The Sun Rises Part 4
Sunset was still in shock that she was still alive let alone breathing. There was definitely more to this alien than met the eye. Hunted, a fugitive, despite his almost weakly demeanor, he seemed to have enemies. Better for her he knew how to deal with them.
“Not bad Doctor!” the voice said again.
“So...Doctor, how did you now that would work?” Sunset asked, almost afraid to ask. She had a feeling that whatever the Doctor was going to suggest, it was going to either be too complicated, or too disturbing.
The Doctor shrugged. “Easy, I sent us a thousand years into that planets future, if the TARDIS wasn’t done by then it just shows she’s getting up in age. Good girl always needed to look her best and all.”
Okay, so a little bit of both, thought Sunset.
Sunset looked around the place now, still perplexed by how it worked. A box that was bigger in on the inside and that could travel through time and space? All the possibilities all the knowledge, so much of it seemed grander than any school dance in her eyes.
Then she remembered. The Fall Formal. She had to get back to the Fall Formal! Oh no, she couldn’t miss it! But maybe as it was a time machine-
“Don’t worry I’m getting you back home.” The Doctor said, pushing a few buttons. “Then you can win your silly little crown and I get be on my silly little way, I need a fresh pair of clothes after all.”
“Doctor,” the voice cut in, “try to show a small amount of respect for the companion. You’re not ginger. Don’t compile the flaws by being rude as well.” The Doctor decided to not acknowledge the voice much this time; firstly, he didn’t want to confuse Sunset further, and secondly, he was his own person, his own Doctor, and no prior incarnation could tell him otherwise.
“What,” she exclaimed “Oh right!”
“Unless,” he began, recalling how he felt before he regenerated, the empty feeling of being all alone in his travels, “you want to stay?” the Doctor said, almost looking hopeful.
“What ?!?”
“Yes-Stay, I mean, you were fun to have around today, a bit bossy and mean, but fun, I do like having friends along when I’m on adventures, makes life a it more interesting when you have a friend.”
At this Sunset smirked. “I don’t need friends Doctor- believe they just do nothing but tie you down, or worse, make it easy to be horrible - well, most of them, except for the one, special person. Everybody else can die.”
The Doctor made a face as though she publically regurgitated: “Well that seems like a unhealthy attitude to have. The first bit I understand, the second...we’ll work on it.”
Sunset turned her head away, avoiding eye contact with the Doctor: “I’m just pragmatic.” Sunset did have experience with close relationships with other people once. It didn’t end well.
The Doctor looked disappointed. As far as he could tell, this was not pragmatic. This was cynicism. “Oh-Ok, well then, off to the dance you go.”
-000-
The Doctor did as he promised and landed them right in front of Sunset’s loft just a few minutes after they had left. Hardly any time had passed. It was like everything that had happened was that of a blink of an eye. The only thing that was different was the TARDIS making that strange noise, that weird odd screeching sound. Children cried, women and children in panic.
With a snap of his fingers he opened the door. Sunset starting out to make sure it was her home and not some other planet. But nope it was her loft, her single boring loft. Her normal city of Canterlot. Everything was really back to normal.
The Doctor had felt strangely lonely and empty at the very thought of once again, being without companions. “So, end of the road?” the Doctor said, fiddling with his thumbs, almost as if he was sad to see her go.
“Yep, I’m back.” Sunset said stretching looking at him with suspicion. “Did not expect this night to go this way.”
“Who does, crazy spaceship lands in the middle of one’s loft only to then be flung around a bunch of various areas of time and space, I suppose that would cause anyone your age to become a bit fidgety now would they.”
“Yeah….” Sunset said slowly heading back to her loft. “So-See you I-I guess.”
The Doctor waved back. “Yeah, have a nice dance-What high school? Which one?” The Doctor’s eyes widened.
“Ah,” Sunset rubbed the back of her head, “Canterlot High, it’s -”
“I know this place.” The Doctor suddenly looked uncharacteristically serious. Sunset had to wonder what he would have to do with a high school, and why he would know one.
Sunset looked surprised, he looked sad almost. She thought with all the trouble she caused him he would want her to leave. Part of her didn’t want to give him a answer at all
“Canterlot-Canterlot High?” She said to her own surprise.
“Oh really?” The Doctor said thinking. “Well, have fun.”
“Yeah-I will.” Sunset closed the door behind her now.
