An orange glow painted the sky as the sun began to dip below the horizon, signalling the end of another day in Equestria. Street lights began to flicker to life, while stars began to twinkle in the sky above, painting the world with the sheer beauty and wonder of Luna's night. Owls opened their beady eyes, bats stirred from their sleep and the citizens of Equestria either gazed up in awe or curled up in their blankets.
For Dusk, this was a time he always found full of splendour and magnificence. It also meant that, around this time, that it was the end of another day of working with Twilight and Spike and that it was time for him to go home. The latter of the two had already left for bed, but the former, like him, lingered for a little longer.
With her so close to him, the warmth of her body and the softness of her fur against his side, Dusk almost felt comforted in the wake of the news he had received. Almost.
"I'm sorry, Dusk," she whispered.
He looked at her. "What for? You don't have anything to be sorry for."
"Well, with the result of this raid… I thought you might be disappointed."
He sighed deeply. "I didn't really expect them to find anything. If Tube took everything of importance, it stands to reason that there wouldn't be much left."
"But you still hoped they'd find something?" she asked.
"And Pinkie calls me psychic," he said, with a slight laugh.
"I know this isn't easy, Dusk, especially after all those two have done, but Edge and Tube will be found," she assured. "We just have to give them more time to do it."
"That's not all I'm concerned about…"
She nodded in understanding. "You're worried about those guards that vanished after the raid, aren't you?"
"It's not just that they vanished, but because of how they're connected to this," he answered. "They were helping to investigate where Tube and Edge have gone, who've made it clear they don't want to be found and, in the middle of that, they're suddenly gone. Quite a coincidence."
"There's any number of reasons that they could be gone," she said hopefully. "Maybe it's just that they forgot to check in on their shift."
"But Luna told me Dreadwing is very loyal to her and his duty and Knock-Out hasn't missed a shift since she scratched the finish on his armour as punishment one time," he argued. "Neither of them would seem likely to do something like that."
"You really think that either Tube or Edge are responsible for their disappearance?"
"It seems reasonable to assume that, yes," he reasoned. "They don't want to be found, so they took steps to ensure they don't."
"Okay then, let's look at this logically." Just like Twilight, he thought. "Test Tube and Hard Edge are on the run from the royal forces, correct?"
"As we've established, yes."
"And recent reports from search parties have indicated they're far away from Canterlot and anywhere close to it?"
"What's your point?"
"My point is why would they travel such a long distance they've already covered and return to where those searching for them are most abundant, with high chances of being caught, just to stop two guards who might have had a small chance of finding something important during a raid they might not have even known was happening?" she argued.
Dusk found it hard to counter that, but he still tried. "What if they were working with some others who assured their tracks would be covered?"
"We're talking about a guard that was completely unlikable before he turned rogue and a scientist who's not only a loner, but has no existent moral compass. Tell me if that seems likely," she said, with a confident smile.
"I… I suppose it doesn't…"
"Exactly. Whatever the reason they're gone, neither of those two had anything to do with it. They're far away and they're not coming back, but when they do, they'll be in chains and they'll get what they deserve." She placed her hoof on his. "Have faith, Dusk."
Once again, she was right and he could feel his worry start to ebb away. Smiling in gratitude, they shared a kiss, the feeling from it acting like a cleansing wave of comfort.
"I'm sorry, Twilight," he said once they broke apart.
"What for? You don't have anything to be sorry for," she echoed. "Everything will be fine."
"You're probably right, as usual." A small sliver of concern remained though. "So, why do you think they've vanished?"
"I don't know, but they'll be found in time."
"Of course," he agreed. "Thanks for making me feel better, Miss Sparkle."
"It's what I'm here for, my dearest Dusk," she returned. "You going to be okay walking home?"
"I'll be fine, much better now, yes." They shared one more kiss before he made moves to leave. "See you in…"
He stopped in mid-sentence, when he glanced something at one of the windows. His eyes became fixed on a pale face that gazed inside at them. At him. He could see a hoof, pressed against the glass, like they wanted to come in…
But why were they at the window? Why didn't they announce themselves?
"Dusk?" He turned to look at Twilight. "Something wrong?"
"I saw…" He looked back at the window. The face had gone. "Never mind, it's nothing."
"You sure? If you want to stay a little longer, I… I wouldn't mind…" She blushed a little.
"No thank you, I'll be fine," he mumbled, blushing himself. "You've done enough."
"Are you sure?" He nodded and the concern left her. "If you say so then. Goodnight, Dusk."
"See you in the morning, Twilight. I love you."
"I love you too," she returned, waiting until he'd gone. "Sleep well."
He smiled back at her and stepped out into the cool evening air. He sighed with content had how much better he felt in the wake of that conversation. Not for the first time, he wondered how he had ever managed without Twilight or any of the girls. He'd never really dealt with any problems, just ignored them more like. Maybe that was why he felt lighter.
Just before he left, he walked over to the window he thought he'd seen the face out of. There was nothing and no sign of anypony there either. He lingered in the spot for a few moments, then put the thought aside and started home.
Questions still remained in his mind while he made his way through the darkening streets, hearing the sound of fluttering wings nearby. Probably a Pegasus taking off back for home. It had sounded rather close, but when he'd turned to look at the rooftop he heard it from, there was nothing there. No sign of them in the sky either. He shrugged it off and returned to his thoughts.
Though he did take some comfort with the distance that existed between him and his adversaries, he still wondered where exactly they were going. If they were going towards the Loveless Lands, the home of the Changeling Hive, what did they hope to find? As Luna had said, the Changelings wouldn't exactly offer them refuge and they might be in more danger there than here. If they were going beyond them, they'd have quite a journey.
Then, there was that third figure, the one he'd seen in the flames. Tube had said that his machine was meant to break into Tartarus itself to free a prisoner there, one who had been a servant to Discord. Of all the horrible creatures and monsters that dwelled there, there was only one who answered to that description. The image he'd left in his mind was eerily similar to the one that he had portrayed him in his story…
Though he shuddered at thought, he continued to deliberate. But if Fallen Soul had been brought back, then what was his goal? Discord was in the Canterlot Sculpture Gardens, so it couldn't be that he wanted to free his master, the same in regards for the Elements of Harmony. If he did somehow want revenge for what Celestia had done to him, he was clearly going about it in a different way. That was if he really was free, of course.
Dread gripped him at the thought of facing him. He had been skilled enough before his imprisonment and Discord's magic was meant to have affected far more than just his mind. Who knows what a thousand years in the darkest place in the world had done to him? Was he even still a pony or something much worse?
