//------------------------------//
// Lupae 
// Story: The Doctor Whooves Chronicles Episode 5: Prisoners of War 
// by Doctor Perseus 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 6: Lupae


Nymphadora, 1678 C.E.

The Doctor could hardly tell what was going on around him. His vision was so bad now that everything looked like as if he were staring through a smudged window. He could hear a voice talk every now and then but it sounded distant and isolated. The Doctor couldn't tell how long he had been trapped in this state. Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? He wasn't sure. His mind constantly ran over what had happened at the base. He could still see the soldier knocking Twilight out. He could still see the soldiers carrying the unconscious Twilight and the crying Derpy away. Every bone in his body burned with a wanting to rush off and save them. But he couldn't even move. He was trapped in an isolated world of shock.
Suddenly a cool and relaxing sensation fell over the Doctor's body. It felt as if he had been thrown into a warm shower and the droplets of water were now cascading down every inch of his weakened body. His blurred vision darkened for a few seconds before clearing up. The Doctor let out a relieved groan as strength and feeling began to return to his body. "You're awake. Good," chuckled a familiar voice. As the Doctor's senses returned, he took this time to examine his new surroundings.
He was sitting in a chair that was located in what appeared to be the cockpit of an advanced helicopter. A strange odor of mint wafted through the air and the faint sound of a moving helicopter rotor could be heard. A welcoming amount of sunlight poured in through the window in front of him. The Doctor turned to his left to see who was piloting the aircraft. A familiar male Nymphadorian wearing a pair of shades with one lense missing and a pair of blue jeans was sitting in the pilot's seat. The dead giveaway of the Nymphadorian's identity was the snake-like tattoo on his right arm. "Hello, Marcus," the Doctor said.
Marcus rubbed the scar on his left cheek as he gave the Doctor a quick hello nod, which was followed by a head shake that made him look like a disappointed parent. "What did I tell you? I told you not to let anybody know your friend's real name. Now all hell's broken loose."
The Doctor looked out the window to see that they were flying over what appeared a be a desert with purple sand and blue cacti. "I would appreciate it if you would fill me in on what's happened."
"You were shot, obviously." The Doctor looked down at a silver bandage attached to his side. Every few seconds the bandage would vibrate a bit and a gushing warmth would flow through the Doctor's body. "Your friends were taken away by the government soldiers. You were left for dead but, luckily, I found you. I managed to grab this here undamaged military helicopter, along with some supplies, and we got out of there."
"So where are we headed?"
"Where else? The capital city of Nymphadora: Lupae. That is most likely where they have taken your friends."
"Don't take this the wrong way...but why are you helping me? You had a chance to escape and yet you're now diving headfirst into the belly of the beast."
Marcus chuckled a bit and glanced at the Doctor. "There are people out there that I care about, Doctor. I don't want them and the rest of this world to be punished just because some stupid politicians want to take the easy way out. Besides, I couldn't just leave the Doctor out to rot. You've got too much to look forward to, that is if my girlfriend's research was mostly true." A quick moment of silence fell between the two of them. "So how did your friend's name get out?"
"There was a slight mix-up when Twilight recovered from her injuries. Twilight gave her nurse a false name while I gave the Colonel another false name."
"The Colonel?"
"Yes. He came with Derpy and me to the infirmary. He confronted us when he found out about the fake names, Twilight told him her real name, and...the rest is history."
"It's not surprising. An order was given out a while ago that if there was any sign of the spark then a special alert was to be sent out immediately for the government soldiers to come and collect it. Somebody must have seen and heard your friend speak her name via the security cameras and had then sent out the alert. It's a good thing that the security cameras in the seventh floor cells at the prison were under maintenance while you and the pegasus (Derpy, was it?) were visiting or else they would have gotten to Twilight much sooner." Marcus pressed a button to make the helicopter fly a bit faster. "If only this helicopter could travel as fast as that government aircraft. If that were the case, we'd be in Lupae in a few minutes."
"Okay. I want to know."
"Hmm?"
"I want to know exactly why the name Twilight Sparkle is such a significant name here. And, I also want to know if it has any connection to that one, but bad, solution to the war."
Marcus sighed and politely cleared his throat. "It'll take a bit of explaining," he said.
