Doctor Whooves Episode 14: Work of Fiction

Chapters

Prologue: Wrong Turn
Welcome to BronyCon
The Panel
The Animator
A Derpy Conversation
Pawns in Place
Chaos at the Con
The Beach
Edgar and Lauren

Prologue: Wrong Turn

Doctor Whooves: Episode 14
Work of Fiction

Prologue: Wrong Turn

Outside the Home of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville, Equestria, Gaia, Autumn, 1002 C.E.

The Doctor hurried over to the main console and pulled one of the levers down. The TARDIS gave off its usual sound as it began to dematerialize.

"I recommend that you two hold on," said the Doctor. "This is going to be a really bumpy ride." Twilight and Derpy grabbed onto a part of the console as the Doctor began working the controls. The TARDIS groaned softly before going crazy. The walls shook, lights flickered, the sound of metal scraping metal rang throughout the room, and the three ponies felt as if they were going to fly up into the ceiling. The Doctor fought the opposing forces moving against his body as he worked the controls. A bead of sweat trickled down his face. It was obvious that dimensional travel was still tricky for the TARDIS. Thankfully, everything seemed to be going according to plan; that is until something smashed into the exterior of the TARDIS. "Damn!"

"What is it?!" Derpy asked.

"We're currently experiencing some dimensional resistance."

"Dimensional resistance?" Twilight asked.

"Basically, the walls of the dimensions are fighting against the TARDIS."

"We're going to be okay, right?" Derpy asked.

"Uh...most likely."

"Most likely?" asked Twilight as the TARDIS shook again. "I don't like the way you said that."

"Well-" Suddenly, the TARDIS fell onto its left side. The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy clutched onto the console with all their strength.

"DOCTOR!"

"Hang on, you two!" The Doctor climbed up and continued to work the controls as best as he could. "Derpy! Could you press that orange button for me?"

Derpy looked and noticed an orange button right in front of her. She pressed it. Nothing happened aside from the sound of recorded laughter emanating throughout the room.

"What did that do?!" Derpy asked. "Did it help?"

"Sort of. It didn't help the TARDIS but it at least made me feel better," the Doctor replied.

"Oh! You are impossible!" Twilight snapped.

"You know it!" The Doctor spun an odd wheel-like lever and the TARDIS became upright again. The sound of scraping metal returned and it proceeded to grow louder and louder with every passing second. "Hold on!"

The lights in the TARDIS went out and Derpy screamed. The TARDIS flipped over again and the three ponies lost their grip on the console. The lights proceeded to flicker on and off in several consecutive cycles. Derpy tried to use her wings to get some balance in the air but found that the forces acting on her body were too strong. The interior of the TARDIS spun around the three ponies like a merry-go-round on speed. The whole experience must have lasted for only a minute or so but it felt like centuries. Then, finally, the TARDIS returned to its upright position and came to a complete stop.

Meadowlands Plaza, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

Twilight lifted herself off the floor. Her body ached something fierce but she was thankful that nothing was broken.

"Oh!" Derpy groaned. "I hurt in places that I didn't even know I had!"

"Join the club," the Doctor replied as he stood up and leaned against the console. Twilight helped Derpy up and the two mares walked over to the console. They were both breathing heavily.

"What...the hell...was that?!" Twilight asked.

"That...was...dimensional resistance...for ya."

"Did we make it; I mean to your dimension?" Derpy asked. The Doctor looked at a screen on the console.

"Well would you look at that."

"What is it?"

"It looks like we've made a wrong turn."

"What does that mean? Did we make it or not?!" Twilight asked.

"Oh, we definitely made it...just not to my universe."

"If we're not in your universe then where are we?!" The Doctor looked at Twilight and Derpy. His expression was a mixture of confusion, awe, guilt, and childish glee.

"You're going to want to see this." The Doctor walked over to the front doors and opened them. Derpy and Twilight followed him out.

The TARDIS had parked in a medium-sized courtyard of sorts. Buildings bordered the courtyard on all sides. The courtyard consisted of simple concrete pathways, groups of bushes and flowers, lush trees, metal and concrete tables and benches, and a collection of lampposts. The sky was blue with fluffy, white clouds floating up in it. It was definitely summer wherever they were for it was incredibly warm. Twilight noticed a nearby sign that read: The Plaza. Exposition Center Straight Ahead. Twilight looked forward. A fair-sized building was situated not too far away from where they were standing.

"Where are we?" Derpy asked. The Doctor took in a deep breath of air.

"I'd say we're on Earth, in the United States of America, it's summer, and I'd say that it's in the early 2010's," the Doctor replied. He looked at the Exposition Center and nodded. "Ah. 2012 to be specific."

"You never cease to amaze me, Doctor," said Twilight. "But how can you tell that it's 2012 exactly?"

"Because that's what the banner up there says." Twilight noticed a banner hanging in front of the entrance to the building. She couldn't make out what it said, but she figured that maybe the Doctor had some form of slightly enhanced eyesight or something.

"So, where is everypony?" Derpy asked.

"And what did you want to show us?" Twilight asked. The Doctor turned towards the banner.

"Let's look at that banner, shall we?" the Doctor asked. The three ponies made their way towards the Exposition Center. They came to a stop once they could fully make out what the banner said.

"What?" asked a surprised Derpy.

"I don't get it," said Twilight. "What is this place, Doctor?!"

The Doctor looked at the banner and chuckled.

"Well," he said. "This is certainly new."

The banner was blue and consisted of pictures of Twilight, Derpy, Spike, Discord, Celestia, Luna, and almost everypony else that Twilight knew. Even the Doctor himself was located somewhere on the banner. In the center of the banner there was a series of words that read: Welcome to BronyCon 2012.

Welcome to BronyCon

Chapter 1: Welcome to BronyCon

Meadowlands Holiday Inn, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

Alexander "Alex" Stevens smiled happily as he looked at himself in the mirror. He had messy blond hair, fair skin, green eyes, and an intense excitement billowing up inside him. He was finally here. He was finally at BronyCon. His outfit of the day consisted of his favorite Doctor Whooves shirt, a Sonic Screwdriver, a Doctor Whooves hat, and a BronyCon name tag that came complete with a picture of Rainbow Dash on it. His mother, Alice, was sitting on the edge of the bed drinking a cup of hotel coffee.

"They can make excellent breakfasts but not a good cup of coffee," Alice groaned. Alex chuckled at his mother's remark.

"I'm going to head out now," he said.

"Already? You've barely had any breakfast!" Alex presented a bulging wallet from his jean pocket.

"Don't worry. I'll get something to eat with Quinn." He stuffed the wallet back into his jeans. "Besides, Edgar's already over there."

"Okay then. Don't spend too much, okay!"

"I won't." Alex made his way over to the door.

"Enjoy yourself!"

"I will!" Alex shut the door behind him.

Quinn Thompson was waiting for Alex down in the hotel lobby. She was a tall girl with sandy brown hair, blue eyes, and light tan skin. She was wearing a purple Twilight Sparkle shirt alongside a Derpy Hooves hat and a pair of jeans that had various Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy stickers attached to it.

"Good morning," Quinn said happily before giving Alex a quick kiss on the lips.

"You ready?" Alex asked.

"Always!" They happily strolled out of the lobby. Alex couldn't help but smirk as an elderly couple gave them odd looks. He didn't mind getting looked at oddly. So what if he was a fan of a show that was originally aimed at little girls? He liked My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and was proud of it! Besides, it was thanks to the show that he had met his girlfriend Quinn in the first place. As they made their way past a group of restaurants, Alex and Quinn couldn't help but notice that there weren't that many people outside. "Where is everybody?"

"Probably already at the convention center," Alex guessed. They entered a plaza and quickly noticed the Exposition Center. "There it is!"

"I'm so excited! I've been saving up money for this for the whole semester!" Quinn chirped cheerfully. Alex nodded and chuckled. He turned forward and stopped. Quinn stopped too. "What's wrong?"

"That's a really good replica of the TARDIS." Quinn looked to where Alex was looking. There it was, standing in the middle of the plaza. That famous blue police phone box. Alex and Quinn approached it.

"Somebody here must be a really big Whovian."

"Even bigger than Edgar and us?"

"Probably. Speaking of Edgar, where is he?"

"He left really early this morning to head up to the con. He was probably waiting in line with the others."

"We better get inside then! The line's not going to get any shorter!"

"Right!" Alex and Quinn then ran towards the Exposition Center. Not a minute after they had left, the TARDIS doors opened and out walked the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy.

"We better let her rest up for a bit," said the Doctor as he closed the doors behind him.

"Doctor, I'm really confused," said Derpy.

"About what?"

"Why is there a banner with us on it?" The Doctor presented three silver keys connected to chains.

"What are those?" asked Twilight.

"Keys to the TARDIS. Normally, I don't use a key anymore due to me just being able to clap my hooves in order to open or close the doors."

"You're giving us keys to the TARDIS?!" asked an excited Derpy.

"Yes, but I'm also giving you something extra."

"And that is?" Twilight asked.

"I once used these keys to help myself and two friends of mine avoid detection from an old foe. These are not only keys, they're perception filters."

"Perception filters?"

"Yes. These will allow us to walk around and not be noticed, to an extent."

"Why would we not want to be noticed?" Derpy asked.

"If my thoughts are correct then I really wouldn't think it wise to walk amongst the humans in this universe. We might just cause a fan attack, or worse."

"A fan attack? Doctor, what are you getting at?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just put the perception filters around your necks, we'll walk into the Exposition Center, and you'll see what I'm getting at."

Meadowlands Exposition Center, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy passed through the front doors of the Exposition Center. They were instantly greeted with an incredibly unexpected scene. There was a long line of people which seemed to bend in and around the interior of the entrance lobby. A majority of the people were dressed up in colorful outfits that were based around various ponies and other creatures in Equestria. The Doctor even caught sight of a man with brown hair wearing an outfit that looked an awful lot like the clothes he used to wear in his tenth incarnation.

"Doctor...what is this place?!" asked a shocked Derpy.

"Well, from what I can tell, in this universe you and I are fictional characters and...these are our fans," the Doctor replied.

"Fans?"

"Yep."

"We have fans?!" asked a stunned Twilight. "I have fans?!"

"In this universe, yes, and so do I." The two mares stared in shock at the line of people who were there to celebrate their mere existence. The Doctor began pushing them along. "Why don't we check out the rest of this place and see what it has to offer?"

Twilight was thankful that the perception filters worked for nopony, or in this case nobody, paid them even the slightest bit of attention. Twilight felt her heart jump as she walked into an area filled with various booths. Each booth had something different. There were pictures, clay models, and a whole slew of various things dedicated to her, her friends, her enemies, and just her entire universe in general. Derpy cocked her head at the sight of two people walking by who were dressed in full costumes of herself and the Doctor. Twilight looked over at two guys who were watching something on an object that the Doctor identified as an iPhone. Twilight looked over their shoulders, though they failed to notice her. On the iPhone, a video was playing. Twilight was surprised to see herself in the video.

