“…The Key to Time?!” protested the Doctor once Rassilon’s request was fully processed. “Why should I help YOU find the segments?! I should leave you to the Black Guardian, you power mad-!”
“Because the universe is stagnating!” replied Rassilon. “Order is overrunning the universe and the balance needs to be restored! Even I can’t function in a universe where everything just doesn’t evolve!”
“…Restore the balance?” muttered the Doctor. “That doesn’t sound like the Black Guardian at all.”
“Could someone fill me in here?!” asked William. “What IS the Black Guardian?!”
“And what’s the Key to Time?” quizzed Amy.
“Why should you inse-?!” hissed Rassilon.
“You, shut up!” snapped the Doctor. She then turned to her companions. “The Key to Time,” she explained, “is a perfect crystalline cube. Its main function is to maintain the equilibrium of time itself. Now, each segment is split into six pieces scattered across time and space that, like the TARDIS, can disguise itself as anything or anyone. The only way to find it is by using the Core of the Key to Time as a tracer that can restore each segment to its original form. Once assembled, the Key to Time will briefly stop everything for a brief moment until balance is restored, then the segments will scatter again.”
“Well, where IS this tracer?” asked William.
“Right here,” interjected Rassilon. She popped the handle of her parasol off to reveal a short, silver wand with pink lights inside it.
“…As to who the Black Guardian is,” continued the Doctor, “they’re the embodiment of evil while their opposite, the White Guardian, is the embodiment of good.”
“…And you’re just…gonna hand the Key over to the guy that allows creatures like the Daleks to exist?!” William asked Rassilon.
“I didn’t make the choice lightly, human!” hissed Rassilon. “Doctor, you have no idea what the Guardians are doing after the Toymaker returned! They’re practically engaged in war! People like Davros or the Cyber-controller are doing wicked things in the name of order!”
“Sound familiar?” scoffed the Doctor.
“Are you seriously-?!”
“You and the Emperor Dalek of the Time War considered yourselves gods and the other an ant! Yes, I DO compare you to all the evil in the universe, especially the evil I faced! Now, the tracer! Give it here!” The Doctor swiped the tracer from Rassilon.
“See here-!” argued Rassilon.
“Shut up,” replied the Doctor as she fiddled with the TARDIS controls. Rassilon turned an alarming shade of purple at the blatant disrespect she was getting. A plug for the tracer then appeared in the panel with the red controls. “I knew I still had that old setting somewhere,” said the Doctor as she plugged the tracer into the slot. “Right, house rules while we’re on the quest-.”
“Then you’re helping me?” replied Rassilon.
“And if you’d kindly keep quiet, I’ll tell you the terms of my help,” snapped the Doctor. “One, my TARDIS, so you will follow MY directions. Two, we don’t ignore people who need help. Three, we’re not gods, so don’t treat anyone like insects.”
“You can’t seriously-!”
“You don’t like those rules, you can take your chances with the Black Guardian and my friends and I will assemble the Key for the White Guardian instead.” Rassilon balked at that threat.
“…The sad thing is…you WOULD make good on that threat,” Rassilon finally hissed. “…Very well, Doctor, I’ll obey your commands.”
“AND treat my companions with the respect that is rightfully due to them!” The Doctor then checked the controls as Rassilon rolled her eyes. “…Aha, the first segment’s in the Magic Kingdom!”
“Disney World?!” asked William.
“Well, sort of,” replied the Doctor. “The Disney Corporation’s just the money side to fund the hidden world, though Mickey’s not exactly happy with how his father’s company is going.”
“Hang on, Mickey Mouse is REAL?!”
“Lots of things that may seem like the imagination of really good creators often ARE real.” The TARDIS then made its arrival noise. “Aha! We’ve landed!” She then took the tracer out of the console. “Now, let’s see where we are!”
Over in a part of the complex the TARDIS landed in, an austere looking woman in a secretary’s outfit walked down the hall with purpose, even in her heels. “Hey, Millicent,” called a man, “you know where the boss is? I haven’t seen him for days.”
“I’m afraid I know as much as you concerning his whereabouts,” replied Millicent.
“Shame,” said the guy. “All right, thanks anyways.” He left and Millicent made her way to a room guarded by a huge, beefy guy. The guy let her in and shut the door when they entered the room. Millicent then took off her glasses, her skin turned green, her eyes became a glowing yellow, and her clothes changed into long, flowing robes of black and dark purple. A staff appeared in her hand as horns grew from her head. Wrappings then appeared around her head and horns, revealing only the face of the Mistress of all Evil herself, Maleficent!
“Much better,” she sighed.
“A disgusting display of energy manipulation,” grunted the guy. He used his pointer and middle finger to press his watch, then he shimmered out of existence and in his place was a 20-foot tall, whale-like humanoid with three fingers on each hand wearing a black and red jumpsuit.