He walked past a fountain. Still, it was just a story and he didn't even know if he really had seen something. Probably just a trick of the light…
Something made him stop. He turned back to the fountain, taking in what he had seen out of the corner of his eye. It was a statue, not the one of the pony in the centre, but a different one. Carved from grey stone and slightly aged, it depicted a Pegasus pony, dressed in a simple, yet beautiful dress, flowing down to its hooves. It… or she, as far as he could tell, had her mane styled in a short, tight bun, the strands almost like tiny snakes on her head. Her back was hunched, her face hidden beneath her hooves, like she was crying. Small splashes from the fountain added to the effect, the water trickling down her face.
He squinted at the statue, keeping his eyes on it. He hadn't remembered ever seeing it before, not this morning anyway. Nor had it been here when he passed the fountain before, during his break. In the end, he just shrugged. Perhaps it was only a recent addition. Nothing wrong with anything new, after all.
He turned his back on it and resumed the journey home, small patches of darkness in between the circles of light the lamps in the street illuminated. The gentle hooting of owls and the sounds of crickets playing their natural music filled his ears. It was rather pleasant, the peace and tranquillity the night brought, the life that teemed when the sun went down.
Then a different sound filled his ears. The sound of a rubbish bin being knocked over in one of the darkened alleyways. He stopped, in the darkness in between lamps, turning his eyes to the source of the noise.
"Hello?" he called. "Is somepony there? Are you okay?"
There was no answer. No sound of any kind. He might be seeing things, but he thought he saw something, silhouetted in the dark. They might have fallen over and hurt themselves getting home, trying to take a shortcut down there. He lit a small orb and had it hover beside him, walking slowly into the alley.
The walls of the houses on either side closed in around him as he left the street, shining his light into the dark and squinting. His ears strained to listen for signs of life, groaning or some kind of pained noise. He stepped closer, noting the bin and some of the rubbish that had fallen from it.
But that was all that was here. There was no sign of anypony at all. Nothing. He sent the light ahead of him, just to make sure. It soon found the source of the silhouette, at the very end of the alley, where a wall blocked it off. A statue, just like the one at the fountain.
He frowned at it. A very odd place to put a statue, he had to admit, but then again, he wasn't on the town planning committee. Maybe it belonged to one of the ponies in these houses. Perhaps this called for a closer examination…
"Hey, what's going on out there?" A mint green unicorn stuck her head out of the window. "Dusk Noir? What are you doing down there?"
"Sorry to disturb you, Lyra," he answered her. "I heard this being knocked over and I came to investigate."
"Me too." She raised an eyebrow. "You're not just saying that to cover your flank, are you? Didn't you knock it over?"
"Not at all, but I'll be more than happy to put this right." He levitated the rubbish back in and righted the container. "There we go, nothing to it."
"Okay then." She yawned notably. "Just be little quitter next time. Some of us are trying to sleep."
"My apologies. Actually, can I just ask, do you own this…?" He looked back down the alley to find it empty. The statue had gone.
"Own what?" she asked irritably. "Dusk, what am I meant to be looking at?"
"It's… there was a statue there before," he told her. "A crying Pegasus statue, just at the very end there."
She looked confused. "What are you talking about? There never was a statue there and that's a pretty weird place for a statue anyway."
"That's what I thought," he muttered, his eyes still on the dead end.
"Exactly." She yawned again. "Look, you're probably just tired. Go home and get some sleep, so I can get mine."
"Of course, yes. Goodnight, Lyra," he called to her, but she had already snapped her window shut.
He took one more look back down the alley and started to slowly walk away. She was probably right. His tired mind just playing tricks on him, something about the subconscious that Twilight might say. Not long after, he reached the edge of town where his house was situated and started to make his way up the path to the door. Perhaps if he just slept on it, he'd feel better in the morning.
For the second time, he stopped and turned. There, just at the edge of the path he'd walked down, was another Pegasus statue. Almost… no, exactly the same as the one before. Head in its hooves, aged and solemn, from the mane to the dress. He stared at it from his door. That definitely hadn't been there when he'd passed this spot…
What was going on? Why was he suddenly seeing the same statue everywhere he was going? Were there more than one? Why did he get the feeling they were… following him?
He put those thoughts aside, opening his house and stepping inside. He'd probably just not been paying attention, so engrossed in his thoughts. It was just a statue, after all. What did he have to fear from a figure made of stone?
He turned on the light to his kitchen, opening the fridge door and pulling out the apple pie Applejack had given to him not long ago and a cupcake from Pinkie. He'd left it a bit late for dinner, so this would have to do. Not exactly the most nutritious of meals, so he made a mental note to do a little shopping at some point. Dusk closed the fridge door, noting his reflection on the surface…
And that of the statue behind him.
He whirled around, his heart pounding. There was nothing there. No statue, just his kitchen counter and the window above it. He took a few deep breaths and calmed down. Looks like he really was on edge. This was just getting strange and he needed some sleep.
Downing his rudimentary dinner with more speed than he intended, he made sure his door was locked and started to look out of the windows, lighting all the rooms in his house. He knew it was silly, but he felt he had to check, to put his fears to rest. Nothing on the ground floor. Nothing close to his house, though it was hard to see out in the dark.
Still feeling a sense of unease, he climbed the stairs to his room after closing the curtains downstairs. Eager to get some rest, he went to close his bedroom curtains… and froze when he saw another statue. It stood, bathed in the light from his room, hooves away from its face and staring up at him with a calm, almost serene expression.
Feeling panic starting to grip him, he hurried downstairs again to the window on the ground floor it stood before. He dashed it and whipped open the curtains. There it was, right in front of it, its hoof raised as if to break it open. It had moved. But how was that even possible? He stared at it, trying to figure this out…
He blinked.
CRASH!
Dusk scrambled back when his window exploded, showering the room with glass. Opening his eyes, he saw the statue climbing in. No longer was it calm, but its face was frozen in a feral snarl. The mouth was open in a silent scream, vampire-like fangs emerging from it, soulless eyes fixed directly on him.
He scrambled back, never once taking his eyes off it and slammed the door to his living room. That was no statue and whatever it was, it wasn't friendly. He turned to run, but screamed when he saw two more, exactly the same as the other, blocking off his escape to the front door. Perhaps he could get around them through the kitchen…
But he opened the door, greeted by the sight of another, wings spread and hooves outstretched to grab him. He kept darting his head from statue to statue, each of them taking a step closer every time. The four of them had him completely surrounded, with no escape. He could try his magic, but would it even work against these things?
What was he supposed to do? What were they going to do to him? Closer, closer, closer every time, their stone faces filling his vision.
A hoof touched his shoulder, but it wasn't stone. It was warm, comforting and it made him relaxed rather than shocked. Though not by much.
"Keep looking at those three," a young, yet commanding voice ordered. "Do not take your eyes off them, not for a second, don't even blink."
"Don't blink… right," he replied, in a rather high voice. "Now what?"
"Don't worry, I can get you out of this, but you have to trust me," it implored. "Just keep your eyes on them for five seconds and after that, run."
"What if they come after me?"
