Chapter 22: The Cave
When Dr. Lovejoy and the Line family left the village, Double Diamond was called up to the cutie mark vault. The pale pony obeyed quickly, for he decided that since the very pony that was blackmailing him was out of town, now was the time to execute his idea into action by taking a very big risk. It was a risk that came with a plan.
“There you are,” Starlight waved over to him. “Double, I have some bad news that I think you should know before we tell the village.”
“What bad news?”
“This morning, when I went into the vault,” she took in a deep breath, “I found that Hidden Trek’s cutie mark has gone out. “
Diamond looked at her for a moment, “You mean that he’s dead too?”
“I’m afraid so. When I walked in, I just saw his cutie mark fade until it disappeared. This sets everything back now that Mr. Trek is now deceased. We don’t know if he gave that scroll to that magazine or not since I don’t know what just happened to him.”
The pale pony looked over to the four moving dots that were headed towards the mountains. “Actually, maybe there could be a way.”
Starlight raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”
“Look, since the doctor has just left to go to the mountains, I really need to tell you something and we need to do something fast. The truth is Starlight, the doctor is incredibly dangerous.”
“I don’t understand, I mean sure, he had tested some drugs in the past. But wha-”
“No, whatever he told you, it’s not true! Look, I’ve been blackmailed too so he could prevent me from telling you what I know. But since he’s out of the village, we need to act fast if everypony is to live. Starlight, Dr. Lovejoy is a killer. He’s a clever, manipulative monster.”
“What on this planet are you talking about? Why would he blackmail you too?”
“Because I’ve found something in his house that he doesn’t want anypony to see before he dies. A photo album straight from Tartarus, half if it has pictures of…” he took in a breath, “bodies. Dead bodies in which he created some sort of sick art within, I’ve seen at least eighty of them in which he admitted to having killed all of them! All including Lilly, Finishing Line, Check Mate, and if anything that Starting said was true, he’s just killed Hidden Trek as well! Starlight, I’m begging you, he’s promised that if he found out that you knew what I’ve just told you, he’s gonna kill somepony close to me in the village as well! We’ve got to do something while he’s out of the village, and maybe help the Line’s while we’re at it!”
“But where’s your proof? If any of that’s true, then what sort of evidence do you have to back this up?”
He looked at the last house at the end of the village, “I know where he’s kept his photo album. If I show you, we must do something to stop him right away.”
With an eyebrow raised, Starlight’s horn glowed, and out of the cave was the Staff of Sameness, “I will, but show me the book first.”
The doctor was thankful that his saddlebag and a scarf that helped him keep warm on the rocky path to the caves. Strapped to his back are the tripod and a camera, along with a set of tools in his bag. He could see from high up the desert valley, before him on the gray mountainside was the Line family with Starting looking back at him every few minutes as if he could sense what was about to happen.
“Excuse me, Sandy,” he said, “how much further to the caves?”
“We’re about there,” the pegasus answered. “Why, are you tired?”
“Almost, but I can still go for a bit.”
“We just need to round this corner and cross a stone bridge. Once we go over it, we’ll be at the mouth of the caves in no time.”
Lovejoy observed the snow that was collected on the tops of these mountains, the still solid blue sky and the cool breeze that drifted over. In a way, this was the perfect setting for his next art project. It was tranquil, so isolated, so timeless, that he thought through what sort of background that the family will be placed in once he’s done with them.
But just as he was thinking, the doctor paused when he felt his head ached. He placed a forehoof over his right eye.
“Doctor?” Shore Line turned around when he noticed that the old stallion stopped, “Are you okay?”
“Sorry, just… give me a moment.” His forehead wrinkled at the pain behind his eye.
“Is something wrong?” the mother asked.
“Headache, but I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about. Perhaps it’s the pressure of the air or something.”
“You know,” the colt began, “Maybe we should go back. I mean, if the doctor isn’t feeling too well-”
“I’m not going to let a headache get in the way of our hike.” The old unicorn interrupted, “After all, I wouldn’t be asked the three of you to lead me up here if I knew I wasn’t able to.” His ears picked up on a soft sound in the quiet air. He concentrated on it for a moment; it didn’t take long to figure out that they were being followed. “I’ll be fine. Come on, let’s keep moving.”
The family and the doctor proceeded along the trail with Lovejoy silently cursing that he now has to make new plans.
Around a corner, they came to the arched bridge in which nature had carved out. Thankfully, it was wide enough for three ponies that stood at abreast could easily walk comfortably across. However, as Starting Line’s parents started to walk over it, he, on the other hoof, froze in place.
“Start?” his mother craned her neck behind her, “Starting are you coming?”
He shook his head, his eyes glued down into the cavern of ice and stone below. His legs shook the longer he stared.
“I think your son has a fear of heights Mr. and Mrs. Line,” the doctor pointed out. “Did you know this?”
Sandy flew up to them, “No. I honestly didn’t.”
“I’m not going!” Starting objected. “I don’t wanna fall.”
The doctor got an idea, “Here,” his horn lit up, taking off his scarf and putting it over his eyes. “Perhaps you won’t be so scared of crossing if you can’t see what you’re crossing.” He then levitated the blindfolded colt over to his father, “Here Mr. Line, how about you carry him over.”
“Hold on tightly, Starting,” Shore Line said before he started off with his son clinging onto his neck for dear life.
With the whole family going across the bridge, the doctor’s ears picked up that the sounds of distant hoofsteps were getting louder. “Wonder who’s following us?” he muttered as he too trotted across.
