Doctor Whooves: The Sentaurans

by neorenamon

Rating: everyone
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Crossover, Alternate Universe
Length: 15325

The Doctor's adventures continue as he continues the training of his new Time Lord Assistants in Training.

The Doctor, having helped save Equestria from Nightmare Moon, moves to keep his promise to the so far unnamed Cutie Mark Crusaders to have them as Time Lord Assistants in Training. The first stop is 1000 years in the future, but things get complicated before they can all go back home.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-05-29 13:43:57 UTC

Chapter One

Doctor Whooves: The Sentaurans

Chapter 1: Back to the Future?

by Neorenamon

This story takes place after the events of Doctor Whooves, the Re-Imagination.  I give credit to both Doctor Who and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic for the characters and the rights to the same.

...

The Doctor awoke with a mighty yawn and stretch.  He hadn't expected to spend a whole week as the guest of Miss Rarity, but Romana became so... excited when she talked fashion and design with the tailor unicorn.  While most of the work was modifications of what he remembered from Gallifrey, the ponies all over Ponyville were moved when they saw them.  The odd part, at least to the Doctor, was while dress in Gallifrey proper was almost unisex, it was only the mares who were thrilled to put on the Ritz and extravagance of the Time Lord.  The Doctor himself dressed in a far simpler fashion because that was who he was: Not pretentious.  He could tell by the four pony mannequins and their outfits they had moved into his room because they just couldn't store them anywhere else.

“DOCTOR!” called a filly's voice from outside, “DOCTOR!”  He was shaken from his thoughts by the call, so he went to the window and opened it.  “Y'ALL PROMISED US LESSONS TODAY!” called the filly he knew as Apple Bloom.  Next to her were her companions, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

“Lessons?” asked a nearby mare.

He leaned his head further out the window to see Twilight Sparkle and her dragon assistant Spike walking up the street towards them.  Judging by the amount of paper spilling from her saddlebags, it was time to get more paper so she could make long lists about various things she had to do, like getting more paper for example.

“Uh, yeah!” said Apple Bloom as she tried to make up an excuse, “He all is teaching us about...”

“CLOUDS!” shouted Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle nodded sagely.

Glancing up at the Doctor, she said, “Wow, I thought I was the only one in Ponyville who cared about how clouds were made.  Even Rainbow Dash doesn't care, and she works with them for a living.”  She paused to think before asking, “I know I haven't been around all that long, so forgive me if this sounds strange, but who are?..”

“He all is the Doctor!” offered Apple Bloom.

“But he can't be the Doctor,” replied Twilight, “Ponyville already has...”

“He is a Doctor of Science,” sniffed Sweetie Belle.

“What is Science?”

“An alternate form of magic where he comes from,” offered Scootaloo.

“TWILIGHT!” shrieked a voice from the front door.  The overly dramatic voice could belong to none other than Miss Rarity.  The shriek made Twilight, the fillies, and a few nearby ponies jump.  “THIS! SIMPLY! WILL! NOT! DO!”

Twilight raced to the door as she asked, “What's wrong?!”

“You desperately need one of our new cloaks,” said another voice he recognized as Romana's.

“You almost cause a panic because I NEED A CLOAK?!” She shouted as she looked in disbelief at her friend and fellow unicorn.

“You see,” gloated Rarity, “I already have the magic book worm agreeing with me.”

“Magic book worm?” asked Spike innocently, “You must be confused.  Twillie is obviously a unicorn of considerable magical skill.”

“That's just a saying, Spike,” sighed Twilight.  She then looked at the strange unicorn mare standing behind Rarity, and asked, “and who might you be?”

“I'm Romanadvoratrelundar,” she said quietly, “Rarity's new design partner.”

“Design partner?”

“Oh yes,” gasp Rarity, “She has some simply stunning designs you simply have to see!”

“Actually, it's Romana,” said the Doctor as he made his way past the mares and out the front door.

“DOCTOR!” hissed Romana, “Either call me Romanadvoratrelundar or Fred!”

“Exactly, my dear Romana.”

Romana hissed at the Doctor's back.  He made his way out the door and past Twilight.

“Come on, Doc!” shouted Apple Bloom, “We all is ready to learn us something!”

“Insufferable... *muttermuttergrumblegripe*”

Twilight entered after the Doctor had left.  As the Doctor and the Junior Assistant Time Lords in Training withdrew towards the White Tail Woods, he could hear the violet unicorn gasp, “Oh my, this is stuff fit for Princess Celestia herself!”

“Well we certainly plan to gift some of the clothes to the Princess.  Whatever she likes.”

They could hear the voices trailing off behind them as they headed towards the White Tail Woods and where the Doctor had locked and left the TARDIS.  Since he had already taken the path into Ponyville in the first place, it was foal's play to backtrack.

“So what are we all gonna do, Doc?” asked Apple Bloom.

“I thought it would be nice to take another trip through time,” he replied evenly.

“AWESOME!” shouted Scootaloo.

“But where are we going?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Well since we've already been a thousand years in the past,” he mused, “I thought it might be equally educational to see what things will be like one thousand years from now.”

“Won't that affect the future?”

“It seems unlikely,” he replied, “I'm not even sure Princess Celestia would still be alive in another thousand years.  Besides, we shouldn't be there too long.  But since Romana isn't coming with...”

“She certainly does seem to enjoy doing fashionable things with big sister.”

“Well yes, that did take me just a little by surprise,” admitted the Doctor.

“With their fancy new duds, I'm sure they'll be the hit of the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“I take it that is also something important?”

“Well, it's very very important to Rarity.  She starts talking about it a whole year in advance, and she's been going on about it for several months now.”

“Ah,” he replied, “I see.”

“I think we's close to where y'all left the TARDIS,” observed Apple Bloom.

“I do believe you're right about that,” said the Doctor as he looked about.  “In fact, we should already be seeing it.  Where might it be?”

“Well could someone haul it off?” asked Scootaloo.

“I suppose it's happened before, but why would anyone around here want to move it?”

“Well, dirty Diamond Dogs might have taken it because it looked like it was worth stealing, but I think we're pretty far away from their territory.”

“Territory?”

“Yes, they live around mining areas that are rich with gems.”

“Hey Doc,” said Apple Bloom, who had just wandered aside to a clump of brush.

“Yes Apple Bloom?” he asked back.

“I don't recall seein this here brush before,” she replied, “and it looks like someone tore it out of the ground from somewhere else just to move it over here.”

“Let me take a look at that,” he replied as he went over to it.

“Well the mess of foliage does appear to be larger than the TARDIS,” observed Sweetie Belle.

Using his magic and his horn, the foliage began to float away from the debris until flashes of blue could be seen underneath.

“You're right!” said the Doctor with a smile, “Someone did try to hide it!”  He continued to remove the cover as he observed, “It should take but a moment to clear this all away.”

“Maybe y'all should move this here TARDIS behind Rarity's place, now that y'all know where it is.”

“That's a very astute observation,” he replied.

“Well,” she replied as she scratched the ground with her hoof, “I know I's not as learned as you an all, but...”

“No no,” interrupted the Doctor, “being astute is good.  Very good.”

Apple Bloom smiled.  After a few moments, the TARDIS was nearly cleared, and the door was now fully accessible.

“I wonder who all done this?”

“Since all they did was try and hide the TARDIS,” he answered, “Then worrying about that will come later.  I'm not bringing it back here anyways.”  Unlocking the door, he guided the three fillies in before he entered himself.

The three fillies were once again amazed by the interior of the TARDIS and it's control room.  Each time they saw it, they beheld amazing details that they hadn't seen anywhere else before.  But the Doctor seemed to ignore it all as he positioned himself in front of the controls.  He was getting quite good at moving things with his horn that he didn't even have to be within hoof reach to make any of the controls operate.

“There we go,” he said, “One thousand years in the future.  I'm targeting the ruined castle where Twilight and her friends recovered the Elements of Harmony.  So unless there's an objection?”

“I'ma good ta go,” said Apple Bloom.  The other two nodded in agreement with her.

The central column began to rise and fall as its signature sound told all that they had slipped into the time stream.  It only seemed a moment before it slowed, and then stopped all together.

“Well,” he replied, “Here we are.  Let's open the view port and see what there is to see, shall we?”

“SWEET!” chirped Scootaloo.

They all collectively gasp by what they saw through the view port, as the castle ruins appeared to have been replaced by a shiny new castle made of prismatic crystals.  There was also a drawbridge, and a broad and winding road that seemed to head back in the direction of Ponyville.

“It's beautiful,” gasp Sweetie Belle.

“Y'all is right about that,” agreed Apple Bloom.

“Hey Doc,” said Scootaloo, “Who are those stallions coming out to greet us?  They look like they're wearing crystal armor, and those sure as hay look like spears they're carrying.”

Lowering the view from the view port, they all noticed that a good hundred such armored ponies were streaming out of the castle gates in their direction.  Not only did their armor appear to be made of crystal, but even their hides seemed to shine like crystal.

“Well let's go out and see what they want,” suggested the Doctor, then turning to the others, “You stay in the doorway.  If things get ugly, close the door and don't worry about me.”

“But Doc,” moaned Apple Bloom, “We all just can't...”

“Yes you can,” he replied, “Your safety comes first!  Who knows what Romana and Rarity would do to me if I came back with any of you injured!”

She gulped and nodded as the Doctor went over to the door.  He opened the door to hear one of the guards calling, “INTRUDER!  Step out and state your business with the Princess!”

“I'm not an intruder,” he assured them as he stepped out, “I'm the Doctor!”

“PRINCESS!” shouted all of the guards almost as one, and they all suddenly knelt down in the direction of the TARDIS.

“While I'm really flattered that you think...”

“DOCTOR?!” called a mare's voice from above and behind him.  He spun about to see that a mare was perched on top of the TARDIS who looked somehow oddly familiar.  Perhaps it was the violet coat or perhaps it was just those violet eyes.  It must have been how she appeared larger than he remembered, plus the fact she was now sporting large feathered wings.  She was also wearing a clear crystal crown that seemed to be a diamond of one piece in construction.

