Survival of the Cyberponies

Chapters

The Beasts Below
City in the Sky
Arachnid
Weighty Choices
Wolf
Breaking and Entering

The Beasts Below

The colt kept his hoofsteps as quiet as possible against the tiled floor as he trailed a pair of actresses en route to their respective rooms. His job was simple- take a photo of them in their costumes and sell that photograph to the fan magazines. Nopony knew what role these two mares would be playing in the popular holodrama Taming Equestria’s Frontier, but fans loved to speculate and tear apart every little clue they could from leaked set photographs. For such a popular show it was natural for the producers to keep surprises like this a total secret, and it was Snap’s job to breach that security in order to glean potential clues and spoilers for the magazines.

For their part, Flora and Apricot were both aware of the young stallion following them. They continued to make idle conversation as if they hadn’t noticed his presence, but a knowing glance communicated the nonverbal thought between them: they had to ditch this guy before he spoiled everything.

Instead of going directly toward their rooms, the pair quickly turned down an adjacent hall. Given that they had only a few seconds before the paparazzi would be within sight of them, they had to give him the slip right away.

Apricot motioned for yet another hallway they could go down, but Flora shook her head. She opened up a door leading to a janitor’s closet, and rushed her co-star inside first before backing in herself and silently closing the door.

Snap had heard their hooves scuffle against the tiled floor. He had not heard the door close, so when he rounded the corner he continued down the other corridor that the actress ponies hadn’t gone down.

This area was the outermost part of the Holo-studio property on this deck of the station, and Snap was willing to bet that even if the actresses were trying to avoid him, they wouldn’t have gone out into the open in full costume. He reasoned that they were probably in one of this hallway’s rooms.

Upon entering one of the rooms, he was greeted with a relatively empty room and a sign that read “Do Not Enter”. If there was anything that piqued the interest of a young, impressionable leak-hunter it was something declaring itself a secret. Snap now faced a choice: he could continue trying to find the two actresses from Taming Equestria’s Frontier, or he could venture beyond the restricted door.

He chose the door.

As he went to slide the metal sheet open, it sprang aside for him to enter. It was a common thing in the main station; nearly all of the storefronts and public facilities had automatic sliding doors. To find one on the studio’s property yet marked “Do Not Enter” seemed to Snap to be a bit of a contradiction.

Within the next space was something very underwhelming: a blank room with nothing but a large tile in the center. Snap paced about, wondering what the point of this space was, and why it was supposed to be sealed off.

As soon as he placed a hoof on this tile, it dropped down suddenly, taking him down a level and into a completely foreign part of the station.

The lighting was much dimmer here, and rather than the crisp tiling covering all other parts of the station the floor here was a simple metal grate. Wiring and tubes were exposed in the walls and hung from the ceiling, though his surroundings were still recognizable as a new set of corridors. To Snap, it almost seemed like this new set of places was all part of one very big machine.

Perhaps it was a set, he reasoned. He hadn’t heard of any holo dramas set in such an environment, but it did seem plausible. He took his camera out and snapped a few quick photographs of the wiring and detailing on the walls. Snap decided to press on and explore a bit more of the area.

Ahead he could hear voices speaking in monotone, and a steady clank-clank of something walking his way. Not wanting to be found, Snap dove out of the way and backed himself into a darkened corner, sitting still and remaining quiet.

“... he calls himself the Bad Wolf,” the first voice said, “Several of our Cyber-Conversion facilities have already been destroyed by this entity. All transmissions indicate that he managed to destroy the facilities before our units were aware of his presence.”

Two imposing forms walked into view. They were equineoid like most of the aliens one could find on the station, but were covered in metal armor. In fact, Snap couldn’t see any trace of organic parts on the outside. Had they not been conversing, he would have suspected them to be droids.

“We must be vigilant,” the second metal pony said in response, “Nothing knows about our Cyber-converters here on this station, but if we are among the last in existence then it is time for us to begin converting the equines. There can be no witnesses of our presence.”

“What if the Bad Wolf finds out that we are here?” the first asked. Snap felt an increasing feeling of dread the longer he stared at these things... they had to be cyborgs of some kind.

“He would not hesitate to destroy the entire station if it meant the end of our kind. So far this entity has shown no regard for collateral damage or remorse for his actions.”

“Remorse is a weakness this enemy is not burdened with: we must proceed with caution so as not to be discovered.”

Snap felt a tingling in his nose, and his mouth opened reflexively. He had to sneeze. Forcing his mouth closed, he tried to hold it in or at least silence the inevitable to remain unnoticed.

A small squeak escaped.

This was enough to attract the attention of the two cybernetic equines, who turned to face Snap. They walked forward with clanking steps, cornering him with no means of escape before he had any idea what was going on.

“Fully biological equineoid detected,” one of the two said, “What are your orders, Cyberleader?”

“He has seen too much, and must not be allowed to return. Take him to the Cyber-conversion chambers to be processed.”

The cybernetic pony reached for Snap, and the stallion was silenced even as he opened his mouth to scream.

Waves crashed against jagged rocks by the seashore, mixing in with the sounds of a pony crying out while her friend splashed her with seawater. Aside from two ponies, a timelord and a blue police box the beach was completely empty. They had it all to themselves, and the two ponies loved it.

The Doctor sat on his side up on the blue sands of the beach, reading a Baltimare newspaper from the 1970’s that was still crisp. While Derpy and Lyra splashed around in the neon waters of Gebos VI, he was busy mulling over the paper’s contents.

Derpy’s head broke the surface, and she dumped the glowing water out of her goggles. The Doctor had told them earlier that the glowing effect of the water was actually produced by micro-organisms native to Gebos VI. It had taken a little prodding on his part to make her comfortable swimming in water teeming with alien life, to the point that the Doctor had to show her the organism’s file in the TARDIS computer to assure her there was no chance of her catching a strange alien disease.

Now that she was at ease in the glowing liquid, she was having a blast. It was like being a filly again; holding onto a boogie board and riding the crest of the waves. Lyra was to her right with a board of her own.

Soon the two ponies waded ashore, curious as to what the Doctor was doing, and why he didn’t come out and swim with them.

“Afraid of the water?” Lyras teased, flicking water off her hooves at the Doctor. He shook his head quickly to deny the accusation.

“Me? Never!” he insisted, “I was diving under the lake back on Earth, wasn’t I?”

“What’s with the paper?” asked Derpy, pulling up a towel and sitting beside the Doctor where she could look over his shoulders.

“I’m reading through it word by word, looking for traces of a certain word combination,” he replied. Lyra pulled up her own towel on his other side, lying down on her stomach and biting into an apple that had come out of their picnic basket.

“Mphff- Looks like you’re looking at -nffph- popular Nightmare Night costumes from the 70’s, to me,” the full-mouthed Lyra said, “Space robot, Frankenpony, Wild South Cowpony.... that’s a good look for you, Doc. Wide-brim hat and a frock coat?”

“I’ve done that bit before,” he admitted, “No... I’m looking at this one right here.”

He pointed with a hoof at a black and white illustration of a filly wearing a wolf’s mask over her head and a clawed boot over each hoof. It was labeled ‘The Bad Wolf’.

