//------------------------------//
// Pawns in Place 
// Story: Doctor Whooves Episode 14: Work of Fiction 
// by Doctor Perseus 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 5: Pawns in Place


Meadowlands Plaza, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

Alex walked through the plaza with his perception filter still hanging from his neck. To say that he had had a terrible night's sleep would be an understatement. The night had been filled with nightmares of green eyes, cold laughter, and endless scrolls of text rolling past him and down into infinity. His mother had still been asleep when he had woken up and had run out of the hotel room in a dash. Now he was making his way over to the Exposition Center. The Animator waited for him inside. Alex came to a stop and looked around for the TARDIS. It had yet to appear. 
"Where are you guys?" he asked as he began walking again. He gulped as he looked at the Exposition Center. It looked much more menacing than it had the day before. "I wish Edgar were here with me at the moment. It's so weird. I haven't come across him once since yesterday morning. I really wish he were here with me. I could use another ally at the moment." Alex carefully climbed the steps and walked through the glass doors.

Inside the TARDIS, Time Vortex, Unknown Place, Unknown Time

The Doctor gripped onto the controls as the TARDIS shook and groaned around him. Derpy held onto the console for dear life.
"Doctor?! What's happening?!" Derpy cried.
"Something's interfering with the TARDIS!"
"Is it the Animator?"
"It can't be! Nothing can have power over the TARDIS! It's...it's impossible!" The TARDIS leaned to the right and sparks shot down from the ceiling.
"DOCTOR!"
"Hold on, Derpy! I'm on it! I'm on it!" The Doctor swore he could hear laughter emanating through the TARDIS as it once again leaned to the right.

Meadowlands Exposition Center, Secaucus, New Jersey, America, Earth, Summer, 2012 A.D.

The next few hours seemed to move by like syrup falling onto pancakes. Alex spent this time walking around BronyCon. All of the other Bronies and Pegasisters seemed so happy and carefree. They didn't have to worry about evil madmen or time traveling ponies. All they had to worry about was when season three was coming out. Alex was making his way past a row of fan art booths when he noticed Quinn standing at the end of the aisle. She smiled at him and began walking away. 
"Quinn!" Alex gasped under his breath as he ran towards her. He quickly made it up to her and proceeded to grab her shoulder violently. She turned to face him, a wide smiled plastered on her face and green lights emanating from her pupils. "What?!"
"It's almost time, Alex," said Quinn. "The pawns are to be set in place. I look forward to our battle. This should pull him out."
"Quinn, what the hell are you talking about?" Quinn pushed Alex away and disappeared into the crowd. Alex felt another surge of anger roll through his body.
"He's possessed her. I guess he must have possessed Twilight too. That explains those other green eyes. But...who did the fourth pair of eyes belong to?" Alex kept asking himself this question as he made it over to the Lauren Faust Panel.
Alex once again found a seat towards the middle of the room. The perception filter helped keep him unnoticeable but that still didn't prevent people from eyeing him for short periods of time. He felt as if every eye in the convention was on him. The panel began and everybody fell silent.
"Good morning, BronyCon!" cheered the man on the stage. Save for Alex, everybody cheered in response. "I'm sorry to tell you all that Lauren is running a bit late!" There were a few groans of disappointment. "So Mrs. Strong has offered to entertain you until then!" 
There were more cheers. Alex watched as Tara Strong walked onto the stage. There was something different about her. Tara sat down towards the center of the table and looked up. Alex gulped as he saw her eyes fall straight on him. 
"No! Not Tara too!" Alex croaked as he realized that her eyes looked extremely green. Everybody waited for Tara to say something. She remained silent. A cold grin appeared on her face. She was waiting for something. 
"So, Tara?! Got anything to say to the fans?" asked the man. Tara stood up and smiled. 
"I hope you've all enjoyed your time here...because the fun has only just begun!" she said. Everybody cheered but Alex felt his heart rise into his throat. Tara sat down and continued to eye Alex. Alex stared back at her. He had to stay strong. He couldn't show fear. That's what the Animator was waiting for. People began whispering to each other as Tara remained silent and cold. The man shrugged his shoulders and walked off stage. Alex suddenly felt someone sit down next to him. He turned to see a man in a black trench coat and hat sitting next to him. The man in black turned to face Alex.
"Hello, Alex," he said. Alex felt his heart stop. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. You also don't have to worry about people seeing me. They can't see or hear me. Only you can."
"Why?" Alex asked.
"You're the key to his enemy."
"Are...are you the enemy that the Animator kept mentioning?"
"Yes and no. I'm more along the lines of...the person that his enemy is based off of."
"I don't understand."
"You're not meant to, not yet at least. You'll understand shortly anyway, as will the audience."
"Audience? What audience?" Alex looked around the room. "Do you mean this audience?"
"Both."
"Both? Who are you?"
"You'll learn who I am in due time, Alex. Right now you should be focusing on facing the Animator."
"I'm not sure I'll be able to beat him. I don't even know where the Doctor and Derpy are at and Quinn, Twilight, and Tara are being controlled by him."
"Don't fret. You'll win. The Animator shall lose. Just like he always has."
"You seem to have a lot of confidence in me."
"And you seem to have none. Try to think optimistically."
"I don't see how I can possibly do that at the moment."
"It's easy. You just think happy thoughts and you make yourself happy!"
"What world are you from? That's not how things work."
"I know. But, if you believe that something that silly can work then maybe it will work."
"You're an odd person."
"I get that a lot." 
"Lauren's just arrived!" called the man on the stage. Everybody cheered. Alex turned back to the man in the trench coat to see that he had vanished. Alex turned back to the stage just in time to see Lauren Faust sitting down. Everybody was cheering for her. "I can say that it's a pleasure to have you here with us today, Lauren."
"The pleasure is mine," Lauren replied. Just then, a familiar figure walked onto the stage. Alex jumped up. The Animator smiled as he walked towards Lauren and Tara. Lauren jumped up. "Who are you?!"
"The beginning," the Animator replied. Suddenly the table and chair around Lauren seemed to come alive. She screamed as several chairs tackled her. Everybody was shocked from what they saw. The possessed Tara just sat in her chair, smiling coldly at the audience. Alex jumped up and ran forward. The Animator smiled at the oncoming Alex. "Hello, Alex."
"Let them go! Let them all go!" Alex ordered. The Animator laughed. Alex turned around to see the possessed Quinn and Twilight standing right behind him. 
"Why would I do that? The game has just begun." The Animator snapped his fingers and the TARDIS materialized in the middle of the aisle. Several people gasped in disbelief. The Doctor and Derpy stumbled through the TARDIS doors.
"That wasn't fun," said Derpy.
"The feeling is mutual," the Doctor sighed. Alex looked back in time to see Tara taking a hold of Lauren. 
"Let her go!" Alex ordered.
"Shut up," Tara replied in her Raven voice. 
"The pawns are in place, Doctor," said the Animator. "Let our game begin."