The Doctor began to watch her leave, but then, a thought crossed his mind, “wait, Sunset Shimmer!” She turned around, the door only slightly open. She caught a glimpse of the dance - already, the students were beginning to congregate. Already, her heart longed to partake - not be close, of course - but to be swept up in the moment with them, to become more popular with them, and maybe to find a nice - and useful - boy for herself. But no friends. Never again. However, she now had but one obstacle, the Doctor, calling her over. What was so unusual was that the Doctor, she realized, was her ticket to freedom, to truly leaving this world, this world where there was no magic, no wide variety of sapient creatures, and now the Doctor could offer her the next best thing to Equestria.
She closed the door, and turned to face the Doctor. As she began to step towards him, he began to open his arms wide. Sunset realized what he meant: “Oh no, I’m not a hugging person!”
“I’m afraid you don’t have much choice on the matter!” the Doctor said, darting forward and wrapping her in a tight embrace. Sunset Shimmer felt weird, it was different, it was...nice.
She then gently pushed away, “okay, I’m going to the dance now.” The Doctor nodded in acknowledgement, and she dashed forward to the gym.
Finally she was home, her loft just as she left it, granted she had only been gone for a few hours her time, yet still it was such a bizarre experience. Looking at the clock she found out that it was almost time to get ready for the Fall Formal. Yet something inside her felt different, her mind was not at focused as it once was. Her goal of becoming the fall formal princess right now felt very-less important that it had been just a few hours ago.
Space and Time
She had been through space and time, there was more to the world than just this planet. Aliens, technology, organizations peoples possibilities. Suddenly a princess crown seemed a bit petty. Yet now this was the life she chose, she still needed to insure her place in it. Thus she prepared for the last few hours of her night before the dance was to begin, hair, dress and all. Yet still flashes of the adventure played in her head over and over again.
“Ugh-get out my head-stupid man.” She muttered as she checked herself in the mirror and snickered. “Like a Queen..Though I still wish it had a cape.”
Outside she saw a car pull up and began to head off. Flash Sentry had promised to give her a ride to the fall formal. It was the way couples were supposed to handle themselves after all. The boy driving the girl, or so what she knew. Flash was nice to be sure though not really her type, not that she wanted a type. He was waiting outside her front door.
Sunset grumbled wishing she could just walk, but she supposed a whole ride wish her ‘boyfriend’ seemed like a small price to pay for the prestige that would soon be hers.
“Hey.” He muttered as she walked down wanting to be a gentleman and take her hand, only to be slapped away. “Ouch.”
“Don’t touch.” She grumbled.
Flash sighed. “Sorry-can I at least get the…
Sunset got in herself without even bothering to wait. Flash was always so -it was hard to explain-it was like he tried to be someone yet always just coming off as fake or disingenuous. This rockin bad boy, who in reality was as soft and wouldn’t be caught jaywalking let alone commit a crime.
During the car ride Flash tried to be a flirt and make small talk, but was always shot down by her. “So uh...How was your evening.”
“It was-it was-” Sunset said looking out at the window. “Whatever-doesn’t matter anyway.”
“Nervous?” Flash asked. “Don’t be because I think-”
“If you call me a Princess, I will slap you.” Sunset grumbled.
“Sorry.”
Sunset hated Flash when he was like, he didn’t have any wit to him, none at all. The only reason she kept him around was because everyone else seemed to like him, why? She didn’t know-nor did she care, if it helped her status so be it. Plus she could tell he was smitten with her, even if they weren’t technically a item yet. Most people only thought they were because she kept him around alot and he was consider popular for bizarre reasons.
The Doctor heard the voice sigh in his head: “Humans have such low standards.” The Doctor mused how unusual this was from his previous incarnation, who generally focused the most on the positive potential on the human race.
They arrived to the school auditorium were all the students were there gathered around, talking, not even knowing that Sunset had almost died and been chased around space time by a insane alien with a big chin and accent. Snips and Snails waiting for her outside giving her a firm salute.
“Sunset-We got the vote box ready to go.” Snips said
“Yeah-yeah whatever.” Sunset muttered as she continued to ponder what had transpired to her until she bumped into someone. “Watch it!” She yelled.
“Oh sorry.” It was Fluttershy, one of the meekest student in the school. “I-I didn’t see you there.”
“Well look up when walking.” Sunset grumbled.
“Hey she said you were sorry.”
“Rainbow Dash.” Sunset grunted as she saw the Rainbow haired girl approach.
“Don’t have to be a jerk princess.”
“Well i’ll be one soon enough, I heard I might actually win.” Sunset snickered.
Sunset walked off and entered the dance hall, which was just the school gym. Immediately she stood in the corner in the dark, looking over everyone from the shadows, as she had been most of her life. Yet still she couldn’t get out of her head everything that had happened. How could one after going through space time, being chased by mercenaries, monsteros, whatever was attacking Earth in the 22nd century.
