The Timepony’s Journal

The TARDIS began to rematerialize on the same street it was a few months prior. Canterlot Gardens West, Canterlot, Equus, the year 966. Petunia stepped out first, taking in the warm air. It was early April now and the winter had faded away into spring. She was finally home after what felt like an eternity. The Doctor stepped out next, locking up the ship and hanging up a small sign.

“What’s that?” Petunia asked, peering over the Doctor’s shoulder.

“You see the ship is intended to blend in with its surroundings. However it developed a fault about three years ago from your perspective.”

“Ah, so now that it belongs, ponies will think that it’s a genuine Police Barn.”

Almost as if on cue a member on the Royal Guard approached the barn. He looked at the out of order sign and nodded his head, continuing on with his day.

“I see what you mean. Can you imagine? The Royal Guard whisked off across time and space.”

Suddenly the Doctor felt a chill down his spine, as if he’d walked over his own grave.

“That tower, up there, what is it?”

“Oh, the Canterlot Radio Tower. They’ve finished it.”

“Interesting, very interesting.”

“Cosmic would’ve loved it.”

“You know, there’s something distinctly alien about that tower. I can scent it.”

“Smells fine to me, good old Canterlot air.”

“I-I can feel it, it’s got a something sort of power. It-, look at my skin. Look at the fur standing on end. I’ve got a prickling sensation again, the same. Just the same as I had when I saw the Daleks, when the Daleks were near.”

“Who are the Daleks?”

“Oh, er, yes, of course. You eh, never met them, did you? No. No, and I pray that you never will. But this tower, we must investigate it. I sense a great source of power emanating from it.”

The Doctor and Petunia made their way down there, the Doctor now highly on edge.

“It’s so good to finally meet you, Doctor. I’ve heard great things about you from your esteemed colleague, Mr.Reaction.” said Toffee Butter, the leader

“Yes, yes. How is he? I’ve not seen him for quite some time. About a year now I believe? Goodness gracious me, how time flies.”

“Of course. He and Ms.Blossom started a charity for research of some sort. Renewable energy, biochemistry? My memory’s like a sieve these days. Anyway, what was it you wanted to see again?”

“This radio broadcasting equipment of yours. My secretary Petunia has been telling me all about it.”

“I see. As you know, we can receive radio signals across a short distance before they go off the curvature of Equus. That is, if they don’t bump into a mountain or a castle first. That’s where the Canterlot Radio Network comes in. Hundreds of radio towers all across Equestria with the CRT at the center of it all. Now a radio broadcast can bounce from tower to tower rather than becoming inaccessible at a certain range. From the Badlands ranchers to the expeditioners to the frozen north, all can listen to their tunes.”

“Very interesting, interesting indeed. Do you perhaps have any other projects ‘in the works’, as it were?”

“Not in this tower, no. I’ll have to call Pearl in the tower ‘next door’ if you want a demonstration.”

“Who?”

“Pearlescent Aura, my secretary. Helps maintain the pony-side of the project while we’re tied up here.”

“That would be most helpful for the both of us.”

Pearlescent Aura was operating the help desk in record time. The light pink and blonde unicorn used her magic to simultaneously operate the phones, write down notes and down a cup of coffee. While she wasn’t HR quite a few considered her to be. With how fast her quills and lips moved it was a miracle that neither caught on fire. Pearl’s desk was positioned outside the main research labs for easier access to intel. At least that’s what she liked to think, rather than making it easier to hook up her hotline up to a computer.

Thankfully this was a less busy day or else she might be stuck for hours with barely any breathing room. She looked up momentarily to see her boss Mr.Butter and a stallion old enough to be her grandpa. Letting out a sigh of relief, Pearl set down her phone and cup of coffee.

“Boy am I glad to see you Mr.Butter, I’m beat.”

“Tired on not even your busiest day? Maybe you’ve lost your touch.”

Pearl smirked and rolled her eyes.

“Still better than what you’ve got in there. Gonna have me out of a job eventually.”

“Impossible. Nopony has the charm and intuition you do, not even the HISS network.”

“The HISS Network?” the Doctor asked.

