DOCTOR WHOOVES: SEASON 1

THREE

  With a sudden start, Princess Celestia woke from her nap in a cold sweat. Breathing hard, she tried to will her jackhammering heart to beat at a more acceptable rhythm. Succeeding in the task after a few moments, the co-ruler of Equestria looked around the tower apartment she had called home for nearly a thousand years. She was alone. No staff. No Solar Guards. All was peaceful. Yet for the life of her, Celestia could not shake a dawning feeling of...wrongness.

  As an immortal Alicorn, she had a vast repertoire of skills and abilities at her command; one allowed her to sense the balance of harmony around her, as well the currents, ebbs and flow of time. This power she learned from Starswirl the Bearded, who had been she and Luna’s mentor in their youth. That was almost certainly what she was feeling now: a shift in what she instinctively knew was her native timeline. Somepony or something had sent ripples along it, as if a large stone had been cast into a still pond. What exactly she did not know, but like her faithful student, she would not give up until the mystery was solved.

  This line of thinking deeply troubled the Princess of the Sun. Nopony still living, aside from herself and Luna, possessed the knowledge of true time travel. Starswirl had insisted that the secret be kept closely-guarded, taken to his student’s graves whenever they finally met their end. The damage that could be done by messing with the past was too horrifying to fathom he told them, in no uncertain terms. Celestia and Luna, having the utmost respect for their beloved mentor, had of course heeded the advice. Starswirl was never one to assume, and he was rarely ever wrong.

  Rising to her hooves, Celestia donned her regalia, putting aside a shower for the moment. She needed to speak with Luna to see if she had also felt the temporal shift. Sending a quick summons to her royal scheduler, Kibitz, she waited impatiently for him to arrive. After what felt like an eternity (though it was only two minutes), he arrived.

  “Good morning your majesty” Kibitz greeted in that polite and dignified way he insisted all use when speaking to the princesses, “what can I do for you today? Your note seemed quite hastily written. Are you feeling unwell? Shall I summon Nightingale?”

  Nightingale was the personal physician of the Royal Sisters, and was one of the best medical professionals of her generation. It was she who nursed the weakened Luna back to health after she was freed from the grip of the Nightmare.

  “I am fine Kibitz” Celestia reassured, though she was practically dancing on the spot like an antsy filly, “I need you to oversee morning court in my stead. There are very urgent matters I must discuss with Luna, and I do not know how long it will take.”

  Kibitz snapped a crisp salute. “As you wish your majesty, I shall attend morning court in your stead.” The diligent old stallion departed to carry out his task without further delay. Celestia quickly made her way over to her sister’s chambers across the way in the Lunar Tower.

  Raising a hoof, Celestia made to knock on the midnight blue door, but it glowed with a magical aura and quickly opened before the metal-clad hoof could make contact. The Princess of the Sun nearly ended up knocking on Luna’s head. She stopped just inches shy and put her foreleg down.

  “Come in quickly, Tia” Luna urged, turning and heading back into her apartment, “I take it you felt

the temporal disturbance as well?” She sat down at her polished obsidian desk, pulling over a cushion for her sister.

  “That I did dear sister” Celestia replied worriedly, levitating her crown off her head and setting it on the desk next to Luna’s, “never have I felt something so dreadful in all my years.” She sat down on the offered cushion.

  Luna conjured glasses of orange juice and two large bowls of blueberry oatmeal for herself and Celestia, so they could eat while they talked. If the day ahead was to be strenuous, they would need their strength and something in the belly.

  “An event, or series of events have occurred that should not have,” Celestia grimly explained, levitating her bowl and taking a few bites of oatmeal, “I don’t what exactly, Lulu, but somepony has definitely altered the past; we are now in an unnaturally altered timeline. How can this be though Luna, if we are the only ones left who know the secrets of time travel?” She found herself rhythmically tapping her forehoof, a habit that usually manifested when she was nervous or anxious.

