Chapter 3: Marcus the Dishonored
Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.
Derpy tried to remain as calm as possible as the Nymphadorian soldiers walked her towards the tall, metal wall laced with electrified barbed wire. However, it was hard for her to not feel terrified with a series of strong hands holding onto her tightly and moving her along like a piece of meat. She wanted to turn towards the Doctor for support, for even seeing him would give her some amount of strength, but she was afraid that the soldiers marching her along would get angry at her for looking anywhere other than straight ahead.
As they approached the wall, a loud siren rang out and a large pair of massive doors opened before them with a loud groan. "Where to now?" asked one of the soldiers as they passed through the entrance doors.
"Take them to a cell," ordered the leader of the group.
"But most of the cells are full of Auranians and Ruleonites," stated one of the soldiers holding onto the Doctor.
"Put them in with Marcus then. There's enough room in that cell for three."
Derpy looked and noticed that a few of the soldiers seemed to give angry looks upon hearing the name Marcus. The soldiers continued to walk her and the Doctor deeper into the base, which Derpy proceeded to observe. The base wasn't that big, about half the size of Ponyville. It was filled with mostly metal buildings that shined in the daytime light with a distinct, violet haze. A few radio and lookout towers were scattered throughout the base and almost all of them extended high above the top of the wall that surrounded everything. It was surprisingly quiet with the only sounds being the occasional yelled order or gun blast. Derpy soon realized that she and the Doctor were being walked towards a building with seven floors and barred windows that was located towards the center of the base. It looked much bleaker than the other buildings (which is saying a lot) and had a terrible smell emanating from it.
The inside wasn't much better. The walls were covered in dust and mold and the air smelled of stagnant bathroom water. The soldiers walked Derpy and the Doctor over to an elevator that was big enough only to hold Derpy, the Doctor, and about four soldiers. "It looks like you're getting a penthouse cell," chuckled one of the soldiers as he tapped the seventh floor button. As the elevator rose, Derpy took time to notice that the elevator buttons had labels other than the floor numbers. From the look of things, each floor was made to house war criminals of different crimes with the first floor being the lesser crimes and the top floor being the worst crimes. The elevator moved up the shaft pretty quickly so Derpy only focused on two labels: those of the first and seventh floors. The first floor, according to the label, was used to house enemy soldiers who didn't kill anypony while the seventh floor was used to house torturers, high ranking enemy soldiers, and deserters.
The elevator stopped at the seventh floor with a loud ding. The doors slid open and Derpy yelped as the two soldiers in charge of her pushed her forward. The seventh floor smelled much worse than the first. As they walked down one of the hallways, Derpy could see angry faces peering out at her through the bars in the doors that presumably led to prison cells. Eventually, they came to a stop at a doorway at the end of the hallway. One of the soldiers swiped a card in front of a scanner next to the door. The door slid open and Derpy and the Doctor were quickly pushed inside. The door closed behind them before Derpy even had a chance to stand back up. "You alright?" she heard the Doctor ask.
"I've been better," Derpy replied as she stood up and tried her best to knock the dust from her gown. "I'd probably feel a bit better about getting captured if I weren't trapped in this stupid dress."
The Doctor chuckled and smiled at her. It was pretty dark in the cell for there were no windows and the only source of light was that of the ceiling lights that were located in the hallway on the other side of the door. It was this moment that made Derpy feel even worse about the fact that the soldiers had confiscated the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. "Well, I can only hope that Twilight is doing better than we are," the Doctor sighed.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Derpy asked
"She was taken to the infirmary so somebody should be looking after her wounds. From the looks of the technology here, I think it's safe to say that Ms. Sparkle is in good hands."
Derpy noticed the Doctor's face grow a bit sadder. "Is something wrong, Doctor?"
"I'm fine...it's just...I can't help but feel a little bit guilty about what happened to Twilight. Considering the circumstances, she shouldn't even be here in the first place."
"I'm still confused about that. Why did the TARDIS not take us anywhere at first and why did it decide to randomly bring us here with Twilight on board?"