The Twilight in the video smiled and sang, "I'm the T to the W I L I G H T, and ain't no other pony troll it down like me! I'm Twilightlicious!"

The guys laughed in response to the video and Twilight, even though she didn't understand what anything in the video meant, couldn't help but give a hearty chuckle. The two guys turned around and looked at Twilight. For a moment, they appeared to notice Twilight standing right behind them but their attention quickly shifted off towards a friend of theirs walking towards them. He was dressed in what appeared to be an outfit dedicated to Vinyl Scratch.

"Hey, guys! Have you gone to see Mic the Microphone yet?" he asked. He cocked his head at them. "What are you two staring at?"

The two guys looked at Twilight again but they quickly lost sight of her and turned back to their friend.

"We don't know," one of them replied. "It's like we saw...never mind."

"Well come on then!" The three guys then disappeared into the crowd. The Doctor walked up next to Twilight.

"For a moment, I thought they saw me," Twilight replied.

"They did see you, the perception filter just changed their focus to allow you to go by unnoticed," the Doctor replied. "Remember, we're not invisible. We're just unnoticeable. I suggest that we remain more careful from now on."

Derpy ran over to the Doctor and Twilight, a wide smile was on her face.

"Come on! There's loads more to see! There's a panel starting in ten minutes and the girl who voices Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie is going to be there!" Derpy exclaimed.

"What does that mean?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know!" Derpy's smile grew wider. The Doctor chuckled as he began leading Twilight and Derpy to the panel.

"I'll explain the concept to you," he said. "You see, from what I've seen so far, you two are characters in a cartoon which is basically a-"

"Oh! Sorry about that!" gasped Alex Stevens as he bumped into the Doctor. For a second, they locked eyes. Alex groaned as his ears began ringing. He closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Come on, let's go!" he heard a voice say. When he opened his eyes again, there was nobody standing in front of him.

"Hey, what's happening?" asked Quinn as she walked up to Alex with a large stuffed Luna.

"I could have sworn that I just saw...forget about it," Alex replied.

"Well, come on! The panel with Andrea Libman and Cathy Weseluck is starting in like ten minutes! I want to at least get some decent seats!"

"Okay then." They turned around and were greeted by a strange sight. A tall man stood before them. He wore a long green trench coat, had on a pair of thick leather boots, had on a pair of green goggles that prevented anybody from seeing his eyes, had tan skin, and had fairly-long white hair.

"Nice costume!" Quinn complimented. Alex gulped. Whoever this man was, he rubbed him in all the wrong ways.

"So, who are you supposed to be anyway?" Alex asked with a nervous expression and a raised eyebrow. The man gave a cold smile which reminded Alex of Wesker from Resident Evil: Afterlife, which Alex regretted to having seen in the first place.

"A character," the man replied.

"Of who, exactly?" Quinn asked.

"Just...a character."

"Oh...okay...well...nice costume, anyway!" Alex and Quinn quickly moved past the man and made their way towards the panel.

"A character indeed," Alex whispered to Quinn. Quinn snickered. The man looked on, his cold smile still remaining on his face.

"This is going to be a fun day," the man said to himself as his eyes glowed bright green for a split second. He then shook his head slightly before beginning to follow Alex and Quinn to the panel.

The Panel

Chapter 2: The Panel

Meadowlands Exposition Center, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

Alex and Quinn found two seats by the aisle towards the middle of the room; Alex took the aisle seat and Quinn took the seat to the right of it. Alex looked towards a corner of the room and, for a few seconds, thought he saw the Doctor, Twilight Sparkle, and Derpy Hooves standing against the wall and examining the room. His attention was quickly pulled to Quinn's stuffed Luna, which was being shoved into his face.

"Hey! What's that for?!" Alex snapped.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see what you'd do if a stuffed Luna suddenly attacked you," Quinn replied with a laugh. Alex wanted to return with a snarky comment but his attention was quickly drawn back to the spot where he saw the ponified Doctor and his pony companions. His ears began ringing again and he turned back to Quinn. "Do you think Edgar's in here somewhere?"

"Maybe. Either that or he's strolling around the booths and meeting other Bronies."

"And Pegasisters!"

"Yeah. Them too." Alex's attention began to trail off again and Quinn snapped her fingers. "What?!"

"What's with you? You keep trailing off as if something's got your attention."

"I think something does...and yet I'm not entirely sure."

"What are you talking about?"

"You'd think I'm crazy."

"Alex, I'm your girlfriend. If something's bothering you then you can tell me! I promise I won't think you're crazy."

"Okay. I swear that...I keep seeing the Doctor, Twilight and Derpy." Quinn looked around the room and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, there's obviously a bunch of cosplayers here and-"

"No, it's not them. I swear that I'm actually seeing the Doctor Whooves, the Twilight Sparkle, and the Derpy Hooves."

"Alex, that's impossible. The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy are fictional characters from television shows. How can they be real?"

"I know that, Quinn. But I keep seeing them. I know what I see isn't a cosplayer nor is it a painting or a statue or what have you. It's the real deal: flesh and blood ponies. I know it's impossible...but they look so real." Alex looked at the corner again. For a few seconds, he saw them again. "Quick! Look at that corner over there!"

Quinn did what she was told. After a few seconds of staring, she shook her head and rubbed her forehead. She looked at Alex and said, "I...I didn't see anything."

"Liar. You did see something," Alex snapped.

"But I really didn't see anything. Although, I did get the feeling that something was standing in that corner." Alex was about to say something else with a familiar figure caught his eye.

"Oh crap." Alex and Quinn looked to see the man in the green trench coat taking residence in a seat in the far back of the room.

"Oh, it's him again."

"I've got a bad feeling about that dude, Quinn."

"Why? So what if he's dressed as a character that nobody can recognize? What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, but there's more to my uneasy feeling than that. It's almost as if...never mind. That guy just rubs me in all the wrong ways."

"Then ignore him." Alex turned away from the man and back to Quinn. He nodded and turned towards the front of the room, making sure to avoid making eye contact with the corner in which he thought held the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy. Though he was confused, he was also excited. The panel was about to start.

Meanwhile, Derpy sat down against the wall and looked at the room filled with the fans of her universe, which she had learned identified themselves as Bronies and Pegasisters. Derpy looked at the Doctor, who was still explaining to Twilight the concept of a cartoon and television shows in general, before turning back to the audience. Then she noticed something. A man in the back was giving her a bad feeling.

"You've noticed him too?" asked the Doctor. Derpy stood up and nodded. The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy looked at the man.

"I don't know why but that man is making me feel really uncomfortable," said Twilight.

"You're not alone," Derpy admitted.

"I suggest that we keep an eye on him," said the Doctor. "We must be-"

"It's starting!" said a fan sitting in a chair near to where they were standing. The fan and her friend smiled in delight as the panel started.

"Hello BronyCon!" said a man as he walked onto the stage. The audience erupted into applause. "It is my great pleasure to welcome you all here! Now, let's bring in the people that you've all come to see!" The audience erupted into more applause. Derpy couldn't help but notice that the only person in the room not applauding was the man in the green trench coat. "Here they are! Nicole Oliver, otherwise known as Princess Celestia and Cheerilee, Andrea Libman, otherwise known as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, Tara Strong, otherwise known as Twilight Sparkle, Peter New, otherwise known as Big Macintosh, and, last but not least, Cathy Weseluck, otherwise known as Spike the Dragon and Mayor Mare!"

The audience erupted into their loudest applause yet as the voice actors walked onto the stage. Twilight couldn't help but look for Tara Strong, the human who shared her voice. Her eyes soon fell upon her: a beautiful, fair-skinned, blonde-haired woman in her late thirties. Twilight also couldn't help feeling a connection with her, most likely due to the fact that they shared the same voice.

The Doctor, meanwhile, examined all of the voice actors with heightened curiosity.

"Hmm...the woman who voices Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy certainly resembles the latter more than the former," he said as he looked at the voice actors. "Spike is voiced by a woman?! I can't wait to tell him that."

The voice actresses took their spots as the panel began. While Twilight and Derpy listened with their full attention, the Doctor's attention kept trailing back to the man in green. Something was different about him. It was almost as if the man didn't even belong here. He certainly stuck out of the crowd of pony-based cosplayers. Twilight and Derpy laughed as Andrea talked a bit in her Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie voices. The fans erupted in applause. The Doctor chuckled too but quickly turned his attention back to the man. He was surprised to find that the man was staring straight at him.

"No," the Doctor said under his breath. "That's not possible." The man smiled before pointing at the Doctor and then towards the center of the room. The Doctor followed the man's pointing direction towards a particular seat. The Doctor's eyes widened. The man was pointing at the teenage boy that the Doctor had bumped into earlier. The Doctor turned back to the man. They locked eyes. "Who are you?"

A deep and cold voice suddenly appeared in the Doctor's mind and said, "So, it's true. I'm not the only one here who's crossed through the void. I knew there was something a little bit too real about that TARDIS in the plaza. So here you are: Doctor Whooves and his assistants. First a new playground and now a worthy opponent to do battle with. Excellent. Let the games begin, Doctor Whooves."

The man's smile widened as he pointed back at the boy. The tip of the man's finger began to glow green but nobody seemed to notice. The Doctor broke into a run towards the man. Twilight and Derpy were too surprised to run after the Doctor immediately.

"STOP!" the Doctor ordered as a ray of green energy shot out of the man's finger.

Quinn gasped as her stuffed Luna fell out of her lap. Alex could swear that he saw it glow green for a second but the light quickly disappeared.

"Who are you?!" yelled a voice from nowhere. It was apparent that nobody else in the room aside from Alex could hear the voice. Alex recognized it immediately. It was the voice he heard after bumping into his Doctor hallucination. He was here. The Doctor was here, and Alex knew it. He turned his head in the direction of the voice. He saw a blurry image of the Doctor running along the edge of the room and towards a seat in the back. Alex's eyes widened. He was heading straight for the man in green. What did he have to do with any of this?

"You better not fall again," Quinn said to her stuffed Luna in a teasingly scolding manner. Alex looked at Quinn for a second and when he turned back he had lost sight of the Doctor again. He looked for the man but he had disappeared as well. Alex turned back to Quinn, who was combing her stuffed Luna's mane back into shape. Alex suddenly felt a new presence appear close to him. He turned around to see the man in green standing right next to him. Nobody appeared to notice the tall man standing in the aisle aside from Alex. The man looked down at Alex with his cold glare. His eyes flashed green for a second.

"Hold it right there!" echoed the voice of the Doctor.

"Doctor?!" asked the out of reach voice of Twilight Sparkle. The man leaned down towards Alex. Alex felt his stomach flip.

"There's only room for one creator in this universe now," he said. He quickly looked around the room before looking down at Alex again. "I'm so glad we met, Alexander Stevens. You're the key to the downfall of my greatest enemy."

"What?!" asked a confused Alex.

