The Doctor Whooves Chronicles Episode 5: Prisoners of War

Chapters

Prologue: A Best Mare in the TARDIS
Meet Twilight Sparkle
A Trinity War
Marcus the Dishonored
Busted
The Spark is Found
Lupae
Colonel, Prisoner, and Doctor
The Twilight King

Prologue: A Best Mare in the TARDIS

The Doctor Whooves Chronicles: Episode 5

Prisoners of War

Prologue: A Best Mare in the TARDIS

Gaia, 1002 C.E.

The city of Canterlot was filled with the sounds of cheering and singing. The whole city was caught up in celebration in honor of the marriage of Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor. The celebration was also in honor of the fact that the city had just survived an invasion of a dangerous species known as changelings. While the citizens of Canterlot danced the night away and ate, talked, laughed, and sung in honor of the newlyweds, the Doctor stood at one of the food tables and eyed a large, juicy pear with caution. "Whatcha doing, Doctor?" asked Derpy as she approached the Doctor with a collection of sweets (mostly muffins) balanced in her forelegs.

"Oh! Hello, Derpy. I'm just thinking about whether or not I should taste this pear," the Doctor replied.

"Why are you thinking so much about this?"

"Because I hated pears back in my universe. I'm curious to see if I've taken a liking to pears in the pony form that I've acquired in this universe."

"Well you don't know unless you try."

The Doctor turned to Derpy with a large grin on his face. "You know what? You're right, Derpy!" The Doctor grabbed the pear with his hoof and took a huge bite out of it. The Doctor instantly regretted this for he proceeded to run over to a nearby potted plant and spit the bite of pear out of his mouth and into the dirt. He then took the pear he was holding and tossed it away. "Nope! Nope! Still don't like them!"

The Doctor heard Derpy giggling and he quickly returned to a calm state of mind. "This has been a great wedding!" Derpy exclaimed as she took a bite out of a muffin. The Doctor took a blueberry muffin from Derpy's grasp and bit into it.

"Yes. It has certainly been interesting."

"You know, aside from the whole invasion thing."

"But that was the interesting part! What an interesting species: changelings! Creatures that feed off love. I myself would love to take a closer look at them!"

Derpy rolled her eyes at the Doctor's pun. "After seeing what they did to Princess Celestia, I'd prefer to stay as far away from them as possible."

The Doctor crossed his forelegs. "Come on, Ms. Hooves! Where's your sense of adventure?!"

"I still have it, Doctor! It's just that I was kind of hoping that this wedding would have been simple and peaceful."

"Well it's simple and peaceful now. And, hey, you and I didn't even have to take care of the problem ourselves! The newlyweds managed to take care of the changelings on their own."

"Yes, but still, I'd like for us to visit a place without having to deal with political disputes, monsters, or invasions. Why don't we just take a relaxing trip to the beach or something?"

"Is that where you want to go next?"

"Anywhere relaxing. I'm ready to get out of these fancy clothes," Derpy replied as she tugged at her gray gown with silver lining.

The Doctor looked at his own, fancy black suit with black tie and pushed his chest forward. "Well the fancy clothes don't really bother me!" he stated with a smirk.

"Well, of course they wouldn't! You're always wearing a suit!"

"Not all...okay, you've got a point."

"Thank you."

The Doctor and Derpy then began making their way back towards the TARDIS. "Your mane looks really nice like that," the Doctor said.

"You really think so?" Derpy asked as she swatted at her ponytail.

"Yeah." Derpy began to blush and the Doctor looked away swiftly. "Anyway, I'm surprised that we haven't run into Celestia or Luna yet."

"Do you want to try and find them?" Derpy asked.

"Nah. I don't want to give them heart attacks. You know the ritual. Wherever the Doctor is, trouble's bound to be not too far away," the Doctor replied.

"I guess you've got a point."

As the Doctor and Derpy walked past a group of excited ponies, a white carriage pulled by Equestrian soldiers and pulling along strings with cans rushed past them along a city street. "There's the bride and groom right now," the Doctor chuckled.

"I hope they're happy together," said Derpy.

"I'm sure they are. It probably took a lot of energy to blast those changelings away and I can tell that Princess Cadance and Shining Armor have a strong bond. Besides, it's obvious that they're going to stay together because there's at least five generations coming after them."

"True."

The Doctor and Derpy crossed the street and made their way over towards the TARDIS, which was parked next to a closed shop. "I really enjoyed that song that the Best Mare sung. What did you think, Derpy?"

Derpy tilted her head from side to side. "I liked it."

The Doctor unlocked and opened the TARDIS doors. "Mares first." Derpy smiled as she trotted into the blue box. The Doctor was quick to follow. He closed the doors and ran over towards the main console. "So, where to next?"

"Somewhere relaxing," Derpy replied as she leaned back against the console.

"Somewhere relaxing," the Doctor repeated as he began to work the controls. However, for some reason, the TARDIS didn't move. "Now what?!" The Doctor began fiddling with the controls. No matter what he pulled, pressed, or bent, the TARDIS refused to go anywhere.

"What's wrong?" Derpy stood up and let out a loud yawn as she stretched her legs.

"The TARDIS has decided to be a stubborn mule once again."

"Hey! That's not nice! Not all mules are stubborn!"

"What? Do you happen to know a few?"

"Actually, I do."

The Doctor was silent for a moment. "Right. Universe with talking ponies. I'm guess mules talk too." The Doctor pressed six buttons and pulled down two levers but the TARDIS still refused to budge. The Doctor threw his hooves up and walked over to the console chair. "What is it that you want? Is there something here that we're forgetting?"

"I think it's safe to say that the problem is taken care of."

"Exactly. So why is the TARDIS keeping us here? What else is here in Canterlot at this particular moment?"

"Oh my Celestia!" gasped an unfamiliar voice. The Doctor nearly fell from his chair out of surprise. He and Derpy turned towards the TARDIS doors to see a mare standing just inside the threshold. She was a unicorn who appeared to be around Derpy's age. She had a purple mane, a lavender coat, and a cutie mark that consisted of a purple star surrounded by five smaller white stars. She was wearing a green, flowery head garment and a dark pink gown. "But...it's just a tiny, blue box! How can this be inside it?!"

"This is a problem," the Doctor stated. The unicorn looked at the Doctor and Derpy and eyed them intensely.

"Who are-" The unicorn fell silent when her eyes fell on Derpy. "Wait a moment...do I know you?"

"Uh...maybe," Derpy replied awkwardly. Suddenly, the TARDIS doors slammed shut and locked. The unicorn looked back at the doors in surprise.

"Did you do that?!" The unicorn asked.

"We didn't do anything!" Derpy replied as she raised her forelegs up in defense.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no!" cried the Doctor as he began running around the main console. "You decide to start working NOW?!" The TARDIS began to shake as its signature sound echoed through the air: VVVRRROOOMMMPPP! VVVRRROOOMMMPPP! VVVRRROOOMMMPPP!

The unicorn tried to balance herself on the shaking TARDIS floor. "What's going on?!" asked the unicorn. She quickly turned towards the TARDIS doors. Her horn gave off a purple light and a blast of purple, magical energy shot from her horn and towards the TARDIS doors. Unsurprisingly, the magical blast had no effect. "What sort of magic is this?!" The unicorn turned towards the Doctor. Their eyes met in a sharp, terrifying stare. "Who in the name of Celestia are you?!"

"I'm the Doctor!" replied the Doctor as he held onto the main console. "And you're the Best Mare! What's your name!?"

"Twilight Sparkle!"

"Well, Twilight Sparkle, here's some words of advice: you better hold onto something because we're in for a bumpy ride!"

Twilight grabbed onto the column closest to her. The TARDIS gave a few last, powerful lurches and Twilight Sparkle screamed as the blue box flung itself into the Time Vortex.

Meet Twilight Sparkle

Chapter 1: Meet Twilight Sparkle

Orbit of Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

The TARDIS shot out of the Time Vortex like a bullet and quickly became tangled in the gravitational pull of a massive, purple planet. The Doctor fought with the TARDIS controls furiously as he tried to regain control of the ship. Sparks fell from the ceiling and the ship groaned and screamed like it was simultaneously exploding and repairing itself. "DOCTOR!" cried Derpy as she held tightly onto the main console, her ponytail bouncing around like a bubble of hairy jello.

"I've almost got it!" the Doctor replied as he forced another one of the levers down. The TARDIS leaned sharply to the left and the Doctor nearly lost his footing.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" cried Twilight Sparkle, who was still holding on to one of the control room columns.

"We're landing!" The Doctor pressed a series of buttons and the TARIDS gave off a loud hiss in response. Then, the ship began to fall. Everything began to shake even more violently and the air grew incredibly warm. Beads of sweat rolled down the Doctor's face as he fought against his stubborn ship. "Come on! Come on!"

"Doctor?!" cried Derpy nervously.

"EVERYPONY HOLD ON!" warned the Doctor as he tightened his grip on the main console. It was going to be a bumpy landing.

Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

Twilight Sparkle hit the floor hard. The blue box had finally stopped shaking. Everything became calm and quiet. The stallion known as the Doctor and the pegasus mare were lying on the floor around the control console. As she lay on the floor, Twilight could only think about how much she regretted entering the blue box.

She had just said goodbye to Shining Armor and Cadance and had decided to take a quick walk around the city. She had come across the box randomly. She hadn't recognized it and had known that it was something new. She would have simply walked past it but something about it seemed to draw her in. She had felt an immense amount of power emanating from it and, somehow, she swore that she could have heard a faint voice calling to her. Curiosity had overtaken her. And now, thanks to curiosity, she was now lying on the floor of a large room within a blue box alongside a strange stallion and a strangely familiar pegasus.

"I...think...it's over...for now," stated the Doctor as he pulled himself up. "Everypony okay?"

"I think so," groaned the pegasus as she stood up.

Twilight was incredibly confused but this meant that she desperately needed some answers. She quickly picked herself off the floor and marched over towards the Doctor. "Okay. I want answers. Now!" she snapped.

"Well I can't really provide answers to questions that haven't been asked," the Doctor replied with a smirk.

Twilight instantly got a powerful urge to slap the suited stallion straight across the face but she resisted. "Who are you?"

"I already told you who I am. I'm the Doctor."

"I want a name."

"That is my name."

"That's not a name! It's a title! Doctor? Doctor who?"

"It's just the Doctor."

"No! There has to be more to it than that!"

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, Twilight Sparkle, but there really isn't anything more to it. I'm the Doctor. Plain and simple. No ifs or buts. No who, where, when, what, how, or why. Point. Blank. Period. We're done. End of story. That is all. Ta ta for now!"

Twilight was silent for a moment. She couldn't help but feel a bit impressed by the stallion standing before her. This was a pony who definitely had many secrets to hide. "Okay...so you're the Doctor." Twilight then turned towards the pegasus. "And who are you?"

The pegasus blushed a bit and took a couple steps back. "Derpy," she replied softly. "Derpy Hooves."

"Well, it's nice to see that there's at least one other pony here who goes by a name." Twilight extended a hoof and Derpy Hooves awkwardly shook it. Twilight narrowed her eyes as she and Derpy's hooves parted. She looked incredibly familiar. Twilight knew she had seen Derpy somewhere before. But where? "Okay, second question, what the hay just happened and what are we inside of?"

"That's two questions," the Doctor corrected.

Twilight rolled her eyes. She really wanted to slap him now. She took a long, calming breath and turned towards the Doctor. "Can you please just answer my questions?"

"Certainly! You're inside my TARDIS!"

"Your...TARDIS?"

"Yep!"

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space," Derpy added with a smile.

"Oh! Very good, Ms. Hooves!"

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space?" Twilight asked.

"Yes!" exclaimed the Doctor. "Basically, it's a spaceship and a time machine."

Twilight's ears stood up. "What?"

The Doctor ran over to one of the monitors on the main control console. "And, according to this, we're on the planet of Nymphadora in the year 1678 C.E."

Twilight was silent for a brief moment. "But...that's impossible. Time travel of that nature couldn't possibly-"

"It is possible when you have a TARDIS."

Twilight ran over to the TARDIS doors and pulled them open. A light, violet light poured in through the open doors. Twilight couldn't believe what she was seeing. A massive, purple plain opened up before her. Light blue grass fluttered in the wind and green ladybugs the size of foals flew through the air. It was nighttime but the sky was illuminated with the light of a small orange moon and a large blue moon. Twilight turned back towards the Doctor and Derpy. Her legs were shaking and her mouth was agape. "This is...I can't...how did...who are...oh my Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed.

The Doctor walked over to the doors, quickly closed them, turned to Twilight, and grabbed her shoulders. "I know this might seem like a lot to take in. Just take deep breaths. Deep breaths," he instructed. Twilight did what she was told. After a few rounds of deep breathing, she let out a great sigh and shook her head a bit. "There! Feeling better?"

Twilight nodded in response. "Yeah. There's just one more thing."

"What is it?" Twilight brought one of her hooves back and slapped the Doctor right across the face. "Oi! What was that for?!"

"That was to help me feel better," Twilight replied with a smile.

"Hey!" cried Derpy as she flew over to Twilight and glared angrily at her. "Don't slap the Doctor!"

"You're one to talk, Derpy Hooves! If I remember correctly, you slapped me the first time we met!" the Doctor snapped. Derpy blushed a bit and lowered herself down.

"So, let me get this straight," said Twilight. "We've actually...literally...traveled through time and space?"

"Pretty much," replied the Doctor.

Twilight walked over to the control console and began taking everything in. "This is just...amazing."

"Well, I'd probably say fantastic or brilliant but, yes, it is also very amazing."

Twilight turned back towards the Doctor. "Are you from the future?"

"Not exactly."

"Now what's that supposed to mean?"

"The Doctor may look like a pony but he's really an alien from an alternate universe," Derpy stated with a grin. Twilight looked at Derpy in disbelief. "I know it sounds crazy. Trust me, I thought he was a mental patient when I first met him."

Twilight looked back at the Doctor. "So...what are you then?"

"I'm a Time Lord," replied the Doctor.

"That's not the name of a species," Twilight stated.

"Says you."

"That sounds like a title."

"So? Who died and gave you the right to decide what a species should be named?"

"Nopony! So, what, does everypony in your species have titles for names?"

"No. I'm just the rare exception."

"Your real name's not Doctor. I know it isn't."

"It is as far as you, my companion, and everything else in my universe and yours is concerned!" The Doctor approached the console and began fiddling with the controls. After a few seconds of this, the Doctor threw his hooves up and sighed. "Well, I guess we're stuck here for a while."

"What's wrong?" Derpy asked.

"We're not budging. For some reason, the TARDIS wants us to stay here."

"Why are you talking like your ship is alive?" Twilight asked.

"That's because it is. What? Did you think I intentionally had the TARDIS take us to this random destination with you on board?"

"Uh...yes! Are you saying that this ship closed the doors and teleported us away on its own?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"But, Doctor, the TARDIS has never done this before," Derpy stated

"Oh yes it has. It's done it many times before you ever came aboard, Derpy. Now it's done it again." The Doctor looked up at Twilight. "And I think you're at the center of things."

"Me? Why?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor pulled a magnifying glass out of one of his suit pockets, approached Twilight, and began examining her with it. "Tell me, Twilight Sparkle. Are you extraordinary in any way?"

"That's an easy question," said Derpy.

The Doctor turned around to face Derpy. "Derpy, do you know Twilight?"

