The Doctor Whooves Chronicles Episode 2: Queen of the Moon

by Doctor Perseus

Friends of Royalty

Chapter 2: Friends of Royalty

The Moon of Gaia, 2000 C.E.

The doors to the docking bay opened and out stepped a tall, slender alicorn with a dark blue coat, a blue mane that flowed and shimmered like the night sky, and a crescent moon cutie mark. Several passerbys oohed and awed at the surprise arrival of Princess Luna of Equestria. She was accompanied by a group of several soldiers. Some of the soldiers had white coats and wore golden armor while some had dark blue coats and wore black armor. Princess Luna gave a smile as the hologram of her elder sister flashed on the ceiling of the atrium. Several spectators pulled out cameras, phones, and other technological objects in order to take pictures of the royal figure before them. Some of the soldiers stepped forward in order to make space for the Princess.

"Knew it!" chuckled the zebra as he and his griffin friend made their way towards the crowd gathering around Luna. The Doctor and Derpy turned to look at each other.

"Do you think she remembers us?" Derpy asked.

"Impossible to be sure from here," replied the Doctor. The Doctor then calmly stood up and took a few steps away from the table. "But there is a way to find out." Derpy stood up and followed the Doctor down the stairs and towards the gathering crowd.

The Doctor was quite curious to meet Luna in this state. The only Luna he knew so far was the Luna who took the form of Nightmare Moon and he wasn't keen on meeting that Luna again. But, from what he saw around him, she appeared to be considerably popular. By the time the Doctor and Derpy made it to where the crowd was they could hardly see the Princess.

"How are we supposed to get her attention from here?" Derpy asked as she looked at the swarm of spectators.

"It would be pointless to try calling her name as that's what everypony else here is doing, but I do have one trick under my sleeve," the Doctor replied with a smirk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver.

"That thing again. What did you call it?"

"It's called a Sonic Screwdriver."

"I saw you use it while you and Princess Celestia were fighting Nightmare Moon...and then you used it to access that...ATM."

"Oh, Ms. Hooves, this can do so much more than act as a shield or empty the contents of an ATM. Observe." The Doctor pointed the Sonic Screwdriver towards one of the speakers hanging from the ceiling and activated it. A shrill sound began reverberating through the room. Everypony in the room screamed with pain and covered their ears. This lasted for about five or so seconds until the Doctor finally obtained the decency to stop.

"Never do that again!" Derpy snarled at the Doctor.

"I make no promises," the Doctor said back as he balanced the Sonic Screwdriver in his hoof. However, he had no time to put the device back into his pocket for he suddenly found himself surrounded by soldiers. "Uh...I come in peace?"

"He has attempted an assault on the Princess! Restrain him and his accomplice!" barked one of the soldiers. Derpy let out a gasp as one of the soldiers grabbed her. The soldiers began reaching for the Doctor.

"Wait!" called a smooth and lovely, but demanding, voice. The soldiers stopped in their tracks. The Doctor looked to see Princess Luna approaching him and Derpy. A smile appeared on her face as she examined him and Derpy closely. "Doctor? Derpy?"

"Ah! You do remember us! I hope you do so in a positive light, of course," said the Doctor as he took a step forward. The Doctor let out a gasp as the alicorn leaned forward and gave him a hug.

"Oh! I knew I'd see you again! I cannot even begin to tell you how pleased I am to see you, especially on this day of all days!" Luna broke her hug with the Doctor and turned her attention to Derpy. The soldiers holding onto Derpy instantly let go and took a few steps back. Luna approached Derpy and gave her a hug as well. "And I am happy to see you as well, Derpy." Luna broke the hug and took a few steps back. Derpy turned to look at the Doctor; a look of bewilderment was painted on her face.

"Princess Luna just gave me a hug!" she said to the Doctor in a shrill whisper.

"Exciting, eh?" the Doctor asked in reply.

"Do not worry, soldiers. These are my friends. They are no threat to me, my sister, or anypony else," said Luna.

"If you trust them, your majesty, then we trust them as well," said one of the soldiers. Luna nodded and turned to face the Doctor and Derpy.

"I would be honored if you came to have dinner with me at the penthouse that my sister was kind enough to spare for me. We have much to catch up on."

"Indeed we do. Lead the way, your majesty," said the Doctor.