"They won't, I'll make sure of it," promised the voice. He didn't know what it was, but Dusk believed him. "When I say run, run. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly."
"Good… get ready."
Dusk tensed his legs, kept his eyes on the three statues. His eyes were starting to water, he had to blink. Just a few seconds, a few seconds…
"RUN!"
Bolting under the wings of them, Dusk galloped out, hearing something metal roll behind him and a whirring noise. He glanced back to see a small, metal orb suspended in the air, the statues staring at flickering versions of themselves emitted from it. But the images seemed more like freshly carved statues than old, crumbling ones…
The voice was back again. "We don't have time to waste, come on, run! Good for the heart and lungs, let's go!"
Dusk did as he was commanded, galloping with his unknown saviour until they were far away from those… things. His lungs started to burn and his heart was pounding against his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins that pushed him to run faster, anything preferable to waiting in the hooves of those statues.
He tried to get a good look at the stallion who had helped him. He was a stallion, that much he could tell, but it was hard to make out details. His voice was definitely familiar, though it had a different tone when he last heard it Questions tumbled over each other in Dusk's brain, but the one he asked when they stopped for breath was:
"What… was that?" He looked to the stallion, who was hidden in shadow. "What… what did you do?"
"Just a little something I picked up the Silfrax galaxy," he answered. "It's called an Omniservant Admirer, a little piece of technology invented by the Vaniseans, the vainest and most self-obsessed race in the cosmos. Once activated, it allows whoever looks at it to observe their reflection from every angle, in the sheer pinnacle of perfection. Rather shallow, I know, but it did come in handy, I'll think you'll find."
"I suppose… it was…" he replied, barely understanding what he had just said. "Thank you, for saving me."
"No matter," he replied brightly, stepping into the light. "It's sort of what I do. Well, usually it's mares that are in need of the help, but I'm not exactly-"
"Wait a moment…" Same fur, same suit, same mane, the hourglass cutie mark. "It's you, isn't it?"
"Yes. Well, I certainly hope it's me," he added unsurely. "I didn't start glowing at any point did I, because then it'll probably be a different me."
"No, I mean…" Now he was even more confused. "Don't you remember? We met just yesterday and I'm sure we've met before that too. I've definitely seen you before."
"You have?" His expression turned thoughtful. "I suppose that's possible, wibbly wobbly timey wimey and all that. What did I do yesterday?"
"You gave me this," he said, holding up the key.
"Interesting…" He pulled out his glasses and examined it. "What's this for then?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? How can you not know what this key is for?"
This was getting more confusing by the second. "Because you told me you didn't know. How can you not remember?"
He just shrugged. "I don't remember because it hasn't happened to me yet. It might have happened to you, but not to me, so how can I remember what hasn't happened?"
"You said about that too," he recalled, trying desperately to make sense of this. "You said you had a… a complex life."
"Well, that does sound like something I would say," he agreed. "I can be quite mysterious and intriguing when I want to be, which seems to be all the time."
"You're telling me, but perhaps you can be a little more clear now," he suggested. "Let's start with a name. Who are you?"
"Oh, well that's easily answered, depending on how you look at it. My name is the Doctor." He held out a hoof. "Pleasure to meet you, Dusk Noir."
"The pleasure is… wait, how do you know my name?"
"You're the Seventh Element of Harmony and the student to Princess Luna, quite a significant thing really. That's not even counting…" He stopped and checked a watch he wore. "Oh, wait. Sorry, not yet."
Dusk disregarded that last part. "And you're the Doctor. Another layer of mystery."
"Really? You're not going to ask 'Doctor who' or something like that?" He sounded almost disappointed. "That's what they usually do."
"There's a first time for everything," he said. "I'm only just trying to figure out what you've been saying, but at least now I know what to call you."
"I suppose that's reasonable, but still… I must say, you appear to be taking this remarkably well," he noted with a tone of admiration.
Despite what happened, Dusk managed a smile. "With the ponies I know and the things I've seen, I think you'd be surprised."
"That makes two of us then," the Doctor chuckled. "Now, we should probably get somewhere safe before the Statuette Quartet comes after us. I actually did know a Statuette Quartet too. Very unique style, if a little grinding."
Dusk raised an eyebrow. "Are you making a joke?"
"I might be, you never know," he said, walking off. "Come on, time is of the essence and that's one thing I don't like to be in essence of."
Dread started to creep through him again. "But I thought you said that device would keep them frozen."
"Only for a few minutes. You see, whatever holds the image of those creatures can become another one and we have enough problems with four of them, let alone eight. I set it to deactivate after about five minutes. They shouldn't be strong enough to create images, but you can never be too careful."
"And how long do we have now?"
He checked his watch. "About two minutes and thirty seconds, give or take."
"Ah… right."
"So, are you coming?"
"Right behind you, Doctor."
"Good stallion. Let's be off then."
He glanced tentatively back at his house before following him. "So, what were those things? Are they some sort of variant of golem?"
"No, although… living stone, living earth, there might be some kind of connection…" he said thoughtfully. "Maybe I should look into that sometime, put it on a to-do list. Never really had to-do list, I have so many things to do there's not much point in making a list. Busy life, running around, not much time to do one."
"Excuse me, perhaps you could start with an explanation?" asked Dusk, politely but pointedly.
"Ah right, yes." He too looked back in his home's direction. "You, Dusk, have just had a run-in with the most malevolent, sadistic, morally-devoid beings that have ever existed, known by most people of the cosmos as the Weeping Pegasi and you're still alive. You should feel quite privileged, not many can claim that."
"Believe me, I wish I didn't have the pleasure," muttered Dusk. "You called them living stone…"
"I did indeed. You see…" He paused and smiled. "Actually, why don't you see if you can't figure out?"
"Um… okay." He started to think about what he'd seen from them. "Well, when I saw them, they were just ordinary stone statues but… then they started moving…"
"And why do you think that might be?"
"I'm not sure. It only happened when I… when I wasn't looking," he realised. "Hold on, you said before not to take my eyes off them, to not even blink. Every time I did, that was when they moved, so their movement is affected by my line of sight. Like some kind of magic."
"Very good, although the magic part isn't so accurate," he added. "You see, the Pegasi are meant to be as old as the universe itself because they've developed what's called a quantum lock. The instant they're seen by any living creature, they cease to exist and freeze into rock. It's a defence mechanism unique to them."
"I can see why they survived so long then, if that's the case," he murmured. "They were covering their eyes too, with their hooves. It can't be because they're sad. I couldn't picture them ever feeling any remorse for what they might do."
"Quite right," agreed the Doctor. "They can't risk looking at each other, because then they'd be frozen in stone for good, never able to look away. Yet, most of the times I've encountered them, they always work in groups. Quite ironic, since they're also called the Lonely Assassins."
"Indeed." Another question came into his mind. "What would have happened, if they'd caught me, I mean?"