Derpy quickly shook her head. "No...well...kinda. You see, I know who she is."

"Well, who are you, Ms. Sparkle?" asked the Doctor as he turned back to Twilight.

"I'm a pupil of Princess Celestia. I also represent the Element of Magic," Twilight replied.

"Element of Magic?"

"Yes. The Element of Magic from the Elements of Harmony."

"Oh! You're one of the six mares that represents the Elements of Harmony?!"

"Yeah."

"Brilliant! I've been interested in meeting you ever since Derpy told me about you when we helped Princess Celestia banish Nightmare Moon to...well...the Moon."

"Wait...what?"

"It's a long story," Derpy replied.

"One we can tell another time," said the Doctor as he stored his magnifying glass away. "Right now, I guess the only choice we have is to explore."

"Explore?" Twilight asked.

"Yep."

"As in explore the world waiting outside those doors?"

"Yep."

"As in explore the world with the foal-sized ladybugs, purple dirt, and blue grass?"

"Come now, Ms. Sparkle! You live in a world where it's normal for ponies to cast magic, fly, obtain unique tattoos on their rumps, and interact with griffons, dragons, and alicorns that control the Sun and the Moon."

"Believe it or not, Doctor, there are actually some things that us ponies do find strange," Derpy added. "Like a stallion from another dimension who travels around all of time and space in a blue box that's bigger on the inside."

The Doctor looked back at Derpy and shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough." He then wrapped a foreleg around Twilight and began leading her towards the TARDIS doors. "Come now, Derpy Hooves and Twilight Sparkle! A new world awaits us!"

Twilight gulped as the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and walked her outside.

Derpy was met with a cool blast of air when she stepped through the TARDIS doors. The light blue grass rubbed against her hooves. It felt incredibly smooth and yet very tickly. Derpy giggled a bit as she kicked the grass away from her. "Brilliant!" she heard the Doctor exclaim as he closed the TARDIS doors.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen before," said Twilight as she looked around the field they had landed in.

"Of course it is, Ms. Sparkle. It is another planet after all."

Derpy couldn't help but feel amazed by what she saw. So far, the closest she had been to being on another planet was being on the Moon of Gaia. Now, she was truly on an alien planet somewhere far out in the universe. "What did you say this place was called again, Doctor?" Derpy asked.

"Nymphadora," the Doctor replied. "It's quite a fitting name, if you ask me. It has a violet tone to it."

"A violet tone?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Am I the only one who thinks of purple when I hear the name Nymphadora?"

"Probably."

Derpy jumped a bit as one of the foal-sized ladybugs appeared in front of her. It stared at her with its large eyes. "Nice ladybug," Derpy said with a gulp. Derpy shuttered a bit as the ladybug flew towards her and nuzzled itself against her neck. The ladybug then proceeded to give off a purring sound as it nuzzled against Derpy's neck.

"Is that ladybug...purring?" asked Twilight.

"Yes, I believe it is," replied the Doctor as he walked over to the ladybug and examined it with his magnifying glass. "Beautiful! Ladybugs that are the size of foals and purr like cats! Even my universe doesn't have these!"

The ladybug then turned towards Twilight and flew over towards her. "Ahhh! No, no, no! Keep it away from me!"

Derpy couldn't help but giggle a bit at the sight of the ladybug chasing after Twilight. "It's not going to hurt you. I think it likes you," Derpy said.

"That still doesn't change the fact that it's a giant ladybug that purrs!" Twilight turned around to face the ladybug. A purple light simultaneously appeared around both Twilight's horn and the ladybug. A few seconds later, the ladybug drifted to the ground and fell into a deep sleep. "That's better."

"What did you do to it?!"

"Nothing! I just put it to sleep!"

"You didn't have to do that, you know."

"It was starting to annoy me and I didn't want to hurt it."

"Well, you might have!"

"Putting it to sleep isn't going to hurt it!"

Derpy and Twilight glared at each other but the Doctor quickly broke them apart. "Ladies! Come on now! No fighting!" he pleaded. "Let's just continue exploring!"

"Fine," said Twilight.

"Oh! One more thing!" The Doctor turned back towards the TARDIS, pulled out his sonic screwdriver, aimed it at the TARDIS, and activated it. A second later, the TARDIS disappeared into thin air.

"What did you do?!" asked Derpy.

"Don't worry. The TARDIS is still there. I've just put it a second out of sync so that no unwanted visitors can come across it."

"What's that you're holding?" Twilight asked as she pointed at the Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

"This? This is my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor replied as he presented the screwdriver before storing it in his pocket.

"Your what?"

"My sonic screwdriver."

"A sonic screwdriver? What does it do?"

"Oh, lots of things! Even more things than I usually care to remember."

"He usually uses it to unlock things," Derpy explained.

"So it unlocks stuff?" Twilight asked.

"That's one of its features but, sure, remember it like that," the Doctor replied as he walked past Derpy and Twilight. Suddenly, the Doctor came to a stop. "Wait a moment...do either of you hear that?" Derpy and Twilight raised their ears. Through the night wind, they could make out the sound of a female singing.

"Singing?" asked Twilight.

"Who would be singing out here?" Derpy asked.

"Let's find out!" the Doctor replied with a grin as he made his way down a nearby path. Derpy and Twilight followed cautiously.

As Derpy walked along the trail, she came to wish that she had changed out of her gown. She kept stepping on it and twigs and leaves kept getting caught in it. "Rarity's going to kill me," Derpy heard Twilight say.

"What?" Derpy asked.

"My friend Rarity made this dress for me to wear at the wedding. I'm going to have a hard time explaining to her how it ended up poked with twigs."

The Doctor quickly ducked behind a cluster of bushes and beckoned Derpy and Twilight to do the same. "What is it?" asked Derpy.

The Doctor put a hoof to his mouth and gave a soft shhh. He then pointed over the top of the bushes. Derpy and Twilight looked to see that the other side of the bushes dropped down into a little clearing between two hills. Within the clearing was a little circle of tents, wagons, and a wide assortment of camping supplies. A campfire was located in the center of the circle and a group of creatures was standing and sitting around it. All of the creatures in the circle had purple skin; thick, purple fur; and long, purple hair that stretched from their scalps to their lower backsides. They had wolflike faces with sharp, blue eyes that cut through the darkness like knives of light. Most of them were wearing simple clothes like tunics and loincloths. The one who was singing, however, was dressed in a long robe that covered her from neck to foot. The robe was decorated with pictures of stars and constellations. On her head was a beautiful head piece of sorts that depicted a replica the two moons suspended in the night sky.

"Humanoid, purple, wolflike aliens. How very interesting," the Doctor said quietly.

"I'm guessing these are the natives," Twilight deduced.

"Do you think they're friendly?" Derpy asked.

"They appear to be."

"Appearances can be deceiving. I suggest that we wait back here for a bit," the Doctor stated. The three ponies fell silent as they listened to the robed, female wolf sing. Derpy couldn't understand what she was singing about and she could tell that neither the Doctor nor Twilight could understand her either but what she could tell was that they all enjoyed it. The female wolf had a truly beautiful voice. Each word she sang echoed through the air like waves of gaseous gold. After a few more minutes of singing, the wolf fell silent and sat down in front of the fire.

"I'm guessing she's the leader of this group," said Twilight. "Like a buffalo chief."

"I wonder what she was singing about," said Derpy.

"Good fortune. Hope. Finding happiness in dark times," replied the Doctor.

"You understood her?"

"No. But I know a song about getting through troubling times when I hear one." Suddenly, a loud shriek broke the calm silence of the night. Derpy looked as a group of armored soldiers rode out of the darkness. The soldiers had the appearance of orange snakes with sharp, red eyes. They were riding on large creatures that had the heads, necks, forelegs, and upper bodies of giant, red lizards and the rumps, hind legs, and lower bodies of tigers. The wolves tried to escape but they were quickly surrounded.

"We have to help them!" said Twilight.

"Wait a minute," warned the Doctor. "They're armed." Derpy looked. The snake soldiers had futuristic guns held to belts at their wastes and long, thick whips held in their clawlike hands.

The leader of the group got off of his lizard/tiger hybrid and approached the leader of the wolf group. "Well. What do we have here?" he asked with a snarl. "A group of Nymphadorians trying to hide out in the wilderness?"

"We don't want any trouble, sir," said the leader of the wolves as she stood up and looked the snake leader straight in the eye. "My group and I are just living our lives out here. We're not doing anything that concerns you or your soldiers."

The snake leader pulled out his gun and pointed it at the wolf leader's head. "Anything that a Nymphadorian does concerns me as well as the rest of my kind."

"Your kind used to be Nymphadorians too."

"That was before we decided to stand up against the injustices that were forced upon us by those who looked down on us because we came from the smaller rock!"

The wolf leader looked up towards the orange moon in the sky. "My group and I have no interest in the war. We are not involved with it in any sort of way. So, I would kindly appreciate it if you and your men would go in peace."

The snake leader chuckled a bit more as he pressed the gun against the wolf leader's head. "I don't take orders from Nymphadorians."

"And I don't let Auranians walk over me." In a sudden, quick motion, the wolf leader grabbed the snake leader's gun, pointed it back at his head, and fired. There was an explosion of orange light and the serpent leader's head fell apart into a cloud of black dust. Before the other soldiers could respond, the other wolves turned around and managed to quickly overpower them. After a few seconds of struggling, there was nothing left of the snake soldiers but mounds of black dust, armor, clothing, and weapons. The lizard/tiger hybrids shrieked before running off into the night. "Take the weapons, my brothers and sisters. They should prove useful if we come across anymore unwanted visitors."

Derpy, the Doctor, and Twilight were silent. "I think I'm starting to see why the TARDIS brought us here," said the Doctor.

"Which is?" Twilight asked.

"They mentioned a war."

Twilight appeared to put two and two together before giving the Doctor a dumbfounded look. "Are you saying that the TARDIS brought us here to put an end to a war? You're going to try to bring an end to a war?!"

"Do you have doubts in me, Ms. Sparkle?"

"I barely know you so I honestly have no idea whether I should have doubts or not."

"Trust me. Ms. Hooves and I just recently put an end to a terrorist movement in the city of Atlantis."

"What?"

"Long story," said Derpy.

"Besides, I have a good habit for helping bring about the end of certain disputes," said the Doctor.

"Fine. But can we at least discuss this far away from the fighting alien wolves?" Twilight asked.

"Good idea." Derpy, the Doctor, and Twilight backed up and began making their way down the path when something flew past them and appeared right in front of them. It was the leader of the wolves, and she was pointing one of the futuristic guns right at them.

"Whoa!" gasped Derpy. "They're fast!"

"I thought I heard something and I was right. However, I didn't expect it to be three...ponies," said the wolf leader with a smirk of curiosity and surprise.

"Life's just full of surprises, right?" said the Doctor.

"Yes. I guess it is. Now, unless you all want to follow the fate of those Auranians, how about you explain to me why there are three Gaians on Nymphadora?"

A Trinity War

Chapter 2: A Trinity War

Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

Twilight's heart was beating as she, the Doctor, and Derpy were led into the camp by the wolf leader, who refused to point the futuristic weapon away from them. Having no idea of its official name, Twilight decided to call it a blaster.

The wolf leader kept the blaster pointed at them as they made their way into the center of the camp. The other wolves stared at them awkwardly and Twilight instantly felt twice as uncomfortable as she previously had been. "Sit," ordered the leader. Twilight, the Doctor, and Derpy did as they were told and sat down a few feet from the campfire. The other wolves sat a few feet away from them. The wolf leader sat down on the side of the campfire opposite to the ponies. "Now talk, ponies."

"Well...talk about what, exactly?" the Doctor asked.

"Why you three are here! It's not very common for three ponies from Gaia to randomly take a visit to Nymphadora."

"Pardon me, but couldn't you at least give us the courtesy of giving us your name before trying to force questions out of us? It's only common courtesy."

Twilight expected the wolf leader to use the blaster to blow the Doctor's head off right then and there. Instead, she simply chuckled and smirked with amusement at the Doctor. "Midna. Midna Wolfsbane," she said. "I'm the head maiden of this pack."

"And I'm the Doctor. I'm the leader of this...trio," he said back.

"Well, Doctor, why have you and your two mares come to Nymphadora?"

"Honestly, we just sort of ended up here. My ship took us here accidentally and we just decided to explore. Never been to, seen, or heard about this place before and we were interested to learn more about it."

"Really? You've never heard of Nymphadora? That's a lie if I've ever heard one. I'm sure Nymphadora's been the big topic throughout the whole galaxy for the past decade."

"Would this have anything to do with the war?"

Once again, Midna smirked at the Doctor. "So you do know about Nymphadora."

"Not really. I just heard you mention it when I was listening in on your conversation with that...Auranian, was it?"

Twilight instantly face-hoofed. "That doesn't really sound that much better," she groaned.

"You must be a good listener then, Doctor," said Midna as she continued to smirk at him.

"I try to be," the Doctor replied with a grin. Twilight quickly rolled her eyes at this. "Anyway, so tell me about this war. What's going on, exactly?"

Midna leaned back a bit but kept the blaster aimed at the three ponies. "I guess I'll buy your story that you arrived here accidentally and somehow know nothing about Nymphadora and the war...for now." Twilight couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. After seeing Midna take down a snake soldier and run at incredible speeds, Twilight was intimidated quite a bit by her. Midna proceeded to point her free claw towards the sky. "See those two moons?" Twilight, the Doctor, and Derpy looked up and nodded. "The small, orange one is called Auran and the larger, blue one is called Ruleo. For centuries upon centuries, us native Nymphadorians have lived in peace with the two dominant species that inhabit our two moons."

"Two dominant species?" Derpy asked.

"Yes. Nymphadora, Ruleo, and Auran each have their own dominant species. My kind belong to the dominant species of Nymphadora. You've already seen me and my pack take down a few members of the dominant species of Auran, the Auranians. And the Ruleonites are the dominant species of Ruleo. To best describe them to you, they resemble blue versions of the species from your planet known as rabbits."

"Purple wolves, orange snakes, and blue rabbits. Quite a diverse population," the Doctor said. "Now, if I do remember correctly, you told that Auranian soldier that his kind used to be considered Nymphadorians once. What did you mean by that?"

"Before the war, the Ruleonites and the Auranians were considered citizens of Nymphadora despite not actually being born on Nymphadora. It only seemed fair as they were natives of Nymphadora's moons and both Ruleo and Auran were part of Nymphadora at one point," Midna explained.

"Wait. Your two moons came from your planet?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. The story of how that came about is neither here nor there."

"So, getting back to the war, is it safe to assume that the Auranians started it?" the Doctor asked.

Midna shrugged her shoulders. "It was either the Nymphadorians or the Auranians. Counts on which side you take."

"Which side do you take?"

"I don't know. I was never interested in any of that political garbage. Too much corruption, conspiracies, lying, betrayal, and other trash to really know who started what. Anyway, the Auranians were complaining that the Nymphadorians were oppressing them with new laws and weren't giving them equal representation in the central Nymphadorian government. For a couple years prior to the start of the war, the Nymphadorian and Auranian politicians went back and forth. People on both sides of the debate became really caught up in the whole thing. If you were a Nymphadorian on Auran or an Auranian on Nymphadora, a lot of troubles began to come your way. There were riots, protests, it was a mess. However, the final straw came along when the Nymphadorian government decided to have a military base built in the Auranian capital."

