//------------------------------//
// Dusk and Dawn 
// Story: The Doctor Whooves Chronicles Episode 6: Twilight Falls 
// by Doctor Perseus 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 9: Dusk and Dawn


Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

Derpy, Marcus, and Sylvia readied themselves as they neared the upper floors of the City Centre. Derpy had taken it upon herself to carry the Doctor's suitcase, which held the Staff of the Dawn and President Targaryen's ring. Marcus and Sylvia had both armed themselves with plenty of weapons from Sylvia's weapon bag.
Derpy was completely in the dark about what to expect once they came face-to-face with King Dusk once again. It had been a month since their first and last encounter and Derpy still had the memory burned into her mind. His great size. His dark voice. His terrible power. Would futuristic guns and blasters be enough to stop this maniac? Sure, they also had the staff and the ring but that didn't make Derpy feel any more confident. President Targaryen's attempted use of the staff on Dusk had proved to be an absolute failure and the Doctor's studies of the two objects throughout the past month had provided no new pieces of information.
A quiet, nervous chuckle escaped Derpy's lips as the dull sound of pipe organs began to reverberate through the air. Up until this point, she had been pushed forward by the powerful drive to defeat Dusk. At this point, she had many reasons to take him down. Capturing Twilight, ruining half of Nymphadora, and, by extension, being responsible for the deaths of Sylvia's group of soldiers and the possible deaths of the Doctor and Klaus. Now, with the villain she sought being oh so unbearably close, her anger was hastily replaced with caution, fear, and self-doubt.
What were they compared to Dusk? Sure, they had drive, weapons, and strength of their own. But, from what little she had seen of him, Derpy felt it safe to assume that Dusk was no pushover. She had been a first hoof witness to what he could do. This twilight shroud was his doing. The ghosts, the monsters, the warped progression of time. All of it was an extension of his power.
"I think this is it," said Marcus as the reached the fifth highest floor of the City Centre. "This is where President Targaryen's main offices and living quarters were. I have a feeling this would be the best place for Dusk to set up his throne."
Derpy gulped as she stared at her own reflection emanating from the dark glass of the small window in the door. Could she really take the Twilight King on? A pegasus with warped eyes face an alien tyrant literally brought back from the dead? The weight of the world seemed to be crushing down on top of her.
"You ready, Derpy?" Sylvia asked as she turned to face her.
Derpy was silent for a moment. As she thought of what to say in response, her mind drifted back to the Doctor. "I do need somebody there," she remembered him saying to her. "In this case, I need somepony. You could be that somepony, Derpy Hooves, if you want to."
Derpy contorted her face into a determined expression. She needed to be strong. Despite how incredibly intimidating the obstacles ahead of her were, she had to face them. The Doctor needed her. Twilight needed her. Nymphadora needed her.
"Give me the suitcase," she ordered in a surprisingly stern voice that even shocked herself.
"Yes, ma'am," Marcus replied with a smirk as he handed her the Doctor's black suitcase.
Derpy opened the lid and was instantly met with a glowing, orange light. It was coming from Targaryen's ring. Derpy grabbed the ring and was taken by surprise as the ring instantly grew in size. Within seconds, it was big enough to fit comfortably around one of her forelegs. She slowly slid the ring onto her right foreleg. Instantly, she was met with a surge of warm power. The dark magic that had been working against her during her climb up the stairs seemingly went away. The air now smelled of freshly-baked muffins. The faces of those she cared about appeared before her. Aunt Patty. Carrot Top. The Doctor. Twilight Sparkle. Their faces floated before her and smiled, encouraging her to keep moving on.
Derpy then grabbed the Staff of the Dawn and closed the suitcase. "I'm ready," she stated.
"Okay," said Marcus with a nod. "We're going in on three. One!" Sylvia readied her weapons. "Two!" Derpy stretched her wings and placed the staff in her mouth. "Three!" Marcus swung the door open and charged in.
Derpy flew through the threshold and was instantly met with the sight of her reflection in a large camera lense.

Twilight stared down at the throne room from the balcony she had been placed on. It was a large room with a checkerboard floor, dark tapestries, a massive window giving a wondrous view of the twilight capital of Lupae, and a great throne for Dusk to sit in. She wished she could teleport down but her magic was straining something fierce. Dusk was painfully close to breaking through her magical defenses and spreading his twilight out across the rest of Nymphadora.
Down in the main throne room, King Dusk was sitting in his large, black and hazy purple throne. A massive, floating screen was situated in the center of the room. For a while, the screen had shown nothing but static. But, now, Twilight could clearly see Derpy on it. She was standing in a hallway alongside the Nymphadorian known as Marcus and a female Auranian.
