Doctor Whooves Episode 16: A Country at War

by Doctor Perseus

To the North and to the South

Chapter 7: To the North and to the South

Equestrian Camp, South of Canterlot, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 56 C.E.

Putrid smoke pushed its way into the Doctor's nostrils. His body ached with a combination of bruises, cuts, and burns. His eyes opened to the dastardly sting of cinders and smoke. He carefully picked himself off the ground and regained his footing. He was pleased to see that there were no broken bones or fractures in his body but that didn't take away the sting of the injuries that he had anyway. As the Doctor examined his injuries, he took note of the surrounding landscape.

The Equestrian camp was in ruins. Hardly any of the tents remained standing and those that did were either burnt or torn. Injured soldiers could be seen making their way through the wreckage. The bodies of the lost were also seen scattered throughout the new wasteland. The Doctor looked through the smoke and was able to catch groups of injured changelings disappearing into the forest. He figured that the changeling army must have suffered just as greatly as the Equestrian army in the battle. Suddenly, he thought back to the face off between Celestia and Esmeralda. He looked for any sign of the alicorn princess or the changeling queen. A nearby groan caused his ears to rise in anticipation. The Doctor followed the groans towards the mangled and weak form that was Princess Celestia. The alicorn princess was in a terrible state. Her body was cut and burned, magical smoke was emitting from her horn, parts of her mane were singed, and certain segments of the golden armor she had been wearing were either dented or melted.

"Don't worry, I've got you," said a nearby voice. The Doctor looked and noticed a mostly uninjured Equestrian soldier carrying an injured nurse mare on his back. The Doctor then looked at the other survivors and took note of where they were heading: in the direction of Canterlot Mountain. He looked down at the injured Celestia. She definitely needed somewhere to rest and heal before the next encounter with the changelings. Thinking back to the changelings, the Doctor looked around for any sign of Esmeralda. She was gone. The Doctor figured that the queen had trudged off with the rest of her injured army; but he was sure that she would be making a comeback sooner than later. The Doctor proceeded to help the injured Celestia up and allowed her to lean on him. She was surprisingly lighter than the Doctor had expected. He figured that there was some magic weight distortion involved or something of that nature.

"Do...Doctor," groaned Celestia. The Doctor began walking himself and Celestia in the direction of Canterlot Mountain.

"Don't strain yourself, your majesty. We have a long walk ahead of us," he said in reply. Celestia nodded and calmly let the chestnut stallion lead the way.

Royal Hospital, Canterlot, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 56 C.E.

Twilight's head was spinning madly. Her memory of the previous few hours was blurry at best. All she really remembered was the changeling attack, walking towards Canterlot, the flurry of colors, and Angie coming to help her. Everything else was just jumbled. However, Twilight's senses had begun to become clear once again. Her vision cleared up and she noticed that she was lying on a makeshift bed of hay, feathers, and sheets. Soldiers as well as nurses and civilians walked passed her. Twilight examined the room she was in and saw that it was a massive hospital ward.

"You're awake," said a tired voice. Twilight turned her head to see Angie standing next to her bed. The farmmare let out a loud yawn. "You've been out of it for a few hours. It's only a couple hours till dawn now."

"What...what about...the Doctor...Celestia?" Twilight mumbled.

"I don't know. Soldiers of all sorts have been popping up here. Pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies...but no sign of the Princess or the Doctor." Angie gave a sigh before placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Don't worry, Twilight. I'm sure they're on their way. I don't see Princess Celestia or the Doctor as ponies that would easily give in."

"And...the changelings?" Angie shook her head.

"They have casualties like our army. Many were incredibly injured. They've all fled back into the Silent Forest, possibly back to their camp." Twilight could feel some of her strength returning. She slowly sat up and massaged her neck with her hooves. There was still pain, but at least she was feeling better.

"What's the plan now?" Twilight asked with a much clearer and steadier voice. Angie shook her head and shrugged her shoulders in response.

"I don't know. It's pretty much chaos now."

"Why wasn't the army prepared for something like this? How could the changelings have suddenly attacked us like this, and why haven't they tried this sooner?" Again, Angie shook her head.

"I don't know. For all we know, the changelings could have this big master plan and this attack could be the start of it."

"Maybe." Twilight turned to look towards a nearby window. The countryside of Equestria was shrouded in the eerie darkness of nighttime morning. "I just hope my friends are okay...and I hope that we're all able to get out of this in one piece."

"I think everypony's wishing for that." Angie then slumped over onto Twilight's bed and instantly fell asleep. Twilight could tell that the farmmare was exhausted. Twilight simply lay back down and rested her head on the feathery pillow. This was only the beginning and a difficult battle was just around the corner. Twilight was sure of this.

The Rolling Hills, Outskirts of Gustus Amoris, the Changeling Empire, Gaia, Summer, 56 C.E.

The sky had begun to turn into a light blue-black when Erik the dragon landed on the grassy knoll. Derpy, Donna, Flarewing, and Bass climbed off the dragon's back.

