Doctor Whooves: The City of Toys

Chapters

A Change of Scenery
Round 1: Hide and Seek
Round 2: King of the Hill
Round 3: Capture the Flag

A Change of Scenery

Doctor Whooves: The City of Toys
Chapter 1:
A Change of Scenery
Max Kodan

The console of the TARDIS rose and fell, accompanied by the ever present grinding noise. Rainbow Dash was getting used to it at last, but the sound still burrowed itself into her head every now and then. She had begun to assume that The Doctor just had managed to figure a way to tune it out. Then again, he was weird enough that he just might actually like it. She hung her leg over the arm of one of the cushy chairs that adorned the walls of the time machine.

“Who knew there were hot springs on top the Heymalayas 150 years ago?” She asked, stretching her newly relaxed wings and sighing contentedly.

“Yeah, too bad that whole...er...oversized arachnid thing happened.” The Doctor hopped into the chair next to her, bouncing on it a little. She thought it might just be the first time he’d sat down since he’d entered the TARDIS with her. “And I did NOT see that Canis Minor coming! He was kinda cute after he chased those things off! We’ll have to go back and bring him that giant tennis ball we promised. Don’t want to get on his bad side.” He chuckled, bobbing his head around as if he were listening to music.

“Yeah! I’d say it’d be an awesome pet, but I don’t think I don’t think I could give him a steady supply of giant spiders.” She laughed. Deadly peril was becoming a daily occurrence. It was less scary each time it happened. “You know, Doctor, I’ve never had this much fun!” She relaxed all her muscles and let herself droop over the chair. “And I never knew Equestria was so...big! Not to mention everything outside of Equestria.” She stared up at the ceiling. “I’ve got a whole new way of looking at things!”

The Doctor smiled, but before he responded the console emitted a loud Ding! The time-travelling stallion leapt to his hooves with a cry of excitement. “We’re here! Come on, Dash!” He rushed off to the console and pointed wildly at the door. “Stand a ways back, now, and just watch!”

The confused pegasus rolled lazily out of the chair and stood up, padding over to the base of the stairs facing the door. She quirked an eyebrow back at The Doctor, waiting for further instructions. He waved his hooves at the door, indicating that she should just pay attention. When he was sure she was watching, he reached up and turned a valve on the control panel.

Slowly, the doors creaked inwards. For a moment, Dash couldn’t see anything. She walked a few steps closer, leaning her head forward and squinting. “All I see is black...what am I missing?”

The Doctor smiled and trotted up next to her. “You can go closer now, I’ve extended an oxygen field a short ways out the door. You can poke your head out, if you like.” His grin was wider than before, and he was bouncing so much that his feet were leaving the floor just a bit. Dash gave him a skeptical look before stepping closer to the door. She stuck her head out and looked down.

“What is that...? Wait, what? Doctor, is this...!?” She pulled her head back in and turned back to him. His grin had grown so much it must have physically hurt for him to keep it that big. He nodded ecstatically. She looked out again, her eyes full of new understanding.

What must have been thousands of miles below them, Dash could make out three things. She saw a large, orange sphere and a comparatively tiny white one. Between the two there was a green and blue ball. “Is that...”

“Your planet. Doesn’t have a name yet, you know, not really. I mean, there’s Equestria, but that’s more of a country...though it is a big one.” He chuckled. He’d retreated to the console once more. “Aside from that, there’s Prance, Hoofany, Hayne,” He said, glancing down quickly at his monitor to check to see if he’d missed any big ones. “Belgium...Belgium?” He paused and tapped his hoof to his chin. “That one...might have been my fault.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Try to stand as still as you can, I’m going to slow us down in time, so we’ll see everything down there going fast-forward as it were.” He slowly cranked a knob downwards, watching her reaction.

Below, two of the spheres began speeding up. The blue and green one rotated slowly in place, but the large orange one, which Dash now recognized fully as the sun, and the white one, the moon, began circling the planet. The two kept the same distance away that they had been before, slowly spinning round and round, as if dancing with eachother. “Wow, so that’s what it looks like?”

The Doctor nodded. “Indeed. The Princesses, during their respective shifts, give their respective celestial orbs enough magic power to rise and set across the entire planet. And as we’ve seen, they give them sustenance, as well. It appears that they created them, set them on their orbits, keep them stabilized, and keep them moving at all times. Must be a rough job.” He smiled. “And they allow the light of the stars in, as well. I’d love to poke around about the reason why that’s necessary, but before that all happens there’s something I need to do. Please step away from the door.”

She took a few seconds to comply. Reluctantly, she backed away, still craning her neck to see as the doors closed. She frowned and turned back to her driver. “What could be more important than finding that out? Now that you bring it up, I wanna know too!” She walked up the stairs and to the console, watching The Doctor run around and do...whatever it was he was doing. He called it flying. She called it guessing.

“I need some normality. Where I come from, all, well...most planets are like the one we’re about to go to. Planet rotates, which makes it look like the sun is going around it to the little specs of life on the surface, and the moons revolve around the planet. And they do it all by themselves.”

Dash had to process the thought for a moment. “They do it by themselves? How?”

“Well, the initial angular momentum that began when the solar systems were nothing more than dust revolving around a star gives both revolution and rotation to each individual planet, while similar things happen with the moons and the planets themselves, causing micro systems that work virtually identically to the macro system, with some obvious tweaks due to distance, mass, and the initial velocity of-”

The Doctor looked up. Dash was giving him that look that said she’d stopped paying attention some time ago. He laughed nervously before continuing. “Ah...lots of numbers and sciencey stuff. You wouldn’t be interested.”

She rolled her eyes. “So, wait, now you’re telling me you’re going to take me to another planet?” She stretched her legs out. “Your crazy must be wearing off on me. I think I actually believe you.”

“Good! Makes it more fun! Your first time on an alien planet! This is gonna be brilliant!” He called the ceiling, yanking the lever that he usually yanked when he wanted things to happen.

In a dark room, on the top floor of a very tall building, in front of a wall full of screens showing various parts of a city, a pony yawned. “Boring, boring, boring. You’ve all become so boring.” He leaned on his hoof, glazed over eyes sweeping across the screen as they occasionally switched to new scenes. Different streets poked in momentarily before flashing away. Buildings, businesses, houses, even the occasional bathroom showed up. However, not even the sight of a bank robbery shootout seemed to cheer him up.

However, one thing caught his attention. He sat upright and narrowed his eyes at one of the screens. Something new had appeared. In fact, it was still appearing. “Well, now...what’s this?” He asked his computer system. Moving his hooves a little bit, the screen enlarged and took over most of the wall, though the robbery remained in the bottom corner screen. A strange, blue box took up the majority of his screens now. The pony chuckled, smiling slightly. “How very, very interesting...Perhaps the fun won’t end just yet!” He laughed as the doors opened and a pair of ponies stepped out. The laughing grew and grew, and soon manic cackles echoed off of the walls and into the darkness.

The first thing The Doctor did upon stepping outside the TARDIS was take a huge breath in, hold it, and then release it in a contented sigh. “There we are! That’s how a proper planetary movement is supposed to feel!” He turned back as Dash stepped out. She tested the ground a little bit before leaving the safety of the TARDIS.

“It...” She paused, bouncing on her hooves to test further. “It doesn’t feel any different.”

“Well, maybe not to you, but I’ve been to a lot of planets. It feels different to me.” He huffed a little. “Nothing quite like a properly revolving hunk of rock. It’s like...” He appeared to think for a moment. “It’s like the difference between flying and, well, flying.”

“That...makes sense.” She conceded. It was true, what most ponies considered ‘flying’ and what she considered ‘flying’ were two entirely different things. That glorified floating wasn’t flying; it took skill, practice. When the perfect updraft of warm air hit, and she adjusted just right, and it lifted her so effortlessly into the clouds, the feeling was entirely different than just flapping your wings about like a chicken. She smiled. “Fine, fine, ya got me.” Anyway, so long as she couldn’t feel the difference, she resolved not to let it bother her.

“Now, let’s do some exploring!” The Doctor looked around them. They were in a deserted alley in what appeared to be a large city. Buildings towered on either side of them, both brick and mortar, both at least 5 stories tall. They could see an occasional form move hastily past their field of vision on the street. The very picture of a city bustling with life. The shapes buzzing about in front of the alley seemed to be relatively pony shaped, though they varied in size and it looked as though some of them were wearing clothes of some kind: hats, cloaks, suits, dresses, all sorts of different apparel appeared in the silhouettes.

“So, Doctor, if we’re on another planet,” Dash reasoned, “Are those...aliens?”

“That would be the logical conclusion.” He smiled impishly, raising his eyebrows and nodding his head towards the street. His companion giggled, then cleared her throat.

“Aliens...aliens! Hah!” Dash jumped into the air, doing a little turn and prancing out towards the street. The Doctor followed in turn, just as interested in seeing what a pony alien might look like.

As the two emerged, the sunlight shone bright in the sky. The sounds of murmured conversation filled the apparently major thruway and echoed across the buildings. The street itself was packed with a strange combination of pony-drawn carts, automated wheeled transports The Doctor called ‘cars,’ and hovering, metallic pods. The most interesting thing to see, however, seemed to be the inhabitants of the city. Every single pony was different, but somehow familiar. Most likely because every one of them was a toy.

Nutcrackers, dolls, army ponies, and action figures bustled down along the sidewalks past the ragtag standstill traffic as if nothing were strange at all. Clowns, mimes, cowboys, robots, superheroes, princesses, construction workers, samurais, and so many other things that Dash could point out skirted around them as if they were just another light pole or fire hydrant.

The Doctor looked around, scanning the buildings and the vehicles and the ponies. “Well, now, look at that! Isn’t that just brilliant! A city full of toys. Probably some kind of marketing draw. But they all do seem quite alive...Oh, and good news!” He called excitedly, reaching back towards his tail and fishing around with his hoof. “I made myself a little hidden holster. Some ponies may be dissuaded by the lack of pockets, but I’m The Doctor!” He withdrew his hoof, and with it came a long, slender device. He held it up and the end of it began emitting a green glow. An odd, wavering sound signaled that it was working. He pointed it around the area for a moment, then at a couple of ponies as they walked by. They gave him odd looks, but he simply ignored them.

Dash watched as he flicked his wrist. The device extended and he looked it over, nodding a bit. “Well, not quite, I guess. These ponies are completely alive and sentient. Even have a very low power psychic field around them. Perfectly average. How interesting.” He bit his lip and squinted. “Some of it’s a bit off though. Tiny little bits of information on them are just not here, or they’re scrambled up anyway.”

“What are you...what is that thing?” Dash tilted her head at the device. “It looks like a fancy flashlight. How is it telling you all this stuff?”

“Oh? This? I suppose you haven’t seen it yet. This is my sonic screwdriver. It does stuff. I guess it could just not be used to this universe yet, so the readings might not be one hundred percent accurate...”

“Ok, I know I can’t always follow your ramblings, Doctor, but I think I deserve a better explanation than ‘it does stuff.’” She rolled her eyes.