"Why'd they do that?" Twilight asked.

"The officials were getting paranoid about the Auranians and feared that they'd attack us or something like that. The irony is that this decision is what ultimately lit the spark that started the war. The Auranians went nuts, to say the least. They stormed on the base (which was still in construction), tore it down, killed the workers, and declared war of Nymphadora. The Nymphadorians thought this war would be won in a week due to Auran being so much smaller compared to Nymphadora. But, the Auranians are very skilled fighters and they have access to lots of weapons and different technological devices. So, basically, the Auranians were definitely a force to be reckoned with and proved to be formidable opponents for the Nymphadorian army."

"What about Ruleo?" Derpy asked.

"I was just about to get to that. The Ruleonites wanted to stay out of the drama. They didn't get involved in this war intentionally. You see, both Nymphadora and Auran turned to Ruleo for help. When Ruleo refused, soldiers from Nymphadora and Auran came down to take supplies and even soldiers. But, like Auran, Ruleo has an army to be reckoned with as well. Ruleo ended up entering the war in order to drive the Auranians and Nymphadorians out. Now it's a trinity war where everybody's fighting each other and no side is closer to victory than the other. It's been like this for ten years now."

"This war has certainly gone on for long enough, wouldn't you say?" asked the Doctor.

"Of course. Any Nymphadorian, Ruleonite, or Auranian would say that in a heartbeat." Midna then eyed the Doctor carefully. "What? Are you going to try and stop it?"

"Like I've said to others before, I have a knack for ending certain disputes and conflicts."

"But you're just an earth pony from Gaia!"

"And you're a purple wolf from a planet called Nymphadora. But I've seen that you're able to hold your own in a fight quite well. I wouldn't go around making assumptions."

Midna smirked at the Doctor again. "True. But I also wouldn't go around biting off more than I can chew, Doctor. Sure, I can hold my own in a fight; but I certainly can't walk out onto the battlefield and take every soldier down."

"She's got a point," said Twilight.

"Smart mare," said Midna as she glanced at Twilight. "You should listen to your companions, Doctor. If I were you, I'd get out of Nymphadora while you still can. Besides, as of now, there's only one solution to this war and it's far worse than the problem."

"So there is a way to end this war," said the Doctor.

"Yes. I just pray to the gods that nobody ever tries to pull it off. This war is bad, but what this solution could bring is far, far more terrible."

Silence fell amongst the ponies and the Nymphadorians. "Well, I guess that's all that needs to be said," said the Doctor as he stood up. Midna still had her blaster aimed at the Doctor. "I think I've proven by this point that my companions and I are no threat to you or your pack."

Midna calmly lowered her blaster and stood up. "Fine," she said. "You may go. But heed my advice, Doctor. Don't go and try to end this. It's out of your...hooves."

The Doctor was silent for a moment. "Well, thank you for the advice and the history lesson, Ms. Wolfsbane. It was very much appreciated." The Doctor then looked down at Twilight and Derpy and the two mares quickly stood up. "Allons-y, Derpy, Twilight, let's get back to the ship to discuss this further."

"Wait a second!" Midna gasped. Twilight, the Doctor, and Derpy turned back towards Midna. Her eyes were suddenly wide and her face was stricken with fear. "What did you just say?"

"What? You mean the names of my companions? This is Derpy Hooves and this is Twilight Sparkle."

Upon hearing Twilight's name, Midna grabbed the blaster and pointed it at her. Twilight felt every muscle in her body tighten. "What are you doing?!" Twilight cried.

"I knew it! I had a feeling that you three didn't just randomly come to Nymphadora! You're working with them, aren't you?! You're going to try to bring him back!" Midna cried.

"What are you talking about?!"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about, Twilight Sparkle! Your name says it all! You're the spark! They had you come here to bring him back!"

"Who?! Bring back who?! I'm not here to bring anypony back!"

"Lies! All lies!" Midna's arms were shaking now.

"Midna," said the Doctor calmly as he stepped forward. "Just put down the gun."

"NO! I won't let my world fall to him again! I won't let the twilight come back!" Twilight was shaking as Midna aimed the blaster at her. Derpy was frozen in place and the Doctor was trying to calmly edge his way towards Midna. The members of Midna's pack were so shocked by their head maiden's breakdown that they didn't know what to do.

"Please," Twilight begged. "Don't."

"You're the spark...and you must be put out."

Twilight closed her eyes. "NO!" she heard the Doctor cry. Several things happened at once: a burning pain ripped through the front of Twilight's chest as a quick blasting sound rang out, Derpy screamed, a surge of magical energy burst through Twilight's horn, and all sound faded away into a mix of dulled nothingness.

The Doctor gasped as the purple light wrapped around him. It felt like he was burning and freezing at the same time. Midna's camp disappeared from view and all the Doctor could see was white and purple light. He could hear Derpy's scream and the sound of the gun ringing in his hears. Twilight. He needed to help her. She needed his help. Thoughts of this nature raced through the Doctor's mind as the bright lights flashed before him. Then, after a mere few seconds that felt like an eternity, the lights faded away to be replaced with a brick wall covered in burn marks. "Wait...what the hay just happened?" asked a dizzy Derpy who was standing next to him.

"We've been transported somehow," the Doctor replied as he looked around and examined their surroundings. It was daytime now and they were standing in what appeared to be a town made up of old brick buildings. The buildings were falling apart due to rot and, apparently, ammunition use. The air smelled of smoke and ash and the ground felt warm and soiled. As the Doctor's eyes fell towards the ground, he saw the limp body of Twilight Sparkle lying a few feet from where he was standing. "Twilight!"

The Doctor and Derpy ran to the unicorn's side. Parts of her gown were scorched and there was a bad burn on her chest. "Midna must have hit her!" Derpy gasped.

"She's still alive," said the Doctor. "She didn't get the full effect of the gun's blast." The Doctor's eyes then moved up towards Twilight's horn. A small trail of steam was emanating from it. "Brilliant!"

"What's brilliant?"

"She is! Twilight must have used some teleportation magic or something to get us out of there. From the looks of things, it was slightly unintentional."

"So where do you think we are?"

The Doctor took in a deep breath. "Well, from the smell of things, I think we're on the exact opposite side of the planet in which we were originally."

"So...Twilight just transported us to the other side of the planet?"

"That's right."

"And the TARDIS is on the other side of the planet from where we are now."

"That's right."

"Which means that we're stuck here."

"For now...yes."

"Yay."

"DON'T MOVE!" ordered a gruff voice. The Doctor and Derpy froze. A male Nymphadorian wearing a sleek, metal, army suit was walking towards them. An advanced version of the blaster that Midna had been using was held in his arms. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" The Nymphadorian pulled a communicator from his pocket. "Sir, I've found three Gaians. One earth pony, one pegasus, and one unicorn. The unicorn is unconscious and appears to be badly burnt."

"Have your men bring them in," replied a voice over the communicator.

"Right." The Nymphadorian clicked a red button on the communicator and a large group of Nymphadorians appeared. "Take them to the base."

"Wait! Let me go!" Derpy ordered as the Nymphadorians grabbed onto her legs and wings.

"STOP SQUIRMING OR WE'LL BE EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVE!" snapped one of the soldiers. Derpy quickly calmed down.

"What do you want us to do with the unicorn?" asked one of the soldiers as he examined Twilight.

"Take her to the infirmary," replied the first soldier. Four soldiers then proceeded to carefully pick Twilight up and carry her away. The Doctor could only watch as Twilight and her carriers disappeared from view.

"MOVE!" ordered another one of the soldiers as he violently shoved the Doctor forward.

"Just stay calm," said the Doctor as he turned to Derpy. "Everything's going to be okay." Derpy nodded as an acknowledgement of believing his words. The Doctor and Derpy fell silent as the Nymphadorian soldiers forced them to walk on towards their unknown destination.

Marcus the Dishonored

Chapter 3: Marcus the Dishonored

Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

Derpy tried to remain as calm as possible as the Nymphadorian soldiers walked her towards the tall, metal wall laced with electrified barbed wire. However, it was hard for her to not feel terrified with a series of strong hands holding onto her tightly and moving her along like a piece of meat. She wanted to turn towards the Doctor for support, for even seeing him would give her some amount of strength, but she was afraid that the soldiers marching her along would get angry at her for looking anywhere other than straight ahead.

As they approached the wall, a loud siren rang out and a large pair of massive doors opened before them with a loud groan. "Where to now?" asked one of the soldiers as they passed through the entrance doors.

"Take them to a cell," ordered the leader of the group.

"But most of the cells are full of Auranians and Ruleonites," stated one of the soldiers holding onto the Doctor.

"Put them in with Marcus then. There's enough room in that cell for three."

Derpy looked and noticed that a few of the soldiers seemed to give angry looks upon hearing the name Marcus. The soldiers continued to walk her and the Doctor deeper into the base, which Derpy proceeded to observe. The base wasn't that big, about half the size of Ponyville. It was filled with mostly metal buildings that shined in the daytime light with a distinct, violet haze. A few radio and lookout towers were scattered throughout the base and almost all of them extended high above the top of the wall that surrounded everything. It was surprisingly quiet with the only sounds being the occasional yelled order or gun blast. Derpy soon realized that she and the Doctor were being walked towards a building with seven floors and barred windows that was located towards the center of the base. It looked much bleaker than the other buildings (which is saying a lot) and had a terrible smell emanating from it.

The inside wasn't much better. The walls were covered in dust and mold and the air smelled of stagnant bathroom water. The soldiers walked Derpy and the Doctor over to an elevator that was big enough only to hold Derpy, the Doctor, and about four soldiers. "It looks like you're getting a penthouse cell," chuckled one of the soldiers as he tapped the seventh floor button. As the elevator rose, Derpy took time to notice that the elevator buttons had labels other than the floor numbers. From the look of things, each floor was made to house war criminals of different crimes with the first floor being the lesser crimes and the top floor being the worst crimes. The elevator moved up the shaft pretty quickly so Derpy only focused on two labels: those of the first and seventh floors. The first floor, according to the label, was used to house enemy soldiers who didn't kill anypony while the seventh floor was used to house torturers, high ranking enemy soldiers, and deserters.

The elevator stopped at the seventh floor with a loud ding. The doors slid open and Derpy yelped as the two soldiers in charge of her pushed her forward. The seventh floor smelled much worse than the first. As they walked down one of the hallways, Derpy could see angry faces peering out at her through the bars in the doors that presumably led to prison cells. Eventually, they came to a stop at a doorway at the end of the hallway. One of the soldiers swiped a card in front of a scanner next to the door. The door slid open and Derpy and the Doctor were quickly pushed inside. The door closed behind them before Derpy even had a chance to stand back up. "You alright?" she heard the Doctor ask.

"I've been better," Derpy replied as she stood up and tried her best to knock the dust from her gown. "I'd probably feel a bit better about getting captured if I weren't trapped in this stupid dress."

The Doctor chuckled and smiled at her. It was pretty dark in the cell for there were no windows and the only source of light was that of the ceiling lights that were located in the hallway on the other side of the door. It was this moment that made Derpy feel even worse about the fact that the soldiers had confiscated the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. "Well, I can only hope that Twilight is doing better than we are," the Doctor sighed.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Derpy asked

"She was taken to the infirmary so somebody should be looking after her wounds. From the looks of the technology here, I think it's safe to say that Ms. Sparkle is in good hands."

Derpy noticed the Doctor's face grow a bit sadder. "Is something wrong, Doctor?"

"I'm fine...it's just...I can't help but feel a little bit guilty about what happened to Twilight. Considering the circumstances, she shouldn't even be here in the first place."

"I'm still confused about that. Why did the TARDIS not take us anywhere at first and why did it decide to randomly bring us here with Twilight on board?"

"The TARDIS is a funny thing. It never seems to ever bring me to exactly where I want to go. But, the TARDIS never fails to bring me somewhere without purpose." The Doctor began to scratch his chin. "But I'm definitely certain that Twilight is at the center of this."

Derpy rolled her eyes. "Of course she is."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Derpy. "What was that tone for?"

Derpy shook her head and sighed. "Nothing."

"Don't go and play the nothing card on me, Derpy Hooves! You've had a bug up your rump about Twilight ever since she came on board the TARDIS. You may think I haven't noticed but I have. Is there something more between you and Ms. Sparkle that I should be aware of?"

"No! Of course not!" Derpy snapped. Suddenly, a smooth chuckle emanated from a dark corner of the cell. Derpy turned around towards the darkness and shook at the realization that she and the Doctor weren't alone. She then remembered one of the soldiers instructing the others to put her and the Doctor in a cell with somepony named Marcus.

"Well, it seems we have a cellmate," said the Doctor.

Just then, an orange light appeared in the darkness. The light was coming from a device that looked like a mix between a lighter and a flashlight. Through the darkness, Derpy could see that their cellmate was a male Nymphadorian with a scar on his left cheek and a snake-like tattoo on his right arm. His only articles of clothing were a pair of blue jeans and a pair of sunglasses with one of the lenses knocked out. "Sounds like you ponies are more interesting that what I originally gave y'all credit for," he chuckled with a cool and confident smile plastered on his face.

"And...who are you?" Derpy asked.

"Name's Marcus."

Knew it, Derpy thought.

"And, I already know who you two are," Marcus continued. "Doctor and Derpy Hooves, right?" Derpy and the Doctor turned to look at each other. "I heard you two mention each other by name while you were talking. I was listening, you know."

"It's not right to listen in on somepony else's conversations!" Derpy snapped.

"Well it was kinda hard to ignore you two since you were talking only a few feet away from me."

Derpy scowled at Marcus. "Why are you in here? Aren't you a Nymphadorian too?"

"He's a deserter, Derpy," said the Doctor. "That's why he's here."

"Paid attention to the labels on the elevator buttons, I see," Marcus chuckled. "Yeah. I'm a deserter, a dishonored soldier, or whatever you prefer to call me. Served the army for seven years, grew tired of the whole situation, tried to leave, got caught, been in this cell ever since." Derpy couldn't help but feel that there was more to this than what Marcus was letting on. Marcus began fiddling with his electric lighter. "Normally, under these circumstances, I'd ask why a pegasus and an earth pony from Gaia are doing on Nymphadora but you pretty much already told me." Marcus turned his attention towards the Doctor. "So you're the Doctor. Nice to meet ya."

"Wait...you know about the Doctor?" Derpy asked.

"Of course. There's quite a large number of creatures out there that believe in the stories that talk about the stallion in the blue box. Always traveling, always saving the day without asking for anything in return, and always running. Running from enemies, running from those he could not save, running from...everything." Derpy could see a cold and sad expression appear on the Doctor's face. "Heard a lot about you when I visited Gaia a few years back with my girlfriend. My girlfriend's more of an expert on you than I am. We basically took a tour to the places you were most known for appearing: Canterlot, Ponyville, Atlantis, Vanhoover, the list goes on."

The Doctor snickered a bit. "Vanhoover?" he asked with a childish grin.

"What's funny about that?" Derpy asked.

"Oh, nothing."

"So are you going to try to stop the war or something like that?" Marcus asked.

"The short answer to that would be: yes," the Doctor replied.

"There's no way to stop this war."

"Come now. There's always a way to stop a war."

"Not if the solution is worse than the problem itself."

"That sounds a lot like what Midna said," Derpy whispered into the Doctor's ear.

"Perhaps we can learn more about it from this fellow," the Doctor whispered back.

