Adventures of Dr. Whooves: Night of the Curious Circus
A/N: (At the party, Pinkie Pie sees Timon and Pumbaa, and she whispers to Dede42.)
Pinkie Pie: Hey, I see Timon, and weren't you and I going to teach him a lesson or something about going after me whenever I happen to borrow a certain line from The Lion King?
Dede42: Yeah, I do have an idea, and your Pinkie Sense should help.
Pinkie Pie: Ok!
Timon: (chews some candy-shaped bugs) Mmm, not bad, just wish they were real.
Pumbaa: Yeah, and after being in that huge hole earlier with Tigger, this is a nice change of pace.
Timon: Yeah, and hopefully Dr. Hooves will solve the mystery of that hole in the next story once Night of the Curious Circus has been fully completed. (Suddenly Pinkie Pie runs past, her tail twitching) Uh, what's with your tail, Pinkie?
Pinkie Pie: Twitchy tail! Twitchy tail!
Twilight Sparkle: Run for cover!
Timon: (stares as the party goers run for cover, and even the accountant hides himself) What's going on?
Pumbaa: (from under one of the tables) Hide, Timon! Hide!
Timon: Why should I- (he looks up as a bucket of pink liquid falls on top of him) Agh! (he pulls off the bucket and he is now pink, just like a certain pink pony) Hey!
Dede42 and Pinkie Pie: (fall over each other, laughing) Gotcha, Timon!
Timon: (rolls his eyes) Ha, ha, it is to laugh. (he leaves to clean himself off.)
Update: Oh, I did a change in Chapter 2, which I hope you will like.
Read, review, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.
CHAPTER FOUR: MORE DISAPPEARANCES
Bail and the others examined the scene, collected samples before he let the police take the caps, questioned Kingpin, Mags, and the circus employees before inviting Dr. Whooves and Derpy to head back to Baker Street with him and Dawson to regroup and talk about what he had managed to learn.
"Now that we are all comfortable," said Basil, sitting in his customary armchair while Dawson sat in the other chair, and both Dr. Whooves and Derpy was sitting on a pair of cushions provided by Mrs. Judson, who'd been shocked at first when she first saw the two ponies, and had cups of tea. "Let's go over what we do know about the Psychic Circus, which I expect has an unusual past since the owner knows you, Doctor."
"Indeed, Basil," Dr. Whooves agreed, sipping his tea. "The current Psychic Circus exists because I was able to help Kingpin stop a dangerous dark force that had taken over the first one and had used it to make ponies and people disappear forever for entertainment purposes. This force was a trio of Old Ones known as the Gods of Ragnarock, and I do fear that they aren't as dead as I would hope they would be."
"Assuming that these Gods are behind this, why would they take two boys?" Dawson wondered.
Basil, who was lightning his pipe, nodded. "An excellent question, Dawson," he agreed, standing up and began pacing while puffing out rings of smoke. "Doctor, you said that when the Gods of Ragnarok controlled the pervious circus, you said that they made people disappear forever for entertainment? Or for some other reason?"
"They made anyone disappear who failed to properly entertain them," the Time Lord explained. "The longer someone could entertain them, the longer that person could exist, and if you failed, then they would make you disappear in an instant."
Both Dawson and Derpy shivered at the thought. "That's horrible!"
"However, I highly doubt that it could be them," Dr. Whooves added. "The last time I stopped them, I was able to use their own powers against them, so instead of other-worldly threats, let's considered worldly threats instead."
"My thoughts exactly, Doctor," Basil agreed, "and we can start with the samples I took from the crime scene at the circus. Would you care to assist me, Doctor."
"Of course, Basil."
While this was going on, reports started pouring into Scotland Yard about more disappearances going on around or near the Psychic Circus, and just when Inspector Lestrade started to suspect the circus folk, Kingpin himself came galloping in with reports that his own employees were disappearing, too, including Mags.
"Constable Clark!" Lestrade snapped and he appeared in the doorway of the office. "Get down to Baker Street with every report, photo, and evidence to Basil as soon as possible, and let him know that when we have more, he'll have it right away!"
"Yes, sir!"