“Twilight Sparkle?” he asked curiously.

“KNEEL BEFORE THE PRINCESS!” barked on of the guards.

When a few of the guards moved in closer in an apparent attempt to force the Doctor to kneel, the Princess shouted, “ENOUGH!”

“As the Princess wishes,” replied the guard as the other backed off and knelt again.

“I saw you in Ponyville a thousand years ago!” she exclaimed, “How could you be here now?”

Then the fillies piled out of the TARDIS just behind the Doctor.

“WAIT!” she cried, “Apple Bloom?  Scootaloo?  Sweetie Belle?  How could you be here now too?!  You look like you're all still fillies and blank flanks!”

“Cuz the Doctor is ALL a TIME LORD!” shouted Apple Bloom.

“Time Lord?” she asked as she cocked her head aside, “I thought Time Travel was just a theory.  A spell with huge limitations on it.  I know because I've had to use it a... few times... in the last thousand years or so.”

“Well, it's complicated, but Time Lords bypassed most of the limits on time travel by harnessing the power of a super-massive black hole.  I suppose it must exist in all alternate dimensions and realities, or it seems that the TARDIS would not work here.”

“Super massive black hole?” pondered Twilight.

“I don't know what that all means either,” muttered Apple Bloom.

“Well, you certainly look regal, your majesty,” said the Doctor as she knelt before the Princess.

“Thank you,” she replied, “and you look remarkably spry for someone one thousand years old.”

He giggles as he replies, “Actually, I'm only a few hundred years old.  One of the advantages of being a Time Lord.  If I play me regenerations right, I'm sure I'll be good for several hundred more years.”  Then he looked up at her and added, “Why don't you come down and visit?  Perhaps we can talk about what happened since I last saw you.”

“So I could go back in time and visit myself?” asked Twilight.

“Of course,” he replied, “But it's generally not wise to do so.”

“I see,” she replied as she mused, “I suppose I would be tempted to tell myself about the future in an attempt to prevent future disasters from happening.”

“Yes.  You would.  That would alter the Time Line and possibly bring in a whole new range of messes that would have to be dealt with, and they could well be much worse than the ones you were trying to avoid.  Now if you just wanted to come back and see your old self and your old friends, well then there should be no problem with that at all.”

“Now why would we all wanna go and do somethin like that?” asked another voice as she stepped around from behind the TARDIS.

“PRINCESS!” said the Guards as they knelt again.

“I keeps tellin ya that y'all don't has ta do that fer me!” she growled at the Guards.

Apple Bloom rushed over to the orange coated alicorn and said, “Big sister?!”  Like Princess Twilight, she was a shiny crystalline hide and a crown made of an orange crystal.  Even her trademark hat looked like it was made of a tan crystalline structure.

“Sugar cube?!” she replied as she laid her neck down over Apple Bloom's, “What you all doin here and still be a filly?!”

“The Doctor done brought us here!” she said as she hugged her big sister back.

“Sweetie Belle!” snapped another alicorn as she came about from the other side of the TARDIS, “You better have a very good reason why you're here when...”  They could plainly see her white hide and her dark violet mane and her violet eyes.  That and the fact she wore the most over the top gem encrusted cloak that any of them had ever seen before.  She paused to sniff.  “When...”  The alicorn known as Rarity couldn't seem to continue what she wanted to say.

“Since you all grew old and died more than 900 years ago,” finished Twilight.

The fillies gasp in surprise.

“Funny,” mused the Doctor, “I thought showing them a thousand years in the future would make sure we wouldn't see anyone we knew.  So how are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna doing?”

“They became one with the Universe when they had to stop the final betrayal of Discord,” sighed Twilight softly, “They left the rule of the Kingdom to the Mane Six.  All of the others were elevated to alicorn status as their last official act as Princesses of Equestria.”

“Discord?”

“I see,” she replied, “Then I guess you really were not around since the last time I saw you.”

“Well, I'm sure we'll deal with this Discord once we meet him.”

“But he has godlike powers,” warned Twilight.

“Yeah, well we all dealt with that Nightmare Moon too,” smirked Apple Bloom.

“What?” asked another voice overhead.  They all looked up to see the alicorn Princess Rainbow Dash hovering over the TARDIS.

“DASHIE?!” cried Scootaloo as she looked up.

“Is that you, Scoots?!” she called back as she landed near her and hugged her with both forelegs, “I've missed you so much over these hundreds of years!”

“You missed me?” she asked back in confusion, “I didn't even know that you knew I existed.”

“But...” she replied.

“You better keep the details to yourself,” interrupted the Doctor, “We don't want to alter the future by telling Scootaloo things she shouldn't know about yet.”

“Oh,.. I guess so.”

Sweetie Belle looked about and asked, “I wonder where...”

About then, the whole area was creamed by several tons of lemon cream, meringue and graham cracker crust.  No one even heard anything coming towards them.  As the mess settled, they soon noticed that a violet bubble was protecting Twilight, but no one else.

“PINKIE PIE!” shrieked Princess Twilight from inside her bubble.

“Well that was different,” said the Doctor as he spat lemon cream out from his mouth and nose.

“I all swears that Pinkie Pie's gonna become jus like Discord if'n no one reins her in,” snorted Princess Applejack under her breath.

The three fillies were trying to shake all the sweet sticky goo from their hides along with everyone else that was present.  The sound of distant laughter slowly drifted to their ears, and soon some could must make out Princess Pinkie Pie rolling around on the ground from one of the corners of the crystalline castle where no one had seen her but a moment earlier.

“Okay, Princess Pinkamena Diane Pie!” snapped Twilight, “I think the joke is over!  You should clean up after yourself now!”

Pinkie came over rubbing the tears from her eyes as she slowly stopped laughing.  Rainbow Dash tackled her half way over so that they were both soon covered with the contents of the pie that they had hit them with.

“Taste the fruits of your labor!” she said with a sly grin as she kissed Pinkie Pie full on her lips.  The others looked for things more interesting to look at while the two of them carried on with their deep and passionate kiss.  Dash had pushed Pinkie over onto her back as they kissed so that she was very much on top of, and apparently in charge of, Pinkie Pie.

“Dashie,” said Applejack as she shuffled her hooves, “Should y'all be doin tha in front of the fillies?”

There seemed to be no response from either Rainbow or Pinkie.  The Doctor looked up as he mused, “Is that a flight of Dragons passing over head?”

They all glanced up (besides Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie), and Twilight announced, “Oh, that's the flight of Royal Crystal Dragons.  I'm sure Princess Fluttershy is training them in the art of flying as we speak.”  The last part seemed to be spoken with particular pride in her voice.

“Fluttershy is trainin Dragons?” asked Apple Bloom, “That all must be awesome!”

“Oh yes,” replied Twilight, “I took her a few hundred years to stop being afraid of any dragon larger than Spike, but now she's completely unafraid of them.”  She looked about at the way Rainbow and Pinkie were still carrying on, and shouted, “ANY TIME NOW, PINKIE PIE!”

Pinkie magically appeared next to Twilight.  “Okie dokie loki!” she called as all of the mess just magically disappeared from everyone and every place all around them.  Dash regained her feet and just calmly walked after Pinkie.

“Even I can't teach those dragons to fly any better,” mused Dash as she walked closer, “After all, those Dragons just aren't built for Sonic Rainbooms.  They certainly can't do the TRIPLE RAINBOOM like I can... oh wait, like NO ONE ELSE CAN!”

“And y'all ain't gonna let none of us ever forget that, will ya?”

“Of course not,” she smirked.

“Otherwise I'd have to remind her that she's still the only Princess who can't teleport anywhere in the world on a whim,” said Princess Twilight with her own smirk.

“Flying is so much cooler,” sniffed Princess Rainbow, “If I need to be teleported somewhere, I'm sure my sweet Pinkie Pie can handle that for me.”

“YEAH!” agreed Pinkie Pie.

“Well give our regards to Fluttershy,” said the Doctor, “I believe it's time to get my junior assistants back home.”

“I better scold you when you get home, Sweetie Belle,” added Rarity.

“You can't scold me for what you don't know,” she replied.

“Ah!  How could you be so smug?!”

“I take after you,” she smirked back.

“Well let's get back before someone does get punished,” mused the Doctor.  Dash and Pinkie got between Rarity and the others as they clambered back into the TARDIS.

“One way or another, you'll learn your lesson!” snarled Rarity as her diamond studded fainting couch appeared before her.  Neither bothered to stop her from 'fainting' onto the couch in her usual dramatic and overblown fashion.

The Doctor closed the door behind him, and then went to the controls.  After making the setting with his magic, he tripped the controls and the central column began to rise and fall.  Suddenly, a five-sided crystal light up on the TARDIS controls.

“Oh no,” said the Doctor.

“What it is?” asked Apple Bloom.

“We're being recalled to Gallifrey,” he grumbled, “I wonder what they want now?”

[to be continued]

Chapter Two

Doctor Whooves: The Sentaurans

Chapter 2: The Mare President of the Time Lords

by Neorenamon

This story takes place after the events of Doctor Whooves, the Re-Imagination.  I give credit to both Doctor Who and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic for the characters and the rights to the same.

…

The Doctor waited as the TARDIS was diverted to Gallifrey.  He was a bit annoyed because he did not like it when the Recall Circuit was used against him.

“Doctor?” asked Apple Bloom, “Y'all ain't in trouble, is ya?”

“Well I suppose I'll find out in a matter of moments,” he replied evenly.

The TARDIS cycled to a stop, and then the Doctor began to walk towards the door.

“What about us?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Just stay here,” said the Doctor, “I'm sure that they can't punish you for being with me.”

He opened the door to notice that they were in fact surrounded by guards.  It also looked like they were in a place that looked like Gallifrey, more or less.