  “Let us join our minds sister” Luna suggested calmly, steepling her hooves together, “we shall combine our second sight to try and discern what has gone wrong.” Her long dark horn lit up with a vivid blue aura, while her eyes glowed white. She bowed her head and closed her eyes as if in meditation.

  Celestia copied her sister, lowering her head so their horns crossed. Her golden magic spiralled upward to merge her with her sister’s. In tandem, the two Alicorns began to chant in an ancient language never heard by mortal ponykind:

Light and Darkness

Moon and Sun

Our magic combines

Our minds are one

First eyes close

Let the veil draw back

Third eye opens

Grant us knowledge that we lack

  Celestia and Luna instantly found themselves in a swirling blue void filled crackling with bolts of temporal energy. Having left their physical bodies behind on the mortal plane (exposure to the time vortex was fatal to living flesh), the two sisters took on ethereal forms befitting of their respective charges: Celestia was engulfed in brilliant flames and radiant sunlight, while Luna was composed of eerie moonlight and darkness filled with stars, nebulas, and other heavenly bodies.

  Celestia projected a white beam from her horn which continued on into infinity. This represented their native timeline, and would show the princesses any divergence they wished. The two sisters floated along, carefully studying the various events, looking for any that were important.

  Only moments later, the elder Alicorn found the source of the disturbance. If she had visible eyes, they would have widened with horror. She zipped back to her sister as fast as she could, leaving a trail of flames behind in her wake.

  “What have you discovered, Tia?” Luna asked, immediately looking up from the section of timeline she had been studying.

  “Luna I...I have found what we are looking for” Celestia said, panic evident in her voice and aura, which was fluctuating wildly in tune with her emotions, “the Bearers of Harmony were attacked whilst enroute to Canterlot for the wedding. Some kind of winged monsters boarded the train and captured Applejack, Pinkie and…Twilight. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Spike appear to have escaped by some means that I cannot see. Luna, we must find them. While I am more worried at losing our dear friends, I am equally concerned that all will be lost if any of the Bearers die without passing on their Element. Discord will be able to escape once more!” Celestia faded away as her panicked state caused her to lose concentration; she was immediately pulled back to the physical plane.

  She awakened to Luna casting a revival spell on her. Sitting up, Celestia rubbed her head and stood on shaky legs before finding her footing. Her crown levitated over and settled into its proper place on her head.

  “Come, we have no time to lose” Luna said quickly, galloping away to the nearest guard barracks, “we must find the Friendship Express and look for clues to the whereabouts of our friends.”

While Celestia busied herself readying an airship for the Earth Pony and Unicorn Solar Guards, the night princess took command of the Pegasi troops, ordering them to fan out and search for any sign of the missing train or its passengers and crew.

  “By your command, Princess Luna” Captain Azimuth barked, snapping a salute, “let’s ride boys!” The veteran skyfighter spread his wings and took off into the big blue, troops following close in a V-pattern formation. He put his still sharp eyesight to good use, scanning the winding tracks for any signs of the Friendship Express. Ten miles out from Canterlot and the squad found themselves passing over Canterbury Forest. The pine trees were thick, making it impossible to see the tracks that passed through.

  “We’re going to have to do a ground search, boys” Azimuth explained, descending to the spot where the tracks first entered the forest, “if we find the train, a flare over the site will get the attention of the Princesses and the other Solar Guards. Get out your electro-spears; the bug monsters Princess Luna described are hostile, and there are other hungry beasts in these trees, like bears and wolves. I’d say kill on sight, but if you can capture a bug for interrogation and study, I’ll bet there’s a raise or a medal or a promotion in it for the lucky pony in question. So are you ready boys?”

  “Sir yes sir!” the Solar Guards replied as one. While they loved their job, it was not often that they got to see action. Most of their time was spent quelling minor disputes, dealing with whiny nobles, or standing around at important locations and/or events.

  Drawing a short metal pole, the troops extended them into their signature weapon. The electro-spear was enchanted to shock a target into submission when lethal force was not necessary, which was usually the case. At full power the electro-spear could reduce the average pony to a smoldering pile of bones.