A few hours later, the group at Baker Street soon found themselves going through a large stack of reports, photos, and Dr. Whooves was running tests on the evidence with a tense expression on his face since Mags was good friend of his, and it was clear to Derpy that the Time Lord was determined to rescue every single person and/or pony that'd been taken so far.
"Basil, I hate to say it," said Dawson after going through what felt like the hundredth report about a missing person, in this case a sailor frog on leave, "but these reports aren't getting us anywhere."
"I'm with Dawson," Derpy agreed. "I don't know what to look for in any of these reports or these photos of the crime scenes. Maybe I should bake us some muffins if Mrs. Judson will show me how to use her kitchen."
Basil was about to let her when he noticed something about one of the photos that had nearly empty glass of water on top of it. "Wait a moment." He picked up both and, after dumping out the remaining water into one of the potted plants, he peered through the bottom of the glass at the photo. "That's it!"
Hearing this, Dr. Whooves hurried over to take a look along with Dawson and Derpy. "Have you found something, Basil?"
"Indeed I have," said the detective, putting down a glass and picked up his magnifying glass instead. "In nearly every single report, witnesses have said they'd seen a small girl, who would run away, and the missing persons would follow and disappear with only a sudden scream. Now look at this photo." He held it in front of the photo, revealing the small girl that'd been seen by the two boys last night.
The Time Lord stared at the girl for a long moment and then his face paled as he backed away. "Oh no… no, this is bad, this is very bad."
"Doc, what is it?" Derpy asked, concerned as he kept mumbling to himself. "Doc?"
"I'm – I'm afraid that I was wrong about whoever is taking these people isn't an alien threat," Dr. Whooves said finally, turning to them. "I didn't want to believe it, not even with the results from the tests, but seeing that little girl just confirms what the tests prove true."
"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Basil asked finally, and in an impatient tone. "Who are we up against?"
Instead of answering, Dr. Hooves used his sonic screwdriver to project the image off the photo and onto the nearest wall, enlarging it so that they could see the image better. "Take a look at the girl's eyes."
Basil, Derpy, and Dawson all took another look at the enlarged photo and they gasped when they saw that there was a strange light in the girl's eyes, making them more alien then mouse. "My word!"
"Basil, Dawson, Derpy," said the Time Lord with a grim expression, "what you see isn't an actual girl, that is… a Zygon!"
In a hidden location deep under the city, Mags struggled in the grip of the two rats as she was hauled through a tunnel with the girl walking ahead of them. "Let go of me!" she shouted, trying to kick at them, but they were surprisingly strong and they were managing to keep her from doing any damage. "Let go! What do you want?! Where are you taking me?!"
They ignored her questions and kept hauling her down the tunnel and toward an orangish light that was ahead.
When they reached the end of the tunnel, Mags blinked in the sudden change of lightning, and found herself into a massive room with levels going high above her with alcoves that had strange organic technology in them, strange oval-shaped objects with clear viewing holes in the middle of them, and tall orange creatures that resembled centaurs, saved that they had large, cone-shaped heads, deep inset faces with dark eyes, and their heads, arms, and torsos were covered with in suckers.
"Oh by the gods," Mags whispered fearfully, recognizing the creatures. "Zygons."
One of the Zygons trotted up to the unicorn and spoke in a gurgling whisper, but it was clear that this particular Zygon was female. "So, you do know of our kind," she remarked and nodded to the two 'rats', which released the unicorn and walked away, reverting to their true forms. "Good, for you know what we do with who we capture."
"Yeah, I do," Mags confirmed, eying the receptacles uneasily. "You need those you take alive in order to make sure that the body-print works, and retain a link with them so that you have full access to their memories and thoughts."
"Very good," said the Zygon. "I am Sezer, queen and leader of the Zygons, and I tell you this, because with access to you, the Psychic Circus will help us achieve access to the one mouse that will make our conquest of this world possible."
Mags felt her heart sink, realizing what Sezer meant. Just earlier that day, before she was kidnapped, she and Kingpin had received an invite from Queen Mousetoria to do a performance for her at Buckingham Palace, which was a high honor for them, and now the Zygons were wanting to use their circus to get to the Queen herself!
"I won't let you get anywhere near Queen Mousetoria," Mags vowed, her horn glowing blue. "And now you're gonna wish that you grabbed some other pony then me!" She directed her magic toward her cutie mark, which began glowing, and she felt the transformation start. 'I just hope I can control it when comes. It's been so long.'