Looking at her fellow students living there tiny lives and not knowing what laid beyond. It made them all feel small by comparison.
Suddenly Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna arrived and Sunset mind then dwelled to the announcements of the results. The two sister teachers cleared there voices as they prepared the students for the announcement.
“And the winner of the Fall Formal Princess election is-” Celestia pulled out the card. “Sunset Shimmer.”
Sunset grinned as she walked up the stage to put on her princess crown. Finally, her social status of this school was complete, the students politely applauded. Personally she wanted them to bow-as far as she was concerned she was this school's monarch and should be treated as such.
However in the crowd she saw a familiar looking big chinned man standing in the back, giving a wave. Once her euphoria was done she approached him, bypassing pretty much everyone.
“No way”.
It was the Doctor, with new clothes, brown jacket with silly red bowtie, he looked like one of the chess club nerds Sunset made fun of. Quickly she ran up toward him pushing forward the other students without delay.
“So hello, your highness,” he snickered as he walked towards her the other students didn’t see he noticed he walked in..
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Hey, I won, fair and square.” And she did, as far as she knew - well, she got Snips and Snails to beg for votes for her, but no actual voter fraud was committed.
“Who votes for princesses? Well unless you live on Naboo, they elect queens. It’s an electoral monarchy, similar to Reformation period Venice, and early modern Holland.”
“Why are you here?” Sunset asked with an obviously irritated tone.
“Because now that this silly little dance is over I wanted to know if you wanted to join me on a real adventure throughout time and space and not just a crash course.”
Sunset was about to speak before Flash Sentry walked over looking excited his mood dulling as he saw the Doctor and looking confused.
“Uh Sunset-who is this?”
Sunset panicked! “Him?” Sunset’s mind went blank, looking for a excuse. “He’s uh- he’s uh...” How was she supposed to explain this weirdo to the rest of them?
“Her private tutor.” The Doctor said holding out hand giving Flash a firm shake. “Smith, Doctor John Smith. Sunset family hired me for more advance studies, I just thought I’d visit her, not every day you become Princess of the Fall Formal.”
Vice Principal Luna overheard their conversation, and her expression brightened. “John...Smith?” An expression of nostalgic warmth crossed her face, while Celestia gave the Doctor a long, hard, and strangely blank stare, “I knew somebody who was also called that,” Luna began, “long ago-”
Her sentence was cut off by Flash’s loud and awkward efforts to help her. “Oh-If you needed help Sunset I-”
“No you couldn’t.” Sunset said, her face as though he shattered a Ming Dynasty vase and then regurgitated over the remains.
“Oh….” Flash just stood there awkwardly. “So um...Sunset con-”
“Can you get me some punch.” Sunset said, signaling that she wanted him to leave her
Flash fidgeted and nodded. “Yeah of course.”
He walked off The Doctor looked a bit puzzled . “Romance is in the air, I see.”
Sunset looked shocked. “Why are you-”
“Because you got a taste of something, a taste of something you yearn for I saw it in your eyes as I did in the eyes of many. My granddaughter, Sarah Jane, Donna, Derpy, all of them looking for someone more and they found it while traveling with me. Sometimes it is me, sometimes it something grander. You want that grandness I can tell.” The more and more he looked at her, the more and more she reminded him of a boy he met long ago on Alzarius.
Sunset looked slightly dismayed, “so I won’t be the first?” Of course, it made sense, the Doctor was centuries old, but part of her would have liked to be that much more special.
The Doctor shook his head. “Nor the last-but that doesn’t matter, what matters is now.”
Sunset paused to think about it, yes she did want grandness, of a scope beyond her wildest dreams. This crown waw what she thought that would be in highschool, but all of space and time at her fingertips, well that was more than any school could give her. Still she was building something here, and she wanted to keep that going as well. Looking up at the Doctor, she was conflicted. There was everything and nothing for her here on Earth.
“Well I uh-”
The Doctor seemed to immediately sense her inner conflict: “Remember Time Machine, I can get you back here in less than a minute.”
Sunset looked back at Flash, who was waiting for her with some punch. Flash hoped that by taking care of everything for her, she would like him more. That was how it worked, right? “Ok, let's go.”
“Well you are the school princess.” He smirked holding out his arm. “Come on your majesty, shall we-”
“Princess now...Maybe one day Queen later.” Sunset said, shocked she brought up that title she thought she brushed some of those habits.
The Doctor found this talk somewhat annoying: “Titles are boring,” the Doctor chuckled. “They don’t mean anything at the end of the day.”
Sunset folded her arms to complete her skeptical expression: “Then why do you go by one, ‘Doctor’?” Who was he, to be so high and mighty when he refused to use his real name. WAIT. “Doctor...what is your name? Why don’t you use it?”