"What'd you say, Alex?" asked Quinn. The man snapped his fingers before disappearing. A second afterwards, Alex could see the Doctor running down the aisle but Alex quickly lost sight of him. Quinn returned to brushing her Luna's mane. Just then, the stuffed Luna's eyes glowed green. Alex and Quinn looked in horror as the stuffed pony princess came to life in Quinn's hands. It opened its mouth, which was filled with sharp teeth, and smiled.

"I'm going to love and tolerate the blood out of you!" said the stuffed Luna as it lunged for Quinn's face. Quinn screamed as she threw the stuffed Luna into the aisle. The voice actors fell silent as Quinn ran out into the aisle, trying to run past the stuffed monster. It quickly got up and lunged for Quinn's legs. Alex jumped up and kicked the stuffed Luna straight in the jaw. Metal teeth landed on the ground around Alex. A black liquid began oozing from the monster's broken jaw.

"Is there a problem?" asked Andrea Libman. Alex turned back towards the voice actors.

"As a matter of fact, there is. My girlfriend's stuffed Luna has just come to life and now it's trying to kill us!" he replied. Alex didn't realize how stupid that sounded until he spoke it. Great. The first thing he said to Andrea Libman and it was a claim that Quinn's stuffed Luna was now a killing machine. A medical prescription now seemed to be in Alex's near future. Just at people began to laugh and whisper comments about Alex, the creature jumped onto Alex's back and began trying to bite his neck. Quinn screamed and several people stood up as they realized that what Alex had said wasn't exactly a load of BS.

The Doctor ran down the aisle towards Alex Stevens, who was starting to fight against the killer toy. He pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and aimed it at the creature. The creature let out a cry of pain before leaping off Alex's back and running towards the Doctor. The toy seemed to grow in size as it ran. By the time the Doctor reached it, it was the size of Derpy. The creature lunged at the Doctor as the Doctor activated the Screwdriver again. The Doctor gasped in pain as a metal tooth scraped his shoulder.

"I could really use some help!" the Doctor cried as the living toy launched towards him. The audience and the voice actors had no idea what was happening. To them, it looked like the toy was fighting something that they couldn't focus in on for some reason. Twilight ran past Alex, who caught a quick glimpse of her, and aimed her horn at the toy. The toy shrieked as a fireball smashed into its rump. The creatures eyes glowed green as it began charging not at Twilight but at Alex.

"Not again!" groaned Alex as he ran up the aisle.

"Somebody stop that thing!" cried Quinn Thompson. Derpy flew into the air and tried to take down the toy with an aerial assault but the living toy proved to be too quick for her. The voice actors stood up as they realized that both Alex and the monster were running straight for them. The Doctor and Twilight ran side-by-side after the creature. They turned to each other and nodded. They both had the same attack strategy in mind. Twilight aimed her horn at the monster while the Doctor aimed his Screwdriver. They fired at the same time. The monster screamed as it was hit with a blast of magical energy. The creature then exploded into a shower of stuffing. A shockwave spread out from where the creature had been. The room shook like an earthquake had just passed through. Twilight, who couldn't stop in time, ran straight into the shockwave and found herself flying through the air. Alex looked up as a blurry, out of focus Twilight Sparkle flew over him. Twilight hit the surface of something with a loud thud. The room was suddenly filled with gasps. Twilight's heart skipped a beat. She realized that her perception filter had fallen off her neck while she had been flying through the air.

"Twilight!" she heard Derpy call. Twilight's eyes widened and her breathing quickened when she realized that she hadn't fallen on the ground but instead had fallen on top of the voice actors' interview table. Twilight gulped before looking up and finding herself staring straight into the eyes of Tara Strong.

The Animator

Chapter 3: The Animator

Meadowlands Exposition Center, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

For a moment, Twilight Sparkle and Tara Strong locked eyes. Here they were: voice actress and character meeting at last for the first time. Tara then said nervously, "I must be going crazy."

Twilight gave a similarly nervous smirk before saying, "Don't worry, you're not." Tara backed up and gasped. The other voice actors followed suit. Twilight, with no other choices in mind, focused and disappeared in a flash of light.

Whispers began moving amongst the audience.

"Was that real?" asked one man.

"It couldn't have been. There must be a hologram somewhere," guessed a woman dressed as Octavia.

"The voice actors don't seem to know about it," said another man.

"Maybe that guy knows something," said a fan in a Pinkie Pie outfit. Alex quickly realized that everybody was beginning to turn their attention towards him. He needed to get out of there, and fast. But he could see that people were beginning to block his path. He could see a few stupefied security guards making their way over to him. Quinn had disappeared in the crowd. He was alone.

"Where's the Doctor when you need him?" Alex asked himself. Then he saw it. Sitting at his feet was a silver key with a chain. "No way." Alex quickly picked up the key and looked at it. He instantly recognized the key as one of the makeshift perception filters that the Doctor had made in The Sound of Drums. Alex then quickly threw the filter around his neck. Some people gasped and others rubbed their eyes vigorously as they realized that they could no longer identify where Alex was standing. This was his chance. He made a mad dash through the crowd. There was no clear path out of the room so he was forced to push his way past people. People would notice him for a second only to lose sight of him the next second. It wasn't until Alex was almost out of the room that he noticed something else; there were two figures in the room that he could focus on clearly: the Doctor and Derpy. Alex felt his heart soar. He was confused, frightened, but excited as well. He wasn't crazy. The Doctor, Twilight Sparkle, and Derpy Hooves were actually here! They existed! They appeared to be worried about something. Alex could assume that they were worried about Twilight. Alex made his way over towards the room's exit. The Doctor and Derpy made it out of the room first but Alex was hot on their trail. He looked around for a few seconds hoping to see Quinn somewhere, but she had disappeared. "Quinn...where are you?"

Alex then turned his attention back to the Doctor and Derpy and continued to follow them towards the exit.

Meadowlands Starbucks, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

Twilight fell to the floor following her teleportation. Her heart was still beating at nearly a hundred miles an hour. She was starting to regret having come to this universe. She needed to find the Doctor and Derpy, get in the TARDIS, and leave as quickly as possible. But...then there was that man. What was he up to? She couldn't leave knowing that there was a man here who was obviously up to no good. She also had a feeling that what that man did was not considered normal in this universe. She knew that there was something wrong with him, but it was apparent that nopony was more aware of this than the Doctor. Well, the Doctor and that boy. What did the boy have to do with any of this? Twilight stood up and examined where she was at. She had teleported into the middle of a café. The smell of fresh coffee and chocolatey pastries wafted through Twilight's nostrils. She suddenly had the urge to make her way back to Sugar Cube Corner. There was nobody or nopony else in the shop, there wasn't even anyone behind the counter. However, it seemed like the shop was still in business. Twilight, for some reason, felt the need to walk up to the counter. She walked up to and leaned over the counter. She realized that she wasn't alone. A cashier was lying on the floor behind the counter. He was unconscious.

"I made sure that we wouldn't receive any interruptions, Ms. Sparkle," said a cold voice. Twilight turned around. The man in green was standing in front of the doors. She could tell that the doors had been magically locked. She tried to teleport out but realized that no magic was coming forth from her horn. "Try as much as you like. You won't be casting magic here." Twilight was in shock. The man chuckled upon seeing her surprised expression. "Yes, I have that kind of power. Are you feeling afraid yet? You should be." Twilight felt her heart start to beat faster again. Whoever this man was, it was clear that he was incredibly powerful and not one to try and fight unprepared. The man walked over to a nearby booth and sat down. He beckoned for Twilight to follow suit. "Please, sit."

"Why should I?" Twilight asked with a suspicious glare.

"Because I asked nicely. I could easily lift your body and force you over here, but I am a gentleman at heart and I will not force a woman nor a mare, especially one as beautiful as yourself, to do something against her will...unless I'm in a terribly bad mood." The man beckoned again and Twilight slowly walked over to the booth. She wanted to make a break for it but knew that her efforts would be in vain. She sat down in the booth across the table from the man. He smiled coldly. Twilight didn't like his smile nor did she like his green goggles. The more she looked at him the more she was tempted to just give him a good smack.

"You don't belong here, in this universe I mean. I can tell that you're not from here."

"This is true. I did not come from this universe. I came from another one, far at the edge of the multiverse."

"Why are you here?"

"I could easily ask you the same question. You and your friends clearly don't belong here. At least I can fit in. You ponies...well...you're not exactly the spitting image of humans, to put it simply."

"It was an accident. We were supposed to travel to the Doctor's universe. Now, I'll ask again, why are you here?"

"I got bored."

"Bored?"

"Yes. My old world wasn't exactly that fun once the fifty-second world war had run its course. I used my abilities to create a dimensional jumper and I just took off."

"Who are you?" The man looked at Twilight and chuckled.

"Much like the Doctor, I'm not keen of giving out my true name."

"Why hide your name?"

"You can probably guess that for yourself. I'm sure you've spent many a night wondering why your dear Doctor would never even care to trust his closest friends with his name." Twilight was silent for a moment. The man smiled coldly again. Twilight realized that she was giving off a sad expression and she quickly shook it away.

"Fine. Then what do you go by?"

"I've been called many names: the President, the Master, the Doctor, the Magician, the Ruler, the Creator, the Scientist, and the like. However, there is one name that I prefer to go by above all the rest. It's a name that I think truly represents me and my abilities. Ironically, it's a name that was bestowed upon me by my greatest enemy."

"And this name is?"

"The Animator." The man's cold smile grew slightly bigger following the uttering of his name. Twilight felt a chill run down her spine and through her tail.

"Fitting name, as with what I saw you do to that stuffed Princess Luna."

"Yes. I can bring any inanimate object to life with just a thought. Though, in this new world, I have new limitations to overcome. It matters not in the long run. I'll be up to my full power soon and then I'll be able to face my enemy."

"And who's this enemy of yours?" Twilight thought back to the boy. "Is it the boy?"

"Alex Stevens? No. He's just the link to my enemy. My enemy is nearby...though I can't pinpoint his exact location. In the mean time, I hope you don't mind but I've decided to use you to my advantage." Twilight felt her heart begin to race.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The Animator nodded over to a nearby booth. Twilight looked and gasped. A teenage girl was bound to the table by ropes that appeared to be alive. Twilight turned back just in time to feel a powerful force knock into her. Ropes wrapped around her legs and pulled her over to where the girl was. The Animator chuckled as he walked over and looked down at Twilight and the girl.

"Twilight Sparkle and Quinn Thompson: the first pawns in my deadly game." He turned from Twilight to Quinn. "Don't you just love BronyCon?"

Meadowlands Plaza, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

The Doctor and Derpy ran across the plaza as fast as they could, unaware that Alex was following them in hot pursuit.

"We need to find Twilight!" Derpy said.

"I know, but we also need to find that man," the Doctor added.

"Do you know who or what he is?"

"Sadly, no. What I can assume is that he's a very powerful being from another world. And it's also obvious that he's a person who prefers to use his powers for evil rather than good, making him a threat to this world."

"We're gonna stop him, right?"