"The TARDIS is a funny thing. It never seems to ever bring me to exactly where I want to go. But, the TARDIS never fails to bring me somewhere without purpose." The Doctor began to scratch his chin. "But I'm definitely certain that Twilight is at the center of this."
Derpy rolled her eyes. "Of course she is."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Derpy. "What was that tone for?"
Derpy shook her head and sighed. "Nothing."
"Don't go and play the nothing card on me, Derpy Hooves! You've had a bug up your rump about Twilight ever since she came on board the TARDIS. You may think I haven't noticed but I have. Is there something more between you and Ms. Sparkle that I should be aware of?"
"No! Of course not!" Derpy snapped. Suddenly, a smooth chuckle emanated from a dark corner of the cell. Derpy turned around towards the darkness and shook at the realization that she and the Doctor weren't alone. She then remembered one of the soldiers instructing the others to put her and the Doctor in a cell with somepony named Marcus.
"Well, it seems we have a cellmate," said the Doctor.
Just then, an orange light appeared in the darkness. The light was coming from a device that looked like a mix between a lighter and a flashlight. Through the darkness, Derpy could see that their cellmate was a male Nymphadorian with a scar on his left cheek and a snake-like tattoo on his right arm. His only articles of clothing were a pair of blue jeans and a pair of sunglasses with one of the lenses knocked out. "Sounds like you ponies are more interesting that what I originally gave y'all credit for," he chuckled with a cool and confident smile plastered on his face.
"And...who are you?" Derpy asked.
"Name's Marcus."
Knew it, Derpy thought.
"And, I already know who you two are," Marcus continued. "Doctor and Derpy Hooves, right?" Derpy and the Doctor turned to look at each other. "I heard you two mention each other by name while you were talking. I was listening, you know."
"It's not right to listen in on somepony else's conversations!" Derpy snapped.
"Well it was kinda hard to ignore you two since you were talking only a few feet away from me."
Derpy scowled at Marcus. "Why are you in here? Aren't you a Nymphadorian too?"
"He's a deserter, Derpy," said the Doctor. "That's why he's here."
"Paid attention to the labels on the elevator buttons, I see," Marcus chuckled. "Yeah. I'm a deserter, a dishonored soldier, or whatever you prefer to call me. Served the army for seven years, grew tired of the whole situation, tried to leave, got caught, been in this cell ever since." Derpy couldn't help but feel that there was more to this than what Marcus was letting on. Marcus began fiddling with his electric lighter. "Normally, under these circumstances, I'd ask why a pegasus and an earth pony from Gaia are doing on Nymphadora but you pretty much already told me." Marcus turned his attention towards the Doctor. "So you're the Doctor. Nice to meet ya."
"Wait...you know about the Doctor?" Derpy asked.
"Of course. There's quite a large number of creatures out there that believe in the stories that talk about the stallion in the blue box. Always traveling, always saving the day without asking for anything in return, and always running. Running from enemies, running from those he could not save, running from...everything." Derpy could see a cold and sad expression appear on the Doctor's face. "Heard a lot about you when I visited Gaia a few years back with my girlfriend. My girlfriend's more of an expert on you than I am. We basically took a tour to the places you were most known for appearing: Canterlot, Ponyville, Atlantis, Vanhoover, the list goes on."
The Doctor snickered a bit. "Vanhoover?" he asked with a childish grin.
"What's funny about that?" Derpy asked.
"Oh, nothing."
"So are you going to try to stop the war or something like that?" Marcus asked.
"The short answer to that would be: yes," the Doctor replied.
"There's no way to stop this war."
"Come now. There's always a way to stop a war."
"Not if the solution is worse than the problem itself."
"That sounds a lot like what Midna said," Derpy whispered into the Doctor's ear.
"Perhaps we can learn more about it from this fellow," the Doctor whispered back.
"You know I can hear what you're saying, right?" Marcus asked as he flopped his ears a bit.
"Do all Nymphadorians have super hearing or something?!" Derpy snapped.
"Nah. Only a few of us."
"What about super speed?"
"That's a bit more common. So, who is this Midna that you mentioned?"
"I don't think that's any of your business!"
"I understand. If I were in your position, I probably wouldn't trust me either. But, what I will say is that I'm probably the most trustworthy person here."