"I think we have enough time," said the Doctor.
"Okay then." Marcus turned his attention towards flying the helicopter as he began to explain. "This whole thing stems back many, many centuries into Nymphadora's past. In fact, I think it began a century or two before Princess Celestia of Equestria first came into power. Nymphadora was a different place back then. It was ruled by kings and queens and it had no moons."
"No moons?"
"Yeah. Ruleo and Auran didn't exist then. Anyway, nobody's sure how it happened but a powerful Nymphadorian came into power. His name was Dusk and he had a...unique and very powerful set of abilities."
"What kinds of abilities?"
"It's a bit difficult to describe as a lot of the details have been lost or changed during the course of history. But what's for certain is that he was very powerful, incredibly merciless, and had a strong connection to the twilight."
"The twilight? As in the time of day? That twilight?"
"Yes. He was able to cloak the entire planet in endless twilight. This is why he was also known as the Twilight King; and he ruled over Nymphadora for an incredibly long time. That is until somebody finally stood up against him. Somebody who also had a unique set of abilities. Sadly, the name of this brave person was lost to history but most people like to call him the Dawn."
"Ah. Makes sense."
"Prior to the Dawn, nobody had any amount of power that could even come close to the power that Dusk possessed. Magic exists on Nymphadora but it's not as common as it is on a planet like Gaia. Very few have magical abilities and an even smaller number can possess powerful magic. Thankfully, the Dawn was one of these rare individuals and he was able to stand up against King Dusk. It was a long and grueling battle. In fact, it's thanks to that battle that Ruleo and Auran were created."
"I heard that Auran and Ruleo came from Nymphadora."
"That's correct. Those two moons are basically debris left over from the battle that were brought together and made suitable for life. The Auranian Nymphadorians and the Ruleonite Nymphadorians eventually went on to take control of their respective moons and the rest is history."
"So where does Twilight Sparkle fit into all this?"
"The Dawn was able to defeat King Dusk but he wasn't able to kill him. He was so powerful, so vile, and so evil that he was able to cling onto this world as an entity of sorts. He could no longer do harm as long as he remained in that state. The Dawn created a tomb to forever seal the entity away and the city of Lupae would eventually be built on top of it. Before the Dawn sealed Dusk away, Dusk screamed out that he would return and what would be the main thing to help bring about his return."
"And that was?"
"The spark of twilight."
The Doctor and Marcus fell silent again. "The spark of twilight. Twilight Sparkle," said the Doctor.
"Exactly," said Marcus with a nod.
I want to believe this all to be one giant coincidence...but too many aspects point to this being true. Twilight's name being a twist of words of what King Dusk needs to come back. Twilight being a unicorn that's exceptionally gifted with magic. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to bring a few magical sparks out of her. Heck, even her cutie mark sort of resembles a spark! the Doctor thought. Then...there's the TARDIS. Is this the reason why she brought me, Derpy, and Twilight here? To help bring back an evil king?! That can't be right. The TARDIS has always brought me and my companions to places where we could help. But, this time, it's brought us to a place where we can help bring about the end. Why?
"Are you okay, Doctor?" Marcus asked.
The Doctor quickly shook his head and turned towards Marcus. "No, I'm honestly not. There's an innocent mare out there who's about to be used to bring back an evil king. I can't say that I'm okay with that," the Doctor replied.
"Me neither. These politicians think they'll be able to control Dusk this time around. But they won't. This will only lead to the destruction of Auran and Ruleo and the end of life as we know it on Nymphadora. Everything will go back to how it was during King Dusk's original reign. I'd much rather not have my world suffer through that again."
"I agree. Twilight's here because of me and my TARDIS and it's my job to make sure that she gets home safely without leading to the end of a world in the process."
Marcus looked at one of the screens in the cockpit. "We're not far from Lupae now. And, don't worry, I have something useful with us if we have any trouble getting into the city."
"Yeah? What is it?" the Doctor asked.
"An old friend," Marcus replied as he nodded his head towards the back seat of the cockpit. The Doctor looked back to see the unconscious Colonel Ash sprawled out on the seat behind him.

