The Canterlot night was quiet, more quiet than usual. Guards were posted outside of the private rooms of Celestia. The Princess was in her study, finishing a very important letter to the mayor of Manehatten, who had a spot of bother with a local gang. Focused on her writing, she did not notice as a subtle wind started blowing around her room. She looked up in time to see the faint outline of a tall, blue box growing steadily more solid. She sighed and rolled up the parchment to finish later. There was an odd noise, and the box finished materializing. Out of it burst an Earth pony with an hourglass stamped on his flank, and a tie around his neck.
"Celestia," he said. "There's a matter-"
"Hello, Doctor." She said, annoyed at being interrupted, but trying to strain some politeness. "What brings you to my office tonight? I'm very busy."
"The safety of your kingdom has been jeopardized. This is a little bit more important than your letter. Do you have anywhere I can sit down?"
"So," said Celestia, looking at The Doctor over her cup of tea. "I'm supposed to help you with this?"
"Not you, no," said The Doctor, frowning. "An Alicorn would be helpful, but I need somepony a little bit more.... inconspicuous. Would there happen to be anypony?"
Celestia stewed for just a brief moment in thought, setting down her cup. "Well, I have a very gifted student down in Ponyville. She might be just the pony to help you with this situation."
The Mysterious Doctor
"Spike, find me the book on remote teleportation, please," said Twilight Sparkle.
Spike handed her the book in question, and she started skimming through the pages, frowning.
"I really wish I could just get this spell right, but every time my test subject seems to materialize somewhere other than the originally intended location."
"Don't remind me," said Spike. "I'dlike it if you didn't teleport me to the bottom of a well on such short notice."
"That was just once!" Twilight protested.
"Once more than I would have liked." huffed Spike.
"Twilight!" came a bubbly voice from outside the door. "What are you doing cooped up in the library on a day like this? I mean, just look at the sun out there!"
Pinkie Pie bounced into the room. "You really need to see the trick that Dashie just learned! I'm already planning a party to throw her because of how great it is! Of course, I would throw her a party even if the trick was a complete bust, because a party is always the perfect way to get somepony to smile! There's going to be cake and balloons and streamers and I'm going to invite everypony in ponyville!"
Twilight took advantage of Pinkie stopping to take a breath to interrupt, "Okay! I'd love to come outside! Spike, take note of the things we've discovered today, I'll be back in a little bit."
"Yeee-haw! That was some mighty-fine flying, Rainbow. Yer sure to impress the Wonderbolts with that one."
"Thanks, Applejack. This is the first time ever that they've held open tryouts! I'm sure to impress them with my awesomeness. They're bound to let me in!"
Rainbow flew down and landed next to Applejack.
"Do ya reckon that Pinkie has already whipped up a little somethin' for ya when ya get in?"
"I'm sure she has," said Rainbow. "She's always finding some excuse to put on another one of her parties."
"And I'll have that ready for you by next week, dear. I'm sure this dress will be perfect for just about any occasion!"
"Oh, thank you, Rarity. I'm so happy you're able to do this for me." said a soft, timid voice.
Rarity and Fluttershy had come to watch Rainbow practice.
"Hi, Rarity, hi Fluttershy," said Dash. "It's nice of you to come."
"Oh, it was nothing, really, but-" said Fluttershy, before Rarity interrupted by saying jovially: "Why of course, darling, I wouldn't miss it for the world!"
"Oh, Rainbow, I got Twi to come watch too! We're all here, isn't that exciting? It's practically a party already! I mean, it's so great we're all here to just have a good time!"
Pinkie bounced up next to Fluttershy on the soft patch of grass on top of the hill where they got a good view of Rainbow's maneuvers. Twilight followed, smiling.
"It's so nice of you all to come provide me support while I practice." said Rainbow.
"I wouldn't miss it for anything!" said Twilight.
"Well, what are you waiting for, dear? I'd be ever so delighted to see your routine." said Rarity, pulling a pair of small, ornate binoculars out of her saddlebag. "Oh, do you like them?" Rarity asked, mistaking Applejack's exasperated look. "They're custom made, you know. Very expensive."
A couple of hours later, Rainbow returned to earth.
"Good job, Rainbow. Woohoo!" Said Fluttershy, adding a tiny little cheer.
"Well, I reckon Ah'd better get back to the farm, I promised to help Big Mac harvest." Said Applejack, beginning to walk away.
"I'd better be on my way as well, I've got to finish Fluttershy's dress!" Rarity announced.
