashing*
"They broke through!"
"JUST GET IN!!!"
They quickly hurried inside. System hurried over to the console.
*Red TARDIS flight, window crashing*
"Hope that window can be replaced!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Manual flight! Hold on!"
*Red TARDIS landing*
"Sorry 'bout the rough landing!"
"Still have the Elements?"
"The box is still intact, so that's a 1-up. Come on, we need to get moving!"
They hurried outside, to where the guards were waiting.
"Princess, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Celestia, it's time." She turned to face the System. He was holding out the box with the Elements.
"Of course it is," she agreed, taking the box from his paw.
-( Forest Clearing )-
They returned to the clearing, where the Vastha Nerada stood.
"I was waiting for you to come back. And I see you've brought your friends."
Celestia began to open the box.
"Don't hesitate, Celestia. This is for you sister's own good."
"What's that you have there?"
Celestia stepped more into the clearing. The Elements began to take effect.
"What do you think you're doing?"
A bright beam of light began to surround Celestia.
"I'm sorry, Luna."
"Stop it! Just stop it now!"
The beam of light shot directly at the Vastha Nerada. The light surrounded them and the beam shot towards the moon as Luna began to dissolve.
"AHHHHHHHHhhhhhh...!"
The magic just seemed to wear away. Celestia fell back to the ground, along with 5 spherical stones.
"The deed is done, Celestia."
-(- 4 hours later -)-
For the first time in 2 years, sun shined across the land as the townsfolk rejoiced. The world was at peace once again.
Celestia has saved her sister from the Vastha Nerada, but all was not done.
"Thank you, System, for helping me defend my kingdom."
"There's still one I need to take care of."
System walked into a large field right next to the forest.
"Heeeeelloooooooooooooooo! I would like to speak with the Vastha Nerada, please!"
Thousands of shadows pull away from the forest into the opening. Behind him, the large castle doors flung open as more shadows streamed down the steps towards the others.
Soon, there was a huge shadow in the middle of the sunlight.
"I've got three questions for all of you. First, your ship crashed here exactly 4 years ago, and with the instinct of survival, you were going to use Celestia's sister to take the planet by force. Am I correct?"
The large shadow made out the word "yes".
"Okay. But, we set Luna to the moon, where you can't control her, so your efforts turn out useless, and your conquest failed. Again, am I correct?"
Again, they made out the word "yes".
"Okay. Last one. I'm willing to make you all an offer. I will find you a new home where you can live peacefully IF you promise to leave these poor, innocent creatures alone. Do we have a deal?"
Nothing happened for a few moments, before the word "yes" was shown yet again.
"Now, if you would kindly step into Red TARDIS, that would be great."
The large shadow flowed across the landscape, and into Red TARDIS, with the System right it.
"Don't worry. I'll be right back. Gotta find these guys a new planet."
*Red TARDIS takeoff, Red TARDIS landing*
"There we are! Now, Celestia, I think it's time to say goodbye. Come along, Daring!"
"I've got a special place in mind, to celebrate our victory of saving the planet."
"Is it your planet? Can we go there?"
"...No. That's not where we're going."
"Awww, why not?"
"Well, where's the fun in it for me? I don't want to go home! We're going somewhere much better-!"
*Red TARDIS alarm*
"No no no no no no!"
"System, what's going on?"
"Red TARDIS seems to be experiencing some sort of malfunction-"
*cloister bell*
"System... what was that?"
"The Cloister bell, which means only one thing..."
System ran to the doors and opened them, revealing a white emptiness.
"Where are we?"
"The Void. We'll need more power to get out of here, which means we're stuck here. Don't go outside." He stated as he closed the doors.
"But what's out there?"
"...I don't know... just don't go out there."
He turned and went back to the console, attempting to repair the console.
-(- A couple hours later... -)-
*sparks, Red TARDIS powering up*
"Aha! Red TARDIS is back online! Now, lets get out of here-!"
Suddenly, Red TARDIS began to sway back and forth wildly, causing Daring and the System to fall over.
"System, what's going on!?"
"We need to open the doors!"
