//------------------------------// // Sleepless Night // Story: Hourglasses // by Spiritus Arcane //------------------------------// Chapter 1 Sleepless Night The chiming of the clock was what woke her. Blinking slowly to consciousness, the pony, known to her classmates as Colgate, sat up in her bed and turned to look at the large grandfather clock that dominated a good chunk of her dorm room. She had a feeling something was off even before her eyes managed to focus on the clock's face, and then she knew. Though it was letting out a steady stream of bongs like it was striking midnight, the time shown was 2:26. Now wide awake, the blue unicorn filly sprang out of bed and rushed over to the room's desk, pulling the main drawer open with a flash of her horn and began rustling through the assorted odds and ends that had been building up in it over the course of her studies. Oh, where is the blasted thing!? She growled in mental frustration. Honestly, she was so unorganized this time around…or maybe she had just become complacent. After all, it’d been a long while since she’d gotten a call like this… With a quiet ‘Ha!’ of triumph, she finally pulled the object of her search from the clutter: a silver, spade shaped, pendant on a fine chain. Rushing over to the still chiming clock she slid the keyhole cover on the clock’s face aside, revealing a slot that fit the pendant perfectly. With a click, she turned it like the key it actually was, causing the door to the clock’s case to swing open, as the clock itself went quiet. Taking a quick glance at the door of her room to make sure no one was about to come knocking, or worse, bursting in to complain about the noise, she pulled the clock’s door the rest of the way open, and, impossibly, for the space should have been far too small for even a young pony filly, stepped inside. Of course, the clock wasn’t exactly a real clock, any more than she was exactly a pony. Well, maybe...not exactly 100% on that… Colgate mused to herself. But she filed that thought away for another time. She stepped through the clock from her dorm room into a room that was about as opposite of it as it could get. For starters, it was over double the size of the former. Another stray musing told her that she wouldn’t have to squeeze around during study sessions if she just moved back in here, but she quickly squashed that one. Unlike some of the others, one of which was no doubt the reason for tonight’s interruption of her rest, she was determined to live as close to a normal Equestrian lifestyle as she could. Aside from its size, the room was hexagonally shaped, its walls and floor made mostly of a dark silvery metal, its ceiling, except for a circular area in the center, was a circle of metal mesh panels. Every other wall was dominated by a pattern of large blue roundels, with rods at the seams giving off a low light, illuminating the room. The wall behind her contained a large set of double doors, far larger than the clock case she had entered through. The back right wall was bare save for a, currently dark, monitor set into the center. The remaining wall was centered by a single door decorated with a couple more of the blue roundels on it. Finally, in the center, was a six part set of control consoles, each part of the console facing outward towards one of the walls. Colgate trotted up to the one facing her and tapped a hoof on one of the larger buttons. With a whir, the entrance way doors swung closed, and she knew that outside the clock door had done the same. No sense in risking awkward situations on the off chance someone did choose to violate her privacy. Pressing another control to bring the lights up to normal, she moved over to the panel in front of the monitor screen, and finally got around to dealing with the reason she’d gotten up: someone was calling. A few quick switch flicks, a rather impressive feat for someone with hooves if she said so herself, and Colgate turned to face the screen as it flickered to life. On it appeared the image of a green coated, orange stripe maned, older earth pony mare standing in a room similar, but subtly different, to the one she was in. On each of her flanks, just as they were on her own, were matching hourglass cutie marks. Colgate gave a weary sigh, recognizing the other pony at once. “Rani…I’m not sure if you’re aware that there’s almost no time difference between Canterlot and Manhatten, so there’d better be a good reason for getting me up at this hour…” The other pony gave her a smug little smile before answering. “My dear R-“ “Colgate,” she interrupted testily. Rani’s smile didn’t fade in the slightest. “Of course, Colgate,” she said with an underlying tone of mocking humor. “My dear Colgate, is it so hard to believe that I can’t just want to chat for old time’s sake?” “Given that it’s you…yes,” Colgate responded deadpan. “You wound me, but true enough. You see, I’d just gotten back from one of the Orange’s delightful dinner parties and decided to do a round of TTC maintenance…” “Mmmhmm…” Colgate murmured in a tone that urged Rani to get to the point. At the same time she noted that she was behind on her own maintenance schedule. Rani sighed in annoyance, “In any case, while I was busy with that, my scanners picked something up. It seems we have another new arrival.” Colgate perked up at this. “Really? After all this time I would have thought that…” …That there’d be no one left… “…that anyone who was coming would have already come by now.” “Yes, well…apparently not. In any case, they came through somewhere outside Canterlot, so naturally I did my duty and contacted you.” “Naturally…” Colgate sighed. She’d hoped to be able to relax for once this weekend. She turned away from Rani, and moved over to another part on the console, bringing up the data for arch reprogramming she’d need. “Since you were so kind to monitor their entrance, I don’t suppose you’d be more specific as to their landing coordinates?” Rani glanced at something outside Colgate’s viewpoint. “Hrrm, small village in the valley, Ponyville I think it’s called. A farm on the outskirts, I’m sending the exact location now. …Funny coincidence, the