Derpy have never been in a penthouse before. She didn't even know anypony who lived in a penthouse. She knew that the owners of Sweet Apple Acres back home had some relatives in Manehattan, but said relatives lived in a normal apartment rather than a penthouse apartment. It was certainly obvious upon entering the penthouse that Princess Celestia had put some time aside to have somepony design this penthouse to fit Luna in almost every way. The carpet, ceiling, and walls were all decorated in a beautiful mixture of varying shades of blue. The dining area had a massive window that opened out to show the surface of the Moon as well as a large portion of Moonbase One. Magical star wisps floated through the air in the apartment, making Derpy feel as if she were floating in space amongst the burning spheres of magical gas. Luna sat at the head of the dining table. The Doctor took the seat to her right while Derpy took the seat to her left. A waiter came out and presented a series of appetizers. Derpy recognized none of the food that was placed before her but that didn't stop her from practically diving into her meal.

"I must say that I am very happy to finally meet the real Princess Luna," said the Doctor. "No offense, but your Nightmare Moon persona was not very friendly. I mean, stealing my TARDIS?! That was just plain rude!" Luna chuckled at the Doctor's comment.

"I remember that. Back when I was...conflicted," said Luna. "Anyway, I'm a bit confused by what you said, Doctor. You act as if you've only just met me."

"Do we see each other again; or rather, have we seen each other multiple times in the past?"

"Why of course. Don't you remember?" The Doctor looked at Luna and sighed.

"It is impossible for me to remember because it hasn't happened to Derpy or I yet." Luna's eyes widened in realization. She turned to look at Derpy. Derpy stopped eating and looked up at Luna. Derpy couldn't help but note on how Luna's eyes looked almost like the Doctor's: old and filled with sadness from the horrors they had seen. Luna then let out a slightly embarrassed smile and exhaled deeply.

"Of course. How could I have forgotten? Time travelers. Obviously we're not going to meet each other in quite the right order. I keep forgetting that."

"Things like that tend to happen when you live as old as you have. Which would be...how long exactly?"

"2021 years."

"Congratulations! You've certainly got me beat! I'm only 906!" Derpy nearly choked on her food.

"What did you just say?!" Derpy asked.

"I'm 906 years old," the Doctor replied. "Didn't I tell you that?"

"You kinda forgot to mention it."

"Oh. Sorry about that. Well, you know now and that's what matters!"

"So," said Luna as she gave a small giggle, "where are you in your timeline in comparison to mine?"

"Well, before the Doctor and I arrived here, we...we had just come from the day you were banished to the Moon," Derpy informed.

"And, from how the Doctor talks, I'm guessing that this is the first time you've met me outside of my Nightmare Moon persona."

"That is correct," the Doctor replied.

"It's just...strange."

"What is, Princess?"

"Just this whole situation. Time travel and all. I've never been able to get used to it, no matter how many times I've come across you, Doctor." The three ponies fell silent for a few seconds. Derpy turned her attention to the window. Moonbase One was much bigger than she had imagined it to be. It was three times the size of Canterlot; and the penthouse they were in was definitely tall in its own right.

"It's beautiful here," Derpy complimented in order to break the silence. Luna smiled in response.

"Yes, it is. I'm glad to finally see it for my own eyes," exclaimed the Princess.

"So, how long has Moonbase One been in operation?" the Doctor asked.

"A little over six centuries. Space travel became a huge thing back in the 1200's. My sister was very keen on helping the ponies of Equestria, and the world for that matter, reach the stars. The first Equestrian spaceship was constructed in 1299. By the 1320's, we were regularly sending ponies into space. We began colonization of the Moon in 1331. At first, they were just little clusters of labs and bases and such. Space travel began to become easier and cheaper. More ponies traveled to the Moon as well as other creatures such as griffins, zebras, dragons, the like. Finally, in 1386, we combined all of the bases and labs into Moonbase One. Over the years, Moonbase One has grown and grown and grown to the state in which you see it today. It took a lot of hard work but I think it paid off in the end."

"What about Equestrian-Galactic Enterprises?" Derpy asked.

"Oh. My sister and I founded that along with the other rulers of the countries of Gaia back in the 1500's when Moonbase One began to take on its current form. It's basically in charge of the space industry as well as acts as a negotiator in terms of when extraterrestrials travel to Gaia," Luna replied.

"And how many extraterrestrial encounters has Gaia had?" the Doctor asked.