"You know I can hear what you're saying, right?" Marcus asked as he flopped his ears a bit.

"Do all Nymphadorians have super hearing or something?!" Derpy snapped.

"Nah. Only a few of us."

"What about super speed?"

"That's a bit more common. So, who is this Midna that you mentioned?"

"I don't think that's any of your business!"

"I understand. If I were in your position, I probably wouldn't trust me either. But, what I will say is that I'm probably the most trustworthy person here."

"The deserter is the most trustworthy person in a war. Never thought I'd hear that," said the Doctor.

"But it's true. Unlike the ones holding me here, at least I'm not trying to go through with a plan to bring back an evil demon," Marcus scoffed.

"Wait...what?!" asked Derpy and the Doctor together.

"Yeah. And, as a bit a advice, you better not let anybody else here know your injured friend's name. Trust me, all hell will break lose when the men up high learn that there's a unicorn here by the name of Twilight Sparkle."

Just then, the door to the cell opened and in walked four soldiers. "The colonel's ready to see you two now," stated one of the soldiers.

"No need to hold onto us tightly, gentlemen," said the Doctor as he raised his hooves up. "My companion and I can be led in the right direction just fine without being strangled to death in the process." Derpy couldn't help but giggle a bit as she and the Doctor were led out of the cell.

The Doctor made sure to keep Derpy close to him as they were led away from the prison building and towards the colonel's house. The colonel's house was probably the most appealing building in the base with its shiny exterior, clean windows, and jade door. However, the Doctor's mind was mostly focused on what Marcus had said.

What is this whole thing having to do with Twilight's name? he thought. First Midna tries to kill Twilight upon learning her name and now Marcus is warning us to keep her name a secret. The name Twilight Sparkle must mean something here. But what?

The door to the colonel's house opened and the Doctor and Derpy hastily stepped through the threshold. Beyond the door was a sitting room but the Doctor had no time to examine it as he and Derpy were quickly directed up a nearby flight of stairs. The stairs led them to an upstairs hallway where the odd scent of lemons and lime wafted through the air. The soldiers led them to a door that was located towards the end of the hallway. "Here are the ponies, sir," said one of the soldiers as they passed through the door.

Beyond the door was a large meeting room with a long table and several chairs. At the head of the table sat a Nymphadorian in an indigo army uniform. The Doctor assumed that this was the colonel but he couldn't help but take note of how kind and young the colonel looked. "You may wait outside the door, soldiers," said the colonel as he stood up. His voice sounded young too. The soldiers nodded and stepped back out the door. "Close the door as well." The door was quickly shut, leaving the Doctor and Derpy alone with the colonel. For a few seconds, silence reigned supreme in the room as the colonel stared down the Doctor and Derpy with his kind and youthful eyes. He then walked over to the wall closest to him and tapped a button. The wall slid open and a shiny, silver cabinet popped out. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"What?" asked a surprised Derpy.

"Are either of you hungry or thirsty? I can only assume that you'd want something nice to snack on after going through all of the procedure garbage."

The Doctor and Derpy were silent for a couple seconds. "I guess we could use something, now that you mention it," the Doctor replied.

The colonel smiled as he tapped a button on the cabinet. The doors flew open and several plates covered in a variety of foods hovered over to the table. A few jugs of various beverages then flew out and landed next to the plates. "Please. Eat whatever you wish," the colonel said. The Doctor and Derpy awkwardly sat down at the table while the colonel continued to stare at them.

"Thank...you," Derpy said uncomfortably as she began to munch on a plate of purple and blue muffins.

The colonel sighed before returning to his seat at the head of the table. "I hope the men weren't too blunt with you," he said.

"They were blunt enough, to be honest," the Doctor replied.

"As expected. You musn't blame them. It's only standard procedure. We are at war, after all."

"Of course. So...you're the colonel?"

"Obviously. Colonel Asphodel Rogers...but everybody calls me Ash."

"Well...thank you for the food and drink, Colonel Ash."

"It's certainly nicer than being locked up in a cell with a deserter," Derpy added.

"Marcus?" asked Colonel Ash. The Doctor could see a look of guilt appear on his face but he quickly shook it off. "So, who are you two?"

"I'm the Doctor and this is my companion, Derpy," the Doctor replied.

"The Doctor. I believe my father once mentioned a person by that name. Can't remember the context though. Forgive me if I stare. I've never seen an earth pony or a pegasus before. After being a colonel in this war, it's nice seeing something new that isn't immediately trying to kill me."

"I hope you don't take this as an insult but you look a bit young to be a colonel. How old are you exactly?"

"I just turned sixteen a month ago."

"You're sixteen?!" Derpy gasped.

"Officially the youngest colonel in Nymphadora's history," said Colonel Ash with a braggish smile. "Of course...I wouldn't have gotten this position without us being in a war...and my father passing away."

"Your father?" the Doctor asked.

"He was the colonel before me; and a much better one, I might add. Normally, there's a bunch of tests and training you have to go through in order to become a colonel...but that changes during war. During war, if the colonel dies then their duties are passed on to whoever the colonel has listed to be their heir in the worst case scenario. Obviously, Dad went and picked me." Colonel Ash let out a deep sigh. "Well, enough of my story. What about you two?"

"We're not any threat to you, to make things clear. We ended up on Nymphadora by accident and a series of unexpected situations led up to us being brought to your base."

"I believe you."

The Doctor and Derpy turned to look at each other. "Just like that?" Derpy asked.

"Just like that. You two and your injured friend can take your leave as soon as she's healed," said Colonel Ash.

"You're quite quick to believe us," said the Doctor.

"You two don't look like you're on anybody's side here and I'd rather not bring any bystanders into this conflict. This is between the Nymphadorians, Auranians, and Ruleonites and us alone. Nobody else needs to get involved. Nobody else needs to see us destroy ourselves in order to end this war."

Derpy finished off the plate of muffins while the Doctor quickly drank a glass of a green liquid that tasted like watermelon. "Can we go and make sure that our friend's doing okay?" Derpy asked.

"Certainly. I'll lead you to the infirmary myself," replied Colonel Ash as he stood up. "What's your friend's name by the way?"

The Doctor froze for a moment as he tried to come up with an alias for Twilight. "Her name's...Rose! Rose...Oswald!"

"Well...that's certainly an interesting name."

"Tell me about it," said Derpy as she raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.

This is the last time I use the first name I think of. Rose Oswald? What? the Doctor thought as he and Derpy followed Colonel Ash out of the meeting room.

Twilight was falling. She was aware that she wasn't awake but that didn't stop her from being frightened by what she saw before her. An endless void of darkness spread out above her while a smoky, hellish landscape spread out beneath her. She could see thousands of Nymphadorians burning in orange and blue fires along the land beneath her. All of them were reaching up towards her with their singed claws. In the center of everything, there stood a massive black throne that rose high into the sky. Something was sitting on the throne. It was a tall, looming figure covered from head to toe in thick, black armor. A gold and purple cape rolled along the figure's back and draped over the edge of the throne. The figure looked up at Twilight as she fell. The figure wore a helmet that looked like the face of a demon. Two, piercing eyes looked up at Twilight through the eye holes in the helmet. They had no one color and kept changing from white to black to orange to yellow to red to purple to silver to blue and then back to white. An evil laugh escaped from the figure's covered mouth. Based on the laugh, Twilight could deduce that the figure was male. The figure extended his arms up as if to try and grab onto the falling Twilight. Twilight groaned as a surge of magical energy began to pour from her horn. Casting magic didn't normally hurt her but this hurt a lot for it was magic that was forced out of her by an external source.

"Come on, my little spark. Come and wake me up," chuckled the figure. "You and I are the only ones who can save Nymphadora. We shall rule the twilight together. Wouldn't you just love that, Twilight Sparkle?"

"No," Twilight groaned as she fought against the figure's cruel yet enchanting voice. "Get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Another powerful surge of magic burst from Twilight's horn. A bright light expanded out over the landscape beneath her. The burning Nymphadorians screamed as the light caused them to melt into pools of purple sludge. "I WANT TO WAKE UP!"

The nightmare world began to vanish as Twilight felt herself being pulled back into the world of the awake. As she prepared to leave, something strong grabbed onto one of Twilight's forelegs. It was the figure. "You can't refuse me forever. You belong to me for I rule all of the twilight," he stated. Twilight shivered as the figure stroked one of his fingers down her left cheek. "I look forward to when you return to me, beautiful Twilight." Twilight shook in fear and disgust as the figure let go of her and allowed her to fly further into the light.

Busted

Chapter 4: Busted

Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

Twilight was shivering when she awoke. The memory of the nightmare that she had just awoken from was extremely cloudy and she could barely remember anything about it. "Spike?" she asked aloud as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "You there? I just had the strangest dream." Her vision was slightly blurred as she opened her eyes and gave out a soft yawn. "I dreamt that I stumbled into this time traveling box and ended up on some planet in the future inhabited by purple wolves. Crazy, right?" Twilight's vision cleared and her face fell as she found herself lying on a white bed in what appeared to be an infirmary. She was still wearing the gown she had worn to Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding but it was slightly singed in certain areas. There was also a nasty burn mark in the center of her chest.

"You're awake. That's good," said a cheerful voice. Twilight looked to see a female Nymphadorian in a nurse's outfit standing at the foot of the bed.

"UGH! It wasn't a dream?!" Twilight groaned as she fell back onto the bed.

The nurse chuckled a bit as she approached Twilight and began taking notes on clipboard. "You ponies are so cute."

"Uh...thanks?"

The nurse finished jotting down a few notes. She then turned back to Twilight with a huge grin on her face. "How are you feeling?"

I'm doing just fine, Ms. Purple Wolf Nurse! Twilight thought. I mean, I've only just been taken into the future by a time-traveling blue box and am stuck on an alien planet inhabited by purple wolves who will shoot you upon hearing your name; and, to add insult to injury, I have a massive burn mark in the center of my chest and my friend Rarity is surely going to skin me alive when she sees what's happened to the dress she made. And, of course, I'm now in an unknown place and the only two ponies who can get me back home are nowhere to be seen. Oh yeah! I'm doing just FINE!

"Peachy," Twilight replied with a forced smile.

"No pains? No dizziness? No need to throw up?" the nurse asked.

"No."

"Excellent!" The nurse jotted down a few more quick notes. "I'm surprised. You healed faster than I had expected you to. I guess it's because of your unicorn magic and all that! So, what's your name?"

"My...name?" Twilight instantly got a flashback to what had happened with Midna. "Why do you need to know that?"

"For the infirmary records. Army stuff. Lots of procedures that I don't want to bore you with. So, your name please."

Twilight froze for a few seconds as she tried to come up with an alias for herself. "My name's...Rainbow Dash," she replied.

The nurse raised an eyebrow as she wrote the name down. "Rainbow Dash, huh? That's an...interesting name," the nurse stated.

"Yep! It certainly is! Fits my personality completely!" The nurse still had her eyebrow raised. Twilight figured that this would be a good time to cast a spell she had been trying out recently. She aimed her horn at the nurse and a series of small rainbows shot out of it. The rainbows circled around the nurse, zoomed through the air, and exploded into mini fireworks that lit up the room.

The nurse smiled warmly at the fireworks. "Thank you, Ms. Dash," she said happily. "I needed that." Twilight tilted her head a bit as the nurse turned around and exited the infirmary.

For a couple minutes, Twilight lay in silence as she examined the area around her. The infirmary was completely empty aside from herself. There were no windows and the air smelled like that of an ordinary hospital room. Everything seemed peaceful and safe but Twilight couldn't help but feel uneasy. All she really wanted right now was to return to the TARDIS and have the Doctor and Derpy get her back home. But she would have to find them first.

Out of curiosity, she tried to see if she could teleport out of the infirmary. When she tried to do so, nothing happened aside from a spark of magic shooting from her horn. I can't teleport! she thought. They must have some sort of futuristic technology here that can prevent teleportation.

Twilight looked around the room for any possibilities of getting out. So far, the only option was simply walking out the door but she knew that leaving the infirmary wouldn't be that simple. But she really wanted to get out. She couldn't fully understand why she felt so uneasy but it was almost as if somepony were watching her every move and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. A cold chill ran down her spine and she rubbed her hooves together to get a bit warmer. Everything was silent but Twilight could hear the faint sound of laughter echoing throughout the room. It was extremely low and difficult to hear but Twilight could hear it. There was definitely something wrong here.

"Doctor...where are you?" Twilight asked as she curled up on the infirmary bed.

Derpy walked calmly as Colonel Ash led her and the Doctor into the building that held the infirmary. It smelled a bit fresher in this building and it was a lot quieter. Hardly anypony was in here. Occasionally, they would pass by a soldier or a nurse but, for the most part, they had the building to themselves.

"Not that many people here," said the Doctor.

"It's no surprise. The Nymphadorian soldiers are very good at keeping themselves out of the infirmary," Colonel Ash replied.

"What about the others?" Derpy asked.

"Others?"

"The Ruleonites and the Auranians."

"They're good at keeping themselves out of the infirmary as well." They turned around a corner and came across a pair of white doors. A nurse was sitting at a desk by the door and filing through a series of papers.

"Is this where she is?" the Doctor asked.

"Last time I checked, this is where they brought her." Colonel Ash approached the nurse and the nurse smiled at him.

"What can I do for you, Colonel?" she asked with a huge grin.

"I'm here to reunite these two with their unicorn friend. Is she in here?"

"Yes she is and she's recovering quite well. The burns should be gone within an hour or so."

"Would it be alright if we went in and saw her?" the Doctor asked.

"Certainly!" The nurse stood up and entered the infirmary. She reappeared a few seconds later with her large grin still on her face. "She's quite eager to see you two."

"Are you coming in with us, Colonel?" the Doctor asked.

"Nah. You two go on in," replied Colonel Ash as he turned towards the nurse and grinned. "I can wait out here."

The nurse blushed a bit as she sat down at her desk and continued filing through the papers.

Oh brother, Derpy thought as she followed the Doctor into the infirmary.

"Doctor! Derpy!" Twilight stated happily as they entered. Derpy sat on the foot of Twilight's bed while the Doctor stood next to Twilight.

"Feeling better?" the Doctor asked.

"Kinda...sorta...I don't know."

"Well, things could have obviously been a lot worse."

Twilight looked down at the burn on her chest and chuckled. "Yeah. So where have you two been? Where are we? What happened? I don't really remember what happened after Midna shot me."

"We're in a Nymphadorian army base. You teleported us away when Midna shot you and that's what saved your life. We were captured by soldiers upon arriving at our new destination. Derpy and I were put in a prison cell while you were taken here for medical care."

"So they let you out of the cell?"

"We explained our situation to the Colonel and he's willing to let us go as he doesn't want to drag us into this."

"I'm starting to think that's the best option," said Twilight. "I don't like the idea of this war as much as you, Doctor, but we really need to get out of here."

"Why?" Derpy asked.

"I...I don't know. Something doesn't feel right. I feel like I'm being watched by somepony. It's almost as if there's something in this room with us and it wants me." Derpy and the Doctor looked around the room. "You have to get me out of here, Doctor. Let's just head back to the TARDIS and go back to Equestria in my time."

"Well...that depends, Twilight," said the Doctor. "Do you have enough strength to teleport us to the other side of the planet?"

"What?" Twilight asked.

"That first teleportation spell you cast sent us to the other side of the planet from the area where the TARDIS is."

"WHAT?!"

