Chapter 5:
The room went completely dark. Derpy couldn’t see a thing, not even the journal in front of her. It was Sunday, so she didn’t have any work and she had planed to spend the whole day reading, her plans however, weren’t going as smoothly as she had planned
“Well that’s just great!” The grey Pegasus exclaimed. She had caught up with real time, and now she couldn’t read what was happening.
“Derpy!” Carrot Top called out from the living room “are you ok?
“Yeah, are the girls with you?”
“We’re right here!” Sparkler Answered
“Alright listen to me, head down to the basement and turn on all the lights down there, alright?”
“Why, what’s wrong?” Carrot top asked.
“Trust me! Head down to the basement and turn all the lights on down there! It’s the only safe place in town!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just trust me.”
Derpy started to form another plan. She shoved the plate of muffins on her desk in her mail mare satchel, along with the journal, a flashlight (which she had tripped on and figured it would be useful.) and a tennis racket, don’t ask where she got the tennis racket from, it just sort of appeared on her desk earlier that morning, nopony actually knows how.
The Mail mare flew towards the door, only to crash into a wall, causing some picture frames on the other side if the wall to fall down and shatter. “Ow!”
Carrot top sighed, “This is why we can’t have nice things.”
“Sorry! I can’t see in the dark!”
“Or at all.” The earth pony muttered under her breath.
Finding the door Derpy Hooves hovered in the air above the living room, which was being illuminated by Sparkler, Dinky was trying to help, but she ended up just sending sparks everywhere.
“To the basement!” The Clumsy Pegasus announced, then proceeding to fall down the stairs. “Whoops.”
Carrot top flicked the light switch on, and the three other ponies went down, no doubt in a more, shall we say, graceful style than Derpy’s. Once they were down Derpy flicked the switches to all the lights in the basement.
“Oh shoot! I need to go get something upstairs! I’ll be right back; don’t turn any of these lights off!”
“Alright Mommy.” Dinky squeaked.
“What exactly did you forget?”
“Uh, something!” Derpy hurried up the stairs, not giving a chance for any more questions. When she got to the top of the stairs, The Pegasus slammed the door shut! Reaching for the key that was always left on the table, she locked it as well
“DERPY!” she could hear Carrot top stomping up the stairs. “Did you lock this door!” she jiggled the doorknob “DERPY HOOVES OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW OR YOU WILL BE IN FOR A WORLD OF PAIN!”
Rummaging through the drawer, flashlight in mouth Derpy found a pen and paper
“DERPY, DON’T MAKE ME BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR!”
Derpy wrote a note that read:
Ponies locked in basement
Please let them out
-Derpy Hooves
She placed the key on the note and took of into the air, crashing through the window “Uups!”
“DERPY!”
Ignoring her roommate’s frustrated cries Derpy Hooves stood up and walked towards Sugar Cube Street, which was named for its famous bakery, Sugar cube corner.
If I can’t read what’s going on, I’ll watch what’s going on! She thought confidently.
When she arrived and the bakery, Derpy saw a green unicorn in a bathrobe and 3-D glasses examining a pile of bones. Looking up, the unicorn saw Derpy and walked up to her.
“Excuse me mam,” she started, flashing a badge so fast that Derpy couldn’t see what was on it. “But I am going to have to ask you to leave the premises immediately. Until further notice it will be under quarantine under the authority of the research institute of fractures in time.”
“What?” Derpy Exclaimed, feeling extremely confused.
“You have to leave. Now.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not safe for civilians at the moment!”
“And you’re not a civilian?”
“No I work for…” she shook her head. “Look it doesn’t matter right now, just, you have to leave the area, and if you see any other skeletons do not touch them and immediately report them to me ok?”
“I think it matters who you work for if I’m going to have to report skeletons to you. I don’t even know who you are for Celestias sake!”
“I work for a top secret organization that nopony is supposed to know about called R.I.F.T. and I am supposed to get all civilians out of the area until everypony else gets here no if you would be so kind as to…” she frowned “wait a minute, everypony has gone into their house’s or there friends houses or something like that, why haven’t you?”
“Um, well you see I was just umm, I was trying to oh find … something and umm… I got… lost! Yes I got lost!”
The unicorn wasn’t convinced “really? What were you trying to find then?”
