Return of the Master

POP!

The Doctor felt grass under his hooves once more, a feeling he missed for the whole five seconds it was gone, and stumbled over himself and fell as his eyes refocused on the landscape. A garden. His head swimming, he reached a hoof out and found one of his companions. “T-Twilight? Is this you?”

“Why, Doctor, I didn’t know you swung that way.”

The Doctor’s vision immediately refocused, and he found his hoof lying very low on Jack’s stomach. “G-gah!” The Doctor withdrew his hoof right away, and stood. “Y-yes, uh.... Is it hot out here?”

Jack let out a short chuckle. “Ah, Doc, I’m never gonna get used to this new you.” Jack got up and walked past the Doctor, tapping the Time Lord with his tail as he did so, causing the Doctor’s face to flush. “C’mon, Twilight and Colgate are over here.”

“Ah- yes- um.... Right....” The Doctor turned to see his other two companions being helped up by Jack. “Twilight, we seem to be off by a few miles.... We’re right outside the Castle Labyrinth...”

Twilight shook as she fought to stand upright. “Ooh....My head..... What was that Doctor....?” Her voice trailed off as she realized where they ended up. “My spell was off....”

“Yes. Yes it was. No matter. As long as nothing else went wrong, we’re fine.” The Doctor whipped out his Sonic Screwdriver and scanned the area. “Yup. 2012. Or 1002, in your time. We’re in the right dimension, as it would seem.... Nothing wrong here.” The Doctor grinned at the Labyrinth before them. “If I’m correct, this is where Discord wrecked some chaos earlier this year, am I correct?”

Twilight trotted up to the Doctor, her balance fully regained. “Yes, that’s right. How did you know that?”

“Oh, I’ve been around for a while, Twi’. Even before you and your friends discovered who I am, I’ve been here, silently assisting you. The return of Nightmare Moon, Discord, hell, even things that haven’t happened yet.” Another grin crossed his face.

“What kind of things?”

“Spoilers.” The Doctor jumped and clopped his hooves together, landing back down with grace. “Anyway! Princesses! Warning! Jack, why are you kissing Colgate?!” The Doctor finished as he turned towards the dark blue Pegasus and the blue Unicorn. “Th-this is NOT the time for this!”

The two broke apart, and Jack smiled slyly at the Doctor. “You know me, Doc. Can’t help myself.”

The Doctor grumbled. “I knew I was right about what you’d do here. Can’t leave you alone with a mare. Or stallion.” Jack grinned at the Doctor in the mention of stallions. “I-Including me, Jack! now, Colgate, get behind Twilight. Jack, you stay behind me.”

“Well, if you insist, Doc-”

“I-I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!” The Doctor’s face was white as a ghost at this point, though a tint of red could be seen on his cheeks. Jack chuckled again, following the Doctor as they walked past the Labyrinth and towards the castle. “Jack, behave, please. The world, no, the universe is at stake here!”

“Sorry, Doc. You know me.”

“Twilight, keep an eye on Colgate.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“And Colgate, you behave yourself, too.”

“Yes, Doctor...”

“Now, everyone, please be good until we get to the castle, then, Jack, you and Colgate can kiss all you like while we stop the Master from whatever he’s doing!”

The Master laughed.

They thought they could get away. Derpy and that stallion. They thought that they had a chance.

They were wrong.

“You thought I wouldn’t think to not be gone for long? Do you take me for a fool? If anything, you’re the fool, my dear Derpy.”

Sky shuffled in his metal restraints that bound him to the wall, a look of anger crossing his face.

“What? Did I hurt your feelings? Do you not want me to insult your retard friend?”

Derpy gasped at the insult, but stood in place.

“If you were smart, you wouldn’t have wasted your time talking, and you would have been long free of my grasp. But no, you decided to be idiots and stay!” The Master stomped, and took a heavy breath. “I don’t know why I even bother anymore. The Doctor’s not coming for you. If he was, he would have already come here!”

“Y-you’re wrong! He’ll save us-”

“How can you be so sure?! Because he’s the Doctor?! He’s a hero?! I seem to remember one Doctor where he doesn’t give a damn! And that same damn one beat you within an inch of your life, simply because you annoyed him!”