"Really, it's not as bad as you might think," replied the Doctor. "You see, the Pegasi feed off potential time energy, it's how they get their five-a-day. They'd just need to get close enough to touch you and send you back into the past then, once you die in the past, they consume the energy of all the days you might have lived."
Dusk almost froze, suddenly even more glad that the Doctor had arrived when he had. The idea of being sent back to a far and distant time, where everypony he knew wouldn't have even been born yet and he would die, never to see them again… the Doctor might not think that was bad, but Dusk felt it would have been preferable to just die.
Better to end his life in an instant, than spend an eternity losing it…
The Doctor appeared to notice this. "I take it, from the horrified look on your face, that you don't share my view that being zapped back in time isn't such a bad way to die?"
"That would be an accurate assessment, yes."
"Well, look at it this way: it could be a lot worse, when compared to other things," he said brightly. "You could have your brain popped out of your body and into a metal shell, with all emotions purged. Or you could have every cell in your body fried by neutronic energy to better serve the conquest of a bunch of shaker-shaped narcissistic supremacists."
Surprisingly, Dusk laughed a little. "I suppose that's not so bad then, when you put it like that."
"There you go," grinned the Doctor. "Don't let anything put you down, not even the premise of a violent death. Believe me, I know what that feels like."
"You're not making any sense again," noted Dusk.
The Doctor just grinned all the more. "I have been told that before, on more than one occasion."
"And what about you Doctor?" he asked. "Who are you that you can say that you've faced off against creatures made of stone on more than one occasion, that you should have technology that, from what I can tell, comes from another world and that you don't remember a meeting that hasn't happened yet?"
He was silent for a while in the wake of this. The Doctor smiled again, but there wasn't anything happy about it. It was sad, lonely. That was when he noticed his eyes for the first time, of startling blue. His face and body were young, but those eyes… they were old, almost ancient. They had seen far more wonderful and terrible things than his ever had.
Dusk hadn't been the first to ask this question… and he had a feeling he wouldn't be the last.
"Even knowing you, Dusk Noir, I don't think you'd believe me if I told you," he answered solemnly.
"Perhaps, but I have just been attacked by creatures of living stone and they're not even the first. A lot of things have happened to me that I never would have believed were possible, but they have." He made sure his gaze never wavered. "Just try me."
The Doctor didn't answer his question, not directly. "I would say those minutes have passed now. The Pegasi will be free."
"I see," said Dusk, not probing in further. "What do you suggest we do?"
"I suggest that you find somewhere safe while I handle this," he answered. "The Pegasi coming after you was probably just a fluke. They spotted potential prey and took after it. With any luck, they might leave Ponyville completely and never trouble you again."
"And if not?" asked Dusk.
"Then I'll take care of it," he said casually. "I've had practice. Well, I'd best get going and I advise that you do too. Goodnight, Dusk. Stay safe."
"You too." Even as the mysterious stallion walked away, Dusk still felt this question needed to be answered. "Doctor, please, just tell me. Who are you?"
The Doctor paused, considering the question. "Well… why don't you see if you can't figure it out?"
Without another word, he left him there, walking off down a street and out of sight. Dusk stared after him for a long while, those words repeating themselves in his head. Why didn't he want to tell him? A pony who spoke in such a confusing manner, who said so much but revealed so little. What was it he was trying to hide?
Remembering that there were currently hostile garden ornaments on the prowl, Dusk decided that for now it was best to take the Doctor's advice and find somewhere safe to stay. He couldn't go back to his house in case they were waiting for him. Perhaps one of his friends would offer him a place to stay for the night, if he could just come up with some sort of excuse.
He paused and turned. From the direction the Doctor had gone off in, he thought he heard something. A groaning kind of sound, rising and falling like a wave, becoming louder and quieter, like an ancient creature breathing through aging lungs. Ancient… yet beautiful.
But just as he heard it, it stopped, fading into the night. Dusk stood for a while, wondering if he'd really heard something and made his way back into Ponyville, hoping that Ray wouldn't mind if he dropped around for the night… and that he would never see those statues again.
Rising from bed at the time she always did, combing her mane, having a wash and eating a good breakfast, Twilight Sparkle was ready as always to start the new day. How could anypony start a day just as well without the schedule that she so relied upon?
She decided to leave Spike for a little longer and not because she felt like starting to let him get lazy, or rather more lazy. She wanted a few minutes to talk with Dusk alone first, just to check to see if he was okay from the talk they had yesterday. When he'd left, she'd sent another letter requesting further information regarding the disappearance of the guards, just to help put his mind at ease that Tube and Edge had nothing to do with it.
She might be overdoing it a little in that regard, but she didn't want him upset over this. No more suffering for her stallion, if she could help it.
She noticed that his eyelids were drooping a little and he walked with a slight stoop, with small bags under is eyes.
"I just… didn't get a lot of sleep," he yawned when she asked him.
"Why not?" Concern for him began to emerge. "Your nightmares haven't been getting worse again, have they? Or is it the memories?"
"I suppose you could say that, yes," he answered. "Some nights are just worse than others, I suppose."
Concern became worry. "Is there anything I can do? I could try and look up a stronger spell to soothe your mind or maybe I could enchant your necklace half somehow, just so that you can have an easier sleep. Or maybe-"
"Twilight, please, you already do enough," he assured gently. "I'll be fine at night, just so long as I can wake up to see you every morning."
"Aww, Dusk, that's sweet of you." She had to give him a kiss for that. "Okay, I trust you. Just don't start pushing me away and always remember I'm here for you."
"I promise, I won't." He laughed a little bit.
"So, you still managed to sleep okay then?"
"For the most part, yes. I actually stayed over at Ray's house for the night. I thought having some friendly company might help me sleep easier."
"That was probably a good idea." Her cheeks went warm when a thought occurred to her. "You know, if you did need some company to help you sleep easier… you could have come to see me."
Dusk's cheeks went crimson too. "Twilight! You're not suggesting-"
"No, no, of course not!" she said quickly. "Nothing… like that, but… you know, my bed could probably fit two. Or… I could have come to you."
His face went even redder. "Yes well um… I don't think Spike would appreciate that and um… if your brother found out, he might get the wrong impression and rip my head off."
"That's a fair point," she giggled. "Still, the offer is there… if you want it."
"I'll bear that in mind, thank you Miss Sparkle," he smiled. "You know, there are times when you just remind me of how lucky I am."
"And is this one of those times?" she asked flirtatiously.
"Once again, Miss Sparkle, your powers of deduction astound me," he returned.
"Then demonstrate yours. Guess what I'm going to do next."
"I would say that you might be willing to share a kiss with me?"
"And I would say you're completely right." Their lips made contact again, sending that wonderful fluttering in her chest that she'd grown to love.
He started to practice his magic, while she made for the stairs to wake up Spike when she suddenly remembered another reason she wanted to see him anyway.