“There’s those words, see?” he said, “Bad Wolf. I thought if I picked up a random bit of print media from some point in time I’d find those words there, and sure enough, ‘Bad Wolf’.”

Derpy took a look at the image. The filly pictured was really more of a young mare, and if the words weren’t significant she probably would have thought it just another one of those adult-themed costumes, but of a wolf.

“So what does it mean,” she asked, turning to rummage in the picnic basket for one of her chocolate chip muffins, “I mean, it significant that it says ‘Bad Wolf’ on it, but what is it supposed to mean?”

“Well, I’m thinkin’ it might be placed there on purpose, same with the one in the caves and the graffiti on the TARDIS. It’s meant for us to notice, I’m thinking the goal is to make us keep eyes and ears out for the words ‘Bad Wolf’ because somepony wants to get into contact with us,” he guessed, “Or me specifically. I dunno how they’d manage to get it on a cave wall in the cretaceous and paint it on the TARDIS in the 30th century.”

“Maybe they’re a Time Lord?” Lyra speculated, “Is that possible?”

The Doctor shook his head.

“No, I’m the only one of them left.”

He was silent for a moment, and the next he was springing up to his hooves, dusting the sand out of his fur and pulling a violet jumper over himself. He put his leather coat over that, and made his way into the TARDIS.

Seconds later he emerged without any of his usual clothes at all, but simply wore a pair of sunglasses and a straw panama hat. He was done with the reading, and was ready to go for a swim himself.

“I figure we’ll spend a bit more time here on Gebos, huh? Go for a dip, eat some of the picnic food and then it’s off again through time and space,” He said, waving his hooves in the air, “You picked this spot Derpy, a beach all to ourselves. Got any ideas of where you want to go, Lyra?”

Lyra was quick with an answer.

“I want to see us interacting with aliens,” she said, “Like, a space station with both ponies and aliens, where we wouldn’t stick out like a sore hoof.”

“Fantastic idea,” the Doctor said, “But first... are there any more muffins in that basket?”

Derpy’s head flipped up, and she nodded enthusiastically.

City in the Sky

The TARDIS engines groaned, and the ship materialized in the center of a storage room housing stacks of collapsible tables. The Doctor, Derpy and Lyra exited one after another into the cramped space, barely able to fit in the leftover space of the storage room.

“You’d think for a space station there’d be more space to breathe,” Lyra grunted. They pushed and shoved at each other in the dark before one of the ponies found the door. The three filed out into a much more spacious hallway.

“Here we are,” the Doctor said, leading them out toward a grander hallway with multiple levels. It served as a hub of sorts, and would not have looked out of place as a futuristic city. The sides were lined with shops, ponies with carts, and bright lights.

Derpy was the first to spot one of the aliens: she caught a glimpse of what looked like a tall-necked pony with smooth, shiny skin and suction cups on the end of their legs instead of hooves. Dressed in similar clothes and walking with a group of relatively normal-looking ponies, the alien was right at home on the station.

“This is the year 190,000,” the Doctor said, “We’re orbiting the planet Earth right now, look up!”

Derpy and Lyra turned their eyes toward the ceiling, and were greeted by the sight of a transparent window into space, through which they could see the surface of the planet glittering with the lights of a thousand cities.

“There it is,” the Doctor said, “Planet Earth at it's height. Covered with mega-cities, three stations like this - population 19 billion. The hub of a galactic domain, stretching across a million planets, a million species - with ponykind right in the middle.”

An announcer’s voice came on over the speaker.

“For all interested, the premiere of the newest season of Taming Equestria’s Frontier is set to begin in five minutes in holotheater two. Tickets are purchasable at the ticket counter.”

“That sounds like fun, can we go and watch, Doctor?” Lyra asked, “I’ve never even heard of a holo-theater before.”

The Doctor nodded.

“Tell you what,” he said, “Meet me at the ticket counter, I’m going to get myself some credits to buy stuff with.”

****

The Doctor leaned in over a credit kiosk, trying to look inconspicuous while dragging the tip of his sonic screwdriver over the dispenser. Slivers of plastic slid out one at a time, labeled with consecutive numbers.

He took these three cards and stuffed them in his jacket’s interior pocket, and continued back toward the holotheater at a brisk pace.

Passing by a support structure holding up an overhanging ledge of an upper floor, the Doctor noticed a glowing notice standing out against the dark surface, surrounded by a white backdrop. It took on a similar appearance to a scrap of paper stuck to a post, but actually appeared as an image on a screen. The image changed to an advertisement for a pancake breakfast put on by the station’s Foal Scout troop.

“Slideshow bulletin board,” he said to himself, “They had something like that back home... this is fantastic!”

The image changed to one of a “MISSING!” sign for a young stallion by the name of Snap, put up by family members. He was 19 years old, and a photographer for the weekly magazine update.

The Doctor took note of this sign and the information it contained, and continued back to the theater.

****

Derpy, the Doctor, and Lyra seated themselves in a sort of circular amphitheater surrounding a simple black surface. The lights around them dimmed, and the show started.

The blank center of the stage was replaced by an elaborate three-dimensional environment made to look like the desert lands of Equestria’s expansion days. The sand, skies, and rocky red cliffs in the background were arranged in a convincingly real way, such that the center of the amphitheater briefly turned into a slice of that environment.

“In your time you watch movies on two dimensional screens off of film strips,” the Doctor said to his companions, “this is a three-dimensional viewing experience, but the concept remains the same. The actors, environment, everything’s on a set when they filmed this.”

“Doctor, be quiet,” Derpy whispered, “Something’s happening.”

A wagon came into view, pulled by a brawny stallion wearing an oversized felt hat over his head to shade his eyes. An older mare walked by him to his right, and on his left was a small colt and a pair of young adult mares.

“This is it,” the stallion said, bringing the cart to a halt, “Dodge Junction.”

The wagon turned, and the family went down toward a set of buildings in the distance. On the side of the wagon was emblazoned the words “Hoofstock Hatters: The Best Hats in The World!”

The Doctor’s eyes lit up.

“They’re doing a show about the Hoofstock incident of 1887,” he whispered, “I was there for this!”

“What were you doing?” Lyra whispered back.

“I was in jail for cheating at poker, no sonic,” he said, “It’s interesting because I was the only proper ‘Doctor’ in town at the time, so I was released to tend to the wounded. Slipped away not too long after.”

The Doctor’s whispered words were drowned out by the sounds of struggle. Two stallions that had been introduced while he had been speaking grabbed ahold of the older stallion with a big hat. He was pinned to the ground by the others, but an upwards kick sent one of the attackers off and onto the ground.

“That’s not right....” the Doctor said with a frown, “Old Hoofstock had been there for a month before the Claptraps were even in town, in this they’re showing the first fight right as he arrives...”

Derpy quickly shushed him.

The scene dissolved into an interior of some wooden structure. Hoofstock was lying on his side in a bunk of some kind, while another stallion with a frizzy mane was tending to his injuries. This stallion had a red cross cutie mark, but was rather obviously painted on top of the actor’s fur. He also wore a short green scarf around his neck, with the ends barely reaching down to his belly.