The Doctor was at a loss of words, “well, I, uh…”
She didn’t understand. She couldn’t yet. Perhaps seeing the wider world could teach her a few things she could apply at home. Not that the Earth and its human civilization was ever really much of a home to her, as he was beginning to sense. He wasn’t sure where she came from, if she ran away from home, if her parents were alcoholic, or if maybe she was an alien far away from another planet...no, not likely, but quite plausible. No what he saw just a typical teenager with a lot of potential, he just had to kick out the stereotype Queen Bee parts out of her. Yes- that was it. Shouldn’t be too hard. She was socially inept, that much was obvious and for lack of a better term-bratty-yet the Doctor had met worse, worse who was a lot like Sunset, and perhaps with the right guidance she could be something far greater and kinder than she was now. Life was growth after all.
The Doctor eyes widened as he held up his arm. “Alright Sunset Shimmer, all of time and space anywhere that ever happened and ever will…..Where do you want to start?”
“Away from here!” Sunset said huffing off into the ship.
“Sure you didn’t want to say goodbye or dance with your friends? I mean it seemed like a fun party-pageant cliche aside,” The Doctor said, seeming a bit sad. His heart was heavy with seeing what Sunset was, somebody who chose not to relate to others primarily because it was easier. “I mean I know I did my whole companion spiel but I don’t want to just have you up end your domestics like that.”
“Doesn’t bother me.” Sunset Shimmer was tired, she had been running around for far too long plus the idea of being with her friends annoyed her, she didn't have any.
The Doctor seemed taken aback Sunset Shimmer was quite a odd girl in his eyes. Most teenagers loved being socials, Twitter, Facebook and all that. Or more sensibly, going to parties, seeing their friends regularly, that thing. This one though, there was always a dark undertone in her voice. A dullness in the eyes, one he hoped to cure with fun and adventure.
“You look sad?” The Doctor asked frowning. “I mean traveling across time and space can be a bit scary but now that the TARDIS is fixed I promise only the cool areas, like a world of freezes and bow ties.”
“I’m fine really- Do you have a nightgown or something I can use to sleep?” She asked, not wanting to sleep in her black leather jacket.
“Yes.” The Doctor nodded. “We have a private dresser at the end-old girl entered the information to the telepathic sensors, if you wish, to fit the person perfectly. The TARDIS can make anything for you, we collect matter from stars and a kind of algae we grow in the water-tanks. The TARDIS can shape it into anything.”
“Anything-” Sunset bit her lip feeling a tinge of excitement. This world was so utterly devoid of magic and wonder, not as varied and manipulable as Equestria. Nothing but layer after layer of boring limits. Now she had a little realm to herself to something that might as well have been magic!
The Doctor nodded and grinned. “It can even change the shape of your clothes, or weave you new ones, by seeing what you would like inside your mind, through its telepathic sensors!”
“Telepathic sensors?” Sunset asked getting a bit nervous of something looking into her brain. “It’s not gonna reveal my secrets is it.”
“Yes...and no to the secret thing. See, much like the fingerprint or the veins in a human eye, each telepathic signal we make is unique to ourselves, it’s how Time Lords recognize - recognized, each other, even after regeneration.”
Sunset nodded and followed the Doctor down the hall until they arrived. “The TARDIS will lead you to your room on the way out, i need to make sure the old girl doesn’t get us in the middle of a war or something.”
“War?” Sunset said laughing nervously. “Is there a war happening?” Her mind raced again; of course, more advanced civilizations than the Earth almost certainly engaged in war, all the time, and humanity likely hardly saw any of it. Perhaps the boring state of Planet Earth was a state of safety, and now the Doctor was about to take her out of that safety.
“Not now, but...yeah that’s happened a few times...Have fun, you're room is to you're left.... Don’t let the old girl play with you too much- she gets a little off sometimes with companions….Oh and be careful with the monkey room.”
Sunset Shimmer cocked one of her prominent eyebrows upwards: “Monkey room?” She wasn’t sure if this ‘Doctor’ really took his status as a traveller seriously.
“For the monkeys of course, who hasn’t seen a ship without monkeys?” he smiled. Careful though; one of them has a very unhealthy fascination with Elliot Rodger.”
Sunset Shimmer was so astounded at the TARDIS that she didn’t even know where to begin. She walked along the metallic halls, something about the place felt-almost alive, as if the halls were shifting around her or something was happening in her mind.
“It’s like being inside a candy sugar-hyped child’s playhouse.” Sunset muttered as she looked around the hall.