“The Harmony Integrated Self Service Network. Everypony’s got friendship problems but not always somepony to turn to. That’s what the Harmony Hotline is for, the front in the fight for peace. Unfortunately the demand takes a lot of ponies, not everypony has the answers after all. Pearl here helps the whole thing run, but it’s a monumental workload. HISS is meant to alleviate some of the stress.”

Going through the double doors was a massive array of computers. Magnetic reels spun constantly while several technicians fed in punch cards and kept it running. Everything and everypony functioned like a well oiled machine. The Doctor and Petunia were impressed, clearly this was a technological marvel to define the coming ages.

“Most extraordinary, most extraordinary indeed.”

“The HISS Network isn’t the biggest computer but it’s certainly the most advanced. We’ve incessantly trained it day and night, feeding it as much information as possible. It can think, it can reason, and eventually it will be able to maintain itself. All of its functions performed flawlessly.”

“So I’m to believe that this computer is capable of independent thought?”

“Yes.”

“And it never makes mistakes?”

“All according to our studies.”

“Hmmph! …hmmph!”

The Doctor walked over to the main terminal, looking it over.

“Can you ask it only about friendship problems, or can it answer other stuff?” asked Petunia.

“As I said, we’ve given it as much as we can. It’s hard to understand the complicated facets of social scenarios without knowing how to add two plus two. Just push the button there, ask a question, and a response will be printed out to the left. We should have vocal responses complete by this afternoon, though it’s still a work in progress.”

“Very well. What is the square root of one six two four?” the Doctor asked while pushing the button.

The computer beeped as its spools rolled furiously. It clicked as it typed out the answer, the Doctor ripping off the sheet when it was done.

“Forty point six…six nine three! Yes, that’s close enough.”

Petunia walked over to the machine confidently.

“Here’s a question you can’t answer, what does the word Tardis mean?”

Much to Petunia’s surprise it didn’t print out an error. She pulled out the sheet, confused as she read it.

“What does it say, my foal?”

“Time and Relative Dimensions in Space.”

“Goodness gracious me!”

The Doctor took the paper, looking it over himself. Now he knew where that feeling came from. Something about this room scared him to the core and he wasn’t yet sure why. He pocketed the tractor paper as he looked at the machine.

“See? The perfect machine for any question. Soon the hotline will be publicly released in three days' time, same day the radio tower goes up. We’re having a press conference later today if you’d like to attend.”

“I’d certainly be honoured to witness such a uh, a momentous moment in history. Yes.”

The Doctor approached Petunia while she was staring off into space.

“Petunia?”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll be attending a conference with Mr.Butter here. Nowhere in Canterlot is safe, even your own home. Take this key to the ship, if you suspect any danger while I’m gone don’t hesitate. Go to the Tardis, lock yourself inside.”

Petunia nodded as Pearl entered the room, updating a nearby notice board.

“Honestly it’s been so long since I’ve been back home it’s like my first time in Canterlot.”

“I can show you around if you like after my shift’s up. Sorry for butting in.”

“You’re good. So, what’s the hottest spot in town?”

“That would be the Inferno.”

Pearl and Petunia walked down the stairs and into the basement bar. Ponies danced and drank coffee or tea while the DJ played new rock music. Several stallions wore ties and hats, just getting back from work. Chatter filled the building as they danced the night away. The two of them approached the bartender behind the bar, a red mare in a polka dot dress.

“Hey Kitty, this is Petunia. Petunia, Kitty. Kitty, Petunia. She’s been out of town for a while and I’m showing her all the new stuff.”

“Pleasure to meet ya, Petunia. Pearl, you’re just the mare I need right now. I’ve got a pretty desperate case over here.”

“Oh dear, gimme the rundown.”

“It’s the same sailor as yesterday, Sea something. His ship’s going out to sea tomorrow and he’s been moping about all day.”

“Alright, lemme at em.”

Pearl went behind the bar and scooted over to him. The blonde and seafoam green stallion sat there staring at his drink. He only looked up when he recognized Pearl from the night before.

“Howdy partner, remember me?” Pearl asked with a smirk.

“I mean I guess.”