"Of course! But first we need to find Twilight!" The Doctor clapped his hooves and the TARDIS doors opened. The two ponies ran inside. The Doctor ran over to the nearest console and began working the controls. "The TARDIS should help us find our lost unicorn!" Derpy watched as the monitor presented an aerial view of the area they were in. A red dot then appeared above a part of the map. "There we go! This way to Ms. Sparkle!"

The Doctor and Derpy turned towards the TARDIS doors and stopped dead in their tracks. Alex Stevens stood in the doorway, Twilight's perception filter still wrapped around his neck. His eyes widened as he took a few more steps into the TARDIS. Everything seemed to slow down. Alex began to smile and laugh. He was living every Whovian's dream: he was standing in the TARDIS.

"It's...incredible!" he gasped. He then turned to the Doctor and Derpy and his smile grew even bigger. "You're incredible!"

"Thank you!" said Derpy with a smile.

"Yes! It's your original voice! Thank God! Screw those soccer moms, you're perfect just the way you are, Derpy Hooves!" Derpy blushed a bit and shuffled her hooves slightly. Alex then turned his attention to the Doctor. He didn't know what to say. The Doctor stepped forward, his face nearly emotionless.

"I would be happy if you gave my friend's perception filter back," he said sternly. Alex's smile faded slightly.

"You need to find Twilight don't you?"

"Please give me the perception filter."

"Let me help you find her!"

"This doesn't concern you."

"The hell it doesn't! I kept running into and seeing you all over BronyCon! Then that man attacked me and my girlfriend! It damn well concerns me, Doctor!"

"He's got a point, Doctor," said Derpy.

"No. I'm not letting anymore innocents get involved!" the Doctor snapped as he looked back at Derpy. He then turned back towards Alex. Alex wasn't feeling as happy as he had when had first walked through the TARDIS doors. Great. First he makes himself look like a crazy person in front of Andrea Libman and Tara Strong, and now he's getting into an argument with the Doctor. Alex was beginning to consider the fact that he just wasn't destined to have normal encounters with celebrities. "You have no idea what you would be getting yourself into."

"Bull! Doctor, I've watched you for years now! I know about the type of crap that you've faced!"

"Oh yeah. I keep forgetting that I'm a television character in this world. I'm still not used to that fact."

"Please let me help you, Doctor. I think this man, whatever he is, is after me or somebody I know for some reason. He threatened me. He caused a stuffed Luna to come to life and attack me and my girlfriend! Please let me help!" The Doctor thought for a moment but then shook his head.

"Sorry. I can't let you help any further. Now hand over Twilight's key and head off back to BronyCon. Don't tell anyone of our encounter!" Alex sighed in defeat. He knew he couldn't win an argument against the Doctor. Besides, he really didn't want the Doctor to resort to using force to get the filter away from him. Alex took the filter off his neck. Even though the Doctor and Derpy were still wearing their filters, Alex found no problem in seeing them clearly. His head didn't even heart nor did his ears ring.

"Why would I tell anyone? It's not like anyone's going to believe me," Alex groaned as he handed Twilight's key to the Doctor. The Doctor had just grabbed the key when a hologram suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. It was the man in green.

"You!" said the Doctor, Derpy, and Alex at once. The man chuckled.

"How cute, you all remember me. I'm not surprised. I do have a habit of leaving an impression on all creatures alike," he chuckled. "Before you ask questions, I'd like to establish my pawns."

"What do you mean?" asked the Doctor.

"These." The man snapped his fingers and holographic images of a tied up Twilight and a tied up Quinn appeared next to him.

"Twilight!" Derpy gasped.

"Quinn!" gasped Alex. The man snapped his fingers and Twilight and Quinn disappeared.

"Don't worry, Mr. Stevens. I promise not to lay a finger on them...yet," the man chuckled.

"Who the hell are you?!"

"I am called the Animator."

"Let Quinn and Twilight go!"

"Oh, I can't do that. They're my pawns in my side of the game, just as you and Ms. Hooves are the pawns in the Doctor's side of the game."

"Pawns?" asked Derpy.

"This isn't a game, Animator!" snapped the Doctor.

"Oh on the contrary, Doctor. This world is my new playground. My first playground was destroyed by my people's idiocy and my second was sealed off from me by my greatest enemy. This world, my third playground, shall be my greatest achievement of chaos!" announced the Animator.

"Who are you? Discord Junior?" asked Alex.

"No. I'm just a man with powers who wishes to use them however he wishes. Is that so wrong?"

"It is if you put innocents in the way," the Doctor replied.

"Oh shut it, Doctor. I hear enough from my enemy, I don't need to hear it from the awesome and amazing Doctor Whooves."

"Who is this enemy that you keep talking about?" asked Alex.

"You would know, Mr. Stevens. You're quite close to him." Alex was still a bit confused by the Animator's remarks. "Here's a hint. You two look a lot alike." Alex gulped. He had an idea of who the Animator was talking about, but none of it made any sense. "Doctor, it's time for us to finally clash our proverbial swords. Meet me in the Exposition Center tomorrow at the Lauren Faust panel with your pawns in place. That's when our game shall begin and a new age shall dawn on this world: the Age of the Animator. I look forward to our duel." The image of the Animator then disappeared.

Alex's heart was beating at ninety to nothing. His girlfriend and Twilight were being held by a man from another dimension and said man was going to battle the Doctor during the Lauren Faust panel at BronyCon. Alex scratched his head.

"Why do I feel like I've just fallen through a hole in reality and am now stuck in somebody's bizarre fanfiction?" he asked himself. He then felt something poke his side. He turned to see the Doctor presenting the key-turned-perception filter.

"Welcome aboard for now, Mr. Stevens," said the Doctor. Alex smiled as he took the key and placed it on his neck.

"It's nice to meet you! Although, I wish we met under better circumstances," said Derpy.

"The feeling is mutual, Derpy," Alex replied. "My name's Alex by the way."

"Prepare yourself, Alex. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," said the Doctor.

Meadowlands Exposition Center Parking Lot, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

Tara Strong walked out to her car. She was still baffled as to what had happened at the panel earlier. Had Twilight Sparkle really appeared? Nah.

"This is what I get for tweeting instead of eating breakfast," she said as she entered her car. She was about to start her engine when suddenly her side window was smashed in. Tara tried to scream but a large hand reached out of nowhere and covered her mouth. Tara found herself getting pulled out through the side window of her car. She looked up to find herself staring deep into a pair of green goggles.

"Sleep now, Mrs. Strong. You have a long fight waiting for you tomorrow," chuckled the Animator. Tara's eyes rolled up into her head as she proceeded to black out.

A Derpy Conversation

Chapter 4: A Derpy Conversation

Meadowlands Holiday Inn, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

Alex made his way into the elevator. The sun had already set and now everybody at BronyCon was preparing for the dance party; everyone except for Alex anyway. Alex had spent the rest of the day scoping out the area for any sign of Twilight, Quinn, or the Animator. Unsurprisingly, his search bore no fruit. Alex stepped off the elevator and walked down the hallway towards his room. Twilight's TARDIS key still hung from his neck. By this point, everybody was talking about what had happened at the voice actors' panel and Alex didn't feel like getting pulled in for questioning by the Meadowlands guards. He returned to his room to find it empty. A note was taped to the bathroom door. It read:

Dear Alex,

Decided to go out and grab myself a bite to eat somewhere in town. Probably won't be back for a while. Hope you and Quinn enjoyed your first day of PonyCon, or whatever it's called, and I'll see you later.

-Mom

Alex rolled his eyes before saying, "Typical." He walked over to the window and looked out over the Meadowlands. He could just make out the lights of the TARDIS shining in the plaza down below. Alex sighed before taking another look around the room. "I wonder where Edgar is." Just then, he heard something tap on the window. He turned around to see Derpy suspended in air just outside the window. "Derpy?!" He ran over to the window and opened it. Derpy flew inside and landed on the floor. "What are you doing here?!"

"I just wanted to talk," Derpy replied. Alex smiled, closed the window, and sat down on the edge of the bed nearest to him.

"Have you and the Doctor found anything?"

"No. We've been trying to find Twilight for hours but we've found nothing so far. This Animator must be using some type of magic to block the TARDIS's radar or something like that." Alex continued to stare at the pegasus with a look of wonder on his face. "You're staring. Is there something on my face?"

"What? Oh! No! Not at all! It's just...I'm still getting used to the fact that you and the Doctor exist."

"So, the Doctor and I are fictional characters in this world. So the Doctor and I both came from the same...show?"

"Yes and no. It's kind of complicated."

"I'm interested. Tell me!" Alex felt his heart explode at the sight of Derpy's pleading eyes beginning to invert.

"Okay. The Doctor is originally from a show called Doctor Who, which is live action. You and Twilight come from a cartoon called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Originally, neither of these shows had anything in common. Then, in the twelfth episode, there was a background character who appeared for a few seconds. Somebody somewhere identified that pony as the Doctor, most notably a pony version of the Tenth Doctor. It just became running gag after that. Bronies began calling this background pony Doctor Whooves, obviously a pun of Doctor Who, and people began pairing you up with the Doctor as his companion."

"Was Twilight ever a companion of Doctor Whooves?"

"Yes. She and you are most commonly seen as the Doctor's companions in the Brony fandom. Roseluck and Colgate are sometimes used as well."

"Who?"

"More background ponies."

"So...am I a main character in the show?" Alex fell silent.

"Well...no. You're a background pony, like Doctor Whooves, Roseluck, and Colgate. You've never played a major part in the show. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity are the main characters. We Bronies like to call them the Mane 6. Spike and Princess Celestia are also considered as main characters."

"Oh." Derpy lowered her head a bit.

"But don't worry! You did get a speaking bit in season 2...only the soccer moms had to come in and make Hasbro change your voice and eyes all because they said that you were a bad stereotype of mentally challenged people. Which I think is a load of crap."

"Am...am I supposed to be mentally challenged?"

"No! That's not what I meant! You're usually portrayed as an adorable klutz." Alex suddenly felt like slamming his palm into his face for he had just realized what he had said. Derpy's eyes seemed to grow large and sad. Alex got an odd flashback to Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls upon seeing Derpy's large, sad, inverted eyes.

"The fans see me as...a klutz?"

"No...well...yes...well...uh...at least they all think you're adorable!" Derpy blushed a bit.

"Aww...I'm not really that adorable."

"But you are! Every Brony I know thinks so. You're especially adorable when you're ogling over the Doctor." Alex proceeded to face-palm.

"Ogling over the Doctor?! Ah! You all know about that?!"

"Uh...well...yes." Derpy's face became bright red as she proceeded to dive under the bed. Alex couldn't resist laughing at the sight of Derpy hiding under the bed, her rump and blond tail sticking up in the air and being the only parts of her body that were currently visible.

"Don't laugh at me!" Derpy cried from under the bed.

"I'm sorry!" Alex said as he kept laughing. "You're just too funny!"

"Oh! Everypony here sees me as a clumsy mentally challenged pony! I'm just going to hide under here forever!"