“PLEASE STEP OUT OF THE TARDIS!” commanded one of the guards.

“Is there a reason you forced me to come here?”

“THIS IS AN UNREGISTERED TARDIS OF THE TYPE 40 VARIETY!”

“I guess that hasn't changed.”

“AND YOU ARE AN UNREGISTERED TIME LORD!”

“Unregistered Time Lord?”

“THAT IS CORRECT!”

“Must you yell so much?”

“YES!”

Another guard came up from the back and whispered something to the guard.  While he couldn't make it all out, he could hear him say “She's coming.”

“ATTEN-HUT!”

All of the Guards snapped to attention as a stunning unicorn mare came in.  She was wearing about the most regal white outfit with gold trim he had even seen (except maybe one time).  It included a long flowing cloak and a rather ornate skull cap.  From under the cap spilled her sandy brown mane.  Then there was the golden sash she was wearing, and the black staff that was floating just by her shoulder.  They could also see her sandy brown eyes.  Walking up boldly to the Doctor (and ignoring the looks of the guards to stay back), she asked him, “Do you know who I am?”

“Judging by the fact you wear the Sash of Rassilon and bear the Staff of Rassilon, you must be the Lady President of the Time Lords.”

“Lady?”

“Uh... Mare President?”

“That's better.  My full name is Mare Romanadvoratrelundar, President of the Supreme Council of Gallifrey and All Her Dominions, Holder of the Wisdom of Rassilon, Preserver of the Matrix, Guardian of the Legacy of Omega.”

The Doctor stared slack jawed.

“Is something wrong?” she asked as she cocked her head.

“But we all left Romanadvoratrelundar back in Ponyville!” said Apple Bloom from inside the TARDIS.

“Who is that?”

“We all is the Doctor's Assistant Time Lord Companions in Training!”

“The what?  Why don't they come out here so we can speak more properly.”

“You aren't going to arrest them, are you?” asked the Doctor warily.

“Of course not,” she replied.

Apple Bloom. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all filed out of the TARDIS.

“Aren't they a little young for Time Travel?” she asked.

“Why yes,” he replied, “Yes they are.”

“We all can handle ourselves!” said Apple Bloom.

“And still blank flanks?” asked the Mare President.

“Aww, she had to go there,” moaned Sweetie Bell, “They even have those here.”

Although under all the armor and robes, none of the cutie marks on the Gallifreyan Guards could be seen nor on the Mare President.

“You haven't told us your name,” interrupted the Mare President.

“Sorry Romana,” he replied, “I'm used to you already knowing who I am.  I am...”

“He all is the Doctor!” offered Apple Bloom.

“The Doctor?” mused the Mare President, “Funny.  I've never heard of you before.”

“I am apparently from an alternate time line or alternate dimension.  This form is not what I looked like before I came here.”

“Really?” she asked, “If a guard loans you one of his data pads, could you show us what you looked like before?”

“Is it mentally interfaceable?” he asked.

“Of course.”

The pad floated over to the Doctor as his horn glowed, and after a few seconds, an image of his previous humanoid form began to appear, complete with the same scarf and the other details of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor.

“What is that?!” gasp the Mare President.

“Well, that is what we call a Humanoid Form.”

“Are they laying on their stomach?”

“No, he's standing on two legs,” he replied calmly.

“Really, and what are those things at the end of the forelegs?”

“They're called hands.”

“Amazing.  They can use those things?”

“They can use them rather well, especially since they can't move things with magic.”

“Can't move things with magic?  And yet they call themselves Time Lords?”

“They have advanced Science that works in the place of Magic.  Where I come from, magic is all but non-existent.”

“Amazing.”

“So you can register me and let me get on my way then?”

“Well, it's kind of awkward to ask, since I'm not exactly sure if you'll treat me as your Mare President, but there is one little thing I'd like you to do for the Council and Gallifrey before we can register you and your TARDIS.”

“What might that be?”

“There's this Renegade Time Lord who calls himself the Master...”

“The MASTER?!” gasp Apple Bloom, “Ain't he all your mortal enemy and stuff?!”

“I guess some things don't change,” he sighed, “but please continue Mare President.”

“We believe he has aligned himself with the beings known as the Sentaurans, and that he may be using them to invade a peaceful place called Equestria.”

“Let me guess,” said the Doctor, “A race of warrior ponies all cloned from one egomaniac?”

“That's right.”

“Yes, some things just don't change...” sighed the Doctor, “except that Sontarans are humanoid where I come from.”

“Since you nor your TARDIS are registered yet, the Master won't know anything about you.  That is a fact that we can use that to our advantage.”

“So you want me to approach him, claim I'm on the run from Gallifreyan security, and that I want to team up with him in whatever nefarious plot he's up to?”

“Yes, that's basically the plan.  Will you help us.”

“I'll need a gift from Gallifrey to prove I'm serious.  Something he thinks holds great value to you.  He would never trust me if I show up empty handed.”

“A valid point,” she agreed, “but I think we can give you something that will satisfy that need.”  The Staff of Rassilon floated over to the Doctor, leaving even him slack jawed.  “Oh don't worry,” she said slyly, “This is a very good fake.  I use it for all my appearances.  So far, no one has detected the fake since I switch it for the real one whenever official functions are needed.”

“Well,” said the Doctor with a smile, “I'm glad that the Time Lord Presidency is in hooves as good and competent as yours.”

“That's very kind of you to say, Doctor,” she replied with a smile.

“You seem more agreeable and personable than the Romana I know,” he noted.

“They say I was a lot blunter and more pushy in my previous incarnation.”

“I see.  I don't suppose your mane and eyes were darker brown, were they?”

“Why yes,” replied the Mare President, “How did you know that?”

“Oh, just a lucky guess,” he replied off hand.

The three fillies just grinned and kept to themselves.

She looked on, oblivious to the reference, and floated out another data pad before him.  “Now this should have all of the relevant information about the Master and the Sentaurans.”

“But that's classified,” objected the guard.

“If you want this Doctor to trust us, then we need to trust him as well.”

“How astute,” replied the Doctor.

“You are just full of complements, aren't you?”

“Only paying my respects,” he smirked.

“Of course,” she replied with a smile.

“Of course.”

The Doctor knelt before the Mare President, causing all of the guards to do the same.

“If this turns out well,” she said softly, “perhaps I shall see you again.”

“It would be a great pleasure to do so,” he replied, “But now I need to be on my way.”

“Gallifrey shall issue a notice to all TARDIS and vessels of Gallifrey that the Doctor is wanted for questioning in the disappearance of the Staff of Rassilon as well as an attack on the guards of the Time Court.  It shall be for your return to the Time Court alive, of course, and with a considerable reward attached to it.  When the Master sees this notice, he will surely believe you're a wanted criminal and put him in the mind to help you, especially with giving him the Rod as 'payment' for his assistance.  He may even be more cooperative if you say you used...”

“The secret passage into the President's Chamber?”

“How do you know...” she began, “Oh, I suppose that's not important.  It might not be exactly the same as the one in your reality, especially if you need those... hands to operate it.”

“I shall be careful about contact with other Time Lords until this matter with the Master is settled.”

She turned to leave, showing several feet of train from her cloak as she regally walked away.  The Doctor turned and went back into the TARDIS as he began to review the data pad that we had been given from the Mare President.  His Assistants in Training filed in behind him.

“Hmm,” mused the Doctor, “This is... odd.”

“What's that?” asked Scootaloo.

“According to these notes and files, the Master and the Sentaurans would be invading about the same time we left Ponyville, but in a place called Germaneigh.”

“That's pretty far away from Ponyville,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Princess Celestia doesn't even rule there,” added Apple Bloom.

The other two looked at her oddly.

“What?  Y'all don't think I sleep through all'a Miss Cheerilee's history lessons, does ya?”

“I suppose that wouldn't be possible,” replied Scootaloo.

“Now come over here,” said the Doctor, “I want to show you which controls set the Time-Space Coordinates.  Those tell the TARDIS just what place I want to go in space and time.  Now since I've input the Time-Space Coordinate Data from this pad into the TARDIS Control System, I should be able to navigate anywhere in the world... like Marelin over in Germaneigh.”  He could tell by their wide-eyed stares that they were suitably impressed.  They stood on their back legs and watched over the edge of the console as the Doctor carefully showed them the proper controls and how to set them.  For the moment, the actual Time-Space Coordinates were too complicated for them to understand.  “Now that those are set, we are ready to go.”  He looked at his assistants and asked, “So what did you think of Gallifrey?”

“She shore is pretty,” said Apple Bloom.

“Pardon?”

“The Mare President,” she replied.

“Well I suppose so,” he answered, “But that's not what I...”

“Y'all think they has earth ponies and Pegasi on Gallifrey too?”

“You know...” he replied slowly, “I have no idea...  It seemed to me if there was such beings, then either Romana or I would have been reborn or reincarnated as something other than unicorns.  It seems are horns are longer than those of Equestrian unicorns, but not longer than that of Princess Celestia.  But I thought that was because her horn has been growing from more than one thousand years.”

“I suppose that all makes sense,” she replied.

“But I was talking about the scenery in Gallifrey.”

“That was some seriously great stuff!” said Scootaloo, “Like some really big palace!”

“Well, where I come from, the Citadel is both a massive city and the Palace of the Time Lords.  It seems to be the same situation here.”

“Ya know,” said Apple Bloom, “Granny Smith said that Apple Strudel came from Germaneigh.  I hope he's gonna be alright.”

“Perchance we could look him up?” suggested the Doctor.

“Well, I don't know his address or anything.”

“It shouldn't be too hard to find,” he replied, “There must be some sort of address book we can find him in once we get there.”

“I suppose you're all right about that,” she replied.

“So here we go,” he said, “You might want to get off the console before I trigger the TARDIS time travel system.”

