DOCTOR WHOOVES: SEASON 1

{{Awaken little pony}}

  Twilight groaned and felt around for her other pillow, hoping to block out the sound of Spike suddenly choosing to be a morning dragon and speaking to her via telepathy. She was much too warm and comfortable floating in her...bed. Realization immediately struck the librarian as her mental faculties returned to her.

  She opened her eyes and tried to sit up, only to bump her head against some slightly malleable surface that stuck to her mane like weak flypaper. All around her, everything was colored a solid, sickly green. Some undefinable but foul smell permeated the air and made her want to hurl. With dawning horror, she realized that she was encased in some sort of cocoon. Naturally, she did what any pony would do in such a situation - she freaked out and flew into a mad panic, trying frantically to escape before something came along to feast on her.

{{Don’t worry Twilight Sparkle, I’m not going to kill you - yet}}

  “Who...who are you?” Twilight called out timidly, not feeling any of her usual courage, “where am I?” The voice in her head was soft and gentle, yet it held a subtle menace that sent chills up her spine despite the stifling humidity inside the cocoon.

{{I am Queen Chrysalis, leader of my hive and mother to its inhabitants. Sadly, I lost one of my sons earlier today, when a certain Unicorn decided to set him on fire. You killed my boy, Twilight Sparkle, and for that I will make you suffer a hundred times the pain I felt when his connection to me was severed!}}

  “I am not a murderer, Chrysalis!” Twilight angrily replied, “Your drone was a grave threat to my friends. I acted in self-defense!” She was not a cold-blooded killer, was she? She could easily have stunned the drone instead of torching him. Why had she chosen a lethal spell instead? She feared learning the answer to that question.

  She let out a yelp as the cocoon was suddenly sliced open from below, dropping her to the  unforgiving ground. She felt sharp rocks cut into her flesh as she landed in a heap. In an instant she was picked up in a green magic field and slammed into a wall, which hurt far more than the fall. Regaining her senses, she opened her eyes to confront her attacker. She immediately wished that she had not done so.

  Standing just a couple of feet away was Queen Chrysalis. She resembled her drones, but her chitin armor plating was clearly much stronger, covering more of her towering frame. The changeling queen was easily as tall as Celestia, if not more so. With a furious growl, she pulled the focus of her anger closer, so they were nose to nose, and her lips curled back to reveal razor-sharp fangs. Her breath smelled like a burning garbage dump in the midst of a heatwave.

  “While I am in my right to end your life right here and now” Chrysalis hissed, “I have other plans that come first.” She turned and set off down the hive tunnel, keeping her prisoner within the magic field.

  Twilight watched winding tunnels pass by, leading to who knew where. All around were what must have been hundreds or even thousands of changelings, carrying out various assigned tasks; moving eggs, bringing in prisoners, training the soldiers. She recognized her old friend Twinkleshine as she was carried past by a couple of drones.

  “Have you been abducting ponies, Chrysalis?!” Twilight demanded, “you let them all go right now! They’ve done nothing to you. It’s me you want isn’t it?”

  Twinkleshine looked back and smiled at the sight of her former schoolmate. The drones stopped, seemingly at the telepathic command of their queen. Chrysalis turned to study the light grey mare, in the same manner a pony would study something stuck to the bottom of their hoof before wiping it off.

  “You got snatched too, Twi?” Twinkleshine asked, “I bet you could bring this whole hive down around the ears of these monsters! I tried to fight them, but there were too many. I got swarmed on my way home from the store. All that good food left on the sidewalk to go bad.”

  “Good to see you again, Twinkle” Twilight replied, “I’m so sorry for leaving so abruptly way back when. I was a mare on a mission, trying to prove that Nightmare Moon was going to escape from imprisonment on the moon. Don’t do anything foolish, or you’ll never get out of here alive.”

  Chrysalis smiled in a way most unsettling. “I take you know her, Twilight Sparkle?” she questioned, “Perhaps I will let her be the lucky pony to go free? I can be generous when the mood strikes me. I will give you one free assassination attempt, little mare. Strike me down with all of your might, for I am defenseless while my magic holds your friend. Slay me and you will be hailed as a hero by ponykind.”

“Twinkleshine, do it now!” Twilight had not at all intended to say that. Chrysalis must have somehow forced her, literally putting words in her mouth. She had effectively sealed the fate of her friend, and could only look on in despair.

  Charging up her horn with a light blue aura, Twinkleshine fired a barrage of Magic Missiles at the changeling queen. Her eyes widened in horror as Chrysalis let the projectiles burst against her chitin plating. She remained standing, only mildly scorched. Spinning around, Twinkleshine saw numerous changeling drones charging at her to protect their queen.

  Terrified, the mare took off running down one of the tunnels with at least twenty snarling pursuers hot on her tail. Moments later, a gut-wrenching scream could be heard all over the hive as the hapless pony was caught and attacked by the angry drones.

  “YOU MONSTER!” the heartbroken pony roared, “How could you do something like that? Twinkleshine was my friend. She didn’t deserve to die!” A fire burned in Twilight’s eyes as she turned to glare daggers at Chrysalis.

  Chrysalis pressed a hoof to her chest in feigned indignance. “You egged her on, Sparkle, not me. I would have let her go with only a memory alteration, to protect the location of the hive. You are thus responsible for making my drones come to defend their queen. That kind of pain never goes away...much like the pain of losing one’s offspring.”

