//------------------------------// // The Sleeper Has Awakened // Story: Cousins // by TheAlmightySage //------------------------------// Cousins Chapter 6 The Sleeper has Awakened "I thought you said Mars was uninhabitable?", Ditzy asked the Doctor as she watched the red planet getting bigger on a video monitor as they approached it. "I said it's uninhabited now, but used to be inhabited, then became uninhabitable", the Doctor replied as he flipped a few switches, "That was around 30,000 years ago though. Now it's inhabitable, but still uninhabited. Just very dry and dusty." "Sooo we can go around without wearing space suits and stuff?", Ditzy asked as she flapped over to the Doctor. "Yes, the air is perfectly breathable. Just very dusty", the Doctor said as he looked over his shoulder at Ditzy, "So dust masks would be a good idea." "Um do we even have any in the TARDIS?", Ditzy asked as she sat and scratched her head. "Should be a few in the wardrobe." "You mean the dresser." "Ditzy, we've been over this", the Doctor said tiredly. "And yet you still use the wrong name", Ditzy tisked as she flew to one of the TARDIS' side rooms. "Dressers have draws and wardrobes have doors", the Doctor grumbled to himself as he dialed in the landing coordinates. --- One argument over furniture later --- The TARDIS rumbled and made it's signature sound as it landed upon the red dusty surface of Mars. The Doctor poked his head out of the TARDIS, glancing around the rocky barren surface inspecting the somewhat bland surface with a massive extinct volcano a couple miles away in the distance. "Looks like we near Olympus Mons", the Doctor stated as he trotted out wearing a tan long jacket, blue goggles, and snout mask. "So we're in the western hemisphere near the Tharsis bulge?", Ditzy inquired as she followed the Doctor wearing a mid length jacket, yellow goggles, and a cloth face wrap. "That would be my guess", the Doctor said as he held out a modified rhodium detector, a small box like gadget with indicator lights and a little radar dish that twitched as he pointed in several directions. "So what direction is Hot Blooded Pinkie in?", Ditzy asked as she glanced around the barren rocky terrain. "Hmm looks like we need head to northwest", the Doctor said as he adjusted a dial on his modified rhondium sensor. "You sure, Doctor?" "Never more sure", the Doctor said as he began trotting in the direction his detector was pointing while Ditzy followed closely. --- two hours of wandering in a circle later --- "Never more sure, huh?", Ditzy asked with a heap of sarcasm as she trotted beside the Doctor. "I don't get it. I was certain I had the frequencies locked in", the Doctor grumbled as he adjusted various settings on his detector with his sonic screwdriver. Ditzy sighed and took a sip from her canteen as she watched the Doctor fiddle with his gadget. Ditzy pondered a few things as she watched the Doctor work. Quietly taking in the scenery, admittedly it was bland, but still it beat staying in the TARDIS and just waiting. As Ditzy inspected a small rock by her hoof she felt a slight rumble through the sand. Ditzy blinked then pulled her hoof out of the sand, waiting a few moments before putting her hoof back into the soft warm sand. She felt the tremor again, but it was a bit more distinct, as if what was causing it was closer this time. "Doctor are there any animals left on Mars?", Ditzy questioned as she lifted her hoof out of the sand. "Just one that I know of: the Shai-Hulud", the Doctor replied as he applied his sonic screwdriver to the detector, "A species of massive sand worms. They're very rare though." "Um how big is massive?", Ditzy asked as she felt the tremors getting stronger through the sand. "Hmm if I'm remembering correctly, on average around 400 meters (1,312 ft) long and 40 meters (131 ft) in diameter", the Doctor prattled off the fact absent mindedly as he continued adjusting the detector's settings, "They tended to cause earthquakes or rather sand quakes when they were near the surface. Used to be worshiped by the Martian ponies ages ago." "Um Doctor", Ditzy nervously called out as she felt another stronger tremor through the sand, "I think we have a problem." "Not really I'm almost done with the adjustments", the Doctor replied cheerily. "Not the detector! That tremor! Do you feel it?", Ditzy asked shaking his shoulder. The Doctor frowned then put a hoof into the sand humming as he closed his eyes in concentration. Ditzy watched the Doctor flicking her wings nervously as she glanced around the sand dunes. "Time to go!", the Doctor shouted as jumped up on his hooves, "Now!" Ditzy nodded and galloped with the Doctor at full