"Let's all just go then, it's getting dark." Said Rainbow Dash, looking at the sky.
Bidding the others goodbye, Twilight made her way back to the library, still cheerful from spending time with her friends. As she entered, she started to get back to studying when an odd noise made her turn around. There was a light in the middle of the room, with a blue box materializing around it. Confused, she started to examine it when a pony stepped out of it onto the floor.
Twilight stared at the pony. He had a light-brown coat, and hourglass cutie mark, and blue eyes. He was also wearing a tie.
"Hello, Twilight." he said, holding out his hoof. "I'm The Doctor."
"Doctor? Doctor whom?" said Twilight, very confused.
"So you got the grammar right. Most don't." said The Doctor approvingly, putting down his hoof after Twilight didn't shake it.
"Who are you? How did you get here? What is that box?"
"I'm the Doctor, as I've already told you, and, to answer the other two questions, that is my TARDIS."
"Your TARDIS." Twilight repeated.
"Yes."said The Doctor shortly. "Twilight, I've been sent by Princess Celestia to get you to help us in a manner of most importance."
"Wait, How do I know the Princess has really sent you?"
The Doctor took out a piece of a completely blank paper and showed it to her.
Twilight looked at it, then nodded. "Oh, okay. Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you weren't one of Rainbow's pranks."
"I wish I was." said The Doctor seriously. "Sit down, Twilight. Let me fill you in.
"First off, I want you to know that I'm not going to be talking about myself right now. I usually skip that nonsense unless it is necessary."
"Wait," interrupted Twilight. "I'm supposed to help you, and I'm not even going to know who you are?"
"Ah, Twilight. It is not important. Well, I am rather important, but it is irrelevant to our current situation. Just think of me as.... A madman with a box, okay?"
"A madman with a box." Twilight said, not altogether reassured.
"Twilight, has your dear celestial teacher ever mentioned The Badlands?" The Doctor asked.
Twilight thought. "Well, she did mention it once or twice, but never went into much detail about it. I'm sure she had her reasons."
"The Badlands..." said The Doctor. "Is a horrible place. It is a realm outside of Equestria, where many evil monsters roam about, wildly attacking anypony who is unfortunate enough to wander into that place. It is the realm of the Hydras, the Changelings and their queen. It was Discord's favorite resting place when he was the ruler of this land. And The Badlands, Twilight, are where me must go."
Twilight squeaked in fear. "Really? Why?"
"There are a few entrances to The Badlands, but the ancient unicorns of old cast spells on all exits, sealing the monsters inside. But the seals are breaking. You yourself have encountered many creatures from The Badlands. Remember the Hydra at Froggybottom bog? Remember the Manticore that your charming comrade Fluttershy tamed? All those beasts have escaped from where they came. We need to seal the entrance that leads to Equestria, as many more monsters are trying to leave now."
if I understand correctly, your funny little box can just warp you around places, right? Why don't we just pop over there and shut it?"
"Oh, Twlight, if only it were that simple. The ancient ward, while growing ever weaker, prevents ponies from entering or even getting near the entrance from our side."
"Well, if we can't get near it, I suppose we should just let the seal break first." said Twlight, relieved that she did 't have to go on this mission."
"That's true, I did say that we couldn't get near it from our side. However, it is on the other side the seal is breaking."
"Doctor..." said Twilight, truly terrified for the first time that evening.
"That's right." said The Doctor, smiling at the thrill of adventure close at hand. "We must materialize inside of The Badlands, and make our way to the entrance on hoof. The magic protecting it keeps me from materializing too close. So! I shall return tomorrow, let's say 8 AM, hmm?" He stood up, and walked to the door of his box. "Until tomorrow," he said, walking inside. That strange noise filled the library, and the TARDIS dematerialized.
Twilight stared at the spot where the blue police box had disappeared. "Spike!" she yelled.
"What?" said the dragon in question, coming up from the lab. "I cleaned it, don't worry-"
"Pack my saddlebags for travel. I need to get some sleep."
She walked upstairs and flopped down in bed, thinking. The Doctor had appeared out of nowhere, but she had a strange feeling that she should trust him. He just had an air of knowledge and experience about him, and he must be trustworthy in order to have been sent by Celestia. Feeling comforted, she rolled over and fell asleep.
DISCLAIMER: This is a fanfiction using characters from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic! which is trademarked by Hasbro. The Doctor, Amy Pond and all other related characters are property of BBC.