The three fillies got back on the floor and all four legs before the Doctor took the TARDIS into the stream of time.  The central column began to rise and fall as it did so, continued for a few minutes, and began to slow as they approached their destination.

“I've landed us in the countryside around Marelin,” he said, “Out in a field, we shouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves before we need to.”

“Okie dokie loki,” said a voice behind them.

They all turned to see the future Princess Pinkie Pie and the Princess Rainbow Dash standing behind them where he was sure they weren't just a moment earlier.  Pinkie was the one who spoke just then.

“How did y'all get in here?!” asked Apple Bloom.

“Oh, Pinkie sneaked us in here before you left,” smirked Dash, “One of her specialty spells is a Mass Invisibility Effect.  It makes surprise parties so much easier.”

“That doesn't explain why you're in the TARDIS, where you are not supposed to be.”

“The world was boring,” she replied, “So Pinkie and I decided to use your time ship to go back to the past and see how things were.”

“And that Gallifrey place was amazing!” added Pinkie, “I'd love to throw a party there!”

“Well I suppose we don't have the luxury of sending them back,” replied the Doctor, “The more we come and go, the more the Master has a chance to detect us and lock onto the TARDIS' time signal.”  Then he looked sharply at Dash and Pinkie, and said, “But you must be careful about altering the past, because changing something here may well alter your own future, and you might come back to some future you don't want to think about.”

“Oh, we'll be good,” said Dash with a smirk.

“Can you disguise yourselves?  It wouldn't look right for mysterious alicorn Princesses to just show up in Germaneigh.”

“OF COURSE!” shouted Pinkie, “What kind of party animal would I be without costumes?!”

“Of course,” replied the Doctor with a hint of sarcasm, “but you shouldn't look like you did 1000 years earlier either.”

“Why not?” asked Scootaloo.

“Then rumors of them being in two places at once might begin,” warned the Doctor, “and that could be as confusing as mysterious alicorn Princesses.”

“That makes sense,” said Sweetie Belle.

“I have this feeling that things will be... interesting.”

[to be continued]

Chapter Three

Doctor Whooves: The Sentaurans

Chapter 3: The Clone Pony Army

by Neorenamon

This story takes place after the events of Doctor Whooves, the Re-Imagination.  I give credit to both Doctor Who and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic for the characters and the rights to the same.

…

“So how are those... costumes coming?” asked the Doctor as he and the fillies waited for the future Princesses behind their privacy screen that Pinkie Pie had produced magically from nowhere.

“Almost ready!” replied Pinkie Pie.

“I guess magic doesn't make everything faster,” said Sweetie Belle.

A Pegasus mare stepped out from behind the screen.  She had a pink hide, a blue mane and tail, and her cutie mark was a pair of blue lightning bolts.  Her eyes were brown.

“Is that you, Pinkie?” asked Scootaloo.

“Pinkie with lightning bolts?” she replied sounding somewhat like Rainbow Dash, “Aw heck no.  That's just what Pinkie thought would be cool.  It's me, your Dashie of course.  I'm always fast no matter what I might look like.”

“Well please refrain from any Triple Rainbooms,” said the Doctor, “or other feats that are supposed to be Impossible at this time.”

“Aw Doc,” she moaned, “You're no fun.”

“But you will show me when we get back to the future, won't you?” begged Scootaloo.

“For my number one fan,” she giggled, “how can I say 'no'?”

“Well,” mused the Doctor, “I'm sure that will do.  What have you got, Pinkie Pie?”

She came out looking like Discord.

“No, that won't do.  Not at all.  Try again.”

She went back and came out dressed like a viking.

“No, that won't do.  It's not period.  That's more likely to cause a panic.  Try again.”

She went back and came out dressed like the jack from a deck of cards.

“No, that won't do.  They don't dress like playing cards any more... Besides, having a head at each end of you is really creeping me out.  NO ONE will take that as normal.  Try again.”

“We're creeped out too,” said Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle as one.

She went back and came out dressed like the world's most glitzy clown.

“No, that won't do.  I'd expect that from Rarity or Romana, but that's going to stick out like a sore thu... hoof no matter where we go.  Try again.”

She went back and came out dressed like old Pinkie Pie wearing 10 different musical instruments, some of which the Doctor could not even identify.

“No!” he replied, “That's exactly what people would expect from Pinkie Pie.  Try again.”

She went back and came out as a white unicorn mares with a two-tone mane of  blueish-green and red.  Her cutie mark was a cluster of five purple maple leaves.  Her eyes were blue.

“Hmm,” mused the Doctor, “What's this?”

“I'm calling myself Gusty,” she chirped, “so I can be an airhead along with my Rainbow... uh, Firefly!”

“I guess that all works,” said Sweetie Belle as she looked at the two of them.

“Just remember to try and use those powers and abilities that are consistent with your apparent forms,” warned the Doctor, “and we can minimize suspicions.”

“Oki doki doc!” chirped Pinkie/Gusty.

“And while it most likely won't matter, be sure to avoid any unnecessary contact with your past selves.”

“Sure thing, Doc,” said Dash/Firefly.

“Now let's go out and look for something suspicious.  While the Sentaurans should stand out like a sore hoof, the Master will not be so easy to track down.  He's obviously bypassed his own recall circuit, or Gallifreyan Security would surely have dealt with him by now.”

“That all makes sense,” mused Apple Bloom.

“And I need my Assistants in Training to stay close to me,” he mused, “In fact, you should all stay close as long as you're out of your time.”

They all nodded.  The Doctor opened the TARDIS door as they filed out.

…

“What do you think?” asked Rarity of Romana as she looked at the jewel studded cloak they were working on.

“It needs more of those lavender sapphire gems,” she replied as her horn glowed and a needle and thread floated over towards the piece.

“That's just what I was thinking!” replied the tailor unicorn, “You're getting much better at controlling things with your magic!”

“Oh thank you,” she replied, “The Doctor isn't the only gifted one, you know.”

“Obviously.  I'm sure our new line will be all the talk of the Galloping Grand Gala.”

“I never really though that working with fashion would make me so... happy.”

There was a knock at the front door, to which Rarity replied, “I shall get that.  You keep focused on your work, all right?”

She nodded as Miss Rarity went to the front door.  Opening the door, she looked into the gray eyes of a gray earth pony.  He looked like a middle aged stallion with a well trimmed beard and mustache.  His black mane and tail were streaked with white.  He wore a darker gray suit coat, and his cutie mark appeared to be a gold pocket watch with a white face, black hands, and no chain.  His tail was trimmed fairly short and even while his mane was swept back behind his head.

“Well hello,” said Rarity, “How can I help you today?”

“I need some suits tailored,” he said.

“Oh, I'd like to help, but we're really quite busy...”

“Oh, this is not a rush job,” he replied smoothly, “But I would like you to do this work no matter how much time it takes.  Excellence takes time, after all.  I pay plenty well for quality.”

“In that case, please come in...” she said, “What's your name?”

“Oh, call me the Watchmaster,” he answered smoothly.

“Oh,” she replied, “I take it you're a watch maker?”

“One of the best, my dear,” he replied, “That's why I can afford to wait for quality like yours.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she giggled as she let him in.

He glanced at the Gallifreyan designs littering the shop, and said, “Oh, this is all excellent work!  I'm sure I'll be completely satisfied with your work.”  He walked in further to see Romana working, and asked, “and who might that mare be?”

“She's my design partner,” she replied, “and her name is Romanadvoratrelundar.”

“My, that's a fascinating name.  If she's your partner, then perhaps I should make my proposal to both of you at the same time.”

“Very well,” she answered, “Oh Romanadvoratrelundar?  There's a gentlestallion here who wants to set up a long term job.  Could you take a little break so we both might hear his proposal?”

“Alright,” she replied as she set down the needle and thread.  Then she wandered over to stand by her side as she looked at the new stallion.

“But first,” he said smoothly as he drew a silver sphere from his vest, “A little gift to show how much I appreciate taking time out to speak to me.”

“You don't really need to...” began Romana.

“What is that?” asked Rarity.

He tossed the sphere to the floor at their feet, and a cloud of gas erupted from it.

“Gas!” gasp Romana as they both breathed in the strange smoke.

“How could you...” objected Rarity as the two mare collapsed in a heap on the floor.

“Hah,” laughed the Master, “It's lucky I took the antidote for the sleep gas before I came in here.”  He walked over to Romana as said as he looked her over, “It certainly looks like the previous incarnation of the Mare President.”  He walked over to the door, and called to four stallions dressed in overalls.  As they came over, he said, “Take our... guests back to my TARDIS.”

“The mighty Sentaurans should not do grunt labor,” snarled one.

“Oh please,” hissed the Master, “You're all nameless rejects that are only fit for manual labor.  None of you are fit to be warriors.  Now shut up and do as I say.”

They all grumbled as they walked into the shop.

“Tie those mares up tightly, and muzzle them.  I don't want a peep from either.  Wrap those two up in the rugs over there.”

He watched as the grunts obeyed him.

“So if she's here,” he mused, “Then the one called the Doctor must be real as well.  It's good that I still have a few well paid informants in Gallifrey.”

…

The Doctor's group stumbled across a labor camp as they approached the outskirts of Marelin.  It seemed odd that they were all stallions of the same size and shape, and only a few of them were doing any work while the other walked about carrying things wrapped in cloth that suspiciously looked like rifles to the trained eye of the Doctor.

“Hmm,” he said, “The disguises are crude, but good enough to pass a casual look.  I suspect that these are our Sentaurans, all right.  We should be very cautious.  They appear to be heavily...”

Everyone (except maybe Firefly) stopped to facehoof themselves as Gusty had already bounced over to greet them.

“I told her she shouldn't go around bouncing like... oh never mind.”

“They don't seem to mind,” said Apple Bloom, “I wonder what they all might be talkin about?”

“We should hang back a moment before we... oh never mind,” said the Doctor as he realized that Firefly was already flying over to be at her apparent love's side.  They were too far away to hear what they were saying clearly, even for the Doctor.