“Umm, It’s not really a what it’s more of a…who, uh yes I was to find my friend, uh… doctor, um, Time Turner!”
The unicorn still wasn’t convinced “Oh really? Because I’ve never heard of a doctor Time Turner.”
“Ah, well that’s because, umm, he’s from uh, Fillydelphia! And he’s visiting!”
“Oh really, how do you know him?”
“He’s my… Cousin!”
“I thought you said he was your friend.”
“Umm, yes but we’re really… close cousins.”
“Oh really?”
“Uh… yes?”
“So why again are you lying?”
“Well, I am looking for somepony, but they’re not my cousin.
“Then who?”
“I have no idea.”
“Then why are you looking for them?”
“Because, well, Because, Well, I, you see, umm… well I got this, package and it had a note and well, umm yeah…”
“A package?”
“It was a journal.”
“Okay then, that really doesn’t answer the question.”
“What was the question?”
“Why are you looking for somepony you don’t know?”
“Oh right well there was a journal… and it had this... story in it and… I was umm… investigating… and um… yeah…”
“Investigating what?”
“Stuff.”
“Care to elaborate on that a bit?”
“No…”
“I have a feeling you know more than you’re letting on.”
“Probably.”
“I’m afraid you’re not allowed to leave till you give me this information.”
“Two minutes ago you were telling me to leave the premises immediately.”
“I suppose so but this is a matter of national importance if you are withholding information that could compromise the security of this area you could be arrested.”
Derpy smiled “the stuff causing this darkness are these microscopic things called Vashta Nerada you thrive in darkness and turn ponies into skeletons and stuff and don’t like light… and stuff.”
The unicorn raised an eyebrow “and how do you know this?”
“I told you, there was this journal.”
“Right, Later I’m going to have to question you further on this, what was your name?”
“Oh, I’m Derpy, Derpy Hooves. And you are?”
“Lyra Heartstrings. Now this area is still not safe so if you would please leave.”
“Oh, yes, right.” Derpy backed away as Lyra returned to examining the bones.
Taking off, Derpy followed the trail of bones. She passed the smouldering wreckage of the bright lightly thingy and took note of where Pinkie talked to the CMC. When she finally saw where Pinkie fought off the skeletons, she heard somepony talking.
“So why does everyone have tattoos on their butts?”
“You know that you talk really funny Doctor.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you say everyone not everypony.”
“So?”
“That’s just kinda weird.”
“And I’m guessing you also say anypony and nopony as well?”
“Bingo.”
“Alright then!” the Doctor laughed.
Derpy got a good look at the pair for the first time. The Doctor was a brown stallion, just like Pinkie had said in the journal, and he wore a tweed jacket, Derpy couldn’t quite take note of anything else, her eyes were going crooked. Oh no not now! She thought, flapping around clumsily in the air, and then knocking over a stack of crates. Quickly, she dropped down, hiding behind the crates she didn’t disrupt.
“I think we’re being watched.” The Doctor’s voice dropped down to a whisper.
The two earth ponies slowly walked towards the source of the noise. Derpy cringed at her own clumsiness. Now they’ll find me and ask what I’m doing here! And the letter told me not to ask let them know…
Suddenly a high-pitched screeching noise sound from the next street, followed by a loud crash.
The Doctor and Pinkie Pie looked at each other and as if by some unspoken agreement they took off away from Derpy’s hiding place.
Derpy let out her breath and crawled down the alley next to her. When she got out there was a skeleton waiting for her.
“Uh oh.” She hovered slightly above the ground, back up slowly, with the skeleton pursuing in kind.
Derpy crashed in to a tree, causing a branch to fall and crush the skeleton with a sickening crush. The grey Pegasus flew back down the alleyway as fast as she could, armed against the shadows with only a flashlight.
When she got back to the crate stack she went in the direction she saw the Doctor and Pinkie go, turned around the corner. Something exploded in front of her and everything went black
***
Derpy woke up to the sound of birds chirping. Bright sunlight shone in her eyes. “What happened?” she asked, even though there was nopony there to answer. It was about midafternoon, and Derpy hadn’t had anything to eat since the night before. Realising how hungry she was, the Pegasus took a muffin out of her bag.
So how did the Doctor and Pinkie get rid of the Vashta Nerada? Derpy wondered.
Continuing to eat her muffin, the mailmare pulled the journal out of her satchel and continued reading.