"Don't do that! I'm sorry! I really am! It's not as bad as you think! Like I keep saying, a lot of people here love you."

"They do?"

"Yeah! You should see all the fan art that people make of you!"

"People have made...art of me? Can I see some?" Alex was about to respond when he suddenly flashed back to his first internet search for Derpy pictures.

"Just type in Derpy Fan Art," Quinn had said.

"Okay," he had said in return. He had searched the images on Google and the first image that came up wasn't exactly PG to say the least. "What is that?!"

"Who would draw something like that?!"

"Maybe it's because the artist was into Derpy and fisting and they wanted to combine the two." Alex had been met with a firm slap across the face at his remark and he had stayed away from Google Images for a week.

"Uh...I think it would we better if we didn't go looking up images just yet," said Alex nervously in the present as Derpy pulled herself out from under the bed. Just then, Alex and Derpy heard it: VVRROOMMP! VVRROOMMP! VVRROOMMP! "Is that what I think it is?"

Derpy and Alex raced to the window just in time to see the TARDIS disappear.

"Doctor!" Derpy cried. No sooner had she called for the Doctor when they heard the sound again. VVRROOMMP! VVRROOMMP! VVRROOMMP! They turned around just in time to see the TARDIS materialize in the middle of Alex's hotel room. The Doctor stumbled out of the TARDIS.

"Got her working again! About time she cooled off, don't ya think?" said the Doctor with a smirk.

"What are you doing?!" asked Alex in shock. "You can't park the TARDIS in here!"

"Don't worry, I'm going to move it back! I was just giving it a test run."

"Well, you better get it back soon."

"I'll take it back right now then." The Doctor began making his way back into the TARDIS. He turned back to Derpy. "Coming Derpy?"

"Uh...sure," Derpy replied awkwardly. "It was nice talking with you, Alex."

"Likewise," Alex replied as Derpy and the Doctor made their way back into the TARDIS.

"You better get a good night's sleep, Alex. We have a busy day tomorrow," said the Doctor.

"I'm well aware of that, Doctor." The Doctor nodded before stepping back into the TARDIS and shutting the doors. Alex watched as the TARDIS slowly disappeared.

"I wonder why nobody here notices the TARDIS's sound? Everybody must be at the dance party, I guess." He walked over to the window and looked out over the plaza. He waited for the TARDIS to return, but it never did. Nothing but silence could be heard from outside. "Any time now, Doctor." Alex then felt his heart stop. Something appeared down in the plaza below, but it wasn't the TARDIS. Four pairs of green eyes looked up at Alex from the plaza. Alex identified the brightest pair as the eyes of the Animator. Alex then heard a cold laugh emanate from the plaza below. Then, the four pairs of green eyes disappeared. Alex felt a surge of fear rush through him. He opened the window and shouted, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM, YOU MONSTER?!"

"Shut up out there!" called somebody from two rooms over. Alex stepped back and closed the window. What had happened to the Doctor and Derpy? Who did the other pairs of green eyes belong to? Did the Animator have powers over the TARDIS as well? It couldn't be possible. Alex sighed as he rubbed his temple. He had a fearful feeling in the pit of his stomach and he was quite aware that he would get the answers to his questions the following day at the Lauren Faust panel. After an hour of nervously waiting for the TARDIS to return, which it never did, Alex found himself grow incredibly tired. He crawled under the blankets of his bed and fell asleep.

Pawns in Place

Chapter 5: Pawns in Place

Meadowlands Plaza, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

Alex walked through the plaza with his perception filter still hanging from his neck. To say that he had had a terrible night's sleep would be an understatement. The night had been filled with nightmares of green eyes, cold laughter, and endless scrolls of text rolling past him and down into infinity. His mother had still been asleep when he had woken up and had run out of the hotel room in a dash. Now he was making his way over to the Exposition Center. The Animator waited for him inside. Alex came to a stop and looked around for the TARDIS. It had yet to appear.

"Where are you guys?" he asked as he began walking again. He gulped as he looked at the Exposition Center. It looked much more menacing than it had the day before. "I wish Edgar were here with me at the moment. It's so weird. I haven't come across him once since yesterday morning. I really wish he were here with me. I could use another ally at the moment." Alex carefully climbed the steps and walked through the glass doors.

Inside the TARDIS, Time Vortex, Unknown Place, Unknown Time

The Doctor gripped onto the controls as the TARDIS shook and groaned around him. Derpy held onto the console for dear life.

"Doctor?! What's happening?!" Derpy cried.

"Something's interfering with the TARDIS!"

"Is it the Animator?"

"It can't be! Nothing can have power over the TARDIS! It's...it's impossible!" The TARDIS leaned to the right and sparks shot down from the ceiling.

"DOCTOR!"

"Hold on, Derpy! I'm on it! I'm on it!" The Doctor swore he could hear laughter emanating through the TARDIS as it once again leaned to the right.

Meadowlands Exposition Center, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

The next few hours seemed to move by like syrup falling onto pancakes. Alex spent this time walking around BronyCon. All of the other Bronies and Pegasisters seemed so happy and carefree. They didn't have to worry about evil madmen or time traveling ponies. All they had to worry about was when season three was coming out. Alex was making his way past a row of fan art booths when he noticed Quinn standing at the end of the aisle. She smiled at him and began walking away.

"Quinn!" Alex gasped under his breath as he ran towards her. He quickly made it up to her and proceeded to grab her shoulder violently. She turned to face him, a wide smiled plastered on her face and green lights emanating from her pupils. "What?!"

"It's almost time, Alex," said Quinn. "The pawns are to be set in place. I look forward to our battle. This should pull him out."

"Quinn, what the hell are you talking about?" Quinn pushed Alex away and disappeared into the crowd. Alex felt another surge of anger roll through his body.

"He's possessed her. I guess he must have possessed Twilight too. That explains those other green eyes. But...who did the fourth pair of eyes belong to?" Alex kept asking himself this question as he made it over to the Lauren Faust Panel.

Alex once again found a seat towards the middle of the room. The perception filter helped keep him unnoticeable but that still didn't prevent people from eyeing him for short periods of time. He felt as if every eye in the convention was on him. The panel began and everybody fell silent.

"Good morning, BronyCon!" cheered the man on the stage. Save for Alex, everybody cheered in response. "I'm sorry to tell you all that Lauren is running a bit late!" There were a few groans of disappointment. "So Mrs. Strong has offered to entertain you until then!"

There were more cheers. Alex watched as Tara Strong walked onto the stage. There was something different about her. Tara sat down towards the center of the table and looked up. Alex gulped as he saw her eyes fall straight on him.

"No! Not Tara too!" Alex croaked as he realized that her eyes looked extremely green. Everybody waited for Tara to say something. She remained silent. A cold grin appeared on her face. She was waiting for something.

"So, Tara?! Got anything to say to the fans?" asked the man. Tara stood up and smiled.

"I hope you've all enjoyed your time here...because the fun has only just begun!" she said. Everybody cheered but Alex felt his heart rise into his throat. Tara sat down and continued to eye Alex. Alex stared back at her. He had to stay strong. He couldn't show fear. That's what the Animator was waiting for. People began whispering to each other as Tara remained silent and cold. The man shrugged his shoulders and walked off stage. Alex suddenly felt someone sit down next to him. He turned to see a man in a black trench coat and hat sitting next to him. The man in black turned to face Alex.

"Hello, Alex," he said. Alex felt his heart stop. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. You also don't have to worry about people seeing me. They can't see or hear me. Only you can."

"Why?" Alex asked.

"You're the key to his enemy."

"Are...are you the enemy that the Animator kept mentioning?"

"Yes and no. I'm more along the lines of...the person that his enemy is based off of."

"I don't understand."

"You're not meant to, not yet at least. You'll understand shortly anyway, as will the audience."

"Audience? What audience?" Alex looked around the room. "Do you mean this audience?"

"Both."

"Both? Who are you?"

"You'll learn who I am in due time, Alex. Right now you should be focusing on facing the Animator."

"I'm not sure I'll be able to beat him. I don't even know where the Doctor and Derpy are at and Quinn, Twilight, and Tara are being controlled by him."

"Don't fret. You'll win. The Animator shall lose. Just like he always has."

"You seem to have a lot of confidence in me."

"And you seem to have none. Try to think optimistically."

"I don't see how I can possibly do that at the moment."

"It's easy. You just think happy thoughts and you make yourself happy!"

"What world are you from? That's not how things work."

"I know. But, if you believe that something that silly can work then maybe it will work."

"You're an odd person."

"I get that a lot."

"Lauren's just arrived!" called the man on the stage. Everybody cheered. Alex turned back to the man in the trench coat to see that he had vanished. Alex turned back to the stage just in time to see Lauren Faust sitting down. Everybody was cheering for her. "I can say that it's a pleasure to have you here with us today, Lauren."

"The pleasure is mine," Lauren replied. Just then, a familiar figure walked onto the stage. Alex jumped up. The Animator smiled as he walked towards Lauren and Tara. Lauren jumped up. "Who are you?!"

"The beginning," the Animator replied. Suddenly the table and chair around Lauren seemed to come alive. She screamed as several chairs tackled her. Everybody was shocked from what they saw. The possessed Tara just sat in her chair, smiling coldly at the audience. Alex jumped up and ran forward. The Animator smiled at the oncoming Alex. "Hello, Alex."

"Let them go! Let them all go!" Alex ordered. The Animator laughed. Alex turned around to see the possessed Quinn and Twilight standing right behind him.

"Why would I do that? The game has just begun." The Animator snapped his fingers and the TARDIS materialized in the middle of the aisle. Several people gasped in disbelief. The Doctor and Derpy stumbled through the TARDIS doors.

"That wasn't fun," said Derpy.

"The feeling is mutual," the Doctor sighed. Alex looked back in time to see Tara taking a hold of Lauren.

"Let her go!" Alex ordered.

"Shut up," Tara replied in her Raven voice.

"The pawns are in place, Doctor," said the Animator. "Let our game begin."

Chaos at the Con

Chapter 6: Chaos at the Con

Meadowlands Exposition Center, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

It didn't take long for chaos to break out. Everyone in the room stood up at once and made a break for the exit. Alex instantly found himself caught in a sea of fleeing Bronies. The Doctor held onto Derpy and tried pulling her back to the TARDIS. The Doctor threw Derpy through the open doors.

"Stay here!" he ordered.

"No way!" Derpy said back. Just then, the Doctor felt something powerful grab onto him. A magical aura surrounded his body and pulled him back through the TARDIS doors. Twilight stood outside the TARDIS, her eyes glowing green with dark energy. Derpy rushed forward only to find the TARDIS doors closing in her face. She was trapped.

"Oi! Put me down, Ms. Sparkle!" the Doctor ordered as the possessed Twilight levitated him high above the crowd. It wasn't until the Doctor was floating an inch under the ceiling that he realized how tall the room was. Twilight smiled.

"No pegasus to save you now. Let's see if the Doctor can fly without his TARDIS," Twilight chuckled as she let the Doctor go.

