//------------------------------// // Chapter Forty-Nine // Story: A Journey Unthought Of // by Hustlin Tom //------------------------------// The Unicorn Corps and Bunsen Burner had been waiting outside of the door for a while. No movement came from the door at all. The silence was tangible; enough that even Bunsen Burner was starting to get impatient and shift from hoof to hoof in place. He adjusted his glasses, “Where are they,” he quietly muttered. “Sir? Should we charge the door?” “Don’t be stupid, you’ll only end up cowering on your knees in pain again. But at the same time, we can’t let them have any more time to plan either. Check for their life signs; I want to know what my enemy’s condition is.” A royal blue unicorn sent out a tiny wave of energy from his horn, which approached and penetrated the wall. A blue ring of energy overtook us and passed through us. “What was that?” Fluttershy whispered. “I think..We’ve been ‘pinged’,” the Doctor slowly replied. “Like sonar?” I asked worriedly. “Yes, exactly like sonar. They’re checking our conditions, and they’ll quickly notice the absence of a certain purple unicorn.” The Doctor’s face twisted in frustration as he closed his eyes, like he was praying one last desperate time. “Come on, Twilight Sparkle! Hurry up!” The Tardis was filled with light as Twilight Sparkle landed in a disheveled mess near the console. Picking herself up and shaking the post-teleportation landing cramps out, she approached the console “Right, no time to waste!” and then she began. “Now then, adjust the Chronal Spectrometer!” She flipped several switches with the tips of her hooves. “Setting target coordinates to Pi-1,2-7, Alpha-97, Gamma.” She twirled a tiny sphere with her magic and stopped it on a specific spot. “Activating spatial drives, aaand..” With a dramatic swing of her front leg, she brought her hoof down on a large glowing button. “Tea is now being prepared with scones in the lounge,” she said with an ecstatic tone of voice. She paused, “Wait a minute, I don’t even like tea!” She thought to herself, with a confused expression rapidly creeping into her face. She just as rapidly dismissed it, “Oh well!”, and threw down the black lever, bringing the wondrous Tardis to life. VroOOOm. VroOOOm. VroOOOm. The unicorns and Bunsen Burner were startled when they heard the noise behind them. The blue box was radiating a slowly strobing light from its top, and it was becoming hazy looking, almost as if it were.. Bunsen Burner recovered the quickest “Move! It’s disappearing!” The unicorns behind him bolted toward the box, some teleporting as they went. But they simply reappeared right outside of the blue box, which was slowly vanishing. “Out. of. my. WAY!” Bunsen Burner spoke through gritted teeth. He dove for the box as he galloped toward it. His hoof touched it, for the most infinitesimal millisecond, before it vanished completely. He whirled around, “They’re getting away! Blast the door down!” The nearest unicorns aimed for the door and cast their destructive spells. The door bent under their force, but did not give way. “Sir, they’ve deadbolted the door!” “Then atomize the door,” Bunsen Burner yelled in fury. The unicorns took aim again, and fired. This time, the door gave way as it melted before the forces of magic acting on it. As the first unicorn peeked through, he just saw the door on the blue box close. He cast spell after spell, each being absorbed by the shielding of the accursed blue box. Then, it vanished altogether. He looked back to his Commanding Officer and shook his head. Bunsen Burner struck his back hooves hard on the tile beneath, as he was momentarily consumed by his fury. No one spoke or interrupted his internal conflict. After a long minute, he recomposed himself, and said simply, “This is a grievous loss..but this is not a defeat.” He turned, and walked away to find another means of getting to his office where he could compose a plan, “There is never defeat; only opportunities lost or gained.”