Chapter 7: Colonel, Prisoner, and Doctor
Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.
It wasn't until the helicopter carrying the Doctor, Marcus, and Colonel Ash was a few miles away from the outskirts of Lupae that Colonel Ash finally came to. The Doctor was alerted to his awakening by a very long and exhausted groan. "Where...who...what?" mumbled the teenage colonel as Marcus slowed the helicopter down in order to not draw too much attention to them.
"He awakes. And just in time too," said Marcus as he pointed at the setting sun. The sky was quickly becoming glazed in orange and the faint outlines of Ruleo and Auran were making their appearances.
The Doctor turned his attention back to Colonel Ash, who was now sitting up and rubbing his forehead. The Colonel let out a deep sigh before looking straight ahead at the Doctor. "Doctor?" His face hardened as his gaze fell upon Marcus. "M...Marcus?"
"Hello to you too, Ash."
"That's...ugh...Colonel Ash to you."
"To everyone else, maybe. To me, no. Or would you rather that I call you Asphodel?"
Colonel Ash lowered his head and shook it a bit. "I suppose that I should assume that you're the one who saved me."
"That would be correct, Asphodel."
"Ash. Just stick with Ash." A sly grin appeared on Marcus's face.
"I'm guessing that you two have a history," guessed the Doctor as he turned towards Marcus. "You weren't very clear on the 'old friend' subject earlier."
"That's not really a story for the moment, Doctor," Marcus replied.
"Is that...Lupae?" asked Colonel Ash as he leaned forward and stared through the front window of the helicopter.
"That it is, Ash."
Colonel Ash rolled his eyes before turning to the Doctor. "They...they got her, didn't they? They got the spark?"
The Doctor felt a familiar sting of guilt rock through his body. "Yes...and, according to Marcus, this is where they've taken her," the Doctor replied.
"Makes sense. The Tomb of the Twilight King is buried immediately beneath Lupae."
"I've heard." The Doctor turned his attention back to Marcus. "So do you have a plan for getting into the city?"
"Actually, I have two," Marcus replied.
"Two?"
"Yep. Plan A is that this military helicopter will get us into the city without much suspicion."
"And what happens if somebody in the city suspects us?"
"Then that's where plan B kicks in." Marcus quickly glanced back at Colonel Ash. "If plan B kicks in, it'll be time for you to take your rightful place as colonel once again." Colonel Ash gave Marcus a confused look. "Come on, Ash. I know you're only sixteen but you should be able to put the dots together! If we're suspected then you take the pilot's seat and the Doctor and I become your 'prisoners'."
Colonel Ash gave a quick nod to signify that he understood the plan. "Well, Colonel, you're sure quick to go along with this plan," said the Doctor.
"Anything to stop President Targaryen from bringing back the Twilight King, I'm willing to do," said the Colonel. "Besides," He gave a quick glance at Marcus, "I guess I have Marcus to thank for me surviving the surprise attack on my base so it's only fitting that I go along with this."
The Doctor could tell that there was definitely a history between the Colonel and the deserter and that it was thanks to this history that Colonel Ash was so willing to go along with the plan; but he figured that the story behind that could wait until after Twilight and Derpy were removed from the clutches of the corrupt Nymphadorian government.
The city of Lupae was truly a sight to behold with tall buildings that glistened in the evening sun and lots of lush areas of vegetation that made the city appear to be an oasis in the odd Nymphadorian desert of purple sand. However, the Doctor had to admit to himself that he had seen more impressive cities during his time in this alternate universe.
The city was surrounded by a large, marble wall that was just barely around three or four floors tall. Security towers stood at certain points on the wall and emanated a spark of electricity every few seconds. "Better slow things down. Don't want the security towers to detect anything out of the ordinary," Colonel Ash instructed.
"Already on it," replied Marcus as he flipped a few switches. The speed of the helicopter dropped vastly as they drew closer to the border of the city. "Due to this being a military aircraft, we should be able to pass through the security shield with no problems."
"And if we don't?" asked the Doctor with a raised eyebrow.
"Then you better have plan B memorized, Doctor." The helicopter began to vibrate as it suddenly collided with the invisible shield that was being produced by the security towers. The Doctor watched as an electrical light phased over the helicopter. The helicopter slowed down to the speed of falling molasses during its time passing through the security shield. Beads of sweat rolled down Marcus's and Colonel Ash's faces and the Doctor could feel one of his hearts begin to beat irregularly. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the helicopter completely passed through the shield with a light pop. Both the Doctor and the Colonel loudly exhaled with relief while Marcus wiped the sweat from his brow. "Now that's over with."