“Hm? No, that’s pretty much it. It’s psychically linked to me, but pretty much it just...does stuff. I just scanned the area and the ponies, here, and it told me what I wanted to know. It does more, too. Just...a bunch of stuff.” He shrugged.

“Rrrrright. So, why are we just standing here? Shouldn’t we go exploring? This is my first time on another planet!” She giggled, “Let’s go look around!”

“That,” The Doctor started, closing the screwdriver and putting it back into his supposed tail-holster, “Is a brilliant idea. I knew I brought you along for a reason. Off we go then!”

The city, to Dash’s shagrin, actually looked surprisingly normal. They first circled a block and, after bumping into a very apologetic cyborg, wound up right back where they were. The buildings were made mostly of brick, and seemed uniform relative to the inhabitants and the vehicles. Primarily apartment buildings of some sort, with shops and kiosks scattered about. The stores looked normal enough. A grocer here or there, a tailor, a few barber shops and mane salons, some pawn shops, and so on.

“I dunno, I just expected some weirder stuff...Where are the clip-on dresses for the dolls? Why didn’t that shoe store have clown shoes? I thought a planet like this would be a bit more...fun, I guess.” She sighed. But, it wasn’t a complete loss. After all, aliens! Real, honest aliens!

“Well, sometimes you take what you get. Besides, we only saw a small part of the city, it looks like it’s absolutely sprawling. We could spend quite a lot of time just walking around looking at stuff!” The Doctor bounced a little. “I’d rather like to find a bookstore. Find a little history on the city and all that.”

“Couldn’t you just get in the TARDIS and go watch the city’s past?” Dash walked a few steps into the alley and sat, leaning against the wall of the building to relax a little. Those hot springs had really loosened her up.

“Well, sure I COULD do that, but it’s so much better to get it from a book! The feel of the paper on your hooves, hearing the way other ponies describe the events, the very language itself is the best part of it!”

“...You sound a LOT like Twilight right now, you know that?” Dash prodded him and chuckled.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Just an observation.”

“...H-hello?”

The pair looked around for the source of the strange voice. Finally, upon looking down, they saw a small, wooden pony. He looked hardly larger than a foal, but his mane was cut exquisitely well. He was painted fully, with a great amount of detail apparently put into each facet of his body. He blinked a few times, as if waiting for a response.

“Well, hello, there!” The Doctor smiled and lowered himself closer to the wooden pony’s level. “I’m The Doctor, what’s your name?”

The sculpturesque pony shyed away, taking a few steps back. “You...you’re ponies?”

“Last time I checked, yeah.” Dash responded. She might have thought it was an odd question, if she hadn’t remembered that they were on a planet comprised mostly of oversized childrens’ playthings.

“You should leave, quickly!” The urgency in the foal’s voice didn’t seem feigned. The Doctor stood up to his full height and frowned deeply.

“And why’s that?”

“There’s no time, you must get out of here before-” The foal gasped and jumped. “It is too late! May the Maker have mercy on your souls!” He called as he darted off.

Dash blinked, reaching her head around the corner to watch the little thing swerve between the legs of other pedestrians before finally turning a corner and disappearing behind the building. “What was that all about? What a weird kid...”

“Aw, now don’t be hard on him, he’s not a bad child at all.” A smooth voice from just behind Dash made her jump in a way reminiscent of the little toy from before. She backed out of the alley and stopped alongside The Doctor, turning to see who had spoken. In the semi-darkness between the two buildings stood a surprisingly average looking pony. His body was a dull yellow, and his black mane was cut rather short, though it was quite wavy and well maintained. His cutie mark looked rather like a hammer. He wore a calm, welcoming smile and bowed deeply after Dash’s minor freakout.

“My sincerest apologies if I startled you, I assure you it was not my intention. I only wish to welcome you to my fair city and extend my hoof in gratitude for deciding to spend your time here.” He raised himself up and stepped out of the shadows. As he did, his vision blurred a little, but then settled back into its normal state. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come and see you in the flesh, but by the time I’d have tracked you down you would have moved on elsewhere. This is the best method I’ve found for personally welcoming newcomers.”

The Doctor smiled. “A hologram welcoming committee, eh? That’s very nice! Are you speaking to us live, or is this recorded?”

“I am speaking to you in real time. We don’t get too many visitors here, so my schedule is remarkably free.” At the mention of his schedule, he seemed to realize something. “Oh! How, rude of me, I haven’t introduced myself!” He bowed once more, exactly the same way he had before. “I am Mayor Nollar, and it is a great pleasure to meet you.”

“Very well then, Nollar! It’s good to see a politician who enjoys greeting his visitors personally! Oh, ah, I’m the Doctor, and this is-”

“Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in all Equestria.” She cut across him, smiling confidently and raising her chin proudly.

“Rainbow Dash and...The Doctor. Very good! Well, then, allow me to introduce you to a little tradition we have here. New visitors are invited to play a little game, to fully enjoy the sights and sounds and life in the city! All you have to do is find me. I realize that it’s a large place, and the task seems daunting, but I assure you if you know anything about me you’ll find me in no time flat! Simply ask around, and the citizens will give you more than enough information.”

The Doctor chuckled. “Very well, then. I assume you’re not in City Hall? That would be too easy, wouldn’t it? Alright, alright, I’ll get about that right away. Seems like a good way to spend our time, doesn’t it, Dash?” He looked over as he asked her. She quirked a brow at him.

“Very good! You seem to be a rather clever pair of ponies, so I’m sure I’ll see you in no time!” The Mayor bowed and, with that, vanished.

Dash kept her moderately confused eyes on The Doctor. “You agreed? That easily? Isn’t this a bit weird? First that kid, and now a Mayor that wants to play Hide-n-Seek?” She frowned. Now that she’d said it out loud, at least it didn’t sound dangerous.

“Aww, he’s a fun loving guy! He’d have to be to run this place. But how about for this first game, we cheat a little.” The Doctor winked and started off down the alley. Dash followed and rolled her eyes. The two approached the TARDIS quickly, The Doctor continuing to speak as he went. “We’ll just pop in here for a second, trace the source of the hologram, and head right over. Then we can ask all the questions we want, no problem, see?” He reached the doors first and pressed his hoof against it. “Let’s go then, shall we?”

With a push, the doors squeaked open. Three steps later, The Doctor hit something solid. He backed out and shook his head, opening his eyes. “Oi, I don’t remember a-” He began. His words caught in his throat as he looked through the TARDIS doors. On the other side, all he could see was blue wood. The back of the Police Box. He struggled to find the words he was looking for for a moment, but Dash found them first.

“What? What the hoof is going on here!?” She growled. “Doctor, is your stupid ship broken?” She shot him a glare, but softened when he shook his head.

“It doesn’t just stop working. It’s been tampered with. And if I had to guess...” He said slowly, turning his head to the side just enough to see over his shoulders. Dash followed his gaze, and together they turned to face the street once again. Between them and the opening to the alley, the Mayor stood, smiling serenely once again. “I’d say I know who did it.”

“Now now, then. We can’t have you cheating in our little game! Cheaters are bad. Cheaters are punished here! Cheaters can’t play the game. And I do so love playing games. So I’ve ensured that you can’t cheat at all.” He chuckled light heartedly, smiling good-naturedly at them.

“...We don’t want to play your game, Nollar, we just want to leave. That’s all.” The Doctor’s voice had dropped into a more serious tone. Dash nodded her consent.

“Oh, you’re no fun! I haven’t even told you of the prize you could get if you win!” He chuckled impishly. “I do think it’ll make you change your mind.”

He waved his leg and the air between him and one of the buildings became slightly fuzzy. Against the wall, the fuzz settled into a figure. A female unicorn shifted uncomfortably. It looked as if she’d been manacled to the wall. She groggily shook her head, then appeared to look right at them.

“Er...Hi,” The pale-green bodied mare managed to get out. Her blue-violet mane looked rather frazzled, and any particular style it might have had was completely unrecognizable. She laughed nervously. “I, uh, don’t really know you, but do you think you could help me out here?” She tugged on her bonds a little bit. “I think I’m starting to chafe.”

The Mayor laughed heartily and waved his hoof inward. The hologram contracted, pulling back until only he was visible again. “So there you have it! Come find me, and you’ll add a member to your party! Sound fair? Good!” He called. He hadn’t waited for a reply. With a light click sound, the feed cut off, and the two travellers were stuck alone in the alley once again.

“So...what do we do now?” Dash asked. She had begun floating in the air, focussing her frustration at the kidnapping jerkwad into keeping herself airborne.

“Now...” The Doctor began, his voice low and his “We play his game.”

The stallion walked forward at a moderate pace, his eyes locked forward. Dash recognized the look. The Doctor was getting serious, and she knew that The Mayor was in trouble.

“But where do we start? We’ve got the whole city to look over!” She called after him, swooping down and trotting alongside him.

“I know where he is.” He kept his eyes ahead, stomping along the path towards the street.

“What? How could you possibly-”

“He gave us all the information we needed and then some.”

“And then some?”

The Doctor nodded. “Now I know who he is, too.”

Round 1: Hide and Seek

Doctor Whooves: The City of Toys
Chapter 2:
Round 1: Hide and Seek
Max Kodan

“Doctor. Hey! Doctor!” Dash called. She was stumbling through the crowded sidewalk in her attempt to follow her friend. Somehow, he seemed to have no problems passing through the mass of colorful citizens. She, on the other hand, had been poked and prodded and pushed and shoved and jostled and tripped by every wooden, plastic, and metal thing in her path. She nearly stepped on something, but caught herself as she looked down. A metal spring was right in her path. When she turned to apologize to its owner, she noticed that the spring led down the street and around a corner in both directions.

With a growl, she launched herself into the air. “Fine then! Geez, try to be nice and fit in once in a whi-oof!” She tumbled a little bit before righting herself. Looking up, she realized she’d been bumped by a pony-sized helicopter. “Oh, COME on!” She groaned in exasperation. Either way, the air was less crowded than the street. She flew low over the pedestrians and relocated The Doctor, keeping a few feet over his head. “Hey. Where are we going?”

“To find ‘Mayor Nollar’, of course.” He replied. Dash cringed a bit when he spoke the politician’s name. When he’d spoken of the Daleks and the Cybermen and the Sontarans, he’d used their names matter of factly, though the words left his mouth so heavily they’d nearly hit the ground. But the name ‘Nollar’ escaped his lips like a poison gas, and it seemed to hang in the air between them. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know more.

“Um...You said you knew who he was?” She went on reluctantly. For some reason, she feared retribution for asking about it. Instead of getting upset, The Doctor only nodded.

“He’s an old enemy of mine. I think. At first I thought it was all a coincidence, but it’s all adding up to the same thing. But something’s not right, he’s acting erratic. It makes him extremely dangerous.” The Doctor looked around and, after a moment, tapped one of the passers-by on the shoulder, calling for their attention. The well-dressed mare turned gracefully and curtsied cutely.

“Oh, mah!” She drawled. Her accent was even heavier than Applejack’s. “Now what can ah do fer a handsome stallion lahke yourself?” She batted her eyelashes several times. Dash rolled her eyes. The Doctor, somehow, kept a straight face.

