"You can't make me sing for you. I demand a union!" Rita yowled, standing for her rights. Mr. Meikeltrough, however, refused. "This is against the law!"

"Have you forgotten where you are?" Meikeltrough asked rhetorically, "This is Equestria. You have no power here. Besides, if you don't sing for me tonight..." he drifted off, leaving the rest up for Rita to figure out. He glanced to Runt, suspended above a large fish tank, a majority of which was underground. Within the tank, a gigantic orange creature with four heads swam excitedly at the prospect of a meal.

Rita held a growl, merely glaring at her captor. Meikeltrough grinned, satisfied, "Learn your lines quickly," A large stack of papers appeared before the cat, causing her to hiss in surprise.

With nothing else she could do, Rita set herself to memorizing her new songs. So many horse puns!

"Rita?" The feline looked up from the papers to her companion. He was scared, but seemed alright otherwise. "I don't like it here. The goldfish are scary and I don't like that pony. Definitely don't like that pony."

Rita tried to give him her most supportive expression, "It'll be alright, Runt. We've gotten out of worse."

It was silent for a while, then Runt spoke again, "Like what, Rita?"

She pretended to be busy with the papers, shuffling them noisily. Her thoughts, however, were elsewhere. I don't know, Runt. I don't know.

Applejack ignored her "search party" and set to find her beloved little sister. Apple Bloom in Canterlot!? What was she doing so far from home alone? It explained her absence the previous night, however.

Thinking of home and night, not to mention the moon already in the sky, made Applejack realize her exhaustion, but she pushed the feeling away and focused on finding her sister.

The dog seemed like he would have been helpful, but the girl he kept charge of kept trying to run off. Skippy, being young, couldn't keep his mind on the task at hand. Slappy, to Applejack's surprise, was most helpful. She searched for Apple Bloom while helping Buttons with Mindy and keeping her own nephew out of too much trouble. The curiosity of the squirrel's change in behavior nagged long enough for Applejack to ask, "Why are you helpin'?"

Slappy was searching within a barrel as she spoke, "I know how it feels to have someone you care about missing." Her gaze traveled to Skippy, leading Mindy along with his tail back to Buttons. Truth be told, it was more information than Applejack had expected.

Rainbow Dash flashed across the skies of Canterlot, glancing everywhere for Scootaloo, "When I get my hooves on that filly I swear I'm going to...Grrrr, Scootaloo!"

The Goodfeathers couldn't keep up with the swift pony. They had lost her and stumbled upon her again too many times to remember. Finally, the three just decided to perch on a roof and be lookouts. However, Rainbow Dash didn't take it too kindly.

"What are you three doing? We have to find Scootaloo! And Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom."

Bobby took a step towards her, "Then you need to slow down. We can't keep up, and you won't find anyone goin' that fast."

Rainbow narrowed her eyes in defiance, "I can too!" Her expression shifted to guilt as she realized her fault.

"We'll find your sister, don't worry," Squit assured.

Dash blinked, then smiled, "Thanks, but she's not really my sister. She doesn't have a big sister to take care of her, so...I guess I sorta took her under my wing, so to speak," she bragged with self pride.

Squit nodded, "Bobby and Pesto did that for me too."

"What do you mean by that?" the testy pidgeon asked.

Squit looked confused, "I meant you took my under your wing, like Rainbow Dash did for that little pony."

Pesto's eyes narrowed, "Are you saying that I'm just a big wing? Are you saying I don't care for others just because I have a temper I can't control? What am I to you? A bad party clown here to amuse you?"

Squit shook his head hastily, anticipating the coming beating, "No, that's not what I'm saying! I'm saying you cared about me, a stranger at the time, enough to let me join you and Bobby."

"That's it! Come here! I'll show you some caring brotherly love! How about this? And this? Have some of this!" The pidgeon launched himself onto Squit, a cloud of dust gathering around them.

Bobby shook his head in embarrassment.

"Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle! Have you seen a unicorn filly about yay tall, white fur, pink and purple mane and tail?" Rarity questioned a mare on the street.

"Uh, no?"

Rarity skipped to the next pony.