"Do you have an idea as to where they would have taken Twilight and Derpy?" asked the Doctor as he looked down towards the small ocean of buildings below.
"Of course," replied Marcus as he pointed towards a gargantuan building located towards the center of the city. "That's City Centre: the tallest building on Nymphadora. It's where President Targaryen lives and it's also the only place in Lupae that connects with the tomb." City Centre looked like a giant, golden shard of glass and metal rising into the sky with different types of aircraft circling around it.
"It looks like getting past security will be a bit tougher here," said the Doctor as he pointed at a series of soldiers marching around the aircraft docking bay.
"Ash, it looks like it's your turn to lead," said Marcus as he quickly placed the helicopter in autopilot. Colonel Ash nodded before switching seats with Marcus. Marcus quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of what appeared to be handcuffs with small blue lights. The Doctor watched as the handcuffs applied themselves to Marcus's wrists.
"You certainly came prepared," the Doctor said with a chuckle.
"I made sure to be prepared."
"Oh no," said Colonel Ash as he began to look through his pockets.
"What's wrong?" asked the Doctor.
"My ID! I must have lost it during the attack on the base!" The Colonel gave an annoyed groan that brought out his inner teenager. "It'll be extremely difficult getting in without an official military ID."
"Is that all that's wrong? That's an easy fix!" stated the Doctor with a wave of his hoof. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a blank, white card.
"Wait...is that my ID?!" The Colonel grabbed the card and looked at it. "How did you get it?!"
The Doctor grinned happily at the Colonel. "That's not your ID, Colonel," he said.
"What are you talking about? Of course it is! Look at it!"
"It only looks like your ID because that's what you want to see." Marcus and the Colonel simultaneously gave the Doctor confused looks. "Psychic paper is what you're holding. It shows whatever the reader or I wishes for the reader to see. In reality, it's a blank, white, plain card."
"Really?!" The Colonel took a closer look at the psychic paper. "But it looks so...legit."
"Well that's psychic paper for ya. Anyway, we now have a way in so let's move!"
Colonel Ash nodded as he lowered the helicopter into the docking bay. A series of soldiers watched them sternly as they landed. "Remember, the Doctor and I are prisoners," whispered Marcus as he slipped a blaster into Colonel Ash's grasp. The Colonel nodded as he opened the door to the helicopter and marched out.
"Alright! Out you come! Both of you!" ordered Colonel Ash in the most commanding voice he could uster. Marcus was the first to climb out of the helicopter with the Doctor following close behind.
"ID, please," instructed one of the soldiers. Colonel Ash placed the psychic paper in front of the soldier's face.
"Colonel Asphodel Rogers. I'm here to transport these two prisoners to the Lupae Detention Center."
The soldier scanned the Doctor and Marcus with his eyes. "Why is the pony not handcuffed?"
"He has not committed any crimes but I was ordered to bring him in for questioning due to his unknown reasons for traveling to Nymphadora."
The soldier handed the psychic paper back to Colonel Ash. "Alright. Everything checks out. You and your prisoners may proceed."
"Thank you. Good day, soldier."
The Doctor kept close to Colonel Ash as they walked past the soldiers and through the nearest door. "It's almost twilight," whispered Marcus.
"So they should be heading down to the tomb by this point to prepare for the awakening," Colonel Ash continued.
"Then we better hurry," added the Doctor.
"Yes. But we will have to be careful. Right now, we're in one of the most highly protected buildings on Nymphadora. Getting in and out with the spark will be no easy feat."
"I figured as much."
The three intruders fell silent as they continued their trek towards the Tomb of the Twilight King.
Soon, Derpy. Soon, Twilight, thought the Doctor. I'm going to get the two of you out of this. That's a definite.
Twilight refused to turn her gaze away from President Targaryen. She didn't trust him for a second and despised everything about him. His smug grin, his fancy suit, his corrupt plans. Everything about him just put Twilight's teeth on edge. The orange light of the final hours of day was beginning to shine in through the windows of the room. President Targaryen stood up from the chair he had been sitting in and cleared his throat. "Well, I guess it's time," he said in a suave, political voice. He walked over to Twilight and Derpy and beckoned for them to stand. "Come along then, spark. It's time for you to play your role."
Twilight desperately wanted to use some magic to blast the grin right off his face or at least teleport Derpy to safety. But there was definitely some powerful technology in the area for Twilight could feel it pressing against every magical cell in her body. This only made her wonder how they'd be able to have her produce any sort of spark. But she figured that she was about to find out.