Derpy and Twilight were led out of the aircraft with soldiers guarding them on all sides. President Tyrion Targaryen led them and the soldiers into an entry hallway that was decorated with golden wallpaper and red carpet. Various paintings of past political figures, kings, queens, warriors, scientists, and such hung from the walls. Derpy didn't take a liking to the paintings for the figures in them all appeared to be scowling rather than smiling.
Eventually, they were led into a large, lounging room filled with comfortable sofas, chairs, and tables covered in a variety of food and drinks. The wall of the room opposite to the entrance door was a gargantuan window which was bordered by thick, silky ocean blue drapes. Through the window, Derpy could see the expansion of a large, metropolis of a city spread out for Celestia knows how far. "Beautiful, isn't it?" asked President Targaryen as he sat down in one of the chairs and took a bite out of something that looked like a green cupcake covered in blue grapes. Derpy stood in place and awkwardly shuffled her hooves while Twilight continued to glare angrily at President Targaryen. "Please. Sit and eat. The awakening process cannot occur until the twilight hour."
Derpy and Twilight looked through the window to see that the alien sun of Nymphadora was slowly edging its way towards the horizon. "You've attacked a base controlled by some of your own species, have kidnapped me and my friend, and have had another friend of mine shot and left for dead out there somewhere," Twilight snapped. "I'm not exactly feeling that hungry at the moment."
"Got an attitude, I see. I like that. I'm sure Dusk will like you very much."
"Dusk?"
"Yes. The Twilight King, the one who will help Nymphadora reclaim its moons and end this war."
"Why do you need me here?"
"I told you. You're the spark that's to awaken him."
"How can you even be sure that it's me?"
President Targaryen leaned forward and grinned at Twilight. "Your name says it all, Twilight Sparkle."
"What if you're wrong?"
"In the off chance that everything about you turns out to be one giant series of coincidences then I shall let you return home."
"That still won't change the fact about what you did to get her here!" Derpy snapped.
"All's fair in love and war, pegasus. Everyone, and everypony, must make sacrifices," replied the President as he began to sip a glass of dark purple wine. "You should feel happy for what you're about to do, Twilight Sparkle. You're about to help bring a world out of a long period of suffering and pain. And you and your friend are certainly dressed for such an event. Where were you before this, if you don't mind me asking?"
Twilight scowled at the President. "I don't really think that concerns you," she snapped.
The President leaned forward and scoped Twilight out with his sharp eyes. "Let's see. My guess is that you were at a wedding." Twilight couldn't help but let out a little gasp. "Ah! Gotcha! I've been to enough formal gatherings to know my stuff, Twilight Sparkle." Derpy and Twilight remained silent. The President turned towards the window and let out a giddy laugh. "Oh, how silly of me! I forgot to introduce you to the city." The President stood up and spread his arms out towards the window that overlooked the city. "Lupae: capital of Nymphadora! Impressive sight, is it not?" Twilight remained silent and continued to glare at the President. President Targaryen smirked at Twilight as he walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, their eyes meeting in an awkward gaze of hatred and amusement. Derpy desperately wanted to punch the President straight in the jaw and wipe that grin clear off his face. "You should probably treat me with a bit more gratitude and respect, Twilight Sparkle."
"Oh yes. I should totally give you all the respect in the world for all the good you've done for me!" Twilight replied sarcastically.
"Keep it up," the President chuckled. "King Dusk might not be as welcoming and hospitable as moi."
"Why are you going through all this trouble to bring back something that sounds so horrible?!" Derpy asked.
"Because the Twilight King is the only possible advantage us Nymphadorians have over the Ruleonites and Auranians. Our armies are evenly matched and there doesn't appear to be an immediate end anywhere in sight. King Dusk might be a bit cruel, but he's powerful and power is what we need right now in this war."
"Well, what happens if he's too powerful, even for you?" Twilight asked.
The President gave an amused grin. "He won't be. Even if he tries to step out of line, I have something that not even the powerful Twilight King can stand up against," the President replied.
"And what's that?"
President Targaryen turned towards the window and his grin grew bigger. "You'll see soon enough, Twilight Sparkle." Derpy and Twilight turned towards the window. Derpy gulped upon seeing that the Sun was getting awfully close to the horizon.