Derpy looked at the Master. “N-no.... You’re-you’re lying!”

“Then there’s one that killed you! And another that left you to be putty in Discord’s hands!” The Master’s eyes grew red, and his smile turned to one of a madman. He dashed towards the grey Pegasus,  and stared her in the eyes. “The Doctor is not coming to save you. He doesn’t care. He will fall, this day. He will die. Your precious Doctor will die!”

“So, now, if you excuse me, I must be off.” The Master turned towards the door, and chuckled. “How would the Doctor say it? Allons-y! That’s right! Ha, ha ha!”

The Doctor and his friends reached the front of the castle, where they were stopped by two of the Royal Guards.

“Halt! Who are you?!” The chant in unison.

The Doctor hot out his Psychic Paper -which he was thankful he didn’t leave behind- and calmly lied.

“My name is Dr. John Smith. These are my associates. We were summoned by the Princesses.”

The First Guard looked skeptical. “The Princesses didn’t mention having any visitors today.” He said, glaring at the Doctor.

Jack chuckled. “If you don’t believe us, then go ask her yourself. We’ll be waiting out here.”

“Not so fast, pretty boy.” He glared at Jack now, and pointed to the other guard. “You watch these four. I’ll go talk to the Princess.” With that, he turned, and walked away. Jack grew a sly grin on his face, and stepped towards the other guard.

“Hello. I’m Captain Jack.... Harness. Captain Jack Harness.” He extended a hoof towards the guard, who grew an uneasy expression.

“I’m.... ah.... Golden Spear....” The guard stammered. As uncomfortable as he was, he extended his own hoof to meet Jacks, and they shook. “N-nice to meet you, Mr. Harness. What relations do you four have with the Princesses?”

“We’re.... Well, John is an old friend. Aren’t you, John?”

The Doctor smiles. “Yes, well... Jack, can I talk to you and Colgate?”

“Uh.... Sure, John....”

“Yes. Right.”

The three walked a ways away from the guard. “Alright.” The Doctor began. “I’m going to be honest with you. I have no idea how the Princesses know me.” The statement brought two raised eyebrows from his friends.

“Doc, how can you have no idea how The Celestial Sisters know you?”

“Yeah, that seems like a heck of a thing to forget.”

The Doctor gave a nervous laugh, and rubbed the back of his head. “Back before all this began, Derpy, Twilight and I stopped these things called The Weeping Angels, from invading Equestria. They got to the castle.... But we caused a time paradox and they all died.”

Jack raised another eyebrow. “What.... What was the paradox?”

The Doctor gulped. “Uh.... Derpy. The Weeping Angels sent her back in time, and she died in the future. For us, it hadn’t happened yet, so she jumped off the top of the castle in order to prevent that. This caused a paradox, and the Angels died.”

Jack shifted his weight. But... The fact that she died.... is just that. A fact. You can’t just.... Get rid of a fixed point.....

The Doctor, however, didn’t notice Jack’s confused face, and kept explaining his previous adventures to his companions. “And then, after we woke up next to the TARDIS, Twilight decided to bring Spike along.... And well, here we are.”

“Ah.. Doc?”

“Hm? Yes, Jack?”

“You do realize that... Derpy’s ‘death’ was a fixed point.”

“And we stopped it.”

“That.... What? You can’t get rid of a fixed point.”

The Doctor waved a hoof at him, and walked back towards the castle. “Don’t worry, Jack, if there were any consequences, we would have seen them by now. Last time a fixed point was removed, all of history started happening, all at once!” The Doctor let out a chuckle at the memory. “Besides, even if it wasn’t a fixed point, there wouldn’t be any reason to fret. There’s no reason to worry.”

The other guard returned back at his post, and let out a small sigh as the Doctor and friends walked back to the gaurds. “Princess Celestia has testified that you are welcome inside the castle. You may enter.”

“My friends, too?” The Doctor asked.

“Yes. You and your friends.”

With a smile, he, Jack, Twilight and Colgate walked past the two guards, and into the castle.

As they walked past, Golden Shield glanced at Jack, who didn’t notice. Golden Shield turned to his friend, and whispered “Do we have any records of a ‘Captain Jack Harness’?”