Chapter 1: Moonbase One
The Moon of Gaia, 2000 C.E.
Derpy couldn't help but stare in awe at the sight before her: the surface of the Moon situated underneath a starry sky that held Gaia and the Sun right in the center of it. It was truly a wondrous sight to behold.
"We're on the Moon," said Derpy.
"Yes. I just said that," the Doctor replied.
"We're on the Moon!"
"I'm aware of that."
"We're on the-" Derpy fell silent when she saw the Doctor giving her a slightly annoyed look. She blushed a bit. "Sorry. I'm just trying to take it all in." Derpy turned away from the Doctor but she heard him give an understanding chuckle. She turned back just in time to see the Doctor place a hoof on her shoulder.
"Don't feel bad. Anypony would act this way upon first finding themselves on the Moon."
"Did you act like this when you took your first trip in the TARDIS?" The question had just slipped out, but for a good reason. Derpy was still incredibly curious about the Doctor. Heck, she hardly knew the stallion and it was obvious that he had a few secrets to hide. The Doctor took his hoof off Derpy's shoulder and stared out towards the surface of the Moon. He then gave a tiny smile followed by a few, quick chuckles.
"It's been so long since I left my home planet...I don't remember what I felt like when I took off in that blasted blue box for the first time." He fell silent again. Derpy wanted to question him further but felt that it would be better if she held her questions back.
"So...what do you think this place is?" Derpy asked as she looked around the room.
"Ah, yes," said the Doctor as he suddenly snapped out of his somewhat melancholy state. "I think it would be best to assume that this is a moonbase."
"A moonbase?"
"Yes. A structure built upon the surface of the Moon, or a moon."
"This definitely isn't my time. This must be the distant future."
"Why don't we do a bit of exploring and find out?"
"Sounds good...as long as we're not attacked or anything."
"Remember what I told you?"
"Yes. I remember."
"Then there's nothing for you to be afraid about!" Derpy smiled as the Doctor closed and locked the TARDIS doors. "While the TARDIS rests we can take a little exploration trip. Let's start with that door." Derpy looked towards a nearby door on the opposite wall. She nodded and began making her way towards the door. She felt excited...but she couldn't help but feel uneasy as well.
The Doctor and Derpy found a hallway on the other side of the door. The Doctor was intrigued for the hallway resembled that of a hallway found in an Earth hotel. It had a red carpet, tan wallpaper on the walls, and a white-painted ceiling. Several doors with numbers on them stretched down along the walls of the hallway. He looked up above the door he and Derpy had just passed through to see the words Viewing Lounge 10 engraved in the wall. He then turned around as he and Derpy continued down the hallway.
It was extraordinarily quiet in the hallway. If this was a hotel of sorts, it must have been vacant. The Doctor could at least feel a few moments of peace knowing that there was no danger...yet. He looked at Derpy, who appeared to be just as interested in the hotel-esque hallway as he was. He couldn't help but think about how nice it was to not be alone anymore. Several memories suddenly flashed before him: his losing of Rose, Martha's departure, Donna's fate, his refusal of Christina de Souza, and...the death of Adelaide Brooke. He began to feel uneasy. He looked at Derpy again. This would be it: this trip to the Moon. This would be his last trip with Derpy Hooves of Equestria. He would take her home, drop her off, and then head back to his own dimension. He won't let anything happen to anyone, or anypony, ever again. He was sure of this.
"Doctor?" asked Derpy suddenly. The Doctor realized that he had been staring at Derpy and he quickly turned away. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," the Doctor lied quickly. "I...I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment."
"Like what?"
"Nothing for you to concern yourself with, Ms. Hooves."
"My Mom used to tell me how it was best to talk about your feelings. That's always helped me feel better when I'm feeling down." The Doctor couldn't help but smile. She was such an innocent and surprisingly-intelligent soul. He wasn't going to ruin it.
"Trust me, Derpy, you have no interest in hearing about what I've seen." Derpy looked like she was going to continue to press on so the Doctor decided to quickly change the subject. "Here we are! Another door!" Derpy rolled her slightly inverted eyes as the Doctor led her through the door at the end of the hallway.