Where's the Doctor? Twilight asked in thought as she examined the trio on the screen. And where's Ash?!
"Hello, citizens of Nymphadora, Ruleo, and Auran," echoed Dusk's dark, booming voice from below. Twilight looked down to see that the Twilight King was speaking into a microphone of sorts. Twilight turned her attention back to the large screen. Was Dusk transmitting this? "It is I, the Twilight King, speaking to you today. I've been rather silent and patient this last month. But now seems like the perfect time for me to make myself known. What you see in the image being broadcasted to you right now are the remains of a group that went about the delusion that they could fight me and win. And, yes, that is a Nymphadorian working alongside an Auranian. Strange times we're living in, aren't they? And that's saying something, coming from me. Up until a month ago, I was trapped in a state of perpetual purgatory. However, I may have been trapped but I was still able to listen to the world moving around me. I know what you've all been through; and I'm pleased to announce that today shall mark the end of this pathetic war. The end will start with these three." Twilight shook as Dusk gave a cold chuckle. "These three have made it surprisingly far and I must credit them for that. They're only a few hallways away from me. But let's see if they're able to get past a little obstacle I've spent some time working on."
Dusk rang a bell and a shrill, terrifying shriek pierced the air. Twilight covered her ears and winced. "Watch out, Derpy. Whatever Dusk has coming for you, I'm pretty sure it's nothing good!" Twilight exclaimed under her breath.

Derpy stared at the floating camera as it levitated up towards the ceiling of the hallway and looked down at her, Marcus, and Sylvia. "Looks like we're definitely being watched now," said Marcus as he looked up at the camera.
Derpy nervously looked around. "So...if Dusk is watching us and knows we're here how come he hasn't come out yet and confronted us?" she asked.
Marcus glared angrily up at the camera. He pointed one of his guns at it and fired. Derpy jumped as the bullet collided with the camera, was reflected off by a small magical shield surrounding it, and flew off into the hallway's right wall. "I think he's just toying with us right now."
Suddenly, a loud shriek broke the eerie silence of the hallway. Dust fell down from the darkened upper corners of the hallway as the shriek reverberated through the air. Derpy, Marcus, and Sylvia froze as the foreign sound reached their ears. Sylvia cocked her immediate gun. "It looks like we're not alone here, anymore," she said.
"I thought monsters couldn't get into the City Centre," said Derpy. "Isn't there some sort of magical barrier around it? That's what stopped those zombies downstairs from following us."
The walls began to shake. A strange scratching noise could now be heard in the distance.
"Well, assuming the shield around the building is under Dusk's control, I think monsters can come in if Dusk lets them," said Marcus.
Odd clouds of steam began to fill the air. Thanks to the effects of the ring, Derpy couldn't smell anything aside from muffins: a scent that kept her calm and strong. Yet, looking over at Marcus and Sylvia, she could tell that the smell of the smoke was most likely not all that enjoyable.
"Gah! It smells like a burning corpse!" Sylvia exclaimed as she covered her serpent nose.
The scratching sound had grown much louder by this point. Derpy was looking all over for any sign of something running down the hall towards them. Yet, she saw nothing. However, it wasn't until the scratching noise had grown loud enough to simulate its source being right next to her that a terrible realization became known to her. Her eyes drifted up towards the ceiling. Her pupils widened as they fell upon the sight of a massive creature cloaked in darkness. "MOVE!" she screamed as she jumped back. Sylvia and Marcus listened and followed suit mere seconds before their unwanted guest jumped down onto the floor in front of them.
Within the dim light of the hallway, it was an incredibly difficult task for Derpy to get a good look at the creature. It was mostly hidden in shadow with only a few features being allowed to be known. She could see several long, spider-like legs protruding from its main body. Its main body had a Nymphadorian body structure but also appeared to be bent awkwardly and deformed in many areas. And, for a split second, Derpy could swear that she could see claws as sharp as daggers and as long as swords protruding from its front.
"So...we meet again," chuckled the creature. Its voice was unbearably scratchy and distorted. To Derpy, it sounded like what she thought a creature would sound like if it were an animal-insect hybrid.
"Sorry, you're not ringing any bells," said Marcus as he aimed his guns straight at the creature.
The creature merely laughed upon seeing Marcus's weapons. "Oh but we have indeed met, Marcus. Same goes for you, pegasus."
Derpy felt a shiver pass through her body.
"We don't have time for this," snapped Sylvia as she stepped forward and aimed her own weapons. "Move or get blown away."