The Doctor buried his face in his hooves at the sight of this, shaking his head.

“You’re lucky they didn’t break your legs... stallions your age aren’t meant to be in tussles like that,” the “Doctor” said in the holodrama.

At this point, the Doctor stood up and left the holotheater, cracking up and unable to contain himself.

****

“I can’t stand it when somepony gets history wrong,” the Doctor said to Derpy as they walked along the station’s main business strip, “small details are one thing, but ignoring what actually happened in order to make a story seem more ‘modern’ or ‘streamlined’ just doesn’t sit well with me.”

Derpy and Lyra had joined him after he left the theater. It had been several hours for them since the picnic on Gebos, and it was once again time to get something to eat.

“Sooo...” started Lyra, “How about them aliens? Do they sell, like, extraterrestrial cuisine?”

The Doctor nodded.

“You bet,” he said, “This station’s chock full of shops, restaurants, bars and a café or two. All of ‘em are featuring cuisine, décor, and entertainment from other worlds throughout the galaxy. The only thing left is deciding on just one.”

“And how would you suggest we narrow the list down?” Lyra asked, stopping in the middle of her sentence and looking behind her. An alien of some kind was approaching her from in front of a vendor’s booth. It had a smooth, hairless skin and instead of hooves it had clawed feet. The alien appeared to have a flap of colorful skin dangling from beneath its chin, and held a stylus behind its ear.

“Pardon me m’am,” it said in a masculine-sounding voice, “But I was wondering if you’d be interested in a sketch. For five credits I can do a quick sketch of you and one of your companions.”

“Thank you,” Lyra said politely, “But I’m not interested today.”

She went to turn away, but Derpy stepped forward.

“I’ll take one for a souvenir,” Derpy said, “It’ll only take a minute, right?”

“Less than that,” the alien said, “We Nebvassi are very fast, and I’ve applied that talent to my drawing skills! What’s more, If you don’t like it I’ll give you the sketch for free!”

Derpy dragged the Doctor with her, and stood beside each other in a section of the floor marked off by the Nebvassi sketch artist while Lyra watched from the side. The Nebvassi removed the stylus from behind his ear, and lit up a blank light board.

Derpy struck a heroic-looking pose, and put on an expression that looked angry or determined. The Doctor rolled his eyes, but she kicked his side. He struck a similar pose and leaned back slightly, trying to match Derpy’s expression.

“Ok, now hold still,” the Nebvassi said, “I start with him first.”

The alien’s head began jerking about in front of the light board, and the stylus held in his mouth left a trail of pencil-like marks on the board.

Derpy tried to keep her expression as best as she could, and stared at a point against the opposite wall to focus. Something caught her attention in that direction in the form of what looked like a very large spider scurrying up the wall. Her instinctive reaction was one of revulsion.

A bit of light from the ceiling lights caught the spider and reflected off of its back, making Derpy aware that it was not just a regular spider, but one made of metal. That was a surprise to her, and a distressing one at that. Why would somepony make a metal spider?

“Done!” the Nebvassi cried, “The sketch is done. Shall I print it off for you? We have a 9X9 synthetic paper... sorry about your wife’s face, she changed expressions....”

“Wife?” the Doctor sputtered, “No, she’s...”

“We’re just...” Derpy began.

“Never mind,” the alien said, giving the printout to Derpy. She spread it out on the ground as the Doctor paid the sketch artist with the card he had created.

“Shame about your face,” he said with a grin as he leaned over to look at the picture, “Though mine sort of looks like somepony insulted my mother... is that really what I look like when I’m angry? You’ve got nice exclamation marks, what’s that all about?”

“I saw a spider!” Derpy protested, “A really, really big spider made of metal!”

The Doctor’s eyes narrowed in concern.

“Where’d you see a thing like that?” he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me when you saw it?”

“It was on that wall over there,” Derpy said, pointing with a hoof to the spot she had seen it, “It must have scuttled off. Is it important?”

The Doctor frowned.

“Maybe,” he muttered, “I hope it’s not... you two, take this card and get a bite to eat. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“And where are you going, Doctor?” Lyra asked the retreating Time Lord.

“I’m checking something out!” he called back, and disappeared around a corner.

Arachnid

The Doctor crept along a shadowy side-alley of the station’s main strip, eyes fixated on the small form of a spider scurrying away into the darkness. He followed it into the dark, and withdrew the sonic from his jacket pocket to illuminate the way.

He had wandered into the resident district by this point, and the side alley led him out into a much brighter but less spacious corridor. It was a simple hallway containing rooms and apartments used as living spaces for the shop owners and vendors who worked the businesses down below.

Pocketing the sonic, the Doctor pressed on. He came to a large digital screen taking up most of a single wall panel that seemed to act as a bulletin board, but unlike the post he had seen earlier it was large enough to display many notices at once. The Foal scout’s fundraiser promotion was there, as was the missing poster for the photographer.

Curiously enough, there were several more missing posters in addition to Snap’s. Some were rather small, and a few did not even contain an accompanying image. There had to be at least eleven more, and though the missing posters barely took up a quarter of the bulletin board they were all clustered together. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the missing beings were all equines and not of another alien species.

The Doctor compared the dates. According to his time watch it was the 15th of September on this station. From what he could see, the most recent poster was from the previous night and the oldest was only three weeks old. Twelve ponies had gone missing in the course of a month.

The Doctor’s mind started to churn, seeing the clues that something was very wrong. There was no way that it was a coincidence, someone or something was targeting ponies, taking them off the street one at a time. These weren’t murders in the eyes of the public, just missing individuals. Where had they all gone?

A small sound brought the Doctor’s gaze upwards in time to see the spider he had initially been chasing. It was indeed silvery, and his fleeting glimpse was enough to confirm the fears he had felt since the first mention of a “metal spider”.

“It’s like a Cybermite, but in the form of a spider,” he murmured to himself, “Little bit more of a look around, Doctor? Why not.”

****

Lyra nibbled at something that looked like a breaded cheese stick, but upon biting it she found the inside to be filled with a greenish paste. It was an offworld dish called Barol, but it was not pronounced exactly as spelled on the menu. The green filling tasted like nothing she had ever eaten. The unknown flavor was a bit tangy, and very strong. The dish itself was garnished with spiky looking red leaves, and a zig-zag drizzle of orange sauce.

She and Derpy sat at a table in one of the station’s many eateries, sampling dishes from other planets. Derpy was enjoying a brightly colored snow cone adorned with stringy candies that tasted… strange.

“I can’t tell what these little things are supposed to taste like,” she said, “The snow cone itself is some kind of strange berry, but these candy strings don’t really taste like… anything.”

“That’s because the species the dish is intended for have sixteen taste receptors more than an equine,” came a voice from the door. Derpy and Lyra craned their necks, and saw the Doctor walking towards them, taking a seat on Derpy’s side of the table. She offered him a bite of the snow cone, but instead the Doctor broke off one of the candy strings, slurping it up like a piece of spaghetti.

“I taste a faint bit of… Judrixis, I think.” the Doctor said. “I have three of four more receptors myself.”

