//------------------------------// // Book 3 - Chapter LIV // Story: The Sunset Trilogy // by ocalhoun //------------------------------// Book 3: Equestria Abides Chapter 20 “You're sure you don't want to just teleport down?” Twilight asked yet again. “We could get there much faster that way.” “Quite sure.” The Doctor said, still trotting down the stairs. “But–” Sunny wasn't enjoying the long hike down the stairs either, but her objections were interrupted. “You saw Derpy's eyes back there, right?” he asked. “Well, yeah, but what's that have to do with anything?” Twilight still wished she could teleport down... if only this strange pony would just listen to reason... maybe he didn't realize just how many flights of stairs there were? They had only gone down twelve stories so far. “Everything,” he responded. “Her condition was caused by a teleportation accident.” “Really?” Twilight asked, a little shocked now... she had thought teleportation to be completely safe, at least for passengers. “I've never heard of anything like that happening...” “All the same, no teleportation, thank you.” He came to a sudden stop, almost causing Twilight to run into him; she could barely stop in time on the staircase. “Ah, and here I think we have your problem.” “What?” Twilight said, peering around the brown earth pony and the pegasus beside him, “No, it was in my room and...” She caught sight of it now though; it was just below then on the stairs, coming up... and holding somepony in a magical grip. “It's got Apollo!” She shouted. “Oh, well now!” The Doctor said, looking enthusiastic rather than frightened like the rest of the ponies. “Wow... I haven't seen one of you in ages... what a beauty. Just look at the shine on her, and at her age!” Apollo just wiggled around ineffectively and shouted, “Help please!” “Sister! I want my sister!” The not-alicorn in front of them said, a black aura beginning to grow deeper around her horn. “Give me my sister!” Looking at that black-glowing horn, The Doctor turned a little and whispered, “I think now might be a very good time to... run!” The other three ponies needed no further encouragement, and took off back upwards along the stairs, Derpy taking a quick lead thanks to her wings. She didn't hold her lead long though. The black aura crept up her tail and hind legs, slowing her down, “Doctor!” She shouted, “Problem!” Twilight cast a quick barrier bubble, and the aura around Derpy quickly faded away, but just as quickly, the bubble broke with a shattering sound... whatever that thing was, it was powerful. “Quick, this way!” The Doctor shouted, holding open a side door. All four ponies slipped through hurriedly, barely making it through before the false Luna caught up with them. Derpy Hooves shoved the door closed, pressing against it, and was quickly joined by Twilight using her magic to hold it fast. The Doctor, though, quickly whipped out a shiny little cylindrical device, holding it up to the latch. It lit up and made a strange little sound before he just as quickly put it away again. “There, that should hold her for a while... now, I could really use a shower.” “A what?” Twilight asked, incredulously. “You know, water comes from a pipe up above and you stand under it and wash up. A shower.” A heavy thud resonated from the door as something beat against it, causing everypony except the Doctor to wince and glance at the door. “Augh... Okay, never mind,” Twilight shook her head in frustration, “The better question is what IS that thing?” “Ah, that beauty,” The Doctor replied, “is a Trimierdian consolation statue.” All three ponies, even Derpy, just sat and stared at him blankly. He smiled, “In a certain culture, namely the Trimierdian culture, it was customary that when a friend lost someone dear to them, you would give them a gift of a statue of their lost loved one, as realistic as possible, and perhaps embellished a little. Over time, they got to be very good at it, as you can see. “Creepy... but that's not a statue!” Twilight protested, “It chased us up the stairs for pony's sake!” “As I said,” The Doctor continued, a little condescendingly, “They got very good at it.” He put on a musing look. “I knew Celestia had made some off-world friends, but I never knew she was friends with a Trimierdian... Hm... they must have given her this when she banished Luna to the moon.” He shrugged. “She never did much care for sharing her secrets, now did she?” “Wait,” Twilight tried to stop him, struggling to keep up with the conversation. “Celestia had 'off-world' friends... what's that supposed to mean?” “Oh, I guess she didn't tell you anything, did she?” He shook his head a little. “Well, all in good time. For now, I think we need to find that shower before the door breaks.” As if to emphasize his point, another heavy thud resounded from