The creature laughed again. "It looks like killing you will be a lot more fun that what I originally thought it would be!"
On that note, both Marcus and Sylvia began to unload their immediate weapons into the creature's body. The creature vibrated in reaction and even gave a few annoyed groans; but, in the end, it didn't appear to have been incredibly injured by the attack.
The creature then lunged forward, its legs and claws swinging madly through the air. Derpy and Sylvia dodged the attack and flew past the monster while Marcus got a small nick on his left arm. "Gah!" he gasped as he met up with Derpy and Sylvia. "Damn those claws are sharp!"
Through the dim light, Derpy could see small trickles of blood moving down Marcus's arm. "How bad are you hurt?!" she asked.
"I'll live. Let's just worry about it for now." The trio turned back to the creature to see it quickly advancing on them. Marcus and Sylvia continued to unload ammo into the creature as they, along with Derpy, walked backwards down the hallway. Their attacker, however, was barely hindered and enthusiastically continued its pursuit. The floating camera followed them as well, never turning its attention away from them and their opponent.
"Let's get into a place with more light!" Derpy suggested.
Sylvia reached into her bag and pulled out a grenade. "Sounds good to me!" she said before tossing the weapon at the creature.
As soon as the grenade touched the floor, the trio made a mad dash away from it. A couple seconds later, a loud boom erupted behind them. Derpy jumped into the air and began to vigorously flap her wings. She glanced back to see a cloud of black smoke, fiery sparks, and blue electricity filling up the hallway behind her. Cracks and burn marks appeared in the walls, floor, and ceiling and a wave of heat collided with her backside.
Unfortunately, the grenade hadn't been enough to defeat the creature as it only took a few seconds for it to recover from the shock of the attack and burst forth from the settling smoke cloud.
Derpy, Marcus, and Sylvia made a quick turn to the left and found themselves facing an even larger hallway. It was brighter than the previous hallway as a few open doorways along the left side had rays of twilight light pouring out of them. At the very end of the hallway, Derpy could make out a large door covered in cryptic pictures and writing.
"I'm guessing that leads to the throne room," Derpy thought aloud as she stared down the hallway. Just then, Derpy could hear that familiar scratching sound come up behind her. She, Marcus, and Sylvia turned around to face their attacker in the brighter light of twilight...only to feel their own jaws drop to the floor.
He was very different from how Derpy had remembered him. His fur was black and singed, his eyes were completely bright yellow and red, his indigo suit was torn and bloodied, eight spider legs of huge sizes protruded from his spine, his front claws were indeed as long as swords and as sharp and knives, and a blue sack of flesh filled with white and blue orbs of light was attached to the back of his head. The only part of him that seemed to be carried over perfectly from his previous look was his suave smile.
"President Targaryen," Derpy and Marcus said together in shock.
"Now you remember me. That's good," chuckled the deformed former President of Nymphadora.
"But...but Dusk cut your head off!" Derpy gasped.
"He gave it back to me. Along with all these other body parts." President Targaryen examined the new, monstrous parts of his body. His eyes then focused on Derpy. "I see you have my ring, pegasus. I'd very much like to have it back."
Derpy glanced back at the large doorway at the end of the hallway. "Sorry. I need it right now. But, don't worry, I'm taking very good care of it."
"Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way."
"I think we were already doing this the hard way, Tyrion," said Marcus before sending three bullets straight into the former president's face. The bullets left bruise marks on President Targaryen's face but, other than that, didn't do any further damage.
The trio once again took off down the hallway with President Targaryen following close behind. In vain attempts to slow down the undead monstrosity, Sylvia tossed a few more grenades in Targaryen's direction. Each grenade only managed to stun him for a few seconds before he was up and chasing them at full speed once again.
Derpy could see a white light pouring through the cracks in the large door. She knew that an even greater threat lay beyond but she was ready to face it. She was done facing the grunts. She wanted to face the king of it all.
Her focus on Dusk was interrupted by a terrified gasp. Derpy turned around to see that Targaryen had grabbed both Sylvia and Marcus and was holding them tight in his grasp.
"Derpy! Keep going!" Marcus ordered. "You've got the ring and the staff!"
"Yes. Run away and die, little pegasus," President Targaryen chuckled as he readied his claws and looked at Sylvia. "Now...let's see what an Auranian looks like on the inside."
In that moment, Derpy thought back to the crash. The premonition brought on by Ash, her attempts to save the members of Sylvia's militia, the fire, her failure.
