//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Silence // by Taranasauruso_o //------------------------------// Silence A story by Taranasaurus [1] The clock ticked in the hall; a small, but reassuring sound to Rarity at night. She did not admit this to her friends, but there was something about silence that frightened her beyond belief. She could not remember why. She looked around, making certain that everything was in order. Satisfied with her room, she sunk lower into her bed, letting its warmth swallow her like she was nothing but a marshmellow in Pinkie’s mouth. She closed her eyes, and drifted off into a deep slumber, thinking of Canterlot. “Rarity…” Rarity sat bolt upright in her bed, looking around with a look of fright clear on her face. Beads of sweat dripped down her coat, leaving a trail of moisture behind. It was almost dawn, and as Rarity glanced out of the window she couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief wash over her. She had experienced that dream again. She couldn’t get it out of her head, it was the worst dream of all. Rarity would wake up to find herself in her bed, as if it were a normal day. This did not alarm her at first, and so she got up and went about her daily routine. But she did not trust her dream, something felt… off. But she ignored it, thinking it was just an instinct, or a natural reaction. But this had not been her first time in the dream, and she had become weary, and anxious. It didn’t always happen in the same way, but rest assured, she knew that it would happen. She had gotten up and was beginning to make Sweetie Belle’s breakfast, but as she poured the milk into the bowl of cereal, she realized something. Usually Sweetie was up before her, pestering her for food and attention, but as she stood in the kitchen, she felt as if she was completely alone. Sweetie Belle wasn’t in the kitchen. “Sweetie?” Rarity called out, hoping for some form of reply, but all she could hear was the dull ticking of her ancient clock. “Sweetie Bell?” she repeated, panicking. “Sweetie, please come downstairs.” Rarity heard no reply. Instead a soft wind blew the window open, causing her designer curtains to billow in the wind. Rarity heard the soft tones of her sister’s voice calling to her, although it sounded like a whisper on the wind. “Coming Rarity…” Somehow her sister’s voice did not comfort Rarity, the tone could only be described as one of exasperation. Rarity hesitantly placed one hoof upon the lowest step, her breathing ragged. She let out a long breath, and then began to climb the stairwell towards her sister’s room. Another gust of wind blew through the already open window, causing Rarity to shiver. As she reached the top of the stairs, she could see a red glow emanating from the crack in her sister’s door. The light seemed unnatural, as if it were not from this world. Rarity steeled herself, and began to take a few cautious steps towards Sweetie Bell’s room. She carefully reached a hoof out towards the door handle, as if something were about to explode from behind the closed door. A sudden noise stopped her. Rarity heard felt the wind that had blown across her back from the window cease, as if something had blocked the entrance to the hall. Rarity whipped her head around to see if she could distinguish what had startled her. There in front of her, was a silhouette, standing at the end of the hallway, not moving, but looking towards her. “H-hello?” Rarity managed, trying to make her voice sound braver than she felt. “Rarity…” a soft voice whispered in her ear. “That’s m-me,” Rarity said cautiously. How does he know my name? she thought. “Rarity, you have to listen to me,” the voice rasped in her ear. “Do not go in that room, please.” “Why should I trust you?” Rarity asked, straightening up to her full height, determined not to show her fear. “Rarity, this is a dream, this is just a dream,” the voice replied in a reassuring tone. “You didn’t answer my question,” Rarity demanded, a look of annoyance in her eyes. “Why should I trust you!?” The voice sighed, before it raised its tone. “Rarity, I am the Doctor.” It whispered into her ear, dusty and old. “Beyond that door is nothing, it is the darkness that both you and I fear. It is the silence that neither of us wants. It is the end.” Rarity shuddered, a cold chill descending along her spine. Before Rarity got the chance to reply, she felt a small tug on her tail. She whipped around, expecting it to be some demon or monster, and recoiled in