The Sunset Trilogy

by ocalhoun

Book 3 - Chapter LIII

Book 3: Equestria Abides
Chapter 19

Sunny Daze was rather disappointed with the next morning, actually. Twilight Sparkle had woken her up early and helped by teleporting her up to the roof level, that had all gone well... but for the first time, her beautiful dawn was obscured by a bunch of clouds! Even as the sun rose even higher, the stubborn layer of clouds remained looming low and dark and blocking her view of her handiwork.

“It's okay, Sunny, really.” Twilight tried to console her a little. “You raised it without being able to see it... you know what that means?”

“Um... no.” Sunny pouted; she didn't see any reason why that would be a good thing; it was what she had been complaining about the whole time!

Twilight laughed a little. “It means that soon you'll be able to do it from inside, so you don't have to go outside anymore.”

“But I want to go outside and see it!” She protested.

Twilight's horn began to glow, preparing to teleport them back to their room. “Even when it's raining?” With a pop, both ponies were back in their own room. “Even when it's cold?”

“Oh... well I –” Sunny's response was cut off by a third pony unexpectedly in the room.

“Sister! My Sister!”

* * *

With another popping sound, Twilight brought Sunny to the roof again, mostly because the destination was already in mind and could be used very quickly.

“Who was that?” Sunny asked her, “Was it Nightmare Moon?”

“No.” Twilight wasn't sure herself... “It looked like Princess Luna... but it wasn't... there was something really strange about it, and it couldn't be her... she's... gone.”

“It?” Sunny said, quizzically. “Not 'she'?”

“It wasn't a pony.”

“Huh?” Sunny looked really confused now. “Another changeling?”

“No,” Twilight admitted, “I wouldn't have been able to tell if it was a changeling... and besides, they need the pony they're copying to be alive, and Luna...” She paused for a moment. “well, Luna isn't.”

“And what's that?!”

Twilight shook her head slowly. “I don't know... I've never seen anything like that pony-thing before...”

Sunny shook her head, looking behind her at something. “No, what is that? That wasn't here earlier!”

“Huh?” It was Twilight's turn to be a little confused – and more than a little worried – as she turned around, but then she saw it. “Oh, that? I do know what that is, I've seen it before, and it means help!”

* * *

“My sister... where is my sister?”

Apollo Dawn heard somepony out in the hallway, but when he looked out, nopony was there. It was just a little past midmorning now. Who would be wandering the halls? And who would be talking about a sister?

“...My sister...”

The call came again, more faintly this time, and it sounded like it was coming from the left, maybe towards the hallway that led to the stairwell?

Curious and a little suspicious now, he trotted off in the direction of the voice. He would find out what was going on. As he neared the corner, he slowed down; quietly and carefully, he peeked around, and saw... nopony again... but the voice came again, this time definitely from the stairwell, and maybe a little closer.

“Where is ... my sister?”

He trotted on towards the stairwell, determined now to find out what was going on... this was getting a little strange. Perhaps he should have noticed it was slightly odd for nopony to be around in the floor they had designated as their main living quarters, but he supposed they were probably just still in bed after too hard of a night of partying yesterday. Reaching the stairwell, he heard the voice again, from above this time.

“I want my sister.”

The voice seemed to be moving away, so he hurried up the stairs after it. It must have been close, but the curvature of the spiraling stairwell was keeping him from seeing it.

“My sister...”

The voice sounded feminine, but kind of strange and ethereal... it didn't sound like a normal pony... and why did it keep talking about a sister? He was several levels up the staircase now, into the portions of the fortress his crew hadn't used for much besides just a cursory exploration, but he was just now catching up. The voice was very close.

“Sister, come back.”

Finally, he caught a glimpse of what must have been making the voice, and he couldn't contain his surprise. “Huh, P-Princess?” In front of him was, well... something... that looked a lot like Princess Luna, or at least how he had always heard her described... he'd only seen the princess of the night once, from a distance. Apparently hearing his voice, she wheeled around to face him, but she seemed to move stiffly, like it was difficult to bend any of her joints... and her fur was strangely shiny and reflective, even in the dark stairwell.

“You are not my sister.”

Did this thing want Celestia maybe? Was that the sister she was talking about? And what was it anyway? Some kind of ghost?

“I want my sister... you will take me to my sister.”