"Thousands. Mostly in the past 1000 years or so. There might have been some alien activity in previous centuries but our historians and archaeologists have found it hard to find any solid evidence." The Doctor let out a sudden, giddy laugh. "Something funny?"

"Oh nothing. It's just...historians and archaeologists."

"What's funny about them?" Derpy asked.

"I'm a time traveler. I point and laugh at historians and archaeologists," the Doctor replied with a smile. Luna smiled back.

"Well, some of us aren't lucky enough to own a magical blue box that can travel throughout the whole of space and time so we at least try to manage with what we've got," Luna said as she took a sip of tea.

"So, your majesty, this is your first trip to Moonbase One?" Derpy asked.

"Yes."

"Why have you waited this long to visit it?" Everypony fell silent. Luna placed her teacup down and cleared her throat.

"Well, after being trapped here for 1000 years, I wasn't truly keen on coming back."

"But why come back now?" the Doctor asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" asked Luna.

"1000 years of being stuck on this floating rock in the sky. Surely one would never wish to return and see this place again. And, yet, here you are. 1000 years later."

"1000 years on the Moon. 1000 years away from the Moon. I think the math adds up, Doctor." Derpy noticed that Luna appeared a bit more nervous than she previously had.

"Sure, the math adds up. However, if it isn't too personal, my temporary companion and I would be interested in hearing about why you decided to come back," said the Doctor. Something about the phrase temporary companion hurt Derpy a bit. She didn't know why but she was starting to feel that she deserved the title of companion without the temporary part at the beginning. Luna sighed and looked towards the window.

"Even if you two are early in your timeline, I'm positive that I can trust you two," she said.

"Of course," the Doctor said soothingly.

"We won't tell anypony," Derpy added. Luna smiled and nodded.

"I've definitely not been keen on coming back to this place. After returning to Equestria, I never wanted to set a hoof on the Moon ever again. However, over the years, the curiosity grew on me. I began wondering if she were still here. If she were still alive. I wanted to make sure if things were safe here."

"Who's this she?" the Doctor asked. A look of fear appeared on Luna's face.

"The Moon isn't as abandoned as it appears, Doctor. Let's just say that I wasn't alone during my 1000-year banishment to this place. Something else was here with me. Something far worse than my Nightmare Moon persona." Derpy began looking around the room. The lighting hadn't changed but everything seemed darker.

"Who is this thing?"

"I don't know her name. I never tried to find out her name. I wonder if she even has a name. We fought constantly over the centuries I was here. No matter how many times I beat her, she always came back. Sometimes it only took her a day to recover. Sometimes it took a week, a month, a decade, or even a century. But she always came back."

"Why did she and you fight so much?"

"She wanted to destroy me. For what reason? I cannot answer. She just wanted blood. I could see it in her eyes...those dark, soulless eyes."

"And...what happened to her?" Derpy asked.

"I am sorry to say that I am unaware of that fact as well," Luna sighed. "She and I had our final battle a good two years before I returned to Equestria. I do not know what happened to her. A part of me thinks that she died but another part of me knows otherwise. She's out there somewhere...waiting."

"So you've finally come back to the Moon to make sure that this she is gone and if she isn't then you intend to make this so in order to protect the creatures here at Moonbase One," the Doctor concluded. Luna nodded.

"Exactly." An idea suddenly flashed into Derpy's mind. She felt her limbs grow light.

"But...what if she is out there?" Derpy asked. The Doctor and Luna turned to Derpy. "What if...she doesn't have any problem with anypony else except for you. What if she's been waiting this whole time to see if you'd return?" The Doctor and Luna turned to each other. At this moment, everything seemed to grow cold around them. The lights began to flicker and the walls began to moan. Derpy shivered a bit. "That doesn't sound good."

"I don't think it is," said the Doctor. Luna stood up and backed away from the table. She definitely looked spooked about something.

"She's coming. I can feel her," Luna stated.

"Where is she? Where is she coming from?" Derpy asked.

"I don't know." It was at this moment that the lights in the penthouse went out and Derpy screamed.

Comments

[Pax]

of their safety.

[Hekate Sketch]

i willgo get my gear. this creature will be on my trophy wall in no time.

[Clever Build]

2901856 While such a creature would be honorable addition to your trophy wall, I do ask that we see it first. Then, if I deem it too dangerous to live, AND it ignores my second chance, then fire away. Just don't let me see it die. Too much for these old eyes.

(Role playing IS fun. )