“What did you find?” asked Lyra from the other side, “You kind of just went out on your own after something.”

“Oh, it was the spider Derpy saw,” the Doctor answered, pulling the broken form of the mechanical arachnid and plopping it down on the table. The "abdomen" was all crushed, and bits of wiring stuck out. Lyra and Derpy recoiled from it. He was silent for a few seconds, then got up from the booth once again.

"It's a Cybermite... well, a bit of an advanced version of one. I'm used to them looking like mice. This little devil is a scout for the Cybers, their eyes and ears around the station. Sort of a fly on the wall... well, spider on the wall I guess."

"Cybers?" Derpy mouthed, clueless.

“We’ve got work to do,” he said, “I’m sorry to have to cut the fun part of the outing short, but there’s a rather pressing problem right this moment.”

Lyra sank in her seat, looking down at her half-eaten meal. Derpy sat up straight and focused both wayward eyes on the Doctor intently.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, “What are the Cybers? Danger?”

“Undoubtedly.” replied the Doctor. “‘Tell you what, I’ll fill you two in on the details on the way.”

Derpy stood up quickly, joining the Doctor by his side. Lyra frowned, slowly pushing her plate toward the center. She was enjoying that.

The ponies left the eatery and continued along the main strip of the station.

****

“Cyberponies!” the Doctor explained, “Big, hulking robots built over the body of an equine. They reproduce by converting compatible equinoids into Cybers themselves, and remove all emotion. Kind of a horrific process, to be honest. Your lot has been trying to get rid of them since they invaded in the 34th century, though they’ve been cropping up throughout Equestrian history since the 20th century.”

Derpy and Lyra were a few steps behind him. The Doctor was at a full run down the station’s business district, leaving the other two trying to stay close behind to hear what he was explaining.

“What happened to them all those years, so they couldn’t invade?” Lyra asked, “That’s over a millenia of stalled attempts.”

“I happened,” the Doctor replied, stopping for a moment and shooting her a quick grin.

“Of course, I can’t be everywhere at once, and the invasion of 3357 was totally unavoidable.” said the Doctor, returning to his former pace. They were leaving the clustered shops and crowded street of the business district now, and up ahead one could spot a lift shaft that could take them to main security. They entered, and the Doctor continued talking once the lift started up.

“By this point, they’ve been virtually wiped out. The Equines won the war with the Cybers, and what remained for millennia after was scattered clusters, miniature cybernetic empires with their own cyberplanners and leaders, mostly disconnected from any sort of central organization… what year did I say this was?”

“190,000.” Derpy answered, “You called it the height of Planet Earth.”

“Aha!” the Doctor cried, “Yes! At this point in time, the different Cyber-clusters have been taken out one by one. Haven’t really investigated why. We may be looking at one of the last Cyberpony legions in existance.”

“Is that a good thing?” Lyra mumbled, “They sound sort of scary to me.”

“Oh, that is so not a good thing,” the Doctor said with a shake of his head, “Cyberponies don’t know fear, but even so they’re dangerous in the way a cornered animal is dangerous… no, scratch that.”

“What?”

“What I meant is that they’re trying to survive.” continued the Doctor, as the lift came to a stop. “They’ve only got one thing on their metal minds right now, and that’s rebuilding the empire from the ground up, and…”

He trailed the last line off as the doors swooshed open, and the three time travellers stepped out into a polished room with black tiles and blueish lighting. The words “Station Security” were embossed on smooth silver walls and engraved on the front of a black marble desk. At this desk sat a pony mare, who seemed to be the appointment-maker and receptionist.

The Doctor motioned for Derpy and Lyra to gather aside.

“Derpy, I’m gonna let you handle this one.” he whispered, giving her the piece of psychic paper. “We’re here to inspect the surveillance system, and we need to talk to whomever is supposed to be actually watching the screens. Shouldn't be too difficult, I'm getting the vibe that the security department isn't very smart or thorough.”

“So what do I do?” Derpy asked, “Give them the psychic paper and hope it shows ID badges for the three of us?”

“Kind of,” the Doctor said, “You have to want those badges to appear. It’ll tap into your subconscious, if you’re thinking it should be the badges it’ll be the badges. Just remember: the psychic paper doesn’t lie. If it says something, just go with it and don’t contradict. Got all that?”

“I think so.” stated Derpy. She mulled it over for a moment, and then turned to approach the receptionist with Lyra and the Doctor following right behind.

“Can I help you?” the mare behind the desk asked.

“Yes, actually,” Derpy replied. She slid the psychic paper onto the marble desktop for the mare to read. She leaned over, and adjusted her glasses.

“Alright, Inspectors Derpy Hooves, Lyra Heartstrings and Doctor Hooves.” the receptionist said. The Doctor opened his mouth when she called out his ‘name’, but Derpy kicked his leg with one of her back hooves.

“We need to… uhh… consult with the pony in charge of watching the surveillance systems.” muttered Derpy .

“Max isn’t a pony,” the receptionist said with narrowed eyes, “Are you three new here?”

“Yes!” the Doctor quickly interjected, “Yes… we’re transfers from one of the planetside facilities. Inspector Hooves… er, Inspector Derpy Hooves that is… isn’t familiar with surveillance standards on offworld stations like this. Sorry about the confusion.”

The mare nodded, and told them to wait while she informed Max that they would be seeing him shortly.

Weighty Choices

“This is the security center of this entire space station complex,” Max explained, “On these screens I can see every corner of public space minus showers and lavatories. When I’m not here we have another individual who monitors the screens. In effect, the station is watched every second of every day by us. Nothing escapes our watchful eyes.”

Max was bipedal, and had purplish fur down his legs but a hairless torso and clawed arms. His defining feature was neither the horn on his chin nor the mandible-like mouthparts, but his eyes. Max had forty different eyes, some small and attached directly to his forehead but many lifted higher by wiggling eyestalks. Each eye was able to rotate in nearly a complete circle, and gave him a panoramic view of each and every screen in the room. Even more impressive was his ability to focus and process each image his eyes sent him individually. Max was a being that seemed destined by evolution to fill this kind of role. He really could actively monitor every screen at once.

“However, we’ve noted that there are a number of unsolved missing beings cases,” Lyra said, “How has the security department been playing a role in finding out the culprits?”

“We’ve had an ongoing role working with this station’s own investigators,” answered Max, “We’ve been over every scrap of footage from the time period at least a dozen times, and not on a screen like this. I literally mean one at a time.”

“What did you find?” the Doctor asked, “Bit concerned about the number of ponies going missing around here, we are. You know what I mean? Can’t be having multiple consecutive unsolved crimes, especially if they are the same exact offense.”

Max was silent for a moment.

“Your name was Inspector Hooves?” he finally asked.

“Doctor,” the Doctor replied, “I go by Doctor.”

Max nodded, and slowly turned in his chair. His spindly arms reached out and he started to pull archived footage on a single, larger screen for them to see.

“Well Doctor Hooves, this right here is the last footage we’ve been able to find of the most recent victim, a young stallion named Snap.” Max said. The TARDIS crew leaned in closer to watch the recording play. A short stallion walked around sneakily, trying to remain unseen as he approached a door marked “Employees Only”.