Derpy flapped her wings hard as she charged towards Targaryen. Sweat poured down her coat, her teeth clenched hard on the handle of the staff, the light emanating from the ring grew brighter. She had watched those brave soldiers burn. She had watched the Doctor fall into oblivion. She wasn't going to stand by and let another person die. She extended her foreleg with the ring forward as she flew straight at Targaryen. Targaryen looked up and attempted to dodge her assault. While Targaryen managed to save his face from colliding with Derpy's forehoof, Derpy still made a direct hit to the spot where the back of his head connected with the strange sack of white and blue lights.
A sharp crack rippled through the air as Derpy's arm burned through the flesh like a fire poker. Targaryen let out a pained shriek and proceeded to release Sylvia and Marcus from his grasp. The fleshy sack dissolved into a pile of ash as the white and blue lights flew away from Targaryen and phased through the walls, floor, and ceiling. Two orbs, however, remained.
As Targaryen collapsed onto the floor, writhing with pain, the orbs of light that stayed behind transformed into the ghostly forms of Colonel Ash and a young Nymphadorian girl in an indigo dress.
"It sure feels good to be out of there!" exclaimed Ash.
"Ugh! It was nasty!" stated the girl.
Derpy looked down and watched as the deformed President Tyrion Targaryen melted into a puddle of black sludge. She lowered herself to the floor next to Marcus, who was breathing heavily and clutching his cut arm.
"That was...pretty cool...Derpy," he said with an impressed smirk.
"You didn't think I would actually let President Targaryen of all things kill you off, did you?" Derpy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Now that you mention it, I would have been very pissed off to have been killed by that guy." Marcus turned his attention to Ash and gave a sigh of relief. "So that's where you disappeared off to, huh? You leave us to go hang out inside President Targaryen?!"
"Hey! I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter! Something caused me to disintegrate and Dusk managed to collect my spiritual essence in order to help bring Targaryen to life!" said Ash in his defense.
"So...Targaryen needed other spirits in order to be brought back to life?"
"I think it would only make sense, given that he himself was a broken spirit and his new body was a random combination of body parts that shouldn't work together. He needed the power of other spirits in order to keep himself together."
"So that's what all those waves of light were about earlier?" asked Sylvia as she crossed her arms. "Dusk needed to cause spirits to disintegrate so he could use them to make his Targaryen monster work?"
Ash shook his head. "Dusk wasn't responsible for me and the other nearby spirits disintegrating or the waves of white light."
"Well, if that's true, then who was?" Derpy asked.
"Why don't we find that out after we defeat the tyrant that's currently cloaking half of Nymphadora in twilight?" Marcus asked with a grin.
"Yeah! Twilight needs help!" exclaimed the girl before running off towards the door.
"She knows Twilight?" Derpy asked.
"Later! We can discuss this later!" said Sylvia as she pushed Derpy forward. Marcus and Ash followed close behind.

Twilight couldn't help but jump with surprise as Derpy, Marcus, Ash, Thea, and the female Auranian burst through the throne room door. She had watched the entire fight on the screen and, admittedly, was relieved that they had survived. But, now, they had the biggest challenge of all to face.
Dusk didn't change his position on his throne or even react. He simply straightened his posture a bit and clapped his armored paws together. "Excellent," commented the Twilight King. "A wonderful show." Marcus and the Auranian aimed their guns at Dusk. Dusk shook his head. "Do you honestly expect to take me down with worthless weapons like those?"
"It's worth a shot," said Marcus as he and the Auranian cocked their weapons.
"Yes, I suppose it was." Dusk snapped his fingers and Marcus and the Auranian gasped as the weapons in their paws were reduced to dust. The Auranian let go of the black bag slung over her shoulder as it too was reduced to a dust pile. Dusk chuckled in response to their reactions. "Disappointed? I would expect nothing more or less from you right now. You've come so far, fought so hard. And, in the end, every weapon at your disposal was as weak and meaningless as your own existence."
"SHUT UP!" snapped Derpy with a fire burning deep within her eyes. Twilight couldn't believe how bruised, battered, and angry the gray pegasus looked. Even from all the way up in the balcony, Twilight could sense a powerful fury emanating from Derpy. A fury that ran deep and was directed solely in Dusk's direction.
"I remember you well, pegasus," said Dusk. "You were there, outside my tomb, when I returned. I must admit, you don't unintimidate me as much as you did back then. There's a dark fire burning within you now." Dusk stood up and snapped his fingers again. Just then, Twilight felt a powerful pull behind her navel and, a second later, was standing in between Dusk and Derpy's group. "This is whom you fought to rescue, if I'm correct."