horror. It was Sweetie Bell, but not as Rarity remembered her. She had the same white coat, the same hair, even the same mouth. But her eyes. They were just empty sockets, filled with nothing, a deep black that looked endless. “Rarity, look away”’ The Doctor whispered, his voice rising with tension. But, try as she might, Rarity could not tear her gaze from her sister’s eyes. “Rarity,” The Doctor said, almost shouting. Rarity felt herself slipping into the dark holes of nothing. She felt herself losing her conscience and soul within the coal black sockets. “RARITY!” screamed the Doctor. The sudden shout jolted Rarity awake, and she sat upright, her back stiff with fear. **** Twilight didn’t hear the frantic knocks on the door at first, she was too engrossed in a book called Starswirl’s Guide To Potion Making. When the three knocks weren’t answered, the door was flung open, and a slightly annoyed Rarity barged into the room. The mare looked towards Twilight, and then at the pile of books that sat beside her. “Twilight, we need to talk.” Twilight stretched her back muscles, straining until she heard a satisfactory pop from her spinal cord. She could hear Spike humming to himself in the kitchen, and wondered what he was making her for lunch. Twilight drooped with pleasure, stood up on all fours, and turned to address her friend. “Rarity, give me more warning next time you plan to come over,” Twilight mocked. “Twilight, I need to speak with you,” Rarity said, a look of utter seriousness upon her face. Twilight stopped laughing, she recognized that face. “What’s wrong?” Rarity glanced over at her friend, deciding whether or not to tell her. I don’t know if she will believe me, Rarity thought, looking at Twilight. Twilight is my best friend, and I can trust her with anything, can’t I? “Yes, you can,” Twilight answered Rarity’s thoughts. “Whoops, sorry, mind reading spell, looks like it works, doesn’t it?” “Twilight, I have been having these dreams, these horrible nightmares.” Rarity continued, ignoring what Twilight had just told her, instead lowering her eyes towards the ground. She then explained the whole story to Twilight, beginning from when she had had the first dream. “It started around three weeks ago, just after Sweetie’s birthday,” Rarity began. “I had a dream that night, a dream about the previous day. As we were about to cut the cake, a loud rumbling noise came from outside. When I went outside to see what it was, I-I...” Rarity faltered momentarily, losing herself in the memory. “The... the sky was black. No clouds, no sun, just... black. Then, this strange sound came from inside, but when I turned around, the boutique was gone. So were all of the guests at the party. Then the ground disappeared, and I fell. I fell and fell, until finally, I woke.” “Almost exactly the same thing happened the next day, then the day after that. Twilight, I began to dread sleeping. Remember when you all came over because I hadn’t met Fluttershy for our weekly spa treatment?” “You told us you felt sick,” Twilight said. “I hadn’t had any sleep that night, so I felt terrible. But, when I finally passed out from exhaustion, I dreamt again. I had the same nightmare. It wasn’t until last night that the nightmare changed. Instead of being at Sweetie Belle’s party, I was at home. I was cautious of course, but I was still happy I wasn’t having the same nightmare again.” Rarity continued on by explaining to her the events of the most recent dream, the one with the strange stallion. Twilight listened intently, a serious look clouding her face. Rarity spoke on and on about her dream, and then decided to share something else with Twilight as well. “Twilight, I have a fear,” said Rarity, staring into Twilight’s deep, solemn eyes. “So do I, it’s no big deal.” Twilight responded, shrugging off the matter. “But Twilight, my fear is worse than yours could ever be,” Rarity told her, pursuing the problem. “I’m afraid, of being alone, of darkness, and silence. And in my dreams, darkness is all I see, just darkness, and a feeling of being alone that rips a hole in my chest,” Rarity choked, trying to hold back the tears. Twilight noticed the look of angst on her friends face, and realized what she had said. “Rarity, I’m so sorry, this must be very hard for you.” Twilight soothed, her hoof on Rarity’s back as she tried to calm her weeping friend. Rarity lifted her head from her hooves to look at her friend, tears still sliding down her face. Twilight looked her in the eyes, her face