Chapter 3: In the Dark
The Moon of Gaia, 2000 C.E.
Only a few seconds of darkness had passed before a bright light appeared out of nowhere. It took a couple seconds for the Doctor's eyes to adjust and see that the light was emanating from Luna's horn.
"Is everypony okay?" Luna asked.
"I'm good," the Doctor replied. He began looking around for any sign of his pegasus companion. "Derpy? Derpy, are you there?" There was no response. The Doctor could feel his hearts begin to pound quicker than normal. "Derpy?! Derpy?!"
"Don't worry, Doctor. I'm fine," said a familiar voice from the darkness. Derpy slowly entered the circle of light produced from Luna's horn. The pegasus appeared to be quite shaken up. "Sorry if I scared you two. The lights going out just frightened me."
"I think they frightened all of us." The Doctor walked over and wrapped one of his forelegs around Derpy. "Everything's going to be fine, all right?"
"I believe you." A smile appeared on Derpy's face which caused the Doctor to give a small smile in return.
"Something's wrong," Luna stated suddenly.
"I think that bit is obvious, your majesty. The lights going out and you stating that this old enemy of yours is here; I think there's quite a bit to worry about at the moment," said the Doctor.
"I wasn't talking about either of those things, even though those are major things; I was talking about how none of the soldiers have burst in yet." Luna looked towards the front door of the apartment. The Doctor and Derpy followed suit. "Canterlot soldiers are trained to burst in at any sign of danger. Lights going out and the sound of Derpy's scream would be enough to have them burst in. And yet, we're still alone." The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver.
"I've got this."
"Are you sure, Doctor?"
"Best if I go first." The Doctor turned his attention to Derpy. "Stay here with the Princess, Derpy." Derpy nodded in response and took a few steps back. The Doctor turned his attention to the front door and began to slowly advance towards it.
The walk to the door felt like hours to the Doctor even though, in reality, it only took about a minute or so. He made sure to make his steps as long and as soft as possible. His ears perked up and he carefully scanned his surroundings. He began to take note how his hearing was slightly improved in his equine form but he consented to think more of this once the danger had passed. The light from Luna's horn could only extend so far and thus the Doctor was almost in near darkness when he reached the front door. His grip on the Sonic Screwdriver tightened as he reached forward and unlocked the door. The releasing lock gave off a sharp click. The Doctor prepared himself for the scenario that something would burst through the door upon the sound of the releasing lock, but said scenario did not occur. The Doctor then carefully grasped the doorknob and turned it slowly. He was thankful that the doorknob had been well greased and thus no squeaks or groans came from it. Once the doorknob had been turned all the way, the Doctor slowly pulled the door open. He activated the Sonic Screwdriver in order to produce a decent source of light. Within seconds, the door was open and the Doctor found himself staring into a dark abyss of a hallway.
The hallway was extraordinarily cold. The Doctor carefully stepped out to examine the scene. He raised his Sonic Screwdriver in order to project his light radius a bit further. He looked for any sign of life. There was none. He perked his ears up again and listened. At first, all he heard was unnerving silence. Then he heard it: a light, calm sequence of tired breaths. He carefully walked in the direction of the breaths. It didn't take long for him to find the source. Lying on the floor just a few feet from the door was the body of a Canterlot guard. The Doctor knelt down to examine the guard. He wasn't dead nor was he injured. He was just caught in a deep sleep. The Doctor looked and listened for any other guards. However, he quick deduced that the sleeping guard was the only one within the vicinity of the apartment. The Doctor quickly grabbed the guard with his hooves and began dragging him towards the door.
Derpy was not a fan of the cold. She didn't hate it; but, when it came to choice, she would always prefer to warm summer's day to a cold winter's day. She and Luna stood in silence as they waited for the Doctor to return from the other side of the door. Derpy turned to Luna and gulped.
"Do you really think she's here?" Derpy whispered. Luna nodded.