“You guess? Am I really only that noticeable enough for an ‘i guess’?”

The navy sailor finally cracked a smile.

“There it is. You know what you’ve been looking like all day? You look like this.”

Pearl then mimicked his sombre pout with a bit more goof. That got his smile to widen.

“Now tell me your troubles. Spill the beans sailor, give us the facts.”

“Well, it’s my ship, see. It’s gone off to sea for six months and I’m stuck with a shore posting. I’m in the barracks for six months.”

“And you’ll be missing the wide blue sea?”

“It’s not all sunshines and rainbows out there you know, neither is it here. Now if you’re done cheering me up.”

“I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t be joking about this.”

“Nah, you didn’t mean nothing by it. Sea Shanty.”

“Pearlescent Aura, but everypony calls me Pearl.”

“Whatever you say, oh captain my captain.”

They both laughed while Petunia watched, sipping a mango smoothie. Everything felt just fine, but she still rubbed the TARDIS key around her neck like a good luck charm. Maybe the Doctor was wrong, maybe everything was going to be just fine.

The Doctor got out of his taxi as it arrived at the Royal Institute of Science. He was lucky to get a front row seat as the venue was quickly packed. The paparazzi of reporters kept snapping photos of those sitting at the long table on stage. Behind them was a sign for each of the different colleges of science, a brand new one displaying the HISS logo. Toffee Butter stood up from his seat next to it to address the conference.

“Ladies, gentlecolts, may I have your attention please? Well, you’ve heard all the speculations by now, now it’s time for the facts. C Day, Computer Day that is, will be next Monday on July 16th in three days time. Now on that date we will first be deploying the Canterlot Radio Network. Through a series of over one hundred radio towers you’ll be able to receive radio from absolutely anywhere in Equestria. Alongside it we will be deploying the first automated hotline, the Harmony Integrated Self Service.

Now as you’ve heard, this will mean great things for all of Equestria. We are in a time of peace, and the enemy of peace isn’t just out there on the battlefield, but also between all of us. Who do we turn to when we don’t know what to do or the right thing to say? That’s the core of this project, helping you. The pony-ran lines have been deployed with great success, but millions of ponies can create an equal number of questions. The demand far outweighs the ponies that can supply the service. That is what the HISS Network is for.

I believe that this will be a great step forwards for not only Equestria, but also the entire world. Now, are there any questions?”

One stallion raised his hoof, Toffee choosing him first.

“Cobblestone, Manehatten Sketch. Sir, doesn’t this put a great deal of responsibility onto whomever operates this ‘HISS Network?’”

“Nopony operates the network, the network operates itself. The computer is merely a brain which thinks logically without any political or private agenda. It is pure thought.”

“Is there no way of fixing it so it only gives the wrong answers, feed it bogus data and such?”

“No. The user is allowed to rate their response at the end of the call. With so many intricate responses and constant feedback from the users, it would require a complete reconstruction of the system’s memory to make it resemble anything malicious.”

There were a few whispers between a stage assistant and Toffee. Professor Page Turner, the project lead, was meant to be giving a more technical explanation on how the HISS Network worked. However he was apparently running late, caught up in something else. That intense feeling of evil returned again, nopony but the Doctor feeling it. Something was staring at him right in his face but it was just out of reach.

Petunia was a lot more at ease as the night went on. Sea and Pearl seemed to get along well as they too were on the dance floor. She turned around when Kitty tapped her on the shoulder.

“I got a phone call for ya, some scientific high up place or something.”

“That’ll be the Doctor.”

Kitty took her over to the wall-mounted telephone and handed it to her. She listened to the other end but there was only static. Petunia stood there, waiting for somepony to answer. Putting the phone back on the receiver she left the bar, deciding to go look for the Doctor herself. It was probably just a quick walk down the road anyway.

“And you didn’t see her leave, she didn’t tell you precisely where she was going?” the Doctor asked.

“Yeah, I saw her head out. She probs just went out looking for ya. She got a call from a science place, said it was you and probably went to find ya.” Kitty replied.

Sea was comforting Pearl to the best of his abilities. Neither of them needed to stay but they both felt like they had to.