"The deserter is the most trustworthy person in a war. Never thought I'd hear that," said the Doctor.
"But it's true. Unlike the ones holding me here, at least I'm not trying to go through with a plan to bring back an evil demon," Marcus scoffed.
"Wait...what?!" asked Derpy and the Doctor together.
"Yeah. And, as a bit a advice, you better not let anybody else here know your injured friend's name. Trust me, all hell will break lose when the men up high learn that there's a unicorn here by the name of Twilight Sparkle."
Just then, the door to the cell opened and in walked four soldiers. "The colonel's ready to see you two now," stated one of the soldiers.
"No need to hold onto us tightly, gentlemen," said the Doctor as he raised his hooves up. "My companion and I can be led in the right direction just fine without being strangled to death in the process." Derpy couldn't help but giggle a bit as she and the Doctor were led out of the cell.
The Doctor made sure to keep Derpy close to him as they were led away from the prison building and towards the colonel's house. The colonel's house was probably the most appealing building in the base with its shiny exterior, clean windows, and jade door. However, the Doctor's mind was mostly focused on what Marcus had said.
What is this whole thing having to do with Twilight's name? he thought. First Midna tries to kill Twilight upon learning her name and now Marcus is warning us to keep her name a secret. The name Twilight Sparkle must mean something here. But what?
The door to the colonel's house opened and the Doctor and Derpy hastily stepped through the threshold. Beyond the door was a sitting room but the Doctor had no time to examine it as he and Derpy were quickly directed up a nearby flight of stairs. The stairs led them to an upstairs hallway where the odd scent of lemons and lime wafted through the air. The soldiers led them to a door that was located towards the end of the hallway. "Here are the ponies, sir," said one of the soldiers as they passed through the door.
Beyond the door was a large meeting room with a long table and several chairs. At the head of the table sat a Nymphadorian in an indigo army uniform. The Doctor assumed that this was the colonel but he couldn't help but take note of how kind and young the colonel looked. "You may wait outside the door, soldiers," said the colonel as he stood up. His voice sounded young too. The soldiers nodded and stepped back out the door. "Close the door as well." The door was quickly shut, leaving the Doctor and Derpy alone with the colonel. For a few seconds, silence reigned supreme in the room as the colonel stared down the Doctor and Derpy with his kind and youthful eyes. He then walked over to the wall closest to him and tapped a button. The wall slid open and a shiny, silver cabinet popped out. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"
"What?" asked a surprised Derpy.
"Are either of you hungry or thirsty? I can only assume that you'd want something nice to snack on after going through all of the procedure garbage."
The Doctor and Derpy were silent for a couple seconds. "I guess we could use something, now that you mention it," the Doctor replied.
The colonel smiled as he tapped a button on the cabinet. The doors flew open and several plates covered in a variety of foods hovered over to the table. A few jugs of various beverages then flew out and landed next to the plates. "Please. Eat whatever you wish," the colonel said. The Doctor and Derpy awkwardly sat down at the table while the colonel continued to stare at them.
"Thank...you," Derpy said uncomfortably as she began to munch on a plate of purple and blue muffins.
The colonel sighed before returning to his seat at the head of the table. "I hope the men weren't too blunt with you," he said.
"They were blunt enough, to be honest," the Doctor replied.
"As expected. You musn't blame them. It's only standard procedure. We are at war, after all."
"Of course. So...you're the colonel?"
"Obviously. Colonel Asphodel Rogers...but everybody calls me Ash."
"Well...thank you for the food and drink, Colonel Ash."
"It's certainly nicer than being locked up in a cell with a deserter," Derpy added.
"Marcus?" asked Colonel Ash. The Doctor could see a look of guilt appear on his face but he quickly shook it off. "So, who are you two?"
"I'm the Doctor and this is my companion, Derpy," the Doctor replied.
"The Doctor. I believe my father once mentioned a person by that name. Can't remember the context though. Forgive me if I stare. I've never seen an earth pony or a pegasus before. After being a colonel in this war, it's nice seeing something new that isn't immediately trying to kill me."
