//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Doctor Who and the Voice of the Shadow // by spartiecat //------------------------------// Twilight asked The Doctor, as both of them ran, “What are you looking for at the library?” She knew the library and its contents inside and out. If there is anything they needed to know, she could find it quickly. “I need to know more about this world," The Doctor said as he struggled to keep up with the faster unicorn. “There is something I’m missing. Something I don’t quite grasp. Such as why it’s doing this, and how it could just disappear." “It’s probably just magic," said Twilight. “Magic?” The Doctor asked. He was mildly surprised by the notion, but more surprised that he had not thought of it. In hindsight, it seemed fairly obvious that magic would be an integral part of a world populated with unicorns and dragons. “The first thing we need to do then, is find out what it is" The Doctor said, breathing heavily as he tried to keep up with Twilight. “Then we can then deduce where it’s keeping your friends. From what I’ve observed, it appears to have a plan and it looks to be targeting specific individuals. Make no mistake, it’s intelligent and it’s planning something." Twilight felt both relieved and unnerved by The Doctor’s last comment. She was relieved by the thought that her friends were safe somewhere, but knew the clock was ticking to rescue them. She flung the door to the library wide open. Spike hopped off Twilight’s back and ran to the bookshelves, ready to assist anyway he could. The Doctor was close behind. He pulled out the handkerchief from his coat pocket and dabbed his forehead with it. “Alright then!” The Doctor exclaimed, quickly composing himself. He crouched to Twilight’s eye level. “These creatures. Have you seen any others like them? Any sorts of magical beings that are not unicorns?” Twilight thought for a moment. “Most of those creatures live in the Everfree Forest. But it’s really big, and really dangerous. There’s no telling where they could be, and it’s too big and too risky to search." “Hmm” murmured The Doctor. “I suppose you’re right." He pulled out his recorder and began to tap the bottom end on his chin. He stared intently as he considered the problem. “Aha!” he exclaimed. Twilight and Spike were both startled by The Doctor’s yell. “What? What is it” “I know what it is, my dear girl!." He grabbed Twilight’s cheeks and scrunched her face with his hands. “I know that I’m missing something obvious!” Twilight was annoyed at the enthusiasm in his voice, as she pushed The Doctor’s hands away from her face. The Doctor did not notice Twilight’s mood as he wandered away from her. His mind was busy racing, trying to figure out what he needed. “Spike! Why don’t you get me all the books you can about magical creatures in that forest.” said The Doctor as he patted Spike’s head. The Doctor paced back and forth in the library. He knew the reason he did not see what he thought should have been obvious was that he did not understand the planet. Twilight stopped him in mid-stride. “I don’t even know if we will find what that thing is. I’ve never seen anything like it.” “H-here you go” stuttered Spike as he carried a towering stack of books for The Doctor. The door slammed open. Jamie and Zoe rushed into the room, followed closely behind by Applejack. Applejack towed Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy in the cart. Both of them had the same catatonic expression. “Oh no!” exclaimed Twilight, as Jamie slammed the door shut. “Not Fluttershy too!” “Fluttershy’s fine” said Applejack in a curt tone. “She froze up when that shadow thing showed itself and snatched up Mayor Mare." Her voice lowered and sounded more worried. “Whatever that thing is, it’s some quick. We ain’t gonna catch it, if that’s your plan." “And we’re nay gonna follow a creature that can disappear neither” said Jamie as he leaned against the door. He tried to stand up straight, only to smack his head on the ceiling in the alcove. ‘It figures’, he thought to himself as he rubbed his head. ‘The Doctor was probably searching for a planet that everyone was shorter than him’. The Doctor took some books from Spike’s heap, and started handing them out. “Alright. Zoe, Twilight. We should look through these as quick as we can. Jamie, Applejack. You two try to bring Fluttershy back around and devise a way to defend if the creature comes after us.” He immediately sat down on the floor and quickly leafed through a book. The others got to work on their assigned tasks, as The Doctor instructed. “What’s the best way to revive one of these?” Jamie asked Applejack as both of them stared at the stunned Fluttershy, lying hooves-up in the cart. Applejack looked at Fluttershy closely, and stroked her chin as she analysed the situation. She gently poked the stunned pegasus on the nose, and Fluttershy awoke with a squeak. “What happened?” she asked, in a mild daze. “Ye passed out after that creature turned up again," said Jamie. Fluttershy hid her face behind her pink mane and let out a soft whimper when she saw Jamie. “Calm yerself, Fluttershy. Jamie ain’t gonna hurt ya.” Applejack said reassuringly as she pushed the hair away from Fluttershy’s face. Fluttershy shut her eyes. She dearly hoped that if she could not see what frightened her then they could not see her. “Now now, sugarcube” said Applejack in her most comforting tone. “We got work to do, and if we’re gonna be safe, we’re gonna need your help." Fluttershy opened her eye a crack and started to sit up. She was still scared of Jamie, but she was more afraid of the monster that kidnapped her friends. She looked down, intentionally avoiding the looks of Applejack or Jamie. Applejack helped her out of the cart and gestured for Jamie to back away. The best hope to get Fluttershy to be comfortable was for Jamie to seem less imposing. “A…alright” mumbled Fluttershy. She trusted Applejack, but still could not bring herself to look at the human. Applejack looked around at all the windows in the library. “I reckon the first thing we ought to do is secure all these windows.”