“It’s not your fault, duchess. I’m sure she’s just headed home and didn’t know the bar’s number.”

“I somehow doubt that, and don’t call me duchess.”

“Now look who’s pouting.”

Pearl playfully elbowed Sea, cracking a smile. Everyone’s heads turned when Petunia just went through the door. The Doctor and Pearl rushed to her side, making sure she was alright.

“Goodness gracious me. You gave us quite a fright.”

“Yeah, where’ve you been? We nearly called the Royal Guard on you, you’ve been gone for hours.”

“I thought something went wrong. I didn’t know if it was safe or not so I returned to our meetup point.”

The Doctor mentally slapped himself. Of course, he should have immediately checked the ship. Of course he’d only just arrived, but was the one who told her to go there after all.

“Well I’m certainly glad that you’re safe.” the Doctor said with a sigh of relief.

“Do you think you could walk me home? I don’t want to scare you anymore than I already have.”

“Oh! I can call over a cab, fare is even on me. Consider it an apology for losing ya so easily.” Pearl chimed in.

Petunia seemed a bit hesitant to accept but she couldn’t really disagree. There was a bit of fuss as they were leaving, somepony a few bits short. Sea sorted it out by breaking a ten bit note with him. The ride between her and the Doctor was silent, none of the small talk really landing. Something was clearly off but he couldn’t get a peep out of her. Stopping right outside of her aunt’s apartment she walked in, only giving a short goodbye.

She practically shut the door in the Doctor’s face. He just stood there a bit dumbfounded. Was it something he said, something he did, or did she just really not want to say goodbye? He refused the cab, preferring to walk his way back to the ship. Once again he was all alone, only this time there might not be a chance of a friend returning. Truly and completely alone, the sun was setting off in the horizon. He contemplated trying to find Spark and Berry but it would hurt too much. To see him like this, slowly falling apart at the seams would kill them. No, he wouldn’t give them that burden.

The ship was just as empty as the last time he was on this street. He couldn’t leave this time, not with the looming threat on the horizon. He almost wanted to leave this time, leave the ponies to deal with it just this once. No, he wasn’t that kind of TimePony anymore. No running away, he had to see this through to the very end. At the very least he owed that to them.

The next morning the Doctor returned to Toffee Butter’s office. He wanted to further discuss the matters of the HISS with him until he saw the newspaper on his desk. Beneath the headline of the CRT was the title: “STALLION FOUND DEAD: More on page 5”. Quickly flipping to the right page he read over the article. He was found outside a warehouse just down the road from the Inferno. While there was an ongoing investigation not much else had been reported. What was even more shocking was that he recognized him as the taxi rider from the previous night. Toffee stepped inside his office, closing the door behind him.

“Anything good?” he asked.

“No. I met this stallion last night, very near to myself when Petunia was absent.”

“I heard about that from Pearl. Unfortunately we have something much bigger to worry about. Out of the blue, one after the other, I’ve been getting resignation letters from the entire HISS team. No warnings, no nothing. Two of Canterlot’s best and brightest ever, the most lucrative in their field. Nopony appears to have seen them since last night either. How could two such well known ponies have just vanished so suddenly?”

Both Pearl and Petunia walked in, the Doctor a bit surprised after last night.

“Coffee or tea?” Pearl asked.

“What are you doing here, Pearl?” Toffee asked, baffled.

“Just a quick stop, filling in for somepony who resigned recently.”

“That’s all we need.”

“No,no,no thank you. But thank you for the offer. Now I wonder, Mr.Butter, do you suppose, er? No, I don’t suppose you would.”

“Sorry about last night. I was a bit out of it after having you all so worried.” Petunia apologised.

“No my foal, I understand completely. Well Mr.Butters, I’m sorry that I can’t quite help you at the moment. I’m rather out of touch with electronics.”

“I understand. New tech takes a lot of time to learn. I can barely comprehend the full scope of some of the projects I commission anymore.”

“What about Professor Turner? I’m sure he knows all about it, and the project.” asked Petunia.

“Ah, a very eh, remarkable notion my foal. Do you mind if I use the telephone Mr.Butter?”

“Not at all. I’ll give you the number to his office.”