System quickly leapt at the doors as the interior continued to shake. He quickly opened the doors, revealing what was shaking Red TARDIS. He backed away.
"System, what is it?- Eeep!"
In the doorway was four stone statues of pegasi with blank looks on their faces.
"Don't blink."
"Why?"
"Just don't. They can't move as long as you're looking."
"What are they?"
"Weeping Angels, or at least now they're pegasi."
"What are we going to do?"
"On a count of three, get ready to run."
"But System-"
"One."
"Where are we going to-"
"Two..."
She looked to her right. There was a long corridor that lead inwards.
They both sprinted towards the open corridor as they heard the sounds of stones grinding together getting closer.
System looked back, causing them to freeze with terrifying faces, as he quickly closed the open door.
"Are they gone?"
"No. But the door should hold them back for a little while."
"Why couldn't they move when we were looking at them?"
"They're quantum-locked. Look at them, and they cease to exist; turn to stone. The perfect defense mechanism."
"So what do we do now?"
"We have to find the heart."
"The heart of what-?"
Two voices echoed from down the corridor.
"Come on, Twilight! This way!"
"They're right behind us!"
"I know that, just keep going!"
Two other ponies appeared on the other side of the corridor, facing their way. One was a gray earth pony with a frilled shirt. The other was a lavender unicorn.
"System, who are they?" "System, who are they?"
"Impossible." "Impossible."
System and the gray pony walked up to each other.
"Who are you?"
"You. I do believe you are quite confused on what is going on, but you see-"
"Red TARDIS is beginning to leak."
"Precisely."
The unicorn came up to them.
"System, who are they?"
"My past. There's nothing to worry about. System, I'd like you to meet your future assistant, Twilight."
"Hello."
"Look, we don't have much time. We need to find the heart of Red TARDIS right now-"
All four quickly ran down the corridor as the door was slowly pushed open.
"This way! Track them through the library!"
"Where's that?"
"Over here!" "Over here!"
They kept running until they reached another door, much like the one in the console room. The 1st System quickly opened it, revealing a large, library with countless books.
"Split up!"
They split up into two groups and went into opposite directions of the gaping library.
(-- 1st System and Daring --)
"Where, exactly, are we going?"
"To the other side of the library. It's a shortcut to the heart of Red TARDIS."
"And how long will it take us to get to the other side?"
"At a walking pace, 20 minutes."
*doors slamming*
"Come on!"
(-- ??? System and Twilight --)
"So that Diamond Dog was you?"
"One of me, yes."
"One of you?"
"He was the first, then there was another, and then there's me."
"Sounds complicated."
"More than you think."
She turned. "System, look!"
He turned around. There stood the statues from earlier, with their hooves outstretched towards them.
"What do we do?"
"Go get the others. We need to get moving."
"But what about you-?"
"Just go!"
She quickly ran away to get the other two.
"Looks like its just you and me."
(-- 1st System and Daring --)
They had stopped running to take a rest, noticing that they Weeping Pegasi haven't shown up yet. That was until Twilight showed up.
"Twilight, what's going on?"
"The System is in trouble! You've got to come now!"
"Come on, Daring! On your hooves!"
They both got up and the three of them ran back to where the other System was.
"System!"
"Oh good, you're all back."
"So what do we do now?"
"Run?"
"Sounds good to me."
They all ran into and down the center of the library, with the sound of stones grinding behind them.
They continued running until they just managed to reach the door. The 1st System keep his eyes on the statues.
"Get that door open now!"
"Give me a moment!"
*doors opening*
"System, come on!"
1st System back into the open doorway, his eyes still on the Pegasi, as the other System closed the doors again.
"So where do we go now?"
"The heart of Red TARDIS is connect to four other rooms, so from where we are now, the quickest way there is through the biodome."
"Biodome?"
"It was just a hobby."
*banging*
"We better get going!"
After running through a few corridors and turning corners, the 1st System stopped at a different-looking door than before, and began to open it.
*distant doors slamming*
"Hurry it up!"
"Hold on..."
*doors opening*
"Yes! Come on everyone!"
"Do you think they'll find us?"
"Certainly." *doors closing* "Now, this time, everyone split up! We need to find the heart!"