  “It was self-defense!” Twilight countered angrily, “I swear on my life I will end you, Chrysalis!” She tried to charge up the magic flame spell she used on the drone, but her aura only flickered and died out.

  “Anti-magic horn ring” Chrysalis explained, “I know how powerful you are, Twilight Sparkle, for I have been watching for a long time. I am mare enough to admit fearing what you are capable of when provoked, so I will make you an offer, cliché as it is: join my hive, and together we can make this country strong enough to repel any army who dares to try to invade. The New Changeling Empire will flourish from our leadership! If you will agree to let me convert you into one of my kind, I will make you my heir. As much as I hate to admit it...I’m getting old. As hard and as often as I have tried, none of my hatchlings have been born as queens. I fear age or something else has affected my ability to produce a successor. My hive is the last one in existence thanks to the actions of a cruel and selfish species calling themselves the Time Lords or Time Ponies, or something along those lines. They are the ones who destroyed the changeling homeworld, because they were jealous and feared our military strength and powers. They even wiped out one of the races on their world for the same reason: magic was something that Void Ravager, the leader of the Time Ponies, was not capable of wielding himself, so he believed that if he could have power over magic, then no being was allowed to have it. Even a wicked soul such as I would never commit an act as terrible as genocide, especially against my fellow changelings.”

Twilight listened to the queen’s story. Despite the attacks on herself and her friends, the librarian compassion and sympathy won out in the end. She felt her heart go out to Chrysalis. The changeling queen was clearly being honest, and really was amongst the last of her kind. Had the Time Ponies she met aboard the train been sent to find the changelings? If magic was what they feared, then Equestria, nay all of Equus, was in terrible danger if the Time Ponies were capable of destroying entire planets!

  “I’ll help you Chrysalis, but only on my terms” she stated after a few moments thought, “we’ll form an alliance, but I will not become a changeling. I’m sure you are aware by now of the two Time Ponies aboard the Friendship Express. If they are a vanguard to an attack against your kind, then I will help you in your fight against them. In return, you are to release my friends and any others held captive, and leave Equestria alone forever. There are badlands in the southwest of the country that would be a good place to set up a new hive where nopony will bother you. The sea isn’t that far off, so you’ll have plenty of seafood to keep the hive fed.”

  Chrysalis smiled. She had forgotten for so long that kind beings could still be found all over the galaxy. She offered a hoof and Twilight shook it once she was released from the magic aura and the anti-magic ring.

  “You have a deal, Twilight Sparkle” the queen replied, “come, join me for dinner. My drones have gathered plenty of food your kind can eat, since we had pony prisoners. We can work out a way to properly deal with those foul Time Ponies.”

  The newly minted allies set off deeper into the hive, with Twilight listening to Chrysalis explain all about the Time Ponies and the innumerable crimes committed by them. She held back a triumphant grin as her influence over her unwitting pawn grew.

  Everything was going according to plan.

  With a whir of the dematerialization circuits, the TARDIS reentered the physical world behind Donut Joe’s Bakery in the shape of a blue Solar Guard detainment box, complete with lantern on top. The royal police used the box to hold unruly citizens or criminals until backup arrived.

  The door opened outward, and Sydney poked his head out to look around. Seeing nopony in sight, he gestured for Derpy and the Mane Four to follow him. He took in what little there was to see in the somewhat dirty alley.

  “Love the architecture” Derpy commented as she flew up just high enough to see over the wall opposite the TARDIS, “much cleaner and more inviting than the Citadel on Gallopfrey.”

  “Focus darling” Rarity chided, gently pulling the curious mare back to the ground, “we need to meet with Princess Celestia and let her know what happened. If anyone can help us, it is her. Come, follow me. I know this city second only...only to Twilight.” She led the way out of the alley, careful not to step on any loose garbage. The streets of Canterlot were just as busy as always. Ponies of all classes and races went about their business. Motorcars, a relatively new contraption, zipped back and forth along the widened cobblestone streets. The fashionista hailed a taxi, temporarily setting aside her dignity to show a bit of flank and get the attention of a driver faster.

The plot worked, and one of the black-and-yellows pulled to a stop. “Where to pretty lady?” the cabbie asked, walking over to hold the door for his passenger, “I can get you there faster than a Pegasi on a caffeine rush. These beasts are far quicker than any horse-drawns.”

  “To Canterlot Palace with haste” Rarity replied, getting into the cab, “we have important news to deliver to Princesses Celestia and Luna." She was followed in by Rainbow, Derpy, and Sydney, who sat in the back, while Fluttershy took a seat up front, with Spike sitting between her and the driver. The cabbie returned to the driver’s side and sped off, locking the doors with a brief application of magic.

  “Is that really necessary, sir?” Fluttershy asked, shuddering as fear sent chills racing up and down her spine, “Canterlot is a safe city. Nopony is going to try and attack a moving cab. Would you please drive a little bit less like a madpony...please?”

  The driver didn’t answer. He kept his eyes on the road, taking turns at a rather questionable velocity that none of the passengers were especially keen on. Was this guy hopped up on some drug, or even properly trained to operate a motorcar?

  “We are in a hurry good sir, but I do not think it necessary to risk flipping your vehicle!” Sydney glared at the driver, who briefly glanced back through the rearview mirror. His eyes very briefly (fast enough that no Equestrian pony’s eyes would catch it) changed to an all-too-familiar solid blue. The Time Pony’s own eyes widened in abject horror, alarms and warnings going off in his head as fear welled up in him. He could only eek out a small sentence to sum up the situation:

  “Oh my giddy aunt!”