"NO!" screamed Alex as fleeing fans continued to smash and bump into him. The Doctor had only seconds to think of something. He noticed a group of people in large, furry, pony costumes making their way towards the exit. They were his only chance. He aimed himself for them and landed right on top of them. It wasn't a lovely landing but at least it wasn't fatal. The cushioning in the costumes managed to keep the fans from getting any serious injuries but the Doctor heard a loud crack emanate from his left hind leg and felt a sharp pain shoot up his thigh. He then fell to the floor and crawled into an empty aisle of chairs. Now it was Quinn's turn. The possessed Pegasister made her way through the fans with ease. She unsheathed a knife from her pocket as she drew closer and closer to the Doctor. The Doctor tried to get up but his broken leg was keeping him down.

Meanwhile, Alex finally managed to escape the crowd of Bronies and pull himself up onto the stage. The Animator and the possessed Tara were waiting for him. Lauren Faust was still struggling against the living chairs.

"This should be fun," the Animator chuckled as he began making his way forward. Alex turned and noticed Quinn making her way towards the injured Doctor, a large knife held firmly in her hands. The possessed Twilight was focusing on keeping Derpy contained inside the TARDIS.

"Let me out! LET ME OUT! LEAVE THE DOCTOR ALONE!" Derpy cried as she slammed into the doors again and again. Twilight just laughed before sending a magical shock through the doors. Derpy screamed as electricity coursed through her body. The pegasus was sent flying back into the control console.

Quinn was standing over the Doctor now. She raised the knife high into the air. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver but Quinn simply kicked it out of his hoof. Quinn was about to bring the knife down when...BANG! A gunshot rang through the air. The Doctor watched as a bullet soared straight through Quinn's chest and out her back. The remaining fans in the room screamed and ducked for cover. Blood began pouring from Quinn's chest as she fell over onto a set of chairs.

"QUINN!" cried Alex. He tried to run towards her but the Animator grabbed onto him and through him towards the back of the stage. Two guards were running into the room, their guns aimed at the attackers.

"FREEZE!" ordered one of the guards. The Animator waved his hand and a series of chairs charged for the guards. The guards tried to take them down but the chairs managed to overpower them. As Alex examined the scene, he could only think how embarrassing it must have been to be beaten by a chair. Tara advanced on Alex and attempted to punch him. Alex quickly got up and ran past Tara. He grabbed a chair and threw it at her. The Animator aimed his hand at the chair but nothing happened. Tara turned around just in time to have a chair smash right into her face. The voice actress hit the stage hard and lost consciousness.

"Great. I just threw a chair at and knocked out Tara Strong. My fellow Bronies are going to lynch me," Alex groaned. The Animator snarled in annoyance.

"My powers are still weakened by this world. No matter. I can still take you on in hand-to-hand combat," said the Animator as he began making his way towards Alex. Alex gulped. He had never been good at fighting, even with boxing on the Wii. Alex, in desperation, tossed another chair at the Animator before running towards the trapped Lauren Faust. Alex tried to pry the chairs off her but they were holding on tightly. The Animator grabbed Alex's shoulder and spun him around. Alex gasped and closed his eyes as the Animator slammed his fist straight into Alex's nose.

The Doctor crawled over to the injured Quinn, who was now crying and screaming. The green light had gone away and now her eyes looked normal.

"What's going on?! Have I been shot?! Oh God! I've been shot! I'VE BEEN SHOT!" Quinn cried. The Doctor tried his best to comfort her.

"Calm down! Getting scared will only make you bleed faster! Just apply pressure to the wound!" the Doctor said as he placed Quinn's hands over the hole in her chest. Quinn looked up at the Doctor in amazement.

"Alex was right! You are real!"

"And that's not all! I'm going to save you!"

"With a broken leg?"

"Oi! Don't criticise the hand, or hoof, that saves you!"

"Okay." The Doctor began looking Quinn over.

"Interesting. So injury causes the Animator's puppets to break free from his control." The Doctor tried to walk but his leg was still broken. He needed some help. He needed some magic. He turned towards Twilight, who was still busy keeping Derpy contained. "The only pony in this room who can help me and she's possessed. Just my luck." He looked over and noticed that one of the guards had managed to overpower one of the attacking chairs. He ran for his gun and picked it up, pointing it straight at Twilight. The Doctor's eyes widened and his hearts began pounding. "No! Don't shoot her!"

"What are you?!" the guard asked. Twilight turned towards the guard and smiled. The guard readied his gun. The Doctor used all of his strength to lunge himself at the guard.

"DON'T SHOOT!" he cried. The bullet was fired before the Doctor even had a chance to tackle the guard. Twilight simply knocked to bullet away with one of her spells. She turned her attention away from the TARDIS and charged at the guard. The guard shot again and Twilight deflected the bullet again.

"FREEZE!" the guard ordered.

"Why do you say that? Nopony, or nobody, listens anyway," said Twilight as she used her magic to throw the guard across the room. Twilight then turned her attention to the Doctor. "Guess I'll have to be the one to finish you off then."

"You know, Twilight, you can be pretty stupid when you're possessed," the Doctor said with a smirk.

"HOW DARE-" A chair came down on top of Twilight's head, knocking her out cold.

"That's what you get for trying to hurt the Doctor!" Derpy snapped from behind.

"Derpy! You didn't have to bring the chair down that hard!" said the Doctor.

"Oops! I'll apologize to her when she wakes up." Derpy then turned towards the Doctor's broken leg. "Doctor! You're leg!"

"Don't worry about my leg! I think Alex needs your help right now."

Alex's fight with the Animator wasn't going well, to put it simply. His nose was broken and bleeding profusely and his right arm had been dislocated. The pain had begun to subside due to the adrenaline pumping through Alex's veins. Alex managed to dodge one of the Animator's punches before once again reaching over to help Lauren. The Animator grabbed him again and prepared to throw another punch.

"Leave him alone!" ordered Derpy as she flew forward and slammed straight into the Animator. In seconds, the Animator found himself caught in a blurry skirmish with Derpy Hooves. Alex made his way over to Lauren and finally was able to pry her free from the chairs, which had started to become lifeless by this point. Alex helped Lauren up, who was still in shock from what was happening around her.

"Get out of here! Quickly!" Alex ordered. Before running back to help Derpy, he turned back to Lauren with a huge smile on his face. "Let me just say that it was an honor to meet you and I applaud you for what you've done. Now run!"

The dazed Lauren nodded and made her way over to one of the side exits. Lauren was about to run out of the room when she came face to face with a man in a black trench coat and a black hat.

"Sleep now, Lauren Faust, and forget about this day...for now," said the man as he waved his hand in front of Lauren's face. Lauren's eyes rolled up into her head and she fell to the ground, unconscious, with a soft thump.

Meanwhile, Twilight began to regain consciousness.

"Ugh...what hit me?" Twilight asked as she rubbed her head.

"A chair wielded by Derpy Hooves," the Doctor replied. Twilight chuckled as she sat up. Her eyes instantly fell on Quinn, who was close to losing consciousness. She then turned and looked at the Doctor's broken leg. "She needs your magic more than I do at the moment."

Twilight nodded as she proceeded to run over to Quinn. Quinn looked up as Twilight knelt down next to her.

"Twilight...Sparkle," Quinn coughed.

"Just be still. I'm going to help mend your wounds," said Twilight as her horn began to glow. Quinn let out a relaxing sigh as the wound in her body began to slowly heal. Twilight could feel sweat rolling down her face. She was still new at healing spells and this spell was taking a lot out of her. In the end, she wasn't able to mend the wound entirely, but she was able to stop the severe bleeding. Twilight was breathing heavily now and her head was hurting twice as much. "How do you feel now?"

"It still hurts a bit...but I think I'll be fine." Quinn proceeded to smile up at Twilight. "It's official: you're my favorite pony." Twilight couldn't help but smile at Quinn's remark. "Now, if you don't mind, could you please help my boyfriend out?" Twilight nodded before standing up and making her way over to the stage.

The Animator sent Derpy and Alex flying back with a sudden burst of green energy.

"My full powers will be back soon! And you have no idea what I'm capable of at full power!" the Animator exclaimed.

"I honestly have no desire to find out," said Alex. Derpy tried to get up but found the stage had begun to liquify around her. The Animator walked over and picked up the wounded Alex. He examined the TARDIS key that was still hanging from Alex's neck.

"Why do you still have this on? Everybody here can see you by this point."

"I was a little bit too preoccupied to worry about taking it off. You know, you were punching me in the face."

"Oh yes. Oh, how fun that was. But, sadly, all fun things must eventually come to an end. I thought you of all people would be my key to him; but alas, it seems that even you couldn't get me to him."

"Oh he could, I'm just not letting him," said a familiar voice. The Animator turned to see a man in black standing on the other side of the stage.

"You!" Alex gasped. Twilight ducked behind a row of chairs and began edging her way towards the stage. The man in black slowly began approaching the Animator.

"You never change, do you?" Alex looked and was surprised to see that the Animator was confused.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" asked the Animator.

"He...he's not your enemy?" Alex asked.

"Of course not!" The Animator threw Alex to the ground before turning his full attention to the man in black. "Now...who do we have here?"

"Your downfall, my old friend."

"Old friend? I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met."

"Oh, but we have; with different faces in different times."

"Stop talking nonsense! Who are you?"

"The Writer." The Animator let out a loud laugh.

"The Writer, he says! Please! I know my enemy when I see him and...you're definitely not him."

"You're half correct, Animator."

"No, I'm fully correct."

"Oh, look at you. So confident in your abilities. You truly believe that you're going to win this?"

"Of course. This world is no match for my abilities. I've taken down the Doctor, possessed Twilight Sparkle and Tara Strong, managed to imprison Lauren Faust temporarily, took control over the TARDIS, and am a few steps away from killing the Writer's brother!"

"Brother?" Alex asked under his breath. "No...it can't be."

"Enough. It's time to end your trail of destruction, Animator. Or would you prefer for me to call you by your true name?" asked the Writer.

"Bah! You bluff! Nobody knows my true name!" the Animator laughed.

"Wrong. Two people do. Your Writer and me, the Writer."

"You're bluffing."

"Want me to prove it? Of course, I won't go ahead and give away your full name now...but what about the nickname your dear mother gave you on the shores of Dålig Ulv Stranden?" The Doctor's eyes went wide upon the mentioning of the name. "You were young and ambitious, much like your father and mother."

"You can't possibly know."

"You were born under a different name and you always asked your mother about why you shared her name."

"It's impossible!"

"It was because of complications involving your father's name, right?"

"Shut it!"

"Feeling scared now, Ten Tyler?" The Animator lunged himself at the Writer. Just then, the entire room shook as if an earthquake were tearing its way through New Jersey. Alex and Derpy held onto each other. Twilight, who had been sneaking up onto the stage, suddenly found herself flying back onto the floor. The Doctor and Quinn also held onto each other. Tara, who was beginning to regain consciousness, blacked out again due to influence from the Writer. The Writer turned to face Alex. "It ends here, in the battle that never was, Alexander Stevens. It all ends here...for now."