“I just need some directions.” He said flatly.

“Darlin’, Ah’ll take you anywhere you want to go!” She said with a grin and a bit of a wink. Dash couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched her companion struggle to keep his face from flushing red.

“Just, uh...” He cleared his throat, shifting his hooves uncomfortably. “Just...the toy store. I need to get to the toy store.”

Immediately the atmosphere changed. The mare’s face dropped and she looked around nervously. “You...you want to go...” She bit her lip. “Ah...Ah don’t know if Ah should...”

“Madam,” The Doctor cut across her, “I assure you, I know what’s going on here.” He took a deep breath and evened his gaze. “I just want to help.”

The building stood in front of them. It looked like a normal toy store, that was for sure. A clown and a cowpony stuck their heads out from behind a bright, colorful sign and waved cheerfully at the potential customers that walked by. The inside was lit up, and more bright, primary colors could be seen patterning the walls with random shapes and splatters. The aisles were full of product. Completely full. In fact, the store looked like it had just opened.

Rainbow Dash was back on the pavement, giving the store a once over from the sidewalk. Then she turned, looking behind her at the still-milling crowd that seemed to give the doors a wide berth. “Why...” She began, but gave another quick look back and forth. “Alright, that’s just creepy. Why would someone open a toy store like this in a city full of toys?”

Indeed, every toy in the store seemed to be representative of a type of citizen on the street. The more she looked, the more unnerved she became.

“Short answer, they didn’t.” The Doctor took a deep breath and closed his eyes, lowering his head. “We’ve got a little time before the clock runs down, so I want to take this time to explain a few things.”

“Doctor, not that I don’t appreciate you finally letting me in on something, here, but shouldn’t we hurry? He’s got a captive!” She scoffed. Still, she didn’t feel particularly rushed to go into this store.

“I know, I know. Just a few warnings. Either way this guy is extremely dangerous, but if he’s who I think he is...” He breathed a sigh. “Then you need to be extra careful. He’s tricky, and he won’t play fair. Try to play his game, but be mindful. He’s not above shifting the rules around in his own favor. He can be beaten if you stick to it and don’t let him get to you, understand?”

She nodded in return. With that, The Doctor sighed. “I’ll give you more information when I can, but for now, just know to keep your eyes open.”

The pair took a collective breath and stepped forward. The doors to the store opened automatically, and a light ding was heard as they passed through. The store was completely vacant. No customers roamed the aisles, and no cashiers stood ready to check them out. Not even so much as a pony in a crazy mascot getup bounced through the aisles, either delighting or terrifying the foals that never even entered the establishment anyway.

“...Creepy...” Dash shivered as she looked around. The interior of the store was made all the more forlorn with the stock. After having interacted with nearly identical, albeit larger, versions of the items on the shelves, the eyes that stared at them from all angles took on a different light. The Doctor was the first to take a step forward, and his companion followed closely after. The moment they stepped out of its range, the door slid closed behind them.

“Ah-hah! You’re quite good at this, Doctor! Though I expected no less.” The vision of Mayor Nollar appeared in front of them again. He was as joyful as ever and, Dash thought, not all that threatening looking. He was pretty much just a normal unicorn. Or rather, he just looked like a normal unicorn. Their clearly few-hay-fries-short-of-a-filly-meal host giggled erratically.

“Now, all you have to do is find the right item, Doctor. Pick it up and the door will open. I always make sure to choose a special toy for each and every ‘contestant’, and you are certainly no exception.”

The Doctor glared at him for several seconds, as if sizing him up.

“Ooh, good poker face! I love it!” The giggle fit burst out from the hologram again. “Good luck!” And with that, he vanished just as unceremoniously as he had the last time he’d appeared.

The Doctor sighed. “Really...well, if I’m right, there’s only one place to go.” He immediately set off, ignoring the look of confusion Dash was giving him.

“How do you know where to go?”

“Right here.” He’d turned down an aisle and stopped. Following his gaze, Dash saw a clear, plastic box with a wooden set inside. A long block of wood along the bottom, with three pillars sticking up along it. Wooden disks of various colors were stacked on the middle pillar. 6 of them of increasing size. She tilted her head when she read the box.

“Tower of Hanoi? Never heard of it.”

“Course you haven’t, Hanoi is a place on a planet in my dimension. If I wasn’t sure before, I am now.”

He reached over and picked it up. As if he’d hit a button, the shelf slowly slid back and revealed a hidden staircase. The pair looked down. They heard a familiar giggle erupting from the basement as the shelf chunked into place.

“Oh, would you be quiet!?” The voice of the captive unicorn drifted up after it. They had definitely stumbled onto the right place. With a glance at each other and a nod, they stepped off down the stairs.

The room at the bottom of the short staircase was rather large and rather poorly lit, save for two areas. On one wall where a pair of spotlights seemed to shine, the greenish, frazzled unicorn was still held up by her legs. She was glowering across the room at the other lit portion, a dias upon which the Mayor bounced in a large, colorful, overstuffed chair. He was completely ignoring the mare, and instead had turned his attention to the staircase, upon which two more spotlights were shone.

“And the contestants arrive!” He cheered, holding his front legs open.

The pair squinted in the sudden light, but The Doctor still stepped forward, towards the Mayor. “We won your little game, let her go.” He nodded towards the unicorn. The Mayor giggled mischievously and shrugged.

“Very well, very well. Spoil sport.” He glanced over to the side, and suddenly the braces holding the unicorn to the wall snapped open. She let out a quick shout and fell, tumbling a bit into a pile. She struggled to her feet, grumbling and glaring at her captor. She eased her way over to stand behind The Doctor, next to Dash. They traded nods, but she quickly sat down and started rubbing at her front legs. Introductions could wait.

The Doctor waited until their new friend was safely behind him before he did anything else. He nodded back at them, then turned an intense gaze towards the yellow menace in front. “What happened to you?” His voice was low, nearly a growl. The sort of tone that sent a shiver down Dash’s spine whenever she heard it.

“Come now, you’ve solved my challenge, you must know who I am. You were the most clever opponent I’d ever faced, after all.” The Mayor chuckled, his eyes widening. The appeared slightly bloodshot. “Go on, Doctor. Admit it. Call me by my name.”

A few seconds of silence went by as the staredown continued. The brown stallion took a deep breath in, his eyes turned up to the raised platform upon which the Mayor sat. He held the breath in for a moment, then finally decided what he’d use it on. “Toymaker.”

The cackling giggle rang through the darkness of the basement loud enough to cause one particular pegasus to wince slightly. This guy was really starting to get on her last nerve, and she held herself in one place for the sake of The Doctor.

“You haven’t answered me, Toymaker. What happened to you? You’re clearly not yourself...”

“Ooooh, The great Doctor doesn’t know the answer! It’s all because of you. The last time we met, you trapped me, Doctor, in a psychic barrier, fed by my own psychic powers.” He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “Psychic barriers weren’t part of the game, Doctor. That was unfair.” The eyes snapped open, and the ‘Toymaker’ leapt from his chair, standing tall to stare down at the trio of ponies. “UN! FAIR!” He screamed, his eyes growing redder. If he’d popped a blood vessel, he didn’t show it. Instead, he almost instantly relaxed, giggling playfully. “But it’s ok, Doctor. I’ve forgiven you for ch-ch-ch-” He stopped for a moment, a light tweak having formed in his neck as he tried to force the word. “CHEAT...ing...” He took a breath.

“You were-” The Doctor began. He was cut off by a loud cry from the Toymaker.

“I am STILL TALKING!” He shouted, stomping his hoof harshly on the edge of the platform upon which he stood. Again, his outburst was short lived, and he resumed giggling maniacally. The Doctor fell silent, but his gaze grew ever harder. “You’re forgiven, Doctor, because I understand. I understand why you would....” He paused, regaining his composure. “Bend...the rules.” He started on a circular path around the edge of the dais while he continued. “See, it was all my fault. I worked so hard to ensure that you couldn’t win, that the only option left to you was...well, you know.” The continuous giggling started to die down, and the pony cleared his throat. “Alright, then. Since you don’t know, I’ll tell you what. From now on, whenever you win one of my games, I’ll tell you another bit of my story of how I got here.” He beamed at them. “Does that sound fair?”

Dash started forward, eyes narrowed at their newest enemy. The unicorn tried to stop her, but Dash spoke loudly enough that she didn’t have the chance. “Now listen here, you! We’re not playing your stupid games anymore, we just want to leave!”

Though she was still behind the Doctor, she suddenly found herself right up against a yellow face. She blinked and stopped in her tracks. She didn’t remember him moving, but there stood the Mayor of this city, staring at her with a wide, grinning face, mere inches away.

“Aww, but you can’t leave once you start, little pony...” He giggled slowly. “If you can win all my games, your prize will be your TARDIS. You’re in my city, now, and without a license, owning a time machine is quite illegal...see?”

Dash swallowed hard. He sounded extremely threatening. It was as if his voice itself were trying to relay a lust to watch her struggle and suffer. His eyes were almost hypnotically large, and they stared directly into hers with malicious intent. Before she completely lost herself, however, his gaze was torn away from her by The Doctor, who had physically grabbed the Toymaker and pushed him back several feet. It was the first time Dash could remember the time traveler ever physically touching one of their foes.

“Now you listen to me, Toymaker.” He narrowed his eyes. “You want us to play your stupid game by your stupid rules, then fine. But don’t you dare, don’t you DARE touch a single hair on her mane, understand?”

His back was to her, but she caught a glimpse of his eye. At the moment, she wasn’t quite sure which of the two titans from another dimension she should fear more.

“Hoo! Oh, Doctor...do calm down.” He lifted his hoof and a ‘snap’ sound could be heard. The Doctor appeared back next to Dash, and the Toymaker stood back on his dais. “We’re all here to have fun, right? This dingy old basement is no place for it...I think it’s time for a change of scenery.”

Suddenly, The Doctor, Dash, and their new unicorn friend found themselves standing in a room that looked a lot more...colorful than their previous location. They appeared to be surrounded by large, plush walls made of some sort of soft, rubbery plastic. Testing by Rainbow Dash showed that they absolutely refused to fall over, but they were surprisingly soft and bouncy, which she proved when she sat up in a daze 10 feet from where she’d hit. Most of the room was red, but it was accented with silver and black in certain places. One pattern along the wall looked rather like a door, but it felt like just another bit of the wall.

“...Well, this is great. Now what?”

Dash and The Doctor turned to look at their newfound friend, who had spoken up for the first time since she’d come off the wall.

“Er, not to be rude, but who are you?” The Doctor quirked an eyebrow. The unicorn blinked and blushed lightly.

“Right, sorry. My name’s North Star, but just call me Star.” She shrugged a little. “My parents were big on navigation.”

“Right, and you got here...?” The Doctor got closer and squinted, looking her over. She inched nervously away.

“Er...I have a ship, duh. Personal space.” She pushed him back away.

“Ok, quick introduction time. I’m Rainbow Dash, he’s The Doctor, and we’re kind of...er...” Dash started. She trailed off when she realized she didn’t quite know how to finish the sentence.