“As opposed to your technology, Gantu?” scoffed Maleficent. “You said you sent a key resistance member to the MCP’s realm.”
“Does the name Fa Mulan mean anything?” Maleficent’s interest was piqued.
“Mulan?” she asked.
“Go ahead and confirm it with the MCP,” replied Gantu. Maleficent went to the giant desk and keyed in a command she learned while navigating computers. A chat window then opened from the computer screen built into the desk.
“Good afternoon, Maleficent,” said the chat window.
“Good afternoon,” replied Maleficent. “I understand a key resistance member has been sent your way?”
“Sark is currently training her for the games,” said the chat window. “The matches are more lethal, thanks to this resistance member being User ChineseSav10r.”
“Fa Mulan’s username,” chuckled Maleficent. “Mickey’s pathetic resistance is crumbling!”
“…Just a second, security footage captured someone arriving in the complex,” said the chat window. “I’ll give you the feed. End of line.” A live camera feed then appeared in a new window and displayed the Doctor leading everyone out of the TARDIS. Gantu’s eyes popped open when he saw Rassilon. He then roared in anger.
“Gantu! Keep it down!” hissed Maleficent.
“I know that woman! That’s Rassilon of Gallifrey!” shouted Gantu. He then pressed a button. “Security, bring the blue box in sector 4 and the people walking down corridor 2 to the control room!” he barked.
“Yes, Sir!” replied the security guard in charge.
“More of your kind from beyond the stars?” asked Maleficent.
“Hardly! Rassilon is a Time Lord, a self-serving, avaricious people that think they can maintain time! Their war with the Daleks did the universe a favor!”
“The tracer’s crackling,” remarked William as the Doctor led the way.
“We’re on the right path, then,” replied the Doctor. Just then, they heard footsteps. They rounded a corner to come face to face with security guards. “Ah, hello there!” greeted the Doctor. “We’re all here to see Mickey-.”
“Shut up!” snapped a guard. “You’re coming with us!”
“Oh, how delightful!” said the Doctor. “A guided tour! I always loved the old backlots tour in-!” The guards then shoved the Doctor forward! “All right! Don’t push! I don’t have a fast pass on me! I can wait!”
“Doctor, you can’t seriously-!” protested Rassilon.
“Just go with it,” muttered Amy.
“It’s a thing with her,” said William.
“…You know, I preferred you before the chameleon arch!” grunted Rassilon.
The guards brought the TARDIS and its occupants to the office. They then left and Gantu and Maleficent dropped their disguises. “Well,” chuckled Maleficent, “isn’t this interesting? More visitors from beyond the stars. And who, pray tell, are you?”
“Oh, I’m the Doctor. These are my associates, Amy Rose,”
“Hello,” said Amy.
“Dr. William Davies,”
“My lady,” said William, having watched Sleeping Beauty with his ex before.
“And Rassilon of my-,”
“Yes, Gantu DID say he was acquainted with Miss Rassilon here,” said Maleficent.
“Acquainted is an understatement,” hissed Rassilon. “Listen here, Gantu, we’re on a quest and-!”
“Your quest is irrelevant!” barked Gantu. “You’re intruders and are interfering with the running of the Disney Corporation, siding with that lawless rat!”
“Your little war with Mickey Mouse doesn’t concern us!” scoffed Rassilon. “We have weightier issues that concern us!”
“Oh, be reasonable, Rassilon,” chuckled the Doctor. “Maleficent can’t run the risk of us helping Mickey throughout our quest.”
“How right you are, Doctor,” purred Maleficent.
“Let me guess, you’re gonna send your monsters at us,” said William. “…Actually, I’ve been wondering, are the monster minions at your castle called Orcs?”
“Why yes, Dr. Davies,” replied Maleficent, “but I’m afraid you’re wrong in my use of them at this time. There is one, on the other hand, that could benefit from studying you. Doctor, Rassilon, your class’s title is Time Lord? If that means what I think it means-.”
“We’re not spilling the secrets of time travel,” replied the Doctor.
“The MCP would beg to differ,” chuckled Maleficent as she keyed in a command.
“MCP?” asked William. He then remembered his favorite 80’s movie! “Wait a minute, the Master-?!” He didn’t get very far as a concealed machine fired a beam of light at William and Amy. A wire-mesh appeared over their frozen bodies and then zapped each part of the mesh, causing the affected areas to vanish!
“WILLIAM! AMY!” shouted the Doctor. She turned on Maleficent. “You stop this or I’ll-!” Another machine with the same functions as the first then fired on the Doctor and Rassilon, giving them the same treatment. Once the wire mesh was all that remained of all four, the mesh then entered the machines.
“Digitization complete,” reported a chat window on the desk. “End of line.”
