Doctor Whooves: Luna's Republic

by masorin


Chapter 1

“Problems with the weather system again, can you believe it Sparks? I swear sometimes I think that Cloudsdale wanted to see us suffer up here.” The dark red Pegasus muttered darkly her mane was a light orange, and her cutie mark was a wrench.

She walked with a unicorn who was a pale yellow colt with a mane to match his cutie mark was of a thunder cloud, the lightning bolt lost to the color of his skin. “They probably did at the time coal. With all the cut backs it’s a surprise that we even got these cloud generators to start with.”

Coal shook her head. “Yeah sure and meanwhile Cloudsdale’s got the new versions those six point three’s. Have you heard about those? Almost all their work is automated these days! And here we are still struggling to make rain! I tell you if I ever get my hooves on the engineer who designed these three point fives I am giving them a good buck to the face!”

“Yeah I know coal you tell me this every time our stuff breaks down. Honestly that mare would be long dead our stuff is an antique. Any way here’s your station I need to go check the electrical.” Sparks said as he took one last look at the mare “Listen let’s try and finish this up quickly I am looking forward to the night time celebrations.”

Coal laughed, “Oh why would you be looking forward to that fancy horse barrel? You finally get a date yet? I bet not! Besides we can’t miss it from where we are standing. 29 days of night remember?”

Sparks shook it off as he walked along leaving Coal back to do her part of the job. No he didn’t have a date, just like the year before, and the year before that. Because the only pony that he ever really cared about was standing two corridors back, and he never had the nerve to ask her out.

Sparks sighed as he walked threw the corridors, and came to an access panel where he should be able to take a good look at the electrical, and as he moved to remove the bulk head he blinked. “Ah Coal?” he asked over a small radio. “Have any other maintenance teams been down here?”

“No Sparks were the only maintenance ponies on duty tonight remember? The overlord is still pissed at us for not getting the paper work in on time, and so she made us work on the day the sun sets why?” Sparks could imagine coal as she rolled her eyes spitting hate at the ‘overlord’ he chuckled lightly at the image, but then got concerned.

“Bulk head 31 is missing its cover, and… wait a minute I think I found our problem.” Sparks said leaning in for a moment. A shadow had just moved he guessed because he had changed the light source’s direction, and it revealed a bunch of wires that almost looked as if some pony had been chewing on it.

Sparks retrieved a flashlight and turned it, an immense amount of dust seemed to float around it the light flickering for a moment, along with the lights for the entire corridor, and then the lights gave.

Coal was wondering what the next report was going to be? What problem could have forced Sparks to actually be silent for once, and then she heard him scream.
**

Doctor Whooves
Starring:
The Doctor
Twilight Sparkle
Rainbow Dash
Pinkamena Diane Pie
Applejack
Fluttershy
Rarity
Spike
In:
Luna’s Republic

**
The TARDIS appeared slowly into existence its accompanying sound screeching as the light flashed and the TARDIS became solid. The door opening into space, The TARDIS was in lunar orbit over Equestria. Below the TARDIS was a glass city sitting on the moon. The sun was almost disappearing over the other side of grey hills, but its fading light illuminated what Twilight could see as a giant city sealed inside a glass dome.

“I don’t believe it!” She said almost blinking as she turned and shut the door. “That can’t really be a city on the moon.”

“Oh but it is! The year is 3012 a thousand years into your future. Luna the goddess of the moon, and Celestia goddess of the sun have a fight. They don’t want to speak to each other, but they can’t show disharmony So Luna begins this project. She doesn’t want to live on her ‘sisters’ planet so she makes her own on the closest land mass available.” The Doctor pranced with joy watching the face’s of his companions process this information.

“Nice one Luna!” Rainbow Dash cheered. The others looked at her oddly and she shrugged “what that is awesome she made a city on the moon.”

“Right now before I touch us down there are a few rules about my travels I want you to all know. Mainly pertaining to the princesses. They know me, and at this point they all know you, but there is an important rule we have come up with over the years since they live time linearly and I well just kind of show up when I feel like it can get confusing for them, and me. So under no circumstance are we to talk to the princesses. Trust me the last thing you lot need are spoilers for your own lives or mine it just makes things boring really. Second we only observe. No interfering with history’s big picture. This may be your future but it’s someone’s past, so lets keep the destruction of property to a minor amount please.” The Doctor spoke in a serious tone as he looked at the seven companions. “Okay now lets go on down the sun setting celebration should be just starting.”
**

The city was called New Canterlot, and twilight had to admit that most of it looked very familiar if it weren’t for the giant glass roof Twilight may have assumed that she was back in her Canterlot home. Every thing was made with the same white stone that constructed had been used in the real Canterlot, and in truth it seemed like a loving replica.

Pinkie Pie bounced along side the group. “In winter this place must look like a giant snow globe.” She laughed.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Pinkie there’s no weather up here look at the sky, not a cloud in the sky.”