“We’re adventurers ourselves. Same as you, based on the cutie mark.” The Doctor peered around for a moment at the unicorn’s flank, upon which sat a mark that looked rather like a compass from a map.

She blushed in response. “Hey, eyes up, sunshine. And what kind of name is “The Doctor”? Doctor who?” She raised an eyebrow.

“That is a very good question.” The Doctor nodded. “Now, I should explain more about the Toymaker, now that I’m sure it’s him.”

“Hey!” The unicorn protested. Apparently, she was not a fan of being ignored. The Doctor managed to do it anyway as he pressed on.

“The Toymaker isn’t originally from my universe. He’s from a different one, and he follows a different set of physical laws. Basically, he can do just about anything he wants. He used his powers to draw people into his realm, the Celestial Toyroom, and force them to play his games for their freedom. Looks like he’s doing the same here. I don’t know how he ended up in this universe, but that’s not important right now. We need to focus on playing his game and winning, while keeping our eyes open for a way out of here. He’s not acting normally. He was always mad, but now he’s just raving.” The Doctor took a breath. “That means he may leave an opening for us to beat him, or it may mean that he’s more dangerous than ever. He has to follow his own rules, but he has a penchant for leaving some of them out. Keep your eyes open, and be ready for absolutely anything. Alright?”

“I think I got it, Doctor.”

“Hey, I’ve dealt with a megalomaniac or two. You don’t have to worry about me.”

The Doctor gave the unicorn another once over. “You know...there’s something about you...But I just can’t figure out what it is.”

A smug smile crossed Star’s face. “You’re not thrown off by my perfect figure, are you?” She posed slightly, then stuck her tongue out at him.

Dash rolled her eyes. “It might be that your mane still looks like it went through a blender.”

Star squeaked and quickly brought her hooves up to her head, working at the mane and trying to force it back down. When she finished, it still looked a bit disheveled, but she seemed happy enough with it.

Dash's giggle was interrupted by he sound of static that emitted from the frame of black that so resembled a door. The red color had been replaced by the fuzzy image of the Toymaker. He grinned jovially from wherever he was as the picture settled and the loud crackling died down. The three unwilling contestants looked at each other and traded looks of annoyance, dismay, and determination.

"Welcome, contestants, one and all to the extravagant Celestial Colosseum! I am your Mayor Nollar, and I am proud to once again bring you the glorious spectacle of the great Celestial Games! It's been a while, yes, but we finally have some new challengers!" When he finished his sentence, the screen flashed and showed the three of them.

"Oh, joy, we're famous." Star raised her hoof and waved half-heartedly at the screen. The camera, wherever that was, sooner in on her. From the side of the screen, the words "Northern Lights" flew in and paused below her face before tilting and rocketing away. "Hey!" She complained. It's North St-"

The camera cut away and paused on The Doctor. "The Surgeon" it called him. He sighed and shook his head. "Not as bad as Doc..." He muttered.

Next in the chopping block was Rainbow Dash, who was doubled over laughing at the names given to her friends. "The Surgeon! Man, what a riot!" She giggled.

"Monochrome Jog."

"What?"

“These three contestants braved the first round of “hide-n-seek!” The Mayor announced, while Dash simmered and Star giggled lightly. “And they passed in record time! But now, our trio of travelers will have to compete alongside a team, against a team! The challenges become harder and harder from here on out, and remember! They only have one ‘extra life’! Can they win 4 rounds before they lose 2? The only way to find out is to watch! In exactly 30 minutes, we will begin round two! Don’t miss the exciting continuation!”

The screen turned off with an electrical click, and silence resumed. The Doctor shook his head. “Fair game, huh? Sounds like we’re at a disadvantage.

In front of them, the hologram of the Toymaker appeared once more, this time with a light, worried frown playing across his face. “You are unhappy with the terms, Doctor? I simply wanted to even it out. With you on this team, another team of the same size would be completely uncompetitive. I’m just ensuring that everything remains as fun as possible!” He smiled warmly, as if he were consoling them.

“You have a twisted sense of ‘fun,’ Toymaker.”

“Don’t we all?” Completely unaffected by The Doctor’s glare, the unicorn began pacing back and forth in front of them. “Now, I shall explain your situation. You are in my coliseum. The remainder of the rounds will be played out in here. Between you and the other team there is a labyrinth, which will be changing in size and complexity each round. Mostly it will be random, but the center of the maze will always be set by the type of game being played. There will be secret passages, doors that can be closed or opened from only one side, moving platforms, anything to make it a little more fun.

“You will be a part of a 12 pony team, and the team you are facing off against will also consist of 12 ponies. At the end of each round, each team will gain additional members. If they lose, they get more. If they win, they get less.”

“So you’re saying...” Star cut in, narrowing her eyes. “That if we win two rounds in a row, we’ll be at a huge disadvantage player-wise. The only way we’ll have more ponies on our team is to lose the first round. Isn’t that right?”

The Doctor nodded. “Sounds it. More stacking the odds in your favor, Toymaker? Next you’ll tell me that our team will consist of ragdolls and tea sets, while we’ll be facing off against transforming robots and jet fighters, right?”

The Toymaker laughed heartily. “No, no Doctor. Didn’t I tell you? I’m giving you a fair chance. Every pony pulled from the city into the games regains their original forms until the games are over.”

The Doctor stood completely still. “And the ponies you’ll be selecting for our team-”

“I won’t be selecting them. It’s completely random. Drawn lots.”

The Mayor smiled as the silence settled. The time travelling stallion bowed his head in thought. “I...” He searched for the words. “This sounds too good to be true.”

“But those are the rules, Doctor, and you know better than anyone that I have to follow them.” Their host grinned. “Now, I did promise you a little bit of story for winning the first round, didn’t I?” He cleared his throat and sat down. Slowly, he began getting slightly more serious, eyeing each of them individually before continuing. “Now, you remember trapping me in that force field, right? Of course you do. I withered away there under that roller coaster, taunted by the sounds of children laughing and squealing with delight.” He paused to shiver slightly. “For nearly a year I was there. My physical form began to wither. I began feeling the creeping graps of insanity claw its way into my mind...That’s when I noticed. I saw it, Doctor. The Toymaker saw what The Doctor missed. A secret, hidden away from all eyes throughout all of time.” The Toymaker stood slowly, approaching them one step at a time as he spoke. His eyes grew wider and wider until he stood mere inches away from The Doctor. “I saw...a hole.”

With a flash and a click, he was gone.

“What was that?” Dash asked, quirking her eyebrow.

The Doctor shook his head. “I’m not sure. But right now it isn’t important. We should focus on making some sort of plan. We’ve only got one chance to screw up, and I’d like if we didn’t do that at all.”

“Got that right. This guy thinks he can scare us, he’s got another thing coming!” Dash grinned and stretched her legs. “We’ll show ‘em. We’ll take anything he can throw at us!”

“I just hope he joins in sometime so I can rough him up a bit for tying me to that wall...” Star punched her hoof into her other one and started popping some joints.

“Very good, then!” The Doctor breathed a bit of a sigh of relief and smiled. “25 Minutes til round 2. Let’s use ‘em well!”

Round 2: King of the Hill

Doctor Whooves: The City of Toys
Chapter 3:
Round 2: King of the Hill
Max Kodan

The oppressive silence from the future Canterlot would have been a million times better than this hoofing elevator music.

At least, that’s how Rainbow Dash saw it. At first, it was nice and quiet. Then, they just got a light, jazzy tune that was so repetitive it was driving her mad. The three ponies had been planning. However, knowing nothing more than the fact that they were entering a maze, playing King of the Hill, and that they were at a severe disadvantage and needed every win they could get, there wasn’t all that much strategizing to do. Instead, they focussed on one particular issue.

“So, we split up, right?” She frowned and leaned on the colorful, padded wall. If it weren’t so evil, it might just be comfortable.

“No way.” Star shook her head violently as she responded. “Splitting up is bad. We don’t know what we might run into, and I personally don’t wanna have to deal with whatever it is alone.”

“But we could get so much more done quicker if we travel separately! I bet I could cover this whole maze in a minute, tops. I could fly out, find the hill, and win this stupid round without breaking a sweat!” She fluttered in the air to prove her point. “Moving platforms don’t mean a thing to me, and I practice flying between falling rocks to beef up my agility.”

“Star is right.” The Doctor frowned at where the screen had been. “This won’t be any ordinary game. King of the Hill is far too...simple. We should stick together for this round. Obviously, we should try to win. However, if we lose, then we need to take advantage of the increased team size. That’ll be our team for the rest of the game, so we need to work together closely.”

“But-!” The pegasus began to protest.

“No buts, Dash. I understand your point, and winning the first round would be great. But we can’t risk anything happening to any of us. It’s better to be cautious. When we get a better idea of how these games will be run, then we can strategize more. For now, safety is our first priority. Remember that, ok?”

“....Fine.” Dash set herself back on the ground, glowering over at a wall. If it were anypony but the Doctor, she’d have just huffed and done what she wanted anyway, but...

The endlessly droning, looping music took over once again. It sounded as if it were being played on an old phonograph. Every time the record jumped, Dash’s eye twitched ever so slightly. She wondered if the Toymaker knew how much he was getting to her. She also wondered how an interdimensional omnipotent demi-deity would react to a broken shin.

The seconds ticked away and, finally, the music stopped. Dash breathed in the few seconds of silent solace and smiled. Her face fell, however, when the screen before them crackled to life with static once more. The Toymaker reappeared, grinning, his eyes sparkling with excitement over the upcoming games.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts, are you ready? Only one minute now until King of the Hill begins. Do our contestants have what it takes to find the hill? Do they have what it takes to enter it? We’ll see as things continue~!” His image vibrated, though whether it was the poor video quality or the fact that he was so excited that he was shaking it was impossible to tell.

The Toymaker’s face was replaced by a counter, which began ticking down from 30. The Doctor stood and stretched out his muscles. “Alright, are we all ready? Remember, no matter what happens, we have to stick together. No wandering off, understand?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at the disgruntled rainbow-maned speedster in particular. She gave him a reluctant nod.

The collective breath was held in the room as the clocked ticked its last five seconds. Every muscle tensed. Three. Two. One.

As the timer hit zero, the screen turned to static and faded away, leaving an opening in the wall. The trio ran through it and found themselves at the end of a long hallway made from the same sort of material their room had been crafted from. Cushioned, pillow-like walls. These, however, instead of being bright, primary colors, took on a rather lack-luster shade of grey. Racing down the corridor wordlessly, three sets of eyes flicked to every wall, every section of the floor, searching for any kind of trap or obstacle that might pop up. At the end of the hallway, the path branched. Left or right.

“Turn left!” called the Doctor. “We’ll follow the left wall, so we can find our way back if we need to!” The two mares, having no reason not to go along with it, complied. Not too far away, their path turned again. Forced to go right, this time, they swerved through the turn, and were immediately met with a dead end.

“Well, that worked.” Dash rolled her eyes and turned around.