serious as she spoke. “Rarity, I know this is hard, but I need you to think back. You said something about a stallion?” Rarity nodded her head, sniffling as she did. “Y-yes... he said his... his name was...” Rarity trailed off, looking towards the roof as she tried to recall the past night’s events. “His name was...?” Twilight stared at Rarity, waiting intently for an answer. “His name was... Th-the Doctor!” Rarity said, brightening up as she remembered the stallion Twilight’s eyes widened in shock, and she let out a stifled gasp before turning around and running towards one of her bookshelves. “Twilight?” Rarity asked, staring at the other unicorn with a puzzled look on her face. “What are you doing?” “I know it’s here somewhere,” Twilight said, as if she had forgot that Rarity was even in the room. “Hey Twi,” said Spike, pushing through the kitchen doors. “Are you ready for lu-” he began, but then noticed Rarity. “Hello Spike,” Rarity told him, trying to stifle the tears that had been flowing only seconds before. “You look like you’ve grown since the last time I saw you. You are a lot taller now.” Spike’s cheeks turned crimson. He let the compliment sink in, not making a sound. “Yes, well, now that you are here, you can help me figure out what Twilight’s doing,” Rarity told him, looking at Spike. Spike glanced over towards Twilight, who was frantically pulling books off the shelves in a desperate search to find a book. “Ah, Twilight’s had an idea,” Spike said, trying to impress Rarity with his knowledge. “She’s going to keep looking until she finds the book that holds the infor-“ “A-Ha!” shouted Twilight, holding a dusty blue book up in triumph. “This, is the entire history of Equestria.” “Yes, but darling, how is that going to help me,” asked Rarity, glancing towards Spike with a look of concern. Spike shrugged, not sure what Twilight had in mind. “Because, when I was reading through this a few months back,” Twilight said, the book floating just above her head. “There was a chapter based on myths and legends, and one of those ‘legends’ was based on a stallion who called himself the ‘Doctor’” Twilight trotted over towards her book stand, the large blue book levitating just above her head. She let the book drop, and it landed on the stand with a dull thump. Twilight then reached out with her magic, using it to turn the pages faster than Rarity could comprehend. “She’s gonna be here for a while,” Spike said, sighing. ‘You may as well have something to eat. I’ve baked a lovely dandelion quiche.’ “Oh, I couldn’t, Spike,” Rarity said, blushing slightly at Spike’s generosity. I thought I was supposed to be the element of generosity. Looks like Spike’s giving me a run for my money, Rarity thought to herself, barley hiding a grin. “Oh all right, but not too much,’ she warned. “I don’t want to ruin my physique.” Spike grinned and lead the way towards the kitchen, stepping around a heap of books that Twilight had piled up in her search. Rarity stepped around the assortment, and trotted Towards the kitchen door, which Spike was holding open for her. She began to walk forward, but hesitated, her mind clouding with memories of the night before **** “Knock knock,” said Twilight Sparkle, poking her head around the door. “I see you’re serving up lunch now Spike,” Twilight said as she pushed the door open to its full extent, and surveyed the mountains of food before her. She gasped, trying to take all of it in at once, and then said, “Spike, how long have you been making all this?” Spike turned around, surprised by his friends presence. He smiled warmly, gesturing for her to take a seat. “Oh, about two hours.” “Well, It’s a good thing you baked extra, Rainbow and Pinkie are going to be joining us for lunch,” Twilight said, as she indicated towards the doorway. Rainbow Dash poked her head around the corner, followed by Pinkie Pie. “Hey Twilight,” the Pinkie Pie said, bouncing with excitement. "Did you guess that we were coming? Did you? Did you?" Pinkie said in a half-breath. Rarity and Twilight could barely understand her hurried speech as the pink earth pony bounced up and down. “Oh, hey Rarity,” She said, in a much slower speed, noticing the looks the two unicorns were giving her. Rarity smiled at Pinkie, waving her hoof towards the pony. Pinkie bounced into the room, closely followed by Rainbow Dash. “Wow, Spike,” Rainbow said, gaping at the heap of food that sat in front of her. “You’ve cooked enough food to feed my whole family for a week.” Spike blushed, looking