Orange’s niece was talking tonight about how she came from a farm…” “Yes, well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to pack for the weekend,” Colgate interrupted again, wanting to end the conversation now that she had the details. “Of course, but there was one more thing… Their entrance was rather messy. I wouldn’t be surprised if her royal nagness herself felt it…” Colgate gave a small groan as she telekinetically pulled out a small data module. “Yes well, Princess Celestia,” she stressed the alicorn’s name and title to her colleague, “will still expect us to handle our own.” “Oh I know, but my point is, the power behind the dimensional displacement was powerful enough that I was able to get a good read on the TTC’s signature…” Colgate froze. Something in the way Rani had said that made her just KNOW that this seemingly insignificant detail about the new arrival was going to in fact be VERY significant. “…And?” “And…it was a Type 40.” The data module clattered to the floor as Colgate’s jaw metaphorically joined it. Rani nodded from the other side of the screen. “Yes, I thought that would get your attention…” she said aloud, then muttered to herself, “…it certainly got mine.” Colgate didn’t answer. Her already light blue coat had gone a shade or two paler. Forget the weekend…I need to get to Ponyville NOW! The boom from the direction of the orchards was what woke him. Or rather, it would have, but Macintosh hadn’t been sleeping much lately. Not since Applejack had gone off to Manehatten. …Not since Ma and Pa had… He squeezed his eyes shut and forced the memories away. Something was happening out in his family’s livelihood. He couldn’t mope about the past right now. Rolling out of bed and onto his hooves, Mac headed over to his room’s window, lifting it open so he could look out. He saw it after a moment: a small pillar of…smoke, steam? A cloud of…something, rising from the orchards out by the edge of the fields. Whatever it was, what he didn’t see was any sign of a glow from a fire, but better to check it and be sure. The last thing he needed was the farm burning down on his watch on top of everything else. Not to mention what Granny would do to him if he let it… Speaking of, by the sounds, or lack thereof, from inside, it seemed both she and little Apple Bloom had managed to sleep through the racket. Not that either of them would be able to help much in any case. No…he was the stallion of the family now, up to him to deal with whatever this was. Slipping on his collar out of habit, Mac headed out of his room and quietly trotted downstairs and outside before jogging out to investigate. The moon was full tonight, displaying the dark patches of the so-called Mare in the Moon clearly, as well as giving him enough light to easily find his way out to the site of the disturbance. Whatever he’d expected to find, what he found was probably anything but. Sitting in the middle of a small crater amongst, ironically, several of the Macintosh trees, was…a large blue box. The young colt blinked at the improbability of this. The box was two, maybe two and a half or more average ponies high, and maybe one long. It appeared to be made of wood, with each side consisting of panels that were topped with a small pair of windows, above which were words that read POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX. On top, what looked like a small lantern flickered weakly every other moment or two. The square bottom was partially jammed into the ground at one corner, causing the whole thing to be tilted slightly. Mac stood and stared for a moment before he managed to gather his nerve. Cautiously walking closer, he also began slowly circling it, looking it over from all sides. As he did, he noticed one side was different from the others. A little over half way up were a pair of metal handles, the one on the right topped by what looked like a keyhole. Doors, maybe? Also, the left side panel right below the window seemed to have another sign posted on it. Gathering his courage, Mac approached close enough to read it. POLICE TELEPHONE FREE FOR USE OF PUBLIC ADVICE & ASSISTANCE OBTAINABLE IMMEDIATELY OFFICERS & CARS RESPOND TO ALL CALLS PULL TO OPEN As he stood contemplating what this could mean, as well as wondering what a telephone or a car was, the door on his right suddenly swung inward, letting out a small cloud of smoke even as the colt jumped back in alarm. There was the sound of someone coughing, before something staggered out, leaning heavily against the door frame. It was taller than anypony Mac had ever seen, maybe even as big as the Princess, though he’d never seen her in person to be able to compare. It stood on its hind legs, which were far longer than its front pair…which ended in things that resembled pictures he’d seen of gryphon or dragon claws. Completely hairless except for a short, unkempt mane on top of its rather round head, it was also dressed in a tweed suit, complete with pants and a dark blue bow tie. It raised a foreleg and waved away the smoke from its face with its claw before finally noticing Mac, who by now had gone completely wide eyed and stiff. “Oh…ponies,” it spoke, much to the colt’s surprise. “…Weirdly colored ponies with…butt tattoos… But that’s ok! Ponies…ponies are cool…” Unsure of how to respond to that, if he even should, Mac’s jaw worked soundlessly for a second before he managed to get out, “Er…Eeyup?” The creature's eyes widened in surprise. “Talking ponies!? That’s…new…and completely brilliant…” it muttered…and then collapsed to the ground in front of Macintosh’s hooves…conveniently pulling the door shut behind itself. Mac just stared down at it for the time being, a small part of himself at the back of his mind having a feeling that he was going to wish he could go back to his biggest troubles being his sister going away… *Appropriate theme music here* The Doctor Big Macintosh Ditzy Doo Colagte Flower Shine DOCTOR WHO(OVES) Hourglasses a MLP Fanfic by Spiritus Arcane MLP: FiM copyright Hasbro/Lauren Faust Doctor Who copyright BBC Colgate console room design and pic from Hands of Omega, inspired by proposed design by Gene Fender