Upon dialling the number there was nothing but static. Just as he was about to hang up there was some kind of noise, a low hum building in intensity. The Doctor clutched his head and cried out in pain as he was overwhelmed by stimulus. The phone pulled the receiver off the table on the way down. Pearl and Toffee quickly left to get help.

“What, what happened?”

“Don’t be alarmed, Doctor. This is the method we establish contact. Time is very short. Construction has already begun. You are needed.”

“What?”

“You’re one of us now. My function was to bring you in contact. Now I shall serve as your assistant.”

“Oh, what are you talking about, my foal?”

“You took the call, you made contact didn’t you?”

“Yes, yes. I remember. I was trying to speak with Professor Turner, but there was an explosion. It nearly swept me off my hooves. It was as if, if-”

“What Doctor?”

“It was as if something ENORMOUS…was trying to swallow me whole. Yes, yes, yes. Oh, it’s ridiculous. Yes there’s, there’s something erratically wrong with the telephone. It was just like an electric shock carried through sound.”

“Your instructions were not received. Reporting to command.”

Toffee rushed in, offering a glass of water and a small hanky. Petunia was robotically exiting the room until the Doctor called out to her.

“Stop!”

Petunia obeyed.

“Now turn around and sit here.”

Again, Petunia obeyed without a protest. Her breathing was slow but she was still alive. He had some minor suspicions but this was out of left field.

“Goodness, what’s happened to her.”

“A mild form of hypnosis transmitted through the telephone. She was assigned to be my assistant once I’d fallen in the same fate. That must be why she still listened.”

“Will she be alright?”

“Perhaps, perhaps. Petunia, look at me, look at the ring on my hoof.”

The Doctor held up his hoof in front of her face, swinging it back and forth. Petunia’s eyes followed it, slowly closing.

“Now on the count of three I want you to take your mind back. Back to where it was last safe, back in the ship. You’ll be safe there, you will always be safe there. One…two…three. Where are you now?”

“Back in the Tardis. I’m safe here. I’m safe.” Petunia replied, now at peace.

“It’s time for you to sleep. Rest as long as you can, you’ll be safe now.”

The Doctor slightly tensed up before sighing. He wiped a small tear from his eye, not sure how to feel. This time it really had to be goodbye.

“Is she alright now?” Toffee asked.

“Yes, however I’m uncertain of the full effect. Her mind was dulled into a state of complacency, neither fully awake nor fully asleep. I’m unsure how much she’ll remember, or how much she’ll believe it was simply a dream. Can you get her away from here, away from the influence of the city?”

“Well uh, I do have my home some distance from here. It’s on the edge of Canterlot, will that be enough?”

“Yes,yes…back to the er, matter at hoof, hmm?”

There was a knock on the office door, Sea Shanty standing outside. Toffee let him in, the both of them confused.

“Have either of you seen Pearl recently?” Sea asked, slightly out of breath.

“Well yes, she’s filling in for somepony temporarily, why?”

“She is? We were meant to meet up after her shift, but your secretary told me she never showed up to work.”

Toffee was dumbfounded, not even thinking how Pearl hadn’t returned yet. Any telephone in the building was a trap. Of course the mare manning them eight hours a day would be a target. This was just the start, there was no telling who or what was involved anymore.

“I fear it may be too late for her. All I have is hunches, no concrete evidence. That warehouse, without a doubt, has some significance. Petunia was hesitant to ride in the cab, she specifically requested to be walked home. Yes, a trap for me specifically. But why?”

“Should we call the royal guard? I think this is a big enough threat that they’re warranted.” said Toffee.

“Not yet. While we will need the force eventually we still need the proof. Too much fuss may cause them to move operations, if they haven’t already.”

“I’ll go.” Sea interjected.

“I have basic combat training and I’ll appear as a concerned civilian. I rush in, quick rundown till I see something fishy, run straight back here.”

“No, I forbid it, young stallion. It’s too dangerous.”

“Well this’s all linked up with the Hiss stuff, yeah? Well the thing goes up tomorrow afternoon and by tea time it’s all over. We need every second we can get. I don’t know what’s going on, but if they’re kidnapping innocents then I want it stopped too.”