“We can have a WAR PARTY!” shouted Gusty as she jumped up and down, and a burst of confetti just seemed to shoot from her mane in all the colors the Doctor could think of.

“War?” he asked, “Party?”

“Yep,” said Apple Bloom, “That all sounds like Pinkie Pie to me!”

“They seem to like the idea as well,” said Scootaloo.

“I suppose that's one way to keep them distracted,” mused the Doctor, “but unless the Master just happens to have the same build as a Sentauran, I don't see him around here anywhere.”  He paused to consider, “Well, there must be more groups of Sentauran Warriors around here.  He must be in one of those groups, and I'm sure that there must be some sort of device so all groups can remain in touch with each other.”  He glanced at the fillies, and said, “We need to go down to the party, find one of those communications devices, and slip away with it.  If any of you are spotted, just drop the device and run away.  Your safety comes first.  It always comes first.”

“Okay Doc,” said Scootaloo, “I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle.”

“Do you think our cutie marks could be hourglasses?  Or maybe a TARDIS like the Doctor's?” asked Sweetie Belle with a sense of excitement.

“That would be all kinds a cool,” replied Apple Bloom, “but how would we explain what all a TARDIS is to the other colts in our class?”

“We can worry about that bridge when we get there.”

“A bridge?” she asked, “Why should we have to cross a bridge?”

“I believe that the Doctor is using an expression,” said Sweetie Belle sagely.

“Precisely,” agreed the Doctor.

…

Romana awoke in a strange place, yet it seemed oddly familiar.  She was hogtied and muzzled, and she was laying on a bench-like bed.  Across from her was Rarity, secured in a similar fashion.  It all felt very unfashionable to her.  There was some sort of weird device covering her horn from tip to base.  When she tried to use her magic to remove the gag from Rarity, she got a headache instead.  The look she took for pleading from Rarity was more likely a warning not to try her powers.

“Bad idea,” said the stallion from before as he stalked back into the room they were in, “The disruptors I placed over your horns will make sure that neither of you can use your magic.  Rarity found that out the hard way as well.”

She glared at him as he walked over, and he said, “Oh, and I'm not the stallion I said I was.  Or at least that's not who I am most of the time.”  He grinned evily as he added, “Most people just know me as... The Master!”

Romana realized that they were both in great danger.  She realized from the pattern on the wall that they were being held prisoner in a Type 45 TARDIS, which was significantly more advanced than the Doctor's Type 40.  She knew that back in their other reality, it was the same model of TARDIS that the Master they knew used as well.  Each type of TARDIS had some design features or patterns so that the discriminating eye could tell what model of TARDIS they happened to be in.

“But don't worry your pretty little heads,” he said as he stared at them with an evil gleam in his eye, “I'm not planning to kill you... right away.  In fact, I need you both as bait for the one called Doctor.  I hope this foal is a worthy challenge for the intellectual prowess of the Master.”

'Oh he is,' thought Romana hotly, 'He is.'

[to be continued]

Chapter Four

Doctor Whooves: The Sentaurans

Chapter 4: The War Party!

by Neorenamon

This story takes place after the events of Doctor Whooves, the Re-Imagination.  I give credit to both Doctor Who and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic for the characters and the rights to the same.

…

The Doctor and his Assistants in Training moved from one fake work camp to the next in search of the Master, but all they found were groups of stallions who all were of the same size, shape and mass.  They were all carrying energy weapons wrapped in cloth.  He suspected that there was more weapons and suits of body armor hidden in crates scattered about the various camp.

“Hey Doc,” asked Apple Bloom, “How y'all gonna find tha Master if he looks like one of them there... Zen... Scent... Seen...”

“Sentaurans?” offered the Doctor.

“Yeah, one of them.”

“Because if the Master is in fact a Time Lord,” mused the Doctor, “He's not going to act like one of the Sentaurans.  The people of Gallifrey are... proud... somewhat arrogant.  The Sentaurans are born as clones of a professional soldier, and they all inspire to act like one.  I can tell that they resent even having to pretend to be performing manual labor.”

“Oh, I see,” she replied, “and what about that do-hickey we all is lookin fer?”

“I'm looking for some tent or temporary building that appears to be more important than the others.  That would be an officer's accommodations, and that's where we'll find our communications device.”

“I would be a heck of a lot more useful if I could fly,” sighed Scootaloo.

“Well, your wings seem to work even if they aren't strong enough to fly,” he mused as he looked her over, “Perhaps I can make something to help you once I have some time to use the TARDIS workshop and its tools.”

“What can you do to help?” she asked as she looked up into his eyes, “You can't fly.”

“Ah yes,” he replied, “But there is some Science... things available that just might.”

She brightened up as she chirped, “If you could do that for me, I'd be FOREVER GRATEFUL!”

“I promise I'll do everything I can to help.”

“Hey Doc,” interrupted Apple Bloom as she tapped him on the shoulder, “That tent over there looks kinda important.”  She pointed with her other front hoof.

“Hmm,” observed the Doctor as he looked where she was pointing, “I think you're right about that.  Especially since there appears to be two Sentaurans standing watch outside the entrance flap.”

“I got this,” said Sweetie Belle as she walked forward.

“Be careful.  I promised to protect you.”

“Will she be safe?” as Scootaloo.

“Well, one advantage is if these beings are like the Sontarans I know, then they are all cloned.  They don't have an idea of what fillies are supposed to be, so they treat them like defective clones.  I hope they see her as being harmless.”

The unicorn filly approached the ponies by the tent, spoke to them quietly, and they suddenly ran off.  They went up to the other Sentaurans, talked to them, and they all began emptying the camp as they poured out onto the road passing the camp.  Once they were out of sight, the Doctor and the others came up to the tent.

“What ever did you tell them?” he asked.

“Oh, I just told them that the Master ordered them to get everyone in this camp over to Gusty's War Party,” she replied with a grin.

“Clever filly,” said the Doctor with a broad grin.

“Oh, I figured I had to get something from being around Rarity as much as I have.”

“Now let's slip into that tent and see what we can find.  There's no idea how long it will take before they discover that they've been tricked and come running back here.”

So the four of them slipped into the tent.  It definitely looked more like a military command center than a tent for somepony just supervising laborers.  There was a large wooden desk in the back, and a picnic  table sized table in the middle covered with papers of various types.  The Doctor looked over the table and noticed a map of Marelin.  It was marked up with symbols he almost magically knew were Sentauran notations for various types of military units and arrows that showed paths of invasion.  It was fortunate that the Time Lords had an affinity for almost all known languages.

“This is it,” he said, “Proof that the Sentaurans are planning to take over Marelin by military force.  We need to alert the Marelin Authorities as soon as possible.  Judging by the intricacies of the planning, the Master must have had some hoof in it.”  Pausing, he looked around and added, “But first we need to find a communications device, or we can't monitor their communications and keep track of their plans.”

The three fillies began to look around, searching through drawers and boxes.  As they searched the obvious places, the Doctor searched the less obvious ones (such as the garbage can under the desk where no Sentauran would stoop to empty it, or under the hollow base of the table lamp).

“Hey Doc,” said Apple Bloom as she looked in a drawer, “This thingie here looks kinda familiar.”

The Doctor came over, looked, and replied, “You're right.  It's a slightly different model of my own sonic screwdriver.  I better hang on to this.”  He placed the device from the drawer into his pocket.

“So this all proves that the Master was here?”

“While not 100% proof,” he replied, “It certainly does make it quite a convincing argument for that point of view.”

“And that all means?”

“It means you're right unless something peculiar is going on.”

“Oh...”

“Hey Doc!” shouted Scootaloo from under the desk, “There's something that looks funny in this garbage can!  It sure doesn't look like it's broke or anything!”

“Not so loud,” he replied, “There may be someone outside.  Even the Master might return here at any time.  Your voices would surely tip him off that something's amiss.”

“Sorry Doc,” she replied more quietly.

“It's all right.  I just want to play it safe with you three until you've been trained to handle more dangerous situations that this.”

…

“Gusty?” whispered Firefly (Rainbow Dash) in her ear, “Don't you think the Party Cannon is just a little too much?”

“There can never be enough party favors,” replied Gusty (Pinkie Pie) back.  She waved her hoof about at the three dozen or so Sentauran “workers” and added, “Don't they look like they're having the time of their lives?!”

There was tables set up everywhere with bowls of fruit punch, ladles and cups all about, along with trays full of nuts, candied fruits, sweet breads and cake.  Around the edges of the area was a few of Pinkie's special party cannons that spit up gouts of multicolored streamers and small random gifts at various times.  Even the Sentaurans soon realized that the harmless paper and lightweight presents were no threat to them.  The more they ate and drank, the more they began to act oddly.

“You didn't spike that punch,” asked Firefly suspiciously, “Did you, cupcake?”

“Oh, why would you say something like that?” she asked back innocently.

“Because you've done that at your own parties at least once every year for more than 950 years.  Have you forgotten what happened the first time I got totally plastered at one of your parties?”  She said the last part as she waggled her eyebrows at Gusty.

“Are you saying I'm in a rut?”

“Maybe...” she said smoothly, “But perhaps I should remind you about that first time we...”  The sentence was never completed as by the time she was that close to Gusty, she had already embraced her about her neck and gave her a hot kiss on the lips.

A few of the Sentaurans saw this, and in there less than sober state, assumed it was a party game that they were supposed to play as well.  So they grabbed on of the other clones and kissed them on the lips in the same way Firefly had with Gusty.  While some tried to reject the advance, many of them were quite willing to go along with it.

Firefly and Gusty were dimly aware that the number of Sentaurans at the party continued to grow.  It seemed that word of the party was spreading by messenger or other traffic between the camps even as the party continued.  And it wasn't even noon at the time.