  Taking point, Azimuth led the way into Canterbury Forest, following the tracks. He was not worried about another train barreling along to knock he and his boys out of their horseshoes. Celestia had ordered the line to remain clear until the Friendship Express was found. The old Pegasi looked around appreciatively at the thriving forest, which he had once visited with his parents as a colt. He remained focused on his given task however; locating the missing Bearers of Harmony took top priority. He knew of all the good the mares had done, and hoped to find all three ponies alive and well.

  Azimuth knew for certain that Celestia’s primary concern was Twilight being recovered alive, even if she did not say it out loud. The Princess of the Sun loved that mare as much as any mother would her daughter; rarely had he ever see such a strong bond between two ponies that weren’t in a romantic relationship.

  “Sir, I’ve got something!” one of the Solar Guards reported, running over to his commanding officer. He produced a wrapped cloth from his saddlebag and peeled it back to reveal a shard of clean glass and part of a bent metal frame. There was barely a speck of dirt, and the debris was clearly from a windowpane.

  “Nicely done Sergeant Windswept” Azimuth patted his fellow guard on the shoulder, “where did you find this?” If there was a trail of debris, it might lead straight to the train.

  “Over here sir” Windswept replied, leading the way over to a spot about fifty yards away, “the glass and some framework is scattered all along the tracks. It's possible that the train was moving when the window was broken. I also found this.” He pulled a lasso from his bag.

  Azimuth studied the rope for a moment before looking back up. “I am quite certain that this belonged to Ms. Smith. I’ve been to a few rodeos, and I can’t imagine anypony else carrying a lasso around but her. She always stored one in her hat just incase she needed it. Let’s search this area and see if we find anything else. We’ll follow the line.”

  Snapping a salute, Windswept followed along beside his CO, keeping a sharp eye out for further clues. For a few minutes nothing turned up. It was only with a brief glance into the thick underbrush that the young Pegasi spotted a foreleg sticking out.

  “Captain Azimuth, we’ve got a 419!” he reported, “orange coat, blond hair, apple cutie mark. I’ve found Ms. Smith.” He hoped to hell and back that he was wrong, having been informed that the loss of one of the Bearers of Harmony would weaken the stone prison containing Discord.

  Rushing over, Azimuth waded into the underbrush. He used the shaft of his electro-spear to move the thorny wild rose plants aside. A cold chill ran up his spine and his heart sank. He and Windswept removed their helmets and held them over their chests in the traditional show of respect and mourning for a fallen friend.

  Ambrosia ‘Applejack’ Smith lay on her left side, unmoving. Her green eyes were half-open and dull, the spark of life having long departed. Closer inspection revealed the cause of her death to be blunt force trauma to the torso and skull, though other injuries seemed to indicate that she did not go down without a fight.

  Azimuth moved Applejack over to the tracks, gently closing her eyes once he set her down. Taking out a survival blanket from his saddlebag, he respectfully covered her body.

  “Sleep well brave mare” Windswept said quietly, donning his helmet again, “your good deeds will never be forgotten. I promise you that.” Azimuth turned to him after a few moments of silence.

  “Sergeant, you are to stay here and keep the scavengers away” the captain ordered, “the rest of us will go on ahead to find the train. It must be somewhere up ahead. We’ll find the damn thing if it takes all day!”

  He took point and led ten Solar Guards along the tracks. Just a few hundred yards along, out of sight around a bend, the squad located the Friendship Express. The train appeared largely undamaged, though the paint was badly scratched on both sides, and of course many of the windows were broken.

  Azimuth ran a hoof over the paint, wondering just how dangerous those insect monsters could be, if they were strong enough to leave shallow gouges in the train’s alloy steel chassis. Taking out his electro-spear, he cautiously entered the rear-most passenger car.

  “All clear!” he called out after a quick search. He poked his head out the door to address his squad. “Quite the mess in there, but the only body I found is a charred bug, likely killed by one of the passengers. Those damn things still took everypony anyway. Send up the flare.”