"Twilight!" Derpy gasped.
Twilight smiled weakly at her pegasus friend. "Hi...Derpy," she said. A powerful pain suddenly coursed through her body as Dusk magically lifted her into the air.
"Put her down!" Derpy and Thea ordered simultaneously.
"She is my spark," Dusk chuckled. "I will do with her as I wish." Dusk began to move his arm in different directions, which caused Twilight to fly around the room like an out of control puppet.
"Stop it, Dusk!" snapped Derpy as he placed the Staff the Dawn in her hoof and pointed it at him. "I have the Staff of the Dawn! So, if I were you, I'd put Twilight Sparkle down!"
Dusk shrugged his shoulders as he placed Twilight back on the ground. Weakened by his antics, Twilight fell forward onto the floor. "It matters not that you have the Staff of the Dawn. It appears to have lost its hold over me since it last cursed me to that tomb. That worthless President Targaryen could not use it and you, little pegasus, certainly don't have the strength to wield its power." Dusk waved his paw and the staff flew out of Derpy's hoof. It landed several yards away from her with a loud clang. "That ring may have given you some power but it certainly won't be enough to defeat me." Dusk snapped his fingers once again and Derpy, Marcus, and the Auranian all let out surprised gasps.
"I...can't...move!" said Marcus.
Twilight felt so incredibly helpless as she watched her rescuers be trapped in place. Her own body was pulsating with pain on all sides. This was it. Dusk was mere moments away from finally overcoming her. His twilight realm was ready to continue spreading out across all of Nymphadora and beyond.
Dusk looked up at the camera floating down towards him, his armored face now filling up the entirety of the gargantuan screen, and laughed. "You see, people of Nymphadora and its moons?" he asked. He pointed at Derpy. "This is what happens to those who oppose me."
"What...what is all this?!" asked Ash.
Dusk looked down at Ash and laughed again. "I'm putting on the show of the century, spirit. Everyone on Nymphadora, Ruleo, and Auran shall bear witness to the failure of those you led here!" Dusk clapped his paws together. "Now, I think the audience had waited long enough for this grand climax. I must admit that I'm excited as well. My first broadcast executions."
Twilight's eyes widened. She couldn't bear it. She had been shut away from most of the twilight realm's horrors due to her time in the City Centre and she definitely wasn't ready to start witnessing them now. "Stop it! You've made your point! Just leave them alone!" she begged. Her entire body was screaming with pain now.
Dusk looked down at Twilight and chuckled. "Why would I do that? They've come here to kill me. I think it's only fitting that they receive an appropriate punishment. Besides, we wouldn't want to disappoint our viewers." Dusk snapped his fingers and Twilight watched as a terrifying, disgusting creature entered the throne room. It appeared to be an armored Nymphadorian soldier. Its armor was black and rusted and, from what Twilight could make out of the few spots where there was no armor, its skin was rotting and gray. It carried a long, rusted, bloodied sword, walked with an odd limp, and gave out gurgling groans that made Twilight's entire body shake.
Twilight gave a small cry of fear upon seeing it. "What is that?! What is that?!"
"Not those things again!" stated the Auranian with a panicked tone.
"Let them go, Dusk!" Ash snarled as he stepped forward and pointed up at the Twilight King.
"Or what, spirit? Are you going to kill me yourself? You have no power here, little colonel," Dusk teased before snapping his fingers again. "Kill the pegasus first."
Twilight and Derpy stared at each other. Their terrified eyes met. Derpy took a deep breath and gave a look of confidence as the soldier began to walk towards her with the sword at the ready.
Twilight couldn't take it anymore. Frightened tears began to roll down her face. "NO!" she cried. "PLEASE! DON'T HURT HER!"
"Yes. Cry, little spark. Cry for the death of your worthless friend," Dusk said before giving a long, cold laugh. He then looked down at Derpy and snickered. "Where's your precious Doctor now?"
This was a question that had been burning within Twilight as well. Where was the Doctor?!
"He'll come!" cried Derpy confidently. "He always does!"
"Not this time, pegasus," Dusk chuckled. "Your Doctor is dead." Twilight felt a terrible cold wash over her. The Doctor...dead?! How?! Why?! When?! "And now it's time for you to join him." Once more, Dusk snapped his fingers in the direction of the soldier. "Kill her then take her to the kitchen. I'm in a mood for some pegasus soup." The soldier continued to approach Derpy.
"STOP! GET AWAY FROM HER!" Twilight cried. But it was in vain. The soldier came to a halt in front of Derpy and raised its blade. Twilight felt as if the world had stopped as she watched the sword come down.