…

Romana was amazed how much she missed her new powers even though she was just learning how to control them.  It would have been much easier to escape the restraints that the Master had used on her.  Even the ball gag was enough to stop her from conversing in any way with the other prisoner, Miss Rarity.  But she just could not ignore the pain and confusion she was feeling because of the Master's disruptor he had placed over her horn.

“Perhaps it's time to call my field commander and see how things are going,” he mused as he stepped out of the room.

Romana knew by the nature of the TARDIS that the Master could arrange its rooms on a whim, so he most likely had the Control Room right next to this one.  It was close enough that she could overhear the conversation.

“Commander Stall,” he announced, “Come in Commander Stall.”  He waited a few seconds and said again, “Come in Commander Stall.”

“This is the glorious Commander Stall,” came the reply, “Speak.”

“How goes the invasion plans?”

“Everything is going according to plan and schedule.”

“It wouldn't hurt to get ahead of the schedule for once,” grumbled the Master.  In between his words, they could hear some sort of muffled noise coming from the background.  The voices were fairly high pitched, as if from a mare or colt.

“It is not our way to change schedules.  They are made that way for a reason.”

“Very well.  I have reason to believe a foreigner may try to infiltrate your camp, so keep an eye out for them.  He may call himself 'the Doctor'.  I shall not tolerate failure.  While you prepare the main attack, I shall continue working on the contingency plan from my TARDIS.  Master out.”

He returned to the room as he gloated, “It seems this Doctor is not as nearly as clever as I.”

'And that's where you're wrong,' thought Romana.

…

“It's lucky you all convinced the Master that you all was that Commander Stall character,” giggled Apple Bloom.

“It isn't difficult to impersonate a voice from a race of clones,” replied the Doctor as he pocketed the communications device he fished out of the garbage can, “But I can't help but wonder what that noise was in the background.  It certainly didn't sound like any piece of equipment one would find in a Time Lord's TARDIS.”  He took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the device before turning it and taking a scan of the area.  “This seems to be the only communications device within this camp, so it shall be somewhat difficult and time consuming to replace this once they realize it's missing.  Now we better get going before someone comes back here.”

The Doctor stuck his head out of the tent, glanced about, and signalled for the three fillies to follow him outside of the tent.  “Now we can go back and check up on how Pinkie... I mean Gusty and Firefly are doing.”  The camp was still empty as they headed out onto the road.

As the approached the party camp, they could see two groups of “workers” approaching from opposite directions.  It seemed like there was hundreds of ponies assembled in the camp and partying their muzzles off.  The Doctor wondered how even Pinkie could keep them all amused until he remembered it was the future Alicorn Princess Pinkie Pie he was dealing with, and then it all made sense.

“Wait a few minutes,” advised the Doctor as they approached the boundary of the camp.

“Is there something wrong Doc?” asked Scootaloo.

“Oh, just a feeling something's about to...” he began to say as he looked up, and continued, “Oh, here it comes now!  We should all back up fast!”

The fillies looked up to see a humongous lemon meringue pie falling from the sky right down at the massive party. This monstrous pie was large enough to cover everything in camp and then some.  They all began to back away as fast as their legs could carry them.  The pie hit the ground with a massive “SPLAT!” sound.  Once again there was meringue, graham cracker crust and...

“Oh, it's a key-lime pie,” said the Doctor as he looked at the greenish pudding like goo, “I'm glad she doesn't pull the same stunt every time.”

“But it's still a gross and nasty pie,” whined Sweetie Belle.

“Gross and nasty?” asked Scootaloo.

“Well when it's spilled on the ground, of course it is.  It's always a mess just to clean up after one normal sized pie hits the floor... but this... this... IS! THE! WORST! POSSIBLE! THING!”

“She all is takin after Rarity, ain't she?”

“So who's in charge of Germaneigh?” asked the Doctor.

“Well we all learned in class that Germaneigh has a King, a Council, and a Chancellor,” replied Apple Bloom sagely.

“You stayed awake for that?” asked Scootaloo.

“I reckon so.”

“We better take our evidence to the Chancellor,” he replied, “He's the one most likely taking care of the day to day matters of state.  The King has royal duties, and the Council might only come together and make decisions at their meetings.  We'll have to hoof it into Marelin.”

“How come?”

“Judging by how dense those buildings appear to be even from here, I think it would be hard to find a place to move the TARDIS and not be seen by many ponies.”

“I reckon that all makes sense,” said Apple Bloom, “So let's git goin.”

The other two fillies nodded.

[to be continued]

Chapter Five

Doctor Whooves: The Sentaurans

Chapter 5: The Doctor takes Marelin

The Doctor collected evidence of the Senturan Invasion that was to come, but he tried to take small things that were duplicates to minimize the chance they would be noticed off-hoof.  Fortunately, Sentaurans loved to have backup copies of their backup copies.  It seemed that all good wars crawled on their paperwork.  The Master, on the other hand, being a proper Time Lord, would not care about paperwork unless it directly concerned his plans.  That's what the Doctor was counting on.

He glanced at Gusty's War Party as they walked out of camp towards Marelin.  He had almost never seen a drunken Sontaran before, and wondered just how similar they might be to these Sentaurans.  Making a mental note to check on that once he was back in his right body and dimension, he gathered up his Assistants in Training and headed out.

"Hey Doc?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Yes?" he asked back.

"Should we all leave Gusty and Firefly here with all of these here Sentaurans?"

"Considering that they're really future Princesses of Equestria, I see little danger.  They also seem to be quite... fond of each other.  I'm sure they'll cover each others backs until we return from seeing the King's representatives."

"Hey Doc?" asked Scootaloo.

"Yes?" replied the Doctor.

"If this already happened, then should future Pinkie Pie and future Rainbow Dash already know what happened?"

"That is always possible," he mused back.

"Then why don't they just tell us what happened?"

"But where would the fun in that be?"

"Fun?" she asked as she cocked her head.

"Yes," he replied, "They both came back with us because the future was 'boring'.  Therefore, they have some reason to believe that the past was somehow... 'less boring'."

"Well, if they know what could happen, wouldn't it be in Pinkie Pie's nature to see what would happen if things were done... differently... then before?"

"I suppose that makes sense, but we don't really have time for that right now.  Besides, I'm not sure just how they would know about what happened before... unless they told their past selves what was going on..."

"Then they would know what was going to happen in the future."

"Neither of them seem to be the type to be good at keeping secrets.  Besides, I'm not sure when Pinkie would have had the time to leave the party to go see herself back in Ponyville."

"She all snuck into the TARDIS, and no one noticed even when we all was on Gallifrey."

"Well, that is true.  Perhaps we should speak to them when we return to Ponyville once this little mess has been dealt with."

So the four of them left the work camp and headed down the road towards Marelin.

...

Over at the Carousel Boutique, a mysterious unicorn mare opened the door and simply let herself in.  She looked about at the works in progress and how they were disturbed by less than careful hooves.  Under her cloak, it was difficult to see any solid details about her other than the off-white parts of her legs and nose that were showing.

"So they have been taken," she said under her breath, "It's time she knew what was happening."

She vanished in a flash of light, appearing in the back room of the Sugar Cube Corner.

"Howdy!" said Pinkie Pie, "Can I help you?"  She somehow did not seem to be surprised that a strange unicorn just happened to appear in a place she shouldn't be.

"No," replied the stranger, "But I know I can help you."

"Great!" she replied, "Because I have this rush order for a gross of..."

"No," said the stranger as she cut off Pinkie, "I can help you with something much more important.  Your friend Rarity and her new assistant Romanadvoratrelundar have been taken away... by a bad stallion.  You need to help the one called the Doctor to get them back.  They are in... danger."

"That's odd," replied Pinkie, "but my Pinkie Sense is telling me... that we're related.  Do you know my sisters?"

"Oh, we are related.  Distantly."

"For a second, I thought you were going to say you were my future Princess self come here to warn me about things I shouldn't know about yet because it might influence the future that's yet to be."

"Imaginative one, aren't you?"

"So I've been told."

"Unfortunately, I cannot remain long.  My partner is waiting for me to return.  She gets bored and lonely when I leave her alone too long.  I have to say I get lonely without her as well.  So I'll tell you what I know about Rarity and Romanadvoratrelundar, and then I shall take my leave."

"Well I can't leave until..."

"Oh, the cupcakes are done.  I'm sure they love the hoofenberry touch you added."

"Great!" replied Pinkie, "They weren't supposed to be done for another 30 minutes!  It almost seems like you used magic or something to get them done sooner!"

"I just... have a way with baked goods."

"What a coincidence!  So do I!"

"Oh, and I suggest you take Rainbow Dash with you.  You may well... require her assistance."

"Oh, I like Dashie!"

"Yes, you do both like pranks, don't you?"

"We do?!"

"Oh, you do indeed."

"Wow, you must be related to know us so well," mused Pinkie, "It's almost funny that I don't remember seeing you before."

"It is, isn't it?"

"So tell me how Rarity and Romanadvoratrelundar are in danger."

The mysterious unicorn leaned closer and began to whisper to Pinkie.  She nodded as she listened.

"Well as soon as I..." began Pinkie.

"I took the liberty of taking the cupcakes out of the oven for you while we talked."

"Good, then I can..."

"Oh, I already put the Nightmare Night decorations on for you."

"Wow, how did you know..."

"Oh, I saw the order when I came in here."

"But you teleported right in here..."

"Ancient unicorn secret, and I believe you'll find Dashie napping on a cloud just outside of Twilight Sparkle's library," replied the stranger with a wink before she teleported out of the room.

"Oh," said Pinkie, "I love secrets.  Well, I better go see Dashie right away."  She bounced out the door past the Cakes.

"Pinkie," said Mister Cake, "Aren't you going to take care of the..."

"Already finished!" she replied cheerfully.

"But how could you..." began Mrs Cake.

"Ancient unicorn secret!"

The Cakes watched her bounce out the door before Mister Cake said, "Pinkie's not a unicorn... is she?"