"Here we are," said Bass. Derpy and Donna stepped forward to examine the scene before them. A massive, black castle rose high into the sky. Its highest towers consisted of sharp spires and towers that reminded the two newcomers of arrowheads. A magical, green shield was wrapped over the castle like a cloak. Surrounding the castle was a fairly large city of buildings that looked as if they were taken straight out of England's dark ages. Even thought it was still dark, the area was illuminated quite well by the thousands upon thousands of torches that were scattered throughout the castle and the surrounding city of Gustus Amoris.

"So, this is it," said Donna.

"Yes," Bass replied.

"It looks almost exactly as it did when I left," said Flarewing.

"Well, there hasn't been much attention to redesigning the city with the whole war going on and everything." The group fell silent for a moment.

"So Queen Esmeralda's greatest weakness is inside there?" Derpy asked as she pointed at the castle.

"Yes," said Bass and Flarewing together.

"And I'm the only one who can get it," said Donna.

"Yes."

"Well then." Donna turned away from the castle to face Derpy, Flarewing, Bass, and Erik the dragon. "What are we waiting for? Get me to that castle."

To be continued...

Comments

[MariusIoannesP]

Darn it! This is a two part story! Is there going to be more soon? Please.

[MariusIoannesP]

2986646 That comment was from several months ago right before the Season finale of Doctor Who and Nov. 23 is not the season premiere. It's the 50th Anniversary special.

[Doctor Perseus]

2986895
I think he might have been referring to the MLP season 4 premiere.

Seriously, I'm still shocked that the MLP season 4 premiere is sharing the same day as the Doctor Who 50th anniversary!

[Hekate Sketch]

3027844 lol, i did not know about that from KH. i meant the night angel trliogy, but whatevs.

[MariusIoannesP]

3874977 Yes.

[IamShadowDash]

ooooohhhhhhhh
eh...
COOL!!!!!
--MM/J

[Daring Cammie Do]

6600235 Given that I classify as a sociopath yet have good morals, I think you're quite wrong, sir/madam.

[Daring Cammie Do]

6600235 Also, if your definition is correct, than almost every teenager in the U.S. would be considered sociopaths. Also, what's 'right' or 'wrong' depend on the person. There's no way to define right and wrong.

[Daring Cammie Do]

6609984 Dude, people would kill someone just because they wouldn't give them a piece of paper. Humans are the epitome of evil; all have a darkness in their hearts that not even the brightest of lights can pierce.

[Daring Cammie Do]

6611046 No, I said you can't define right and wrong. Evil is different. Evil isn't defined by actions. Evil is hard to define, but it can be defined. And what's the most basic evil? Humans. We defied in the beginning and continue to this day for our own selfish whims.

[Daring Cammie Do]

6611279 Evil is a state of being.

[Daring Cammie Do]

6611443 Uh huh. Well then Mr. I-know-more-than-you-about-humanity, how many field tests have you executed, wrote down, and analyzed? I'm being serious about that, by the way. I've studied people in the places around me, and before you say it could just be my city, I've traveled all over the country and observed how humans interact with other humans, wild animals, plants, and the landscape. And while there have been some cases where people were kinder and less destructive, the larger majority were worse than I, and I'm a horrible person; worse than most, but not worse than the scum that commit heinous acts. The cunclusion is, while there may be good in many hearts, most actions are guided by selfish desires. Now, before you go off on me again about how there's both good and evil in all humans, from what I've gathered, most people don't even realize the crimes they commit because they seem so common to do, day in and day out. I had to sit down and think back on my very short life to realize how horrible of a person I was and still am. And though I strive to be better, it's still driven by my selfishness to be better than everyone else.

[Daring Cammie Do]

6611562 To answer your question, yes I'd do the same. But the issue with that is that, while not entirely selfish some others gain from it too, you're a so doing it to make yourself happy without knowing that you are. You said you hate it. Hate can cause stress, which in turn can cause harm to your body. Your brain knows this on instinct and tries to fix it by getting rid of what you hate. In this case, it's making people happy. As I said, not entirely selfish but it the primal reason was to make you feel better. This is honestly one of the better evils, though.

[Daring Cammie Do]

6611993 You know, the reason why I've decided to try and be a better person is because of the lack of people like you when I was in despair. I feel like many people could learn a thing or two from you, and if I'm honest, I admire your ability to make logical rebuttals. Most people just start "shouting" when they get into arguments with me. Gotta admit, you've made some really good points here, and I can't deny when I have nothing to hit back with.

[Daring Cammie Do]

6612244 Not people like you, people unlike you. They never cared about me or what turmoil I had going on. I decided, after an attempt at my life, that no one should have to deal with no one being there for them, so I try and do what I can for anyone, no matter how much I may despise them.

[Daring Cammie Do]

6612458 No, you are an inspiration, but because of the lack of people like you around, I decided to be more like you and less like them. I decided to he more helpful and less of an ass to others.

[TacoBlend]

The sky had begun to turn into a light blue-black when Erik the dragon landed on the grassy knoll.

...

Erik... That bastard...

He shot JFK!!!