Too late, Apollo realized that standing here and chatting with it might not be the best plan. He turned to run, but found himself lifted and bound in what resembled a unicorn's telekinetic grasp... but rather than a colorful glow, he was surrounded by a dark black aura. He cringed. He knew he had always been leery of magic for a reason, and now it had him.

The apparition began walking up the stairs again, now holding Apollo out in front, and still babbling about a sister. Apollo called out for help, but he was already too far from the inhabited portions of the fortress... nopony would hear him up here... and where was this thing going anyway?

* * *

“What do you mean, 'help'?” Sunny asked skeptically. “I've never seen something like that before, and how did it get here?”

“I have seen it before,” Twilight answered, glad to see the tall blue box sitting near the edge of the roof. “Just wait for it...”

A door on the box suddenly popped open, and out hopped a grey pegasus mare with yellow mane and tail, wearing a party hat for some reason. Stepping out onto the rooftop excitedly, she paused for a moment, looking at her surroundings, her eyes beginning to point different directions as a look of confusion grew on her face.

“Derpy! Is the–” Twilight cut her greeting off as the pony she was just asking about walked out of the door and closed it behind him. Light brown body and a dark brown mane, with an hourglass for a cutie mark, there could only be one pony like that.

“Twilight,” Sunny asked from behind her, “Who is that?” Twilight didn't seem to notice the question though. She was a little lost in thought, remembering the last time she had seen that pony, and wondering about the workings of that blue box.

“There,” the brown pony said. “Day one of year one... the very first new years celebration! Now we just have to find the party and slip in.” He turned from Derpy Hooves, noticing Twilight and Sunny. “oh, and who's this? I think I've met Twilight here before... and this...” He started in excitement, grabbing Derpy and pointing her towards the filly. “This must be Sunny Daze, still a filly! She just raised the sun for the very first time, you know!”

“Don't you mean Princess Sunnara?” Derpy asked, her eyes getting a little more separated as her look of confusion grew.

“Oh, no, that won't be for years yet! She's just Sunny Daze now!” He corrected her.

“Twi-liiight!” Sunny cried out, looking frustrated now from not being told anything, “What's going on?”

Twilight still didn't pay her much mind... she really was enthralled with the idea of what she could learn if she could just disassemble that box... there must be some really interesting magic in there, and she desperately wanted to get her hooves on some of it... The pony from the box though seemed to notice Sunny's compliant.

“Well hello there, little one!” He said, “This is Derpy Hooves, and I'm The Doctor, just 'The Doctor', thank you. We're hoping to join you for your new years celebration!”

“Oh...” Sunny said, still a little unsure about it. “But new years was yesterday... today's the second.”

The Doctor winced a little as the look on the pegasus beside him changed from slightly confused to slightly disappointed, and she dejectedly brushed the party hat off her head. “Well... ah... only one day off... Not too bad when starting twenty million years away... ah... right?”

“Wait,” Sunny said, “years away, what? ... Where'd you come from? Who are you anyway?”

“I'm The Doctor, of course! Time traveler, legendary hero, man of mystery, finder of lost cats, what have you... But never mind that, we'll just be off now.” He turned, trotting back to his box. “Allons-y and all that! We'll see you yesterday!”

That shook Twilight out of her reverie. “Wait!” she called out, “I think we might need your help!”

“What's that now?” he asked, popping back out of the door of his box.

“Something appeared in our room... it looked like Princess Luna... but it wasn't. It was really strange... I've never seen anything like it.”

“A strange apparition, hm?” He mused, “I think we may just have something here... Derpy,” He called back inside the box, causing a strangely spacious sounding echo, “I think we'll be putting the party on hold for just a tick.”

* * *

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

While it's nice to see a supporting character still be alive, it's sort of depressing to see that she's a walking spoiler factory.

[ocalhoun]

2051566
Eh, you win some, you lose some.

[-Key-]

IT'S THE DOCTOR! yay, and Derry too.

[Ornby]

I can't say I like the doctor who idea for this (or most) fanfics that isn't explicitly about him. Not that I don't love the show or this fic, but doctor who and non who related fanfictions just don't mix well imo.
Still it's your story and I hope you make it work, besides if he just leaves soon it probably won't bother me to much.
Sorry to be so negative. Still looking forwards to seeing more

[ocalhoun]

2051810
Showing up randomly, which is what he does, after all!

2052585
Yep, there's only a few chapters where he'll be around.

[Commander Darklight]

twilight stares at tardis

me kicks twilight into the tardis and sends her back to smack apollo before he cracks bitch faces tomb