“Snap was a photographer, but the term ‘paprazzi’ is more accurate.” explained Max, “Here he’s seen sneaking into one of the privately owned Holo-studios.”

“A Holodeck?” Lyra interrputed, “You mean like on Star Trot?”

Max’s mandibles drooped in the closest equivalent to a frown as he could manage. He had no idea what the greenish Inspector was trying to ask.

“No,” he said, “I don’t really know what you’re referring to. This Holo-studio is a bunch of offices, sets, and dressing rooms. It’s where the Holo-drama is recorded.”

“Don’t you have cameras inside the studio? Security cameras, that is.” said Derpy. Max shook his head.

“No, it’s private property.” Max explained, “Believe me when I tell you though, we’ve searched every single inch of those rooms with every scanner device and tool in the possession of the justice department. We’ve found nothing.”

“You’re sure he never came out of the studios again? Hours later, perhaps?” the Doctor suggested.

“We checked the footage of all possible exits from that area, and investigated anything that had come out in a box or bag large enough to hold a pony for a full 72 hours after the incident. We’ve found nothing.” admitted Max, “No biological traces, or any of his belongings.”

“It’s similar with the others who’ve gone missing?”

“Yes, Doctor,” Max replied, “All have gone into an area that’s not under surveillance, be it bathroom or kitchen or a clothing store. None came out after that.”

The Doctor’s head lowered, and he seemed to mull over what he had been told. His eyes stared forwards blankly, then began to move back and forth rapidly. He was piecing things together.

He returned with a smile and a curt hoof-to-claw shake with Max.

“Thank you, sir,” he said, “I think that’s all I need for the moment.”

****

"We've learned two things," said the Doctor, "Firstly, this station's security is absolutely pathetic- the product of centuries without conflict. It doesn't take a genius like me to figure it all out. Secondly, there are multiple entrances to the Cyberpony's hideout. I'd imagine that once in there we'd be in some kind of place specifically for ponies that just happen to discover of it, a place without much in the way of weaknesses. The heart of their secret base is further within, further hidden and probably much less accessible."

The Doctor paced outside the entrance to the studio’s office block while Lyra and Derpy sat on a nearby bench. Derpy sat sideways with her legs folded underneath her, while Lyra tried to emulate the posture of the biped alien. She tucked her tail between her legs and rested her back against the bench.

“It doesn’t make sense,” he muttered, “What’s holding them back?”

“What’s the matter, Doctor?” Derpy asked.

“Derpy,” he said, stopping his pacing to face his companions, “If you could have anything -not like unlimited muffins- what would it be?”

Derpy didn’t have to think for long.

“I’d like to be well-off and able to raise a family.” she replied, “I’d want to live without fear of financial ruin or poverty. You know… to make sure the fillies or colts are provided and cared for.”

The Doctor frowned for a moment, and then asked the same question of Lyra.

“Me?” responded Lyra, “I would be happy with a place to live where I’m not criticized or insulted... I’d like my own place, but I’d be alright with sharing with a friend like Derpy does.”

The Doctor shook his head.

“Huh… neither of those really work as an example. Alright, let’s say all the ponies in the world were endangered, and it was up to you to save the day.”

“It’s happened before,” Derpy said.

“Let’s say you had a way to save them, you had the means to save them,” continued the Doctor, “But instead of just going and doing so you took your time. The longer you wait, the worse the situation grows. Why would you need to do that?”

This time it was Lyra who responded quickly.

“Maybe you were trying to keep yourself safe?” she suggested, “If you knew there was something trying to stop you, you’d be careful to not get noticed.”

“Yes,” the Doctor said intensely, “Yes! Lyra, you’ve got it! That’s what I’m trying to figure out! You see the Cyberponies likely have the firepower to wipe out every living thing that isn’t an Equine on this station, and everything that is they turn into another Cyberpony. I’m willing to bet the ones here could do that easily, but they’re not.”

“Why not?”

“You said so yourself.” the Doctor continued, taking a step back and eyes widening, “They’re trying to keep themselves safe! Small band of Cyberponies, probably on the brink of extinction out to resurrect their race. No doubt they’d want to take every precaution to make sure they didn’t get snubbed, because if they go then it’s just one more nail in the coffin, one step closer to the Cyberponies getting wiped out entirely.”

“What are they scared of?” Derpy asked, standing up from the bench, “You said so yourself that they could probably take the station, so what are they worried about happening? Who’s standing in their way?”

The Doctor’s frown subsided, and the edges of his mouth turned upwards slightly.

“I’m standing in their way.” he said, “I’m a sworn enemy of the Cyberponies. I’m the last Time Lord, and that wouldn’t stop them from trying to kill me, just as I wouldn’t hesitate to be rid of them.”

Lyra sprang up from her seat in protest.

“But Doctor,” she gasped, “that would be murder! Genocide!”

The Doctor nodded slowly.

“I’m not fond of killing.” he admitted, “I’m a being of peace… but I know what the Cyberponies are capable of. I’ve seen the atrocities they’ve committed. In mind they were second only to the Daleks in terms of how evil they truly are, and the Daleks are dead.”

“And what happened to them?” Lyra retorted, “Two wrongs don’t make a right, Doctor.”

“Yeah,” Derpy agreed, slowly moving to her friend’s side, “Like with the future changelings. You hated them, but since they were endangered you gave them a second chance.”

The Doctor tried to keep a placid expression, but it was clear to see the furrows of his brow becoming more pronounced underneath his fur and his jaw tightening ever so slightly.

“This isn't like you! Can’t you try to reason with the Cyberponies?” Derpy suggested, “You know, set up a place for them to live where they won’t endanger others, but can live on their own?”

The Doctor slowly shook his head.

“The Cyberponies don’t work like that.” explained the Doctor, “They’re driven by an insatiable urge. It’s in their instinct to expand and conquer other compatible races, to make them Cybers themselves if they fit the mold. Peace can never work.”

Lyra and Derpy both dropped their heads at the same time.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I know it seems wrong… but this is a way to prevent even more killing. I’ve lived with the guilt of letting some of the Cyberponies get away for a long time, and now that I’ve found them at their weakest it’s my job to destroy them for good. I’ve got to keep them from destroying more ponies, Lyra, Derpy, it’s for the greater good. Don’t you see?”

They nodded.

“Will you help me?”

They nodded again.

Wolf

The studio halls were darkened. It was now after hours, and the only soul to be seen within the twists and turns of private corridors were a trio of snooping time travelers. The Doctor had used the sonic to gain entry, and now stood at the head of the group.

He stepped down the hall carefully. Each pony had lifted ears and strained to hear the faintest sound of a Cyber transmat, which the Doctor had described in detail. It took hard and careful listening to distinguish the soft hum from the distant rumbling hiss of the station’s life support systems.

Derpy heard it first. She silently waved a hoof to get the attention of the other two, and then pointed in the direction of the subtle noise. The sound was the loudest outside a door to her right.