"By the way," she said, turning around. "I thought you might want to know, I sent a letter to Princess Luna asking details about the guards who disappeared."
"And what did you find out?"
"Just that when they disappeared, they were in the middle of moving four statues that were found in Tube's home," she told him. "It's strange because they were gone too, no sign of them in the garden where they were meant to be taken."
Something changed in his voice when he spoke. "Statues? Four statues?"
"Yeah, I thought it was rather strange too, isn't it Dusk? Dusk?" An expression of dawning terror clouded his face and he was completely frozen.
"Oh no…"
"What is it?" she asked, worried again. "Dusk, why are you-?"
A loud, high-pitched scream suddenly cut her off, coming from her room. Before she could venture up to find out what was going on, something else prevented her.
"Twilight!" Spike's indigent voice came down the stairs, soon followed by the speaker. "What kind of weird prank are you pulling?!"
"Prank? Spike, you know full well that I don't participate in practical jokes," she answered stiffly.
"Well tell that to the creepy statue that you left right over my bed!" he snapped. "I wake up and it's just staring down at me, you have idea how much that freaked me out?!"
"Spike, what are you talking about?" she asked, confused. "There's no statue up in our room and I certainly didn't put one there."
"Well, somepony did," he growled. "I'll bet Ray teleported it in for a laugh."
"Twilight, Spike, get away from the stairs." Dusk's voice had authority, but it was also trembling. He was sacred.
"Dusk, what is this?" she asked fearfully. "What's going on?"
"Twilight, please, just do as I… look out, behind you!" he suddenly yelled.
Twilight turned and screamed when she saw the snarling, hate-filled face of stone leering down the staircase at her. Spike saw it too, screamed too and scrambled to join her by her side. She kept her eyes fixed on it, trying to determine what exactly was happening here.
"What is that thing?!" she exclaimed. "Where did it come from?"
"Don't panic, stay calm," urged Dusk, evidently trying not to be terrified himself. "Just keep your eyes on that statue, don't take them off it, not even for a second. Don't even blink."
"Bro, I'm getting a little freaked out here," whimpered Spike. "What's going on? You're not doing this, are you?"
"Believe me, I have nothing to do with this," he replied. "But just keep your eyes on it and back up to the door. We might be able to get help from somewhere in- AGH!"
"Dusk!" Completely forgetting about the statue, she turned and saw another one, its stone legs wrapped around Dusk in a lock.
"Twilight, what's happening?" Spike asked urgently.
"Don't turn around, Spike, keep your eyes on that one!" she commanded, keeping her focus on her stallion.
"Twilight… help me…" he choked through its grip around his throat.
"How? What do I do?" she asked urgently, starting forward and keeping her eyes on the statue.
"No, stay back!" he gasped. "Don't… come closer…"
"But then how am I supposed to help you?" she begged.
"Listen… to me…"
"Yes? Tell me, what do you need? What can I do?"
Her eyes were starting to sting and well up, but she held her gaze on him for as long as she could.
"Brown Earth pony… the Doctor… find him!"
She could feel her eyes start to water, she couldn't keep this up any longer. She could see Dusk's face, the desperate fear in his eyes, his struggled attempts to escape and to breathe. She started forward again, reaching out with her hoof… and she blinked.
Then he was gone. Just like that. No scream, no flash, nothing. Both he and the statue that had him were gone. She continued to reach out with her hoof as the sense of loss filled her, like she might be able to pluck him out of the air in front of her.
"It's gone!" Spike cried. "The one on the stairs, it just left… wait, where's Dusk? Where'd he go? He was right here."
"They… they took him, Spike," she whispered, tears pouring down her face. "Those things… they took him. They left… once they had what they came for."
"Evidently they have." The new voice made them both jump. "Though I do wonder why they didn't take the opportunity to feed on you two when they had the chance, I suppose we should be glad they left you alone."
Twilight took a moment to look over him. Brown fur, an Earth pony who obviously knew what was going on. Was this who he was talking about?
"Are you the Doctor?" she asked him, hurrying forward. "Dusk said that we should try to find you before-"
He walked straight past her, pulling out a small silver tube as he went. "Yes, yes, I'm sure he did, now could you shut up for a minute while I try to figure out what's going on."
"What?" Even though she'd just met him, that stung a bit. "I'm only trying to ask if you're the one who can help us-"
"Well, obviously I am," he interrupted, holding up the tube. "What do you think I'm doing with this?"
"At the minute, nothing. What is that anyway?" she added.
"Sonic screwdriver," he answered, as if it was obvious. "Anymore pointless questions? No? Good, now maybe I can actually try and help somepony who's in mortal peril right now rather than wasting time with idle chit chat."
A buzzing sound came from the device when it lit up, adding to Twilight's mounting annoyance. "Look here you, my coltfriend has just been kidnapped by a pair of moving statues and I want to-"
"Yes, he is and you haven't, so you're not important right now, are you?"
"Hey-!"
"Exactly, now I just need to figure out where they've gone so I can initiate a brilliant and no doubt daring rescue of your beloved stallion, miss."
Spike piped up before she could respond. "How did you know they were here anyway? How did you know to show up?"
"Well, my scaly little friend, they were covered in background radiation from the Void because all four of them fell through here from another universe, soaked in it when they fell through the walls of reality, that's how I was able to track them," he explained rather rapidly. I picked up their signatures again, but two of them had me blocked off while the other two went for Dusk."
Spike frowned in confusion. "Right, I only think I understood the last part, everything else was just kind of… eh."
"That's usually the reaction I'm met with. I didn't think that this was happen, I really did think that their going after him was just because they were feeling a little bit peckish and he was the first thing they saw, but they were all the way in Canterlot before. There were hundreds of potential sources for energy there, even the princesses themselves, so why go for him?"
"Hey, wait a minute-"
"But now they've taken him. Why did I ever think that it was a fluke, of course it wasn't! They need him for something, but what? What could be so important about him that they'd need him? They could feed off of anything for centuries with nopony ever knowing they were here, but they chose to take him anyway. They're working to something bigger, something that's not just feeding-"
"Will you shut up?!" Twilight finally snapped. "Now, are you going to help us get my coltfriend back?"
"Yes, but I-"
"Will you need us to do what you need to do?"
"Perhaps, but-"
"Then you are going to start making more sense and explain to me what's going on, right now or I swear I'm going to use a spell that'll have you seeing out of your-"
"Hold on, did you just say Dusk was your coltfriend?" he interrupted.
"Yes and if you weren't so busy rambling every second, you would have-"
"Oh, then you must be Twilight Sparkle!" He grinned broadly at her. "Oh, well this is brilliant! If you're here, then that means we might actually have a chance at rescuing him."
"I thought you said I wasn't important before," she growled.
"Oh, was I being rude again? Sorry, I usually don't pay attention to when I- OW!" He stopped when she slapped him across the face. "I suppose I deserved that, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did."