A roar rang out, followed by a smattering of hoofsteps. The Doctor ran past the source of the sound, pointing a strange, glowing, metal object at it as he passed. It didn't seem to work, however, and the dark shape charged after him. The Doctor, seeing that the monster was following, smiled, and turned sharply to the right. He jumped over a series of cracks in the black, burnt ground. The beast was not so lucky. As he stepped on the patch of ground, the earth gave way, sending him tumbling into the crevice that was hidden below. The Doctor stopped, and looked back, looking at the dark ravine. He looked at the strange metal object, jumped, and ran back to a blue police box, sitting on the ground a few hundred feet away.
Twilight Sparkle was pacing around her library, with her saddlebags laying on the floor next to a baby dragon.
"So, where is it you're going?" Spike asked, confused.
Twilight stopped in her pacing. "It's called The Badlands, and apparently it's huge. Why? Have you been there?" She asked, snorting.
"Yes, I have, and so have you!" Spike said with realization.
Twilight turned to look at him, staring. "Really? When?"
"That's where I went when I went to find out more about dragons, and who I am! You, Rarity and Rainbow Dash went there!"
"That's right!" Twilight exclaimed. "But The Doctor said it was huge. It wasn't really that big, and I only saw one breed of monster there. Maybe he got it wrong, it's possible that it might not be that dangerous at all, maybe-" but she was interrupted by a growing noise reverberating around the room, and a small light with a blue box materializing around it in the corner.
The Doctor stumbled out, apparently in a hurry. "Sorry I'm late, Ms. Sparkle, I was finding a good spot for us to land when I got attacked by a-"
"Doctor! I've been to the Badlands, following Spike, and I assure you there's nothing there but a small basin and a lot of dragons. You," she finished triumphantly, "must have been mistaken."
The Doctor patiently waited for her to finish, and then laughed. "Oh, really Twilight? I'm sorry, but do you honestly think that was the whole of the badlands? Most of it has not even been seen by your kind. You were seeing but a corner, an entry hall if you will. Why, that section isn't even sealed off."
"Wait," Twilight said, stopping him. she looked confused. "what do you mean, 'Your kind'? Surely you mean our kind?"
"Twilight, I'm a Time Lord, not a pony." he said, considering that to be of little importance.
"But you look just like a pony!" said Twilight, looking him up and down.
"Actually, Ponies look just like Time Lords, we were here first." he said.
"We were here first? There are more like you?" Twilight said excitedly.
"No." said The Doctor, a sudden, extreme sadness filling his eyes. "I'm the last one, there aren't any others." He gazed into space for a while, then jumped slightly, coming to his senses. "But this isn't important to our quest, Twilight. We must make haste!" he said, running to Twilight's saddlebags and throwing them over her back. "Quickly, into the TARDIS, let's go!" He run into the blue box, disappearing from sight.
Twilight looked at it, bemused. One pony was plenty, but how in Equestria were they both going to fit? She shrugged, walked to the door, and opened it. The gasp that escaped her lips was only a tiny portion of the surprise she felt. She was looking at a whole room, inside of that tiny box. There was a raised platform a few feet above the ground, with a console on it. The console, or whatever it was, had a central pillar with a moving part in it, and a circular desk-like surface covered in various levers, buttons, knobs, and countless other things Twilight had no idea what were for. From that platform a small walkway moved further in, giving her no idea how big this space was.
The Doctor came out from behind the console, smiling. "Any comments? Words of surprise? I've heard them all."
"How is this possible? It's bigger on the inside than the outside? How? This doesn't make any sense!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Twilight, don't you worry your pony head about how my TARDIS works. Just enjoy the ride."
The Doctor grinned devilishly and started pulling various levers and fiddling with the buttons. That strange noise that meant the TARDIS was dematerializing filled the interior.
"Are we going?" she asked quietly.
"No need to sound so grim!" The Doctor exclaimed, spinning around to look and laughing. "This is my favorite part of the job!"
Twilight looked at him unbelievingly as the sound of the TARDIS landing echoed distantly, and The Doctor smiled.
"Time to go. Are you ready, Twilight?"
"Yes, let's go." said Twilight, swallowing down her fear. Be brave. She told herself. You have The Doctor with you. Nothing's going to go wrong.
And that's when everything went wrong.
DISCLAIMER: This is a fanfiction using characters from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic! which is trademarked by Hasbro. The Doctor, Amy Pond and all other related characters are property of BBC.