"I hope you don't take this as an insult but you look a bit young to be a colonel. How old are you exactly?"
"I just turned sixteen a month ago."
"You're sixteen?!" Derpy gasped.
"Officially the youngest colonel in Nymphadora's history," said Colonel Ash with a braggish smile. "Of course...I wouldn't have gotten this position without us being in a war...and my father passing away."
"Your father?" the Doctor asked.
"He was the colonel before me; and a much better one, I might add. Normally, there's a bunch of tests and training you have to go through in order to become a colonel...but that changes during war. During war, if the colonel dies then their duties are passed on to whoever the colonel has listed to be their heir in the worst case scenario. Obviously, Dad went and picked me." Colonel Ash let out a deep sigh. "Well, enough of my story. What about you two?"
"We're not any threat to you, to make things clear. We ended up on Nymphadora by accident and a series of unexpected situations led up to us being brought to your base."
"I believe you."
The Doctor and Derpy turned to look at each other. "Just like that?" Derpy asked.
"Just like that. You two and your injured friend can take your leave as soon as she's healed," said Colonel Ash.
"You're quite quick to believe us," said the Doctor.
"You two don't look like you're on anybody's side here and I'd rather not bring any bystanders into this conflict. This is between the Nymphadorians, Auranians, and Ruleonites and us alone. Nobody else needs to get involved. Nobody else needs to see us destroy ourselves in order to end this war."
Derpy finished off the plate of muffins while the Doctor quickly drank a glass of a green liquid that tasted like watermelon. "Can we go and make sure that our friend's doing okay?" Derpy asked.
"Certainly. I'll lead you to the infirmary myself," replied Colonel Ash as he stood up. "What's your friend's name by the way?"
The Doctor froze for a moment as he tried to come up with an alias for Twilight. "Her name's...Rose! Rose...Oswald!"
"Well...that's certainly an interesting name."
"Tell me about it," said Derpy as she raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.
This is the last time I use the first name I think of. Rose Oswald? What? the Doctor thought as he and Derpy followed Colonel Ash out of the meeting room.
Twilight was falling. She was aware that she wasn't awake but that didn't stop her from being frightened by what she saw before her. An endless void of darkness spread out above her while a smoky, hellish landscape spread out beneath her. She could see thousands of Nymphadorians burning in orange and blue fires along the land beneath her. All of them were reaching up towards her with their singed claws. In the center of everything, there stood a massive black throne that rose high into the sky. Something was sitting on the throne. It was a tall, looming figure covered from head to toe in thick, black armor. A gold and purple cape rolled along the figure's back and draped over the edge of the throne. The figure looked up at Twilight as she fell. The figure wore a helmet that looked like the face of a demon. Two, piercing eyes looked up at Twilight through the eye holes in the helmet. They had no one color and kept changing from white to black to orange to yellow to red to purple to silver to blue and then back to white. An evil laugh escaped from the figure's covered mouth. Based on the laugh, Twilight could deduce that the figure was male. The figure extended his arms up as if to try and grab onto the falling Twilight. Twilight groaned as a surge of magical energy began to pour from her horn. Casting magic didn't normally hurt her but this hurt a lot for it was magic that was forced out of her by an external source.
"Come on, my little spark. Come and wake me up," chuckled the figure. "You and I are the only ones who can save Nymphadora. We shall rule the twilight together. Wouldn't you just love that, Twilight Sparkle?"
"No," Twilight groaned as she fought against the figure's cruel yet enchanting voice. "Get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Another powerful surge of magic burst from Twilight's horn. A bright light expanded out over the landscape beneath her. The burning Nymphadorians screamed as the light caused them to melt into pools of purple sludge. "I WANT TO WAKE UP!"
The nightmare world began to vanish as Twilight felt herself being pulled back into the world of the awake. As she prepared to leave, something strong grabbed onto one of Twilight's forelegs. It was the figure. "You can't refuse me forever. You belong to me for I rule all of the twilight," he stated. Twilight shivered as the figure stroked one of his fingers down her left cheek. "I look forward to when you return to me, beautiful Twilight." Twilight shook in fear and disgust as the figure let go of her and allowed her to fly further into the light.