They entered through here, and found themselves in a room that was completely empty save for yet another door. Upon this was a sign which read “Do Not Enter”.

“This is it,” the Doctor said, “Beyond that is a transmat someplace. The job is simple: we go through and leave the bags. Once through, we can go back through the other end of the transmat and be on our way.”

The Doctor spoke of several plastic bags that he had retrieved from somewhere inside the TARDIS. These bags were filled with ‘gold dust’- small flakes of gold. The station’s ventilation system came on in approximately a half hour, and was designed to clean up dust and debris by kicking it into the air and then sucking it through a filter to eliminate it. The flakes of gold were small enough to become airborne and fill the air in such an instance, but too large to fit through a filter designed for dust. It was the Doctor’s plan to fill the Cyberpony’s lair with gold dust floating around, which would interfere with their respiratory systems and render them dead.

Through the door marked with a “Do Not Enter” sign was a white tile. The three stood on it, and their surroundings seemed to stretch above them, as if they were riding an elevator downwards that distorted all vision.

Silently, the Doctor led Derpy and Lyra forward. Lighting was dim in this new space. Instead of the crisp tiling covering all other parts of the station the floor, there was a simple metal grate. Exposed wiring and tubes hung from the ceiling and ran along the wall.

No Cyberponies were present. The Doctor set into action, scanning the ceiling with his eyes in an attempt to find the nearest ventilator. He spotted one not too far away, but before he could motion for Lyra and Derpy to follow he heard the sound of loud hoofsteps.

“Hide!” he whispered harshly.

Lyra dove behind a large metal crate, Derpy behind a loose wall panel. The Doctor slid himself among the loose wires and piping, using his leather jacket to cover his face and hide the contrasting blue fur, which would have drawn attention to an observant passerby.

The Cyberponies came into view slowly. A pair of them escorted a third, which appeared fresher and shinier than all the others. The third cyber was in fact one of the missing ponies, freshly converted and now marching in line with the other older cybers.

With the Doctor’s face covered behind his coat and Derpy’s face behind the wall panel, Lyra was the only pony of the trio able to watch the Cyberponies walk past. They stopped just in front of the crate, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Take this crate of spare fusion cutter blades to the conversion chamber for installation.” the leading Cyberpony said in an electronic monotone.

Lyra stumbled backwards, scrambling behind the crate and trying to wedge herself into the shadowy corner. There wasn’t any other place to really hide, and she hoped to Celestia that she wasn’t spotted.

One Cyberpony lifted the crate onto the back of another, while the third in the group watched. In the brief moment after the crate was lifted this third Cyberpony saw Lyra, and spoke out in alarm.

“Unauthorized intrusion by biological equine!”

“She must be converted into Cyber-kind. Seize her,” the leader of the group ordered flatly.

Lyra was shoved out into the open by a Cyberpony, and faked a stumble onto the ground. She rolled to one side of the grated floor and struck at one of the metal legs beside her in an attempt to throw the Cyber off balance.

Instead, they just stood and looked down at her.

The Cyberpony tasked with escorting her kicked at her backside, and Lyra cried out in alarm.

“Leave her alone!” a voice cried out.

The Doctor stood in the center of the hall, with Derpy at his side. Each held a bag of gold dust in their hooves, ready to let it loose at a moment’s notice.

“What is this? Identify yourself.” the leader commanded.

“What, don’t you know who I am?” the Doctor scoffed, “I’m the Doctor. Remember me?”

“Your appearance does not match any known appearance of the Doctor,” the Cyberpony said, “There cannot be any regenerations beyond the 8th known incarnation.”

“And why is that?” the Doctor asked, raising a brow.

“The Time Lords went extinct.” the leader said, “The Doctor is one of the Time Lords. therefore, you cannot be the Doctor.”

“I’ve got news for you, then.” the Doctor said, “Run a scan. Go on, what did you find?”

“Sensors are non-operational.” one of the subordinate Cybers stated.

“Fantastic,” the Doctor continued, “That explains a lot, actually.. like why we were able to get down here undetected. Anyways, I've nothing to prove to you, but if you want to live you’ll let my companion rejoin me.”

Lyra cautiously tip-hoofed over and stood left of the Doctor, opposite of Derpy. She turned herself around to face the Cyberponies head-on like the others.

“It's interesting, really," the Doctor said, "It really wasn't that difficult for us to locate you. Kind of a dodgy move, having your base so easily accessible.Perhaps you don't have a choice... well after all the Cyberponies are on their last breaths of life, not nearly the mighty force of years ago. You lot... you're a weak echo of your former selves. Scavengers.

"Inside these bags are enough gold dust to render your entire Cybernetic force on this station dead.” the Doctor continued, “And unless you cease operations here I’ll…. I’ll…”

The lights around them flickered, and the station rumbled. Somewhere above them a grinding engine could be heard, ending in the same kind of thump the TARDIS used. It was a sound associated with materialization.

“He is here.” one of the Cybers stated to the others, “We have no choice now. We must prepare escape pods before it is too late.”

“Before what’s too late?” the Doctor asked, eyes widened, “Who is this ‘he’?”

“The Bad Wolf.” the leader stated, “The Bad Wolf has arrived.”

A voice came on over the stationwide speakers, speaking in a sharp voice that was covered by a growl. It was a put-on voice, but the effect was chilling.

“Attention Station-dwellers, this is the Bad Wolf speaking.” the voice reverberated, “Your structure is infested with Cyberponies, and will be destroyed in fifteen minutes. Everything that doesn’t want to be destroyed in the process must leave now, or die along with them. This is your only warning.”

The Doctor trembled, and a bead of sweat trickled down his brow. His lower jaw sagged partway open. Neither he nor his companions took notice of the Cyberponies preparing to leave.

“Doctor… that voice…” Derpy said slowly, “Was that… what was that?”

“That,” the Doctor replied, “That was the Bad Wolf.”

****

The Doctor raced through the halls of the studio, having by now forgotten all about the Cyberponies, their danger and the vow he made to destroy them. All he could think about now was the Bad Wolf. He was a being, and in possession of a device that could at least travels through space via materialization. He also had the means to destroy the station within minutes, presumably before the Cyberponies could get packed up and leave. He had set the timer at fifteen minutes during his speech.

Lyra and Derpy were on the Doctor’s tail, struggling to keep pace with the rushing Time Lord. This was made worse by the general state of chaos the station had now plunged into. Aliens and ponies flooded the streets in a din of panic while trying to find a way to escape their doom.

“He threatened to blow up the entire station, that means he’s either got a remote detonator or a fuse long enough to let him get back to his ship before the place goes up,” the Doctor yelled back to Derpy and Lyra over the roaring noise, “Likely in a place where the security team can’t find him inside the fifteen minute window... they really need to improve on the security here.”

“So… washrooms and private offices?” Derpy yelled back.

“That’s right!” the Doctor replied.

Lyra was about to reply with her thoughts when a terrified creature ran into her side. She fell over into a head of limbs and slimy skin with the alien, who quickly gathered herself and uttered hasty apologies before rushing off back into the crowd. The Doctor lent her a hoof to get her back onto all fours.