the door. “And sooner would probably be better than later.” “But why do we need to–” Twilight's question was cut off by another thud from the door, the old timbers beginning to crack. “Come on!” he called, rushing off into the unknown floor, “No time for all that!” As much as Twilight would have liked to stay put and demand an explanation, she could tell the door wouldn't hold out much longer. She wasn't too familiar with this floor, only having been here once, but it seemed to follow the basic floor plan of one of the upper barracks floors. Luckily that meant that each hallway had a window at the end, letting a little light in and not leaving them in complete darkness. With a pop and a flash, she teleported herself ahead of the other three ponies, nullifying their head start. “There should be a bathing room on the left at the end of each hallway.” She shouted out, leading the way. Behind her, a crash and the sound of dry wood bouncing across stone increased the need for urgency. “I sure hope you know what you're doing!” “So do I!” He shouted back, following her into the bathing room and repeating his trick on this room's door. “There's no way out!” Sunny cried out from the other side of the room. She had already picked up a little proficiency with her wings, thanks to Trigger, and had used that to get ahead a little. “Now what did you need a shower for?” Twilight asked, pressing the strange earth pony for an answer. “Ah, that! Good, right to the point, I like that. Good thing too, since this little room's door won't hold as long...” He hurried over to where Sunny Daze stood. “That thing is chasing after Sunny Daze... It was programmed to seek out Celestia... and now that Sunny's gotten herself all sun-alicorned she's the nearest match around.” He cut off Twilight's continuing questions with a raised hoof. “And being a Trimierdian statue, she has one fatal flaw... you may have already noticed it moving stiffly... Their joints are most decidedly not waterproof.” “Oh...” Twilight said, thinking, “So we just need to get it into a shower and turn it on... but how do we do that?” “Aha, and that's the clever bit!” The Doctor said, a look of positive glee on his face. “You stand by on the shower controls with your magic, and the rest of us give her what she wants.” “What she wants?” The door to the room crashed, creaking menacingly. “You don't mean...?” “That's right, come on Sunny Daze, we need you in the showers!” He scooped up the little alicorn filly, rushing towards the nearest shower head. “I am not letting you use her as bait!” Twilight shouted furiously. “You come back here right now!” The room's door broke down with a bang and a clatter. “There's no time!” The Doctor shouted, “Hide, and be ready on those valves! Now!” Twilight was barely able to hide herself before the dark blue menace was in the room. Derpy didn't quite make it out of sight in time, but it didn't even seem to notice her, going instead straight for the shower stall where The Doctor had taken Sunny, as if it could sense them. Twilight edged her way out, making sure she could see the shower controls... she would only get one shot at this... “Sister, come out!” it said, stalking its way into the stall. As it edged into position, Twilight used a surge of magic, quickly turning on the flow to the shower. The pipes groaned... and nothing happened. Twilight began to panic as both Sunny and The Doctor were surrounded in a black aura, trapped in the shower stall with that thing... but she couldn't do anything; they were beyond her reach now, and the plan had failed! Suddenly, a crash rang out from the back of the room, something heavy against something made of metal, then something heavy against the stone floor. “Ow!” Derpy's voice came from that direction, then the sound of flowing water. “Oops, my bad!” Freed from their blockage now, the pipes let the water flow, allowing the shower to function again. “Sister!” Twilight heard the shout from inside the shower, along with the hiss of falling water drops. She rushed over to see what happened. Edging around the now frozen, motionless statue while keeping as much distance from it as possible, Twilight finally caught sight of her friends. Sunny, Apollo, and The Doctor were all stuck solidly in the false alicorn's now unbreakable grip. “A little help?” Apollo asked hopefully. “Twilight!” The Doctor said, “I knew you could do it... now if you could just...” He tried to squeeze out, but couldn't. The grip was too tight. He paused for a moment to catch his breath. “Phew... okay, sonic screwdriver, fell on the floor right over there, if you could be a dear and pick it up for me please?” She lifted it up to him easily, using her magic, and he grabbed it with his mouth eagerly. Quickly, he turned it on the arms of the statue, sending it whirring