"Have you seens deez ponies?" Ralph held a photo of Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo out before him, asking any and all passing ponies. Mr. Plotz leaned against the guard, snoring lightly. Marita called for the unicorn filly with Rarity.

Flavio noticed Mr. Plotz unconscious state. He picked the little man up and shook him awake.

"What? What? Is the studio on fire?"

Flavio placed him on the ground, "No, you were sleeping. We are supposed to be searching for the little ponies. Or are you so tired you forgot about that?"

Mr. Plotz rose a brow, crossing his arms, "It's late. We've been here for several days already. I want a decent nights sleep for a change. Besides, you can't say you aren't tired."

Flavio's expression slumped, "I am tired, true," he admitted, "But I cannot allow for a child to go missing for the sake of my own tired eyes. I will search until the young ones are found!"

Mr. Plotz blinked, slightly surprised. "I don't know you and your wife very well, Flavio. I must apologize for that."

Flavio gave him a smile, "Help find the filly children and I shall accept your apology."

The short man groaned, obliging to the request.

Minerva's eyes fluttered open. Three pairs of eyes looked down on her. One pair was welcome as the familiar one. Another looked on in extreme curiosity. The third...

"What happened to your poor eyes?" she asked, over her initial shock.

The gray pegasus turned her head in shame. The brown pony gave the mink a hard glare, not quite masking his lingering curiousness, "Typical tourists. Asking what's wrong with someone before introductions." He cleared his throat, standing tall, "I am the Doctor. This is my assistant, Derpy."

"Ditzy."

"Derpy, Ditzy, Bubble Pony-does it really matter?"

"Yes, mister time lord!" the gray pony retorted, "They are strangers. Of different species! I don't want them calling me Derpy. You wouldn't like it if somepony called you a regular old stallion."

The Doctor sighed in defeat, "Fine, this is my assistant, Ditzy Doo."

"Thank you."

Minerva pouted as she stood, Newt helping her up, "I rather like the name Derpy. It suits you and its much more appealing than Ditzy," Ditzy blushed slightly, hiding a pleasant smile, "As for introductions, I believe I have already introduced myself to you, Doctor."

The brown pony smiled, "Why yes, you did. But Derpy-"

"Ditzy."

"-hasn't had the pleasure yet."

"My apologies," Minerva said honestly, "I am Minerva Mink. My co-star here is known as Newt."

The Doctor grinned widely, "I knew it! You are animations come to life!"

"Actually-" Newt tried to explain, however the pony continued talking.

"Can you do those things you do on the telly?"

Minerva smiled, "What, like this?" Using a simple gag, she took her mallet in hand and smacked Newt to the ground. Ditzy cried out in surprise. The dog remained as a fluffy blue circle for a moment before stretching himself back.

The Doctor chuckled, "Yes! That!" Satisfied, he turned back to the controls, "Alright, we should probably see where we ended up. Let's go have a look!"

Ditzy gaped at the stallion, "You're not surprised by this!?"

The pony glanced back at his companion, "I've recently turned into a pony and entered a whole new world involving magic, talking equines, and a vast number of mythical creatures. This world in itself is cartoony. The addition of two actual cartoons doesn't have the capacity to faze me at this point."

The pegasus sighed, accepting the answer as the only explanation she'd get. The Doctor pulled a lever, opening the doors to the TARDIS, revealing their location.

"Canterlot?" Ditzy asked in confusion.

The Doctor rose his eyebrow, "It seems we've gone only a few days into the future."

"But there's nothing going on around this time in Canterlot. Just a regular old week everywhere in Equestria."

"Maybe that's the first clue," the Doctor mused.

Minerva glanced at Newt, who shrugged.

"Over there!" the Doctor trotted to the closest building. He read the sign before it aloud, "Equestria's Singing Choir! Playing tonight only!"

"How quaint," Minerva mumbled.

Ditzy tilted her head, "What are you thinking, Doctor?"

The Doctor smirked, thinking, "Miss Mink, Mister Newt, did you two end up here alone or with others?"

"Almost the entire cast of the show we worked on," Minerva answered.

"Are any of your co-stars musically inclined?"

Newt replied, "Just about all of us are."

The Doctor grunted, his smirk widening, "I think we've found our problem!"