“So the Bad Wolf strung the place up with detonators… wouldn’t it just be easier for one of us to go find the detonators?” she said, speaking the words she had meant to say before being knocked to the ground.

The Doctor stopped running, and spun around in a split second. He tossed the sonic screwdriver to Lyra, who caught it in her teeth.

“Extend the top, and use setting seven,” he instructed, “After that it’s as simple as pointing it and pressing down on the button on the side. Look for support structures, it’ll start whizzing real loud when you’ve found one rigged to blow.”

“What about you and Derpy?” Lyra shouted to the distancing pair.

“We’re gonna find the Bad Wolf himself!” the Doctor called back, “Better hurry, there’s only about seven minutes left!”

Breaking and Entering

The Doctor and Derpy made their way up a flight of stairs usually used by maintenance. It was by this point the only way of reaching the upper levels, as all main stairs and lifts were jammed with frightened beings trying to leave the station.

Ships leaving from the hangar sent a near-constant rumble through the station, and even on the upper levels the Doctor and Derpy could feel it.

“We’re looking for a locked room of some office complex,” He said, pacing erratically, “Any ideas?”

“Well, he did use the station-wide speakers,” Derpy said, “So somewhere with access to a PA system?”

“Derpy, you’re fantastic!” the Doctor cried, “That’s got to be it! I’m willing to bet those particular signals only come from one place in particular… this century’s equivalent of a radio control tower. Only problem now is locating it in time.”

At that moment, a screaming mare rushed toward the two, dragging a half-zipped duffel bag behind her. Derpy stepped in the way, preventing her escape down the stairs they had just ascended.

“What are you, crazy?!” the pony yelled, “You’re going to get me killed, move out of the way!”

“I need you to tell me where the radio tower is,” Derpy said with a strong voice, “This is important- it might save this station.”

The mare backed down.

“I...I don’t know what a radio station is. You mean the Announcements hub? It’s where the announcements are made from.”

“That’s what I meant.” Derpy said, “Where is it?”

“Back in the direction I came from, there’s a balcony. The only way up there is a ladder… listen, can I GO now?”

The mare ran off, and Derpy followed her instructions. She and the Doctor ran up another level, and arrived on a platform that was more industrial looking, more utilitarian than the rest of the station. This was a no-nonsense place that existed for a purpose, not to look pretty.

The balcony was now in view, and a one-way screen prevented them from seeing inside to tell if anypony was even in there.

“The ladder,” the Doctor said, “Let’s try the door.”

Using her wings, Derpy was able to bypass the ladder entirely and tried to open the door. It didn’t budge. She tried slamming her weight against it several times, but found it to be shut fast.

“Doctor, it’s locked from the inside.” she called down, “I can’t get in.”

The Doctor was halfway up the ladder, and took a moment to reach for his sonic out of reflex. He remembered that he had given it to Lyra, and frowned.

“Alright, time for plan B.” he said.

“Which is what?”

“I dunno yet,” the Doctor said, dismounting the ladder and landing on the ground below once again.

“The TARDIS!” Derpy exclaimed, “You can use that, can’t you? Materialize inside the booth?”

The Doctor shook his head.

“I’m strictly against taking the TARDIS into battle,” he said, “It’s supposed to remain hidden or out of the way.”

“But Doctor, this could bbe what saves everyone’s life! You’ve got to!” protested Derpy.

****

Inside the booth sat a pony with sunken eyes and a fur coat that appeared dull and grayed. He seemed to wear a tattered dark cape over his withers and backside, but on closer inspection an observer would notice that this had once been an overcoat, now ripped and torn beyond all recognition.

This creature watched on monitors and displays as the station residents desperately packed every belonging and family member they could onto theirs ships before blasting out of the hangar in a hurry. He wasn’t very concerned about them, and as far as he cared their lives were negligible. His major concern was the Cyberponies.

At that moment, a mechanical groan filled the small compartment. An artificial breeze fluttered about, whipping the remains of the Bad Wolf’s coat around. The form of the materializing ship came into view- it was the TARDIS itself. The first thing he noticed about the materializing timeship was it’s bare sides. Hastily, the Bad Wolf drew a hood over his face so that only a portion of his snout remained visible.

****

With the Sonic Screwdriver clenched between her teeth, Lyra set to work locating the explosives. Amid the confusion of the crowd she scanned the edge of the support structures. They appeared as marble columns rising up several levels. She spotted something- a little dark box tucked into the corner of the column's top and the ceiling.

Lyra set to work climbing the column. With hooves wrapped around she could shimmy up bit by bit, but she wasn't getting anywhere incredibly fast. She thought of Unicorns that were skilled in magic that could levitate themselves, and how much it would have helped in the situation. She was a level up, about halfway toward the first bomb. There wasn't a lot of time left.

****

The TARDIS doors crashed outwards, and the Doctor was the first to bound out, jumping to pin the Bad Wolf to the floor. Derpy flew out of the TARDIS , swooping down over the console of this compartment to pick up the Bad Wolf’s detonation device. She held it in her hooves and hovered in the air to keep it out of his reach.

The Doctor and the Wolf were on the ground, crashing into towers of music tapes and unused electronics. Entire stacks of equipment crashed down upon them, breaking and clattering about. The Wolf purposefully struck at a black cart used to hold a projector in place, causing the projector to fall down and crash into the Doctor’s side.

The Doctor cried out as broken glass stuck into his side just behind the back edge of his jacket. He went and tried to pounce on the Wolf and strike him with both front hooves, but the Bad Wolf fought like a dog. He rolled the Doctor back and tried to bite at his neck like a savage animal, but the Doctor kicked him back.

The Bad Wolf landed in a pile of broken disks and tapes, and lay there for a moment. The Doctor stood above him, panting heavily. Sweat trickled down his face.

“Well, what are you waiting for, Doctor?” the Bad Wolf taunted, “Aren’t you going to kill me?”

“Not without some information first,” the Doctor replied, “Firstly, how do you know about me?”

The Bad Wolf spat at him in response, so the Doctor stepped out to pin the hooded villain down with his hoof.

“You and I are not that dissimilar,” the Bad Wolf said, “We are the same.”

“We are not the same!” the Doctor insisted, “I don’t know who you are or what your problem is, but I don’t go around telling innocents they have to die! If I have a problem with the actions of an alien race I…”

“You what?” the Bad Wolf retorted, “Give them an ultimatum? Change your ways or the Doctor will destroy you- is that your approach? You’re not a time-travelling thrill seeker as you’d like to think of yourself, you’re a Marauder. A crusader against all the wrong-doers of your bloodied past.”

The Doctor closed his eyes, and furrowed his brow.

“What would you do if you found a population of Daleks?” the Bad Wolf asked.

“The Daleks are all-” started the Doctor.

“But what would you do?” the Wolf asked, “Would you show them any mercy?”

Eyes still closed, the Doctor shook his head.

****

Lyra held the sonic aloft in a small magic field, using her unicorn powers to move the device.

She was now far above the terrified masses, close to the ceiling and still clinging to the marble column with all four legs. Her sweaty mane stuck to her face in places, but she was concentrated. The little black box had a little red light on it that flashed in a rhythm.