A soft whizzing sound emanated from the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. A few seconds later, Klaus gave a quiet grunt as he lifted the piece of metal tiling up out of the floor. The Doctor was, for a second, taken aback by the bright light emanating from the room directly beneath the empty meeting room he and Klaus were now in.
The Doctor was still confused by he and Klaus's mysterious teleportation up to the very top of the City Centre. But now, after much navigation, he and Klaus had managed to find their way to the spot immediately above Dusk's throne room.
"Oh good," said the Doctor as he looked down at the scene playing out in the room far below. "It looks like we've arrived just in time."
"NO!" echoed the fearful voice of Twilight Sparkle from below. "PLEASE! DON'T HURT HER!"
"That's what we heard on the walkie-talkie earlier!" stated Klaus.
"Exactly. And, from the looks of things, we don't have long before we reach the end of what we heard."
"But the message ended with Derpy-"
"That's not going to happen, Klaus!"
"How are we supposed to get down there then? It's quite a drop."
"Yes it is, not arguing with you on that one." The Doctor examined the room further until his eyes fell across one particular item: the Staff of the Dawn. "There you are, my mysterious friend."
Klaus gave a look of confusion. "What?"
"Brace yourself, Klaus," said the Doctor as he readied his sonic screwdriver. "I'm going to use my sonic screwdriver to send out a constant frequency throughout the floor beneath us that will cause it to collapse."
The blood in Klaus's face appeared to drain way. "Wait...what?!" he gasped. "You're going to make the floor collapse?!"
"Pretty much."
"But the fall will kill us!"
"Normally, it probably would."
"Normally?"
"Look, Klaus. Something powerful is working on our side. It allowed us to survive that fall into the cavern earlier. It's been with us ever since we entered Lupae. Something wants us to defeat Dusk...and I think I have an idea about what it is now."
"What is it?!"
"You'll find out soon enough." The Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver at the floor. "But, right now, you better brace yourself."
"You're crazy!"
"You're damn right I am. Are you going to stop me?"
Klaus looked down at what was happening in the throne room. "STOP! GET AWAY FROM HER!" cried the voice of Twilight Sparkle from far below.
"Sonic away, Doctor," said Klaus as he wrapped his arms around his head.
"Right then!" exclaimed the Doctor as he activated the screwdriver. "Allons-y!"
After a second or two of painful silence aside from the screwdriver's whizzing sound, the floor broke apart beneath them. Everything became a swirling mix of metal, plaster, and tile as the Doctor and Klaus tumbled through the air and down towards the throne room floor.
Let us not be too late. Please, the Doctor begged in thought as he fell. As the floor was just mere feet away, the Doctor felt a sudden push beneath him. It felt as if a warm liquid had wrapped itself around his body. His fall slowed down to the speed of a drifting feather. The Doctor looked to see that Klaus was experiencing the same effect. The tiles, however, continued their quick descent.
As the armored soldier brought its sword down towards Derpy, several tiles from above smashed into it. The soldier fell sideways onto the floor and its sword slid out of its grasp. King Dusk let out a surprised groan as a collection of tiles fell on top of him, though they merely shattered and bounced off him due to his thick armor.
"What...what is this?!" Dusk asked with genuine confusion.
The Doctor landed perfectly on his hooves with Klaus not too far behind him. "That, Dusk, is what is known as a sneak attack," the Doctor replied with a smirk.
"Doctor!" gasped Derpy and Twilight simultaneously.
The Doctor smiled and felt a huge wave of joy upon seeing the two mares. "Ah! Derpy! Twilight! So nice to see you're both in...decent shape. Nice ring, Derpy. It fits you. You've both done splendidly but I think it's time that we wrap this up, don't you think?"
"Silence!" ordered Dusk as he smashed one of his armored feet into the floor, leaving several cracks in his wake. "You shouldn't be here! You should be dead! I observed my guardian's attack on you myself with these very cameras!"
The Doctor examined the camera floating above him as well as what was being shown on the massive screen. He could also see a few other cameras hiding up in the far corners of the room. "And a nice set of security you have here, I must admit," he stated. "However, Dusk, it appears that something is currently working hard to make sure that you fail today."
For a moment, the Doctor swore he could see Dusk shake a little. He knows what I know, he thought. He knows what's coming for him. He's probably too scared to admit it.
"Besides," the Doctor continued. "Isn't this the twilight realm? A place where the dead and the living meet? Surely seeing somepony such as myself returning from their assumed death doesn't surprise you."