"I don't think she is," answered Mrs Cake, "How could we not notice something as obvious as a horn?"

"You're right, honey-buns," he replied, "Pinkie does seem to say... random things... doesn't she?"

...

"Now you should stay close to me," said the Doctor, "Marelin is a large city and it would be hard to find you should we become separated.  We need to alert the authorities as quickly as we can, and then get back to make sure that Gusty and Firefly are doing alright... or at least we should make sure that the Sentaurans that are partying with them are behaving themselves."

"Wow," said Apple Bloom, "I ain't never seen a city as old as this one looks."

"Well it is a whole lot older than Ponyville," agreed Sweetie Belle.

"Ponyville is already pretty dang old.  I mean, Granny Smith loves ta tell us all about how she was a filly when Ponyville was settled... and who all knows just how old she all is."

"Yet the ponies who settled Ponyville did come from somewhere else," said Scootaloo.

"I all reckons so."

"Do any of you know which of these buildings is the Palace of Marelin?" asked the Doctor.

The three fillies just shook their heads.

"Well, I'm sure just asking won't hurt anything," he replied as he headed for the nearest local.  He noticed it was an earth pony of tan hide, and much ado about white beards and mustaches.  "Excuse me, sir, but..."

"Uncle Apple Strudel?!" called out Apple Bloom.

"Apple Bloom?!" he called back, "What are you doing all the way out here?!  Where's the other kinfolk?!"

"Ah, I take it you know each other?" asked the Doctor.

"Well, course I do," replied Apple Bloom, "He shows up to... well... ALMOST every family reunion."

"And you're a resident of this city?"

"Well, I don't dress like this because it's fashionable!" exclaimed Strudel.  The Doctor looked over his green hat with tan feather, white shirt, green vest, broad green shorts showing an ice cream covered pastry and a few assorted decorations that looked like small red apples.

"I suppose not," he replied, "but Apple Bloom and I are seeking the advice of the King."

"What?" he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, there is an issue..."

"Well, if you want something to get done, then you should go to the Germaneigh Council."

"Well, if you could tell us how to get..."

"Aw, it would be faster just to take you there myself!" said Strudel, "And besides, I haven't seen my little Apple Bloom in such a long time!"

"It was only half a year ago," replied Apple Bloom.

"Too younguns like you and geezers like me, that is forever!"

"Well," said the Doctor, "I would love to have you show us how to get to the Council.  Thank you."

"Now here's a stallion who knows how to respect his elders," said Strudel, "I can respect that."

"But the Doctor here is..."

"Oh, don't bore him," interrupted the Doctor, "I'm sure he has plenty of interesting things to say while we're going to see this Council he spoke of."

"Now let me tell you just how you make a great strudel.  First you start with the finest whole wheat flower you can get your hooves on.  Everyone knows the best pastries require hoofmade flour..."

...

Pinkie was bouncing around the Golden Oak Library as she called out, "Dashie!  Oh Dashie!"  She repeated herself over and over until finally a bleary eyed Rainbow Dash came down to meet her.

"What's so important?" she asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "Can't you see I'm doing important weather surveying?"

"Yes, I'm sure the weather in your eyes is just peachy!" she said, "But I have a need of your awesome help!"

"Me?" she asked, "Why me?"

"Some mysterious unicorn mare told me just a little while ago that some big meanie of a stallion kidnapped Rarity and Miss Romanadvoratrelundar!"

"Who the hay is that?"

"You know, the unicorn who does the tailoring with the three diamonds are her..."

"No, I mean Romanadvoratrelundar!  Who the hay is that?!"

"Oh, that's Miss Rarity's new design partner, but that's not important right now!"

"So what is so important?"

"She told me where to find them before she teleported out!"

"If she can teleport, then what does she need us for?"

"Well she's OBVIOUSLY not as awesome as we are, so of course WE have to rescue one of OUR friends!"

"And how do you know she's not pranking us?"

"Because my Pinkie Sense told me she was telling the truth!"

"All right," said Dash, "So just how are we supposed to save them?"

"Well, she said to head in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres and look for a bunch of stallions that all look alike!"

"Uh-huh..."

"And then she said following them will lead us to the hollow rock!"

"Uh-huh..."

"We just have to watch them to see how we get in!"

"Uh-huh..."

"And then she said to beware of the stallion that looks different among those who look alike!"

"Uh-huh..."

"Then all we have to do is save our mares from all of those stallions!"

"Oh yeah, how could it be simpler than that?"

"SO LET'S GO ALREADY!!"

The two began to walk towards the road to Sweet Apple Acres as Twilight looked out her upper balcony window at them.

"I wonder what they're up to this time?" she asked after Pinkie's calls disturbed her reading.

...

"And that's how you make the best Apple Studel ever!" concluded Apple Strudel as they stopped before a large and important looking government building.

"Maybe I can get my cutie mark in baking!" exclaimed Apple Bloom.

"A bunch of Apples did it before you," he replied, "So I wouldn't be surprised if your got yours that way too."

"I take it we're here?" asked the Doctor.

"Why yes we are, youngun," replied Strudel as he looked to the Doctor, "Now just you follow my lead.  I know ponies who know ponies who know ponies.  The Apple name carries weight around here.  I'll have you talking to the Council before you know it."

"I wonder if it's too late to be adopted," mused Scootaloo quietly, but apparently no one else heard her or was willing to admit that they had heard her.

They walked in and approached a door guarded by four spear armed stallions.  They were obviously wearing uniforms, and they were standing at attention.

"Hey fellas," said Strudel, "I kinda need a few minutes of the Council's time for something mighty important!"

"Uncle Strudel!" said one of the Guards, "How are you?"

"I'm still kickin," he replied.

"Are these your friends?"

"Well, this one here is little Apple Bloom all the way from Ponyville!" he said as he rubbed her head with one hoof, "And these here are... uh..."

"I am called the Doctor," said the Doctor, "and these are Apple Bloom's dear friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo."

"But Marelin has a whole lot of Doctors," replied the guard.

"But this all is THE Doctor!" exclaimed Apple Bloom.

"Well, no one is sick here..."

"Oh, there will be more than sick ponies if this growing problem is not addressed soon," replied the Doctor, "That is why it is the utmost urgency that we speak to the Council as soon as we can."

The guards paused to whisper to each other.

"All right," said the first who spoke to them, "But you better be serious.  We could get in a lot of trouble if you just go in there and waste the Council's time."

"We won't, will be Apple Strudel?"

"Yeah," he replied, "I'm sure my little Apple Bloom wouldn't bother ponies from outside her kin for some little issue."

The guards opened the door to let them in.  As there was no announcement, the members of the Council were looking towards the doorway with curious expressions on their faces.

"Good evening!" said the Doctor, "I am known as the Doctor, and I'm here to warn you that war is on it's way to Germaneigh even as we speak."

There was a collective gasp from the Councilponies.

Chapter Six

Doctor Whooves: The Sentaurans

by neorenamon

"Do you have evidence of this invasion?" asked one of the councilstallions as he looked down on the Doctor.

"Yes," he replied confidently.

"Would you show it to us?"

"Absolutely," he replied as he walked up to the horseshoe shaped table and started laying out the documents of the Sentaurans.

"It might be a little hard to understand," said the Doctor, "but if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"You can read this?" asked a councilmare.

He nodded.  "The language is called Sentauran, and it's fortunate that I have a knack for languages among other things."

"And what is Uncle Strudel and these fillies doing here with you?"

"Oh, Uncle Strudel has been our guide since we came to Germaneigh, and these fillies here..."

"We're all his students!" offered Apple Bloom.

"Yeah," said Scootaloo, "The Doctor is like the coolest teacher ever!"

"Enthusiastic, aren't they?" commented the Councilmare.

"He takes us on trips so we can learn the experiences of the world, ma'am," said Sweetie Belle.

"I see."

Another councilstallion asked, "So you can explain all of these symbols on these maps to us?"  He was pointing to one of the symbols on one of the maps.

"Yes," he replied, "That is an Infantry Way-point.  The infantry gather there, and judging by the arrows, shall move towards the south end of Marelin to join up with the infantry from this way-point over here."  He pointed at another way-point symbol with his hoof.

"I have never heard of these Sentaurans," said the Councilmare, "Where do they come from."

"It might sound incredible when you first hear this, but they come from space.  A place beyond the moon."

"You're right, it does sound incredible.  How many troops are going to attack?"

"It's not so much the numbers that matter, but their weapons.  They posses weapons like those never seen before."

"What can we do?" asked the first Councilstallion, "In a time of peace, all we have are Police.  The Army is in no condition to be fighting right now."

"There won't be enough time to get them in fighting shape, so we'll have to make do with what we have.  If we can attack the enemy before they're completely ready to attack you, there's still a good chance you can win."

"Are you an army officer?"

"Oh, I've worn many hats in my lifetime."

"You don't look that old to me," said the Coucilmare.

"Oh, just healthy living," he replied with a smile.

...

"Are you sure this is legit?" asked Dash ash she followed Pinkie Pie well beyond the borders of Ponyville.

"Well the mare that told me this sure seemed legit," she replied as she bounced along.

"But half the things she said to you sounded really crazy."

"It made perfect sense to me!"

"Of course it does," muttered Dash.

They continued on for a while until they heard noises ahead.  Moving forward, it became clear that there was some sort of scuffle going on.  Moving faster, they came upon a pink Pegasus mare with blue mane and tail battling stallions who all looked the same.  She was outnumbered at least seven to one.

"Hey!" shouted Dash, "She's way outnumbered!  We gotta help her!"  She flew forward to plow hooves first into the closest attacking stallion.

"It's party cannon time!" cried Pinkie as she pulled her trademark cannon from her full curly mane.

But the strange Pegasus didn't seem to be a stranger to battle herself.  Hovering on wing power, she lashed out with her hooves, clopping one stallion in the head after another.  Pinkie fired her cannon, striking her target in the head... with a wrapped gift box?  It must have been something heavy judging by the way he toppled over.