"Right, noted." He shook his head a few times. "Ooh, I pity Dusk if he ever gets on your wrong side."
"Believe me, I don't let it show often. Just when I need to," she said with a glare.
"Duly noted." He cleared his throat and backed away a little. "But then that just raises another question. Why would they take him here, with you as a witness? Surely that would raise the alarm and their cover would break in an instant, if not in the case of the princesses as opposed to you. Tartarus hath no fury, as they say."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." She sighed in annoyance. "Right, you just… stay here, okay? I need to send a letter to the Princess about this. Luna's not going to be happy when she hears about this."
"Wait, what did you just say?" asked the Doctor.
Now this was getting ridiculous. "That I'd have to tell Luna about what happened to Dusk."
"No, I know you said that, but why? Why would you need to tell her that?"
"Because he's her-"
"Because he's her student!" the Doctor cried, almost at the same time. "Of course, why didn't I see it before? That's why the Pegasi want him!"
While his face was lit up in realisation, both she and Spike just stared at him.
"Think about it, they kidnap Dusk, right in front of you and, of course, you send a message to Princess Celestia. It probably would have taken a little longer if they'd taken him last night, but the effect would be the same. Her sister hears about it, figures out where they've gone and takes after them to save not only her student, but the first friend she's had in a thousand years. That's when they'd spring their trap and get both of them."
Spike scratched his head. "I don't like the sound of that… are you sure they couldn't get it some other way?"
"There's more than one way for them to get the energy they need and what better way than to get it from the being who is the embodiment of the night. Imagine it, all of those stars that paint the sky every night, the moon that shines down on all of Equestria and the sheer amount of energy for them."
"But Luna's one of the most powerful beings in existence. How could they hope to match her?" she asked.
"Believe me, they're just as old as she is, if not older," explained the Doctor.
"But then if they were in Canterlot, why didn't they just attack Luna then?" she out forward.
"It's always easier to cut the strings of the puppet to reveal the puppet master when he comes to fix them." He frowned a little. "Actually, that makes her sound rather sinister, doesn't it? Anyway, my point is they could find some way so that Luna would be alone against them so that both she and Dusk would be easy prey, giving them plenty of energy to gorge on so then they can turn their attention to the rest of Equestria."
Twilight shuddered a little. She'd already had more than her fill with just the two she'd seen there. The idea of them becoming more powerful and using her coltfriend to do it… the thought made her blood chilled.
"Okay, I understand." She looked up at the Doctor. "You still haven't really explained what exactly those things are, but if they present a danger to Equestria as well as Dusk, I'm willing to help you stop them."
He smiled and nodded. "I was hoping you might."
"Good. Right, we need to find out where they've gone." She looked at Spike. "You need to stay here, this could be dangerous."
"What?! No, I'm not staying here while you run off into danger with some guy we barely know!" insisted Spike.
"Didn't you just say something about me being rude?" muttered the Doctor.
Twilight ignored him. "Spike, we don't have time to argue about this."
"No, I want to help!" insisted Spike. "He might be your coltfriend, but he's my friend too, my bro in library-assistantship. You're gonna have to tie me down before you even think of stopping me from going."
"Well, first we'd need to figure out where exactly they have gone, which we still haven't!"
"I don't think that'll be a problem." She turned to see the Doctor stood by a table.
The Elements of Harmony reference guide was open there, but she certainly hadn't been reading it, nor had she taken it down. She looked down at the page. It was the part that referenced the location of the Elements. The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.
"They left it open here. They wanted you to figure out where they took him," the Doctor said grimly.
Despite the fear, Twilight could feel her anger too. "Then they just made their second mistake."
"Right, let's get going then. Allons-y!" declared the Doctor.
"It could easily be a trap."
"I know," he said in a dangerous voice. "And they should know better than to put me in a trap."
Dusk was completely helpless, while he stood once again the crumbling ruins of the ancient castle. He couldn't struggle free, for the grip of the Pegasus that held him was too tight. He couldn't use his magic. He'd tried it before and his captor had nearly choked the life out of him to make him stop and he was sure no spell he could manage would work against these monsters. He couldn't cry out for help. They'd moved too fast and nopony would hear him out here.
So, all he could do was wait in the stony, smooth grip of the Pegasus, inside the throne room of the castle, now and again glancing around at the others. They usually remained motionless, hooves covering their eyes, ready to act at a moment's notice.
It looked like they'd thought out this rather well to ensure he couldn't escape or receive aid. They didn't stay near the entrance, so he'd have far to run before he made it out. The Pegasi had spread themselves out so that he could only keep two in his line of sight at any time. Even if he did manage to get out of the grip of this one, which didn't seem highly likely, one of them would just as quickly recapture him.
Why exactly they had brought him here was something he was still trying to figure out. They had the chance to zap him into the past, yet they had taken him here instead. Why were they keeping him here? What did they want with him? Why did they want him as their prisoner… no, not prisoner. Hostage. Or bait.
They'd taken him, right in front of Twilight and Spike. They must know what would happen as a result. Whether it would be Twilight coming here or the princesses, they were preparing a trap for which they were using him as the bait. A tool to hurt his friends… oh, how he hated being used like this.
His ears picked up something. Movement from outside. Not the Pegasi, but they seemed to notice it too. They raised their heads when he looked away, heads pointed towards the staircase, seeing two shadows against the wall. It opened and he felt both relief and terror when he saw who stepped inside.
"Hello, we're here!" called the Doctor. "I hope you don't mind, but we just let ourselves in. I mean, the door was open and we were specially invited."
"Twilight! Doctor!" He would have said more, but the cold grip around his neck tightened.
He grinned over at him. "Ah and there's Mr Noir. Honestly, where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you. Poor Twilight's been worried sick about you. I must than your four for keeping a close eye on him, we're very grateful."
The Pegasi didn't say anything. He wasn't even sure they could speak.
The Doctor continued talking, like he was discussing the weather. "I must say, I like what you've done with the place. Very old, very… stony. Quite homely for you, I'm sure. You lot always pick the best places to stay. Just because you're evil energy eating monsters from the dawn of time doesn't mean you can't live in style."
Dusk tried to choke out that this was a trap, but it only came out as a strangled croak. What on earth was he up to? Why was he just standing there talking to them? And was that the silent patter of feet he could hear behind him?
"Don't worry, Dusk," the Doctor said, "we're going to get you out of there. Twilight, if you will, like we discussed."
"Right." She stepped into the centre. "Weeping Pegasi, I know you can hear me. I know that you've taken Dusk Noir with the intention of getting access to Princess Luna. You wanted to lure her here so that you could drain her energy and his, to get stronger."
The feet had stopped now. He wished he could turn his head to see what had been making the noise, but the Pegasus kept his attention on Twilight. Where was she going with this?