They backtracked, still following the left wall, down the path they hadn’t chosen. Another forced turn, this time to the left. They turned and, almost immediately, stopped in their tracks.

“Wh-what?” The Doctor took a step back, narrowing his eyes at their new venue.

“Is that...what I think it is?” North Star sat, trying to process what she was seeing.

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Seriously? Awesome!”

Before them was a long, rectangular room, a good 4 times wider than the hallway they’d just emerged from. At the end of the room, there was another door, and from the position they stood in, it appeared to shimmer slightly.

“The hill!” Dash did a little turn in the air and cruised off ahead of them. The Doctor shook his head vigorously.

“Rainbow Dash! Wait!”

By the time he finished, she’d already figured out what he was trying to tell her. She ran headfirst into the shimmering door and crashed into the ground. She groaned and stood up, taking a better look at the door. The shimmering was emanating from the frame, and beyond it was, presumably, the hill. She came to this conclusion because she could hardly see anything. It was as if the entire room was bathed in light, to the point that the details beyond the first few feet of floor were completely obscured. As she walked on wobbly legs back to her teammates. “Uh...” She rubbed the back of her neck, averting her eyes. “Looks like the hill alright.”

“There’s a forcefield projector in the doorframe. We need to deactivate it to get in.” The Doctor said, cutting off the snickering comment Star was starting to bring up. He looked along the room. There were a series of doors that all seemed to lead to other gray hallways. The room itself was a deep purple color, making the lone silvery door at the end stand out all the more. Nearer to their end of the room, against the wall right next to where they emerged, in fact, was a small, red button. Pressing it with a hoof didn’t seem to have any noticeable effect. “Are there any other buttons? Like this one?” He began scanning the wall.

“Got one!” Dash had flown along the perimeter and had stopped upon finding another button. It was quite some distance away from the first, on one of the other walls.

“Here’s a third.” North star eyed another button, noting that it was nearly straight across the room from Dash’s. “I guess we press them all at once?”

The Doctor shrugged. “May as well. I’ll count us off. Three, two, one.”

All three buttons were depressed at the same time, and to nopony’s surprise the force field in the door faded away with a light whirring noise.

“Easy. As. Cake!” Dash grinned, turning and flying across the room at top speed, again heading for the door. The moment she left her button, however, the force field reignited, and the attempt to breach the door ended up quite the same as her previous one. This time, at least, she managed to slow down a little before thumping her shoulder against the door.

“Hey, what?” She cried out, shooting a glare at the door. A few more thumps proved just a pointless. The force field was just as solid as it had been before. Again rubbing her skull, Rainbow Dash walked back to her button. She pressed it, and the door opened. She released it, and it closed again.

The Doctor relaxed, letting go of his own button. “So all three have to be pressed at the same time.” He sighed and shook his head. “Of course it would be something like that. I suppose we need to wait for somepony else from our team before we....” He trailed off as he looked at his companions. “....Oh.” His face dropped. “Ooooh. Listen.” He waved the other two over, and the complied, trotting closer. “Don’t tell anypony anything. Nothing at all. Let me do all the talking, alright?”

Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow, but didn’t speak her mind. It wouldn’t have done much anyway. Still, she resolved, if things got too dicey, she’d be sure to interrupt. There wasn’t much time to question the Doctor’s sudden urge for secrecy, however. The sound of padded hoofsteps signalled that a new set of visitors had gotten close enough for the muffled sound to reach them.

Both Rainbow Dash and North Star traded glances, then looked at the Doctor questioningly. He looked back at them and gave a sigh. “Just think about this game, and when you see the next group walk in, try to figure out as much as you can about them.” He said. He then lifted a hoof to his lips to signify that they should be quiet and turned to face the hallway from which the sound of hoofsteps grew louder.

As soon as the ponies enter the long room, Dash set herself to work. Normally, she wasn’t very good at this whole perceptiveness stuff the Doctor seemed to excel at, but she decided to give it a shot. There were three of them, all stallions. One of them was a unicorn, the other two were pegasi. All of them looked rather physically strong, compared to the other three, but she figured she could take ‘em in a fight. Maybe not a FAIR fight, but a fight. As she squinted and tried to glean some more tidbits of information, her thoughts were interrupted by Star.

“...Oh...” She said, her shoulder sagging a bit. She gave Dash a look of concern, which was returned with a look of confusion. “Rainbow Dash, don’t look at what you DO know about them, look at what you DON’T.” She whispered. “Think about the game and what we need to do.”

The pegasus reluctantly gave it one more try. What did they need to do? They needed to get into the room and claim the hill. How would they do that? They needed to hold all three buttons down and have another pony walk through the door, so they needed somepony else from their team in order to get in.

Somepony else...from their team.

She felt her face drop the same way the Doctor’s and Star’s had when they’d come to the same conclusion. Everything fit together now, as to what made this game so tricky. As she stared at the other team, she saw what she didn’t know.

She had no idea which team this new group of ponies was on.

There had been a few moments where the new ponies took stock of the situation. One of the pegasi, a dark brown stallion with a shockingly white mane stepped forward, smiling just a little bit. “Three ponies to hold the buttons, one to go through the shield, right? If it was any different, you would have already won.”

“That seems about the size of it.” The Doctor said cheerfully, returning the smile.

“So which team are you on?”

“Us? We’re on the blue team.”

“Ah, so are we.”

“...Nah, I’m just kidding, we’re on the red team.”

The pony from the other group smiled wider. “What a coincidence, so were we.”

They stood there for a while, getting absolutely nothing done. The Doctor seemed to be looking at the others, but his eyes seemed unfocused. Dash shifted uncomfortably, and suddenly the Doctor roused and spoke once more. “Well, we’re not going to make any progress just staring lovlingly into each others’ eyes, why don’t you tell us what you know?”

“You start.” The single pegasus seemed to be the only one talking among their group, just as the Doctor was the only one talking for them.

“Alright, that’s fair enough.” The Doctor looked up and thought. “We know what team we’re on, that someone has to agree to open the door for someone else, there are several groups of three, and we can’t trust any of the others as far as we can throw them.”

“That sounds about right to me.” The stallion replied, tapping his hoof.

From behind the Doctor, Rainbow Dash and North Star exchanged glances of aggrivation and bemusement. Dash shifted uncomfortably on her hooves, her wings stretching out mostly because they had nothing else to do.

“Well,” The Doctor said, breaking the awkward pause. “No point in just standing around like a bunch of ninnies. Let’s get acquainted, shall we?” He beamed cheerfully. “I’m the Doctor, and this is Rainbow Dash and North Star.” He motioned behind himself at the pair. They shot him a glare while they had the chance, even as they waved to the other squad.

The other pony spoke up again, though his tone revealed a small amount of surprise. “Those are...certainly odd names. I am Juvex, and these are Bespin and Dorvar.” He motioned the same way, and they gave the same look to their spokespony that Dash and Star had given theirs.

“Well now...”

Everypony in the room turned towards the new voice. They each realized that they shouldn’t have been surprised, really, that somepony else had shown up. All of them had had a relatively easy time getting there, after all. The Doctor, however, was more surprised than the rest. Not so much at the arrival of the new group, but at the cadence of the voice. “...You can’t be...”

A female unicorn stepped out from a third corridor. An earth pony and another unicorn followed. It looked as though choosing one pony to be the spokespony for the group was a common outcome. She smiled and looked the Doctor dead in the eye. “What’s a handsome stallion lahke yerself doin’ in a place lahke this, Ah wonder?”

“Y-you!?” The Doctor’s mouth was agape as he stared at the unicorn.

“Who?” Dash quirked her head to the side. Suddenly, she straightened back out. “Oh! You!” She grinned a bit and shot a sly grin at the Doctor, who had begun turning a gloriously deep shade of red. “Whatd’ya know? It’s our helpful guide.”

“It’s...it’s not possible! It’s actually not possible!” The Doctor sputtered, blinking at the mare who had so recently been a southern belle doll. “Judging by the density of people in that one area alone there must be...billions! Billions of billions of peo-er...ponies in this city alone!”

“An’ yet, here Ah am, darlin’. Funny how thangs tend to work out tha’ way.” She grinned at his expression. “Now si’down, boys. And fix yer jaw, ya look ridiculous.” As she spoke, she padded across the room, keeping her head held quite high. It required a stiff elbow from Star for the Doctor to comply and shut his mouth. “How’re y’all enjoyin’ our little ‘ol planet?”

“Wait.” Juvex interjected before the the other three could answer. “These are the visitors?” He narrowed his eyes and looked them over. “So you’re the reason we’re stuck here.”

“W-well,” The Doctor cleared his throat, attempting to regain his composure. “Yes, I suppose we are. But we’re also your best shot...out of it...” He trailed off, his eyes widening a little. “Ah! That’s it!” He knocked his hoof hard on the ground. “That’s what we are! We’re the visitors!”

Star, apparently quite annoyed at waiting so long to speak and being left out of the know, finally spoke up. “What are you talking about, Doctor?”

“Don’t you see? We’re the VISITORS!” He grinned. “The way this game works, the visitors, and by extension their team, have to overcome greater odds than the other team.”

“Well, that’s all well and good, ‘Doctor’, but that doesn’t exactly prove which team you’re on.” Juvex said, rolling his eyes.

The Doctor looked taken aback, turning towards the pegasi. “We’re on our team. We literally define the two teams. And because of that I can guarantee you that I’m going to be the one walking through that door and winning this round.”

“Ok, then let me rephrase my previous statement.” Juvex turned as well, narrowing his eyes. “That doesn’t tell us which team you’re on compared to US, Doctor. Why should any of us let you through unless we have assurance that you’re on our team?”

The new unicorn sat a short distance away, watching calmly.

“Because, the visiting team winning this round works out best for everypony.” The Doctor said with finality.

“...Explain.” Juvex sized the Doctor up curiously.

“Yeah, Doctor. You’re gonna have to fill me in here, too.” Dash rubbed her temple lightly. “You’re starting to lose me.”

Star, however eager she was to speak out just a moment ago, refrained to silence.

“Alright, think about it. We’re the visitors. We need to win three rounds, whereas the other team needs to win two. Therefor, a loss for us puts us on the very edge, teetering on a thin line between success and failure.” He paused, waiting for somepony to reply. Nopony did. “And, the other team gets another life, a freebie. Therefor, a loss for them doesn’t mean nearly as much.” Another pause, and again no replies. “And the losing team gets a bigger boost to their player base.” Again, no reply. “So, let’s say we’re on the red team, and you’re on the blue. If you WIN the first round, you’re up against a larger group of players who are going to fight much more ferociously, since they’ve been backed into the corner. Now let’s say you LOSE the first round. The scorecard has been balanced out, now that each team has 2 lives each, but you’ve got a much larger force to handle the remainder of the game. You’re just trading one advantage for another. So from here on it’s risk management. If you’re on our team, winning is very meaningful, and losing would be catastrophic. If you’re not, then losing is menial at best, while winning could mean a larger disadvantage in the long run.” He finally stopped and took a deep breath, letting out out in a heavy sigh. “See?”

Juvex watched skeptically. “I don’t know...”