Then...he was gone.

The Beach

Chapter 7: The Beach

Dålig Ulv Stranden, 50 Miles from Bergen, Norway, Earth, Summer, 5296 A.D.

Alex felt a surge of warm energy wash over his body as the smell of salt water passed through his nostrils. He sat up to find himself sitting on a beach. A light breeze was blowing through the cool air. Alex looked around. Pieces of debris were scattered throughout the beach. Alex quickly identified the debris as pieces of the panel room that he had been in seconds earlier. Alex placed his face into his hands and sighed. His injuries had mysteriously disappeared, both his broken nose and his dislocated shoulder. Alex quickly thought back to the mysterious Writer.

"If my theory turns out to be correct, then I'm going to hit him for keep going Deus ex Machina on me!" Alex groaned.

"Who are you talking about?" asked Derpy, who was lying on the ground a couple feet away. "The Writer?"

"No, I'm...never mind." Derpy and Alex stood up and examined the beach around them.

"So where are we?"

"Dålig Ulv Stranden. That's Bad Wolf Bay in English."

"You seem to know this place."

"It's featured in a few episodes of Doctor Who. This is where Rose Tyler ended up following her parting with the Doctor."

"Rose Tyler. I've met her before."

"You have?"

"There were Reapers and Applejack's parents and two paradoxes and...it's a long story."

"Sounds interesting."

"Terrifying is what it was." They began making their way towards the shoreline. "Where are the others?"

Alex looked around. There was no sign of the Doctor, Twilight, Quinn, or the Animator. He and Derpy were all alone on that stretch of beach along with the remains of the panel room from the Meadowlands Exposition Center.

"Scattered around probably. We should try to find them," Alex replied. Derpy nodded in response. The Brony and the pegasus then began their trek along the beach of Bad Wolf Bay.

Dålig Ulv Stranden, 48 Miles from Bergen, Norway, Earth, Summer, 5296 A.D.

The Doctor awoke to find that his broken leg had healed. He looked up and smiled at the sight of the TARDIS standing directly next to him. Twilight and Quinn were lying next to it and were too regaining consciousness.

"How many times have I been knocked out since meeting you, Doctor?" Twilight asked as she stood up.

"Plenty," the Doctor replied as he examined the TARDIS. Quinn stood up and felt her chest. The bullet wound was gone.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The Writer. He sent us here."

"Where is here?" Twilight asked.

"Bad Wolf Bay," Quinn replied.

"You've seen this place before?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah. It's in your show."

"Still not used to that fact yet."

"I can't believe I'm actually here."

"This isn't the Bad Wolf Bay that I visited."

"How can you tell?" Twilight asked.

"It smells different. This is a different universe altogether from the universe in which I dropped off my Rose Tyler. This is a different one. This is the Bad Wolf Bay from the Animator's home universe."

"This is where the Animator's from?"

"I would say that it's safe to assume that."

"Why would the Writer bring us here?"

"I don't know. He's quite a strange character, the Writer."

"Who is he anyway?" Quinn asked.

"I don't know, and I don't like not knowing things." The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and ran inside.

The TARDIS was quiet. The Doctor examined the controls with a great deal of focus.

"Where's Alex and Derpy?" Quinn asked.

"They're probably here too. Just not where we were dropped off," the Doctor replied.

"Can you find them?"

"Probably." The Doctor presented two TARDIS keys to them.

"The perception filters," said Twilight.

"Mine and Derpy's. Yours is with Alex."

"Let me guess, you can use my TARDIS key as a beacon to locate Alex and Derpy's location."

"Bingo, Ms. Sparkle!" The Doctor began operating the controls and static appeared on one of the monitors.

"Doctor, can I ask you something?" Quinn asked.

"Certainly."

"How did you become a pony? I've read many fanfics about you traveling to Equestria and you becoming a pony ranges anywhere from you just turning into a pony due to traveling into Equestria to you regenerating into a pony upon arriving in Equestria."

"I regenerated. Technically, this is my eleventh incarnation."

"Eleventh? You've had eleven bodies?!" asked Twilight.

"Yes! What, did you think I spent all 906 years of my life with the same body? The universe is a dangerous place, Twilight."

"I just can't believe that you've had eleven bodies. Is there a limit to how many times you can regenerate?"

"Originally, the limit was twelve; thus, an average Time Lord could have thirteen bodies in their life. However, with the rest of the Time Lords being gone, I don't know if the rule applies anymore. I don't think it does because my future self said the incarnation he was currently in was his fifth pony body, so I think it's safe to assume that the twelve regeneration counter is null and void now."

"You seem to act a lot more like the Tenth Doctor than the Eleventh Doctor," said Quinn.

"Well, technically, I am the Eleventh Doctor."

"No, I mean the Eleventh Doctor that's seen in the show in my dimension. Question: what do you think of bow ties?"

"Bow ties? That's an odd question. Never given them much thought really. I suppose I could try one in the future. Hmm...why do I now have the sudden urge to find a fez?"

"Yep, there's definitely bits of Matt Smith in you. I wonder if you'll run into his version of the Doctor."

"Matt Smith?"

"He's the actor who plays your other eleventh incarnation in the show."

"Oh, well, with all the dimension hopping I've done I suppose there's a chance I could run into him. I've already run into my ninth incarnation so why not an alternate eleventh incarnation? You've suddenly gotten me interested about this other version of me. Apparently he has a fascination with bow ties."

"Doctor, can we worry about this after we defeat the Animator and get Alex and Quinn back home?" Twilight asked.

"Yes! Of course!" The Doctor returned to giving his full attention to the monitors. An aerial image quickly appeared and a smile appeared on the Doctor's face. "Yes! We've found them! They're...oh no."

"What's wrong?"

"I've found them...but they're not alone."

"What? Who's with them?"

"Three guesses who," Quinn said as she nervously rolled her eyes.

Dålig Ulv Stranden, 49 Miles from Bergen, Norway, Earth, Summer, 5296 A.D.

"How far have we walked?" asked Derpy as she proceeded to levitate herself in the air with her wings.

"I'd guess that we've walked for about a mile or so," Alex guessed. "We shouldn't be too far from-" Alex stopped and Derpy followed suit. A familiar figure was standing on the edge of the shoreline. "You."

The Animator turned around to face Alex. He gave his usual cold smile but it didn't seem as threatening as it had before.

"Dålig Ulv Stranden. It's been many years since I traveled here with my mother," he said. He let out a collected laugh. "This false Writer amuses me. I would very much like to learn more about him."

"There's something we can both agree on." The Animator turned towards the ocean one last time before giving his full attention to Alex and Derpy.

"It appears I was wrong. I guess there is something about you after all. That other Writer's been using you to hide my Writer from me since my arrival in your world."

"I guess that would explain why I was never able to come across him at the con."

"Who are we talking about?" Derpy asked. Alex politely brushed off Derpy's question before taking a few steps towards the Animator.

"You know, I'd be very interested in hearing about how this rivalry between you and your Writer began."

"You'd love to know, wouldn't you? But there isn't much to tell. I tried to turn another world into my playground, the Writer appeared, and he proceeded to become my ultimate foil. Not much else to say," the Animator replied.

"But...how could-"

"How could he of all people be an enemy of a someone like me? How could he travel between dimensions? That, my dear Alex Stevens, looks like it will be one of those mysteries that shall disappear with the setting sun of this world." Alex hadn't noticed it before but he realized that the sun wasn't moving in the sky. The beach was stuck in an eternal evening glow. "This is all of my work, yes. The world went to hell basically following the passing of my parents."

"Is it true what the Writer said? Are your parents really-"

"Does it matter? My parents were here and they died. I found power beyond either of their wildest imaginations and became a god. I became the Animator, while they faded away into nothing."

"How can you be their son? It doesn't make sense. I've watched Doctor Who for years and nothing about you seems to resemble any part of-"

"Children don't always have to be like their parents, you know. I think it's clear by this point that children can, well, diverge away from their parents' wishes."

"You're going to lose, Animator. You know that, right?"

"Are you going to defeat me, Alex? We both saw your performance during the panel. Are you interested in a repeat?"

"I can beat you. Now that I know who your enemy is, I know that I can beat you."

"Well then. Let's dance." The Animator lunged at Alex. Alex felt a sudden bolt of energy course through his body. He dodged the Animator's attack for the most part. Derpy tried to help Alex but the Animator simply knocked her aside. Alex ran at the Animator and threw a few punches at him. The Animator returned with a few punches of his own. Alex groaned as some of the punches collided with his chest but the pain seemed to go away quicker than it used to. The Animator was obviously surprised by Alex's newfound strength. Alex found himself throwing more and more punches with each passing second. It was if a force other than him was acting through him.

"I can take him!" Alex kept repeating under his breath. "I can take him!" Suddenly, the Animator grabbed Alex by the neck and smashed him into the ground. Alex was able to recover surprisingly quickly. The Animator lunged forward and wrapped his hands around Alex's neck. Derpy flew in and head butted the Animator. The Animator shrugged the attack off and used his powers to animate the sand around Derpy. Derpy suddenly found herself caught in a fight with living sand. "You can't kill me! I thought I was the key to your enemy!"

"I'm quickly losing my patience! I can use you dead or alive!" snapped the Animator. As the Animator's grasp grew tighter and tighter around Alex's neck, Alex felt a searing pain shoot through his skull. A voice began calling out to him. It was faint but Alex was able to make out what the voice was saying. It was saying a series of words that Alex couldn't understand or make out. In a last moment of desperation, Alex began screaming the words out of his mouth. Derpy was confused for the words sounded like a mixture of hisses, screams, and cries rather than actual words. The Animator let Alex go in horror and began backing away. "Impossible!"

Alex stood up. Derpy noticed that Alex's eyes were glowing bright blue.

"It looks like you've found me, Animator," said Alex in a deep voice that was nowhere near close to his original one. "I guess Alex was finally able to find me after all."

"This...this isn't what I wanted! I wanted to find you but...not like this!"

"Oh, Animator. How many times must we have this dance? You will never defeat me. I'm the Writer. Our battles are etched in stone and you shall lose every single one."

"I...I won't! You will lose, Writer! Why do you hide behind the face of Alex Stevens! Face me!"

"Be careful what you wish for, Animator. You wanted to use Alex as a key to find me; well, it worked. Sometimes, you don't get the choice in the matter of how you find your enemies, my old friend. You've forced Alex to channel me, so here I am."

"Then...I shall kill your vessel!"

"Animator, did you forget why you finally fled from me in the first place? It was because I learned the Words."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"The Words that spell out the secret of your creation. I have them all memorized, ya know. I think it's time I finished what I didn't get to finish back on the fields of Papyrus 96." The possessed Alex then began speaking another long series of hisses, cries, growls, and snarls. The Animator lunged at Alex but Alex simply dodged the attack. The Animator's eyes went wide as his body began to fade away into a cloud of black smoke. "I'm sorry that it had to come to this, my old friend."