She had her eyes on one, while the Doctor had another. "I'm here to tell you that you've been wasting your time. Princess Luna is nothing compared to her elder sister and you could just as easily lure her here with her student, who is also far more powerful than this stallion. Me."
No! What was she doing? She couldn't really be expecting to bargain with these creatures. There was no way they'd let him go in exchange for him. They'd just kill them all to get the energy they needed. He wanted to scream out, to tell her to stop, but he couldn't. He had to do something, anything but let her do this!
But he caught the Doctor's eye very briefly. He winked, his eyes flickering to the left before returning to the Pegasus he had been staring at. It was the one farthest to the right, which was now snarling hungrily. This wasn't what they were going to do. He had no intention of letting Twilight hand herself over. He wanted him to watch this Pegasus, while they watched the other two.
They had something else planned… and he soon heard what it was.
Very gradually, he could hear the sound of stone starting to be chipped away. Not looking around, he did his part in what was obviously part of their plan and kept his eyes on the third Pegasus in front of him. The one they weren't watching.
"Think about it," Twilight went on. "Celestia managed for a thousand years without her sister to do what she normally would have done and she overpowered her and sealed her in the moon for that same length of time. Does that show you she's the more optimum candidate for feeding?"
The chipping increased a little now, along with the creaking of stone, coming from where the Pegasus's neck was…
"Not only that, but I've been training for years under her tutelage, but he's barely started. If you let him go and take me as your hostage instead, then you'll get two large boosts of power when Celestia comes here to rescue me." She smiled at them. "You'll really get further ahead with this plan, I assure you."
THUD!
He looked to see the stone head of the Pegasus roll away, could feel its stony grip slacken when he looked away. Shaking himself away from the statue's non-existent grip, he turned and saw Spike standing behind them, a hammer in one claw, a chisel in the other and a grin on his face.
"Can't kill a stone, huh?" He chuckled at the now headless statue. "I don't think so."
"Fantastic work, Spike!" called the Doctor. "That's one down and three to go, but still three I'd rather not deal with."
"Always a bright side." Dusk turned to see Twilight coming to meet him. "Did you really just make a pun?"
"Not intended." She beamed and threw her hooves around him. "Thank Celestia you're safe."
"All thanks to you, Spike and, of course, the Doctor." He returned the stallion's smile. "A clever, yet simple plan."
"Sometimes, the simplest plans are the best. Twilight and I had the job of distracting the Pegasi while Spike here snuck up behind you and, uh persuaded the one holding you to let go." He looked over at the other one. "Normally, that wouldn't work, but I was counting on these four being rather weak from not having fed for so long."
"Wait, hold on, so you weren't even sure?!" Spike asked incredulously. "And you just went ahead with it?!"
"Well, it worked, didn't it? Now, perhaps we can save the hugging and shouting for later because, in case you haven't forgotten, we're in a bit of a situation," he reminded them.
The other Pegasi were all turning to face them, no longer calm and serene, but their faces contorted with hatred. The visage of evil. Staying close and edging their way slowly around them, they made for the stairs, kept their eyes on them for as long as they could and galloped down as fast as they could.
They tried to run backwards, keeping the Pegasi in sight, losing them if they turned a corner or if they dropped out of their line of sight. There were only three of them now, but Dusk doubted that chiselling tactic would work on them again. Mainly because Spike had dropped them in a panic.
"So, you know then?" he asked Twilight while they galloped.
"Yes, the Doctor explained to us what was going on. Eventually," she added pointedly.
"Eventually is better than not at all. For example, I would say that it's better that we start running eventually rather than not at all," he suggested, pointing back at their pursuers.
"Where are we going exactly?" Dusk yelled.
"Don't know, but I'll think of something!" called the Doctor.
"You're just making this up as you go along!" realised Twilight.
"Yep!" The Doctor grinned back at her. "But I do it brilliantly."
They kept pace away from the Pegasi, but Dusk knew there was only so long they could run for before they hit a wall. Eventually, they did, in the form of a circular room with a locked, heavy stone door blocking their path. It glowed faintly with residual magical enchantments, obviously very important.
"Right, back the other way!" The Doctor skidded to a halt mid-run. "Or perhaps not."
They looked at the entrance to see the three remaining Pegasi barring their path back. They had spread themselves out so they completely covered the entrance, their faces blank once again. It was like they knew there was nowhere to run.
"Don't worry, hold on." The Doctor pointed his screwdriver at the lamps around the room, keeping them lit. "As long as we keep them in our sights, we should be fine." A lamp crackled and went out. "Until something like that happens."
As if on cue from the first one, the lamps started to burst and die out. Whether it was due to their age or it was something the Pegasi were doing, Dusk had no idea. Only that they would soon be in darkness and unable to see them.
"Hold on, I've got this." He popped up three light orbs into the air, bathing the room in a white glow. "There, that should do it."
"Excellent!" The Doctor turned to him. "Now, if we should be able to get past them if we keep our eyes on them."
"That sounds easy enough," said Twilight, looking around too.
"I hope so," chipped in Spike. "Those things really give me the creeps."
"Don't worry, we just have to make sure they stay in… wait, who's looking at the Pegasi?" asked the Doctor, a note of dread in his voice.
Twilight gasped. "I thought that Spike was."
"But I figured that Dusk would."
"I assumed that Twilight would be."
"Doctor?" All three of them asked.
"Well, don't look at me! Look at them!" he ordered, pointing.
The Pegasi had now moved, their wings pointing at Dusk's light orbs. He could a sudden, but gradual drain in his magical reserves while they did, the lights beginning to flicker.
"Quick, get this door open!" The Doctor's device buzzed. "No, it won't open. This is a special kind of lock."
Twilight's horn glowed. "My magic won't open it either!"
"No, it won't it can only be opened with the right key and right now, it's our only means of escape!"
"Doctor, what do we do?!" screamed Spike.
"I don't know!" He started to mutter. "There has to be a way out… there's always a way out."
To be honest, Dusk couldn't really see one. There were no windows to jump from, no other passages other than the one the Pegasi were barring access to. Stuck at this door, with the lights about to go out and nowhere to go. They couldn't open it, not without the right key…
Wait, the key! He pulled it out, checked it against the lock. It looked like it fitted. Only one way to find out…
"Keep looking at them!" he shouted, whipping to the door. "I think I have the key!"
Twilight sounded incredulous and relieved. "How can you have the key?"
"Somepony gave it to me."
"Who did?" the Doctor asked.
He glanced back. "Don't you remember? You did."
Hoping he'd get this open in time, he pushed the key in the hole and turned it. The magic glow faded, the door grating open. It worked! They quickly hurried inside, shutting the door and hoping the Pegasi wouldn't be able to follow them inside. He heard the Doctor's device buzz and turn on some magical lanterns around the room, the light spreading everywhere thanks to its contents.