The soldiers led her and Derpy out of the lounging room and over towards an elevator that was located a little ways down the hall. As Twilight entered the elevator, for a split second she thought she could see the Doctor at the far end of the hallway. She figured that this was probably due to her hope that he was alright. Once she, Derpy, the President, and the soldiers were in the elevator, the doors slammed shut and the elevator began to make its way down to the lowest level of the building. The elevator moved smoothly and silently and, all the while, Twilight still refused to look away from the President. That fancy grin on his face only signified that he had a few more terrible surprises up his sleeve.
When the elevator finally reached the bottom floor, the doors rushed open and Twilight and Derpy were hastily pushed out by the soldiers. They were now in what appeared to be a simple basement. Old supplies, cobwebs, rat dens, and various other objects were scattered throughout the dim room. Surprisingly, the basement smelled...sweet, despite its disgusting residents. It was a powerful aroma that smelled of sugar and different types of flowers. It was certainly a feast for the nose that made Twilight's mouth water.
"Lovely, isn't it?" asked the President as he approached the wall opposite to that of the elevator. "That, my little ponies, is the scent of the dawn and the twilight merging together." The President pushed an old stack of crates aside to reveal a lever that looked like it was made out of marble and silver. His smile grew even larger as he pulled the lever down. A piece of the basement wall snapped away with a loud crack that was almost like that of a whip hitting water. The broken piece of the wall slid aside to reveal a hidden set of purple and yellow stairs that led down through a long, dark tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, Twilight could see a bright light. "For Nymphadora, the stairway to Heaven extends downwards, not upwards." President Targaryen then stepped aside to beckon Twilight and Derpy forward. "Ladies, or mares, first."
Twilight heard Derpy gulp as they trudged forward and approached the point where the staircase tunnel met the basement. Twilight was the first to enter tunnel and she quickly took note that the sweet aroma was much stronger in the tunnel. The sound of their hoofsteps bounced off the walls madly and the sugary smell only grew more and more pungent with each step downward. "I feel a bit sick," Derpy whispered to Twilight as they reached the halfway point.
"Don't worry. You're not alone," Twilight whispered back with a gulp. As they made their way downwards, Twilight could feel the forces working against her magic grow weaker and weaker...but a new force had come in to replace them. This new force working against Twilight's magic was much darker and made Twilight feel a powerful sense of dread. Drops of sweat rolled down her face and her horn began to sting in a manner that made Twilight feel like she had just stuck her horn into an electrical socket.
The light at the end of the tunnel was also growing brighter but Twilight's eyes were quickly adjusting to it. By the time she reached the bottom of the staircase, she was no longer blinded by the light. What she saw before her, meanwhile, truly amazed her.
A massive pit spread out before her with humongous torches of fire clinging to the rocky walls. The pit appeared to extend miles and miles down into the depths of the planet. A large metal and marble bridge stretched out towards an island in the center of the pit. The island consisted of what looked like a giant, marble building in the shape of a rectangle with a pair of large doors acting as the entrance. "Proceed," chuckled President Targaryen with a wave of his claw. It was at this moment that Twilight noticed a beautiful orange and yellow ring that was on the President's claw. The reason Twilight hadn't really noticed it until now was because now it was glowing like a campfire. The President noticed that Twilight was staring at his ring and he simply gave his normal, snide grin in response. "Onwards, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight snorted at the suited Nymphadorian before walking forward towards the bridge. As soon as she stepped onto the bridge, an invisible chorus began to sing from somewhere deep within the building in the center of the pit. The chorus appeared to be singing in some strange language but Twilight could tell that it was a sad song. As Twilight continued across the bridge, her entire body began to shake. There was incredibly powerful magic down here and it was pressing against her body with the strength of a raging river. Twilight even found it hard to breathe at certain moments. "I'm feeling really sick now," Twilight whispered to Derpy as they finally made it to the island that held the marble building.
The President stepped in front of the two mares while the soldiers kept their blasters aimed at their backs. He then took out his claw that held the glowing ring and waved it in front of the doors. A terrified screech rang out and the doors slowly opened by themselves. President Targaryen then stepped aside and beckoned Twilight and Derpy into the building. "Come along. King Dusk awaits you," he chuckled. Twilight felt Derpy grab onto one of her hooves. She turned towards her new pegasus friend and smiled. The two mares then walked side-by-side into the Tomb of the Twilight King.