“Ah am curious as to what they eat up here?” Applejack said curiously. “Where do they get supplies?”

Twilight on the other hand was more curious about another thing. “Shouldn’t we be lighter Doctor?”

“Gravity enchantments are holding ya’ll down keeping us at the same weight as if we were on Equestria. Otherwise years of living up here would weaken the lunar republic, and we can’t let that happen otherwise all ya’ll Solar Empire ponies would walk all over us.” A young pony said with a sneer, she was a light brown with extremely blond hair. She actually looked a lot like Applejack just without the freckles. Her cutie mark was an apple that had a bite taken out of it.

Applejack took a step forward. “Um what’s yawl’s name? I am Applejack.” She said giving a friendly smile.

“My name is Apple wash I run the local apple orchard up here. Always a pleasure to meet a fellow member of the family! Which orchard do ya’ll run? I am guessing Appaloosa.”

Rainbow Dash blinked looking from Applejack to Apple Wash “It’s like there are two of them.”

Applejack shook her head “Nah ah am from Ponyvile.” She said proudly, and that’s when she got a hoof to the face.
**

An hour later the seven ponies and one baby dragon were sitting together as Applejack held some Ice to her face a black ring slowly forming around her left eye. “Ah don’t think a member of the family would ever do that without a good darn reason.” Applejack said allowed.

Twilight just shook her head. An hour ago Two royal guard had restrained a very angry Apple Wash, and taken her away. During that time she had been yelling out curses and phrases that had made even Rainbow Dash blush.

“It doesn’t make sense dear. I thought the apple family had good relations and traded among each other.” Rarity said with a level of concern looking over her friend’s eye. “Oh my that wound is simply dreadful.”

“We do, ah mean we did a thousand years ago, but apparently things have changed.” She said as she winced as she applied a little more ice. “It ain’t that bad, ah am pretty sure she was holding back.”

“I think you still do. Just not with Ponyvile.” Spike said as he held a claw to his chin. And surprised a chill “Is it getting colder to anyone?”

The others shrugged “The sun is setting spike, probably just night time coming.”

The Doctor smiled lightly. “I think we should go and pay the Apple family orchard a visit.”
**

The apple orchard was an interesting site. It was like walking in Ponyvile’s orchard. It was about the same size with rows and rows of trees with perfect red apples, and green grass below them. Except however for a sectioned off part of the orchard where the tree’s were dead, their bare branches stuck out awkwardly, and their bark seemed a slightly different color then the ones around them. Applejack seemed taken aback by them. She stared at them for a long moment. “That just ain’t right.”

“Eyyyup.” A loud male voice boomed out from behind the group as they turned to see a cyan stallion. His cutie mark was of an apple core. “You must be them Solar Empire Ponies that Apple Wash was talking about.”

“Um yes we are.” Twilight said looking to The Doctor. She would have to remember to ask what the Solar Empire was, even though she had a sinking sensation that she already knew.

Pinkie Pie shivered for a moment and suddenly all eyes were on her. Including The Doctors “sorry just a draft.”

The Doctor nodded “If you don’t mind us asking… what is with that section of trees?”

“Those are from Ponyvile we traded our cousins down in the Solar Empire good money for some new tree’s, and they sent us up dead trees. It ain’t proper ah tells ya’h went right against the apple family code of conduct they did. My big sis, Apple Wash took it very personally too.” The large stallion said looking at the trees.

Applejack nodded her head with a sudden understanding of why she had been punched in the face, and as she was about to say something the stallion cut her off.

“If ya’ll don’t want your friend to get hit again, I suggest leaving before Apple Wash comes down this way.”

“That’s okay I think we should be getting to the sun setting celebration anyway.” The Doctor said as he turned away keeping an eye on the trees.

As they were out of earshot The Doctor turned to Applejack. “What did you notice about those trees from Ponyvile?”

Twilight blinked “What aside from the fact that they were all dead?”

Applejack blinked “No it aint that Twi, something else is very wrong about them, they weren’t apple tree’s. They were oak.”
**
The group walked towards New Canterlot Castle. Which aside from the lack of a mountain, looked surprisingly like the old Canterlot castle. “Why would they have given oak tree’s to them?”

“Maybe… because they… didn’t want the oak around?” Fluttershy’s voice stuttered, and everyone turned to her she had been so silent for so long.

“Fifty minutes.” Spike said as if he had been counting how long.

“Sorry… It’s just a little scary, I mean being on the moon we are really high up.” Fluttershy’s voice squeaked a bit.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “No Fluttershy were on the ground, it’s just the moons ground not Equestria, but I swear you have to be the one Pegasus who could actually be afraid of heights.”

“That’s really all point of view. From Equestria we are really high up from the ground, but from the lunar republic the solar empire is just a point in the sky.” The Doctor said as he kept his attention the ground.

“What are you looking for?” Rarity asked as she watched The Doctor.