Dusk cleared his throat and pressed his chest forward in a confident manner. "It matters not how you survived, Doctor. This conflict ends today and I shall finally win!"
"You're right about one thing, Dusk, I'll give you that. Yes, all of this shall end today." The Doctor looked up at the camera. "Isn't that right, people of Nymphadora, Auran, and Ruleo?! It's time for this to end!" The Doctor began to feel a strange sensation take hold of him. A powerful surge of energy overcame his senses. It felt as if every action he performed was both of his own will and the will of a foreign power. "You've seen what this war has led to!" The Doctor glanced in Dusk's direction. "You've seen the extreme consequences of your combined actions. The prejudice, the fighting, the hatred. Every action of this war has helped lead to this monstrosity of an entity making his return to create a hell for you far worse than anything a bunch of prejudiced politicians could give you!" The Doctor pointed a foreleg in the direction of Klaus, Marcus, and Sylvia. "Yet, this horrible consequence has helped bring these three warring species together." The Doctor pointed at Marcus. "Nymphadorian." He moved his gaze over to Sylvia. "Auranian." Finally, he turned to Klaus. "Ruleonite." He swiftly turned around and pointed up at Dusk. "They came together to help take down this horrible result of your seemingly endless war." He looked straight into the camera. "You've seen the results. I'm sure as hell you wish you could take it all back. Every. Single. One of you."
"Are you finished, Doctor?" Dusk asked.
The Doctor smirked confidently as he turned back to Dusk. "Just about, Dusk. Just about."
Dusk raised one of his hands. "Well I'm ready for you to be done now. I think I've grown tired of you. Goodbye, Doctor."
"NO!" cried Derpy and Twilight as Dusk snapped his fingers.
At that very second, a white light flashed in front of the Doctor and Dusk grabbed his hand with a loud shout of pain. The white light in front of the Doctor spread throughout the room. The Doctor watched as Derpy, Marcus, and Sylvia were freed from their frozen positions and as Twilight was magically placed into a standing position. The Doctor and Twilight met eye-to-eye. In that moment, he knew that she knew too. The Time Lord and the unicorn nodded to each other.
"What...what did you do?!" yelled Dusk.
"Repelled your magic, wasn't that difficult," the Doctor replied.
"Impossible! A mere pony such as yourself has no hope to match up to the powers I hold!"
"You're right, Dusk. Even though I'm not technically a pony, I still wouldn't normally be able to stand up against your power."
"And yet...you're still alive."
"Obviously." The Doctor began to walk in Twilight's direction, never taking his attention away from Dusk. "I told you, something powerful has been working hard to ensure your failure, Dusk. Something you've tried to restrain and keep sealed away. Something you've feared yet have been ignorant to for quite some time."
"The one thing that can truly defeat you," Twilight finished with a smile as the Doctor stood next to her.
"It's not possible!" Dusk snapped as he conjured a dark fireball in his hand. "You have no power over me!" Dusk launched the fireball at the Doctor and Twilight, only for it to dissolve into nothing before getting within five feet of them.
"What...how...huh?!" asked Derpy, Marcus, Sylvia, Ash, and Klaus simultaneously. The ghostly Nymphadorian girl next to Ash looked on in wonder as the Doctor and Twilight simply waved off the attack.
"I know this is probably confusing all of you," the Doctor said with a smirk in the direction of both his allies and the camera.
"Just a bit," said Marcus.
"Or maybe a lot," Klaus added with a scratch to his head.
The Doctor chuckled. "Don't worry, everything will be explained soon enough."
Twilight took a step in Dusk's direction. "Tell me, Dusk, who said that I was just your spark?" she asked.
Dusk stepped back. "No. It can't be," he breathed.
The Doctor took a step towards Dusk as well. The presence within him grew stronger with every passing second. He almost felt like a puppet now, fulfilling the commands of a greater entity. "You tried to keep it from returning, but you failed," the Doctor said, his voice starting to sound like two separate people talking.
"The very thing that brought you life shall now return you to purgatory." Twilight's voice began to sound like two individuals talking as well.
"IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" shouted Dusk as he threw several more magical blasts at the two ponies. Each attack was successfully blocked or diminished.
"Tell us," said Twilight as she and the Doctor stepped towards Dusk in perfect sync.
"Do you remember what the opposite of the twilight is?" the Doctor asked. His eyes drifted over towards the staff. It was beginning to vibrate and gradually slide across the floor. He also noticed that the light emanating from Derpy's ring was beginning to grow brighter.