"Maybe we can have the Colonel give us a ride or something," Derpy suggested.

"Possibly," said the Doctor.

"We have to get off this planet. We have to get away from this war," said Twilight. "There's...there's something evil here."

Just then, the doors opened and Colonel Ash entered with the nurse. "Colonel?" the Doctor asked.

Derpy noticed that the Colonel had a serious look on his face. "I wanted to trust you, but you've gone and broken my trust," Colonel Ash stated coldly.

"Wait, what?" Derpy asked.

The Colonel turned towards Twilight as he took a few steps forward. "How are you feeling, Ms. Oswald...or is it Ms. Dash?" The Doctor and Twilight turned to look at each other. "You told me this unicorn's name was Rose Oswald, Doctor. This nurse just told me that the unicorn said that her name is Rainbow Dash. So which is it: Rose Oswald, Rainbow Dash, or neither?" The Colonel stepped towards the spot where Derpy was sitting. She noticed him reach one of his claws for his gun. "I don't appreciate lying, Doctor."

"I apologize, Colonel," said the Doctor. "It's just-"

"It's just what, Doctor? Why lie about the unicorn's name? What else have you told me is a lie?"

"Nothing! It's all the truth!" Derpy argued.

"How am I supposed to know that?!" the Colonel snapped. "Why lie about her name?"

"Because my name is what got me shot!" Twilight snapped suddenly.

Silence rang out through the room. "Excuse me?" asked the Colonel.

"I told somepony my name and they shot me. I don't know why and I don't understand. I didn't tell the nurse my real name because I feared of getting shot at again, and I assume the Doctor told you a fake name for the same reason."

"What's your real name then, unicorn?"

"If I tell you, will you promise not to hurt me, the Doctor, or Derpy?"

The Colonel was silent for a brief moment. "I promise."

Twilight took in a deep breath and sighed. "My real name...is Twilight Sparkle."

Both the Colonel and the nurse gave looks of horror. "It can't be," the Colonel gasped. Just then, a loud siren began to ring through the air.

"What's happening?!" Derpy asked.

"You need to run!"

"What?"

"All of you need to run! They heard you over the security camera! They're going to come for you now!"

"Who?!" Twilight gasped.

The Colonel grabbed Twilight, picked her off the bed, and placed her on the floor. "RUN! I don't care what my superiors say! I'm not letting the world end!"

"What is so dangerous about Twilight Sparkle?! At least tell me that!" the Doctor snapped.

"Because she's the spark! She's the spark that our government wishes to use in order to end this war! They want to bring him back!"

"Who?!" Twilight asked. "Bring back who?!"

The siren grew louder. "JUST RUN!" ordered the Colonel. Derpy didn't have a moment to think for the Doctor grabbed her hoof and pulled her out of the infirmary along with Twilight.

As they ran down the hallway away from the infirmary, a robotic voice echoed through the air. "WE HAVE FOUND THE SPARK. REPEAT. WE HAVE FOUND THE SPARK. RETRIEVE IT AT ALL COSTS," stated the voice.

"What am I here?!" Twilight asked as she ran alongside Derpy and the Doctor. "What does my name mean?!"

The Spark is Found

Chapter 5: The Spark is Found

Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

A gust of wind blew into the Doctor's face as he, Derpy, and Twilight burst through the doors. A dark shadow loomed over the base. The Doctor looked up to see that the shadow was being cast by that of a massive alien military aircraft. The robotic voice continued to speak. "THE SPARK HAS BEEN FOUND. REPEAT. THE SPARK HAS BEEN FOUND. RETRIEVE IT AT ALL COSTS," it stated. A door in the bottom of the aircraft opened up and a series of Nymphadorian soldiers with jet packs began to descent towards them.

"Allons-y!" ordered the Doctor as he grabbed onto one of Twilight's hooves and pulled her along. Derpy flapped her wings and took the air, making sure to fly extremely close to them.

"Can you teleport us out of here?!" Derpy asked Twilight.

"I've tried! There's something here that prevents teleportation!" Twilight replied.

"GET THE UNICORN!" ordered a gruff voice over one of the base's speakers. "THE UNICORN IS THE SPARK!" The flying Nymphadorian soldiers flew towards the three ponies. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at one of the jet packs. A shower of sparks shot out of the jet pack and the soldier screamed as an electrical blast erupted from behind him, sending him and a few of his fellow soldiers falling to the ground below. He felt extremely happy that Colonel Ash had given his screwdriver back to him on their way to visit Twilight or else this would have been a bit harder.

"Come on!" the Doctor ordered. As the Doctor and his companions continued to run, a loud siren rang out from the aircraft. A bright, red light suddenly cloaked the base.

"What's happening?!" asked Derpy.

"Just keep running!" The Doctor had an idea of what was happening and this made him run even faster.

"No!" screamed one of the remaining Nymphadorian soldiers flying around. "We're supposed to keep the spark alive!"

The Doctor glanced back to see a barrage of attack missiles get shot from the aircraft. "Missiles! Look out!" The Doctor cried as he pulled Twilight to the right. The ground began to shake violently as several missiles smashed into the earth. The multicolored dirt of Nymphadora flew up into the air and cloaked the base in a hazy mist of dust and ash. Soldiers and other people who had been working at the base fled in terror as missiles slammed into the buildings. Two missiles flew into Colonel Ash's house while five flew into the prison building. War prisoners began to climb out of the holes in the destroyed prison and began to make a run for it.

"Hold your fire! HOLD YOUR FIRE!" screamed one of the flying soldiers into a communicator.

"DOCTOR! TWILIGHT! LOOK OUT!" Derpy cried. The Doctor looked to see a missile flying straight at him and Twilight.

"I've got it!" said Twilight. A purple aura appeared around her horn and the missile came to a quick stop a few feet from them. Using her magic, Twilight spun the missile around and aimed it at the aircraft. "Let's see how you like it!" She then flung the missile at the aircraft. Fire and metal spread throughout the air as the rogue missile collided with the aircraft.

Some of the flying soldiers aimed their guns at the Doctor and Derpy. As the shots were fired, Twilight quickly created a shield which flung the shots back at the attackers. More soldiers fell to the ground as their reflected shots smashed into their bodies. "Which Element of Harmony did you say you represented, again?" the Doctor asked as wisps of magical smoke emanated from Twilight's horn.

"Magic," she replied.

"Element of Magic, huh? Fitting title."

"Thanks, but don't we have some running to do?"

"Yes! Right! Allons-y!" The three ponies continued to make their way towards the edge of the base. The only thing standing between them and freedom was the massive wall that stood around the base.

"Now what?" Derpy asked.

"I'm sure you could fly over that wall," said the Doctor.

"But...I can't leave you two behind!"

"It's safer on the other side. Don't worry. Twilight and I will be with you shortly."

Derpy hesitated for a moment. After staring at the Doctor and Twilight, she took off and flew over the top of the wall. "So what's the plan?" Twilight asked.

"Our best bet of getting out of here is unlocking those doors," said the Doctor as he looked at the pair of large doors before them. He aimed his screwdriver at the doors but nothing happened. "Aw! There must be something inside the wall that's blocking my screwdriver's signal." He then turned towards Twilight. "You don't happen to know an unlocking spell, do you?"

Twilight nodded and faced the door. A bright, purple aura appeared around her horn and she grunted a bit as she tried to pry the doors open. "I...can't...open...them!" she grunted. It was at this moment that the Doctor got an idea. He took a few steps back and aimed the screwdriver at Twilight's horn. "What...are...you...doing?!"

"Giving your magic a little sonic boost." The Doctor activated the screwdriver and a blast of purple and blue magic exploded from Twilight's horn. The doors flung open so fast that they nearly tore off their massive hinges. Once the doors were open, the aura around Twilight's horn faded away and Twilight bent over. "Come on! We can rest later!" The Doctor grabbed onto Twilight's hoof and pulled her towards the doorway. Derpy flew down and waited for them on the other side.

"Come on!" cried the pegasus. They were a couple seconds of running away from the exit when a familiar bang erupted from behind them. A searing pain shot through the Doctor's side and the world became fuzzy and blurred as the Doctor lost his footing and hit the ground. "DOCTOR!"

The Doctor looked up to see a Nymphadorian soldier with a jet pack and futuristic gun standing over him. A weak, purple aura appeared around the gun in the soldier's hand but the soldier brought the hilt of the gun down on Twilight's head, knocking her unconscious. Through his fading vision, the Doctor saw Derpy tackle the soldier but she was quickly detained by two others. "The spark has been retrieved," stated one of the soldiers as they picked up the unconscious Twilight. "What do you want us to do with the pegasus?"

"Bring her along. I've heard that King Dusk had a soft spot for things that could fly," chuckled another one of the soldiers.

"No...come back," the Doctor said weakly.

"What about the stallion?" asked another soldier.

"Let him rot," replied the soldier holding Twilight. "He should bleed out in a few minutes." Derpy continued to struggle against the soldiers as they dragged her and Twilight away.

"NO! DOCTOR! DOCTOR!" Derpy cried. The Doctor watched as Derpy and Twilight were flown into the aircraft, which then proceeded to fly away.

"Derpy...Twilight...come back," the Doctor croaked as he felt the blood rushing out of him. "Come...back."

Just then, a shadowy figure appeared above the Doctor. It was a Nymphadorian and he looked very familiar. The Nymphadorian knelt down until his face was almost touching the Doctor's. "Hang in there, Doctor," said Marcus the deserter as he smirked down at him. "You've got places to be and people to meet. It's not time to die." The Doctor's eyes closed as he felt Marcus pick him up and begin to carry him towards an unknown location.

Twilight awoke with her head throbbing something fierce. She was sitting in the middle of a metal room with no windows and one door that was locked tight. The floor was ice cold, the air smelled of fur and iron, and there was a slight vibration in the metal. Derpy was sitting a few feet from her and was leaning against one of the walls of the room. "Derpy?" she asked as she clutched her head. Derpy turned around to face her. Her eyes were red and puffy.

She's been crying, Twilight thought. Why?

"Where are we?" Twilight asked.

"We're in the aircraft," Derpy replied. "They got us."

"Where's the Doctor?" Twilight looked around for any sign of the stallion in the formal black suit. But it was just her and Derpy in the metal room.

"They shot him." Derpy's voice was shaky and fearful.

"They what?! Is he alright?!"

Derpy shook her head. "I don't know. They took us and left him for dead. Celestia knows how he is right now!" Silence fell amongst the two mares. Twilight couldn't help but feel a horrible, sinking feeling in her gut. The Doctor was hurt. He was possibly dead...and it was because of her. They had shot him to get to her. Up till now, Twilight had merely felt an annoyed sense of respect for the odd stallion with the title for a name. But now she was feeling sorry for him and actually found herself missing his excited and brave attitude in the face of danger and the unknown. She still barely knew him, but he had gone and gotten himself injured just to keep her, somepony he himself barely knew, out of harm's way. Now he had failed...and Twilight, in turn, felt that she had failed him.

"I'm...sorry," Twilight said as she lowered her head. "This...this is all my fault."

For another moment, neither of the mares spoke. Suddenly, Derpy crawled over and grabbed Twilight's front hooves. Twilight looked up to find herself staring into Derpy's teary and slightly inverted eyes. "Don't say that!" she croaked. "It's not your fault! You can't blame yourself just because you're the target of some stupid alien wolves!" Twilight could sense a bit of guilt within Derpy's words and was curious as to where this stemmed from. Derpy then gave a confident smile and wiped her own tears away. "Besides, I wouldn't give up of the Doctor just yet. I may have only been on a few adventures with him but he's proven to be more than capable to handle a challenge! And, until he comes, we're a couple a strong mares, right? We can handle ourselves!" Derpy stood up and extended a hoof towards Twilight. Twilight smiled up at Derpy as she took her hoof and stood up.

"Thanks, Derpy." Just then, as Twilight looked straight into Derpy's teary but optimistic face, an old memory flooded back into Twilight's mind like a rushing river. "Wait a minute! I remember!"

"Remember what?"

"Where I saw you last. I can't believe I didn't recognize you when I first saw you! Then again, that was a pretty bad accident."

"What are you talking about?"

"There this was day where I was following my friend Pinkie Pie to learn more about her Pinkie Sense (don't ask) when a bunch of pegasi accidentally dropped a bunch of stuff on me while loading it into a movers' truck! I remember you being one of them!"

Derpy looked confused for a couple seconds but jumped, gasped, and blushed as she too recalled the incident. "Oh...yeah...I remember that. Sorry about that whole thing. I don't normally move a lot of heavy stuff. I normally work as a mailmare in Ponyville but I wanted to help move some of the stuff to help a friend. Unfortunately, that was one of my...clumsy days."

Twilight smiled at Derpy and let out a giddy laugh. "It's alright. I'm just glad that I finally remember where I saw you before. It's been killing me." Twilight let out a sigh and rubbed the throbbing section of her head. "You know, it's funny."

"What is?"

"The two of us have lived in Ponyville for Celestia knows how long and we've never actually met."

"That is odd."

"Who knew that two ponies who lived in the same town but didn't even know each other would someday be brought together by some stallion with a time-traveling box?"

Derpy giggled a bit. "Yeah. Life's sure full of surprises."

Twilight looked around the metal room and sighed again. "And who knew that being captured would lead to us bonding a bit? Ever since I stumbled into the TARDIS, you've seem to have this annoyance about me."

Derpy blushed again. "Yeah...I have felt a bit...annoyed by you."

"If you don't mind me asking, why is that?"

Derpy's ears fell down and her face turned bright red. She took a few steps back and sat down. "It's stupid. I don't even fully know why I was feeling threatened...er...annoyed by you."

"Threatened?" Twilight asked.

"I didn't say that!" Derpy squealed.

"Yeah you did."

Derpy lowered her head in a shameful way. "Do you remember when you first arrived in Ponyville, Twilight? When you defeated Nightmare Moon?"

"Of course. How could I forget that day?"

"And do you remember when you later stopped Discord?"

"Yeah. Where are you going with this, Derpy?"

"You're a very important pony, Twilight Sparkle. You're an apprentice to Princess Celestia, you represent one of the Elements of Harmony, and you've helped save Equestria three times now (including what happened at Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor's wedding). You and your friends are so important. You're so well known. You're so...amazing. Meanwhile, what am I, Derpy Hooves, in relation to you? I'm just an ordinary mare, if not something less than that. I'm a silly mare with eyes that invert who works at the post office. I'm not saying my life is terrible or depressing or anything like that because it's not. I have a few good, close friends and I have wonderful memories. But, that still doesn't change the fact that you're much more important than me. When I first met the Doctor and began going on these adventures throughout time and space, I myself began to feel...important. I've been to the past, the future, and places in between. I've faced moon monsters, Atlantean terrorists, and creatures from alternate dimensions. I've begun to amount to something thanks to traveling with the Doctor. But now you, an already important pony, has met the Doctor and has been brought along by him...and I was beginning to feel like...I was being trapped in somepony else's shadow. I was afraid that the Doctor would be more impressed by you than by me and...just-"

"Leave you behind?" Derpy looked at Twilight and nodded. Twilight walked over to Derpy and wrapped a foreleg around her. "Sometimes, I worry that I won't be able to live up to Princess Celestia's expectations. She sees so much in me and puts up with a lot of the stuff I've done in the past. Once, I was worried about being late in writing a letter to the Princess about friendship. I nearly lost my mind over it and even tried to create a problem to solve. In the end, it ended with the whole town fighting over an enchanted doll and Big Macintosh stealing it...for some reason." Twilight chuckled a bit. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're not less important than me. We all live in somepony else's shadow. But our own, individual accomplishments make us important in our own, special ways."