  With a “sir yes sir,” one of the guards took out the flare, lit the fuse with the tip of his wing, and sent it rocketing off high into the air over the forest canopy, where it burst into an easily-spotted cloud of red smoke.

  The military airship Bravo Zulu hovered into view a couple of minutes later. Too large for a safe landing, Celestia and Luna flew down to the forest floor, while the Royal Guards repelled down on long cables. The Zulu flew off to land outside the forest.

  “Did you find anypony, Captain Azimuth?” Celestia asked, hoping for some good news to make up for all the bad, “were any of the Element Bearers present?” She knelt to the old Pegasi’s level, so they were eye to eye. Her usual calm demeanor was cast aside, replaced by desperation.

  Azimuth steeled himself before somberly replying, “we only found Ms. Smith, Princess, but...she unfortunately passed on before we found her. Her body is being watched over by Sergeant Windswept, until we can return it to the Smith family.”

  Celestia’s coat somehow turned even paler. She stumbled and sank to the ground, all thoughts of etiquette and protocol forgotten from the shocking revelation. One of the ponies she herself tasked with protecting Equestria was dead, struck down in the prime of her young life. How many centuries of innocent blood was on her hooves now?

  “Sister, what happened was not your fault!” Luna said, trying her best to comfort her sister, “we could not have known of the attack on the train until it already occurred!” In their youth it was Luna that often needed the warm presence of her elder sister, and so the night princess was not especially adept at doing the comforting. But by Harmony was she going to do her best! Equestria could not see its primary ruler in such a state of despair. If the country’s enemies even saw a hint of weakness, they were bound to take advantage.

  “Luna, I am lost on what to do” Celestia said quietly after a few moments, “we do not know where any of the passengers are. How can we effect a rescue without a Point A to get to Point B?” In sharp contrast to her usual poise, the princess was showing her true self that was never seen by the public: a very old and weary soul who had seen too many terrible things in her unnaturally long life.

  Before Luna could answer, a leather-lunged scream ripped through the forest, sending flocks of birds scattering in all directions and the ears of all ponies present folding instinctively folding back from the volume. Luna took off running towards the sound, with her sister and the Solar Guards hot on her trail.

  Skidding to a stop at the spot where Applejack’s body had been found, the group was shocked at the terrifying scene before them. The deceased farmer, apparently risen from the proverbial grave, was crouching low over an injured Windswept. Celestia was the first to find her voice.

  “Applejack, it is going to be alright!” she said reassuringly, taking a cautious step forward, lest she incite the strong mare to violence, “please calm yourself. We only want to know what happened to you, your friends and the other passengers.”

  Looking up slowly, the cowpony turned her head to look at the Princess of the Sun. With a slow, snake-like hiss, lips curled back to reveal a pair of long white fangs and two rows of smaller ones. Her eyes shone with a bright, icy blue inner light.

  Windswept took advantage of the distraction to kick upward with his hind legs, trying to flip Applejack up and over. Instead what he got was pain shooting up his limbs as they struck an incredibly solid abdomen. The Pegasi screamed in horror as the angered mare sank her fangs into his lightly-armored belly and shook him around like a chew toy. Tossing the wounded Solar Guard aside, the seeminly undead mare turned its attention to Celestia and her cadre. With an animalistic snarl, the former Earth Pony charged with pony flesh on the menu.

  Luna immediately took aim and fired her strongest stun spell into the mare’s chest just as she leapt into the air to take a bite out of the princess. Launched away by the powerful display of magic, the monster that had once been Applejack slammed into a tree and fell to the ground. Struggling to rise again, she was hit by another stun spell and collapsed to the ground.

  “Bind this...thing, so we can take it back to Canterlot” Celestia ordered with a venomous edge to her voice that very few ever heard, “Luna and I will interrogate it personally. If my faithful student died at the hands of these monsters, nothing will save them from my wrath.”

  She turned on the spot, spread her wings, and flew back to the Bravo Zulu. Her sister followed close behind, hoping Celestia did not do anything foolish due to letting her anger get the better of her. The thought of what a raging Celestia could do was absolutely terrifying.