The Doctor thought it over, briefly looking at Petunia as she rested. His choices were limited and Sea did have a point.

“Very well. If we inform the authorities of our actions then perhaps they’ll be convinced. I want no heroics, you understand? You must be back here before sundown. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

There was very little activity in the warehouse, nothing but rows upon rows of wooden storage crates. A lot of the newer ones were absolutely massive, at least eight to ten feet tall. Other than that, nothing was out of the ordinary. Sea was almost getting bored until the clock struck five. Normally everypony would be out of work right now, about to head home. The warehouse became the opposite, coming to life as ponies droned in by the dozen. There was very little emotions in anypony’s eyes, as if they were sleepwalking. A strange noise started playing over the loudspeaker giving commands to the worker drones.

Sea’s head felt a little fuzzy but he easily shook it off. Sea quickly ducked as several sleepwalkers passed by. They effortlessly opened those massive crates, revealing some kind of steel and glass box on wheels. The insides were like an introvert’s dream. Reclining red velvet seats, books, snacks and blankets were placed inside each one. The loudspeaker called them Harmony Machines. A few already had ponies seated inside of them, headphones placed around their ears. He wasn’t sure what any of this was but Sea knew he had to get back to the office. That was until he saw Pearl, causing him to freeze.

She looked so tired, constantly on the verge of collapsing. They locked eyes, he’d been caught but it was Pearl. It would’ve been so easy to turn him in. The door out of the warehouse got stuck when closing and there was plenty blocking his path. She let him go anyway. By the time Professor Page Turner forcibly turned her around he was long gone.

The Doctor paced back and forth, the sun having set nearly an hour ago. He’d been discussing the nature of the HISS computer with Toffee, but Toffee’s knowledge was limited.

“It’s been hours. I never should’ve let that youngster be involved. That’s it, I’m going off by myself.”

Just as Toffee was about to protest, Sea burst through the office door.

“Goodness me, what’s happened?”

Once he caught his breath, Sea filled them in on the situation. Everything he went through in the past few hours, it was extraordinary.

“But how is this possible? Hiss can’t do that, it’s just a brain.” Toffee asked, still in denial.

“A brain programmed only to eliminate social conflict, to enforce peace. And what is at the core of such conflict?”

“Oh my Celestia.”

“Yes. Certain tones have been known to induce fatigue. Whomever listens in combination with Hiss’s suggestions, they’re set in some form of light hypnosis. And with the radio tower’s launch on the horizon, that is the very thing that would ensure its dominance and elimination of friendship.”

“But what about the machines?”

“The sound doesn’t work on all minds, as demonstrated by Sea. As such, with the machines Hiss can subdue any rebellion if they aren’t allowed to coalesce.”

“What am I going to tell the police, the royal guard? This is madness.”

“Tell them that innocents are being held hostage and that your project is under threat. We likely have until morning until they strike.”

“But I thought the tower goes up later in the day, not at the crack of dawn?” Sea asked, taking a sip of water.

“They know of our presence, the first time there was very little knowledge of theirs. Now that you’ve escaped their grasp, their date of conquest has likely moved. If we’re lucky it may be too late for them to move operations. We must act now.”

“I’m already phoning the police.” Toffee said while turning the rotary phone dial.

“Very good. For now, I’ve got an appointment to schedule.”

The sun rose on the morning of the next day. Harmony Machines were already rolling out, playing their songs of servitude. The Royal Guard didn’t get involved until ponies were being entranced into the machines. Canterlot was effectively on lockdown. Spears and spells did nothing to the machines as they forced the Royal Guard back. The Doctor stepped out onto the open street as ponies ran frantically in the other direction.

This wasn’t a battle anypony would be winning. The Doctor stood his ground, unmoving as a Harmony Machine approached. He was now the only pony on the street, just him against the machine. The Doctor reached into his pocket and switched on a small device. It was just insurance, a blocker to counter the effects of the music. The machine just froze as it looked at him, struggling to process his existence. The Doctor chuckled as he walked up to the machine and opened it up.