"Yes," Luna whispered back. "I can sense her. She feels so incredibly close. It's almost as if she's breathing down my neck as we speak." Derpy gulped again and shook. She began to wonder if the Doctor had a coat collection somewhere in that TARDIS of his. It was then that the Doctor re-entered the penthouse. She was confused to see him dragging somepony along the floor.
"Who's that?" Derpy asked.
"A guard," the Doctor replied. "I found him asleep a few feet from the door."
"Are there any others?" Luna asked.
"No. They're all gone."
They're dead, Derpy thought. She managed to kill them all but this one managed to survive. He probably had some immunity to her toxins or something of that nature. Derpy's eyes widened a bit. Why was she thinking like this? How did she know that this she had toxins? Derpy shook her head and categorized the thought as just some random guess.
"I think it would be best if we left the penthouse," the Doctor suggested.
"I think that would be best as well," Luna replied. "I don't think the power has gone out in all of Moonbase One. Just here in my penthouse." The Doctor nodded as he looked towards the window. Derpy looked too. She could see the lit buildings and skyscrapers of Moonbase One shining brightly beneath them. She began to take in just how tall Luna's penthouse was.
Such an easy target, Derpy thought. She shook her head again. Why was she thinking like that?
"Come on, Derpy," said the Doctor. Derpy looked to see that the Doctor and Luna were already making their way towards the door. Luna was carrying the unconscious guard on her back.
"Coming!" Derpy exclaimed as she proceeded to follow them.
They walked out of the penthouse, not even taking the time to close the door behind them, and made it over to the stairwell. Derpy looked over the railing to see that it was a long way down.
"That'll take a while to get down," said the Doctor. Just then, Derpy felt her body grow weightless. She looked to see that she was being levitated by Luna. The Doctor and the unconscious guard were being levitated as well.
"Let's take the shortcut," Luna giggled as she jumped over the railing. She spread her wings out and slowly glided down to the bottom of the stairwell, Derpy and the Doctor floating next to her throughout all of this. Luna landed at the bottom of the stairwell softly and proceeded to place Derpy and the Doctor down. Luna then walked over the the door and opened it. Derpy gasped and covered her eyes as bright light exploded through the door.
The Doctor was glad to finally be back in the world of light. Through the door was a well-lit lobby that was almost completely empty save for a few staff members. Luna was the first through the door and Derpy was second. The Doctor closed and locked the door behind him as he stepped through. A few Canterlot guards who had been standing by the door were surprised by Luna's appearance.
"Your majesty?" asked one of the guards.
"Tell your fellow soldiers to keep a sharp eye out for anything peculiar. We are under attack," Luna said to the soldier. She then levitated the unconscious soldier on her back into the air and placed him at the guard's hooves. "I would think it wise to give this guard some medical attention. I want my penthouse sealed off and I want contact established with my sister as quickly as possible. Do not inform any of the civilians of this situation. Panic is the last thing we need right now." The guard nodded, lifted the unconscious guard onto his back, and ran off to inform his fellow soldiers. Luna turned to look at the Doctor and Derpy. She looked very concerned and confused. "Something's not right here."
"You could say that again," Derpy chuckled nervously.
"She hasn't really attacked yet. All she's done is take away the power in the penthouse and possibly dispose a few of my guards. She should be cutting the crap and just going for me. So why isn't she? What's her game?"
"I don't know, Princess. But I think we better find out as quickly as possible," said the Doctor as he began looking around the lobby. He suddenly felt a chill rush along his body. He turned towards Derpy and found it odd that the chill seemed to be coming from her. Derpy turned to the Doctor and, for a second, something dark flashed in her eyes. "How are you holding up, Ms. Hooves?"
"Good. I'm a bit shaken up by all of this but I'll be fine. I know I'll be fine as long as I'm with you," Derpy replied.
"I'm glad you have faith in me. Anyway, am I the only one who's a bit chilled at the moment?"
"No. I feel cold as well," Luna replied.
"That's strange. I feel fine," Derpy stated. The Doctor looked at Derpy closely. Something was off about the pegasus...but he couldn't put a finger...er...hoof on it.
"For some reason, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," the Doctor whispered to himself.