“Ah hear ya loud an’ clear, Doctor.” The southern-sounding unicorn had been all but forgotten while the Doctor spoke, but now her squadmates stood at two of the buttons. Now hurry on up, Doctor, and get through that door.”

Juvex and his team snapped to attention and looked looked over at the pair as they both pressed their buttons down. “What? Hey! What makes you think I’ll let you...” He turned to face the Doctor again, but he was no longer where he’d been. Turning, he spotted the chestnut earth stallion dashing off in a blur. “Hey!!!”

Taking a hint, Rainbow Dash whistled and leaned on the other button. As she did, the force field dropped and the light of the hill beyond showed brighter through the doorway. Juvex and his squad immediately leaped into action, attempting to sprint forwards and intercept The Doctor before he reached the door, but they all found themselves flat on their faces, their tails pinned to the floor by a glowing, deep yellow light. Star grinned and stood, crouched slightly, her horn glowing the same color. “Eheheh, no offense.” She chuckled.

“By tha’ way!” The new unicorn called after the Doctor. “What team ARE you on?”

“Red team!” He shouted over his shoulder. “And I never got your name!”

“Ah’m Kalee!” She grinned and watched him go. She spoke more quietly, more to herself this time. “See y’all on the other sahde, Doctor.”

The Doctor squinted as he approached the hill, then let out a whooping cry of victory as he skidded through it. The moment he passed the door, however, everything went dark.

In actuality, it wasn’t that dark. All of the contestants found themselves transported to a large room with an immensely high ceiling. The walls and floor all seemed to be made of a black material, though its exact consistency was unclear. It felt a bit like marble. Rainbow Dash took in her surroundings. Everypony seemed to be standing in the same place, relative to where they were. Juvey, as she’d labeled him just because, was groaning and pushing himself up. The Doctor was hopping around like a maniac a short distance away. Kalee, the southern belle, was smiling and swishing her tail about. Star was standing next to her, and she caught a glimpse of her horn glowing just before Juvey hit the floor again. Star looked away innocently.

Before long, The Doctor calmed down and trotted back to the group. “Well that was fun!” He proclaimed, grinning ear to ear.

“Fun? Doctor, we’re fighting for our lives against a maniac, what part about this is fun?” Dash narrowed her eyes at him. He looked back, with the same big, grin on his face. She sighed. “Alright, yeah, it was kinda fun.”

Juvey stood back up and turned to Star, glaring at her. “I’ll get you back for that.”

She smiled and her horn glowed again, the floor beneath the pegasus turned to ice and he immediately lost his balance, falling again to the ground in a flurry of legs with a light ‘thump’. “That was fun, too.” She sat and held her head proudly high, ignoring Juvex’s grumbles as he stood back up once again.

The group appeared to be standing in the middle of the large room, and several other groups were scattered about in varying sizes, though always in multiples of 3. Before there was too much time to assess the situation, the ceiling hissed to life with static, and Nollar appeared. He was smiling like a TV show host who was far too into his role.

“WOOOOOO!” His cheer boomed through the room, causing the contestants to wince and hold their ears. This wasn’t helped by his ecstatic clapping, for which he was apparently holding his hooves entirely too close to the microphone. He cleared his throat, but still beamed down at the room. “Now THAT was exciting! The titillation, the intrigue, the wits, the decisions, the mistrust! Fabulous!”

“Awww...” The Doctor sagged a little.

“What?” Rainbow Dash hissed to him, narrowing her eyes a bit up at the enormous screen.

“Fabulous! I’ve been trying to think of a cool word to say all the time. I’ve been using brilliant, but I already used that. I should’ve used fabulous...” He frowned dejectedly.

Dash turned her full attention to him, trying to find the words. “Just....just no.”

“I know, now he’s gone and used it and it’d just be copying now.” He huffed and shook his head.

She looked like there was something else she wanted to say, but she decided whatever punishment he was putting himself through for not thinking it up first was probably worse than a stinger she could send his way, which was at the same time slightly amusing and immensely aggravating.

“But it was resolved so quickly! So many of the contestants didn’t even make it to the center stage! Next round will have to be a real battle to kick things off in style, won’t it? Time...to reveal the teams!”

Immediately, each pony on the floor hit with their own spotlight, each emitting directly from the screen above, resulting in most of them being blinded by the light. As the crowd collectively rubbed their eyes to clear their vision, it was revealed that each pony was bathed either in red or blue light. The Doctor, Rainbow Dash, and North Star were swathed in red.

Dash let out a groan and continued to blink for a while. “Was looking right at it. You think he does these things on purpose?”

The Doctor held one eyes closed. “I don’t think there’s anything he does that’s not on purpose.” He turned to look around, but his vision was still a bit blurry. The first group he found was Juvex’s. They too were coated in red. He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Still regret letting me get through?”

“Shut it.” The stallion rubbed a sore spot on his nose.

“Now then, Ms. Kalee...” He looked around, trying to find his helper. “Shall we start planning for the next round?”

“Doctor...?” Star was looking past him, and she didn’t look happy.

“What, has Mayor Nollar come for another visit? Well come on, you old bag of wind, let’s-” He whipped around and stopped mid sentence.

“Now Ah do lahke to talk, Mr. Doctor, but old? I’m frankly insulted.” She drawled, her eyes narrowed just slightly.

“No way...” Rainbow Dash sat down, still blinking as if maybe she were seeing things wrong.

“Oh, Kalee...You should have said something.” The Doctor sagged once more, this time his disappointment being in earnest.

“Consider tha’ yer one freebie, Doctor.” She raised her head slightly, closing her eyes, as if soaking in the blue that lit the area around her and her teammates. “Bad thangs happen to tha’ ponies who don’ win the games, Doctor. Ah ain’t aimin’ to be one-a them. From here on out, Ah’m shootin’ ta’ win.” She sighed a bit. “S’too bad, ya’ know. We coulda’ taken tha’ whole thing, tha’ two of us.”

“Wait, wait! Kalee!” The Doctor shouted “We can still work together! We can-!” Before he could finish, a loud crack issued throughout the room, and everything went dark once more. A voice filled the void that the trio found themselves in. The voice of Mayor Nollar, the Toymaker. “I hope you’re ready for round 3, Doctor. You’ll be playing Capture the Flag. I have high hopes. I’ll be waiting for you. Mind, soul...” He trailed off and chuckled. “And body.”

Author's Note

Well. That took a while.

Round 3: Capture the Flag

Doctor Whooves: The City of Toys
Chapter 4:
Round 3: Capture the Flag
Max Kodan

“Toymaker?” The Doctor called out to the room. Silence and a few odd looks were the only responses he received. “Toymaker!!” He repeated, agitation creeping into his voice this time.”We won a round, right? Come on, then! Regale us with some of your story!” He yelled at the air around him, eyes flicking to every corner. A light, hissing, static sound caused him to turn around and meet the host of the games eye to holographic eye.

“I suppose I shall.” The Toymaker grinned, showing every one of his teeth for a moment. “You know,” he began, pacing back and forth, “When I arrived here, the city was quite alive and vibrant, but not nearly enough for me. It was just so....monotonous. Everyone was a pony. I decided I’d spice things up a little. But you know me, Doctor. I’m far from unfair. Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t just change everyone. Excuse me,” He paused and bowed to Star and Dash. “Every ‘pony’. I’m still getting used to the lingo.”

He cleared his throat and continued. “No, no, I didn’t simply change the city into the form you see now. See, I wanted to make sure that I built my city fairly. Unlike SOME people, er, ponies, I don’t ch-cheat.” He seemed to twitch gently as he said his trigger word. “You see, I challenged every pony in the city to a game. Every single one. One at a time. And let me tell you, Doctor.” He stopped pacing, turning his full attention back to his nemesis. “I won every single game.” With that, the hologram became unstable and vanished.

Dash walked up next to the Doctor, her eyes watching him warily for a reaction. She raised a hoof and gently touched his shoulder. “Doctor?”

“He skipped a bit,” The Doctor replied. He brought his own hoof up to his chin and looked down. “I guess he never said he’d tell us the story in the right order.” He sighed and shook his head, then turned to his companion. “So, he said Capture the Flag, right?”

North Star eyed the Doctor up and down. “What aren’t you telling us?” She asked slowly, her eyes narrowing.

The Doctor paused, almost as if taken aback. “Wh-what? He’s a being from a universe that follows a different set of laws of physics, and he’s so sadistic that they threw him out. I’ve done battle with him in the past. What more do you need to know?” He sighed.

“You’re missing part of the middle of your story, too, Doctor.” She replied, staring him down evenly.

“Look, none of this important right now.” He looked off to the side, gritting his teeth a bit. “We need to focus on winning this game. We’ll be at a disadvantage as far as numbers go, so we need to focus. Everyone! Gather round!” He called out to the other ponies in the room.

As the red team reluctantly headed towards the chestnut pony, Star continued pressing. “He made a point of mentioning the word ‘body’ to you before. What did he mean?”

“Not now.” The Doctor growled. The last of the ponies were trickling in. “...Later. I promise.” He looked at her, narrowing his eyes into her glare. “I PROMISE.”

That seemed to sate her for the moment, as she sat down and straightened her back out to listen along with the rest of the group. He heaved a heavy sigh and stretched his neck, preparing his speech in his head. “Alright,” he began.

“A-HEM!” He was interrupted by a rather loud, stallion voice from next to him. All 15 or so heads turned towards the new speaker. “Lemme guess, you think you’re going to be the leader? Don’t make me laugh.”

The Doctor groaned. “We don’t have time for this, Juvex.” He turned to the aggressor, who stood boldly and held his head high. “The only way we’re going to get out of this is if we work together. If you can all just follow my orders to the letter, we can-”

“Oh, follow YOUR orders.” Juvex didn’t seem to like letting the Doctor finish sentences. “And just why should we follow you? You’re not even from this planet.” He sneered. “So give me one reason, just one good reason why I should do a single thing you say.”

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and stood up tall, stepping forward and meeting Juvex’s stare with his own. “One reason?” He asked, moving a little closer. “Alright, everypony here who’s played a game against Nollar, raise your hoof.” He did so, and everypony else save for Rainbow Dash and North Star did the same. “Now, next question. Everypony who’s won, keep your hoof up.”

Slowly, one by one, almost ashamedly, every hoof lowered to the floor. The last one down was Juvex, whose eyes were looking less aggressive and more angry. Finally, only the Doctor’s hoof remained in the air.

“Now.” He said sharply. “If there are no more objections.”

There were none.

“The next game is Capture the Flag.” The Doctor tore his gaze away from Juvex, who sulked angrily, still glaring at the Time Lord. “Of course it won’t be so simple, there will be something else, some catch that he hasn’t told us about. Our first order of business when we start the game is going to be figuring out the catch. The sooner we discover the trick, the sooner we can get the upper hand.”

The group nodded. “Hey.” It was Rainbow Dash. “Why don’t I fly ahead and find the other base? I’m the fastest pony on two wings, I could get the flag and get back before they knew what hit them.” She posed proudly. A few of their teammates shrugged and nodded.