away at the joints, and after a moment of that, a crucial joint popped free, allowing all three ponies to fall to the floor. “What? Just? Happened?” Apollo asked, very wet and a little in shock. “Sister. I want my sister.” The statue said, still talking even though it couldn't move anymore. “What are we going to do with that now?” Twilight asked. “I don't want to just leave it here... what if it starts moving again?” “Oh heavens no! She's coming with me!” The Doctor replied, “She'll go back to the Trimierdian construction yards for an overhaul, and go on to console someone else about some other loss maybe. “Huh?” Twilight was a little unsure. “You're talking about it like it's a pony or something.” “Of course!” He said with confidence, “She may not be a pony... not nearly as intelligent as one either... but she's very much alive in there. Wouldn't want to leave her staring at a blank wall for the rest of eternity, now would we?” “Sister, Don't leave me sister,” the statue spoke again. “Don't worry,” The Doctor said to it, “I'm taking you back home.” Apollo seemed to be getting frustrated. “Will somepony please tell me what the hay just happened?” * * * Stopping her progress back up the stairs, Twilight Sparkle turned back incredulously. “The second time you've stopped a rampaging robot Luna?” That was just too much to believe! “Now I know you're joking!” The Doctor smirked up from below her on the staircase. “Well, the first one may have been mostly made of tin foil and old ink pens... but it was a lot bigger.” “Really?” Twilight began walking up the stairs again, shaking her head, “And when was this?” “Oh, very early. She wasn't even an alicorn yet back then.” “WHAT?” Sunny Daze's voice squeaked from behind. “Luna wasn't always an alicorn?” “Of course not,” he replied smugly, “nopony's born as an alicorn.” Twilight perked her ears in interest. “Then how does it happen? Why does it happen? Is that the same thing that happened to Sunny?” The Doctor sighed and shook his head. He said, under his breath, “They never do teach the important stuff in school anymore do they?” Looking up again, he replied, “When your solar system was set up in this... unique fashion – which I was against, mind you – a provision had to be made for controlling the motion properly. That is what alicorns are... and whenever the old ones stop working, the system finds – and makes – new ones to replace them.” “The System?” “I like you Twilight: you're a very clever pony, very inquisitive... but this one's a bit over even your head, and this staircase isn't long enough for all the explanation you'll need.” “But... but...” Twilight felt herself getting frustrated, “Why is the night sky still not working? Who's going to do that now?” He laughed, “I do wish I could take you with me! Good assistants are so hard to find sometimes. You've got more important things to do though, so you just wait and see.” “What more important things?” “Spoilers.” The Doctor just smiled enigmatically. Twilight just shook her head and kept on following Apollo up the stairs. It seemed like she'd be wasting her effort to get this pony to say anything that actually made sense. * * * Twilight Sparkle waved a hoof as The Doctor's blue box began to make a periodic whooshing sound and slowly disappeared. He had reluctantly agreed to let her teleport the statue back up to the roof, once it became apparent that it wouldn't fit back through the door unless its limbs were moved again. “So... that box is a... a what?” Apollo asked, still a little fuzzy on the details. “A tardis.” Twilight replied simply, causing Apollo to just shake his head in even more frustrated confusion. “And where did that Luna thing come from?” “We already told you that, silly, from Trimierdia, wherever that is.” Twilight said, a little speculatively, increasing Apollo's frustration even more. Why did every answer he get only raise even more questions? “No, I mean, how did it get here?” Apollo asked... what he really wanted was assurance that another one wouldn't be greeting him tomorrow. “Oh, that?” Twilight pondered it for a while. “Celestia had some... odd... friends who gave it to her, apparently... but I guess she couldn't keep that thing around ponies. She must have stored it away in this old abandoned castle to keep it locked up safely.” “But why would it attack now?” He wondered, “Why wouldn't it have broken out a hundred years ago?” “Because it sensed Celestia again, or it thought it did,” Twilight replied, putting a friendly hoof on Sunny's head. “But Celestia is...” he looked where Twilight had put her hoof, saw Sunny Daze, and realized what happened. “Sunny is the new Celestia now, isn't she?” “NO!” Twilight shouted, surprising both ponies with her vehemence. “No...” she said more quietly, “Nopony could ever replace her...” * * *