Derpy felt her jaw drop as she stepped through the door. Outside the hallway was a large atrium. She looked back to see the words East Wing, Residential Hallway 14 printed above the door. She then turned to examine the atrium as a whole. It looked like nothing Derpy had seen before. A large, circular, dome of glass acted as the ceiling. Holographic images moved across the surface of the glass. Plants of all kinds were scattered throughout the atrium. There were even a few trees (some came in vibrant colors such as purple, orange, and indigo). A massive fountain stood in the middle of the atrium. Multicolored water poured out of the fountain and cascaded down into a massive pond beneath it. The pond was filled with fish and other sea creatures that Derpy knew hadn't been discovered yet by her time. Unlike the hallway, the atrium was full of ponies, animals, and other creatures. A café was situated towards the edge of the atrium and Derpy could see ponies of all kinds sitting there and conversing peacefully with griffins, donkeys, buffalo, zebras, and even dragons. Through the atrium's glass ceiling, Derpy could see a spaceship approaching the the building. A few seconds later, a door opened on the other side of the atrium and several ponies and other creatures (all of them carrying luggage) emerged. As the new arrivals entered the atrium, a holographic image of Princess Celestia appeared in the atrium's glass.
"Welcome to Moonbase One. The date is April 16, 2000 C.E. Please head to the real estate sector to obtain access to your new homes or temporary dorms. I, along with the hardworking members of Equestrian-Galactic Enterprises, hope that you enjoy your stay," said the holographic Celestia. Derpy felt her heart slightly skip a beat.
"2000 C.E.?!" she gasped.
"That was helpful. Now we now exactly what year we're in and what this place is called!" the Doctor said with a smile.
"We're on the Moon in 2000 C.E."
"Are we going to play the repeat game again?" Derpy cleared her throat and blushed awkwardly.
"No. Sorry. Still trying to take it all in."
"Fair enough. This is truly an amazing sight. Look at where you ponies will be. About 1000 years and here you are. That's quite impressive." Suddenly, a loud grumble emanated from Derpy's stomach. The Doctor chuckled. "Feeling hungry?"
"A bit."
"Heh. Me too." Derpy and the Doctor turned in the direction of the café. "That place looks promising."
"But how are we going to pay for it? Do you have any bits?" Derpy asked
"Bits?" the Doctor asked as he turned to look at a strange machine of sorts. "Ah! An ATM! This should help us!" The Doctor walked over to the ATM, reached into one of his suit pockets, and pulled out the odd object that Derpy had seen him use during the battle with Nightmare Moon. He aimed it at the machine. A few seconds later, a bag full of bits fell out of a chute and landed in a pan next to the machine. "There we go!" Derpy stared at the bag with wide eyes as the Doctor picked it up. "You pay with gold in your world? You ponies are quite demanding."
"How did-"
"I'm guessing there are no ATMs in your time. Well, they're basically miniature banks."
"And you can just get as many bits as you want from them?!"
"Uh...no. That only happens if you have a Sonic Screwdriver like me."
"Oh." The Doctor placed the Sonic Screwdriver into his pocket and presented the bag of bits to Derpy.
"I think this'll cover our meal quite nicely."
The Doctor didn't realize how truly hungry he was until the veggie sandwich and hay fries were placed in front of him. Derpy, meanwhile, had ordered a plate consisting of nothing but muffins.
"You must really like muffins," the Doctor said with a smile.
"Of course! They're my most favorite food in the whole wide universe!" exclaimed the ecstatic pegasus.
"Muffins...why does that ring a bell?" Just then, without any warning, all of the lights in the atrium went out. The room would have been black as pitch if not for the light of the Sun and stars shining in through the atrium's glass dome roof. Several gasps rang out throughout the room and few screams of surprise could be heard as well. This lasted for about twenty seconds until the lights suddenly flickered back to life. Everypony in the atrium was clearly confused and a bit spooked by the event that had just transpired: the Doctor and Derpy included. "That didn't look good." Suddenly, a voice rang out from a nearby speaker.
"Do not be alarmed. There was just a short power failure. The problem has been resolved. There is nothing to worry about," stated the stern voice. The Doctor and Derpy turned to look at each other.
"I have a feeling that it's not as simple as that," said Derpy.
"I agree with you on that one, Ms. Hooves," the Doctor replied. The Doctor suddenly found his attention drawn to a conversation between a griffin and a zebra sitting at a table nearby.
"So, is it true?" asked the griffin.
"Is what true?" asked the zebra in response.
"I heard that Princess Luna was coming to visit Moonbase One."
"She is."
"Really?!"
"I know. I had the same reaction when I found out."
"I wonder what encouraged her to come back to the Moon after 1000 years. You'd think after already spending 1000 years here one would never want to see it again." The Doctor turned his attention away from the conversation and back to Derpy, who had also been listening in on the conversation.
"Princess Luna's coming?" Derpy asked in a hushed tone.
"That might be her now," the Doctor heard the zebra state. The Doctor and Derpy looked to see another spaceship approaching the base.
"Well," said the Doctor with an interested smirk, "this should be interesting."