She maneuvered the sonic to this light, holding the tip against it and holding down the button with her magic. The blue end lit up and made a high-pitched whizzing sound.

The red light lit brightly, and the box exploded. It wasn't a large explosion, just a flash and a bang. Bits of plastic broke apart, and a piece of it landed on Lyra's face. She shook her head and it fluttered down along with the other bits of the bomb.

In the spot where the bomb had been was a blackened streak. The column wasn't broken or cracked, so Lyra assumed that whatever she had done disabled the bomb.

One down, she thought to herself.

****

“You see, you and I are not that different,” the Bad Wolf said, “I also seek to cleanse the galaxy of races bent on conquest and devastation. The difference between you and I is my moral code. I am not afraid to harm innocents, you see.”

“I’m aware of that,” the Doctor said, “and that’s why you have to be stopped.”

The Bad Wolf laughed.

“Our methods are not much different. I’m but a shadowy reflection of yourself, Doctor.” he said, now standing up from the Doctor’s loosened hold, “It would only take a little push to make you like me.”

From above, Derpy snickered.

“What’s so funny?” the Doctor called up to her, “It’s not a laughing matter, Derpy.”

“I know, sorry,” she said, landing at the Doctor’s side, “But this is the Bad Wolf? He's quoting lines from Daring Do villains.”

She cried out in surprise as the tattered pony somersaulted over the Doctor’s head and pinned her down. She couldn’t see his face other than his snarling mouth, which was pressed against her face.

“I’ll take that!” he snarled at her, wresting the detonator from her.

The Bad Wolf jumped up onto the console, brandishing the detonation device.

“My choice of words were stolen, yes, but the meaning was very sincere. I’ve met you before, Doctor,” the Bad Wolf said, “But judging from the bare side of your TARDIS, you haven’t met me yet. I don’t want to cause a paradox, so unfortunately I can’t kill you on this occasion.”

“Better luck next time,” the Doctor said.

“Quite.” the Wolf replied, “Now I must be getting to my… er… my machine. You’ve got thirty second to get to the TARDIS before this place blows up.”

He glanced to his side.

“...hardly a race against the clock.”

He pressed the detonator, which began flashing red, and dashed out of the compartment’s door and down the hall.

“Doctor, now what?!” Derpy cried, “He just pressed the switch!”

The Doctor paused. He had been counting the seconds down from the moment the Bad Wolf had pressed the switch. It had been fifteen seconds so far. He motioned for Derpy to enter the TARDIS, which he then entered himself. Twenty five seconds.

He closed the door.

Derpy sat by the console, hunkered down with hooves holding her ears shut. To her surprise there was no sound.

The Doctor blinked.

He circled the console himself, and flicked one of his own displays on.

“The Bad Wolf’s device just dematerialized,” he stated, “and it looks like the Cyberponies have gotten away to safety.”

“What about the station?” Derpy gasped, “What about Lyra, and everypony else onboard?”

The Doctor opened the doors of the TARDIS. Derpy peered out with him, and saw the wrecked compartment and smashed equipment left over from the Doctor’s fight with the Bad Wolf.

“Sixty seconds,” he said, “Everything’s still there, and we haven’t moved a second out of sync with time.”

“So that means…” Derpy trailed off.

“That means,” the Doctor said, “That Lyra was able to disable the explosives. She saved the lives of everypony- well, everybody onboard the station.”

“Including the Cyberponies?” asked Derpy. The Doctor nodded.

“Yeah, even the Cybers.” he said, “Only now they’re on the run.”

He closed the door and went back to the console.

“Let’s grab Lyra, and head off to somewhere else. We can find the Cybers later,” the Doctor said, "I hope that after this incident they tighten security around here... rather'd not have a repeat incident to be honest."

****

"So I'm sitting there standing on the balcony, holding this bomb in my hooves and it starts flashing rapidly like it's about to go off. Well, I guess it was about to go off, wasn't it?" Lyra recounted, "So I do the only thing I can think of, which is to lob it into the air where it explodes. Not really anything too loud, just a kind of a big flashy bang with lots of flame. It probably looked like a miniature firework to the ponies and aliens, but I'm surprised it wasn't a lot bigger... though since it was stuck onto the side of a fuel processor I'm guessing it wasn't the bomb itself but it catching the fuel that was the problem."

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor sat himself of a broken couch alongside Derpy, while Lyra sat on a stool by the side of the console. They had been discussing the day’s events, and Lyra had just finished explaining how she had disabled the bombs. It was now Derpy’s turn to share.

“Well, the Doctor and I found out way to this place… kind of like a radio control tower, right?” she said, “And then we can’t get inside. The door’s locked. So I tell the Doctor to use the TARDIS, and when it appears inside the Doctor jumps out the door to tackle this guy- the Bad Wolf.”

“What was he like?” Lyra asked, “What did he look like?”

“I couldn’t tell,” Derpy admitted, “He covered himself in a ripped up old cloak. The way he talked was like a typical Daring Do villain- you know, the ones that try to compare themselves to Daring to make her feel bad? That’s what he was doing.”

The Doctor looked away from the two, and closed his eyes.

“He was trying to pull one of those on the Doctor, tell him that they weren’t that different. He got the jump on me- took the detonator."

“What I want to know,” the Doctor said, now turning back to face Lyra, “is why the words ‘Bad Wolf’ keep popping up everywhere. He never mentioned that, did you notice?”

“He did say that he’s met you before,” said Derpy, “What exactly does that mean?”

“Simple,” replied the Doctor, “He met up with me before I’ve met up with him. It’s clear he’s hiding something from me.”

“Like what?”

“His face,” the Doctor said, “He covered up his face with that hood, and never took it off. And then there’s the fake voice- that’s not him trying to be edgy, Derpy. Don’t you see? He’s trying to keep me in the dark about who he really is. He think I’ll recognize him when I see him.”

They sat in silence for a moment, with only the sound of the TARDIS ambience interrupting their collective thoughts about the Bad Wolf, and who he really was.

The Doctor broke the silence, standing up energetically and moving to the TARDIS console.

“That’s for future us to worry about, though,” he said, “C’mon, it’s your turn Derpy, where do you want to go?”

Derpy shrugged.

“I don’t know… someplace random?”

The Doctor smiled.

“Fantastic!” he said, “You want random? Alright, let’s try that. Anywhere in time and space?”

“Surprise me.” Derpy replied with a grin.

The Doctor grinned, and flipped a switch. To his surprise, the TARDIS lurched about violently. All of the ponies were thrown from their spots, with the Doctor hanging onto the console by a single hoof. The engines whined loudly and the walls of the ship shuddered and trembled.

The entire room felt like it was spinning, and indeed the TARDIS herself was spinning wildly and out of control in the time vortex. Sparks flew up from the console panel, which the Doctor tried to rectify with a kick. Somewhere far away within the ship, the cloister bell chimed.

"What's happening?" Lyra screamed out, clutching one of the great coral-like supports.

"Something's trying to force us out of the vortex, but the TARDIS is fighting it and losing," the Doctor yelled, "Hold on everypony, we're crashing!"