Derpy looked at Twilight and gave her a quick hug. "Thanks, Twilight. I needed to hear something like that."

"Maybe after all this is over with and you find some free time away from carrying mail and traveling with the Doctor (in the hopeful chance that he's okay), the two of us could...get to know each other some more."

"I'd like that." Suddenly, the slight vibration in the metal stopped and a short siren rang out. "I think we've stopped."

The door to the room opened and in walked a Nymphadorian wearing an indigo suit and surrounded by a group of soldiers. "I'm guessing you must be this Twilight Sparkle that I've heard so much about," chuckled the suited Nymphadorian.

"Yes," Twilight replied coldly. "And I want some answers. Who are you and what do you want with me?"

A conniving and suave smile appeared on the Nymphadorian's face. "My name is Tyrion Targaryen. I'm the Head President of Nymphadora; and you, Twilight Sparkle, are the spark that will bring about the end of this war and the beginning of a new golden age for this world. You are the one that will bring back our greatest weapon: the Twilight King."

Lupae

Chapter 6: Lupae

Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

The Doctor could hardly tell what was going on around him. His vision was so bad now that everything looked like as if he were staring through a smudged window. He could hear a voice talk every now and then but it sounded distant and isolated. The Doctor couldn't tell how long he had been trapped in this state. Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? He wasn't sure. His mind constantly ran over what had happened at the base. He could still see the soldier knocking Twilight out. He could still see the soldiers carrying the unconscious Twilight and the crying Derpy away. Every bone in his body burned with a wanting to rush off and save them. But he couldn't even move. He was trapped in an isolated world of shock.

Suddenly a cool and relaxing sensation fell over the Doctor's body. It felt as if he had been thrown into a warm shower and the droplets of water were now cascading down every inch of his weakened body. His blurred vision darkened for a few seconds before clearing up. The Doctor let out a relieved groan as strength and feeling began to return to his body. "You're awake. Good," chuckled a familiar voice. As the Doctor's senses returned, he took this time to examine his new surroundings.

He was sitting in a chair that was located in what appeared to be the cockpit of an advanced helicopter. A strange odor of mint wafted through the air and the faint sound of a moving helicopter rotor could be heard. A welcoming amount of sunlight poured in through the window in front of him. The Doctor turned to his left to see who was piloting the aircraft. A familiar male Nymphadorian wearing a pair of shades with one lense missing and a pair of blue jeans was sitting in the pilot's seat. The dead giveaway of the Nymphadorian's identity was the snake-like tattoo on his right arm. "Hello, Marcus," the Doctor said.

Marcus rubbed the scar on his left cheek as he gave the Doctor a quick hello nod, which was followed by a head shake that made him look like a disappointed parent. "What did I tell you? I told you not to let anybody know your friend's real name. Now all hell's broken loose."

The Doctor looked out the window to see that they were flying over what appeared a be a desert with purple sand and blue cacti. "I would appreciate it if you would fill me in on what's happened."

"You were shot, obviously." The Doctor looked down at a silver bandage attached to his side. Every few seconds the bandage would vibrate a bit and a gushing warmth would flow through the Doctor's body. "Your friends were taken away by the government soldiers. You were left for dead but, luckily, I found you. I managed to grab this here undamaged military helicopter, along with some supplies, and we got out of there."

"So where are we headed?"

"Where else? The capital city of Nymphadora: Lupae. That is most likely where they have taken your friends."

"Don't take this the wrong way...but why are you helping me? You had a chance to escape and yet you're now diving headfirst into the belly of the beast."

Marcus chuckled a bit and glanced at the Doctor. "There are people out there that I care about, Doctor. I don't want them and the rest of this world to be punished just because some stupid politicians want to take the easy way out. Besides, I couldn't just leave the Doctor out to rot. You've got too much to look forward to, that is if my girlfriend's research was mostly true." A quick moment of silence fell between the two of them. "So how did your friend's name get out?"

"There was a slight mix-up when Twilight recovered from her injuries. Twilight gave her nurse a false name while I gave the Colonel another false name."

"The Colonel?"

"Yes. He came with Derpy and me to the infirmary. He confronted us when he found out about the fake names, Twilight told him her real name, and...the rest is history."

"It's not surprising. An order was given out a while ago that if there was any sign of the spark then a special alert was to be sent out immediately for the government soldiers to come and collect it. Somebody must have seen and heard your friend speak her name via the security cameras and had then sent out the alert. It's a good thing that the security cameras in the seventh floor cells at the prison were under maintenance while you and the pegasus (Derpy, was it?) were visiting or else they would have gotten to Twilight much sooner." Marcus pressed a button to make the helicopter fly a bit faster. "If only this helicopter could travel as fast as that government aircraft. If that were the case, we'd be in Lupae in a few minutes."

"Okay. I want to know."

"Hmm?"

"I want to know exactly why the name Twilight Sparkle is such a significant name here. And, I also want to know if it has any connection to that one, but bad, solution to the war."

Marcus sighed and politely cleared his throat. "It'll take a bit of explaining," he said.

"I think we have enough time," said the Doctor.

"Okay then." Marcus turned his attention towards flying the helicopter as he began to explain. "This whole thing stems back many, many centuries into Nymphadora's past. In fact, I think it began a century or two before Princess Celestia of Equestria first came into power. Nymphadora was a different place back then. It was ruled by kings and queens and it had no moons."

"No moons?"

"Yeah. Ruleo and Auran didn't exist then. Anyway, nobody's sure how it happened but a powerful Nymphadorian came into power. His name was Dusk and he had a...unique and very powerful set of abilities."

"What kinds of abilities?"

"It's a bit difficult to describe as a lot of the details have been lost or changed during the course of history. But what's for certain is that he was very powerful, incredibly merciless, and had a strong connection to the twilight."

"The twilight? As in the time of day? That twilight?"

"Yes. He was able to cloak the entire planet in endless twilight. This is why he was also known as the Twilight King; and he ruled over Nymphadora for an incredibly long time. That is until somebody finally stood up against him. Somebody who also had a unique set of abilities. Sadly, the name of this brave person was lost to history but most people like to call him the Dawn."

"Ah. Makes sense."

"Prior to the Dawn, nobody had any amount of power that could even come close to the power that Dusk possessed. Magic exists on Nymphadora but it's not as common as it is on a planet like Gaia. Very few have magical abilities and an even smaller number can possess powerful magic. Thankfully, the Dawn was one of these rare individuals and he was able to stand up against King Dusk. It was a long and grueling battle. In fact, it's thanks to that battle that Ruleo and Auran were created."

"I heard that Auran and Ruleo came from Nymphadora."

"That's correct. Those two moons are basically debris left over from the battle that were brought together and made suitable for life. The Auranian Nymphadorians and the Ruleonite Nymphadorians eventually went on to take control of their respective moons and the rest is history."

"So where does Twilight Sparkle fit into all this?"

"The Dawn was able to defeat King Dusk but he wasn't able to kill him. He was so powerful, so vile, and so evil that he was able to cling onto this world as an entity of sorts. He could no longer do harm as long as he remained in that state. The Dawn created a tomb to forever seal the entity away and the city of Lupae would eventually be built on top of it. Before the Dawn sealed Dusk away, Dusk screamed out that he would return and what would be the main thing to help bring about his return."

"And that was?"

"The spark of twilight."

The Doctor and Marcus fell silent again. "The spark of twilight. Twilight Sparkle," said the Doctor.

"Exactly," said Marcus with a nod.

I want to believe this all to be one giant coincidence...but too many aspects point to this being true. Twilight's name being a twist of words of what King Dusk needs to come back. Twilight being a unicorn that's exceptionally gifted with magic. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to bring a few magical sparks out of her. Heck, even her cutie mark sort of resembles a spark! the Doctor thought. Then...there's the TARDIS. Is this the reason why she brought me, Derpy, and Twilight here? To help bring back an evil king?! That can't be right. The TARDIS has always brought me and my companions to places where we could help. But, this time, it's brought us to a place where we can help bring about the end. Why?

"Are you okay, Doctor?" Marcus asked.

The Doctor quickly shook his head and turned towards Marcus. "No, I'm honestly not. There's an innocent mare out there who's about to be used to bring back an evil king. I can't say that I'm okay with that," the Doctor replied.

"Me neither. These politicians think they'll be able to control Dusk this time around. But they won't. This will only lead to the destruction of Auran and Ruleo and the end of life as we know it on Nymphadora. Everything will go back to how it was during King Dusk's original reign. I'd much rather not have my world suffer through that again."

"I agree. Twilight's here because of me and my TARDIS and it's my job to make sure that she gets home safely without leading to the end of a world in the process."

Marcus looked at one of the screens in the cockpit. "We're not far from Lupae now. And, don't worry, I have something useful with us if we have any trouble getting into the city."

"Yeah? What is it?" the Doctor asked.

"An old friend," Marcus replied as he nodded his head towards the back seat of the cockpit. The Doctor looked back to see the unconscious Colonel Ash sprawled out on the seat behind him.

Derpy and Twilight were led out of the aircraft with soldiers guarding them on all sides. President Tyrion Targaryen led them and the soldiers into an entry hallway that was decorated with golden wallpaper and red carpet. Various paintings of past political figures, kings, queens, warriors, scientists, and such hung from the walls. Derpy didn't take a liking to the paintings for the figures in them all appeared to be scowling rather than smiling.

Eventually, they were led into a large, lounging room filled with comfortable sofas, chairs, and tables covered in a variety of food and drinks. The wall of the room opposite to the entrance door was a gargantuan window which was bordered by thick, silky ocean blue drapes. Through the window, Derpy could see the expansion of a large, metropolis of a city spread out for Celestia knows how far. "Beautiful, isn't it?" asked President Targaryen as he sat down in one of the chairs and took a bite out of something that looked like a green cupcake covered in blue grapes. Derpy stood in place and awkwardly shuffled her hooves while Twilight continued to glare angrily at President Targaryen. "Please. Sit and eat. The awakening process cannot occur until the twilight hour."

Derpy and Twilight looked through the window to see that the alien sun of Nymphadora was slowly edging its way towards the horizon. "You've attacked a base controlled by some of your own species, have kidnapped me and my friend, and have had another friend of mine shot and left for dead out there somewhere," Twilight snapped. "I'm not exactly feeling that hungry at the moment."

"Got an attitude, I see. I like that. I'm sure Dusk will like you very much."

"Dusk?"

"Yes. The Twilight King, the one who will help Nymphadora reclaim its moons and end this war."

"Why do you need me here?"

"I told you. You're the spark that's to awaken him."

"How can you even be sure that it's me?"

President Targaryen leaned forward and grinned at Twilight. "Your name says it all, Twilight Sparkle."

"What if you're wrong?"

"In the off chance that everything about you turns out to be one giant series of coincidences then I shall let you return home."

"That still won't change the fact about what you did to get her here!" Derpy snapped.

"All's fair in love and war, pegasus. Everyone, and everypony, must make sacrifices," replied the President as he began to sip a glass of dark purple wine. "You should feel happy for what you're about to do, Twilight Sparkle. You're about to help bring a world out of a long period of suffering and pain. And you and your friend are certainly dressed for such an event. Where were you before this, if you don't mind me asking?"

Twilight scowled at the President. "I don't really think that concerns you," she snapped.

The President leaned forward and scoped Twilight out with his sharp eyes. "Let's see. My guess is that you were at a wedding." Twilight couldn't help but let out a little gasp. "Ah! Gotcha! I've been to enough formal gatherings to know my stuff, Twilight Sparkle." Derpy and Twilight remained silent. The President turned towards the window and let out a giddy laugh. "Oh, how silly of me! I forgot to introduce you to the city." The President stood up and spread his arms out towards the window that overlooked the city. "Lupae: capital of Nymphadora! Impressive sight, is it not?" Twilight remained silent and continued to glare at the President. President Targaryen smirked at Twilight as he walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, their eyes meeting in an awkward gaze of hatred and amusement. Derpy desperately wanted to punch the President straight in the jaw and wipe that grin clear off his face. "You should probably treat me with a bit more gratitude and respect, Twilight Sparkle."

"Oh yes. I should totally give you all the respect in the world for all the good you've done for me!" Twilight replied sarcastically.

"Keep it up," the President chuckled. "King Dusk might not be as welcoming and hospitable as moi."

"Why are you going through all this trouble to bring back something that sounds so horrible?!" Derpy asked.

"Because the Twilight King is the only possible advantage us Nymphadorians have over the Ruleonites and Auranians. Our armies are evenly matched and there doesn't appear to be an immediate end anywhere in sight. King Dusk might be a bit cruel, but he's powerful and power is what we need right now in this war."

"Well, what happens if he's too powerful, even for you?" Twilight asked.

The President gave an amused grin. "He won't be. Even if he tries to step out of line, I have something that not even the powerful Twilight King can stand up against," the President replied.

"And what's that?"

President Targaryen turned towards the window and his grin grew bigger. "You'll see soon enough, Twilight Sparkle." Derpy and Twilight turned towards the window. Derpy gulped upon seeing that the Sun was getting awfully close to the horizon.

Colonel, Prisoner, and Doctor

Chapter 7: Colonel, Prisoner, and Doctor

Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

It wasn't until the helicopter carrying the Doctor, Marcus, and Colonel Ash was a few miles away from the outskirts of Lupae that Colonel Ash finally came to. The Doctor was alerted to his awakening by a very long and exhausted groan. "Where...who...what?" mumbled the teenage colonel as Marcus slowed the helicopter down in order to not draw too much attention to them.

"He awakes. And just in time too," said Marcus as he pointed at the setting sun. The sky was quickly becoming glazed in orange and the faint outlines of Ruleo and Auran were making their appearances.

The Doctor turned his attention back to Colonel Ash, who was now sitting up and rubbing his forehead. The Colonel let out a deep sigh before looking straight ahead at the Doctor. "Doctor?" His face hardened as his gaze fell upon Marcus. "M...Marcus?"

"Hello to you too, Ash."

"That's...ugh...Colonel Ash to you."

"To everyone else, maybe. To me, no. Or would you rather that I call you Asphodel?"

Colonel Ash lowered his head and shook it a bit. "I suppose that I should assume that you're the one who saved me."

"That would be correct, Asphodel."

"Ash. Just stick with Ash." A sly grin appeared on Marcus's face.

"I'm guessing that you two have a history," guessed the Doctor as he turned towards Marcus. "You weren't very clear on the 'old friend' subject earlier."

"That's not really a story for the moment, Doctor," Marcus replied.

"Is that...Lupae?" asked Colonel Ash as he leaned forward and stared through the front window of the helicopter.

"That it is, Ash."

Colonel Ash rolled his eyes before turning to the Doctor. "They...they got her, didn't they? They got the spark?"

The Doctor felt a familiar sting of guilt rock through his body. "Yes...and, according to Marcus, this is where they've taken her," the Doctor replied.

"Makes sense. The Tomb of the Twilight King is buried immediately beneath Lupae."

"I've heard." The Doctor turned his attention back to Marcus. "So do you have a plan for getting into the city?"

"Actually, I have two," Marcus replied.

"Two?"

"Yep. Plan A is that this military helicopter will get us into the city without much suspicion."