“Watch.” The Doctor breathed and his breath seemed to mist out in the cold of the air. “This dome is a sealed area, as Rainbow said earlier there’s no weather here. The sun’s setting but the city has a heat source that should keep it going as if it were spring, so?”

“Where is the draft coming from?” Twilight said looking to her friends.
**
The bowels of the city weren’t exactly off limits, but Twilight had to wonder if they were actually supposed to be allowed down here. All around her were dark corridors, wires ran down the halls, and steam pipes covered one side of the walls.

Rainbow looked confused. “Why are their weather generators down here?” she asked looking at the piping.

“A lot of reasons really the generators make steam for warmth, rain for food growing at least with the orchard, and also.” The Doctor stopped talking as the hallway was filled with the slow rumble of thunder.

Fluttershy jumped back her eyes wide with fright. “What was that?”

Rainbow Dash blinked “Thunder? They have lightning storms underground?”

“Its to power the artificial lighting once the sun goes down.” a new voice chimed in. “But ya’ll really shouldn’t be down here.”

The group turned to see Apple Wash again, who was staring angrily at the group. “So what are you folk’s doing in ah place like this?”

Applejack walked forward. “We wanted to know why it’s getting so cold up above, ya’ll got a problem with that.” she met Apple Wash’s gaze with anger.

Fluttershy took a step back away from the two girls trying to say something but it was lost, and only came out as inaudible squeaks.

The Doctor on the other hand was staring at her confused. “If this place is off limits then why are you down here?”

“Ah saw you going down here and ah followed.” Apple Wash said in a matter of fact tone.

“Really you followed us down? When everyone else would be heading to the sun setting celebration you happened to be in the area, and followed us down into the off limits under city?” The Doctor said accusingly.

Apple Wash looked from side to side “yeah ah did!”

“Oh okay then.” The Doctor said as he turned and began to walk down the hallways. Leaving everyone else in a state of confusion.
**
Fluttershy looked from side to side her eyes wide with fear as she watched and walked along side the others.

“Fluttershy what is with you?” Rainbow Dash asked as she walked watching the frantically twitching Pegasus, and stopping to hear another crash of thunder still very far off from them.

“The shadows its… there… moving.” Fluttershy said her eyes wide as she jumped away from the shadow of a pipe.
“Fluttershy we’ve been over this. Shadows don’t move on their own.” Twilight said looking at the yellow Pegasus.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “There is nothing to be scared about Fluttershy they are just shadows! See.” Rainbow extended her hoof to put it under one of the pipes.

“Stop!” It was the Doctor’s voice and as he yelled two things happened Fluttershy panicked and fell onto her back her legs going ridged, and Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“There is nothing in the shadows.” Rainbow dash was about to put her hand in closer to prove her point when the shadows seemed to actually move slowly drifting forward away from the pipe that had concealed it. “Um wait? Why is it moving?”

“Run!” The doctor yelled as the group began to gallop in the direction of the surface only to be cut off by a shadow that had moved into their path. “Other way! Don’t touch the shadows!”
Twilight turn to run deeper down the hallway, but was cut off “There’s no where to run!”

The two shadows held their position pressing the group together. Fluttershy shook with horror. “W-what are they?”

The Doctor looked up the florescent lighting was the only thing casting light against the shadows. “They are called Vashta Nerada. They only appear to look like shadows, but in reality they are a meat eating swarm. In enough quantity they could pick clean an entire pony, but that’s uncommon. They are usually far more spread out.”

Twilight was fascinated for a moment looking at it, but she snapped out of it quickly. “Okay so why are they here!”

“That I don’t know, but I am working on a theory.” The Doctor said watching the shadows, but stopped as he watched the ground. “A better question is why aren’t they eating us.”
The shadows on the ground had extended to the doctors hooves, and he stepped forward basking for a moment in the shadows as they harmlessly passed over him.

“Ah thought yah said that they ate ponies?” Applejack was more relaxed then she had been a moment ago, but was now she more confused.

“Are they just ignoring us?” Twilight said her horn glowing lightly as she walked into the shadows. “I don’t understand I thought you said that they ate meat?”

“They do or rather they did, but these Vashta aren’t going for their normal food source.” The Doctor was more confused then ever, and there was just no seemingly right answer. There were Oak tree’s in an apple orchard, Vashta Nerada that didn’t eat meat, and worse of all the temperature was decreasing ever more. “If they aren’t eating meat; then what are they eating?”

The Doctor turned back to the group He didn’t have an answer, and the only link behind everything was. His eyes widened for a moment giving a quick count of the ponies. Counting only the six he had come with, and one baby dragon. “Wait where did Apple Wash go?”
--
authors note; Two of my pre readers for this series quit the project, and so this is actually the first chapter written and edited entirely by myself. I know my limitations and I know that this is not a good thing, If you are interested in helping my series, and becoming a pre reader\editor for Doctor Whooves, please send a message to me.