Sezer backed up, feeling fear for the first time in a very long time as the unicorn began to change: her mane became even spikier, her tail became bushier, her ears more pointed, her eyes became yellow and doglike, and her teeth became jagged fangs. "A werepony!" she hissed.
By this point Mags so far in her transformation that she was growling and snarling as her body continued to transform. 'I – I – I am in control!' she thought, realizing that her mind and the mind of the wolf were in balance for the first time since the events on Segonax. 'Now to get out of here and warn the Doctor!' Snarling, she launched herself toward the Zygon Queen, who was barely able to get out of the way, and then ran circles around the Zygons that tried and failed to capture her, clawing and biting at several and drawing dark red blood.
Dodging the Zygons, Mags ran toward the opening to the tunnel – ZAP! Suddenly an electrical charge shot through her body, freezing up her muscles, and it felt like she was on fire. "Augh!" she scream, twisting and turning for what felt like forever, but was only a few seconds, and when the electrical attack stopped, she collapsed onto the ground, gasping and wheezing as she reverted back to her normal pony form.
'I – I almost made it,' Mags thought, weakened by the attack and couldn't resist when two of the Zygons grabbed her by her forelegs, hauling her up. She watched with growing horror as she was dragged over to the receptacles and that one of them was open and empty. "No…" she moaned. "No…"
Sezer walked over and gently stroked the unicorn's mane with one hand. "Don't worry," she cooed. "You have nothing to worry about anymore." She then used a barb in her palm to stun Mags, who moaned again before falling unconscious. "Place her in the receptacle," she ordered and watched as her minions lifted the unicorn and gently placed her inside the receptacle, sealing it, and it began powering up.
"The female is in full stasis," one of the Zygons reported. "Her vitals are strong, and she is ready for use."
Pleased, Sezer placed her hand on the receptacle and she reached out with her mind to touch the mind of the unicorn. There was some resistance at first, coming from the wolf half, but she gradually managed to subdue the best, locking it away in a mental prison, and she then was able to access the mind of Mags' herself.
Sezer was careful as she went through Mags' memories, starting with the earliest ones, and moved forward, learning everything about the unicorn, including how she was bitten by a werepony as a filly, and how each night of the full moon, the ponies in her village would lock her away in a cage made out of silver when she transformed. She learned about how Mags escaped from the village, eventually crossing paths with Captain Cook when she was slowly dying from a silver bullet in her leg, and the events of the Psychic Circus on Segonax.
Sezer's eyes snapped open and she hissed. "The Doctor! She knows the Time Lord that has interfered with our people!" she snarled angrily. "He is here in London at this very moment!"
"What shall we do, my Queen?" one of the Zygons asked. "How do we keep him from stopping us?"
Sezer searched Mags' memories until she found the one of both Dr. Whooves and Basil in the office trailer with her and Kingpin. "First you find the mouse called Basil of Baker Street, and when you find him, then you will find the Doctor, and you will kill him."
"Yes, my Queen." And five Zygons hurried away, shifting themselves into the forms of mice, rats, and even two bats that took to the air.
"The rest of you," Sezer ordered her waiting troops. "Seize control of the Psychic Circus, for I want it under our complete control before tonight's performance at Buckingham Palace." She waited until they went about to fulfill her commands before she returned her attention to Mags, and as she continued reading her mind and memories, she began transforming into the unicorn, cutie mark included.
'Soon, soon, this world will be ours,' she thought, looking at her reflection in a nearby reflective surface as she removed her newly formed hoof off of the receptacle. 'First London, and then… the world!'
The Zygons had once been the center of a grand empire that had formed after they and a number of other races had formed an alliance with Rassilon, back when he was Lord President of the Time Lords, in order to stop the threat of another race. However, after Rassilon was locked away by his own people, the alliance had crumbled, and the Zygon Empire had ended up being reduce to their dying homeworld and a fistful of colony worlds.
But now, Sezer would help restore her people to their rightful place in the universe, and by taking over Earth first, it would be easy.
A/N: Cliffy alert! Cliffy alert! Run, there's Zygons on the loose! R&R everyone!