“But like last time, we don’t know what’s out there. It may not be as simple as grabbing the flag.” The Doctor shook his head.

“You know...” Star was gazing up at the ceiling in thought. “Rainbow Dash here might not have the worst idea.” She held up a hoof. “Hear me out. Last time there were only three of us, but now there are quite a few. If there ARE no tricks, then maybe Dash is right and we could end this quickly. But if he has set something up, she could come back and inform us.”

“Yeah!” The speedster exclaimed. “I’d be like...a scout or whatever.”

“No. No, no, no.” The Doctor shook his head vigorously.

“Why not?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Rainbow Dash, you are NOT going out there by yourself!” He exclaimed.

There was silence for a few moments, Dash quirking an eyebrow in annoyance and looking the Doctor up and down.

“I’m overriding you on this one, Doctor.” Star scolded. “We need to win this, don’t we?”

The Doctor looked around. All eyes were on him again, but specifically Dash’s and Star’s. “I...” He began to protest, but only sighed. “Fine. But be more careful than you have ever been in your life, understand?”

Dash gave a reluctant nod just as the ceiling crackled to life again.

“Well, fillies and gentlecolts! Round three is about to begin! Are we ready to capture some flags? I hope so! Just to make sure we don’t go on for too long, I’m going to make the opposing team’s flag visible to all of youuuuuuuuu, now!” Indeed, as if a lightbulb clicked on, a small blue waypoint appeared to each of them, apparently against the wall, but actually signifying the position of the opposing team’s flag. “I’ll also show you where your own base is! Just incase you forget.” Another waypoint appeared, this time red, larger, and hovering above the center of the room they were currently in. “Very good! Aaaaaand....Go!” The screen vanished, and Rainbow Dash immediately leapt into the air, racing for the door.

As the Doctor watched her go, his eyes fell on the blue waypoint. After adjusting to the odd, floating arrow, he realized it was moving. “That’s odd...” He turned around, looking at their base. It was still, but... “Rainbow Dash, wait!”

His call came too late. She had already left the room. She turned her head quizzically. “What?” As if on cue, her wings buckled and she yelped. She found herself struggling, and finally crashing to the ground, pushing herself up with shaky legs. “Wh-what the?” She looked around. Her head moved slowly and hung low. “Doctor, what’s going on? I feel really, really heavy.”

Most of the crowd seemed too nervous to move. The Doctor sat back and sighed. “I figured out the trick to this game.” He leaned his head back and looked up to the ceiling. Indeed, the Toymaker appeared and cleared his throat.

“Ah, one more thing I may have forgotten to mention. The flag, upon leaving its base, will quickly become heavier and heavier the further away it travels. Have fun!” He disappeared again, and suddenly it dawned on the room.

The Doctor voiced it first. “Rainbow Dash. You’re our ‘flag.’”

With some considerable effort, the pegasus dragged herself back into the room. Upon passing through the threshold, she gasped and flopped over onto her back, breathing heavily. “Tha....tha....that guy...” She heaved.

“I know, I know.” The Doctor sighed. To North Star, he looked just a little too happy about this new development, but she didn’t say anything. She glanced sideways at the wall. The marker for the opposing team’s flag had gone back to its original position. It seemed as though the other team had figured out the rules as well.

“Alright then.” Someone in the small crowd called. “So, what, we have to get their flag before they get ours? Does that means we can just make a line and not let any of them through?”

“No, no, it won’t be that simple...” The Doctor put a hoof to his chin. “Rainbow Dash, let’s head back out. Perhaps on hoof this time.” She glared up at him, and he looked about nervously. “I just want to see how heavy you get.” She glared harder. “Wh-wha...N-no! What I mean is-!”

She stood up and punched him in the arm. Folding her wings against her back, the speedster walked out the door and braced herself against her newly added weight. The Doctor followed, tentatively putting a hoof outside the base before walking out in full, just to be sure. “Alright, now I’m going to try and push you down the hallway. I want you to resist, but don’t fight back, so NO punching!” He reached up to rub his arm.

“Fine, fine...Ugh, this is so lame...”

The Doctor paced around his comrade for a moment, sizing up the situation. She shifted uncomfortably. Finally, he walked up to her and tried to gently push her back towards the base. She instinctively leaned against his hooves, pushing the other way. She didn’t budge. He started putting a bit more effort into it. She still didn’t move at all. He quickly started throwing quite a bit of horsepower into it, pushing against her shoulder with his. She dug her hooves into the ground as much as she could. For all of the Doctor’s efforts, Rainbow Dash slid only very slowly back towards their awaiting teammates. As they got closer and closer, it became easier and easier to push her, and finally they both toppled past the line and into the room.

The Doctor brushed himself off, standing up and ignoring the embarrassed Rainbow Dash behind him. “Alright,” he said, clearing his throat and trying to hide his hastened breath. “There’s quite a bit of added weight…” Dash shot him another glare, but he ignored her. He was busy counting the ponies in the room and doing a bit of mental math. “I’d guess…” He hesitated, double checking himself just to be sure. “I’d guess that in order for us to clear the last hallway, given about how far away the other ‘flag’ is, it would need...all of us. We might be able to spare…three ponies, tops, to other jobs.” He sat, glowering at the floor. There was a bit of a murmur throughout the room.

“So, then, let’s go do it.” Juvex was jogging in place. “We’ll just go there and carry their ‘flag’ back here. Full force, right?”

“No,” The Doctor said, rubbing his eyes wearily with a hoof. “No, that won’t work.” He held his hoof up before the protests began. “Remember the rules. The losing team gets a larger number of players between rounds than the winning team. That means, if you’ll excuse the phrase, they have more horsepower than we do. The Toymaker…” He looked around and received a few looks of confusion. “Mayor Nolar. This was his plan. This game is going to be weighted against us every step of the way, even if it’s ‘fair’.” He glanced in the direction that the blue flag had been in. He saw that they had moved against the red matting. They had taken the flag out into the maze. “If we’re going to win this game, we need to play smart. We’re going to have to…”

His ears flicked as he stared at the blue waypoint. “...have to…” He straightened his back and took a deep breath in. Suddenly, a huge grin crossed his face. “I have a plan.”

“Are you sure about this, Doctor?” Rainbow Dash had been given a lot of reasons to trust the Doctor since she started travelling with him, but this plan was straining her faith in him to it’s limit. North Star was sitting next to her, and the entire rest of the group stood by the exit to their home base, dividing into teams and preparing to head out. “I mean, do I really just have to sit around? I’m sure I could do at least something.” Restlessness was in her nature. She was positive that this Toymaker guy had made her the flag knowing that.

“Sorry, Rainbow Dash. I know this is going to be rough on you, but you’ve got the most important part to play. You can do it just fine. Besides, I’m leaving Star with you.” He motioned to the unicorn. “So you’ll have some company for a while.”

The unicorn threw an arm around Rainbow Dash’s shoulders and grinned. “We’ll have a great time! We can do our hooves and talk about boys and eat popcorn and prank call the Toymaker and-”

Dash’s ears flattened against her head and she pushed her companion a hoof’s length away as she laughed. “Great, thanks. Remind me to get you something for Hearthswarming. Like a live bee’s nest.”

Star rolled onto her back in her fit of laughter, holding her stomach. “W-well, If you’d prefer, I’m sure Juvex would-”

“No.” Dash huffed, crossing her hooves and eliciting another fit of giggles from her new guardian.

“Very well, then.” The Doctor sighed and smiled. “The rest of you know what to do. We can do this, alright?” With a collective, somewhat halfhearted response from the rest, he glanced around once more. “...Well, good enough, anyway.“

She had made it to a short, gray, dead-end hallway. It had been rough getting there, with all the extra weight, but she’d managed. This was the plan, anyway. They had the advantage in numbers, so the only guard they would need would be the extra distance. She kind of wished that she could be out there in the thick of things, but a peaceful, quiet wait for the round to end in their inevitable victory. That was the plan.

The milling conversation and mild static inside the blue team’s base seemed so far away now, she thought as she wedged herself into a corner, both for support and so that it would be that much harder for them to start moving her when they came. This hallway was so silent that her pulse was beating in her ears, just to assure her that she hadn’t gone deaf. She hadn’t brought any of her teammates with her, it would have only slowed them down in getting the flag.

Her mind was racing, remembering. Perhaps she should have brought just one pony. Just to talk. Just to drown out the accursed silence. The thought came to mind to just start singing loudly, so that maybe she could accept her echo as a conversation partner. She didn’t want to think, or remember. Perhaps that was the best part about being a toy. Sometimes, it was hard to remember the past, what it had been like before, what she had lost. She didn’t have to think. Not in the city. Not even at night, as she was lulled to a dreamless sleep by the sounds of a bustling night life outside. Yes, she told herself, remember home. Remember your bed. Remember the fabric that used to make up your legs. That ridiculous wig, the silly hat, the puffy dress that would be uncomfortable if you weren’t filled with fluff and down…

“You’re on the winning team, this time.” She told herself aloud. “You’re on the side that He wants to win. You’re on His team, this time.”

“None of us are on the Toymaker’s team,” A voice said as a figure emerged around the corner. It was him. The other him. The new him. The one who said he could win this whole thing, really beat Nolar. The Doctor.

The Fool.

She smiled. The Doctor was alone. “I suppose,” she said, “You’ll want me to come with you?”

“I just want to talk.” He said.

“Talk, hm? Well...I’m listenin’, Doctor.” Kalee smiled serenely, wedging herself deeper into the corner. “So talk.”

Dash paced back and forth behind North Star, who gritted her teeth and held fast as her barrier was assaulted by the group of ponies on the other side of it. They’d been found quickly. She sort of wished that Dash were a unicorn. They could hold out for a lot longer if they were able to take turns. With a concentrated push, the entire blue team managed to shove the barrier backwards. Star moved along with it. With a final shove, the barrier broke and Star fell backwards, wincing and rubbing her head.

“S-sorry, Dash,” She stammered, biting her lip. “I’m done, I think…”

“That’s alright.” Dash grinned. This was what she’d been waiting for. She leapt into the air and hung there. This was where her own particular skills started coming into play. When she was determined not to be caught, even Twilight’s magic couldn’t catch up to her. She started her circuit of the ceiling. A couple of pegasi followed after her, but she danced around them like they were floating down a lazy river. Star sat back and watched the show, laughing and clapping as they attempted to catch the flying blue blur. Perhaps they’d be alright after all.

“Come on, Kalee! We need to work together on this.” The Doctor pleaded. He had stood talking to the mare for quite some time. “Please, if you help me, I can stop him, I promise you. I can fix it, fix the city, fix everything!”

“Fix th’ city?” Kalee said quietly, wedged just as firmly into her corner as she had been when he had first arrived. “Y’all wanna ‘fix’ th’ city? Ah don’ think y’understand, Doctor. We been this way for a while now. Ever’thing’s mixed ‘round now. Ponies ain’t where they used’ta be. Book keepin’ just don’ happen.” She shook her head vigorously. “Mosta us don’ even remember bein’ ponies. There’s no fixin’ this city, Doctor. Thing’ve adjusted. You change t’all back now, you’re doomin’ us all ta’ chaos.”