Dusk was shaking his head vigorously. "NO! I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS! YOU CAN'T BE HERE! I MADE SURE OF IT!" screamed the Twilight King.
The Doctor and Twilight came to a stop and smiled at Dusk. "The moment has come," they said in unison. "It's time for the Dawn."
At that precise second, the Staff of the Dawn flew through the air. The Doctor and Twilight extended their forelegs forward and caught the weapon. They proceeded to point it straight up into the air. Derpy let out a shocked gasp. The Doctor looked to see that her foreleg bearing the ring was also pointed up. A second later, a bright beam of white light emanated from the staff while an intense beam of orange light emanated from the ring.
A loud boom reverberated through the air as the two beams met mid-air. A large orb of light began to take shape at the meeting point. Underneath the orb, a shower of misty light rained down. Within the shower of light, a figure appeared. It was a male Nymphadorian who appeared to be the same height as Dusk. He was dressed in a billowing, white cloak and had pure light emanating from his eyes, mouth, and palms.
Dusk fell down against the foot of his throne at the sight of the figure. He attempted to conjure another magical attack but found that all of his attempts no longer produced any results.
The Doctor watched in awe as the Dawn approached the Twilight King with his arms stretched outwards.
"It is time for this to end, Dusk. You do not belong in this world anymore. You have brought it enough pain," the Dawn stated. The voice was powerful and intimidating, yet calm and soothing.
"NO! I'M NOT GOING BACK! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME GO BACK! I REFUSE!" Dusk shouted.
"It is already decided." The Dawn lunged forward at a speed nearly as fast as light itself and clasped his hands around Dusk's armored head. "This was never meant to happen...and yet it had to happen. Now that your part to play in this is over, it's time to fix what you've broken."
With that said, the Dawn tightened his grip. Dusk's armor cracked and white light poured from the new openings. Dusk let out a loud, pained, terrible scream as a blast of white light enveloped him. A powerful shockwave spread out from the clashing entities. The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy were knocked out of their respective positions. The Staff of the Dawn flew high into the air on its own accord. The ring around Derpy's foreleg detached and joined the staff in the air.
"Doctor!" Twilight cried. "What...what's happening?!"
"I'm afraid...I honestly don't know," the Doctor replied with a bulge in his throat. He looked in the direction of the throne to see a massive vortex of white light swirling around like a tornado. He turned his attention away from it and, along with Twilight, made his way over towards Derpy and the others.
Derpy ran towards the Doctor and Twilight and wrapped her forelegs around him. "I knew it! I knew you'd come back!" she cried as tears of joy rolled down her face.
"I always do, don't I?" the Doctor asked as powerful winds whipped his and Derpy's manes back and forth.
Derpy looked at the swirling vortex. "What happens now?"
The Doctor sighed. "Not sure. But it looks like we're close to finding out." Derpy tightened her grip around the Doctor and extended her hug to Twilight, who hugged the Doctor and Derpy back.
"Twilight Sparkle," said a soft voice. The Doctor looked to see the ghostly Nymphadorian girl standing a couple feet away.
"Thea," Twilight said.
"Thank you, Twilight. I think...I think I'm finally free." A giddy laugh of happiness escaped from the spirit's smiling mouth. "We're finally free!" Thea wiped her eyes and gave a polite curtsy in Twilight's direction. "Thank you again, Twilight, and...goodbye." Twilight let out a gasp as Thea broke apart into a cloud of spiritual dust.
"Thea!" Twilight cried.
The Doctor tightened his grip on Twilight and Derpy as the vortex began to grow larger. Her looked over to see Marcus and Sylvia sharing a long, passionate kiss. He turned towards Ash just in time to see the ghostly colonel giving a proud salute in his direction before breaking apart in a similar fashion to Thea. Klaus looked at the Doctor and gave him a nod of respect before looking straight at the growing vortex with awe.
The Doctor closed his eyes as he pulled Derpy and Twilight close to him. He wasn't going to let them go. Not for anything. "I've got you two. I've got you," he whispered into their ears.
"We know," Twilight whispered back.
"We're not letting go," said Derpy.
The Doctor smiled as he felt the powerful winds of the vortex overcome him and the two mares. Everything was roaring as if they were caught in the middle of a continuous explosion. The floor disappeared beneath his hooves. His mane and suit whipped back and forth as did the manes of Derpy and Twilight Sparkle. Everything was spinning. The Doctor was falling. Derpy was falling. Twilight was falling. Nymphadora was falling. The whole universe was falling around them. They were all falling back. Into what? To where? What resided on the other side of this terrible clashing of Dusk and Dawn?
They were about to find out.