"And what happens if somebody in the city suspects us?"

"Then that's where plan B kicks in." Marcus quickly glanced back at Colonel Ash. "If plan B kicks in, it'll be time for you to take your rightful place as colonel once again." Colonel Ash gave Marcus a confused look. "Come on, Ash. I know you're only sixteen but you should be able to put the dots together! If we're suspected then you take the pilot's seat and the Doctor and I become your 'prisoners'."

Colonel Ash gave a quick nod to signify that he understood the plan. "Well, Colonel, you're sure quick to go along with this plan," said the Doctor.

"Anything to stop President Targaryen from bringing back the Twilight King, I'm willing to do," said the Colonel. "Besides," He gave a quick glance at Marcus, "I guess I have Marcus to thank for me surviving the surprise attack on my base so it's only fitting that I go along with this."

The Doctor could tell that there was definitely a history between the Colonel and the deserter and that it was thanks to this history that Colonel Ash was so willing to go along with the plan; but he figured that the story behind that could wait until after Twilight and Derpy were removed from the clutches of the corrupt Nymphadorian government.

The city of Lupae was truly a sight to behold with tall buildings that glistened in the evening sun and lots of lush areas of vegetation that made the city appear to be an oasis in the odd Nymphadorian desert of purple sand. However, the Doctor had to admit to himself that he had seen more impressive cities during his time in this alternate universe.

The city was surrounded by a large, marble wall that was just barely around three or four floors tall. Security towers stood at certain points on the wall and emanated a spark of electricity every few seconds. "Better slow things down. Don't want the security towers to detect anything out of the ordinary," Colonel Ash instructed.

"Already on it," replied Marcus as he flipped a few switches. The speed of the helicopter dropped vastly as they drew closer to the border of the city. "Due to this being a military aircraft, we should be able to pass through the security shield with no problems."

"And if we don't?" asked the Doctor with a raised eyebrow.

"Then you better have plan B memorized, Doctor." The helicopter began to vibrate as it suddenly collided with the invisible shield that was being produced by the security towers. The Doctor watched as an electrical light phased over the helicopter. The helicopter slowed down to the speed of falling molasses during its time passing through the security shield. Beads of sweat rolled down Marcus's and Colonel Ash's faces and the Doctor could feel one of his hearts begin to beat irregularly. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the helicopter completely passed through the shield with a light pop. Both the Doctor and the Colonel loudly exhaled with relief while Marcus wiped the sweat from his brow. "Now that's over with."

"Do you have an idea as to where they would have taken Twilight and Derpy?" asked the Doctor as he looked down towards the small ocean of buildings below.

"Of course," replied Marcus as he pointed towards a gargantuan building located towards the center of the city. "That's City Centre: the tallest building on Nymphadora. It's where President Targaryen lives and it's also the only place in Lupae that connects with the tomb." City Centre looked like a giant, golden shard of glass and metal rising into the sky with different types of aircraft circling around it.

"It looks like getting past security will be a bit tougher here," said the Doctor as he pointed at a series of soldiers marching around the aircraft docking bay.

"Ash, it looks like it's your turn to lead," said Marcus as he quickly placed the helicopter in autopilot. Colonel Ash nodded before switching seats with Marcus. Marcus quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of what appeared to be handcuffs with small blue lights. The Doctor watched as the handcuffs applied themselves to Marcus's wrists.

"You certainly came prepared," the Doctor said with a chuckle.

"I made sure to be prepared."

"Oh no," said Colonel Ash as he began to look through his pockets.

"What's wrong?" asked the Doctor.

"My ID! I must have lost it during the attack on the base!" The Colonel gave an annoyed groan that brought out his inner teenager. "It'll be extremely difficult getting in without an official military ID."

"Is that all that's wrong? That's an easy fix!" stated the Doctor with a wave of his hoof. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a blank, white card.

"Wait...is that my ID?!" The Colonel grabbed the card and looked at it. "How did you get it?!"

The Doctor grinned happily at the Colonel. "That's not your ID, Colonel," he said.

"What are you talking about? Of course it is! Look at it!"

"It only looks like your ID because that's what you want to see." Marcus and the Colonel simultaneously gave the Doctor confused looks. "Psychic paper is what you're holding. It shows whatever the reader or I wishes for the reader to see. In reality, it's a blank, white, plain card."

"Really?!" The Colonel took a closer look at the psychic paper. "But it looks so...legit."

"Well that's psychic paper for ya. Anyway, we now have a way in so let's move!"

Colonel Ash nodded as he lowered the helicopter into the docking bay. A series of soldiers watched them sternly as they landed. "Remember, the Doctor and I are prisoners," whispered Marcus as he slipped a blaster into Colonel Ash's grasp. The Colonel nodded as he opened the door to the helicopter and marched out.

"Alright! Out you come! Both of you!" ordered Colonel Ash in the most commanding voice he could uster. Marcus was the first to climb out of the helicopter with the Doctor following close behind.

"ID, please," instructed one of the soldiers. Colonel Ash placed the psychic paper in front of the soldier's face.

"Colonel Asphodel Rogers. I'm here to transport these two prisoners to the Lupae Detention Center."

The soldier scanned the Doctor and Marcus with his eyes. "Why is the pony not handcuffed?"

"He has not committed any crimes but I was ordered to bring him in for questioning due to his unknown reasons for traveling to Nymphadora."

The soldier handed the psychic paper back to Colonel Ash. "Alright. Everything checks out. You and your prisoners may proceed."

"Thank you. Good day, soldier."

The Doctor kept close to Colonel Ash as they walked past the soldiers and through the nearest door. "It's almost twilight," whispered Marcus.

"So they should be heading down to the tomb by this point to prepare for the awakening," Colonel Ash continued.

"Then we better hurry," added the Doctor.

"Yes. But we will have to be careful. Right now, we're in one of the most highly protected buildings on Nymphadora. Getting in and out with the spark will be no easy feat."

"I figured as much."

The three intruders fell silent as they continued their trek towards the Tomb of the Twilight King.

Soon, Derpy. Soon, Twilight, thought the Doctor. I'm going to get the two of you out of this. That's a definite.

Twilight refused to turn her gaze away from President Targaryen. She didn't trust him for a second and despised everything about him. His smug grin, his fancy suit, his corrupt plans. Everything about him just put Twilight's teeth on edge. The orange light of the final hours of day was beginning to shine in through the windows of the room. President Targaryen stood up from the chair he had been sitting in and cleared his throat. "Well, I guess it's time," he said in a suave, political voice. He walked over to Twilight and Derpy and beckoned for them to stand. "Come along then, spark. It's time for you to play your role."

Twilight desperately wanted to use some magic to blast the grin right off his face or at least teleport Derpy to safety. But there was definitely some powerful technology in the area for Twilight could feel it pressing against every magical cell in her body. This only made her wonder how they'd be able to have her produce any sort of spark. But she figured that she was about to find out.

The soldiers led her and Derpy out of the lounging room and over towards an elevator that was located a little ways down the hall. As Twilight entered the elevator, for a split second she thought she could see the Doctor at the far end of the hallway. She figured that this was probably due to her hope that he was alright. Once she, Derpy, the President, and the soldiers were in the elevator, the doors slammed shut and the elevator began to make its way down to the lowest level of the building. The elevator moved smoothly and silently and, all the while, Twilight still refused to look away from the President. That fancy grin on his face only signified that he had a few more terrible surprises up his sleeve.

When the elevator finally reached the bottom floor, the doors rushed open and Twilight and Derpy were hastily pushed out by the soldiers. They were now in what appeared to be a simple basement. Old supplies, cobwebs, rat dens, and various other objects were scattered throughout the dim room. Surprisingly, the basement smelled...sweet, despite its disgusting residents. It was a powerful aroma that smelled of sugar and different types of flowers. It was certainly a feast for the nose that made Twilight's mouth water.

"Lovely, isn't it?" asked the President as he approached the wall opposite to that of the elevator. "That, my little ponies, is the scent of the dawn and the twilight merging together." The President pushed an old stack of crates aside to reveal a lever that looked like it was made out of marble and silver. His smile grew even larger as he pulled the lever down. A piece of the basement wall snapped away with a loud crack that was almost like that of a whip hitting water. The broken piece of the wall slid aside to reveal a hidden set of purple and yellow stairs that led down through a long, dark tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, Twilight could see a bright light. "For Nymphadora, the stairway to Heaven extends downwards, not upwards." President Targaryen then stepped aside to beckon Twilight and Derpy forward. "Ladies, or mares, first."

Twilight heard Derpy gulp as they trudged forward and approached the point where the staircase tunnel met the basement. Twilight was the first to enter tunnel and she quickly took note that the sweet aroma was much stronger in the tunnel. The sound of their hoofsteps bounced off the walls madly and the sugary smell only grew more and more pungent with each step downward. "I feel a bit sick," Derpy whispered to Twilight as they reached the halfway point.

"Don't worry. You're not alone," Twilight whispered back with a gulp. As they made their way downwards, Twilight could feel the forces working against her magic grow weaker and weaker...but a new force had come in to replace them. This new force working against Twilight's magic was much darker and made Twilight feel a powerful sense of dread. Drops of sweat rolled down her face and her horn began to sting in a manner that made Twilight feel like she had just stuck her horn into an electrical socket.

The light at the end of the tunnel was also growing brighter but Twilight's eyes were quickly adjusting to it. By the time she reached the bottom of the staircase, she was no longer blinded by the light. What she saw before her, meanwhile, truly amazed her.

A massive pit spread out before her with humongous torches of fire clinging to the rocky walls. The pit appeared to extend miles and miles down into the depths of the planet. A large metal and marble bridge stretched out towards an island in the center of the pit. The island consisted of what looked like a giant, marble building in the shape of a rectangle with a pair of large doors acting as the entrance. "Proceed," chuckled President Targaryen with a wave of his claw. It was at this moment that Twilight noticed a beautiful orange and yellow ring that was on the President's claw. The reason Twilight hadn't really noticed it until now was because now it was glowing like a campfire. The President noticed that Twilight was staring at his ring and he simply gave his normal, snide grin in response. "Onwards, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight snorted at the suited Nymphadorian before walking forward towards the bridge. As soon as she stepped onto the bridge, an invisible chorus began to sing from somewhere deep within the building in the center of the pit. The chorus appeared to be singing in some strange language but Twilight could tell that it was a sad song. As Twilight continued across the bridge, her entire body began to shake. There was incredibly powerful magic down here and it was pressing against her body with the strength of a raging river. Twilight even found it hard to breathe at certain moments. "I'm feeling really sick now," Twilight whispered to Derpy as they finally made it to the island that held the marble building.

The President stepped in front of the two mares while the soldiers kept their blasters aimed at their backs. He then took out his claw that held the glowing ring and waved it in front of the doors. A terrified screech rang out and the doors slowly opened by themselves. President Targaryen then stepped aside and beckoned Twilight and Derpy into the building. "Come along. King Dusk awaits you," he chuckled. Twilight felt Derpy grab onto one of her hooves. She turned towards her new pegasus friend and smiled. The two mares then walked side-by-side into the Tomb of the Twilight King.

The Twilight King

Chapter 8: The Twilight King

Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

Derpy could tell that Twilight was beginning to experience an extreme amount of pain as soon as they entered the tomb. Random, weak sparks of magic shot off Twilight's horn and her eyes began to quickly become watery and bloodshot. Her face began to take on a green hue and her breathing became quick and raspy. Derpy tightened her grip on the unicorn's foreleg in order to help her have a bit more balance. As she helped Twilight walk, Derpy took a quick look at the interior of the tomb.

A simple hallway stood immediately beyond the entrance doors to the tomb. The walls were plain white with torches hanging from said walls. The fire in the torches changed between white, purple, orange, and yellow and the flickering lights of the torches shimmered off a collection of crystal chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. The sweet aroma still lingered in the air and it made Derpy feel like she had just dunked her head into a vat of melted sugar.

Derpy took a quick glance back at President Targaryen and the group of soldiers. The President still kept his smug grin intact and refused to give any other expression aside from that. A majority of the soldiers appeared cool, calm, and detached from all emotions. However, a select few of the soldiers looked a bit uneasy about the plan that was being set into motion. Derpy could tell that these select few were probably questioning if what they were doing was actually right. Of course, Derpy would immediately protest and say that it was wrong; but it was clear that President Targaryen was calling the shots for this and these soldiers, no matter how doubtful, were still willing to follow his orders to the end.

The group eventually reached the end of the hallway, which opened up into a huge and surprisingly beautiful room. Two, large fountains stood on opposite sides of the room from each other and rose up towards the ceiling. One of the fountains spewed out a spray of violet water while the other let out a mist of light blue water. Each fountain had a small pond beneath it and both ponds were filled with the heads of large, white and yellow flowers. Derpy quickly understood that it was from the flower heads in the ponds where the sugary aroma came from. A yellow haze rose up from the center of the flower heads and dispersed into the air. President Targaryen stepped forward and took in a deep breath. "I always do enjoy the smell of the alpenglow lilies," he said as he approached one of the ponds and took in a deep breath of the sweet air. "This is the only place on Nymphadora where these flowers grow year-round, you know."

For a tomb, this place actually...looks really nice, Derpy thought as she looked at the colored fountains, alpenglow lilies, and giant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling high above. Her attention was then drawn to a large door at the other end of the room. The door was dark purple with the pictures of two, dark eyes embedded in the center. President Targaryen began to approach the door as he extended his claw that had the glowing ring forward. He raised his claw up towards the ceiling and the tomb began to shake slightly. Twilight groaned and fell to her knees. "Twilight!" Derpy gasped as she knelt down to help her friend. "Twilight?!"

"There's...powerful...magic...here. Extremely...powerful...dark...magic," Twilight said as a random series of magical sparks shot out of her horn and dispersed into the air. Derpy looked up to see a small hole opening up in the ceiling. A white light emanated from the hole and something began to descend down towards President Targaryen. It wasn't until the President caught the item in his claw that Derpy was able to see what it was: a white staff with a bright, light blue gem at the very tip. The gem on the staff began to glow as brightly as the ring on the President's finger and the invisible, melancholy chorus of the tomb proceeded to sing again.

"This is it, Twilight Sparkle," chuckled the President as he presented the staff to Derpy and Twilight. "The Staff of the Dawn. This was the weapon used by the Dawn to seal away the Twilight King all those centuries ago; and today it shall act as my way of controlling the helpful beast that lies beyond this door." Twilight was now bent over onto the floor and wheezing heavily. Random sparks of magic were continuing to pour out of her horn.

"Twilight? Twilight?!" cried Derpy. She looked fearfully at the pained unicorn before turning towards the President angrily. "What's going on with her?!"

A greedy smile appeared on President Targaryen's face. "The Twilight King is calling to his spark. He's calling for the energy needed to awaken him to come forth." The President then turned his attention back towards the purple door with the eyes. "Let's not keep him waiting any longer."

"NO! STOP!" cried Twilight as the President took a few steps towards the door. The President turned back to Twilight with a curious smile. Twilight's eyes were beginning to glow and violet tears were rolling down her cheeks. "IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA, THE UNIVERSE, AND ALL THAT'S GOOD, DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR! WHAT'S WAITING BEYOND THAT DOOR IS FAR MORE POWERFUL AND EVIL THAN WHAT YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE! I CAN FEEL HIS RAGE AND POWER! IF YOU OPEN THAT DOOR, YOU'VE DOOMED EVERYTHING ON YOUR PLANET! PLEASE, DON'T OPEN IT!" The President simply rolled his eyes and continued to approach the door. Twilight continued to scream and beg for him to stop. "PLEASE! STOP! DON'T DO THIS! THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY TO END THIS WAR! ANYTHING WOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS!"