The Doctor stood, a bit taken aback. “Are you saying...that you don’t want things to change? That you’re giving up and accepting the way things are?”

“That is precisely what Ah’m sayin’, Doctor.”

The Doctor didn’t respond immediately. He narrowed his eyes, staring firmly at her. She shifted where she lay, uncomfortable both with the physical weight that she wasn’t used to, and the weight of the eyes that bored into her. “B-besides,” she said, a slight stutter breaking her cool demeanor. “Y’all can’ beat ‘im. He CAN’ be beaten, an’ yer a fool fer thinkin’ ya can.” She set her jaw and glared at him. “Bes’ jus’ ta accept yer own fate an’ join us here.”

“Fine, then, if I don’t win then this world stays just as it is. But...isn’t it worth a try?” The Doctor stood taller and stepped towards her. “Please, Kalee. Let me try. Trust me.”

She was instantly on her feet, her eyes boring into the Doctor’s with a fiery intensity that rivaled his own. “Don’ you DARE say tha’ to me!” She hollered, despite her legs shaking from the added gravity and the sudden action.

The Doctor didn’t flinch. He watched her quietly. Though she tried to hold her stare, her eyes softened, a hint of surprise flashing over them, before she looked away and moved back to her corner.

“Who was it?” He asked her.

“I’m done talkin’ to you, Doctor.”

“I can wait, I have time.”

She clearly didn’t want to talk, but the Doctor sat by so patiently and so persistently that she felt like she had no choice. “Mah...mah brother was the firs’ one ta challenge ‘im twice.” She croaked, her voice having lost nearly all of its confidence. “The firs’ one ta lose twice.”

“What happened to him?” The Doctor spoke as calmly as he could, as soothing as his old voice could get.

“Ah don’ know. An’ Ah ain’t gonna find out.” She turned to look at him. “Doctor, Ah’m gonna say it again. Ah have no intention of losin’ ta y’all.”

The Doctor moved over against the wall and turned, sitting down. “I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to change your mind, Kalee.” She gave him a quizzical glare, but he simply stared out at the opposite wall. “As long as it takes.”

Kalee shook her head and turned away, her eyes trailing something along the wall. She smiled lightly. “You’ll be waitin’ a long time, Doctor,” She said with a new hint of brevity in her voice. He glanced down at her, frowning as she continued. “Looks like mah team’s about ta’ claim a win.”

Rainbow Dash lay flat against the ground. Almost literally. She was giving them as little surface to push along as she possibly could. Even though they’d managed to get her out of the room, she was set and determined to make this as difficult and obnoxious a task as she possibly could. And, all things considered, she was doing a remarkably good job with it. The ponies who tried to move here had to bend and stoop to get any sort of leverage, and they were beyond the point that the few unicorns on the team could manage to do little more than expend every bit of magical energy they had just to make the job only a little easier.

“Should be about time…” She said.

“Time for...ugh...what?” One of the pegasi who was attempting to roll her over responded, barely paying attention.

He was answered by the sudden cry of about 7 ponies from the red team, who all flung themselves into the group and caused a ridiculous amount of chaos, shattering any rhythm the blue team had had going. Dash laughed, barely able to move anything but her eyes and mouth, now. This had been happening regularly, every few minutes or so, and it gave Dash time to readjust and make things even harder for her would-be kidnappers.

Still, she was getting awfully close to the end of the line. She looked around and spotted the marker that indicated where the blue flag was, staring intently in that direction. She knew the Doctor was over there. “I really hope you’re right about this, Doctor…” She muttered. Her team had fled, and again hooves began to push and pull at her artificially heavy body, attempting once more to drag her to the red team’s defeat.

“It’s jus’ about over, Doctor.” Kalee smiled to herself and breathed a sigh of relief. She struggled to stand up and turned her charming smile back to the Doctor. His quiet, passive torture session was over, now. “Les’ go give ‘em a welcome, shall we?” She stumped her legs forward, a bit slower and less graceful than she might have liked.

“This is your last chance, Kalee.” The Doctor’s voice behind her was still soft. Full of what she could only identify as faked concern. She kept her face turned away from him, in case it betrayed the momentary burst of rage that flared in her stomach.

“An’ pray tell, mah last chance for what, Doctor?” She asked in as light and fluttery a tone as she could muster.

The Doctor stood, as stately and proudly as he had been all this time, and walked alongside her, offering his shoulder for support. Trying to butter her up. “You can either help me, side with me, work with me, or I can win by force.”

His bluff was so bold, so forward, and so calm that for just a moment Kalee almost believed him. Instead of betraying that fact, however, she merely laughed and declined his offer of aid. It wasn’t that much further, and she could see the waypoints belonging to the red team’s flag and the blue team’s base growing closer together. Inch by inch, her team was winning.

As the pair rounded the corner, her resolve hardened and her victory was reassured. There were only a few inches left between Rainbow Dash and the entrance to their base. Though the mare must have been astronomically heavy by this point, headway was being made. It was, at least, until an uproarious cry echoed through the hallway and the red team crashed over the struggling formation like a wave. The ranks broke, and there was a bit of wrestling among the teams as the reds prised the blues off of their teammate. The scuffling lasted a little less than a minute when, just as suddenly as they’d appeared, the apparently desperate red team scattered back off into the maze.

“Y'all are quite committed to buyin’ time, Doctor.” Kalee smiled serenely. Her mind was set. “But ah ain’t comin’ with ya.” The Doctor still simply sat in a stony silence as the blue team worked their way back around Rainbow Dash, who had taken the opportunity to flatten herself even more against the ground. The look in her eyes told Kalee that she would likely be complaining, if her jaw didn’t weigh a couple of hundred pounds.

It was almost agonizing. An inch at a time, or less. Grunts and shouts of frustration and effort emitted from the blue team with each thrust of effort. Half of them pushed, the others pulled. The tip of Rainbow Dash’s wing lurched towards the line, closer, closer...the distance was almost imperceptible now. Kalee, turned towards the Doctor, whose expression had not changed, and levelled a serious look at him. “Doctor, Ah said it before, an’ Ah’ll say it again. Ah won’ lose. Ah won’ ever lose again.”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, as if trying to will herself to not move anymore. It almost hurt, all that weight, but still, the entire force of the blue team was nothing to be sniffed at. It had been a long battle, even longer give how often the blues had been interrupted in the process. But it was so close to being over...just one...more...push...and…

The very end of the furthest extended feather of Rainbow Dash’s wing fell into the tiny crack in the padded floor that separated the blue base from the maze proper. A loud buzzer sounded, and the blues and the temporary red flag all tumbled in a pile through the doorway as the weight suddenly lifted. Dash fought herself out of the tangle of ponies, giving a less than kind and probably less than necessary kick to a particular stallion she felt had been a bit too grabby. With a grumble, she brushed herself off and walked towards the Doctor, stretching out her stiff wings and legs, and neck as she went. He was sitting next to that mare, that Kalee, from the other team, and they appeared to be having some kind of standoff. Rather, Kalee seemed to be staring him down, and the Doctor just sat there, with his eyes closed.

She approached him, a bit of a frown on her face. “Sorry, Doctor…” She rubbed her foreleg. “I tried to hold out longer, but…”

“Don’t worry about it, Dash.” The Doctor replied, a bit of melancholy hinted at in his voice. “You did spectacularly.”

Kalee’s smile widened as the pegasus who had so recently been a flag for the red team apologized. She had won, just like she’d said she would. And she would keep winning. As they sat there, the maze disappeared around them, and again the world was black. The red team seemed just a little scattered, but as the walls dropped they all converged a short distance away. That other unicorn that had been with the pair before her trotted up as well. The team gathered and stared past her, to where the blue team sat. She shook her head. She felt bad, a little bit, dealing such a defeat to them, but it was necessary. It was absolutely necessary.

“Miss Kalee…” This voice...it was the Doctor. He sounded serious. She chuckled to herself and met his gaze, waiting silently for him to continue. She knew what was coming. He would start pleading with her, trying one last time to convince her that his way was right. He’d try to convey to her how serious the situation was. “You said you won’t lose. That you’ll never lose again…” And here it came...she nodded to him in response. “...Neither will I.”

Kalee was taken aback. She didn’t get the chance to respond before The Doctor stood and walked away, accompanied by his two companions. She was dumbfounded, but that confusion was replaced quickly by anger. “What do y’all mean!? Ya DID lose! Ya’ll will KEEP losing! One more victory, Doctor! That’s all I need!” She was shouting. Something about his manner was making her lose her cool. For a moment, her eye caught something. Past the Doctor, was the red team, some of them still looking beyond her. But others...others were not. They seemed to be...celebrating? Some pointed and laughed, some whooped and cheered, some were even dancing around. “What!?” She called. “Y’all LOST! Don’ you get it!? Y’ALL LOST!”

Raibow Dash, the pegasus that her team had struggled to push so far, turned her head with a grin, then pulled her eye down and stuck out her tongue. She was MOCKING her! What were they thinking? What was so funny!? Had they all gone mad? She tore her gaze away from them in frustration, turning around and marching back towards her own team. She only made it a few steps before she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened, her ears drooped. Her jaw fell open, just a little bit, in sudden realization. In front of her now was her own team...battered, worn, tired. They slumped against each other, groaned, rubbed sore joints. They panted and heaved. Not a single one of them was on their feet. Kalee whipped around, staring back towards the Doctor. He was looking back, his eyes dead-set and grave.

“You said you won’t lose. Neither will I.”

His voice echoed through her consciousness. His words stabbed and stung. She felt something strange settle into her mind. Something like fear. Fear that would soon turn to panic. Behind the red team, an image flickered to life. A yellow stallion appeared. Their ‘host’. His voice boomed through the abyss in which they seemed to stand.

“A marvelous victory for the blue team!! The red team is just one loss away from a total defeat! Will they be able to come back? Or will this spell the end for the strangers to our planet!? We’ll find out in just a moment, during ROUND FOUR!” With his final exclamation, he vanished from sight.

The Doctor had planned it. All of it. At the very least, it had been a contingency. He had lost on purpose...just as she had before. Except now, he had done something she hadn’t managed. He had decimated her team. She could feel them, the heavy breathing, the occasional cough, the worn groans, the creaks of the overworked joints. Every moment it stung even more. Despite her victory, and no matter what the numbers said, as the joyous red team faded before her and she appeared back in their blue-hued waiting room, she knew...she had lost.

Author's Note

Well! That took about a year and a half longer than it should have! I apologize for the exceedingly long wait, my life has had so many adjustments lately that I think I lost my muse a good two life-shaking changes ago. I won't insult anyone by guaranteeing that I'm going to continue this regularly, but I will try to. I want to at least finish this story, and I do have several ideas for other stories I would love to write as well. Any of you who I've kept waiting: Thank you for being so patient. You guys are the best, and seeing the occasional message when I pop on asking if the story is ever going to finish, or what's going on, or every like or favorite on every one of my stories...that's the stuff that drives me the most to want to finish. I love all you guys, so keep being awesome!!