Return of the Master

Derpy woke up, laying on a couch with a blanket covering her.  She sat up and looked around the room.  There was a door, with a red glowing EXIT sign above it, about two meters behind the couch. The room was approximately 10 meters wide and 20 deep.  There were two rows of tables covered in various panels, monitors and computer equipment, with chairs scattered about the room. The couch was facing a path leading down the room, in between the rows of tables.  The far wall was plaster with large screens, all of them were off except the one in the middle.  It was the only other light source in the room besides the EXIT sign above the door.

Derpy could not see what was on the screen, as there was a pony standing in the way.  She hesitated before she spoke.

"He...Hello?"

The pony across the room turned to face her, his face obscured by the light from the screen.  As he started to walk toward her he spoke.  "Ah, I see you are awake.  Good."  As the pony approached Derpy, she could make out some details.  The voice told her it was a stallion, he had a dark grey coat, a black spiky mane, and a similar build to the...

"Doctor?"

"Ha!  Yes...and no. A bit of both, actually."

She looked at him in confusion, still unable to fully see the stallions features.  "Who are you then, if you are not the Doctor?"

"Oh! But I am," he spoke, cutting her off before she could ask anymore questions. "I am a bit of all of you." He stepped forward as the light above him flickered on.

"I am the manifestation of, the Doctor," spitting the name out, " and his...companions."  He stopped to study her for a moment, seeing how she reacted, how she felt about her friends.  All the questions that she had.

"I have parts of each of you; the Doctor's body, and part of his mind, these wings," he opened his wings, covering Derpy in shadow. "Now they are interesting, they can't be your's, they are much too big.  Although you are most likely the influence for them.  The coat, though darker, is yours.  I even have a bit of magic from the purple one and that dragon." He kick the ground with his hoof, creating a small spray of sparks. "Of course the conscience is my own.  Though, none of this would have happened without the essence of the TARDIS."

Derpy was at a loss of words, she did not fully understand what, or who, this stallion was.  Scared that he knew of them.  She had never seen him in her life.

The stallion stared at her for a few minutes, then spoke, "Come on, next question.  I know you have many, and I have things to attend to."

"Where, are we?"

"A wonderful question!  You, are in, or more accurately, under the Everfree Forest." More questions filled Derpy's head. "You are in a secret, underground, 'sanctuary'.  Though I prefer the term, 'place to hide while her empire crumbles'.  You are in a bunker, built by Princess Celestia, so she could hide from any threats she, or the Elements of Harmony, could not handle.  Some place she could hide, while Equestria was invaded, conquered and occupied; from an external force, or an internal shift of power.  She doesn't care for you! Any of you ponies that live in this country!

“She built this so she could hide, while all the ponies she ‘cared’ for died.  It was built for her and only her.  Any pony that worked on the design or construction, was... hmm...what’s the word I’m looking for...removed.  Though she has long forgotten its very existence, as it was built almost 800 years ago, during... troubled times.”

Derpy could not understand why the Princess would need to worry, “What threats would Princess Celestia have to worry about?”

“That! is not a relevant question, and besides, it is ancient history; no pony cares, or even remembers that far back.  Now, moving on.”

“Who are you?”

Annoyed the stallion replied, “You already asked that.”

Derpy looked at him, “I mean, what is your name?”

He began to walk around the couch on which Derpy still sat, “I have been called many names over the years; Koshei, Duke Dominus, and Estro... We fought, Derpy.”  Derpy had no idea what he was talking about.  “You must remember me... I was the cause of the Doctor’s ‘Regeneration’ before you three reset time.”

“You were the cause of that?!”

“Yes, I was... And I would have killed him, had it not been for my conscience.”

Derpy’s eyes widened in fear. This stallion was a potential murderer.

“You still haven’t answered my question. Who are you?”

“I am...” The stallion walks over to Derpy, giving her a clearer view of his face. It was identical to the Doctor’s, save for bags under his eyes and a grey coat.

“... The Master...”