Several minutes later after they passed by a pair of skies sticking out of the snow, the four of them finally made it to the cave. “So we’re not going too deep in there, right?” Starting asked, looking into the gaping abyss of the entrance.
“Not really,” Lovejoy responded as he placed his camera on the tripod. “I’m sure we’ll find something interesting in there. Oh! I have an idea, why not I take a family portrait of all of you in the cave?”
“Really?” the mother asked, “You’d do that for us?”
“Well, since you’ve gone through so much trouble of bringing me up here; it only seems fair that I do something for all of you in return.”
“Yeah,” Shore nodded, “We haven’t had our picture taken for a long time.”
“Excellent,” Lovejoy said as he trotted in, with the camera in his magic, “Just follow me.” The family followed behind into the mountain. Not far in, the doctor placed a camera over to a wall where sunlight illuminated it. “Just group up over there and get yourselves ready.” The family did so, with the father on the right, the mother on the left, and a nervous colt in the center. After the doctor asked them to smile, Lovejoy took their picture with a flash of a bulb. “Very good,” he said, looking at the open portals that lead deeper into the darkness, “How about we-”
“Doctor Lovejoy!” a voice thundered, the family leaned over to see who was entering into the cave.
“Starlight?” Sandy inquired, “What are you doin-”
“Get out of the cave right now,” she warned, with the Staff of Sameness in her aura and four other stallions from the village. “Somepony in here is in very, very deep trouble!”
For the doctor, he didn’t bother to look behind him, “I take it that Mr. Diamond has told you about my book?”
“I for one am very shocked at you! You had lied to us! We’ve trusted you, take you in, and what did the ponies of Our Town get in return?”
“Great artwork?”
“YOU KILLED THEM!”
Starting Line looked up his parents and tugged at their forelegs, “Mom! Dad! We’ve got to get out of here now!”
Lovejoy shook his head, “Oh Starlight, Starlight, Starlight,” he raised his forehoof, and when he slammed it down, his horn lit up, lifting everypony in the cave off of their hooves, paralyzing them in the air. “I’m very disappointed in you that it took you this long to figure it all out.” His horn glowed brighter; two entrances into the labyrinth were caved in, leaving a pocket in each of them. He tossed the stallions from the village into one of them and made that cave in, trapping them inside. The doctor looked at the shocked and frightened family, “I’ll take care of you three a little later,” he said, tossing them in the other and caving them in as well.
With Starlight still in her aura, she struggled to free herself, “I wouldn’t cast any spells if I were you. I think you know if you did, your horn would short-circuit. Possibly damaging that magic of yours, hmm? What’s this?” his magic lifted a jar from her saddlebags. “Let me guess, the fungus I’ve given you? Oh, Starlight, you won’t be needing this stuff anymore,” he tossed the jar into one of the open caves where there was the sound of glass breaking.
“Now, since you’re here, I’d need to ask you one important question,” the old stallion went up to her, lowering her until they were face to face. With a smile, Dr. Lovejoy asked, “Starlight Glimmer, are you happy?”
Stats
Page generated in 0.019 seconds
Total duration
1,082 users online
1,571,418 hits today, 2,439,861 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
OHHHHHHHHH CCCCRRRUUUDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My mind is going, "FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!" right now...
7120673
7120682 derpicdn.net/img/2014/5/15/627176/full.jpeg
My face at the moment.
I am honestly surprised that DD didn't tel Starlight earlier about the doctor, unless he feared that the doc had a spell that would warn him about DD breaking his word, assume that what happen with the flickering ear, and in that case DD was right that he was to far to do any reprisals in the Town Ponies. On Starlight ends for how many years that she has know the DD I am surprised that she didn't take his word for about what the doctor does when he said that it was an emergency that they catch up to the Line Family and sort things out after the crises, that would show she doesn't trust anyone around her if she can't bring herself to trust in her own lieutenant. It it funny how Starlight is portrayed as a heroine in this precise situation, when she is in actuality a attention seeking despot, and that she has run off to try and save the Line Family from danger, with help from other ponies at the risk of the doctor reveling her secret to the other, instead of laing waiting for the good doctor to come back to set a trap for him would have been more her style, but seeing that DD has screaming for help she could afford to look like being Idell in front of obvious danger. I wander what was that jar was for anyway. I wander if Starlight is willing to risk using her magic of unmarking on the doctor. If i were to devise a good punishment on I would unmarked him and keep him in the Equalization house for months on end and make him recite the ethoses endlessly until he is broken pony, and when he is let go no one would trust him and he would be locked in his room when he is not working. Still saying to DD that the doctor was going to do tests on the towns ponies was a mistake, and she will have to explain herself on this later.
I wander what is going to happen next.
Oh crap. Starlight. I hope Lovejoy get's what's coming to him. Come on Starlight!
DD will come and save the day for sure if she fails.
It took me FOREVER to find this story. I had originally read this back as it was coming out before I made my fimfiction account. I had decided to revisit this and the story before it.
Even with keywords, this was almost impossible to locate. You really need to consider different methods to gain exposure, because if it was difficult for me, someone who was actively seeking out your story just to find it, it'll be impossible for anyone who might just stumble upon it, which is a shame because this 'Doctor Lovejoy' series is great.
9025552
Different methods? Like what? I have tried to post this to many groups related to this story as I could think of.
And it all comes to a head...