"Gotta love that old Germaneigh fruit cake," gloated Pinkie.

But Dash and the mystery mare were too busy battling to comment.  It seemed like only a moment before all of the stallions who looked alike were down, and yet none seriously injured.

"Darn," said Dash, "Now who's going to show us how to get into the funny looking rock?!"

"Oh, I can do that," replied the mystery mare.

"Who might you be?"

"I'm called Firefly!" she said as she turned and showed her double blue lightning bolt cutie mark.

"Think you're fast, do ya?"

"I don't think I'm fast," she replied, "I know I'm fast!"

"Care to race and prove that?"

"I thought you had things to do."

"We do," said Pinkie.

"Well racing can wait, can't it?"

"We have friends to rescue!"

"That does sound important."

"Pinkie," retorted Dash, "That's not the sort of thing you just blab to total strangers!"

"Well a total stranger told it to me," replied Pinkie.

"And that makes it suspicious, I tell you."

Firefly began to walk away as she said over her shoulder, "Well, I'm going to fight more of these lookalikes.  I'm going to fight whoever is in that magic rock and beat them no matter who they are.  Are you two with me or not?"

"Okay, count us in!" called Dash as she and Pinkie followed along behind.

...

The Master gloated as he looked over the helpless Romanadvoratrelundar.  He looked her over as she as strapped down to the table next to Rarity.  "Let's see if my suspicions are right," he said.  He took a strange vibrating scalpel and began to cut away her cloak over her flank.  She protested into the gag in vain.  He cut until the cloth fell away.  "As I thought," he said as he glared down on her flank, "The Rod and Sash of Rassilon.  So you are the previous incarnation of the Mare President of the Time Lords."

The look Romana gave him might have wilted plants if there was really an magic behind it.

"Don't fret, my dear," he said as he leaned closer to her ear, "I'm not going to harm you.  You're too valuable of a resource to damage for no reason.  But I bet you know some things about Gallifrey that would be highly helpful to me.  Now promise if I take off your muzzle, you won't call for help.  You should know better than anyone how pointless that would be?"

She nodded, so he unmuzzled her.

"Do you know the Secret Passage to the President's Chambers?"

"No," she replied, "The Doctor does."

"Perhaps this foal is a little smarter than I gave him credit for."

"I'm sure he's unraveling your plot even as we speak."

"So where is this Doctor?"

"I don't know," she replied evenly, "He left me behind with Rarity while he was taking his students on a trip in the TARDIS."

"He left you behind, alone and unguarded?"

"There was no reason to believe we would be threatened."

"Then he's not as smart as he thinks he is," he replied, "but even the Doctor couldn't be so foolish as to not say where he was going.  Tell me where he went."

"I swear he didn't say," she replied, "There was others around who don't know he's a Time Lord."

"Perhaps a few cuttings from your unicorn friend over here will convince you to stop lying to me."

Rarity looked terrified as he stalked over.

"Please don't hurt her!" called Romana, "She doesn't really know anything about the Doctor!"

"Then you better tell me what I want to know," said the Master as he looked back.  His forehead glowed as a long and sharp horn appeared.  It looked to be as long as Romana's horn, the Doctor's horn, or even Celestia's horn.

"I swear I don't know where the Doctor is!"

"Perhaps I'll start by cutting off her cutie marks," he mused, "I've always wondered what happens when..."

"You should really think about what you're going to do," said a nearby mare.

The Master spun to see a unicorn standing in the doorway.  She was a white mare with a green mane and tail, and just a streak of red running down her mane on one side.  Her cutie mark was five violet maple leaves.

"Who are you?!" barked the Master, "How the heck did you get in my TARDIS?!"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about just me," she said, "I left the front door open and reinforcements should be coming along any time now.  So don't even think about threatening either of those mares, because I promise you that will be the last mistake you ever make."

"How dare you address a Time Lord like that, you inferior creature!" he snarled at her.

"There are those who are above a Time Lord," she replied.

"Liar!  There's nothing more advanced than Time Lords!"

"Not in the matters of magic," she replied as she flash teleported next to him.

"Foal!  Science always triumphs over magic in the long run!" His horn began to glow.

"You are the foal!" she called back, "Do you really think you can get a magic disruptor over the horn of a unicorn that's awake and moving?"

"Wait, how could you know I was..."  The Master almost looked pale as he turned and bolted from the room.  They could hear the door close behind them.

"Oh no," said Romanadvoratrelundar, "He's closed the door.  This room could be moved anywhere in his TARDIS now, or he could even just cast it into the void to get rid of it."

"Oh, he won't do that," said the unicorn mare, "We're still too valuable, and he thinks we're trapped.  He's got other matters to worry about.  But he's already too late to stop my friends from coming in the front door."

"Your friends?"

"Oh, a couple of them are your friends too.  Firefly, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.  But let me get you both out of those nasty restraints he used on you."  Her horn glowed as the magic disruptors came off their horns.  Then the restraints began to loosen.

"Aren't you going to unmuzzle Miss Rarity?"

"And spoil the moment?"

Rarity just glared back.

"May we know the name of our rescuer?"

"Just call me Gusty," she replied.

By now, they had been freed enough that Rarity began removing her own muzzle.

"Don't bother," said Gusty as she looked at Rarity, "There's no fainting couch within miles of here, I assure you."

Rarity scowled.

Chapter Seven

Doctor Whooves: The Sentaurans

by neorenamon

"I believe that's our rock ahead!" shouted Firefly.  She, Dash and Pinkie Pie were closing in on the mysterious rock they had to find in order to save Miss Rarity and her new assistant, Romanadvoratrelundar.  In order to keep a low profile, the two Pegasi were using their legs instead of their wings.

"How can you tell?" asked Dash.

"Because I doubt that eight of those clone stallions would be guarding a plain old rock!"

"Good point!"

"And if you look behind the one in the middle there, I can see a crack in the rock that looks like someone left the front door slightly ajar!"

"Then lets kick us some flank!"

"Alright," said Firefly, "but I need you to stay back here Pinkie Pie!"

"Why does she need to do that?"

"Because she needs to warn us if reinforcements approach from a direction we can't see!"

"Okie dokie loki!" replied Pinkie.

So Dash and Firefly moved ahead to attack the Sentaurans, who prepared to attack in reply.  But with their superior speed and the hardness of their hooves, a few blows to the head sent them all to the ground.

"They'll live," said Firefly as she looked them over, "but I bet they'll want a whole lot of aspirins when they wake up."

"Okay Pinkie," said Dash as she turned around, "You can move up...  hey, where is she?"

"No doubt she's already inside."

"How could she?.." asked Dash before she sighed, "Oh, never mind."

"I'm not surprised any more."

"Wait, how could you know Pinkie Pie?"

"Oh, we've met.  She's just like someone I've known for quite some time."

"There's someone else like her?!"

Firefly nodded.  "Come on," she said, "Let's go before Pinkie runs into somepony she can't handle."

They headed for the open door.

"I don't know who you are," said a voice from within, "or who you think you're dealing with, but..."

"I'M PINKIE PIE!" she replied.

"I'm sure that's important to the likes of you, but..."

"Of course it's important to me!"

"SILENCE CUR!" he snapped, "I'm trying to be threatening!  Stop ruining the moment!"

"You can't threaten me if I'm not scared of you."

The passed the door and came into a room much larger that the rock it appeared to be outside.

"YOU!" shouted Dash, "Give us back our friends OR ELSE!"

"How dare you threaten the Master!" yelled the pony by the controls, "I am a Time Lord!  We control science and technology that primitive creatures like you can only dream of!  If you were smart, you'd surrender to me right now!"

"Hollow threats, creep!" replied Firefly as she and Dash moved to opposite sides of the Master.

He put his hoof on a lever and answered, "Then how's this for a credible threat:  All I have to do is throw this level and all of my prisoners get dumped into the void where they will never return from!"

"You must want something from us if you haven't done so already."

"I'll let your friends go if you take me to the one called the Doctor," he replied with a hiss.

"Who the hay is the Doctor?" asked Dash.

"He's the new stallion in town," replied Pinkie, "I've seen him hanging out with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.  He needs to loosen up, really, but it's hard to get him to come to one of my parties.  I think he also hangs out with..."

"ENOUGH PRATTLING ALREADY!" snapped the Master.

"All right," replied Firefly, "We take you to the Doctor in exchange for your prisoners."

A door opened as he said, "Fine.  Your friends are in here."

"This is SO obviously a trap!" shouted Dash.

"You have no choice.  I can still destroy your friends with one flip of this switch.  You better hurry.  My hoof could slip."

"Come on," said Firefly as she walked towards the open door, "We have no choice but to do as he says."

Dash and Pinkie Pie followed him.

"How are you supposed to tell him where this Doctor is once the door closes?!" asked Dash.

"I'm sure it's not a problem for his technology."

"You are correct," said the Master, "It isn't."

They entered the room to see a strange unicorn, Rarity and Romanadvoratrelundar.  Then the door closed behind them.

"Well, I guess we're all trapped here together," said Romana.

"I was worried sick about what that brute was going to do to you," said Rarity.

"Oh, even the Master isn't so stupid as to disrespect a Time Lady," she replied.

"So where is this Doctor?" asked the Master from somewhere in the walls.

"Oh, he's in Germaneigh checking out your Sentauran troops," answered Firefly, "Isn't that right, Gusty?"

"That's right."

"Hah!" he replied, "Then he should know by now that resisting them is futile!  Germaneigh has no chance against their military might!  Once that country falls, all of Equestria will soon follow!"

"Then you obviously don't know the Doctor!" replied Romanadvoratrelundar.

"And he obviously doesn't know me!" snapped the Master, "You should get comfortable, because you're going to be stuck in that room for quite some time!"

"That's what he thinks," muttered Gusty under her breath.