speed towards a large rocky outcropping. The tremors were now shaking the sand with steadily growing intensity as they frantically ran. Massive geyser like plumes of sand shooting up into the air behind the pair as the sand shook violently. "Doctor!", Ditzy shouted as she scooped up the Doctor flapping her wings furiously as she darted to the outcropping. The pair landed in tumble of limbs with a hard thud moments before a MASSIVE sand worm burst through the red sand with a deafening roar. Then crashed down onto the sand, shaking everything with it's gargantuan weight, before it started coiling through the sand dunes. "That one's at least 200 meters!", the Doctor shouted excitedly as he watched the behemoth coil about in the sand, creating a small dust storm in it's wake, "Ditzy! Look at this! It's a magnificent specimen!" "I can see just fine from here!", the mailmare declared with her face buried between her hooves trembling at all the noise. "Wait a minute", the Doctor said as he pulled a pair of binoculars from his coat pocket and gazed at the massive worm, "There's somepony riding it!" "What?!", Ditzy shouted as she looked up from under her hooves. "There see! On the top just behind the sand worm's mouth", the Doctor pointed out as he hoofed the binoculars to Ditzy. Ditzy gasped as she saw that the Doctor was right. There on the top of the sand worm's head was a pony wearing a ragged cloak riding it with reins in their hooves, pink mane billowing in the dusty wind. Steering the massive sand worm like a wild bull at a rodeo. "Doctor! That's her!", Ditzy gasped. --- meanwhile --- "WOOOOHOOOO!!!", excitedly screamed the one and only Hot Blooded Pinkie Pie, "This is more fun than a barrel full of nuclear powered monkeys!!" Hot Blooded Pinkie Pie gripped the reins of the sand worm as it bellowed and plowed through a mountainous sand dune as if it was nothing. "Ridding a sand worm the size a skyscraper worth the trouble when Princess Celestia realizes I 'borrowed' her spaceship?", Hot Blooded Pie asked herself with a maniacal grin, "TOTALLY!" The gargantuan sand worm bellowed rearing up and crashing down flattening a mountainous sand dune beneath it's massive weight. Hot Blooded Pinkie Pie cheered, reveling in the glory that was her best idea ever, as she gripped the reins in her hooves. ---- Meanwhile in Equestria --- "Captain Armor?", Princess Celestia said in a serene tone. "Yes, your majesty? How may I help you?", Shining Armor, head captain for the Unicorn Division and maintainer of the Cantetlot Shield, said with with a sharp salute. "I was wondering if you knew where the E.S.S Solar Express is?", Princess Celestia asked she motioned to empty docking station behind her. "Um well your majesty I was going to inform you of it being er absent as soon as I found out where it had been moved to", Captain Armor nervously replied. "Oh, in that case I believe this will help in your search, my devoted Captain", Princess Celestia smiled as she held up a pink sticky note in her telekinetic grip. Shining Armor leaned in and read the note written in glaringly bold black ink. Need to get to Mars. Borrowing your ship. Will bring it back in at least one piece. Thanks. -HBPP "I um who exactly is HBPP?", Captain Armor asked looking up at the Princess, his boss, with a sheepish look. "The only pony in the entire multiverse that is intensely daring enough to take MY ship", Princess Celestia frowned as she looked up into the sky, "HOT BLOODED PINKIE PIE." --- Back on Mars --- "How in Equestria are we supposed to keep up with that?!", Ditzy shouted as she and the Doctor watched Hot Blooded Pinkie Pie ride the monstrous sand worm through the dunes. "Easy there Ditzy", the Doctor said trying to calm his anxious assistant, "While gargantuan in size Shai-Hulud tire fairly easily while on the surface. I'd say we have about ten minutes before the sand worm lays down from exhaustion." "Thank Celestia for that", Ditzy sighed. "Or sooner if Hot Blooded Pinkie Pie recognizes me", the Doctor said as he tapped his chin in thought. "What do you mean by that?", Ditzy asked just a tad suspicious. "Well we've met before and spent some time together once", the Doctor explained with a grin. "Meaning?", Ditzy asked with a slight edge to her voice as she stepped closer to the Doctor. "Well she um wasn't my assistant if um that's what you're asking", the Doctor said as he nervously stepped back from Ditzy, "She just well hitched a ride." "A ride?", Ditzy questioned in an annoyed tone. "Well technically she um stowed away on the TARDIS", the Doctor clarified as he fidgeted nervously. Ditzy just glared. "Wait. Why are you so concerned about who I've spent time