"We were never friends, and it isn't over! I'll return! You can't defeat the Animator that easily! I am descended from astronomical forces of the Medusa Cascade itself! I shall always return!"

"And that's what makes our eternal dance oh so sad." Alex waved his hand one more time and the Animator disappeared completely. The living sand fighting Derpy returned to being regular sand. Alex turned to face her.

"Did...did you kill him?" asked Derpy.

"Yes and no. He'll always return. He has the blood of the Medusa Cascade in him. He'll be difficult to defeat entirely."

"What do you mean?"

"Ask the Doctor. He knows all too well about what occurred in the Medusa Cascade."

"Who are you? Are you...the Writer?"

"Yes. Alex's connection with me was finally completed due to him being forced to face off with the Animator."

"But...how is he connected with you? I've heard so many things and have dealt with so much today that my head's about to explode."

"Alexander Stevens and I are connected by many links: blood, flesh, bone, spirit, family, the like. Of course, my official connection with him has yet to occur from the feel of things."

"What...ugh...I think my head's going to burst."

"Try not to think of me too much. You have more to think about at the current moment, Derpy, than some strange Writer. Tell your Doctor that he's coming. The Doctor of Discord is coming with his army of steel."

"What? I don't understand!" The sound of the TARDIS began emanating through the air.

"I'm sorry, but I must take my leave. Farewell, Derpy Hooves, and...I am sorry. I am so, so sorry. I had no choice."

"What? What are you talking about?" Just as the TARDIS appeared a few feet away, the blue light in Alex's eyes disappeared and Alex proceeded to fall to the ground. Derpy ran over and picked him up. The TARDIS doors opened and the Doctor ran out.

"Derpy! Alex!" he cried as he ran forward.

"Doctor! He was here! The Writer, the Animator's Writer, was inside Alex! He killed the Animator, I think!"

"What?"

"It's a long story."

"I suggest you tell it once you get back home," said a familiar voice. The Doctor and Derpy looked to see the Writer in black standing a few feet away. "Go. I think it's about time that all the loose ends were wrapped up."

"I have so many questions," said Derpy.

"And so do the readers but, don't worry, you'll all learn the truth in due time. Everything will make sense when everything comes full circle. But, sadly, now is not the time for all the answers to be revealed. Now go. I'll handle everything from here." Derpy turned to face the Doctor.

"I don't really trust him," she whispered.

"Me neither but I think we should do what he says," the Doctor whispered back. Derpy sighed and nodded. The two ponies then helped pull the unconscious Alex through the TARDIS doors. The Writer smiled before aiming his hands at the TARDIS. Without even making a sound, the TARDIS disappeared from the beach of Dålig Ulv Stranden. Then, without a sound, the Writer disappeared as well. Everything was silent. The beach was silent. The battle that never was, the battle that only few would remember, had come to an end.

Edgar and Lauren

Chapter 8: Edgar and Lauren

Meadowlands Plaza, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

"That sure is a lot to take in," said Twilight as Derpy finished her retelling of the events that occurred on the beach. Time seemed to have reverted to that of a snail's pace within the TARDIS. Everypony and everybody inside was unaware of how much time had passed since they had left the Writer in black back on the shores of Dålig Ulv Stranden.

"I don't like the sound of this Doctor of Discord," said Quinn.

"Me neither, but it's nothing for either of you to worry about," said the Doctor as he looked at Alex and Quinn. The two humans and the Time Lord stallion approached the doors of the TARDIS and stepped outside.

The air outside was warm and relaxing. The TARDIS was back in the spot it had originally parked in upon its initial arrival in Alex and Quinn's world.

"Wait a moment," said Alex as he looked down at his watch. The time had changed. "I...I think this is the first day of the con. This is right before we first went into the Exposition Center."

"Did you drop of us early?" Quinn asked as she looked at the Doctor.

"I don't think so. I think the Writer had something to do with this," said the Doctor. "I believe he literally spun your entire universe back in time. That's quite a lot of power he's got under his sleeves."

"Of course. Mr. all knowing, all powerful, godlike Writer. I really hope there's more to him than that because if there isn't then he's one huge ass Mary-Sue," Alex laughed.

"Mary-Sue?" Quinn asked.

"Edgar taught me the term. I'll explain it to you later."

"Ah."

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways," said the Doctor. The Doctor extended a hoof and Alex shook it. Twilight and Derpy emerged and each gave Alex and Quinn hugs.

"I can't believe we actually got to meet you," said Quinn. "This has been a dream come true, aside from the crazy Animator, the bullet to the chest, and almost everything else that happened."

"Or didn't happen, as the Writer reversed everything," Alex added. Alex's eyes went wide as he remembered the TARDIS key still hanging from his neck. He handed it towards the Doctor but the Doctor pushed it away.

"Keep it. You might need it with the Animator still being out there somewhere in the multiverse," he said. Alex smiled before storing the TARDIS key into his pocket.

"Will we ever meet again, Doctor?"

"If the tides of war and peace bring the TARDIS back to this edge of the multiverse. I have a feeling that our lives are interlocked, Alex. Just as you are interlocked with the Writer who possessed you." Alex fell silent for a moment. He appeared to be thinking of something. "Alex?"

"I'm fine. I was just...never mind. Safe traveling, Doctor. Goodbye, Twilight. Goodbye, Derpy."

"Farewell," said Twilight.

"Bye!" Derpy exclaimed as she gave Alex and Quinn one last hug. "If we do meet again, I want you to show me some of the fan art you told me about earlier."

"Sure," said Alex in a kind, sarcastic tone. "I'll make sure to bring along the fisting picture that I found with Quinn." Alex's remark was met with a slap to the face by Quinn's hand.

"What's fisting?"

"Trust me, Derpy, you don't want to know," Quinn added. Derpy giggled as she and Twilight walked back into the TARDIS.

"Well, allons-y then!" the Doctor said.

"Geronimo, Doctor."

"Geronimo...hmm...interesting. Geronimo then!" The Doctor laughed as he disappeared into the TARDIS. Alex and Quinn took a few steps back and watched as the TARDIS slowly disappeared.

For a moment, Alex and Quinn stood in silence. They still couldn't believe what had just happened to them.

"Quinn?" Alex asked as he turned to face his girlfriend. "Did it really happen?" Quinn smiled as she proceeded to reach into her pocket and pull out her iPhone.

"I have proof that it did," she said as she proceeded to show Alex a montage of pictures of the interior of the TARDIS as well as pictures of the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy.

"When did you-"

"I took them when nobody, or nopony, was looking at me. I just wanted proof to look at and make sure that it all wasn't just some crazy dream."

"You can't keep them, Quinn."

"If you get a TARDIS key then I get some pictures! Isn't that fair?"

"I guess, as long as you're not planning on showing anyone."

"I promise that I won't show these pictures to any other living soul in this universe. But, you know, Edgar might be interested in seeing them."

"Edgar! Maybe I'll finally be able to run into him this time!"

"Hey! Alex! Quinn! Come on!" called a familiar voice. Alex looked and smiled. His elder twin brother Edgar Roger Stevens was standing a few yards away. He was beckoning them towards the Exposition Center. He looked exactly like Alex, aside from the fact that he had died his naturally blond hair dark brown. Quinn smiled as she ran forward.

"Quinn! Quinn!" Alex chased after Quinn. They soon came up to where Edgar was standing.

"Where have you guys been? I've been walking around the con for an hour just waiting for you guys to show up."

"We slept in a bit," Alex lied. Edgar looked at Alex and Quinn with a cocked head.

"What's up with you two? You both look like you've fought an army."

"No, but we met a few strange individuals," said Quinn.

"Quinn!" Alex snapped.

"Don't you think he of all people deserves to know?!"

"Maybe...I don't know."

"What are you two talking about? We don't have much time. The Andrea Libman panel is starting soon."

"Take a look at these first!" Edgar received the iPhone from Quinn's hand and proceeded to scroll through the images. The blood seemed to drain from his face.

"Wow...these are really good pictures. They look almost real."

"They are real, Edgar! We met them! Alex and I met the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy!"

"But...that's impossible. They're just-"

"I know but it's true! Show him the key, Alex!" Alex slowly reached into his pocket and presented the key to Edgar. Edgar nearly dropped Quinn's iPhone. "Edgar? What's wrong?"

"This is impossible. It can't be true."

"But it is! The TARDIS was here and there was a-"

"Let me guess. The Animator showed up, Tara Strong, you, and Twilight got possessed, you all had a fight on the shores of Bad Wolf Bay, and the enemy of the Animator, the Writer, possessed Alex and used his body to defeat the Animator." Alex and Quinn were stunned, though Alex looked more scared that stunned.

"How did you-"

"Hasn't Alex told you about the series I've been writing for Fanfiction.net?"

"Well...bits and pieces." Quinn turned to Alex. "What about it?"

"Everything that happened to us, happened in Edgar's stories," said Alex.

"Have you read-"

"No. I haven't read it, but Edgar's explained some of the episodes to me."

"What you're claiming to have just happened to you was basically the plot of the fourteenth episode of my series," said Edgar. Edgar proceeded to sit down on the ground. Alex and Quinn sat down next to him. "How...how can this be possible? How can something that I typed have turned into something real?"

"I think I'm starting to realize who the Writer in black is."

"Who?"

"The Writer in the black trench coat. You know, the one who helped us out Deus ex Machina style?" Edgar looked confused.

"What are you talking about? There was no character like that in my story."

"There was no second Writer?" asked Quinn.

"No. The Writer who possessed Alex was written as a sort of future-esque version of myself. It's a long and complicated story. There was only one Writer in my series. I have no idea who this second Writer is." Alex let out a laugh.

"I do," he said.

"Who?" Quinn asked. Alex looked up at the sky and smiled.

"I hope you have a good future planned out for us, Writer." The confused teens remained quiet for a few seconds.

"Come on," said Edgar. "Let's just enjoy the con and worry about all of these new discoveries later."

"Yeah," said Quinn. Alex, Quinn, and Edgar stood up and began making their way to the con. They had many questions and few answers to said questions; and yet, they were happy. Alex was especially happy. He had gotten to meet the Doctor, Twilight Sparkle, and Derpy Hooves. For a brief moment, he had been a hero of sorts. He had saved Lauren Faust from a psychopath from another dimension. And the only people who knew this series of events to be true were himself, Quinn, and Edgar. Keeping secrets was sometimes hard, but, in this case, keeping this particular secret had never felt more satisfying.

Meadowlands Exposition Center Parking Lot, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

Lauren Faust stepped out of her car and began making her way over to the Exposition Center. As she walked, a pain shot through her head. She grabbed her temple as a faint voice echoed through her skull.

"Sleep now, Lauren Faust, and forget about this day...for now," the voice said. Lauren shook her head and quickly forgot about the voice a moment later. As she continued walking towards BronyCon 2012, a single question appeared in her mind: did her characters really exist?

"That would be amazing but sadly, the answer's no," Lauren replied out loud to herself. She had never been more wrong in her life.

To be continued...