Crystal. Large and small, ranging from pink to blue, the whole room was full of sparkling crystals. Some were placed on the ground, some eerily floating in the air. Even the magical lamps that lit the room were made from crystal. The whole room just shone with them, their reflections looking back from every angle. He could see Spike's mouth drooling in one of them, Twilight's fascination and the Doctor's silent awe.
"So," he murmured, "this is why this place was locked up so tight."
"Indeed," replied Twilight. "I can only imagine what this room would be worth to some thief who came in here."
"I don't think it's just in bits that this would be valuable…" He placed a hoof against a crystal. "A great civilization, just gone. Like them…"
The tone in his voice made pity well up inside Dusk again. That sadness returned while he murmured to himself. It was like seeing this had reminded him of some kind of great tragedy or a painful memory. What did he mean, a great civilization?
He gazed at one of the crystals, transfixed by its beauty. Something sparkled inside it and he could see an image begin to form. A city, at least it looked like a city, surrounded by crystals. No, made of crystals. The entire city was made from the glimmering gemstones and, from what he could see of their tiny forms, the ponies were too. Were these relics of some ancient, forgotten civilisation, kept safely locked away in this room?
A loud crash brought him out his thoughts. The door stood slightly ajar, a stone hoof reaching through.
"That won't hold them for long," Twilight noted. "We need to see if there's another way out of here, another door or some way to get around them."
"I know how we can get out of this," the Doctor suddenly announced. "Turn off the lights in here and when I say 'now', turn them on again."
"Are you crazy?!"
"Just do it. Trust me," he implored.
Dusk was about to object, but he soon figured out what he intended to do. He looked to Twilight and conveyed silently they should do as he said. She hesitated for a moment before complying reluctantly, their horns glowing in unison until the room was plunged into darkness.
He could still hear the stone moving in the dark. He could only just make out the three winged shadows stalk inside after them, spreading out again so they couldn't escape. Out of instinct, he shone a small ball of light. It flickered again, allowing the Pegasi to step closer every second
The lights kept flickering even more, the Pegasi closing the distance every time there was darkness. He fought the urge to run, stood his ground-
"NOW!"
Dusk had to shut his eyes from the light that suddenly flared up. When he opened them, they weren't dead, nor had the Pegasi moved. They were frozen, caught in their own reflections that leered back at them from every crystal in the room.
"It worked, it worked!" Dusk threw himself around Twilight, who responded with equal enthusiasm. "Are you alright?"
"I'm better now," she replied, kissing his lips. "Now that I know you're safe."
"Yeah, we did it, we did it!" Spike cheered, holding up a crystal. "You guys want one?"
"Yes, we did…" She suddenly realised what he said. "Spike, have you been eating these?!"
"What? They're good! Oh well, more for me." He went to bite them, but Twilight swiped them out of his claws.
"All that aside, I'm glad that's over." He looked over the Pegasi. "I think I need some kind of treatment for all the staring I've been doing."
"You could have told us what you had planned, you know," Twilight said to the Doctor.
"Well, I didn't want to spoil the surprise," he said brightly. "Unfortunately, we'll have to seal this place again and since it seems we have the only key, then it can never be opened. They'll be trapped in here for a very long time."
"How can we be sure of that?" asked Dusk, with a hint of doubt.
The Doctor held up the key. "A handy little piece of magic this. You see, the room doesn't exist in the same dimension as the door and the key provides a way to bridge them together, a little like my TARDIS," he mused. "Even if they were to somehow escape looking at their reflections, they'd never get out of this room."
"If you say so…" He took one more look back and nodded. "Let's get out of here then."
Dusk felt some regret when the Doctor locked the door behind them, the magical enchantment reforming. He would have loved to have found out where all those crystals came from and about this city he had seen in it. But this room needed to be kept locked, for the good of all of them.
When they returned to check on the other Pegasus, they were shocked to discover that it was gone. There was literally no trace of it anywhere, not a single speck of dust or stone. It was just gone. The Doctor said that it must have reformed and escaped while they were busy with the other three.
"Don't worry," he assured to them, when they were out of the Forest and back home, courtesy of a teleport from Twilight. "I'll get on it. You three won't have to worry about it. I think you've done enough."
"Why, haven't you?" The Doctor just smiled that sad smile of his again, but didn't reply.
As they walked through the field they teleported into, Twilight brought up another question. "How did they know to go for you, anyway?"
"You said that they were being kept at Tube's home?" asked Dusk. "He does like to talk to himself and maybe they overheard when if he mentioned that at any point and set their sights on me once they were freed."
"Ah, here we are! Right where I left her!" announced the Doctor.
Parked in the field was a tall, blue box, about as wide as a garden shed. A single light was placed atop it, with words portraying the legend 'police public call box'. This was what the Doctor was here for? It appeared to be, for he pulled out a key to open the door.
"Where are you going?" asked Dusk.
"Onwards."
"In that box?" Twilight added.
"I can guarantee you'd be surprised." He lingered at the door. "Maybe you'd like to have a look."
Even from the door, Dusk could hear a humming inside, a light suggesting that this box was more than what it seemed. For a moment, he was tempted to take up the Doctor's offer. But after all that had happened, he just wanted a rest and he wasn't sure if he could take anymore strangeness.
"No, I… think we've had enough adventure for one day."
"I have to agree with him," said Twilight. "I think we could go for a rest."
"No arguments here," chimed in Spike.
"Really? Oh, alright then…" He sounded rather disappointed for a moment, before perking up again. "Well, there's another Pegasus still out there I need to find and I need to make sure that you get this key for when you need it."
"I suppose you would be able to do that, since you're a time traveller." He looked around at Twilight and Spike's surprised expressions. "What? With everything I've seen, that seems to be the only explanation that fits."
Twilight's expression cleared. "Well, we both know time travel is possible, so that's not exactly a far-fetched theory. Though I would like to see how exatly that's possible with this box."
"But you'd be willing to accept that?"
"Of course. I'm always open to anything that you suggest."
"You know, you two really complement each other quite well," the Doctor noted. "And I have a feeling you'll continue to."
"We will? In what way?" asked Twilight.
The Doctor only smiled. "Sorry, spoilers."
"Hey! Don't forget, you'd be nothing without me," reminded Spike indignantly.
"True enough," agreed the Doctor. "You three make a good team, you know that?"
"Of course we do. Go legendary librarians!" cheered Spike, wrapping his arms around them."
"Legendary librarians indeed," he noted with a smile. "Well, goodbye Twilight, Spike, Dusk. See you in the future."
"Don't you mean the past?" asked Dusk with a smile.
The Doctor chuckled and stepped inside the box, still smiling. "You'll like this next bit."
He closed the door and a loud thud was heard. Then came that noise again, the same one he'd heard last night, the light on the top shining like a unicorn horn. Gradually, the TARDIS faded away into nothingness.