The Doctor did say for her not to get ‘played’ by the TARDIS whatever that meant, machine couldn’t be alive right at the end of the day they were machines, they could be turned off. Her question was soon answered however as a door opened.
Sunset went down the hall as the Doctor began to work on the controls. She could only wonder what sort of bunk bed like scenario she would be forced to endure..Hopefully nothing to curt and basic.
As she entered she saw the design and marveled. It was lit by candles, giving it a strangely romantic look. Each nook and cranny had a slightly different sub-theme, mahogany taking most of the center, not unlike TARDIS console interfaces the Doctor used previously, but sub-corners of the same room took on slightly more gothic looks, with stony walls, especially around her bathroom. Keeping her bathroom from being totally gothic was the use of Asian lotus flowers in her bathtub, surrounded by thick red candles. Her bed was a massive squishy Queen-sized bed.
“Amazing.” Sunset said “It really did read my mind.” I only hope it ignores some of my more...private thoughts, she added to herself.
At the center of the wooden chamber was a seat of gold - actually, it was the remote controlling the functions of her room; able to control the floors, set air conditioning, control water levels, slide the panels of her walls to show mirrors, among other things she was probably seldom ever going to need. However, to her eyes, it looked like a throne one that she deserved, and one she would take.
“Wonder if this place has a computer.” Sunset thought to herself, as if by magic or more tech one appeared. Yes!”
“Actually it does,” an echoing voice broke in, “and unlike most computers, it is imbued with multiple artificial intelligences to personalize your search decisions.”
Sunset looked up as a face appeared in her mirror. “D-Dima!”
He was a tall young adult, of a slender build, with rust-colored hair and skin, and his wry expression was eerily reminiscent of the Doctor’s. “Nope, I’m a projection of him-but this place does have a computer, imbued with a collective of artificial intelligences.” Sunset Shimmer recalled him as one of the first people on this world who ever seemed to give her a thought, a young policeman-in-training who had helped her find her landlords and her place to live, allowing her to establish herself. In short, he was the first person on this world that didn’t seem to want anything from her.
Sunset blinked “So you are not entirely Dima, but you are what I would like him to be, in a mirror?”
He smiled to one side of his mouth. “Yep. That’s more like it.”
Sunset smirked. “So as my mirror, do you have to do what I say?” She began to wonder just how many limits this mirror had.
The image casually shrugged.“More or less? Mind you, the Doctor can establish parental controls if he ever saw it fit, but I doubt he will.”
“How much can it tell me?” Sunset sasked. She already had many ideas, pondering the aliens that the TARDIS must have known about, among other…spicier things. She hoped that the Doctor didn’t have the means to inspect her browser history.
The Doctor smiled and shrugged. “Anything you’d like to know. It has access to the TARDIS data core, which has information about everyting the TARDIS has ever experienced.”
Her grin widened as she thought of everything she was going to leave behind and what she could achieve. Time and space, that was more than her former mentor had given to her, and even more than the few people on earth she had met had offered. The world felt limitless now and the knowledge should obtain felt limitless-such excitement what power what thrill-it was to much.
She remembered a mirror that Celestia showed her, a mirrior that changed her lfe. However this made that mirror that Celestia had kept from her look like child's play. “Maybe if I just ask it too….”
Suddenly a crinkle if sound and she was interrupted when she heard the Doctor’s voice from across multiple rooms down the hall. She anger rose as again she was stopped from her plan “Sunset Shimmer! Anything you need?”
“NO!” Sunset sneered. I’m trying to discover my destiny here, she thought. For a long time, she thought anything she needed could be found in Equestria City, but now she saw what true potential was, and it was all right here in this TARDIS.
The Doctor forced a smile: “You sure?” he turned a monitor towards her direction, and as he pointed at it, he said “I’m about to put in coordinates, anyplace in particular you wanna go?”
“Just to get away from here”, she softly breathed to herself. “To go to fantastic new places away from it all. Places I’ve never seen or been to before. A place to make dreams come true.” She was unable to be happy where she was. Nothing, as far as she was concerned, could make her happier than traversing the worlds with the Doctor. “You know what? Take me to this planet’s past.”
The TARDIS played her voice loudly enough for him to hear. He’d have to turn that function off for her privacy, but it was nice to know he finally had a companion who was willing to see more than the future of the human race. It was slightly concerning, perhaps it indicated too large of a disconnect from them.
Not realizing that the Doctor heard her, Sunset shouted out, “I just want to go someplace, any place! Do you?
“Uh, yeah sure,” the Doctor replied. She had unwittingly turned on the screen allowing him to watch her; he almost turned it off, but he stopped his hand, taking a minute to watch her. She is going to be a piece of work, he thought.