with?", the Doctor asked tilting his head curiously. "Humph! Never mind", Ditzy said crossing her arms with a faint blush. "Are you two done yet?", a high octane voice asked. The Doctor slowly turned around slipping his snout mask off his coat billowing in the wind as he faced Hot Blooded Pinkie Pie as she stood atop the exhausted sand worm arms crossed as her tattered cape billowed around her. "Doctor", HB said, her power echoing even in her calm voice. "Pinkamena", the Doctor replied as his aura started to glow a potent Gallifreyan blue. Hot Blooded Pinkie Pie suddenly launched herself off the sand worm a pink aura of hot blooded power billowing around her as she arced through the air screaming a ferocious war cry while pulling power to her right hoof. "Ditzy find cover", the Doctor calmly said as he rose on his hind legs, his own blue Gallifreyan aura pulsing strongly around his body. Ditzy squeaked and dove between two large rocks not daring to question the scene unfolding before her golden eyes. "AAAAAAAAHHHHH", screamed Hot Blooded Pinkie Pie as she flew at the Doctor, her right hoof radiating power as she cocked it back for a haymaker punch. "Tch", the Doctor retorted as his right hoof pulsed with raw deep blue Gallifreyan power as he readied his own mighty right hook punch. Hot Blooded Pinkie's body roared with power as she closed in on the Doctor. Whose own body erupted with Gallifreyan power. These two unstoppable forces of the universe collided into a swirling vortex of raw power then erupted as they collided causing a massive explosion that could be heard in space! And in the aftermath of the most hot blooded collision in Mars' history within a vast crater in the red sand stood these two forces of the universe hooves bumping as they both cried out. "BRO!" "HOOF!" The Doctor and Hot Blooded Pinkie Pie said as they stood in the crater of pure awesomeness. Both grinning like mad ponies. "I swear I'm the only sane pony", Ditzy groaned as she sat half buried in the sand after watching the bizarre overpowered display of respectful friendship. --- Ten minutes of digging, Ditzy yelling, and the Doctor sheepishly apologizing later ---- "Hmm a Cousin Reunion eh?", HB mused as she read over the letter, "And everypony else has already agreed to go?" "Yup", Ditzy chirped as she held out the EPS delivery confirmation paper to be signed. "Well that saves me the trouble of ponynapping Solution Pie", HB grinned as she dashed her signature over the papers. "Yeah she mentioned you and Surprise might do that if she didn't go", Ditzy laughed. "Ditzy not so loud please", the Doctor groaned as he rubbed a Ditzy delivered knot on his head. "You'll be fine", Ditzy rolled her eyes then turned back to HB, "Well that's all my papers that need signatures." "Sweet. Now I just need to get planet side", Hot Blooded Pie said as she tucked the letter away into her poofy mane. "Will you needing a ride?", the Doctor asked only to have his ear cuffed sharply, "Ow! What? I'm being polite.", he groaned rubbing his ear. "Nah I'm good. I got this baby", Hot Blooded Pie replied as she jingled a pair of spaceship keys. "Um aren't those the keys to Princess Celestia's personal spaceship?", the Doctor questioned as Ditzy put her paperwork into her mailbag. "Yeah I'm just borrowing it", HB replies grinning like a Cheshire Cat as leaned closer to the Doctor, "So when did you get a wife?" "What!?" "Keep your voice down Doc", HB hissed at the Doctor as she glanced over to check if Ditzy had overheard them. "It's nothing like that", the Doctor retorted sharply, "Ditzy is just my assistant." "Yeah right", HB said unconvinced, "Just let me know when you need the reception party planned." The Doctor just groaned shaking his head. "What are you two talking about?", Ditzy asked as she trotted over to the pair of earth ponies. "Nothing!", the Doctor blurted hastily as Hot Blooded Pie just face hoofed. "Okay?", Ditzy said confused looking to HB for any kind of clarification. "Well I'm outta here. It was nice meeting you Ditzy, just keep him on a short leash or he'll wander off. I'll see ya later Doctor", Hot Blooded Pie said as she casually waving a farewell hoof as she trotted off into the sunset. "We'll that was odd", Ditzy said looking over at the Doctor. "Very odd", the Doctor agreed with a sigh thinking over HB's comment and what it could entail. "Doctor? Are you blushing?", Ditzy asked with a raised eyebrow. "It's nothing! Let's...let 's just go home", the Doctor said as he quickly trotted off to the TARDIS. Whither thou goest, I will go, Ditzy thought to herself smiling as she followed the Doctor into the TARDIS lazily flapping her wings. End of Chapter 6