Everyone ran away from each other, searching the biodome for any doors that might lead to the heart.
(-- Daring Do --)
She ran along the side of the biodome, searching for any signs of a door, yet it was hard to see with the vines grow from the wall.
*distant banging*
"Come on, where is it?"
She stopped. Behind the vines was another door like the previous ones, only with strange, circular markings on it.
"I think I found it!"
*distant doors slamming*
The other came running to her one by one. The 1st System began to open the door.
"Hurry up, they're right behind us."
*doors opening*
When he opened the door, a sphere-shaped room was revealed, with a catwalk circling around the center, which was a big, bright ball of light, and around the edges were three other doors.
"Here we are. Everyone to the other side!"
They all ran over to the other side of the room, as the Pegasi crept into the room.
"System, what are they doing?"
"They're trying to get to the heart. Just let them."
"But what about Red TARDIS-?"
"Just... close your eyes."
One by one, they each closed their eyes, Daring being the last one.
*stone disintegrating*
She opened her eyes. The Weeping Pegasi were gone.
"Where are they?"
"Gone. Any type of living matter that touches the heart instantly wastes away time. I think it's time we got out of here."
-( Red TARDIS, Console Room )-
System returned to the console, and as the engines started up, the other System and Twilight began to fade.
"Oh... it seems our time has come to return to our timeline."
"System, what's going on?"
"They're returning to their own time stream. Until we meet again!"
"I read about this place. Ponyville, the town of mischief."
"Sounds dangerous."
"That's why we're here. Come on, this way!"
He ran off towards the small town, with Daring right behind him. When they got into the town, however, not a single living thing could be seen.
"That's strange." System pulled out a fob watch. "Exactly 12:00 o' clock. So where is everyone?"
"Maybe everyone is sick, or something."
"You might be right. Lets check the hospital, if there is one."
They began searching for the hospital, as the whole town began to seem more and more abandoned than thriving.
"Over here! I found it!"
System ran over. There stood a large, white building, much like the hospitals back on Earth.
"Well, lets check in and see what's going on."
They both entered the hospital, which appeared just as desolated as the streets.
"Hello! Anyone in here?"
A voice came from behind them.
"No one is here. Trying looking somewhere else."
They turned. There stood a humanoid figure wearing a long, white robe with strange marking all over it. The figure head was blocked by a large helmet, completely surrounding its head. Its feet and hands were visible, but they were like shadows, and were more like claws.
"Who are you?"
"I don't have a name. But I would prefer it if you called me the Hidden."
"Hidden, where is everyone? Why is the town empty?"
"They're all in their homes. You haven't heard, have you?"
"Heard about what?"
"Ponies have been going missing for a week, now. That must be why you're here, System."
"How did you know my name?"
"I've been watching you for a while, now. Interesting adventures, I must say."
"You've been following us?"
"Don't worry. I'm not trying to kill you. But maybe I can help you with your problem."
"And what can you do about it, exactly?"
"They're being converted. The army is growing. Fix it, Time Lord."
"That's for you to figure out. I will see you again later," he said as he walked away.
"Wait!" System tried to go after him, but he was no where to be seen.
"System, what did he mean by "They're being converted"? "The army is growing"? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means they're here. But where?"
"What's here?"
"Telling by what he said, the Cybermen are here and they're converting innocent ponies into an army. But where's the base?"
"Base?"
"Well, you need a base to turn ponies into Cybermen, but where would you put it in a place like this? There's no where to hide it, unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless they're right underneath us."
System ran back inside the hospital. "System, where are you going?!"
"Down!"
Daring managed to catch up with him. "They're smart enough to know that taking ponies out of the blue is too dangerous, because they'll fight back. So, you need to take your specimen when they're weak and defenseless. And where else but a hospital to find exactly that. So the enterance has to be nearby, so no one can see you take them."
They walked straight up to a wall. System pulled out the sonic screwdriver and scanned it.
"So the closest place to it..."
The wall slid to side, revealing a way down.
"...is inside it. Come on!"
They began to make their way into the depths of the Cybercolt base.