towards the floor and muttering, “Aw, guys, it was nothing really.” Pinkie bounced around the table, then turned to Spike and asked Spike a question, an excited look on her face. “Spike, wanna cook the food for my next party?” Pinkie asked, staring intently at Spike, waiting for an answer. “Uh, sure Pinkie,” Spike answered nervously, not sure if this was the answer that Pinkie was hoping for. “Oh Spike, thank you, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!” Pinkie shouted, her face brightening at the thought of a party. Spike sighed, relived that his answer had been accepted. He turned back to the bench, and began to slide even more food onto each plate. Twilight turned away from Pinkie, who was still bouncing up and down excitedly, and looked towards Rarity. “So, now that that’s all over, I found the page I was looking for in this book.” Twilight said, lifting the large blue book from earlier onto the table, flicking quickly through the pages. Suddenly she stopped, and, with precise accuracy, pointed the end of her hoof at the title of the chapter. “The Doctor, Myth or Legend?” Rarity read out loud, glancing at the large wall of text below it with a sigh of dismay. “What does it say Twilight, in short, if you please?” “Well,” Twilight said with a sigh, trying to read ahead to sum it up for her friend in a way that she could understand, “It talks about a brown stallion with an hourglass as a cutie mark. Apparently he travels around in a big blue phone box, which he calls the TARDIS.” Twilight looked at this last word, trying to figure out what it meant. She gave up, and instead told her friends what the rest of the chapter had to offer. “His ‘TARDIS’ can travel through time and space, although I’m not quite sure how. It would require a large amount of magic, although he could have used one of Greybeard’s spells of strength, meaning that he could…” Twilight trailed off, noticing the looks on her friend’s faces. “Oh, never mind,” she said. Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh, then turned to look at Twilight, then giggled through her hoof. Rarity looked at Twilight trying not to laugh at her friend’s embarrassment. Pinkie just bounced as usual. “Well, I guess I should start from the, uh, beginning?” Twilight asked, her cheeks going a deeper shade of red. “No, no,” Rarity told her. “Just go from the part where it talked about ‘Time and space’,” “Okay then,” Twilight said, slightly regaining her dignity. “Uh, let’s see. Oh, here we are. ‘Travel through time and space’ as if it were some kind of mechanical monster.” “Okay, we now know about this ‘Doctor’ character, whoever he is. But what about my dreams, what could they possibly mean?” Rarity asked, the look of fright evident on her face. “That’s just it Rarity,” Twilight explained. “I’ve tried every book on darkness, ending, or even pits, but none of them contain anything about,” Twilight stopped, glancing towards Pinkie and Rainbow before continuing. “Er, problems.” “Problems, what problems?” Pinkie asked, turning to face Rarity. Rarity was about to reply, but was cut short by Spike yelling, “Ladies, lunch is served.” Spike took a sarcastic bow, as if he were a waiter for Princess Celestia herself. “Mmmmmm, this looks scrum-diddly-umptious Spike,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, forgetting about her question to Rarity. “Indeed,” Rarity added, glad that she had a reason to forget about her nightmares, if only for a moment. “Cool,” Rainbow Dash drooled, staring at the food with a starving look on look on her face. Twilight just turned to Spike with a look of appreciation on her face. “Thanks,” she said his way. “Well, don’t just sit there. dig in!” Spike beamed happily. With those words everybody began to eat, and idle chit chat formed between the group of friends. **** Rarity decided to leave for home around an hour later. She could feel the warm sun on her back, and the sharp gravel beneath her hooves. She could see the orange flag that flew proudly upon the tip of her fashion shop, Carousel Boutique. Ah, she thought to herself, curling her hoof in her mane lazily. She continued down the path towards her home and workplace, her keys jingling as they floated next to her. The flowers in her garden were still as radiant as ever, even though she had not watered them in over a month. She slid her key into the purple door’s lock, turning it until a satisfying click was heard. Rarity sighed and stepped over the threshold of the door, and into her