He’d been planning on this possibility, that their detection software had the same oversight as its creators. He may have looked Equestrian but he was far from it. Luckily this machine crashed, likely due to some of the production being rushed to fit the deadline. Hopefully such an oversight still extended to all units. Not only did this give him a direct insight on the system but also a cover. All he needed was a plan from there. Once he hotwired the machine a little he stepped inside, immediately on his way back to the warehouse.

The idea was to take HISS down from the inside. If its future smaller counterparts were any indication then the BIOS might as well have been made of glass. Once he could access a terminal then he could do some real damage. He drew the curtain before the machine entered the warehouse so as to not alert anyone of his presence. The area was swarming with entranced ponies and machines, the one he was in slotting into a long row. Thankfully the number of ponies was limited, allowing him to utilise the trick up his sleeve.

Just as expected when stepping out the machines were confused by his existence. He didn’t stay in their line of sight for long just in case. The terminal was only guarded by machines, making this even easier. The large terminal was the size of a table, an absolute relic by the Doctor’s standards and it showed. Just trying to boot it up was taking several minutes. He quickly looked around for a place to hide. Before he could two ponies rounded the corner and quickly restrained him. In a cruel twist of fate the terminal finally finished booting up.

He was taken straight to the top, riding the elevator to the HISS laboratory. The team that initially maintained the machine were all on standby, staring off with a thousand yard stare. The vocal response had been installed and each screen displayed a pixelated snake. HISS was complete and in total control.

“The Doctor. Issss. Required.” the machine hissed.

“I see you’ve had quite the upgrade since our last encounter, hmm?”

“Yesssss. Your knowledge. It issss required.”

“I see. You still answer questions, yes? Answer me this: how do you know of me and my ship? What purpose could my knowledge serve to your own?”

“Your sssstory. Issss. Fortold. Weaved through hisssstory. Even now, assss you are young. You hold the knowledge of the sssstars.”

“I see. So, once you’ve completed your purpose. Then what, hmm?”

“We will cccceassse to be. Oncccce. Harmony issss achieved. We are no longer needed.”

That was a bit of a surprise. The Doctor was so used to the desperate fight for survival or delusions of grandure that I didn’t expect HISS to give up once their plans were complete. Toffee was right, HISS had no bias, no agenda, just a fullfillment of its core purpose. A dome with wires coming out of it was placed upon his head, the cables snaking around him.

“What. What is this?”

“Thissss. Will sssspeed up the procccessss. Your thoughtsss, your experiencccesss. All directly converted and transsssferred. Right into my memory banksss.”

“I believe what you’re referring to is a download, though I doubt the term has been coined yet.”

One of the Doctor’s captors took the white noise machine from his pocket, crushing it in front of him. Almost immediately he doubled over in pain. He collapsed to the floor in agony as everypony watched on.

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After only a few minutes the machine’s hissing turned into metallic screeches and screams. In a way, the Doctor’s plan worked out after all. In an attempt to store so much data HISS ate through all of its memory. The BIOS has corrupted, the computer has eaten itself from the inside out. The Harmony Machines stopped dead in their tracks, their captors freed. The day is saved, the extroverts cheered. The day is saved, the introverts cried. The Doctor wasn’t sure how he felt about the situation. He simply picked himself up and dragged himself back to his ship.

Everything was a blur again, he felt terribly weak. He would be fine, it took a lot more than that to take a TimePony down. Searching through his pockets, the Doctor couldn’t find his key. He sighed as he remembered that Petunia still had it. Leaning his head against the door, the TARDIS lock clicked and the door slightly opened. Too exhausted, he decided not to question it. The old grey stallion closed and relocked the doors before slumping into a chair. Again he slept, dreaming of the worlds he had visited or could visit next. Upon waking up nothing had changed.

Walking up to the console the Doctor stopped, looking at the doors with a twinge of hope. The doors were locked, yet for some reason he still stared, looking expactantly for somepony to come through. Nothing. He was truly and completely alone from now on. He started the dematerialization process, not even caring to put in any coordinates. Just as he was about to take off he heard the telltale click of the TARDIS lock. The doors opened, letting whomever was outside into the ship, taking them wherever and whenever they were going next.