-( Ponyville, Cybercolt Base, 12:04 A.M. )-
The path down seemed to go on forever, but they finally reached the bottom, where a large, metal door awaited them.
System pulled out his sonic screwdriver and opened the door to the workshop, where the ponies were being converted. An alarm suddenly went off.
*rhythmic metal pounding*
"Oops. Shouldn't have done that."
"What's that noise?"
"It's them."
"Alert. Alert. Intruders detected. All intruders will be deleted."
They both turned to run, only to again be confronted by the Hidden, expect that he was wielding a large blade.
"Step aside."
They got out of his way, as he began to slice and rip his way through the growing hoard of Cybercolts.
"There was no need for that!"
"I must defend what is mine, Time Lord."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"The answer to that lies on another day-"
"Oh, just quit with the riddles, already! Do you know how annoying that is?"
The Hidden just silently walked past them, and left the room.
"Now, we need to first find the production line and stop the converting."
"But where would we find something like that?"
*buzzing saws, screaming*
"Just follow the sounds!"
They quickly ran through the base, avoiding the Cybercolts as they went by. Eventually, they reached the production line, but kept out of sight. Two lines of ponies walked forward in a large, open room guarded by two Cybercolts.
"We need to sabotage the machine inside, but how?"
"I could fly over."
"You'd probably get caught easily. We need something more... more..."
His voice trailed off. He noticed one of the ponies in the line.
He pointed. "Look over there. It's Twilight!"
"System, what're we going to do?"
He sat there, absolutely silent, until he suddenly pulled out his sonic screwdriver, and aimed it at one of the Cybercolts. Suddenly, the head just burst, and the body fell over. He did the same thing with the other. He began make his way into the room.
"Everyone here must evacuate the area immediately! Just get out of here while you still can!"
Ponies ran away from the room, and the System made his way to the large machine. Again, with the sonic screwdriver, he began to dismantle the the saws and blades and other things.
"So, we saved the day yet again?"
"Not quite. We still have an army of Cybercolts to take down, and their base along with them. And the best way to do that is to take out the controller."
System left the room, and ran straight down the hall, with Daring trailing right behind him.
They ran through halls and halls, turning every now and then. They almost turned another corner before the System saw something that made them stop. Three rows of Cybercolts were advancing down the hall.
"What's going on?"
"Must be the retrieval party, going to collect the ones that ran off."
"So what do we do?"
"Just let them pass."
*rhythmic metal pounding*
They sat there for about a minute or so, as the Cybercolts simply past by them. Soon, the path was clear.
"Come on, this way."
He began to go the opposite way they were headed, and Daring quickly followed. The hall was larger and longer than all the others, and they soon reached an unguarded door with a keypad.
System went up to it, pulled out his sonic screwdriver, and disarmed the lock, opening the doors. Inside was a small control room with a chair facing away from, and at a large screen.
The chair turned to face them. In it was the Cyberking.
"You're still humanoid."
"My body remained pure as the others were deformed, but nonetheless functioning."
"Why are you here?"
"We came here in search of a new home, to be converted into a Cyberworld."
"Well, I'm here to make sure you don't." He pulled out his sword.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"You Cybermen have no feelings for others. You take away what makes them alive, turning them into nothing but nerves in metal shells. You can't be trusted. Ever."
He charged at the Cyberking, puncturing his head, killing him.
The power seemed to go out for a moment, then a red light began to flash.
/" Automatic Self-Destruct in 5 minutes "\
"Oh. Didn't see that coming- RUN!"
They sprinted back in the direction they came from, with the clock ticking away.
"What about the Cybercolts?"
"The power went out! They all shut down! But that's besides the point- just keep running!"
They ran back through the halls, down from the machine, and through the way they entered.
/" Automatic Self-Destruct in one minute "\
They quickly ran outside, where the escaped ponies were still resting.
"What about the hospital?"
"The self-destruct shouldn't go beyond the base. I think it's safe-"
The ground shook violently, but only for about a minute.
"And that takes care of the that."
"So, are we finished here?"
"I do believe so."
One of the nurses came up to them. "Whoever you are, thank you for saving us."