cool, insulated house. She walked up the steps that lead to her living quarters, humming Sapphire Shores’ new song to herself as she went. She reclined into her favourite armchair, and reached for one of her fashion magazines. She pushed Canterlot’s Greatest Heroes, one of Sweetie Bell’s favourite comi- Sweetie! thought Rarity, leaping up from her armchair in alarm. Why haven't I seen Sweetie this morning? Where was she? This is just like in my... Rarity gasped, realization dawning. But that means that... no no no. You are just over reacting Rarity, no need to get all worked up over nothing. Rarity let out a deep sigh, composing herself. Where is she? She pondered the question in her mind, thinking. What had she done with Sweetie yesterday? Well, they had visited Fluttershy’s house together, and helped her look after her animals. Afterwards they had gone around to visit Pinkie Pie, to pick up some muffins for their dessert. Then they went over to Applejack’sfor Sweetie’s Cutie Mark Crusader’s sleepover. That’s where she is, she thought, letting a breath of relief escape from her lungs. She looked over at her clock, which read 3:27pm. Well, she didn’t have to go pick up Sweetie for at least two hours. Well, Rarity thought to herself. I’m too worked up to have a rest now. May as well go check my schedule to finish any orders I may have missed. Rarity turned her head towards her pin-up board, which was covered in lists and to-do reminders. Her list for uncompleted jobs was pinned to the small board that sat underneath the others. As she skimmed through the list, a feeling of dismay swept through her. She had nearly ten dresses to complete by the end of the week. Oh well, I guess it’s time to get started. Rarity headed downstairs, her hooves clicking on the edges of the steps as she descended. She stepped off the final step and looked around in shock. She hadn’t left the room like this. Instead of the usual mess that was her creative inspiration, everything was clean and tidy. Rarity was sure that it was different when she entered the house not five minuets earlier. Frantically she moved towards her desk, hoping that nothing had been taken. Everything seemed to be there, although she was running short on red cotton. Oh well, she thought to her self. I should probably go get some more. Rarity walked over to a clothes rack that was piled high with old and rejected costumes, and pushed it out of the way, revealing a small door, just big enough for Rarity to squeeze through. She pushed open the door and ducked her head as to not bump it against the door frame. She moved in and began to head down the stairs, keeping her head low so she would not dirty her mane. The darkness of the hallway surrounded her, causing her breath to become shallow, and her heartbeat began to increase. Her rough breaths came out in quick succession, as she descended further into the darkness. Rarity pushed some magic towards her horn, causing it to light up and illuminate the area around her. The stair case descended downwards for another fifteen steps before flattening out into a small, dark hallway. Rarity descended the last few stairs, and began to step towards the door. Suddenly a low distorted pulse of noise burst through the air, abruptly ending the silence that surrounded Rarity. A blue streak of light shot from the crack in the bottom of door, than faded as quickly as it had come. The sound and light repeated several times until the light stayed as one constant beam, and the noise resonated into nothing. Rarity stifled a gasp as the door began to creak open, and blue light flooded the hall. Rarity squinted, trying to make her eyes adjust to the sudden bloom of light. A shadow passed over her face, allowing her to open her eyes. A silhouette stood tall in doorway, creating a shadow that crept along the hall. “Hello Rarity…” said a voice that was all too familiar to her. **** Chapter 2. Well, If you’ve read up to here, than I thank you for spending your time reading my Fan Fiction. Initial editing by Derpies. Pre-readers/second editors: Holy_Hotdog Clemmensemen MewMaster13 Ponychan reviewers/kinda editors: Ganymede105 Cyber.Kuriboh Now, this is my first try, so a review would be nice, maybe some constructive criticism. Contact details: Taranasaurus0.0@gmail.com for anything you want to talk to me about. More chapters coming soon, I was redirected to Ponychan by the lovely Pre-readers over at EqD, and have put a link to a googledoc containing their email. Thanks -Taranasaurus