President Targaryen stopped a couple feet away from the door and turned back towards Derpy and Twilight. "There is no other way," he stated with his usual snide grin. "Everything has led to this: the beginning of a new age for Nymphadora with me as its instigator." Derpy could feel her own heart pounding as President Targaryen turned back towards the door and began to raise his claw with the ring. The door began to shake and the sad choir grew even louder.

Just then, something whizzed through the air and missed the President's head by a few centimeters. The President turned away from the door and the door stopped shaking. "I'd stop right there if I were you," ordered a familiar voice. Derpy turned around and her heart did a double somersault of joy. Standing at the entrance of the room was Colonel Ash with his blaster aimed at the President. Standing alongside him were Marcus the deserter and...the Doctor!

"Doctor! You're okay!" cried a happy Derpy.

"Oh yes!" the Doctor replied with a large grin. The President's soldiers immediately turned their blasters on the unexpected trio. With a quick motion, the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the blasters. Like a chain reaction, the soldiers' blasters spewed out a cloud of electrical sparks before falling apart like wet paper.

"That was...easy," Marcus commented.

"Yeah, but things are only going to get harder from here on out," stated Colonel Ash as he kept the blaster aimed at the President.

Derpy expected the President to be shocked by this sudden interruption of his plans. Instead, he began clapping his claws with his snide and suave grin still plastered on his face, much to Derpy's annoyance. "Well, well, well. This is truly an...entertaining surprise," chuckled President Targaryen as he took a few steps away from the door. "Colonel Asphodel Rogers, correct?"

"Yeah, the colonel whose base you recently attacked!"

"Yes, so sorry about that. But, the spark simply had to be recovered. Me and the other government officials have been waiting and planning for this moment for quite some time."

"False apologies won't help you out here, Mr. President. Your ordered attack on my base led to many of my men, a good chunk of well-trained and good-hearted Nymphadorian soldiers, losing their lives. Now you're about to unleash an even worse hell on the rest of us!"

The President shook his head like a disappointed parent. "Asphodel, it's stubborn ideals and thoughts like those that led your father to meet his end."

Colonel Ash sent another blast out of the gun that nearly took the President's head off. "Speak about my father like that again and I won't miss your face next time."

"Fine. I won't talk about your late father. So let's talk about you, Asphodel. I must admit that I had such high hopes for you. But it seems that you don't have the same love for and dedication to Nymphadora that I do."

"I think the fact that I'm pointing a gun at the most powerful man on Nymphadora speaks a lot about how much dedication I have for the well-being of our planet. This plan of yours...it just isn't the way."

"It's our only way...and I'm sorry that you're not intelligent enough to realize that." Suddenly, the President rushed towards Derpy and Twilight like a bullet. Just as Derpy put together that he must be one of the few Nymphadorians with super speed, she found herself getting a faceful of shoe. Derpy fell back and cried as pain began to spread out from the spot where President Targaryen's shoe had collided with her face. As Derpy rolled around on the ground in pain, she heard Twilight yell and kick angrily from nearby.

"Derpy! Twilight!" she heard the Doctor yell. "Put Twilight down!"

Derpy clutched the spot where the President had kicked her and looked to see that the President had now taken Twilight hostage. He was holding her against his body with a knife brought up next to her neck. "Anybody moves and we'll all see what Twilight Sparkle's neck looks like on the inside!" cackled the President. His suave grin was now replaced by the smile of a psychopath.

"You're insane!" snapped Marcus.

"No! You're the one who's insane! You all are!"

I think I liked the annoying President Targaryen better, thought Derpy as she stood up.

"Are you okay, Derpy?!" she heard the Doctor ask from behind her.

"I'm fine!" Derpy called back. "My face just hurts a bit."

"Yeah. Sorry about that, dearie," chuckled the President. "But we all have to make sacrifices, now don't we?!"

"Please! Don't do this! You can't control him!" Twilight pleaded.

"Shut up, spark!" Twilight yelped as the knife came closer to her neck. "Just play your part and everything will be just fine!" Derpy looked back at the Doctor, Colonel Ash, and Marcus. She then turned back towards Twilight and the President. "Wakey wakey, Mr. Twilight King! It's time to wake up!" The President continued to laugh as he waved his glowing ring in front of the door. A cloud of dust swirled into the air as the door lurched open. Derpy gulped as tentacles of purple smoke began to emanate through the crack in the opening door.

Twilight was squirming something fierce and more sparks of magic were pouring from her horn. Her eyes began to glow brighter while the purple mist proceeded to waft over to her. "Come...here...my...spark," chuckled a dark voice from beyond the door.

"No! Get away! Get away from me!" cried Twilight. "Ah! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts so much!"

Derpy felt the hair in her mane blow against her face as the door flung open and nearly fell off its massive, metal hinges. Derpy gulped as a massive blob of purple smoke poured through the door. A pair of angry, black eyes peered out towards them. "Oh my stars," Derpy heard one of the soldiers say.

The creature within the smoke began to laugh as it bore down on Twilight and the President. The President pointed the Staff of the Dawn at the smoke. The ring on his finger and the gem on the staff continued to glow brightly. "Here's your spark, Twilight King! You can finally return...but you obey me and the government of Nymphadora now!" the President yelled.

Twilight screamed as one of the purple tentacles grabbed her and pulled her from the President's grasp. A surge of magical energy coursed throughout the purple cloud. The tomb shook vigorously and the sad choir began to scream rather than sing. The eyes within the cloud of smoke disappeared and, a moment later, a tall figure emerged from the cloud. He was a gigantic creature covered from head to toe in thick, black armor with a gold and purple cape stretching down to his feet. Derpy gasped as she saw the struggling, but incredibly weak, Twilight held tightly in one of his arms. "I am Dusk, the King of the Twilight," stated the armored creature as it stared out at the witnesses of his revival. King Dusk turned his attention towards the President, who was waving the Staff of the Dawn at him, and knocked both the staff and the ring from his grasp. Derpy saw the staff and the ring fly through the air and land a couple feet away from the Doctor. Derpy turned back to see King Dusk pull out a massive, black and purple sword. President Targaryen's psychotic smile was quickly replaced by a look of sheer horror. "And I obey...NOTHING!" With a swing of the sword, the President's head soared through the air and fell into one of the ponds. His body disintegrated into a cloud of dust while his head was pulled underwater by the alpenglow lilies, which were now being brought to life by King Dusk's powerful magic.

"Derpy! Get back!" cried the Doctor. Derpy gulped as King Dusk towered over her.

"A pegasus," chuckled the Twilight King. "I shall enjoy you...immensely."

A blast of energy suddenly struck King Dusk in his armored face. It didn't do much damage but it did make him stumble around a bit. "Run, Derpy!" ordered Colonel Ash. Derpy took this chance to take to the air. She flew away from King Dusk and landed right in front of the Doctor. She then couldn't resist the urge give him a huge hug.

"You're okay! I'm so glad you're alright!" Derpy exclaimed.

"I'm glad about that too, Derpy, but can we do the hugging after we defeat the revived evil Twilight King?" the Doctor asked with a warm and friendly smile. Derpy backed away and nodded.

"Let the unicorn go, Dusk!" ordered Colonel Ash.

King Dusk glared at the Colonel angrily through his helmet as he prepared a fiery magic ball in his free claw. "Did you really expect him to listen to you?" asked Marcus.

"No but it was worth a shot." Colonel Ash shot a blast from his gun just as King Dusk sent the magic ball flying. The two attacks collided and sent a shower of fiery sparks through the air. The President's soldiers scattered to avoid the falling sparks.

"Stupid children," scoffed King Dusk. "You must be taught manners." The Twilight King clenched his fist as pieces of rubble began to levitate into the air.

Marcus tapped Colonel Ash on the soldier and beckoned him to hand over the blaster. "May I?" asked Marcus.

"Certainly," replied the Colonel as he handed the blaster over to Marcus. The debris then soared through the air towards them. Most of the soldiers were instantly taken out by the attacking debris while a few managed to escape the room and quickly make their way out of the tomb. The Doctor pushed Derpy behind him and began taking out some of the debris with his sonic screwdriver while Marcus handled the blaster. From behind the Doctor, Derpy could see Marcus jumping around and blasting as much debris as he could. In fact, if she weren't mistaken, he appeared to be almost having fun. Then she heard it. "MARCUS! LOOK OUT!"

Derpy watched as Colonel Ash ran towards Marcus. She looked up and saw something small and shiny zooming through the air at incredible speeds. Marcus froze with surprise and, due to this, Colonel Ash quickly knocked him aside. As he did, the shiny object flew straight into Colonel Ash. The Colonel was knocked back and a spray of a familiar red liquid flew out from his body. Derpy gasped in horror as the Colonel came to a stop a few feet away from her and the Doctor. President Targaryen's knife, which had previously been used to hold Twilight hostage, was now lodged deep into his chest...right around his heart. The barrage of debris stopped for some reason as Marcus ran towards the Colonel's side. Derpy looked in shock at the terrible scene before her while the Doctor ran to Colonel Ash's side.

"Ash! Ash! Come on, Man, say something!" pleaded Marcus, whom Derpy hadn't expected to get so emotional.

The injured Ash looked up at Marcus with a depressing smile on my face. "I guess...that was a stupid move," he choked.

"You're damn right it was!"

Ash gave a weak smile and grabbed one of Marcus's claws. "Hey, Marcus. Sorry...about what happened...when you were...taken prisoner. I wish...you could have made it back...to see her again."

"It wasn't your fault!"

Derpy looked to see that King Dusk wasn't even attempting to attack them. He was just standing there...watching them. "You...looked like you were...having fun," said Ash.

"I was being careless! I...I shouldn't have been having fun in this situation!" Marcus argued with a guilty face.

"But you were...and I'm happy. You've missed being in...the line of fire. Don't feel bad...about enjoying those...few seconds."

"This shouldn't happen, Ash! You're so young!"

"Hey...I'm just a sixteen year old colonel. You, Marcus, are going to be much more helpful to the Doctor."

"No! Ash! Stay with us!"

Ash raised his head up. He quickly glanced at Derpy, the Doctor, and Marcus before saying, "See you guys...on the other side of the curtain. I'll...be waiting...to assist you." And, with that, Colonel Ash gave his last breath. His eyes became foggy and his body limp. A few tears began to roll down Marcus's face as he grasped the Colonel tightly in his arms.

Derpy's ears perked up as a cold laugh started to reverberate through the air. She turned to see that none other than King Dusk himself was laughing. "You see, this is what happens to stupid children," chuckled the Twilight King. Derpy could tell that Marcus wanted to say something back but he didn't have the strength. "Now, I think I'll take care of the rest of you."

"NO!" screamed a familiar voice. A powerful purple light exploded from one of King Dusk's arms. Derpy watched as the weakened Twilight began to levitate into the air.

"What? You think you can stop me, lovely Twilight?" King Dusk chuckled as he grabbed onto one of Twilight's legs.

"No...I know that you plan to begin spreading the twilight over this planet and I can't stop you from starting...but what I can do is hinder you as well as prevent you from hurting my friends!" A blast of magical energy flew from Twilight's body and began to collide with King Dusk.

"You...stupid...unicorn! Stop this...at once!"

"Twilight!" Derpy cried.

"Doctor! Derpy! I'm going to get you and Marcus out of here!" said Twilight.

"We can't leave you here!"

"It's no use now...Dusk is too strong! You can't take him on at this moment!"

"But-"

Derpy felt a hoof fall onto her soldier. She turned to see the Doctor's somber face looking at her. "She's right, Derpy. We must go...for now," he said.

"I'm getting you out of here!" said Twilight. Derpy felt a powerful force wrap around her body. The scene around her began to disappear.

"We'll return, Twilight Sparkle! This isn't the end!" stated the Doctor. "Hey, Dusk!" The Twilight King turned his attention towards the Doctor. "I just want to let you know that I'm the Doctor...and you've made me very angry! You best enjoy your return while it lasts because the oncoming storm is headed in your direction!"

A deep and amused laugh emanated from King Dusk's unseen mouth. "There's a lot of spirit and strength within you, Doctor," he cackled. "I look forward to breaking it."

"We'll come back for you, Twilight!" Derpy cried.

Derpy could see Twilight smiling at them sadly as the scene continued to fade away. "I know you will," echoed Twilight's voice as the Tomb of the Twilight King disappeared and Derpy, the Doctor, and Marcus were flung off to their next location.

Ruleo, 1678 C.E.

The Doctor gave a quick hiccup as the teleportation process finished running its course. It was nighttime now and the large outline of a massive purple planet took up a big portion of the dark sky. The Doctor looked down at his hooves to see the white staff and the ring lying on the ground in front of him. He had managed to grab them prior to Twilight teleporting him and the others away. They could prove to be useful in the future.

The Doctor then turned towards Derpy and Marcus. Both of them appeared...broken. Derpy was still saddened from what had happened to Twilight and Marcus was kneeling down on the ground and acting as if he were still clutching Ash's dead body. "Where...are we, Doctor?" Derpy asked suddenly.

The Doctor looked up at the sky and shrugged his shoulders. "From the look of things, I'd say that we're on one of Nymphadora's moons," the Doctor replied. He quickly examined the area they had arrived at. They were standing in the middle of what appeared to be a market on the outskirts of a town. A small table covered with wrapped food was situated a few feet from where they were standing and an anthropomorphic blue rabbit was lying in a sleeping bag underneath it. "Blue rabbit. I'm guessing that we're on...Ruleo."

Suddenly, a bright light started emanating from Nymphadora. The Doctor, Derpy, and Marcus watched as half the planet was slowly consumed in a large, purple cloud with small shimmers of silver here and there. "Dusk's already getting to work," sighed Marcus.

"But I think Twilight is also getting to work," the Doctor stated with an impressed smile. "The twilight cloud is only covering half of the planet."

"She saved us as well as half of Nymphadora," said Derpy sadly.

"For now," Marcus added. "It won't be long until the entire planet is covered...and then-"

"Auran and Ruleo will be destroyed," the Doctor finished.

"Doctor?" asked Derpy. "Do you think Twilight is...okay?"

The Doctor placed a hoof on Derpy's shoulder. "She's in a terrible situation now, Derpy. But she's not dead," he replied. He looked up towards the night sky. "She's a strong one, that Twilight Sparkle. She's not going to give in so easily, as I'm not going to give up on saving her and the rest of Nymphadora." The Doctor turned away from Nymphadora and turned his attention back to Derpy and Marcus. "We're not going to let Twilight's fate and Ash's death be in vain. Those responsible have probably already been taken care of. So that leaves us with the product of their madness."

"King Dusk," snarled Derpy and Marcus together.

The Doctor stepped forward and extended one of his hooves. "I'm going to save Twilight Sparkle. I'm going to save Nymphadora. I'm going to avenge Ash Rogers."

"We are," added Derpy as she placed her hoof on top of the Doctor's. Marcus gave a small and confident grin as he placed his claw on top of Derpy's hoof.

"Well now," said the Doctor. "It looks like we have a lot of work ahead of us. So let's get started!"

To be continued...